JETHAWKS NOTEBOOK: SOUND OF SWEETNESS WHEN HAIRSTON CONNECTS INFIELDER'S HITS ARE MUSIC TO JETHAWKS' EARS, BIG PART OF SUCCESS IN SEASON'S SECOND HALF.Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer LANCASTER - Ever since infielder Scott Hairston Scott Alexander Hairston (born May 25, 1980 in Fort Worth, Texas) is an American second baseman/outfielder in Major League Baseball who plays for the San Diego Padres. Hairston bats and throws right handed. came to Lancaster three weeks ago, the buzz around the JetHawks clubhouse has been about the sound the ball makes coming off his bat. It's a sound that's more full than an ordinary batted-ball sound because of the awesome bat speed he generates, and it's a crisper crisp·er n. One that crisps, especially a compartment in a refrigerator used for storing vegetables and keeping them fresh. sound because he seems to have the propensity for hitting the ball squarely on the sweet spot. However you describe it, the sound of Hairston's batted balls has been sweet music for the JetHawks. In just 18 regular-season games at Lancaster, he batted .405 (32 for 79) with six homers and 26 RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in and had a .797 slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (abbreviated SLG) is the most popular measure of the power of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats: . He had similar success earlier this season at Single-A South Bend South Bend, city (1990 pop. 105,511), seat of St. Joseph co., N Ind., on the great south bend of the St. Joseph River, in a farming and mint-growing region; inc. as a city 1865. (Ind.), where he batted .332 (131 for 394) with 16 homers and 72 RBI before being sent to Lancaster. In Game 1 of the JetHawks' divisional miniseries playoff against Lake Elsinore on Tuesday, he went 1 for 4 with a double in a 3-1 loss. The JetHawks are hoping Hairston's bat can carry them through the postseason, but they entered Wednesday night's game at Lake Elsinore on the brink of elimination. ``He's got pop,'' JetHawks second baseman second baseman n. Baseball The infielder who is positioned near and to the first-base side of second base. Noun 1. second baseman - (baseball) the person who plays second base second sacker Andy Green Wing Commander Andy D Green OBE BA RAF (born 1962), a British RAF F-4 Phantom and Tornado F3 pilot and Officer Commanding Operations Wing at RAF Wittering, is the current holder of the land speed record and the first person to break the sound barrier on land. said. ``He's got as much pop as anyone I've seen for his size. He's not a big guy.'' Hairston is listed as 6-foot, 190 pounds. ``He catches the ball flush, and that's very hard to do in baseball,'' Green said. ``The bat's live, and everybody can hear it and everybody can see it. The ball jumps in every direction when it comes off his bat.'' Apparently, the feeling Hairston gets from hitting the ball squarely has him coming back for more. ``It's a feeling that you really can't describe,'' Hairston said, ``but it's something that everybody loves, when you don't feel anything in your hands and you hit the ball really hard and the ball just jumps off of your bat.'' Hairston is involved in a rotation with Green at second base and third baseman third baseman n. Baseball The infielder stationed near third base. Noun 1. third baseman - (baseball) the person who plays third base third sacker Brian Barden, with one of the three assuming designated-hitter duties each game. Hairston has hit his way into the cleanup spot in the batting order. After he joined the team Aug. 14, the JetHawks won 12 of their last 18 games to overtake the High Desert Mavericks The High Desert Mavericks are a minor league baseball team in Adelanto, California, USA. Their Major League parent club is the Seattle Mariners. They are a "high-A" class team in the California League, and had been a farm team of the Kansas City Royals since 2005 before the switch. in the wild-card race. And that's no coincidence, according to JetHawks manager Bill Plummer. ``He's been one of the guys who instantly started producing for us, and he helped us get over the hump,'' Plummer said. ``Scotty's an outstanding offensive player, and we're real happy to have him.'' --Special season: Toward the end of the first half, when the JetHawks began playing better, Plummer told the players they had an opportunity to do something special, and that by playing .500 ball in the second half, they might even make the playoffs. The JetHawks did even better, going 40-30 and making the playoffs as a wild-card team with a 63-77 overall record. Regardless of what the JetHawks do in the postseason, consider the regular season a special one, Plummer said. ``They've already done it,'' he said, with a proud chuckle. ``The season's over, and we're still here. ``It is special. Whether they win, lose or draw Win, Lose or Draw was an American television game show that aired from September 1, 1987 to September 7, 1989 on NBC and in syndication from 1987 to 1990. It was taped at CBS Television City, often in Studio 33, and occasionally in Studio 31. (in the playoffs), it's already special. They've already had a special year.'' |
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