Crowd to be a factor:

For the second time in three seasons, the Vancouver Canadians have a sellout for Opening Day, and with clouds expected to clear in the next three or so hours, it will be a great night for Canadians baseball.

The last time the season opener was soldout was in 2007.

Most of these players have never played in front of 5,000+, so this will not only be a new team and a new league, but a new atmosphere as well.

I for one, can’t wait.  Tickets (albeit limited) remain for the Fathers Day Nooner tomorrow at 1:05, and the game Monday at 7:05.

If you didn’t get tickets to see Joselito Adames and the C’s, listen to the game on the Team 1040, with Rob Fai, Chris Pritchett and Lou Filippo.  

Experience means nothing:

No current Everett Aquasox player has ever faced Joselito Adames in a professional game, so there will be no ‘inside edge’ to a guy who has hit well off of him.

If indeed Ronny Morla comes into relieve Adames, as put on the C’s website, Wellington Dotel comes in 1-4 with 2 K’s against the C’s hurler, and Ryan Royster is 1-2 with a solo HR.  Anthony Phillips has a double in two at-bats against Morla, and Ben Billingsley (right) is 1-6 with a HR and 3 strikeouts.

Billingsley, in fact, is 0-16 with 7 strikeouts lifetime at Nat Bailey Stadium.  If he is in the starting lineup tonight, that is certainly something to look at.

On the Vancouver side, the most a player has faced a Everett pitcher is twice (Leo Gil, 0-2 vs Philip Roy), but Nino Leyja is 1-1 with a RBI triple off of Kyle Brown, and Ryne Jernigan is 1-1 against both Luke Burnett who is starting Monday, and Eddy Hernandez.

The Aquasox hitter who has hit best off a C’s pitcher is Ryan Royster who is 2-3 with 2 RBi and a double against Jose Guzman, and Ben Billingsley who is 1-1 with a 2 RBI double off Guzman as well.  Then again, that was in Everett.

On this day in Canadians history (June 20):

The first nine inning no-hitter at Nat Bailey Stadium was on this day when Rick Waits tossed a gem against the Portland Beavers in 1986.

C’s pitching coach Craig Lefferts (Lefty is left) allowed a season-high 5 ER while playing against the Pittsburgh Pirates as a MLB rookie.

9 years ago today, the C’s took to the field for the first time in franchise history, at Yakima, Washington.

Sean Doolittle and JD Pruitt combined to be 5-9 on June 20, 2007, with a double and a HR (Pruitt), which was JD’s first of 7 over a two-year span.  Vancouver won 7-3.

Since 2002, Vancouver is 4-2 on this day in NWL competition.

Opening Day Facts:

No Canadians hitter has hit a HR on Opening Day since Haas Pratt (shown, right) did so in 2005.

The C’s last won on Opening Day in 2006, on June 19th.

No Canadian has had there hits on OD since Ramiro Mendez in 2007, resulting in a promotion later that week.

Since 2000, the C’s have captured just one Opening Day victory, and current skipper Rick Magnante is 1-2 on Opening Days.

In their history, Vancouver is winless (0-2) while facing Everett in the first game of the season.

In the last four seasons, Vancouver has won 3 of 4 Opening Day series.

Did you know…:

Only 13 times last year did the C’s lead-off hitter not reach base successfully via a hit, walk or hit-by-pitch.

54 of the Canadians 76 games last year had at least one error by the good guys.

The single-game high by one player was 4, when Jason Christian (left) and Francisco Tirado each had a quartet of errors on August 5th and July 13th respectively.   

On days ‘clear or sunny’ by Minor League Baseball, Vancouver was 23-27.

Against Everett in 2008, the C’s were an even 6-6, and 4-2 at Nat Bailey Stadium.   

In the last 3 years on Fireworks nights, Vancouver is 5-13.  

With an RHP on the hill to start, Vancouver was 17-29 (Righty Joselito Adames is starting tonight).

When the Team 1040 broadcasts a Canadians game (since 2000), the Canadians are 46-44.

With Rick Magnante as Manager, since 2006, Vancouver has given up the lead only 3 times in the 9th.

If Leo Gil and Marcos Luis both find themselves in the lineup, they may have an extra boost, as last year when that happened, Vancouver was 6-2.