Tyrese Johnson’s speed helps propel Team Red to win over Team Black
Okotoks Dawgs Academy outfielder Tyrese Johnson (Calgary, Alta.) used his speed to help lead Team Red to their 5-4 win over Team Black at T12 on Thursday afternoon. Photo: Gordon Brown/Toronto Observer
September 19,2019
By Chris Faria
Canadian Baseball Network
Tyrese Johnson continues to shine at the Tournament 12 event held by the Toronto Blue Jays.
His fourth-inning triple sparked Team Red’s comeback as they recovered from a 4-1 deficit to eventually defeat Team Black 5-4 Thursday. Johnson earned Player of the Game honours after finishing with a triple, RBI a stolen base and two runs scored.
With the game scoreless in the top of the second inning, the left-fielder was hit by a pitch from Team Black starter Matthew Brown.
Moments later, Brown unleashed a wild pitch allowing Johnson to advance to second. And that’s when the real magic happened.
“I took off running and the catcher just made a bad throw,” the Calgary native said while describing the play. “I was looking to steal earlier in the count. It happened to be a passed ball but I’m always aggressive base running and have confidence in my ability to take a base when I can.”
Johnson was duly awarded for that aggression, stealing third base and then reaching home on the error by Team Black catcher Kaden Gray, giving Team Red opened the scoring.
“I take base running very seriously,” he said. “Whenever I can take a bag or change the game, I try to.”
Johnson wasn’t done there. His next plate appearance came in the top of the fourth where he made an even bigger impact – this time with both his feet and his bat. After Jason Begin walked, Johnson came up to the plate and drove a sharp hit down the right-field line. Outfielder Jackson Clemett dove for the ball but narrowly missed. The mistake proved costly with the speedy Johnson rounding the bases.
Johnson put his head down and ended up on third after driving Begin home for Team Red’s second run of the game.
“I was thinking triple out of the box, 100 per cent,” the speedster said. “It could have been an inside-the-parker, but it just depended on whether or not my base runner got in on time.”
Coming in to his second appearance at Tournament 12, Johnson feels a lot more confident and it shows. In Wednesday’s 8-8 tie against Team Green, he scored three runs while also walking three times. His patience at the plate is a clear sign of comfort.
“Last year when I came in, I was shaking in my boots for my first at bat. This year I feel a lot more settled in and confident in my ability here.”