CAROLINA BASEBALL: GAME 10
Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Dad and I make our way to the South Carolina coast to TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark to see the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the Low-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The Pelicans celebrate Recovery Awareness, wearing special jerseys, as they face the Indians affiliate, the Lynchburg Hillcats.
Rested up after our day in Myrtle Beach, Dad and I drove a handful of short blocks from our hotel to TicketReturn.com Field and our next game with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the Low-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They would be taking on the Cleveland Indians affiliate, the Lynchburg Hillcats.
Frequently rated as one of the best Class-A baseball experiences in America, TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Park seats 4,800 and can accommodate 1,800 more. It was built for the Pelicans in 1999 at a cost of $12.8 million, and the team has played there ever since.
Although they have only been with the Cubs since 2015, the Pelicans do a thorough job connecting the team to the parent Chicago Cubs, who are beloved by so many vacationing and relocated baseball fans. From signage to golf carts to the names of the food at the concessions, you feel the connection.
I took a walk toward the outfield, passing Pelicans mascot Splash and the Tito’s Beach Party group seating area, one of the more unique seating options in Minor League Baseball. But the sun felt direct and oppressive, following my every step, in the exposed outfield area. I quickly retreated back to shade.
Oddly enough, the Pelicans franchise originated as the Durham Bulls of 1980-1997. When another ownership group in Durham received the rights to a new a Triple-A franchise, the team moved to Myrtle Beach, stopping for one year in Danville, VA as the Danville 97s – ironically, during the ’98 season. Myrtle Beach has won four Carolina League titles since moving into their seaside home in 1999, the last coming back-to-back in 2015 and 2016.
To celebrate recovery awareness, the Pelicans wore special purple jerseys with pinstripe lettering repeating the phrase, “One Day at a Time.” The game was also promoted as a Sippin’ Saturday with special beer deals, which felt like a wee bit of mixed messaging.
Both teams hovered right around .500 going into the game. Myrtle Beach was in second place in the South Division of the Low-A East (once again the Carolina League in 2022). But they were a full 22 games behind the blistering pace of the Charleston RiverDogs, now 22 games above .500
The game began and moved at a fairly brisk pace, both starting pitchers having strong outings. Myrtle Beach’s Daniel Palencia had been traded from to the Cubs by the Oakland A’s earlier in the year, after Palencia put up a 6.91 ERA in six starts. In seven starts for the Pelicans, he would notch a 3.67 ERA. He would make just one key mistake in five innings of work, giving up a home run to Hillcats third baseman Gabriel Rodriguez in the top of the fourth.
Lynchburg starter Juan Zapata was equally sharp. In 16 games with the Hillcats, his 5.45 ERA did not stand out. But he managed this start against the Pelicans just fine, giving up eight hits but just one run in five innings on an RBI single by left fielder Jordan Nwogu in the bottom of the third.
I ducked into the Pelican Pro Shop looking for a very specific hat — just the pelican head on that sweet powder blue, with the yellow-beak brim.
Success!
As the sun began to set, revealing baseball skies and silhouettes, I took a trip to the outfield to capture the moment.
Dinner was long overdue. I stopped up to the Clark & Addison Grille, which had a number of exciting options, including a Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Burger, which is a hearty burger between two Chicago deep-dish pizzas. Perhaps a bit too exciting, that one.
Dad opted for the Big Daddy brat with peppers (“sure to satisfy Rick Reuschel”). He liked it but wished he had remembered the mustard. I had Buckner’s Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich, also with peppers, and it was truly delicious.
Jordan Nwogu
The teams remained locked at 1-1 for the next few innings. Myrtle Beach was getting runners on base regularly without converting. In the bottom of the eighth, however, Nwogu skipped the whole “on base” part of the equation with a solo line drive over the seats in left field, giving the pelicans a 2-1 lead.
Reliever Luis Rodriguez induced four strikeouts in the two innings of work to close the door on the Hillcats and giving Myrtle Beach the “W.” In Chicago, Cubs wins are celebrated by raising a white flag with a blue W; in Myrtle Beach, they flashed the W on the video board.