IronPigs Today: Weekend Update, Toledo 3/28/26

The IronPigs beat the Mud Hens last night 5-2.  It was the sixth straight opening night victory for the Lehigh Valley 9.  Here are some thoughts following the game, kinda randomly.

• 7,459 for baseball last night at the same time as 7,127 for hockey.  Pretty good night to support Lehigh Valley Professional Sports.  Kinda like it’s the “Top Level of the Minors” around here.
• It was really cold.  But at least it was windy. You gotta have both.
• At first glance the lineup was unserious.  Three catchers?  But in retrospect, with Miller and Rincones on the shelf, what else you gonna do?
• We’re expecting Oscar Mercado in the lineup tonight along with Sergio Alcantara perhaps.
• We’re getting the feeling that Felix Reyes in left field is going to be a real thing.  If he’s going to hit .800 then he can play anywhere he wants.
• I did think, from my seat, that he could have made a better play on the one ball hit to his right, down the line.  Even if he couldn’t have caught it we thought he should have done a better job keeping it from rolling all the way to the wall.  But man it was cold.  De La Cruz wasn’t moving any too fast, either.
• Pedro León is the new Leandro Castro.  Discuss.

• Reyes and De La Cruz back-to-back in the lineup is formidable.  If we can get Kieboom rolling it will look even better.
• And yeah, Rincones and Miller in there somewhere would be nice.  Word is that Miller is doing baseball activities so that bodes well.
• There’s a lot of zeros in this lineup.  I’m not being mean.  Just pointing out that having a number 0 and also a number 00 is kinda rich.
• No bar menu last night–system still links with Illuminations site.  PigsFoodFinder still hasn’t been updated.  Taps taste like they haven’t been cleaned.  Some feeling that the organization just trying to get through this weekend in one piece before they really get rolling on April 7.
• “Just Walk Out” looked like it was popular.  There were so many employees standing around watching it, though, they could have been serving the food rather than making people get it themselves!  I kid.  We think it’s cool.
• Kram III is not a fan of the Keystone Cabanas.  He thinks they’re ugly and they block the view from the main grandstand out and from the outfield concourse in.
• For my part, they don’t block any part of the big screen from my seats, and if they can help get some of the groups out of the club level and out of every nook and cranny of the stadium then I’m all for it.
• Perhaps they need to paint the grass-facing base of the cabana porches, though.  Perhaps green to match the lawn.  Or brown to match the structure?  It would make them more pleasing from a view perspective.
• There were a bunch of roster moves made before the game.  We’ll get the pinned roster post updated eventually, but for now the details of the moves, the injuries, and a printable roster are all HERE.

Today’s Game

Zack Wheeler rehab game!  All you can eat rib buffet special in the Tiki.  Ribbie is a heavy favorite to win the pork race. Orion Kerkering is here for rehab as well.  While we expect Wheeler to parachute in when he needs to pitch to competitive batters and then airlift out to Philly afterwards, Kerkering should stay with the team for full rehab until he can pitch back-to-back, at which point he may be reactivated for the Phillies.

Game Time: 4:35PM (Phillies start 4:05PM)

Gates: 3:15PM East/CF, 3:00PM West/Club/Suites

Tickets:  Good seats still available

Promotion:  Magnet Schedule Giveaway

TV Broadcast:  Of course, Service Electric.  But you can find games on the Bally Live App as well these days, free.

Radio Broadcast:  Some talk last night about listening to the game on a YouTube stream.  Not sure if they lost the radio affiliation or if they’re just getting bumped by March Madness.  We’ll follow up.

Weather: 43 degrees, sunny and windy at game time.  Sun is out but bundle up!

Pitching:  RHP Zack Wheeler (MLB Rehab) vs Toledo LHP Bryan Sammons (2024: 6-7, 4.15, 22G Toledo.  Japan in 2025)

See you at the park—AND the arena.  We’re hitting both tonight!

@Kram207

Featured Image by Kram.  I should have waited for the flag to open.  I also forgot to pick up my giveaway last night.  Still Spring Training for all of us I guess.