Even More Cleburne Railroaders

    On August 11, my family and a friend went to see the Cleburne Railroaders take on the Lake Country Dockhounds. The Railroaders lost, 6-5, but I was able to get some nice autographs after the game. Of course, Hill Alexander was readily available to sign my baseball. My mom knows his family, and apparently Mrs. Alexander knew that I was coming to the game for my birthday, as she presented me with a Hill Alexander shirt, which he also signed after the game. One of my favorite players, Alexander homered, doubled, and walked during the game. Relief pitcher Luke Boyd (#36) accidentally signed my ball twice, which is understandable considering the mob of kids who wanted to borrow my pen :) Infielder Bret Boswell also signed (pink sharpie), as did reliever Brendan Bell, who pitched three innings during the game, and Michael Krauza. Krauza had previously signed a Railroaders ticket for me in May of 2022 (https://signyourx.blogspot.com/2023/01/three-more-cleburne-railroaders.html). After pitching 15 games for Cleburne in 2022, striking out 23 batters in 18 innings with an even 2.00 ERA, he found a minor league deal with the New York Mets. Krauza started the 2023 season in A, but apparently didn't cut the mustard and is back in Indy ball. Perhaps the most special player to sign my ball, however, was Chase Simpson. Simpson wasn't with the team; instead, he returned to the Depot for his number retirement ceremony. He had played four seasons in Cleburne, enjoying his best season in 2022, batting .302 with 24 home runs in 96 games. At 31, he decided to hang up his spikes, and the Cleburne faithful wanted to reward him for all his accomplishments with the team. It was a touching scene when they unveiled the big number 17 on the centerfield wall. Memories like this will last a lifetime. 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=alexan003jam

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=boyd--000luk 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=bell--005bre 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=boswel000bre 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=krauza000mic 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=simpso004cha 

Just a note: I may not include pictures on this blog from this point forward. Many of the pictures have turned out badly, and quite frankly, it's a bit of a pain.