Pro baseball: Buckson brothers homer, but Pacifics struggle
Aki Buckson, although hardly grizzled at just 27 years old, is finally starting to feel like a veteran after three years on the San Rafael Pacifics roster.
"The kids inspire me, too, playing in front of them," Buckson said as he signed autographs after Saturday night's 14-6 loss to the Bakersfield Train Robbers (7-2) at Albert Park. "I want to be an example, to show them how to play the right way, to play hard."
Last season's home run leader, Buckson is already ahead of the pace after sending a blast more than 370 feet, clearing the softball backstop and the center-field wall in the eighth inning.
Buckson homered twice Saturday, doubling his season total to four through eight games, giving the Pacifics (5-4) some hope as they try to rediscover their championship magic. Buckson had 14 homers through 42 games last season.
"I'm just trying to pick up where I left off last season," Buckson said.
Second-year Pacifics shortstop Fred Buckson, five days shy of his 26th birthday, picked up his first career home run with a solo shot in the fifth inning.
Aki Buckson traveled far and wide during the offseason, from Japan to Hawaii, but still found his way back to San Rafael.
"It feels great to be back. I'm happy to be here," Aki Buckson said. "I keep coming back because it's such a great atmosphere. We have such a great coaching staff, good teammates, great fans."
Aki Buckson is one of the faces of the new core of the Pacifics, joining veterans John Bicos, Kyle Guerra, Alex Valasek and Jake Dent.
"It's a little bit different every year, but at the same time, we still have the same goal," Aki Buckson said. "It still feels like a cohesive unit, just working together."
The San Rafael Pacifics, the three-time defending Pacific Division champions and 2023 Pecos League champions, have a big target on their jerseys this year.
"Bakersfield just really wants to beat us, just because we've been at the top of the league for the past few years," Aki Buckson said. "They have to beat the best. And it's not just them, either, it's the rest of the league that wants to beat us."
The Pacifics are grinding their gears in the first two weeks of the season, after going 8-1 at this same time last season, and starting 7-2 in 2024.
Bakersfield has been a persistent problem for San Rafael this season, as the Pacifics have gone 1-3 against the Train Robbers so far.
Bakersfield starter Breck Slikker was slick, indeed, as he rang up 11 strikeouts through eight innings, giving up five runs on eight hits, including three home runs. The Train Robbers behind him didn't let the Pacifics get away with much of anything during a solid defensive night.
Bakersfield's Maxim Fullerton capped a three-run first inning with a two-run homer. The Train Robbers took a seven-run lead in the top of the third inning. Dylan Hall hit a two-run single, and two more runs scored on a dropped fly ball.
Aki Buckson's three-run homer over the left-field fence got the Pacifics back in the game, but their rally efforts couldn't gain any traction.
The Pacifics, who committed a pair of errors, needed a net to snare the balls that got past them. Guerra, at second base, was the victim of a weird hop off the infield turf in the fifth inning, as the ball bounced high to catch him in the shoulder as he tried to field the grounder. He had no play at first, and his throw home to cut off a runner was off target, allowing a run to score.
The Pacifics continued to get the big hits from Fred and Aki Buckson. Popular veteran Payton Rios fouled off the first three pitches he saw, leading off the ninth inning, before connecting for a double and eventually scoring on a base hit from Guerra. But San Rafael still couldn't string together enough hits to ease the damage.
Rookie Cal Zemaitis out of University of the Pacific had a solid night at the plate, going 2 for 4 including a leadoff double in the second inning. He was 90 feet from scoring, but never got any closer.
"We're still finding our rhythm," Rios said. "We'll start clicking and then … you'll see."
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