HILLSBORO, Ore. — Baseball fans welcomed back the Hillsboro Hops on Friday at Ron Tonkin Field. It was the Minor League Baseball team’s opening day and the start of their new, 132-game season.
“It's real exciting!” said baseball fan Benjamin Davis, 13. “We get to see good, high-level baseball players.”
In the past, the Hops played a 76-game season starting in June. Now that the team is the Arizona Diamondbacks’ High-A affiliate, they'll play from April to September.
“It's tremendous,” said Hops President and General Manager K.L. Wombacher. “We’re gonna have a lot of baseball, a lot of pro athletes on the field — we’re excited to get going, tonight.”
Fans were equally excited, especially those who'd missed games amid pandemic restrictions.
“We didn't spend much time here the past two years," said Pat Culligan. "So we're ready!” .
The night was extra special for Hillsboro's own Ben Petrick. His daughters threw out and caught the opening pitch, and the team retired his No. 6 jersey.
Petrick, a 1995 graduate of Glencoe High School, played Major League Baseball with the Colorado Rockies and Detroit Tigers before developing early-onset Parkinson's disease. He later coached for the Hops.
“We gotta honor Ben,” said Wombacher. “He'll be the first Hop to ever have his jersey retired.”