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Phillies Beat IronPigs 5-3 In Coca-Cola Park Grand Opening
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Geoff Jenkins Hits First Home Run In Coca-Cola Park History
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| Click Here for the IronPigs/Phillies Exhibition Box Score |
| Over 10,000 fans packed the newly opened Coca-Cola Park and Phillies outfielder Geoff Jenkins brought them all to their feet with one swing of the bat. The Philadelphia rightfielder lined a 2nd inning, two-run homer over the centerfield wall and the distinction of hitting the first long ball in Coca-Cola Park history. The Phillies went on to defeat the IronPigs 5-3 in the sold out exhibition contest that launched the inaugural Lehigh Valley IronPigs season. |
| Phillies second-year right-hander Kyle Kendrick got the start and baffled IronPigs hitters in five innings of work. Kendrick, who entered the game with a spring ERA of 9.68, struck out seven Lehigh Valley batters who were taking their very first swings in their brand new ballpark. He only allowed five hits and walked one against the Phillies' new Triple-A affiliate. |
| With the IronPigs down 3-0 in the sixth, Lehigh Valley staged a rally against Phillies' reliever Kip Bouknight and scored twice on back-to-back singles by infielder Mike Cervenak and catcher Pete LaForest. |
| The Phillies would get both runs back however, when outfielder So Taguchi doubled in two off of IronPigs right-hander John Ennis to put the parent club up for good in the top of the seventh. IronPigs centerfielder Brandon Watson played the entire game and scored the final run of the exhibition in the bottom of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by second baseman Casey Smith. Watson's biggest highlight came in the first inning however when he threw out reigning National League MVP Jimmy Rollins who was trying to score on a flyball hit by Phillies centerfielder Shane Victorino. |
| Rollins singled in each of his two at-bats and stole a base on the afternoon. 2006 National League MVP Ryan Howard finished 0-for-2 including being called out on stirkes in the first against Lehigh Vally starter Ron Chiavacci. |
| Jenkins, who is expected to supply protection in the the Philadelphia batting order after hitting 212 home runs in 10 seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, struck out in his only other at-bats. |
| IronPigs' left fielder Chris Snelling had two hits, a walk and a stolen base while Spidale stole a pair of bases and scored a run off the bench for Lehigh Valley. |
| The IronPigs inaugural season, presented by Capital BlueCross, begins for real on April 3 at PNC Field in Moosic, Pa., against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. The IronPigs return for Opening Day at Coca-Cola Park on April 11 at 7:05 p.m. against the reigning International League champion Richmond Braves. |
