9-15-26
The Chihuahuas were starting their final series tonight. They were playing OKC, who are expecting to be playing next week in the PCL Championship. Their magic number was down to two, so there would be some out-of-town scoreboard watching. The pups were not cooperating with the Comets clinching tonight. In the second, Mason McCoy hit a 3-run double as part of a 4-run inning. By the sixth, Las Vegas beat Sugar Land, which helped OKC. However, the Chihuahuas were up 10-1 after 5-run inning. El Paso’s starter, Ian Koenig, went 6 innings and only allowed 1 run off of a solo homer. OKC did score 4 in the ninth. The pitcher that started the inning came out with an injury after allowing a couple of runs. His replacement gave up a 2-run homer, but the Chihuahuas won it, 11-5.
9-16-26
Today was overcast and 83-degrees after a rain shower last night. It certainly would have been pleasant conditions to take in a day game in El Paso. The Chihuahuas were facing the Comets again. OKC’s magic number to advance to the PCL Championship was down to one. You’d think they’d want to win it rather than having it handed to them. El Paso, meanwhile, has a firm lock on last place in the league.
The Comets got some traffic on in the first, but they were left stranded. Broadcaster Tim Hagerty was talking about the playoff and the split season formats. In the International League with 20 teams, he mentioned that Rochester has an overall record over .600, but may not win either half of the season and will get shut out of the playoffs. The players were making ABS challenges early in the game and were being correct. Challenge strategy, at least in Triple-A, may come down to who is behind the plate.
In the fourth inning, the Comets had runners on first and second with nobody out. On a hit-and-run, the hit was a liner to first. That was out #1. The first baseman, Marcos Castañon, stepped on first for out #2. He then threw to second for out #3. Triple play! Yes! Yes! Tim was fairly stunned as he reported this was the first time the pups had turned one in their 12-year history (1,760 games). The team is leading the league in double plays, so this happening isn’t a total surprise. He did say that the Chihuahuas have had three triple plays turned against them. I wonder if I had heard any of them, though I probably wouldn’t have been cheering over them.
In the fifth, the Comets finally broke through with a sac fly. The outfielder’s throw made it close. 1-0 OKC. Meanwhile after five innings, Tim finally acknowledged that the Chihuahuas had not yet had a baserunner in the game. He commented on the improbability of a scorecard with a perfect game and a triple play. Comet starter, Jackson Ferris, completed the sixth inning with his tenth strikeout and still no baserunners.
In the seventh, the sun came out and interfered with a flyball catch, which lead to a Comets run. They scored three more before a pitching change. With two on and nobody out this time, the Comets only had one of their runners take off for a stolen base. The Comets then loaded the bases, still with nobody out, and their big home run hitter up. He hit a liner to center that McCoy made a great play on, though it resulted in a sac fly run. The next hit just got past him for another run. Meanwhile, Ferris was pacing the OKC dugout. It was an 11-batter, 6-run inning for a 7-0 Comets’ lead.
Miguel Andujar finally broke up the perfect game in the bottom of the seventh. It was a slow dribbler to the third base side. Ferris desperately ran after it and made a panic throw to first, but it was wide. After a 5-run eighth, Tim was telling the clubhouse staff to get the champagne ready, as it was 12-0 Comets. In the bottom of the eighth, Ferris came back out and went 7 2/3 innings, allowing 0 runs, 1 hit, and 1 walk with 13 strikeouts. He was over 100 pitches when he came out.
Edwin Diaz on rehab pitched the bottom of the ninth. Andujar would get another hit in the inning. He’d finish with 2 hits; the rest of the team had 0. Comets win 12-0 and clinch. A 14-game winning streak earlier this month got them in. It was a two-and-a-half hour game for 5,000 fans in attendance. It was nice and short drubbing at least, so I could listen to all of it before going to work.
The Las Vegas and Sugar Land game in the evening was now irrelevant, but I was listening, though Russ Langer not doing the game. The game was scoreless for four innings, but LV broke through on a bases loaded error for 2 runs with 2 outs. A double brought in 2 more runs to make it, 4-0. The Aviators went on to win 5-0 and only gave up 1 hit.
9-17-26
“Las Vegas is going to the playoffs; Sugar Land is playing for pride.” I tuned into the Aviators versus the Space Cowboys, though there wasn’t anything at stake, as the broadcaster said at the beginning of the game. Sugar Land scored in the first inning. It was the first time they’d scored in 14 innings. They had a giveaway tonight of college football team hats featuring Texas or A&M colors. Not a bad promotion.
The Chihuahuas versus the OKC Comets came on a little later. The UTEP Choir performed a powerful Anthem for UTEP Night at the park. OKC took an early 2-run lead, but 4 doubles in the second put the pups up, 3-2. The Comets come right back in the third with 3 runs including a 2-run homer, 5-3. This game was looking interesting.
Yesterday, former Chihuahua, Ethan Salas, hit his first and second home runs in a game for the Padres. Lookin’ good. In the fourth, the pups loaded the bases with 2 bunt singles and a walk. The good news was that an error brought in one run and a sac fly tied the score, 5-5. The bad news was that the game was stopped for rain and suspended until tomorrow. (It was a pretty good shower here.)
Back to Sugar Land then. It was 6-5 LV in the eighth. They added an insurance run and won, 7-5. Las Vegas now has the most franchise wins in a season going into the PCL Championship.
