Missions’ opening series continues Friday in OKC

The San Antonio Missions practice at Wolff Stadium on Tuesday before hitting the road. - photo by Joe Alexander
Troy Stokes Jr. throws from the outfield during Missions media day at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
San Antonio Missions outfielder Troy Stokes Jr. had two hits and scored a run in Thursday’s 5-3 season-opening victory over Oklahoma City.

The Missions and OKC Dodgers play again tonight at 7:05 p.m.

Missions win 2019 opener in Triple-A debut

Missions outfielder Tyrone Taylor talks to Jerry Briggs on media day on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Missions outfielder Tyrone Taylor talks to Jerry Briggs at media day on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
The San Antonio Missions beat the Oklahoma City Dodgers 5-3 on the road Thursday night.

It was San Antonio’s first game in Triple-A.

Tyrone Taylor scored the Missions’ historic first run in Triple-A.

Taylor led off the second inning with a home run off of pitcher Clayton Kershaw. The Missions’ Troy Stokes scored later in the inning to give the Missions a 2-0 lead.

Kershaw, a Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, was starting for Oklahoma City on a rehab assignment.

The same teams meet again Friday night at 7:05 p.m. in Oklahoma City.

  • Missions stand tall against a legend on opening night
    story by Jerry Briggs on milb.com

  • Missions manager Rick Sweet and today’s season opener

    Missions manager Rick Sweet at media day on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
    Missions manager Rick Sweet at media day on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
    The San Antonio Missions baseball team opens its 2019 season on the road tonight in Oklahoma City.

    This is the Missions’ first season in Triple-A. The team is now a farm club of the Milwaukee Brewers.

  • Missions feeling the joy on opening day
    from Jerry Briggs on milb.com

    The Missions’ first home game is April 9 at Wolff Stadium.

    The Missions are coming off a stretch as the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres.

    “It should be better baseball – fewer mistakes, both mental and physical mistakes,” new Missions manager Rick Sweet said. “You’ll see older guys come through here.

    “It’s a different ballgame here at times mostly because of the older players, veteran players.”

    The Brewers’ Triple-A team moved to San Antonio from Colorado Springs. That leads to warmer weather at the beginning of the season and, of course, hotter weather late in the year.

    “We’re very happy to be here,” Sweet said. “I’ve been in the game 45 years and I’ve never got to spend an extended time in Texas. I hear everything is bigger and better here so I’m looking forward to it.”

    One of the biggest differences between Double-A and Triple-A is that as you go the next step up, you are only one step away from playing in the major leagues. Players can potentially be at Wolff Stadium one day and wearing a Milwaukee Brewers uniform the next.

    “You’ll see guys with major league experience that have major league expectations,” Sweet said. “Once you get to Triple-A you’re this far away, you’re a hair away from that phone call.

    “When you’re this close in Triple-A, it happens all the time.”

  • Missions media day starts with interviews

    Members of the San Antonio media talk to new Missions outfielder Corey Ray on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
    Members of the San Antonio media talk to new Missions outfielder Corey Ray on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
    Some of the members of the 2019 San Antonio Missions baseball team talked to members of the media on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium.

    The list included:

    Keston Hiura, infielder, No. 18, former 1st-round draft pick.

    Corey Ray, outfielder, No. 9, former 1st-round draft pick.

    Zack Brown, right-handed pitcher, No. 33, former 5th-round draft pick.

    All three spent time last season with the Milwaukee Brewers’ Double-A team in Biloxi, Miss.

    Missions get to know Wolff Stadium

    The San Antonio Missions practice at Wolff Stadium on Tuesday before hitting the road. - photo by Joe Alexander
    The San Antonio Missions practice at Wolff Stadium on Tuesday before hitting the road. – photo by Joe Alexander
    The 2019 version of the San Antonio Missions baseball team was introduced to the local media and its home field on Tuesday.

    The Missions open the season – their first in Triple-A – on the road Thursday.

    They got in some fielding and hitting work at Wolff Stadium before their opening five-game series in Oklahoma City.

    The Missions play their first home game on April 9 – which is the first Two Dollar Tuesday promotion of the season.

  • Missions to face Clayton Kershaw in PCL debut
    Story by Jerry Briggs at milb.com

  • Missions announce tentative opening day roster

    The San Antonio Missions baseball team opens its season Thursday.

    The team released its tentative opening day roster on Monday.

