Nick Scala

Aug 21, 2024 | wvgazettemail.com | Nick Scala

Keon Barnum made his first great impression in Charleston baseball circles in 2021 when he blasted a monstrous home run for the Lexington Legends at what was then called Appalachian Power Park. The towering blast cleared the right-field wall, sailed completely out of the ballpark, landed on Morris Street and bounced onto a second-floor awning on the abandoned building across the street.

Jul 26, 2024 | wvgazettemail.com | Nick Scala

Lou Gehrig. Willie Mays. Mike Schmidt … The list of players who have hit four home runs in a game in Major League Baseball is an exclusive club, with 18 members. And now, Rusber Estrada of the Charleston Dirty Birds is the only member of the four-homer club in the 25-year history of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. It happened in the Dirty Birds’ 26-2 romp over the Lexington Legends on July 17 in Lexington, Kentucky.

Jul 12, 2024 | wvgazettemail.com | Nick Scala

After finishing the first half of the Atlantic League season in third place in the South Division with a 31-32 record, the Charleston Dirty Birds get a fresh start in their hopes of earning a playoff berth by winning the South title in the second half. The nature of the independent Atlantic League — where players hope their play on the field earns them a job in affiliated ball — conspired against the Dirty Birds in the first half.

Jun 18, 2024 | wvgazettemail.com | Nick Scala

There’s not much Gabriel Cancel can’t do on the baseball field. For much of the Atlantic League season, the Charleston Dirty Birds’ 27-year-old shortstop from Puerto Rico has led the independent league in home runs and stolen bases, a rare combination of power and speed that puts him in the middle of the team’s offensive attack. Throw in his stellar defense at shortstop and Cancel has emerged as the Dirty Birds’ most productive player through the team’s first 47 games.

Jun 13, 2024 | portableplants.com | Nick Scala

The first half of 2024 has seen the Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) actively advance its regulatory agendas through rulemaking. While election years usually see a slowdown in rulemaking, the agency this year continues to move forward with multiple rulemaking efforts. Earlier this year, MSHA issued a final surface mobile equipment rule that's set to become enforceable on July 17.