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Stories with Gorm — on the A’s, Charlie Hustle, and the MLB playoffs

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2 years ago

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To think that only Boston’s fabled Fenway Park and Kaufmann Stadium in Kansas City remain of the fields Gorm pitched at, is a sign of time marching on — new parks host baseball now in Baltimore, where he made his MLB debut, and other American League (no interleague game at that time, folks) stops he made in places like Minnesota, Toronto, Detroit, and even a new Yankee Stadium.

 

Gorm threw his final MLB pitch at Fenway — quite a tale on its own, a grand slam given up to Hall of Fame outfielder Jim Rice after an error by Morgan helped load the bases.

 

“I was 27 years old when I got to the big leagues and in Kangaroo Court in the locker room there I was fined by the team for taking too long to get to the majors,” Gorm said, laughing.

 

“For me, it was a dream come true and I was blessed and lucky to realize my dream, and then to get into coaching like I have — I never thought of it.”

 

Then, there’s Charlie Hustle. The recent passing of Pete Rose took the baseball world by surprise.

 

“I never met Pete but I got to know his son (Pete Jr.) in the Phillies organization,” said Gorm, of the younger Rose who played in just 11 MLB games and collected two hits for the Cincinnati Reds — 4,254 fewer than his father did in setting the all-time MLB record.

 

“I saw Pete play in person many times at Dodger Stadium, he came up in 1963, and the first thing that comes to mind with Pete Rose was him running hard, sprinting, to first base on a walk. The head first slide — we all did that because of him. He played it hard, with such passion,” said Gorm, clearly showing admiration for players who give that all-out effort.

 

Pete Rose Jr. was with Gorm in Double-A with the Reading Phillies in 2001 — the manager was Gary Varsho, and his son Daulton Varsho was the team’s batboy. Of course, the younger Varsho is now a Blue Jays star outfielder.

 

Heimueller spent time coaching or coordinating in the Twins, Dodgers, Phillies and Padres organizations, earning World Series rings with the Twins and Phillies. He spent the most years with the Phillies.

 

“My time with Philadelphia, the closest thing to Pete Rose was Chase Utley, he also played the game hard. Pete wasn’t the most talented player, and they made a big deal about him being the first singles hitter to make $100,000. I never played against Pete, he was in the National League when I was in the American League with Oakland.

 

“Pete Jr. was in AA, and that was my first or second year coordinating back then, got to know him a little bit and obviously you knew who he was. He got a bit of time in the majors (11 games in 1997). I know Pete (Sr.) would sign every autograph ever asked of him and one time I got to sit with Larry Bowa and Pete Vukovich and most of what they talked about, I was in earshot, was about horse racing,” he laughed.

 

Now, it’s about watching the players who made it to The Show and smile when he hears a name or sees a player he may have spent even a moment or two working with during their ascension through the minors. Gorm’s last pro job before joining the NightOwls was as co-minor league pitching coordinator with the Padres organization.

 

Those he has watched just in the playoffs alone:

Cleveland Guardians — Emmanuel Clase, Erik Sabrowski (who hails from the Edmonton area), Joey Cantillo
New York Mets — Phil Maton (former Kelowna Falcons, WCL)
Philadelphia Phillies — Matt Strahm, Tanner Banks, Jose Ruiz
San Diego Padres — Adrian Morejon, Jason Adam

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Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats Comeback Bid Unsuccessful in Loss to Riverhawks

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12 hours ago

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June 4, 2026

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The Cats were unable to claw their way back in game two of the homestand. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats hit the field for a skirmish with the Edmonton Riverhawks Wednesday evening, coming up short in a 13-11 loss.

HarbourCats starter Daniel Tovar (Northern Kentucky) wrestled with command issues early on, hitting a batter and issuing two free passes to load the bases in the top of the first inning. Edmonton took advantage, driving a pair of doubles to take a 4-0 lead before Houston Tomlinson (Arkansas State) entered the game from the bullpen to get the final out of the opening frame.

BOX SCORE

The Riverhawks stayed on the attack in the second inning, driving in two more runs on a screamer down the left field line to extend their lead to 6-0.

Brady Hewitt (Fresno State) showed up ready to slug. The shortstop notched two leadoff hits; a triple and a homer. (Photo by JPM Photography)

A second-inning leadoff triple from shortstop Brady Hewitt (Fresno State) sparked a Victoria comeback attempt. After Hewitt scored on an errant throw by the Riverhawks catcher, a sacrifice fly off the bat of Rohne Klein (San Jose State) would bring in another run for the Cats, closing the gap to 6-2 in favour of Edmonton.

Edmonton answered right back in the top of the third, driving home a run that ended Houston Tomlinson’s outing. Tomlinson, an Arkansas State sophomore from Spring, Texas, pitched 1.2 innings, allowing three runs on four hits with two strikeouts. Summoned from the pen was Landon Marchetti (San Jose State), who quickly secured two outs to head back to the dugout down 7-2.

Marchetti found himself in the midst of a tough spot in the top of the fourth, and a barely fair ball down the line in right field gave the Riverhawks a 9-2 lead.

Outfielder Kade Davis (UTSA) earned three walks in the loss. (Photo by JPM Photography)

The Cats struck back in the bottom of the fourth. Brady Hewitt (Fresno State) blasted a solo homer well beyond the left field wall, followed up by two more runs when the Edmonton infield decided to engage in a snowball fight. The inning came to an end with a sizeable dent in the Riverhawks’ lead, bringing the score to 9-5.

