EUGENE, OR – There is an age-old dilemma, one that transcends time, team or city. The adage goes that each team will win one-third of its games, one team will lose one-third of its games, and what each team does with the last one-third of its games that proves crucial.

Baseball is a funny sport. In a three-hour spring of a game, it's often the smallest or most seemingly insignificant of swings that can turn the tide in one of 132 results amid a five-month sprint. Once again, it was a game of ones for the Emeralds — the same

There were no violent fist pumps, no primal screams. Six times, Joe Whitman took the mound in PK Park on Friday night, and six times the Emeralds’ second-rounder from a year ago walked back to the dugout with all the emotion of a guy throwing spring training batting practice. The

There are the technical elements of baseball, the amount of times the Emeralds can get into favorable counts, the right pitches at the right times. There’s the offensive adjustments, recognizing pitchers’ patterns and furthermore adjusting. Then, there’s the enormous stress each player is under — his career resting upon each

The Emeralds are in a major midseason flux. A big part of the problem: So is the pitching, offense and defense. As a part of a disastrous span of nine innings, the Emeralds' 6-0 loss to the Vancouver Canadians showed that there are many issues plaguing this team. First, the

Jeremiah Knackstedt cracked a smile, sighed a deep breath of relief, then started to laugh with a disbelieving shake of his head. After six-innings of lethargic mind-numbing 100-degree apathy on a scorcher of a day in Eugene, the Ems’ skipper would have liked his offense to get going Saturday night

To Allan Benavides, Thursday afternoon felt nostalgically, longingly, thankfully familiar. The evening start time. The red, white and blue bunting. Even the traffic clogging up Martin Luther King Avenue on his commute to PK Park in the morning. “You feel the buzz,” said Benavides, in his 14th year as General

As Thursday night's game finally commenced there were two victors — one ephemeral and one eternal. The short-timers, draped in blue and gray were celebrating on the field, lining up and clapping hands. It felt good to win another close game for the Hops, this one keyed by a ten-run

Joe Holstedt was a little nervous for this interview. He’s the most gregarious, loud, overtly friendly person in the Emeralds’ orbit. But the very nature of his job forces him into the background, where he operates far more comfortably. Watching the game — the man only called upon by injury.

In the wake of Dylan Cumming and Seth Lonsway’s — albeit spaced out — promotions, Eugene didn’t feel the need to immediately promote a new star to fill their most consistent pitcher’s voids. They weren’t necessarily counting on someone else in their rotation to elevate their game. Joe Whitman —

Eliezer Zambrano shouted loudly, Justin Wishkoski churned his legs. For a brief moment, as Wishkoski barreled toward first base, trying to beat out a throw and insure the go-ahead run would score from third, it seemed like the Emeralds third baseman wouldn’t make it. Instead, in the defining moment of

Either it's a hurdle or a wall, Eugene couldn't be sure. Now it is. The Everett AquaSox have Eugene’s number, one team controlling all meaningful margins of the game. With the other squandering what minimal opportunities they did have. The Exploding Whales’ 8-5 loss, their fifth in a row against

It was a flashback to the two previous nights, in all the worst ways. The Emeralds’ best hitters weren’t at their best. The lineup’s supporting cast offered little actual support. And, suddenly, a high-touted offense that sparked a 14-4 start to the season was stubbing its toe left and right.

There are days the Emeralds have to grind out wins, the way they did against the Tri-City Dust Devils to take a tight six-game series over the weekend. Then, there are days where the second-place Ems show their mettle, dominating Everett from start to finish in an 11-2 victory over

Goats, bunnies AND baseball. Come to PK Park when the gates open — 5:30 — to participate in 4-H's livestock showcase before the Ems take on Everett in game two. Two shows for the price of one — it's a deal you won't want to miss. Get your tickets HERE

Join us Wednesday, July 3rd for an amazing night of music, fireworks and fun! The Ems are proud to partner with the Oregon Bach Festival and Oregon Medical Group for a celebration of two American pastimes. The wildly popular stadium concert and fireworks spectacular returns! OBF and Emeralds Baseball partner

EUGENE, Ore. — Seth Corry has come to the right place. Or so the universe insists on this picture-perfect Wednesday afternoon. He’s enjoyed a solid start to his year, a 1.99 ERA with an 11.12 k/9. But as he sat with the sunny background silhouetting his Ems’ cap, the questions

In series losses to the Tri-City Dust Devils and the Everett Aqua-Sox, Los Monarcas’ struggles had followed a few recurring themes. Their starting pitching wasn’t great. The bullpen repeatedly served as a scooter to the shins. And their top-heavy lineup teetered with everyone from Matt Higgins to Andrew Kachel scuffling

From his first day as Eugene’s skipper Jeremiah Knackstedt made his purpose in Eugene clear: “Win games and develop guys at the same time.” The former, of late, has been a struggle. With Eugene mired in a 5-11 stretch that has lasted nearly three weeks. So it was invigorating Saturday

When the season ends, and the Emeralds reflect on their 132-game journey through the schedule, the details of most games aren’t likely to be remembered, most players’ performances unremarkable, most outings insignificant. With the players too, there is some prosaicness. With thousands of minor-leaguers and only a select amount of