Marvin Perrault hails from Kenora, Ont. His family comes from Eagle Lake First Nation in Northwestern Ontario. He’s been a baseball fan most of his life, but only this year, as he starts a small business in Winnipeg, has he become a fan of the Winnipeg Goldeyes.
Last Sunday, as he watched Juan Diaz, hit two homers – one a grand slam and one a two-run shot – to lead the Fish past the Gary SouthShore RailCats 7-4, Perrault admitted he had joined a growing number of Goldeyes supporters and become a stand-on-your-feet-and-cheer fanatic for the team’s giant DH.
“I love that big guy,” Perrault said, with a wide smile on his face. “I love the way he swings the bat. It’s a short little swing and he kind of just jerks it over the fence. He’s really fun to watch. Every time he comes up, people just get excited. I love these games.”
Perrault has jumped on a bandwagon that is getting more crowded every day. As August arrives and Juan Diaz’s bat heats up, Goldeyes fans are pumped every time he comes to the plate.
“It’s because they know something exciting can happen,” said Goldeyes manager Rick Forney.
And that’s very true. On Wednesday night, Diaz banged out his 17th home run of the year, a three-run shot that helped the Goldeyes win the suspended game from June 24 by a 6-5 score. With the homer and three RBI, Diaz moved toward the top of the Northern League in both categories.
Diaz is now second to Kansas City’s Ryan Fox in homers (Fox has 18) and with 58 RBI, he’s second to Fargo’s Nic Jackson (Jackson has 60). He’s also second to Jackson in slugging percentage (.585 to Diaz’s .568) and with a .312 batting average, he’s moved near the Top 10 in the NL for the first time this season.
“For a guy to hit for average and power the way Juan does, well that’s really impressive,” said Goldeyes third baseman Brent Metheny last weekend. “He’s a professional hitter.”
And that professionalism has been noticed by Goldeyes’ fans. Whenever Diaz steps to the plate, the fans rise and give him an ovation, hoping that something truly exciting will take place before their eyes.
“It’s funny. The crowd cheers his announcement to the plate and then, once he steps into the batter’s box, the crowd goes really quiet,” said Goldeyes fan Kris Row, who sits in the front row, right behind the Goldeyes dugout. “Then when he’s at the plate, his own teammates all run up to the top of the dugout steps just to watch him hit. The crowd, at least the crowd around me, will be talking among themselves and they’ll all stop talking to watch him. I’ve been around a long time and I’ve never seen anything like it.”
(Note: Watch for a feature on Juan Diaz – where did he come from and how did he get here -- in the next issue of Fish Lines Series Magazine, available only at Goldeyes games next week.)
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