May 15: West Ready: His Bomb, Great Pitching, Four in the Fifth, Give Goldeyes Win Over Fargo

For Kevin West, pre-season baseball is simply another thing that has to be done in order to prepare for a long baseball season.

West doesn’t necessarily like it. He’d definitely prefer to be playing meaningful games, but he understands the role exhibition baseball plays in his manager’s preparation for a 100-game campaign and as a result, West and all of the Goldeyes’ veterans, will use these “unimportant” games to make sure they’re ready for the home and season opener on May 20.

“I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about whether it’s an exhibition game or a regular season game,” West said late Friday night. “I just come to the field ready to play, do my preparation and then go out and try to put some good at bats together. There is no doubt that when the regular season starts, the concentration level will go up, but right now, you just try to use these games in order to be at your best when the regular season rolls around.”

West appeared ready on Friday night. The tall, lean right fielder hit a three-run homer to cap off a four-run fifth inning as the Goldeyes beat the visiting Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 4-2.
“On the home run pitch, he (Nick Fellman) threw me a change-up, a little inside on a two-strike count,” West said. “I just reacted to it. Sometimes it can be so simple and other times it can be so difficult. That’s the kind of game this is.”

The Goldeyes got solid performances from six pitchers while Juan Diaz added an RBI single as the Fish won in front of a small but enthusiastic crowd of 3,134. It didn’t hurt that it was a wonderful evening for a ball game.

For West, who got a couple of hits in three official at bats, drew a walk, scored one and drove in three, it was a good night to start getting the kinks out. While the first five hitters in the Goldeyes lineup – Wes Long, Aharon Eggleston, Diaz, West and Vince Harrison – combined for seven of the Goldeyes nine hits, it was also a good night for the top of the order to start doing the things they’ll need to do if they want to win the championship they all say they covet so dearly.

“I find that every year it gets easier for me to prepare for a new season,” West said. “And it helps that I’m playing here in Winnipeg for Rick (manager Forney). I know I’m going to be here, this is where I play, it’s comfortable and it’s really easy for me to get ready for the season.”