Each Friday, Minor Matters will publish the Top Ten numbers from the season. These can be stats, players' numbers, whatever. As long as it's a number, it counts. The Thunder were just two wins from the Eastern League championship, so there's no shortage of material for this section.

No. 5 ...

What it means: The number of pitches Christian Garcia threw on Opening Day before injuring his elbow, leading to his second Tommy John surgery and, ultimately, his release from the organization.

Why it's significant: Not only was it Opening Day, but it was the first action Garcia had seen since his last Tommy John surgery, which made the sight of trainer Tim Lentych coming to the mound all the more disturbing. He hung around the clubhouse for a few more days, but when the MRI came back with a tear, the jig was up. David Altchek performed his surgery a few days later, and he was eventually released to make room for Shane Lindsay on the Yanks' 40-man roster. Lindsay didn't last long before also being released.

What Else It Could Mean: Sixty-nine was also Austin Romine's RBI total, Matt Cusick's total bases or D.J. Mitchell's runs allowed.