Monarchs Double Dip In Series Win

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By Nolan Brooks

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Kansas City Monarchs reliever Jordan Martinson shut down the Cleburne Railroaders in game one and LJ Hatch walked it off with a sacrifice fly in game two as Kansas City swept the Cleburne Railroaders in a Saturday doubleheader at Legends Field.

A dominant bullpen performance from Martinson, a homer from newly acquired Edwin Diaz as well as Jan Hernandez were the name of the game in the Monarchs 7-2 game one victory.

The Monarchs kicked off the scoring in game one with a three-run homer from Diaz in the first inning on Friday.

Then came the rain and the series opener was suspended until Saturday. It resumed in the top of the third inning.

The Railroaders took advantage of the pause in action and in the fourth inning, Cleburne scored two runs, making it 3-2 Monarchs.

Then entered Jordan Martinson for the Monarchs and he was lights out. Martinson threw four no-hit innings with six strikeouts. Martinson got insurance runs on a two-run homer from Hernandez and an RBI single from LJ Hatch that made it 7-2.

Patrick Weigel would then enter the game and shut the door on Cleburne in game one of the series. Martinson got the win (2-0) and Riley Smith (2-2) got the loss.

Game Two

The Monarchs bullpen shut down Cleburne and LJ Hatch delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly to get the Monarchs’ fifth consecutive series win.

Cleburne took a 2-0 lead in the first on a home run from Jose Sermo, a former American Association Player of the Year.

Chris Herrmann continued his active hitting with an RBI double that got the Monarchs on the board and made it 2-1 in the bottom of the first.

Edwin Diaz continued his stellar Monarchs debut. Diaz smashed a solo moonshot to left for his second homer in as many games that tied it at two runs apiece.

The pitching was the real story of game two as the Monarchs relievers Grant Gavin and Trey Jeans threw 2.2 perfect innings in relief for starter Brandon Finnegan. Finnegan threw 4.1 innings allowing five hits, two runs and three walks.

Keon Broxton started the Monarchs’ seventh-inning rally with a one-out walk, and Justin Wylie followed him up with a bloop single. With Hatch at the plate, both runners took off for a successful double steal.

That set the table for Hatch, who sent a fly ball to right field to bring Broxton home with the winning run. 

Trey Jeans got the win (1-0) for Kansas City and Joe Shaw got the loss (1-1) for Cleburne.

UP NEXT

The Monarchs finish their three-game weekend series against the Cleburne Railroaders, finale is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. Sunday. Monarchs fans can tune in on 38 The Spot. 

Monarchs Series Opener Suspended

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By: Nolan Brooks

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The Kansas City Monarchs series opener against the Cleburne Railroaders was suspended Friday evening.

The game will resume at 5 p.m. Saturday in the top of the third inning with game two to follow. The second game will be a seven-inning game. 

The Monarchs jumped out to a 3-0 lead on a three-run homer from newly acquired Edwin Diaz in the first inning Friday.

Cody Deason was throwing well for the Monarchs over two innings of work with three strikeouts, one walk, and one hit batter.

Find the Monarchs’ rainout policy here: https://monarchsbaseball.com/rainout-policy/

Hogan Joins Hometown Stars With Monarchs

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Another local star is coming home to the Kansas City Monarchs.

Miller Hogan, an Overland Park native who pitched in Triple-A last season, has signed with the American Association club, the Monarchs announced Friday.

The right-hander will be available to pitch in Friday’s game against the Cleburne Railroaders, which starts at 7 p.m.

A sixth-round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018, Hogan most recently pitched with Triple-A Durham, where he was teammates with Monarchs lefty (and Kansas City, Missouri native) Dalton Moats.

Hogan has 68 career appearances and 30 starts to his credit in the affiliated minor leagues. He’s earned a 4.10 ERA and impressive 1.13 WHIP.

The Blue Valley Southwest high school grad has struck out 8.9 per nine innings and walked just 1.6 per nine in his affiliated career.

Hogan starred at St. Louis University in college. A mainstay of the Billikens’ rotation, he compiled a 21-15 record and 2.83 ERA over 46 collegiate games (45 starts).

Hogan was named Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year in 2018, posting a 10-4 record and 2.64 ERA over 105.2 innings of work. He struck out 11.3 batters per nine innings that season.

The Monarchs begin a four-game homestand on Friday night, with the first 1,000 fans at Friday’s game getting a free replica jersey courtesy of Swope Health. Saturday’s game is Mizzou Night at Legends Field with first pitch at 6 p.m.

Love For The Game Helps Herrmann Lead Monarchs Hot Streak

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Photo: Madison Reibel / Kansas City Monarchs

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Before Chris Herrmann arrived with the Kansas City Monarchs, he wanted to know what he was getting into.

A veteran catcher who played parts of eight seasons in the major leagues with the Twins, Diamondbacks and others, he’d never played in the American Association.

So he reached out to Matt Adams, a fellow MLB veteran who starred for the Monarchs in 2022.

Adams’ response was clear: He fell in love with baseball again in his time with Kansas City.

“When he said that, it really hit close to my heart with why I even play this game to begin with,” Herrmann said. “It’s because I love this game; it’s been so good to me.”

That love has powered Herrmann to what he’s called the best month of his professional career.

Herrmann led the American Association with a .431 average in the month of May, placing second with a 1.359 OPS. He hit seven home runs, which tied for second in the league, and drove in a league-best 27 runs.

Perhaps most impressive, Herrmann did all that as the Monarchs’ primary catcher. He caught every inning of 15 of Kansas City’s 18 games in the month, including the last 12 consecutive games amid an injury to fellow catcher Gavin Collins.

There have been technical adjustments too. Herrmann worked to simplify his swing in the offseason, minimizing his leg kick. He credits working with Jeremy Eisenhower, a Kansas City native now coaching in Herrmann’s hometown of Tomball, Texas.

“I give a lot of credit to him for kind of re-vamping my swing,” Herrmann said. “I feel very confident with it.”

He’s also made mental adjustments at the plate.

“The biggest key is just swinging at strikes,” Herrmann said of his hot hitting. “If it’s in the zone, I’m gonna be ready to hit.”

That approach has paid off. Herrmann struck out just 11 times over the month of May. He struck out more than once in only one of his 17 games.

Most importantly, he’s emerged as a leader of a Monarchs team that has been hitting its stride in the quest for a fourth straight division title.

“If it weren’t for my teammates my stats wouldn’t be what they are,” Herrmann said. “It’s a group effort, it’s not just me or any one person.”