Game Info: SLDS Game 1: September 15 vs. Knoxville: 5:30 PM: Gates 6:35 PM: Toyota Field
SL Rocket City Trash Pandas

Game Info: SLDS Game 1: September 15 vs. Knoxville: 5:30 PM: Gates 6:35 PM: Toyota Field

Published on September 15, 2026 under Southern League (SL)
Rocket City Trash Pandas News Release


Southern League North Division Series | Game #1

Tuesday, September 15, 2026 - 6:35 PM CT - Toyota Field - Madison, AL

Matchup: Rocket City Trash Pandas (LAA) (72-65, 2 nd Half North Champs) vs. Knoxville Smokies (CHC) (73-64, 1 st Half North Champs)

Pitching Matchup: RHP Tyler Bremner (0-0, --) vs. RHP Brooks Caple (0-0, --)

TV/Radio: ABTV (Angels Broadcast Television, tape delay), WAAY-TV 31.6, Bally Live, MiLB.TV (WATCH LIVE) - 97.7 ESPN The Zone (WZZN-FM), Talk Radio 97.7 FM HD-2 (LISTEN LIVE)

Today's Promotions:

Playoff Baseball Presented by Parsons: The first 5,000 fans receive a rally towel, presented by Parsons.

Tito's Tail Waggin' Tuesday: Bring your four-legged friend! Fans with dogs can enjoy the game in Sections 1 and 2 or on the grass berm. Pups don't need a ticket, but a $1 donation per dog is requested at entry, benefiting Wags to Whiskers Rescue. Sweet Space offers free pup cups.

FOR STARTERS: The Rocket City Trash Pandas open the best-of-three Southern League North Division Series tonight against the Knoxville Smokies at Toyota Field. Rocket City finished 72-65 and claimed the second-half title, earning its second postseason appearance and first since 2022, while Knoxville secured its berth as the first-half champion. Tonight marks the Trash Pandas' only home game of the series before play shifts to Knoxville for Game 2 and, if necessary, Game 3. The first team to two wins advances to the Southern League Championship Series.

PANDAS CLINCH DIVISION IN CHATTANOOGA: Rocket City closed the regular season with a 5-1 series win at Chattanooga, outscoring the Lookouts 54-41 while batting .291 with 66 hits, 19 doubles and 14 home runs. The Trash Pandas tied for second in Minor League Baseball in runs and doubles and tied for fourth in hits and homers during the week. Sunday's 12-9 victory secured the Southern League North Division second-half title and a 72-65 finish, the second-best record in club history.

FROM LAST PLACE TO THE PLAYOFFS: One year after finishing 45-92, Rocket City rebounded to go 72-65-a 27-win improvement and the second-best record in club history-while securing its second playoff berth and first since 2022. The Trash Pandas bounced back from a five-game losing streak in mid-August and won five of six at Chattanooga to close the regular season, clinching the North Division second-half title by 1.5 games over Knoxville. Their return sets up a rematch with the Smokies, who defeated Rocket City in three games in the 2022 North Division Series after the Trash Pandas swept both halves and finished a franchise-best 81-57.

IN SEPTEMBER: Rocket City went 7-5, leading Minor League Baseball with 24 home runs and tying for third with 85 runs scored. The Trash Pandas batted .257 with 108 hits, 23 doubles and an .828 OPS, averaging 7.1 runs per game.

NIMMALA'S BIG WEEK: Angels top prospect Arjun Nimmala batted .417 (10-for-24) with four doubles, four homers, six RBI and seven runs in five games at Chattanooga, finishing second in the Southern League in home runs for the week. Eight of his 10 hits went for extra bases as he posted a 1.523 OPS, highlighted by go-ahead two-run homers in Thursday's ninth inning and Sunday's eighth.

SEPTEMBER BELONGED TO NIMMALA: Nimmala led Minor League Baseball with seven September home runs, finishing one ahead of Biloxi's Andrew Fischer and Pensacola's Matthew Williams. He batted .283 (13-for-46) with four doubles, 11 RBI, 12 runs and a 1.203 OPS in 11 games, with 11 of his 13 hits going for extra bases.

TWO-OUT DAMAGE: Rocket City collected 31 of its 51 RBI (60.8%) with two outs during its 5-1 series win at Chattanooga, including 15 in Wednesday's 18-run outburst and three on Anthony Scull's ninth-inning homer Sunday. Jake Thompson led the club with six two-out RBI, followed by Caleb Bartolero with five, Nick Rodriguez with four, and Cole Fontenelle and Scull with three apiece.

