Written the week of June 15-21, 2026

Maybe the drought in South Texas is over. As I write this, rain has been falling for a few days now with no sign of letting up. Will I be sitting in left field this week at Whataburger Field? If so, will it include a doubleheader or two?

San Antonio comes to town for the final 6-game series of the first half of the season. They sit in last place, 8 games out of first place. We sit 6 games out with 6 games to go. The best we could do is tie for first place with an improbable sweep at home, and Frisco losing all 6 at home. In other words, we have zero chance in June of qualifying for a playoff spot in September. Zero!!!

I should be sitting out in left field right now, but the game got rained out. A double header tomorrow will get us all caught up.

As I was doing an assigned reading for a class, and you may be thinking, “Hold it. Assigned reading? Class? Aren’t you retired?” As I’ve told my wife, I may be old, but I’m not dead.

Anyway, as I read, my mind wandered to baseball, and I realized something about this particular topic, supporting a Minor League Baseball team. Even if you love baseball and are a loyal fan of a Major League team, you may have not heard of any of the guys I write about. Unless they’re major leaguers on a rehab assignment, which Corpus Christi has hosted by the busload this year, or they played for your favorite college team, or you keep up with high draft picks, these names may just be names on a paper.

During my ten years in Corpus Christi, I have seen Hooks players come through that now are household names—Alex Bregman, Framber Valdez, Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker, Yanier Diez, Wilyer Abreu, Teoscar Hernandez, Hunter Brown, and many more. Some remain with the Astros while others play elsewhere in the majors.

The Astros have 9 players on their active roster and 19 total on their 40-man roster who’ve come through Corpus Christi since I moved here in 2016.

When I saw them in Corpus Christi, most were unknown. Those I write about may be unfamiliar now but become household names 5 or 10 years down the road.

Here’s the thing. Those players who labor through the minor leagues in obscurity, who make the long bus rides to lesser-known venues, receive little recognition and even less pay, provide some of my best baseball memories. I want them to make the Show, but I know most will not. I feel privileged to have seen some great ball players who never made the jump to the bigger crowds, the end of long bus rides, and the better payday.

Corpus Christi and San Antonio played games 1 and 2 of the series on Wednesday, splitting the doubleheader.

Our bats didn’t show up in Game 1 and barely showed up in Game 2. After the Midland barrage of games with 16, 18, and 19 hits, eking out 8 total hits in two games feels like the electric company just cut off the power for nonpayment of an overdue bill. Mission fielders gobbled up some sharp hit grounders in the infield and snagged line drives in the outfield that show promise of future hitting frenzies.

In our Game 2 win, I claimed my first home run ball of the season. Missions player Francisco Acuna powered it over the left field wall, and I trotted over the berm and down the hill to retrieve it. Those pesky quick-footed kids showed up too late for this one.

One boy looked especially disappointed. I said, “I don’t give away home run balls,” then took out a batting practice ball and asked, “but do you want a BP ball?”

He did, and I tossed it to him.

After the game I had Acuna sign his home run ball. I became a Francisco Acuna fan right then and there. He was the happiest, most polite guy I’ve ever had sign a ball. I hope the Hooks win every remaining game this week, but I wouldn’t mind if Francisco had another good game or two as well.

In the first two games, the Hooks had solid starting pitching, some timely hitting, and both reliable and unreliable relief pitching. The difference in the win and the loss came down to the relievers. One walked in the go-ahead run in the 7^th inning to lose 4-3. The other reliever, Amilcar Chirinos, shut down the Missions’ bats in the 5^th and 6^th and got the win.

Nic Swanson entered in the 7^th with a 7-4 lead and finished out the game with 2 strikeouts and a ground out.

I had spoken to Nic prior to the first game about being moved back to the bullpen versus being a starter. He thrives coming out of the pen and swings between dominating and struggling as a starter. I like the change, and he does too. His 2^nd game save on Wednesday didn’t dissuade me of my belief.

I also spoke with Jeron Williams. He went on the 7-day Injury List on Monday, but he’ll be gone a lot longer than a week. I think the choice concerning injuries is 7-day IL, 60-day IL, or Out for Season. All 7-day IL means is the expectation for Jeron’s return is less than 60 days.

We had timely hitting in the 2^nd game of the doubleheader, solid pitching throughout the game, and a bit of luck at the end.

With two out and two on via walks, Lucas Spence doubled, hitting a sharp line drive to center field. Jax Biggers and Tyler Whitaker both scored, putting the Hooks up 4-3 in the 4^th.

In the bottom half of the 5^th, Drew Brutcher singled. Joseph Sullivan III singled, and Brutcher raced around 2^nd on Sullivan’s hit then slid safely into 3^rd. With Jax Biggers at bat, Sullivan stole 2^nd.

