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Bruno Stadium in Troy opened on Friday, June 15 for the Tri-City ValleyCats opener against the Vermont Lake Monsters. (Mark Singelais/Times Union)

Media: Times Union

Troy

"Beer. Baseball."

Those are the words on a popular T-shirt being sold in the Tri-City ValleyCats gift shop at Bruno Stadium.

The ValleyCats had both on Friday on opening night against the Vermont Lake Monsters in front of an expected sellout crowd.

Outfielder Seth Beer, the Houston Astros' top pick out of Clemson in this month's Major League Baseball draft, was in the starting lineup for the ValleyCats. He batted second and played left field.

It's the first time in the 17-year history of the ValleyCats, Houston's New York Penn League affiliate, that the team's first-round pick was to play in Tri-City's opener, not including supplemental or compensation picks.

Beer was the 28th pick overall.

"He's a worker. He's a great kid,'' said Tri-City's Jason Bell, 27, making his managerial debut. "I've had a couple of small meetings with (Beer) and it's gone well. He really likes to learn. I felt like this is a great fit for an organization for him."