Henry Ties Home Run Record, Diekman Retires as a Saltdog: Ten Things to Know in the American Association This Week

The impending shattering of the league home run record, an MLB organization signing and community connections highlight the American Association of Professional Baseball (@AA_Baseball) news as the calendar flips into June over the weekend.

Here are 10 (or so) Things to Know about the AAPB this week:

• Big home run hitters tend to hit theirs in bunches, so expect Sioux Falls Canaries DH Jabari Young to get his AAPB record-smashing 147^th home run soon. He had taters in three straight games a couple of weeks ago and two in three games the past few days to tie the mark. The Canaries helped urge him on with a special $1.46 GA ticket at The Birdcage on Tuesday (which saw Cleburne “handle” the slugger by walking him three times).
• Another week, another MLB organization signing, as Peyton Holt of the Kansas City Monarchs was inked by the Reds after making the Monarchs following an open tryout last month. And he went out in style, delivering a walk-off single in his final at-bat for KC on Saturday
• For every coming, there’s a going, and 13-year Major Leaguer Jake Diekman announced his retirement on Friday. The Nebraska native wrapped up his pro career as a Lincoln Saltdog. In a social media post, he thanked the team for “…letting me finish living my dream out at home.”
• Connecting with the community is what AAPB Baseball is all about – epitomized by last week’s visit by two Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks to Eagles Elementary School in Fargo.
• Sometimes those connections happen at the ballpark – case in point: fifth-graders from Lincoln Public Schools were a big part of the Saltdogs’ game vs. Kansas City on Tuesday, singing the anthem, announcing and even “mini-managing.”
• Milwaukee Mayor Erik Brooks announced that “South Milwaukee Day” will be held on August 19 when the Milkmen host Kansas City,“to provide an occasion for locals to bond over baseball and celebrate their hometown heritage.”
• When AAPB teams say “relief” they usually mean a fire-breathing righty or lefty coming into quell a rally. But tonight Oak Brook, Ill.,-based mental health provider Relief Mental Health will call attention to the conclusion of Mental Health Awareness month in May with a visit to Kane County for the Cougars’ game with Winnipeg. RMH is the exclusive mental health sponsor of the evening.
• Life Navigators, an amazing Milwaukee-area based organization providing opportunities, disability resources, and services for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, will be the “Featured Charity Partnership of the Game” on Wednesday when the Milkmen take on Lincoln at Franklin Field
• Some of this week’s notablepromotions across the league include:
  • Kansas City will hold First Responders Night on Friday
  • Kane County celebrates the new A Minecraft Movie release with a themed cap giveaway
  • Staying with the pop culture theme, Kansas City is returning to its Taylor Era for a night and rebranding the team to the Kansas Swiftie Monarchs on Saturday
  • A Fargo Salute to Public Service presented by The City of Fargo at Fargo-Moorhead on Tuesday, followed by Military Appreciation Night presented by the West Fargo Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday
  • Sunday is Strike Out Cancer Day presented by Erspamer Plumbing at Lake County, with free tickets to cancer survivors and support and awareness programs all day, The Dockhounds will follow up with First Responders Night on Tuesday
  • Sioux City celebrates agriculture with its second annual Ag Night on Saturday then embraces Faith & Family Day on Sunday
  • Sioux Falls will also hold a Faith & Family Day on Wednesday
  • Saturday is Country Night at the Gary SouthShore RailCats
  • The Milkmen will break out their Lecheros de Milwaukee gear on Sunday in partnership with Mexican Fiesta, celebrating Latino and Hispanic heritage
• Media interest in AAPB remains strong. Some of the recent articles on teams include:
  • Yahoo! Sports picked up a Cleburne Times-Review feature on Railroaders first baseman Kyle Martin, a former Winnipeg Goldeye (2019-21) who returned to the league with Cleburne this year after some time with the San Diego Padres’ AAA team in El Paso and south of the border in the Mexican League.
  • 1011Now featured Griffin Everitt’s jump from selling cars to Lincoln Saltdogs catcher – a journey that included a homer in the pro debut for the Lincoln native and University of Nebraska alum on Tuesday.
  • The Philadelphia Inquirer is keeping tabs on ‘08 Phillies World Series winner Chris Coste, now managing the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks.
  • JR Radcliffe of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel continues to cover the AAPB, chronicling Fargo-Moorhead announcer Jack Michaels’s “Marge, track that ball down” call of a Dillon Thomas home run on May 16 vs. the host Lake Country DockHounds following the death of Marge, Michaels’s mother, that morning. His “Track it down, Marge!” call over the years has made Marge famous.
  • Retiring anchor Carolyn Long at KCTV-TV in Kansas City threw out the first pitch at the Monarchs’ game on Tuesday.
  • NJ.com Yankees beat writer Randy Miller featured former Monarch and current Bronx Bomber backup backstop J.C. Escarra, noting his trip through KCK on his way to the bigs.
  • Popular Chicagoland “Mommy blog” Mommy Poppins suggests Chicagolanders go to a Dogs or Cougars game on their Summer Bucket List