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The Upper Deck

Welcome to The Upper Deck, Baseball America’s daily look at the biggest stories around the game and some lighter fare. If you have videos, GIFs, photos or stories you want us to know about and feature in this space, hit me up on Twitter at @vincelara or email me here.

Ice Cold

The Freeze gained national publicity this weekend thanks to his amazing wheels.  Braves grounds crew member Nigel Talton has been dressing up as an icy superhero and racing fans along the outfield wall. On Friday, the Braves held a race like most other nights, but this one turned out a little different. After giving the fan a humongous head start, The Freeze still managed to overtake him. Chalk that one up as a victory for The Freeze.

Playing with Your Food

Whatever helps your team win—that’s the policy for college baseball, and the weirdness never ceases to amaze when a team desperately needs a rally. In the 11th inning of the Wake Forest/Florida game, the Deacons pulled out the rally banana. But Texas A&M stepped it up a level. Down by four runs in the eighth inning, the Aggies broke out the rally pickles. Yes, you read that right—pickles. Greatest of all, it worked! A&M left the inning with seven additional runs to overtake Davidson.

Little Man, Big Power

Terrance Gore is a weapon on the bases. Over-the-fence power? Not so much. Over the course of 1,974 plate appearances in professional baseball, Gore had never hit a home run. That all changed in the second inning of Triple-A Omaha’s game on Saturday. After battling through eight pitches and five fouls, Gore had an idea of what was going to come next from starter Scott Copeland. When it did, Gore did his best to send his first ever home run into the seats of Werner Park.

Blast Off

If a graveyard for baseballs exists, Aaron Judge just sent one there. This moonshot was the hardest hit ball in Statcast history, struck at a healthy 121.1 mph on its way out. The home run in the bottom of the first started a Yankees hit parade, ultimately leading to a 16-3 victory. Chris Tillman had to feel that one in the morning.

You Snooze, You Lose

Jose Bautista taught the Mariners a thing or two about paying attention on Saturday night. After being walked on seven pitches, Bautista jogged to first and kept going right to second. He briefly hesitated to check if the second baseman was near the bag and then took off. Seattle manager Scott Servais did not look pleased.

Rain Delay

Florida and Wake Forest were locked in during a super regional game on Saturday with a storm brewing on the horizon. Gators starter Alex Faedo was breezing through the Deacons’ lineup when the rain came and the game had to be delayed. Amidst the three-hour-and-49-minute delay, a few fans decided to ride out the weather right in their seats. Stay loyal, Gators fans.

Happenings at Baseball America

HAPPY DRAFT DAY! Read up on all the draft coverage BA has to offer before picks start rolling. Catch up on any missed super regional games over in College Station, Louisville, and Corvallis. The Brewers have called up two of their top prospects so make sure to learn about what Josh Hader and Lewis Brinson bring to the table. John Manuel has the scoop on the Twins bringing in Hunter Greene for a visit. Finally, Ben Badler has more July 2 news for a few international prospects.

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