By the fourth inning of Wareham’s game against the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox on Friday evening, the sky was darkened by clouds and the wind was whistling through the trees. As the top of the sixth inning began, rain began to fall. Thunder and lightning soon followed, and just as the Red Sox defense took their spots in the field they were called back to their dugout.
The Gatemen, primed and ready to go to work at the plate, were forced to pack up their things and head to the locker room. As the sun set and the rain continued to fall, the chances of retaking the field only lessened. It didn’t matter to the Gatemen, though. Antonio Jimenez showed up before the rain did.
Wareham’s 5-3 victory over Yarmouth-Dennis got off to a hot start as Jimenez (Miami) jumped on the third pitch he saw, sending a no-doubt home run 354 feet to left field. As the shortstop jogged calmly around the bases, his dugout exploded in celebration of his first home run of his Cape Cod Baseball League career.
Jimenez, in his freshman year at Miami, posted a batting average of .182 with 18 hits, 12 walks and 36 strikeouts. On paper, his season statistics don’t necessarily stand out. But look a little closer — and look beyond the numbers at all — and Jimenez’s presence on Cape Cod makes a lot of sense.
“A big part of it was Dorian Gonzalez, who played for us last year,” manager Ryan Smyth said. “He spoke really highly of him, said he is a super talented freshman with big league skills in the infield.”
Those big league skills have already been on display for Wareham as Jimenez has made an immediate impact on the left side of the infield, lunging and diving for ground balls every chance he gets. And as for his abilities at the plate? Smyth never had a concern. In the final few weeks of the collegiate season, Jimenez started figuring things out, finding ways to make an impact whether it was working a walk, getting a hit or simply just a sacrifice fly.
“It happened late, yes, but he certainly is starting to make a very big impact here,” Smyth added.
Through six games and 10 at-bats, Jimenez is slashing .400/.571/.800. After bouncing around different spots in the lineup, Jimenez was slotted into the No. 2 spot Friday. He fit in perfectly. He didn’t know he was going to be put in that spot until the lineup came out, but it didn’t show.
“This is baptism by fire,” Smyth said with a laugh.
Smyth and his coaching staff put an emphasis on not putting too much pressure on their players, especially barely one week into the summer season. Yes, they want to be competitive, but they also want their players to enjoy their time on the Cape.
“We want them to play free, play fun, play stickball in the backyard,” Smyth explained. “There’s times where I just want to let them go play.”
Jimenez did just that in the very first opportunity he had and set the Gatemen up for success.
“It allows your offense to play freely, allows your defense to know there’s some wiggle room there,” Smyth said of Jimenez’s first-inning home run. “So that was big for us.”
Jimenez stepped up for Wareham once again in the fifth inning, doubling to center field and eventually coming around to score on a two-RBI double from Rylan Galvan (Texas). That ended up being the final time the Gatemen came to the plate Friday night, as torrential rain and thunderstorms halted the game after the top of the sixth inning. The scoreboard in center field shone brightly through the fog, declaring the Gatemen the victors.
“A win is a win,” Brendan Summerhill (Arizona) called out to his skipper as the two passed each other.
He was right.
Top photo credit: Antonio Jimenez watches his home run leave the park in Wareham's 5-3 win over the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, June 21, 2024, at Spillane Field. Photo by Kyler Armstrong.