9-18-26
The suspended Chihuahuas/OKC game resumed play in the early evening. In the sixth, OKC took the lead on a run scored on a double play (no RBI) 6-5 and scored another, 7-5. In the seventh, a solo home run and a 2-RBI triple made it, 10-5. In the ninth, a 3-run homer made it, 14-6 OKC. In the bottom, Nick Pratto tripled in a final Chihuahuas’ run to end it, 14-7 Comets. The game had started so promisingly.
Our last MiLB Free Game was the Durham Bulls at the Worcester Red Sox. I joined it in progress in the fifth with the game basically over at 12-1 Woo Sox. They were playing as the Pawtucket “Hot Wieners” tonight. Minor League teams have no shame. It was a full house there and a beautiful stadium. However, I didn’t watch much given the score. 16-1 Hot Wieners. Bring on the Friday night fireworks!
Game 2 for the Chihuahuas and the Comets would be 7 innings. It started about an hour late, but 7,900 still came out. It was 1-1 in the third. Mason McCoy was hit on the hand trying to bunt. He stayed in, wasn’t even given first, but got a hit anyway. There was some bad blood after another pitch came inside on another batter bunting. In the top of the fifth, OKC took the lead on a wild pitch, but another runner on base thrown out while stealing and trying to get to third. A double drove in two walked batters to make it 4-1 OKC. In the bottom of the fifth, a Chihuahua single drove in a run. McCoy made a headfirst dive to score on a passed ball. Good thing he didn’t come out of the game, 4-3.
Top of the seventh, Bryce Johnson played the wall perfectly on a line drive and threw out the batter at second trying for a double. The near full house crowd was going crazy and it sounded like there were lot of kids were there. In the bottom of the seventh, McCoy led off with his third hit of the day and stole second and third. The next batter walked with nobody out. Bryce then stole second, but reliever came in and intentionally loaded the bases. It was a good move, as he finished off the inning and the game, 4-3 OKC final.
9-19-26
I was happy my Rangers’ radio affiliate was carrying the day game today, though the reception was lousy. The Rangers were playing the Blue Jays with the Rangers and Astros tied atop the AL West. Josh Jung homered in the first to give the Rangers a quick lead. They added another in the second on an error and another on a wild pitch to make it, 3-0 Rangers.
Through the fifth the Rangers had used two pitchers and a no-hitter alert was declared, but the Jays broke it up and scored in the next inning, 3-1. In the bottom of the sixth, Wyatt Langford doubled in 2 runs. With the bases loaded, a hit by pitch made it 5-1. On a shallow sac fly to center, Langford came in from third. The throw beat him there, but passed the catcher. Langford leapt over the covering pitcher, missed the bag, but leapt back and touched it for the run, 6-1 Rangers and they’d win it, 6-2.
Zanaya and I were invited to tonight’s Chihuahuas/OKC game by my co-worker Toni. Unfortunately, Zanaya would be working at a mud volleyball tournament (and there were some sore losers there and a near fight), so I declined as well. Toni ended up not going.
I tuned in to the game in time to hear a 3-run homer by OKC in the third to start the scoring. They ran it up to 5-0, before the Chihuahuas sac’d in a run in the third. In the fourth, the pups scored 4 more runs, one at a time, and took a 6-5 lead. The inning nearly ended prematurely, but the final out was instead ruled a foul ball. With that new life, the pups scored another run to take the lead.
Broadcaster Tim Hagerty reported there were dueling fan cheers for the teams. Were those Dodger fans cheering? OKC tied it right back up in the fifth. In the bottom of the sixth, a sac bunt with 2 on and an error by pitcher, scored 2 to give the Chihuahuas back the lead, 8-6.
I noticed the Rockies were playing Seattle late. I don’t notice that was scheduled, but I tuned right in when I found out. I arrived just as the Rockies took the lead, 5-3, after a 4-run seventh. 34k were there at Coors Field and they were fully into it in the ninth as the Rockies held the lead and won it.
I turned back to the Chihuahuas. It was now 13-6 Chihuahuas! Holy Cow! I missed a 12-batter, 7-run inning in the sixth. Nick Solak made all 3 outs in the right field in the ninth for a 14-8 Chihuahuas’ win in front of 8,900 fans. Oops. I feel like I owe Toni an apology for not going to this game.
9-20-26
It was the final Chihuahuas’ game of the season today. It was 1-1 early against the OKC. The Comets scratched out a run in the eighth and that was the ballgame, 2-1 OKC. After the game, the players and the coaches brought out a banner thanking the 6k in attendance. It was our final sad goodbye to our old friend Tim Hagerty doing the broadcast. He was already looking forward to next season.
The Rangers were playing the Blue Jays. They had already taken the first two games of the series and taken the lead in the AL West over the Astros. The Jays took a 2-run lead, but in the fourth, Jake Burger tied it with a 2-run homer. Unfortunately, Jacob deGrom, the Ranger starter, gave back the lead in the fifth and worse, he came out of the game hurting. From there, the Jays poured it on and won 7-2. Luckily, the Astros lost as well, so the Rangers are one game up with six left to play.
On TV, there was a College Volleyball match with Louisville at Kentucky. (This was great counter-programming to the NFL.) Kentucky dropped their first set at home this season, but came back to win the next 3 sets to take the match. The Student Section took “Tarps off” to a new level. The Men’s Swim team came to support the girls just wearing their Speedos. It was quite the sight.
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