Cyclones and Grasshoppers Set to Meet in SAL North Division Final
SAL Brooklyn Cyclones

Cyclones and Grasshoppers Set to Meet in SAL North Division Final

Published on September 8, 2025 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Brooklyn Cyclones News Release


After winning the South Atlantic League North Division title in the season's first half, the Brooklyn Cyclones will meet the Greensboro Grasshoppers, the SAL North Division second-half champions, the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, in the SAL North Division Championship Series.

The opening game of the Best-of-3 series will be played at First National Bank Field in Greensboro, N.C., at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. After an off day on Wednesday, both the Cyclones and Grasshoppers will travel north to Maimonides Park on Coney Island, where the Cyclones will host Game 2 and, if necessary, Game 3, on Thursday and Friday night, respectively, with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m.

Series Overview

The Cyclones enter the postseason with a 72-59 record after winning the first half by a half-game over Greensboro with a 46-20 record. The 46-win half was the best for Brooklyn since moving to the full-season level, and the 72 victories on the year were the most in a single season in franchise history. The Cyclones concluded the campaign with a .550 winning percentage, the organization's best since moving to the full-season level prior to the 2021 season.

Greensboro, on the other hand, ended the year with a 43-23 second-half record, defeating the Hudson Valley Renegades, 4-1, on the final day of the regular season to win the SAL Second Half North Division crown. The Grasshoppers finished the regular season with a tremendous 88-43 record, the best overall mark in the SAL by four games. Greensboro's .672 winning percentage for the year was the second-best in Minor League Baseball among full-season teams. Only Detroit's High-A West Michigan finished with more wins (92) and a better winning percentage (.672).

The Grasshoppers captured five-of-six games from the Cyclones at First National Bank Field from July 22-27. Brooklyn snared the series finale from Greensboro, 3-2, thanks to a game-high three runs batted in by SS Boston Baro. Brooklyn dropped four of the five contests by three runs or fewer, and three of them by two runs or fewer. The visit was Brooklyn's first ever to Greensboro and the first visit to a Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate since July 27-29, 2018, when playing the West Virginia Black Bears in the New York-Penn League.

Since their first meeting back in the 2022 season, Greensboro leads the all-time series against Brooklyn, 8-7.

Players To Watch

As of Monday, the Grasshoppers possess five of the Pirates' Top 30 prospects per MLB Pipeline. Those players include: INF Sammy Stafura (7), INF Yordany De Los Santos (14), C Easton Carmichael (20), INF Jared Jones (27), and C Axiel Plaz (29). Plaz is currently listed on Greensboro's 7-day injured list. INF Callan Moss is the reigning SAL Player of the Month for August, hitting .383/.482/.649/1.091 with six home runs and 19 RBI in 24 games. RHP Carlson Reed was the penultimate SAL Pitcher of the Week, striking out 10 over 6.0 innings of one-hit ball on August 27 vs. Wilmington.

While Greensboro has plenty of players scattered among the league leaders, only a few remain on the active roster. INF Keiner Delgado finished the year ranked second in the circuit in on-base percentage (.370) and walks (73), third in runs scored (74), fourth in OPS (.759) and hits (103), tied for seventh in home runs (14), eighth in slugging percentage (.389), and tied for eighth in RBI (103).

On the mound, LHP Connor Wietgrefe (3.17) and RHP Khristian Curtis (3.98) finished fourth and ninth in the league, respectively, in ERA. Wietgrefe (1.05) and Curtis (1.26) sat second and eighth in the SAL in WHIP, as well. Curtis ended the season with 116 strikeouts, fourth-most in the circuit, and tied for second in wins (8).

While plenty from Brooklyn's first-half championship roster have moved up to Double-A and beyond, the roster still contains a plethora of talent. The Cyclones currently house four of the New York Mets' Top 30 farmhands per Baseball America: INF Boston Baro (13), INF Marco Vargas (15), OF Eli Serrano III (16), and INF Colin Houck (22). Baro and Serrano are presently on the 7-day IL.

New additions have been scorching hot as of late. UTL Yonatan Henríquez has posted a .336 batting average (41-122) and a .946 OPS in his last 35 games between Single-A St. Lucie and Brooklyn, providing the tie-breaking base-hit in Sunday's come-from-behind win at Jersey Shore. OF Yohairo Cuevas is hitting .313/.370/.438/.808 over his last 13 games, adding six RBI and six stolen bases.

The Cyclones' pitching staff has been superb in 2025, finishing the regular season with the sixth-best ERA from starting pitchers (3.20) in Minor League Baseball, as well as the sixth-best overall ERA (3.30). RHP Noah Hall, Brooklyn's scheduled Game 3 starter, concluded the year ranked second in the SAL in ERA (2.72). The 24-year-old also finished second in batting average against (.200), fifth in strikeouts (115), and sixth in innings pitched (112.2). RHP Joel Díaz, who is slated to get the ball in Game 2, has been equally astounding. The 21-year-old's 3.80 ERA was sixth-best in the circuit, while finishing ninth in batting average against (.255), and 10th in innings pitched (106.2).

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Brooklyn at Greensboro, 6:30 p.m., at First National Bank Field ... RHP Channing Austin (0-1, 6.00) vs. RHP Khristian Curtis (8-5, 3.98)

Game 2: Greensboro at Brooklyn, 6:40 p.m., at Maimonides Park ... RHP Joel Díaz (5-5, 3.80) vs. RHP Hung-Leng Chang (5-7, 4.82)

Game 3 (If Necessary): Greensboro at Brooklyn, 6:40 p.m., at Maimonides Park ... RHP Noah Hall (5-7, 2.72) vs. LHP Connor Wietgrefe (6-4, 3.16)

All games can be watched on MiLB.tv or via the Bally Sports Live app and website or heard on the Cyclones Radio Network through brooklyncyclones.com. Radio and home coverage will begin 15 minutes prior to the scheduled first pitch.

Check out the Brooklyn Cyclones Statistics

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South Atlantic League Stories from September 8, 2025


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