With two out and two on, Biggers singled with a soft hit down the first base line. A throwing error by the pitcher allowed 2 more runs to score and Biggers to easily go to 3^rd. He scooted home on a wild pitch to give us a 7-3 lead going into the 6^th.

Francisco Acuna, my new favorite Missions player, hit a triple and scored on a ground out in the 6^th. That would end the scoring for the night. Chirinos got his win and Swanson his save.

With four games down and two remaining, my enthusiasm is waning and my excitement for another day at the ballpark is nonexistent. The recent rains certainly mirror my dampened spirits. The results on the field the last two nights are the cause of my glumness.

Thursday’s game was bad enough, but Friday’s roller coaster ride thundered to an ignominious climax ending in this fan’s despair.

Ignominious? Merriam-Webster defines it as “an adjective that describes something causing or deserving public shame, disgrace, or deep humiliation. It is frequently used in formal contexts to describe spectacular failures, embarrassing defeats…”

As we’re two games away from completion of the season’s 1^st half, the Hooks have moved into a tie for last place with the Missions. One of the mistakes anyone can make in facing an opponent is to underestimate them. I don’t think the Hooks have done that with San Antonio, but fans often make that mistake.

I haven’t. I’ve seen San Antonio’s improving stats against Corpus Christi’s declining ones. Certain stats and trends have been hard to ignore. One practically screams “Look at me, look at me!”—walks given up resulting in additional runs scored.

Two other bad-luck incidents happened in recent games. One was a sure out hitting the 3^rd-base bag to turn an out into a run-scoring single. The other was an untimely error on a routine pop-up that led to the 2-run difference in an 8-6 loss.

In reviewing the box scores of recent games, I am reminded that similar incidents happened on the San Antonio side as well. They gave up home runs, walked the bases loaded, and made errors. Not everything went against the Hooks, but in the end thus far the results have favored the visitors, not the home team.

Looking at this from the perspective of a good story, the heroes, my beloved Hooks, seem to be headed for a tragic end. How in the world can they recover from so many mistakes, losses, and such diminishing strength? Win a championship? We’re having a tough time avoiding the division basement and are nowhere near the top of the entire league.

At this point in the story, we don’t even have a cliffhanger.

Despite my pessimistic summary of recent events (that’s the roller coaster’s loss talking), I need to remember the delight that still happens every night. The Hooks had surprisingly joyous moments during the roller coaster ride disaster.

First baseman Drew Brutcher fielded a grounder, calmly fired a bullet to shortstop Max Holy, and received a returning strike to step on first, completing a superb double play.

Lucas Spence hit two home runs that night. He had a sheepish smile as he rounded 3^rd and slapped Ricky Rivera’s hand after the second homer.

Yamal Encarnacion for two nights in a row flew home to score, losing his helmet as he ran and catapulting head first across home plate.

Ricky Rivera manages the team and, like most managers at this level, is also the 3^rd-base coach. Every time a Hooks’ player rounds 3^rd with a possibility of scoring, I watch Coach Rivera. His right arm spins like a windmill in a hurricane.

If we could transform the energy of that right arm into the players’ actions on the field, 2026 Texas League Championship, here we come.

Part of the fun of showing up early game after game is connecting with long-time friends. Friday night I stopped to congratulate Joe and Millie Martinez on 60 years of marriage. During that time Joe shared some Hooks’ history involving a former player.

First of all, Hunter Pence is a favorite player for those who saw him play at Whataburger Field. He is a reason, if not the reason, Corpus Christi won the 2006 Texas League Championship. I’ve been told by one fan that Hunter had the chance to move up that September but asked to stay and complete the season here.

When he was on a rehab assignment with the Frisco RoughRiders, I went to a game with my good friend Chuck Hayes. The Hooks were the visiting team during that series.

Hunter Pence came on the field very early and signed autographs for half an hour or so. I had him sign a baseball and told him that he was a favorite Hooks player among some of the older fans.

“Why?”

“Because you stayed with the team and helped the Hooks win their only championship.”

Hunter shook his head in disbelief. “Really? They haven’t won since?”

“Nope!”

Now to Joe’s story. He directed my attention to the old cotton press building in left field. “See the words in white ‘Bam-Bam’ below the window?”

I did.

“Hunter Pence hit a home run ball through that window, and people started calling him Bam-Bam after that.”

A Facebook post, dated April 8, 2021, recalled the moment:

“Do you know why it says Bam-Bam on the 100-year-old Cotton Press at Whataburger Field?

In 2006, Hunter ‘Bam-Bam’ Pence hit a 400+-foot home run and 𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 one of the windows during Hooks batting practice.”