    Missions opening day roster

    Pitchers (14) B-T HT WT DOB Birthplace Acquired 2018 Team(s)
    34 Tristan Archer R-R 6-2 200 10/18/90 Garden City, MI Signed as FA – 2013 Colorado Springs (AAA), Biloxi (AA)
    33 Zack Brown R-R 6-1 180 12/15/94 Seymour, IN 2016 MLB Draft (5th Rd) Biloxi (AA), AZL Brewers (ROK)
    11 Bubba Derby L-R 5-11 185 2/24/94 Arcadia, CA Trade with OAK, 2016 Colorado Springs (AAA)
    25 Josh Fields R-R 6-0 191 8/19/85 Athens, GA Signed as FA – 2019 LAD (MLB), Oklahoma City (AAA), AZL Dodgers (ROK)
    50 Deolis Guerra R-R 6-5 245 4/17/89 San Felix, Venezuela Signed as FA – 2018 Round Rock (AAA)
    12 Adrian Houser R-R 6-4 235 2/2/93 Tahlequah, OK Trade with HOU, 2015 Milwaukee (MLB), Colorado Springs (AAA), Biloxi (AA)
    38 Jay Jackson R-R 6-1 195 10/27/87 Greenville, SC Signed as FA – 2019 Hiroshima (Japan)
    22 Brad Kuntz L-L 6-0 180 5/14/92 Cincinnati, OH Signed as FA – 2015 Biloxi (AA)
    20 Jon Olczak R-R 6-0 180 11/14/93 Fayetteville, NC 2015 MLB Draft (21st Rd) Biloxi (AA), Carolina (A+)
    55 Jake Petricka R-R 6-5 220 6/5/88 Northfield, MN Signed as FA – 2019 Toronto (MLB), Buffalo (AAA)
    45 Miguel Sanchez R-R 6-3 190 12/31/93 Bonao, Dominican Republic Signed as FA – 2016 Colorado Springs (AAA), Biloxi (AA), Carolina (A+)
    30 Burch Smith R-R 6-4 225 4/12/90 San Antonio, TX Signed as FA – 2019 Kansas City (MLB)
    32 Michael Tonkin R-R 6-7 220 11/19/89 Glendale, CA Signed as FA – 2019 Hokkaido Nippon-Ham (Japan)
    40 Aaron Wilkerson R-R 6-3 190 5/24/89 Fort Worth, TX Trade with BOS, 2016 Milwaukee (MLB), Colorado Springs (AAA)

    Catchers (3) B-T HT WT DOB Birthplace Acquired 2018 Team(s)
    47 Skyler Ewing R-R 6-1 225 8/22/92 Arlington, TX Signed as FA – 2019 Jacksonville (AA), Jupiter (A+), Florence (Ind.)
    3 Tuffy Gosewisch R-R 5-11 200 8/17/83 Freeport, IL Signed as FA – 2018 Syracuse (AAA)
    27 Jacob Nottingham R-R 6-2 230 4/3/95 Redlands, CA Trade with OAK, 2016 Milwaukee (MLB), Colorado Springs (AAA)

    Infielders (7) B-T HT WT DOB Birthplace Acquired 2018 Team(s)
    1 Mauricio Dubon R-R 6-0 160 7/19/95 San Pedro Sula, Honduras Trade with BOS, 2016 Colorado Springs (AAA)
    17 Lucas Erceg L-R 6-3 210 5/1/95 San Jose, CA 2016 MLB Draft (2nd Rd) Biloxi (AA)
    2 Jake Hager R-R 6-1 170 3/4/93 Henderson, NV Signed as FA – 2018 Colorado Springs (AAA), Biloxi (AA)
    18 Keston Hiura R-R 5-11 190 8/2/96 Valencia, CA 2017 MLB Draft (1st Rd) Biloxi (AA), Carolina (A+)
    6 Nate Orf R-R 5-9 180 2/1/90 Wentzville, MO Signed as FA – 2013 Milwaukee (MLB), Colorado Springs (AAA)
    13 Tyler Saladino R-R 6-0 200 7/20/89 San Diego, CA Trade with CWS, 2018 Milwaukee (MLB), CWS (MLB), Colorado Springs (AAA), Wisconsin (A)
    5 Cory Spangenberg L-R 6-0 195 3/16/91 Clarks Summit, PA Signed as FA – 2019 San Diego (MLB), El Paso (AAA)

    Outfielders (3) B-T HT WT DOB Birthplace Acquired 2018 Team(s)
    9 Corey Ray L-L 6-0 195 9/22/94 Chicago, IL 2016 MLB Draft (1st Rd) Biloxi (AA)
    8 Troy Stokes Jr. R-R 5-8 182 2/2/96 Baltimore, MD 2014 MLB Draft (4th Rd) Biloxi (AA)
    15 Tyrone Taylor R-R 6-0 185 1/22/94 Torrance, CA 2012 MLB Draft (2nd Rd) Colorado Springs (AAA