HarbourCats hurler Spencer Kratt (San Jose State) assumed control of the mound to begin the fifth inning, deftly tossing a much-needed zero on the board. Kratt returned for the sixth, surrendering a run to push the Hawks to double digits.

Victoria made things interesting two more runs in the seventh inning and three in the eighth, but Edmonton’s three-run shot in the top of the eighth inning kept them in front for a 13-11 win.

WCL STANDINGS

The HarbourCats take the field at 11:05 am tomorrow for the first School Spirit Game of the season, and will host the Kelowna Falcons for a three-game series this weekend.

Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games and the 2026 West Coast League All-Star Game and Home Run Derby are now on sale at http://harbourcats.com/tickets. Season tickets, 12-pack and 32-pack game vouchers may also be bought online or by stopping by the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.

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Victoria HarbourCats – Home Opener Heroics Earn Cats 6-3 Win Over Riverhawks

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2 days ago

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June 2, 2026

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The Cats got hot in the middle innings to take a commanding lead. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Victoria, B.C. – The HarbourCats faced off against the visiting Edmonton Riverhawks tonight, claiming a decisive 6-3 victory in the first home game of the season.

The Riverhawks were the first to get on the board, scoring on a bases-loaded walk in the top of the second. Edmonton would strand three runners with a groundout to the shortstop shortly after, but not without claiming an early 1-0 lead.

BOX SCORE

The lead stood until the bottom of the fourth inning, when Marcus Nolen (Fresno State) brought in a pair of runs on a clutch two-out single to left field, pushing the home team in front by a score of 2-1.

David Krahn (UBC) was a mainstay on the bases tonight, going 3/5 with a pair of stolen bases and an RBI. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Cats starter Hudson Lance (Coastal Carolina) was relieved after four innings of work, in which he surrendered just one run on four hits. Easton Reimers (North Dakota State) took over from the bullpen and shut down the Riverhawks in a clean fifth inning.

Victoria added on to their lucrative fourth inning with three more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Kade Davis (UTSA) drove in a run on a single, followed up by a 2-RBI knock from Dryden Fuoco (Hill College). The fun didn’t stop there, as Marcus Nolen stole two bases and came in to score on the third hit of the ballgame for David Krahn (UBC), giving the Cats a 6-1 lead.

Hudson Lance (Coastal Carolina) made an immediate impact in his first start of 2026, giving up just a single run. (Photo by JPM Photography)

Pierce Stone (Regis) opened up the seventh inning on the mound for the HarbourCats. The Austin, TX native gave up two runs before handing the ball over to Garen Geoghegan (Whitman), who left the bases loaded to escape the frame with a 6-3 lead. Geoghegan would return to start the eighth inning, swapping out for Flynn Warren (Hawaii Pacific) from the bullpen. The Levin, New Zealand product tallied three quick outs in the eighth and powered through the ninth to nail down a 6-3 victory for the HarbourCats in the home opener.

WCL STANDINGS

The Cats are back in action against the Riverhawks tomorrow at 6:35 pm and Thursday at 11:05 am, before hosting the Kelowna Falcons for a three-game series this weekend.

Single game tickets for all HarbourCats games and the 2026 West Coast League All-Star Game and Home Run Derby are now on sale at http://harbourcats.com/tickets. Season tickets, 12-pack and 32-pack game vouchers may also be bought online or by stopping by the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.

 

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Victoria HarbourCats – Portland takes rubber match of opening series with HarbourCats

Published

3 days ago

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June 1, 2026

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The HarbourCats will return to Wilson’s Group Stadium in Victoria (above) on Tuesday for their Home Opener against the Edmonton Riverhawks.

By Christian J. Stewart

May 31, 2026

Portland, OR – The Victoria HarbourCats looked to have things under control, until they didn’t.

The Portland Pickles used a nine-run fourth inning to overcome a 3-0 deficit and then cruise to a 18-5 win over the HarbourCats in West Coast League action Sunday night at Walker Stadium in Portland.

The win gave the Pickles the series win, having won game one of the series on Friday.

FULL BOX SCORE

Victoria appeared to have the game under control, building an early 3-0 lead, thanks in part to a first inning RBI single from Jax Heid, a second inning home run from Marcus Nolan and three innings of shut-out pitching from starter Schuyler Fairchild.

However in the bottom of the fourth inning, Victoria sent reliever Tate Collins to the mound and four walks and a hit batter later, the Pickles cut the deficit to 3-2. Collins was replaced by Houston Tomlinson, but he could not stem the bleeding, and after three more singles, a double, and a HarbourCats error, the Pickles emerged from the inning with a 9-3 lead.

The HarbourCats would never fully recover after that and when the Pickles scored five more runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and four more in the bottom of the eighth, their fate was sealed.

On the bright side, David Krahn had another strong day at the plate, going three for five with two runs scored, while Marcus Nolen finished three for three with a home run and pair of RBI.

WEST COAST LEAGUE STANDINGS 


The HarbourCats now return to the friendly confines of Wilson’s Group Stadium, where they will welcome the Edmonton Riverhawks for the Home Opener on Tuesday evening at 6:35pm. That is followed by our Help Fill a Dream Night on Wednesday at 6:35pm and the our first of two School Spirit Games on Thursday June 4th at 11:00 am.

Tickets for all games are available at our one and only ticketing partner SHOWPASS at http://harbourcats.com/tickets.

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