Before talking to Joe, I’d seen Bam-Bam every time I went to Whataburger Field but never knew what the words meant.

The Saturday and Sunday games provided hope in different ways, but before I share my thoughts about the actual games, I want to tell you about Alexis and her dad Jonathan.

I met them while waiting at the home team tunnel where the players enter. I had already had the starting pitcher, Trey Dombroski, sign my ticket. Now I was simply waiting for the rest of the team to come onto the field.

I saw Alexis, perhaps 7 or 8 years old, standing on a step behind me. She held a new ball in her hand. I invited her to stand in front of me so the players could see her, and she told me this was her first game.

Her father Jonathan confirmed what she said and told me what I could already see. His daughter was very excited to be there. She wanted to get her first autograph ever, and I joined her quest.

Bryce Mayer, the starting pitcher for Wednesday’s 2^nd game of the doubleheader, our lone win, walked through the tunnel and graciously stopped and became the first to sign Alexis’s baseball. Others would sign as well, and Alexis would head to her seat holding her new treasure and smiling all the way.

During Thursday, Friday, and Saturday home games at Whataburger Field the Dawg House is open and offers “the Versus Dog,” a hot dog with special ingredients added based on who we’re playing. In this case, they served up the Barrio Dog, with carnitas, pico de gallo, and a ranch-flavored sour cream topping. San Antonio’s parent team, the San Diego Padres, provided the inspiration for this series’ Versus offering.

I usually don’t talk about the food in a series review, but two people at separate times saw me eating my Barrio Dog and wanted to know where to order one. When a friend asked his wife what she wanted from concessions, she said, “I want what Tom has.”

Only a couple of observations to make about Saturday’s game.

First, Jason Schiavone hit a soft roller between the pitcher’s mound and first base. It must be frustrating as a hard-hitting batter to see the ball lazily roll across the infield, the pitcher pick it up, and, no matter how hard you try, you can’t outrun him to the base. And Jason put a great deal of energy into his unsuccessful effort.

Second, Jason’s effort was repeated throughout the night by the entire team. I could see that they did not want to have sole possession of last place. The team showed no signs of quitting.

In the end, they lost 2-1 and claimed sole ownership of last place.

How would we fare on Father’s Day?

Ellen asked me Saturday night what I looked forward to on Father’s Day at Whataburger Field. I told her I looked forward to playing catch with my seat neighbor, Fred, and I added, “The best Father’s Day gift would be to sit in the rockers tomorrow.”

I hadn’t been able to during the previous five games and didn’t expect to on Father’s Day, but I did get the best Father’s Day gift after all.

Ellen and I got settled into our seats while the Hooks were taking batting practice. Less than a minute after our arrival, the last ball hit landed within reaching distance of my chair. If we’d arrived a little earlier, I would have had my glove on. I know having the glove on doesn’t mean I would have caught the ball, but I always do in my imagination. Well, almost always.

The game started out well with Yamal Encarnacion making a spectacular diving catch to his right and throw to first to end the Missions’ at bat. Brett Gillis would pitch 6 scoreless innings and would leave the game with a 3-0 lead.

The Hooks added 2 more runs in the 7^th and got two more scoreless innings from relief pitchers Railin Perez and Jose Guedez.

Then the 9^th happened. The Missions mounted a comeback. The score stood at 5-3 with two outs and the bases loaded when I texted Jim Cologna: “[Hudson] Leach is coming in. This is so tough to sit through. Stellar defense and excellent pitching, 5-0 lead going into the 9^th. And here we are biting our nails.”

One pitch later, and Snoopy was doing his happy dance.

The Hooks ended the first half of the season tied with San Antonio for last place. They split their first 18 games, 9-9, with the first two series in San Antonio and the last one this week in Corpus Christi.

The Frisco RoughRiders won the South Division. The Tulsa Drillers won the North Division with the best record in the Texas League. The only hope remaining for the Hooks to win the 2026 Texas League Championship is to win the South Division in the second half of the season.

That task begins tomorrow in Tulsa. Whew boy! Is it hot in here?

San Antonio Missions 4-Corpus Christi Hooks 3               L

San Antonio Missions 4-Corpus Christi Hooks 7               W

San Antonio Missions 11-Corpus Christi Hooks 7             L

San Antonio Missions 8-Corpus Christi Hooks 6               L

San Antonio Missions 2-Corpus Christi Hooks 1               L

San Antonio Missions 3-Corpus Christi Hooks 5               W

Texas League South standings

Frisco                              39-29

Amarillo                          36-32

Midland                           32-36

Corpus Christi                  31-38

San Antonio                     31-38