BELLINGHAM — It’s been a dream season so far for the Port Angeles Lefties’ Tommy Markey.
That dream just entered greater heights with Markey being named the West Coast League All-Star Game MVP.
Markey is the first Port Angeles Leftie to be named All-Star MVP. Starting the game as the WCL North’s left fielder, he had a two-run single Wednesday night in as part of a four-run third inning for the North. That turned out to be the difference in the game as the North won 5-3. Markey led both teams with his two RBIs.
“I’m very excited, definitely,” Markey said. “It was not what I expected.”
With the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the third inning, Markey said he was able to get his bat on the ball on the outer half of the plate “and I just poked it over the shortstop’s head.”
Markey said it felt especially good with such a big crowd, about 3,300 people, attending the game in Bellingham.
The All-Star MVP is just the latest accolade for Markey this season. He was earlier named the WCL Player of the Week after going 12-for-20 over a five-game stretch. He was the lone Leftie named to the All-Star team, then he ended up being the difference in the game and taking home the MVP.
He is also batting .351 in WCL play, fifth in the league. He’s got a legitimate shot at the league batting title. Jace Miller of the Bend Elks leads the league with a .381 average.
“I just want to continue to get good at-bats and see the ball well and go into the second half with confidence,” Markey said.
“This is great. He’s a good player. He has done a good job this year as have a lot of other good players. I’m proud of him,” said Lefties owner Matt Acker.
“He is relentlessly competitive,” said his manager, Don Brais. “He wants to be in the box in the big moments. And he does everything with a smile. He’s proud to be a Leftie. It was a proud moment for me as a coach.”
Markey is having such a hot season while playing in a totally different environment than he is used to. He comes from the big city, Philadelphia, and plays in an even bigger city at Fordham, which is located in the Bronx in New York City about two miles from Yankee Stadium. Fordham plays in the Atlantic 10 Conference with schools such as UMass, Rhode Island, Dayton and Loyola-Chicago.
His goal coming out West was to have a good year playing a summer of wooden bat baseball.
“It’s gone better than I could’ve imagined,” he said.
“The views here are very cool,” he said. And he enjoys going out to the lakes of the Olympic Peninsula with his teammates.
“The baseball aspect is a lot different, but ultimately at the same time, you’re playing the same game,” he said.
Markey is not playing in the Lefties’ non-league games but is expected to return to the lineup on the road Friday against Kelowna. He and the Lefties return home to play the Bellingham Bells Tuesday.
