Former Vernon Vipers defenceman Nyjer Morgan threw out the opening ceremonial first pitch October 4th 2018 before the Milwaukee Brewers/Colorado Rockies National League Division Series Game 1 Morgan played two seasons in Milwaukee is most famous for his clutch hit in the bottom of the 10th inning of the 2011 National League Division Series giving the Milwaukee Brewers a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks advancing to the National League Championship Series.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1Qng-dUBqw
Morgan was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 33rd round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft. On September 1st 2007 Morgan made his major league debut for the Pirates against the Milwaukee Brewers as a late-season call-up. On June 30 2009 Morgan was traded to the Washington Nationals along with pitcher Sean Burnett in exchange for outfielder Lastings Milledge and pitcher Joel Hanrahan. On March 27 2011 Morgan was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for prospect Cutter Dykstra (son of baseball player Lenny Dykstra). After playing for three MLB teams, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Washington Morgan elected free agency played the 2013 season in Japan with the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Yokohama DeNa BayStars. Morgan would return to the Majors in 2014 where he played with the Cleveland Indians. After just playing in 15 games spending most of his time with the Tribe on the DL Morgan was released on August 5th 2014 before heading to South Korea. Morgan also spent time playing ball in Venezuela & Mexico before retiring.
Morgan attended the Vernon Vipers Training camp in 1996-97. Morgan played as an affiliated player "AP" as a 16 year old with the Vipers during the (1996-1997) season while playing with the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League North Okanagan Kings.
Nyjer Morgan's Player Profile:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/morgany01.shtml
This was posted on mlb.com
Crew legend 'T-Plush' returns for G1 first pitch
GM Stearns welcomes first child; Chacin comfortable starting Friday on three days' rest
By Adam McCalvy MLB.com @AdamMcCalvy
Oct. 4th, 2018
MILWAUKEE -- The last time the Brewers played a National League Division Series at Miller Park, the day ended with an energetic outfielder sitting on the floor of a champagne-soaked clubhouse wearing a S.W.A.T. team helmet on his head, trying to process what he had just done.
On Thursday, the NLDS returned. So did Nyjer Morgan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5XbaQV8Zy0
Morgan was "somewhere out in the Bahamas" when the Brewers reached out to ask whether he was interested in throwing a ceremonial first pitch. He consulted Tony Plush and the rest of his alter egos, and decided to accept. He's a dad now, and was thrilled that Game 1 fell on the eve of son Niko's first birthday.
Morgan wasn't sure what the fan reaction would be, but he knew he was "going to juice it up."
"I mean, in my eyes, I don't think I'll ever step back out on the field," Morgan said. "On top of that, just to be out there and know that this first game means so much for the team's camaraderie and what they need to do [makes me excited].
"So I'm going to do what I can do to get it going. I'm a leadoff guy."
With Niko in tow and a "T-Plush" jersey on his back, Morgan fired a strike to Ryan Braun in front of a fired-up Miller Park crowd to open Game 1 proceedings.
Morgan, who last appeared in the Majors with the Indians in 2014, said he's called it a career after playing the past few seasons in the Mexican League. He won a championship there, but nothing in his career compared to Game 5 of the 2011 NLDS against the D-backs, when Morgan stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 10th inning with Carlos Gomez at second base and "tickled" a walk-off single over the pitcher's mound and into center field, giving the Brewers their first postseason series victory in 29 years.
It was a moment etched into franchise history.
"I didn't realize the magnitude at the time," Morgan said. "I was young. Now that I'm older, I understand how the situation played out. … It didn't really hit me until everything was over. Now I can look it up and see it, and it still gives me chills."
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