MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com-ROUND ROCK – A 3-2 Express (63-81) win over Omaha (64-80) wasn’t the story Monday afternoon at The Dell Diamond.

The story was Round Rock outfielder John Gall’s final professional baseball game.

Gall’s retirement was announced to the crowd of nearly 9,000 fans just before the game. He batted .246 with nine home runs, 19 doubles and 45 RBI in 124 games with the Express this season.

After hitting a sacrifice fly in his final at-bat of the game in the seventh inning, Gall stopped just in front of home plate on the third base line on the way back to the dugout and removed his cleats. He then walked over and hung them on the dugout railing as he was greeted with a standing ovation from the crowd. After a series of hugs and handshakes from his teammates, he came back out for one more curtain call.

His teammates made the day even better, when down 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Round Rock mounted a rally. Yordany Ramirez led off with a single up the middle, Brian Esposito doubled down the third base line and one out later, Matt Kata singled to right field to score both runners.
ADVERTISEMENT

Round Rock struck first in the third inning when Ramirez singled up the middle, stole second base, tagged up on a fly ball by Esposito and scored on a sacrifice fly by Reggie Abercrombie.

Omaha equalized in the sixth inning when Scott Thorman singled to left field and brought home Alex Gordon. The Royals took the lead in the seventh inning when former Express player J.R. House singled to left field and brought home Ben Tschepikow to make it 2-1, Omaha.

But the story of the day was Gall.

Gall began making his mark on baseball in 1998 when he debuted for Stanford University. He led the Cardinal with a .381 batting average with 63 RBI and 15 home runs and was twice named a PAC 10 All-Star.

When the Cleveland Indians selected him in the 1999 draft, Gall opted to remain with Stanford for his senior season and drove in a career-best 71 runs. The St. Louis Cardinals drafted John in the 11th round of the 2000 draft.

Over the course of a 10-year minor league career, Gall batted .293 in more than 1,100 games and nearly 4,200 plate appearances. He was named an Eastern League and a Double-A All-Star and was voted as one of the most virtuous players in the St. Louis system by his teammates.

The win ended the Express’ 10th season on a high note.

Thanks to the best fans in baseball for their continued support of Round Rock Express baseball, and we’ll see you again for the 11th season next year.

Are You an Insider Yet?
SZ Insider. A look ahead into the big player feature, the big story, tips, rumors, and special opportunities for collectibles and memorabilia only available for our insiders. Free monthly to your e-mailbox. Click the link to subscribe to this FREE newsletter!