San Antonio Missions closer Jay Jackson pitching at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderJay Jackson’s professional baseball career has taken him from San Diego to Milwaukee and from Mexico to Japan.
The San Antonio Missions closer was selected to play for the Pacific Coast League in today’s Triple-A All-Star Game in El Paso.
Jackson leads the Missions in saves (8) and has a 4-2 record with a 1.01 ERA. He is second on the team in games (29) and second among Missions relievers in innings pitched (35 2/3). Jackson stuck out 50 batters with 8 walks. He appeared in three games this season with the Milwaukee Brewers, giving up five runs in 2 1/3 innings.
The 6-foot-1 right-hander was drafted in the ninth round in 2008 by the Chicago White Sox. He made it to the Majors in 2015 when he pitched in six games for the San Diego Padres.
His pitching record includes stints in Mexico between 2012 and 2016.
Jackson spent the 2016 through 2018 seasons pitching for Hiroshima in the Japanese league. In 181 games over three seasons he had a 10-8 record with three saves, all in relief.
The San Antonio Missions’ David Freitas was selected to play in the 2019 Triple-A All-Star Game. – photo by Joe AlexanderDavid Freitas started this year in the Majors, playing one game with the Seattle Mariners.
A trade brought the 30-year-old catcher to the Milwaukee Brewers organization and San Antonio Missions.
Freitas has been an offensive force in his 55 games in Triple-A. He leads the Missions in batting (.369), is second in OPS (.957), third in RBIs (43) and fourth in slugging (.523). He has seen time in San Antonio as both a catcher and first basemen, in keeping with the Brewers organization’s philosophy of giving players experience at multiple positions.
Freitas is scheduled to play for the Pacific Coast League team in Wednesday’s Triple-A All-Star Game in El Paso.
Missions shortstop Mauricio Dubon playing against the Iowa Cubs at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderMauricio Dubon finds himself one of the top offensive weapons in the San Antonio Missions’ batting order.
Since Keston Hiura and Tyler Saladino have been called up by the Milwaukee Brewers, Dubon is the team leader on the active roster in home runs with 12.
The 6-foot, 24-year-old shortstop from Honduras is second on the current roster in batting average (.308) and RBIs (40) and third in runs scored (46).
The Missions’ Tyrone Taylor slides into home with the final run of the game on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderJake Hager, who had two walk-off hits early in the season, didn’t wait until the ninth inning this time.
Hager drove in Tyrone Taylor in the bottom of the eighth with the winning run as the San Antonio Missions beat the Iowa Cubs 2-1 on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium.
Taylor led off the eighth with a single. Hager came up with one out and doubled to left to bring in Taylor and break the 1-1 tie.
That was the only at-bat of the game for Hager, who entered the game in the top of the eighth inning as part of a double-switch.
Missions starting pitcher Burch Smith went six innings and did not get a decision. He allowed one run on three hits with six strikeouts and two walks.
Missions reliever Taylor (3-1) got the last out in the eighth and got the win. Jay Jackson pitched the top of the ninth and notched his seventh save of the season.
Travis Shaw had one hit and played third base for the Missions on Monday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderMilwaukee Brewers infielder Travis Shaw was in the San Antonio Missions’ lineup Monday night for the first time since being optioned to the Triple-A team last week.
Shaw played third base on Monday and batted fourth. He had one hit in four at-bats with two strikeouts.
Shaw played 10 games with the Missions in May and early June before going up to join the Brewers. He hit .164 with six home runs in 57 games with Milwaukee. Last season with the Brewers he hit .241 with 32 home runs in 152 games.
The Iowa Cubs beat the Missions 5-3 Monday night at Wolff Stadium.
The San Antonio Missions’ Blake Allemand hit his second home run of the season Sunday at Wolff Stadium, a solo shot in the seventh inning. – photo by Joe AlexanderThe San Antonio Missions hit four home runs including back-to-back shots by Mauricio Dubon and Cory Spangenberg to beat the Iowa Cubs 10-2 Sunday at Wolff Stadium.
Iowa scored one run in the top of the first to lead briefly but only scored one run the rest of the way.
Missions starting pitcher Thomas Jankins, who picked up the win, also drove in San Antonio’s first run with a line drive to left in the third inning. Jankins and Trent Grisham scored later in the inning and the Missions had all the runs it turned out they needed.
Lucas Erceg hit his 11th home run of the season, a two-run blast in the fourth to make it 5-2.
Dubon hit his 12th home run of the season and Spangenberg hit his seventh back-to-back in the fifth inning.
