Old friend McVey aims to smoke Fish

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/09/2017 (3045 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LINCOLN, Neb. — One by one, Cameron McVey embraced the parade of players who lined up to greet him with back slaps and hugs Wednesday afternoon at Haymarket Park.

He was thrilled to see them. But don’t let the obvious friendships fool you — McVey would love nothing more than to help send them home empty-handed and end their season.

Such is life in professional sports, where yesterday’s teammate can become tomorrow’s opponent. McVey, a member of last year’s American Association champion Winnipeg Goldeyes, is now staring down the Fish, a team that includes eight familiar faces from last season — as his Lincoln Saltdogs battle them for the chance to advance to the finals.

“They wanted to see me and I’m glad I got to see them,” McVey told the Free Press of the batting practice reunion prior to Game 1 of the best-of-five series.

McVey, 28, was traded by the Goldeyes in late May, just days after the season began, because of a numbers crunch on the Winnipeg roster. He loved his time in the city and would have loved to stay another season, especially since his girlfriend is from Winnipeg.

He’s flourished in his new home, emerging as Lincoln’s most reliable reliever while typically coming on in the late innings of tight games looking to lock things down. He appeared in 36 games this season for the Saltdogs, posting a 1.62 ERA. He had a 3.40 ERA in 39 games with the Goldeyes last year.

“Lincoln has taken care of me pretty well. When I got traded I was really disappointed. I wanted to play in Canada. Coming to Lincoln, I didn’t know how my season was going to go. But I’d been training all off-season to get to this point. Now it’s time to turn it on,” said McVey.

McVey said this time of year certainly carries good memories with it, given the impressive run Winnipeg went on last year, when they qualified for the wild-card spot on the final day of the season and then rallied to beat the St. Paul Saints in the semifinals and the Wichita Wingnuts in the final to capture the third championship in franchise history.

There was no such final-day drama for Lincoln this year. But the Saltdogs struggled down the stretch, winning just four of their final 15 games as they enjoyed a big lead in their division.

“Probably a little bit too comfortable. At the same time we’ve got to win, because the teams that usually win are the ones that are hot going into the playoffs,” McVey said of the need to quickly turn their fortunes around.

He knows better than any of his new teammates what his old squad is capable of, especially when it comes to offence. Winnipeg’s deep lineup can be a nightmare for pitchers.

“They’re a very good hitting team, very good hitters. But we have very good pitchers,” McVey said of Lincoln, which led the 12-team league this year with a 3.54 ERA. “Usually it’s the defence that wins you games. That’s what everybody hears, that defence will win you championships. So we better have some better defence than they do offence.”

If they do, McVey likely will have played a major role.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca