Former LCA, MLB pitcher draws first start in baseball’s ‘Battle of the Bourbon Trail’
With the minor league baseball season canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, a pair of Kentucky clubs worked together to provide an alternative, and fans will have a chance to get their first look at the resulting product this weekend.
The opening game of the “Battle of the Bourbon Trail” will take place between the new-look Lexington Legends and Florence Y’alls on Saturday at Whitaker Bank Ballpark with the first pitch scheduled for 6:45 p.m.
Each franchise will field two teams consisting of former major league players as well as current and former minor league and college players, with games being played in front of fans in Lexington and Florence every Wednesday through Sunday for six weeks.
A familiar face will take the mound for the home squad in the opener. On Tuesday, the Legends announced on Twitter that former Lexington Christian Academy star and major league pitcher Robbie Ross has joined the team and will draw the start on Saturday.
Ross, a second-round draft pick of the Texas Rangers in 2008, spent six seasons in MLB as a reliever. He played for the Rangers from 2012-2014 and the Boston Red Sox from 2015-2017, compiling a career record of 16-12 with a 3.92 earned-run average and 274 strikeouts.
Lexington’s second squad — the Leyendas — will open play Saturday against Florence’s second squad — the Freedom — in Florence.
Lexington’s rosters are filled with former University of Kentucky players as well as former standouts from other Kentucky colleges and high schools. The Legends, who will be managed by current Frederick Douglass High School Coach Eddie Brooks, will feature former Wildcats Jake Hamilton, Aaron McGeorge, Tommy Warner and John Wilson. The Leyendas will field ex-Cats Zach Logue, Chris Machamer, Kole Cottam, Luke Becker and Luke Heyer. Zack Getsee will manage the Leyendas.
Among the players from other Kentucky universities who made the Lexington rosters are Chandler Dale, Lincoln Henzman, Jeff Thompson, Drew Ellis and Devin Hairston (Louisville), Kaven Brown and Ronnie Engelman (Eastern Kentucky), Joe Crisp (Kentucky State), Michael Koltak (Georgetown College), and Bud Morton and Chris LaPorte (Morehead State).
Lexington Catholic graduate and current MLB free agent Ben Revere, who led the National League in hits in 2014, will suit up for the Legends.
Tickets for all 32 games of the Battle of the Bourbon Trail are on sale and can be purchased by visiting Lexingtonlegends.com. Individual tickets range from $7-$12 and tickets for all 32 games in the series can be purchased for $250.
Fans will be required to wear masks and have their temperatures taken in order to enter Whitaker Bank Ballpark. Updated safety protocols for the park can also be viewed at Lexingtonlegends.com.
This story was originally published July 30, 2020 at 11:38 AM.