Blake Allemand added his second home run of the season in the seventh inning.
The Missions finished with 11 hits.
Jankins (8-2) pitched six innings and gave up two runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and one walk.
Jon Olczak, who was activated off the injured list earlier in the day, pitched two innings and Donnie Hart pitched the ninth to finish the game for the Missions.
The San Antonio Missions’ Lucas Erceg hit his 11th home run of the season Sunday at Wolff Stadium, a two-run shot in the fourth inning. – photo by Joe AlexanderThe San Antonio Missions’ Mauricio Dubon hit his 12th home run of the season Sunday at Wolff Stadium, a solo shot in the fifth inning. – photo by Joe AlexanderThe San Antonio Missions’ Cory Spangenberg hit his seventh home run of the season Sunday at Wolff Stadium, a solo shot in the fifth inning. – photo by Joe Alexander
Missions outfielder Trent Grisham hits an eighth-inning home run against the Round Rock Express on Friday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderTrent Grisham was leading the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers in home runs before he was promoted.
The 2015 first-round draft pick by the Milwaukee Brewers accelerated his home run rate when he reached Triple-A. He hit home runs in his first three games, all on the road, with the San Antonio Missions.
Friday night he played centerfield and hit his first home run at Wolff Stadium, the Missions’ home field. That was one of only four Missions hits in a 9-2 loss to the Round Rock Express.
The Fort Worth native is batting .286 with four home runs after seven games with the Missions.
Grisham, a 6-foot, 205-pound left-hander, played 63 games with the Shuckers this season and hit .254 with 13 home runs.
The Missions’ Keston Hiura, shown earlier this season, is expected to officially be called up by the Brewers on Friday. – photo by Joe AlexanderOn a night when the San Antonio Missions combined stellar pitching with couple of home runs, the biggest story was two players who weren’t at Thursday’s game.
Keston Hiura and Tyler Saladino packed their bags before the game and left Wolff Stadium. Next stop, the big leagues.
The Milwaukee Brewers are expected to announce on Friday that Hiura and Saladino are being called up. Both have spent time with the Brewers earlier this season. Speculation about when Hiura would be called back up has been constant since he was sent back to San Antonio.
Apparently the call came Thursday afternoon. Both players were at batting practice at Wolff Stadium. At about 4:20 p.m. Central time, Hiura walked off the field as teammates waved at him.
A short time after that a member of the gameday staff reported that Saladino had exited the stadium. A team official confirmed both players were headed up.
Hiura hit .329 in 57 games in Triple-A with a team-high 19 home runs. Saladino hit .288 in 67 games and was second on the team in homers with 14.
The Missions’ Tyler Saladino, shown earlier this season, is expected to officially be called up by the Brewers on Friday. – photo by Joe Alexander
By the way, Missions win
The Missions beat the Round Rock Express 3-0 on Thursday at Wolff Stadium.
Lucas Erceg and Jake Hager both homered for the Missions. Nate Orf drove in the other run.
Missions starting pitcher Burch Smith (6-3) went six innings and got the win. He allowed one hit with seven strikeouts and four walks. Deolis Guerra, Donnie Hart and Taylor Williams each pitched one inning in the combined shutout.
Missions starter Burch Smith pitched six innings and got the win against the Express on Thursday night at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
From the Express at Missions game Thursday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderIt’s no fun being picked off first base. It’s even less fun when you get called out when you think you were safe.
Garrett Stubbs. From the San Antonio Missions (Flying Chanclas) vs. Round Rock Express (Chupacabras) game on Thursday at Wolff Stadium.
Corbin Burns started for the Missions and pitched two scoreless innings on Wednesday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderRight-handed pitcher Corbin Burns started for the Missions on Wednesday in his first game since being sent down from the Milwaukee Brewers.
Burns had been used mostly as a reliever by the Brewers. Media reports from Milwaukee before the game indicated he would still throw limited innings in San Antonio.
Burns pitched two strong scoreless innings and struck out two batters‌ in a 4-2 loss to the Round Rock Express at Wolff Stadium. He did not allow any hits or walks. He threw 24 pitches, 17 for strikes.
The Missions’ only runs came on a two-run homer by Troy Stokes Jr. in the fourth inning.
Corbin Burns
Corbin Burns
Corbin Burns
Corbin Burns
Corbin Burns
Corbin Burns
Troy Stokes Jr. and Nate Orf celebrate after both players scored on Stokes’ fourth-inning home run. – photo by Joe Alexander
