Canaries Soar Past Explorers to Take West Division Series
AA Sioux City Explorers

Canaries Soar Past Explorers to Take West Division Series

Published on September 6, 2025 under American Association (AA)
Sioux City Explorers News Release


SIOUX CITY, Iowa - Jabari Henry and the Sioux Falls Canaries (2-1) unleashed a power surge to overwhelm the Sioux City Explorers (1-2) in a 7-1 rout that sealed the series. With the win, Sioux Falls completed a dramatic turnaround and sent Sioux City packing after trailing late in Game Two.

Sioux Falls began the winner-take-all matchup with a boom. The American Association's all-time home run leader, Henry, crushed a 1-2 pitch from Jared Wetherbee (0-1) down the left field line, clearing the wall with ease.

The Explorers answered in the bottom half. With runners on second and third and one out, Josh Day grounded sharply to second, bringing home Austin Davis on an RBI groundout.

Wetherbee ran into trouble again in the second. Peter Zimmermann got a fastball up in the zone and didn't miss it, sending it over the center field wall to put the Canaries back in front, 2-1.

After two quiet frames, Henry struck again in the fifth with another home run to left. This time it was a two-run shot that extended the lead to 4-1. The Explorers faced an uphill battle.

Wetherbee and Ryan Zimmerman (1-0) both worked through the sixth inning, but the Canaries' starter won the duel. The 29-year-old right-hander allowed one run on four hits, mixing his pitches well to keep the X's off balance.

Sioux City manager Steve Montgomery elected to bring in his closer, Felix Cepeda, to prevent the deficit from getting any larger. Scott Combs doubled into the left-center field gap to start the frame. Trevor Achenbach sacrificed him to third, and Mike Hart singled him home. Henry stepped into the box next and sent a two-run blast out to left for his third home run of the game, giving the Canaries a 7-1 lead.

The home run put the game out of reach. Sioux Falls' bullpen slammed the door as the Canaries finished off the Explorers, taking the series and ending their season. In Game Two, Sioux City was just nine outs away from advancing with a three-run lead, but Sioux Falls came up huge when it mattered most.

From the entire Sioux City Explorers baseball family we want to give a big thank you to all of our media partners this season. You all have once again made it a fantastic season in Siouxland for the X's. The Explorers will be back in action for the 2026 season so stay tuned to the Explorers' social media channels and the club's website, xsbaseball.com, for all our news and updates into the offseason. Our offseason coverage is just around the corner! Go X's!

Notes from the Booth with DV:

-Sioux Falls is all-time 5-1 against Sioux City in the American Association playoffs dating back to 2008.

-The X's three starters went 22 innings allowing six earned runs with two quality starts.

-The Canaries hit seven home runs in the two games at Sioux City after hitting none in Sioux Falls on Wednesday

-Sioux City is all-time 16-27 in the postseason.

-The X's playoff run ends in the first round for the second straight season.

-It was Sioux Falls first playoff series win since 2010.

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American Association Stories from September 6, 2025


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