USING THE LONG BALL: In September, 42 of its 85 runs (49.4%) were via the long ball, led by Arjun Nimmala's seven and three apiece from Tucker Flint and Jacob Cozart. The Trash Pandas hit 14 homers during their 5-1 series win at Chattanooga, combining with the Lookouts for 30 home runs, 95 runs, 125 hits and 36 doubles. Chattanooga led MiLB with 16 homers during the week, while Rocket City collected 34 extra-base hits and slugged .568.

JAKE RAKES IN SIX: Jake Thompson finished the Chattanooga series batting .471 (8-for-17) with three doubles, a homer, six RBI and a 1.324 OPS in four games. His career-high six RBI in Wednesday's 18-run outburst all came with two outs, matching the franchise record shared by Trey Cabbage (5/6/22 vs. CHA) and Orlando Martinez (5/7/21 at CHA). Thompson closed the regular season batting .400 (20-for-50) with four doubles, three homers and 17 RBI over his final 17 games.

HISTORIC NIGHT: Rocket City's 18 runs Wednesday were the second-most in franchise history, trailing only its 26-3 win at Chattanooga on Aug. 8, 2021. All nine starters recorded a hit as the Trash Pandas collected 21, their most since May 18, 2022, at Birmingham.

LAST TIME IN THE SLDS: Rocket City's first postseason appearance in 2022 ended with a two-games-to-one loss to the then-Tennessee Smokies in the Southern League Division Series. The Trash Pandas won the opener, 9-5, at Smokies Stadium behind five scoreless innings from Ky Bush, home runs from Preston Palmeiro and Jordyn Adams, and two doubles from Zach Neto. Tennessee rallied for a 4-2 victory in Game 2 at Toyota Field, with Chase Strumpf's three-run homer in the sixth erasing Rocket City's 2-1 lead. The Smokies then clinched the series with a 3-1 win at Toyota Field, as Harrison Wenson homered twice and scored all three Tennessee runs. After collecting 13 hits in the opener, Rocket City managed just three runs on 11 hits over the final two games.

BREMNER GETS THE BALL: Angels top pitching prospect Tyler Bremner starts tonight's playoff opener after going 2-0 with a 2.93 ERA over his final three regular-season starts, striking out eight batters in each outing. He allowed five earned runs in 15.1 innings during that stretch, totaling 24 strikeouts against five walks. Across 19 starts between High-A Tri-City and Rocket City, Bremner finished 4-6 with a 4.33 ERA, 100 strikeouts and 27 walks in 72.2 innings while holding opponents to a .236 average.

BARTOLERO'S ON A BARTO-ROLL: Caleb Bartolero finished the regular season batting .340 (50-for-147) with 30 RBI since August 1, highlighted by a .385 showing (10-for-26) in the six-game series at Chattanooga. He collected three doubles, two homers, 10 RBI and 10 runs during the series, posting a 1.160 OPS. Bartolero capped the week with two doubles, a homer and four RBI in Sunday's division-clinching victory, bringing his totals to 11 extra-base hits and 23 RBI over his final 23 games.

PANDA PITCHING: Rocket City finished the regular season with Double-A's best WHIP (1.30), while its 4.57 ERA ranked third in the Southern League and eighth in Double-A. The Trash Pandas issued just 487 walks, the fourth-fewest in Double-A and second-fewest in the league, while recording 1,306 strikeouts, second in the Southern League. Rocket City also finished second across Double-A with 41 saves, trailing only Pensacola's 43.

NICK'S RECORD-SETTING SEASON: Nick Rodriguez tied Preston Palmeiro's 2022 franchise record with 31 doubles and established a new single-season mark with 475 at-bats. His 121 hits rank second in club history behind Livan Soto's 128 in 2022, while his 70 runs rank fourth and his 58 RBI are tied for fifth.

YOVAN CLOSES THE BOOK: Kenyon Yovan finished the regular season as Rocket City's career saves leader with 26, including 14 in 2026-the third-highest single-season total in club history. His appearance in Sunday's finale brought him to 109 with the Trash Pandas, tying Nick Jones for second all-time, while his 47 outings this season tied Camden Minacci's 2025 total for second.

GORDON MAKES HIS MARK: Austin Gordon earned Southern League Pitcher of the Month honors for August after going 4-0 with a 1.44 ERA, 33 strikeouts and a 0.60 WHIP in four starts, capped by seven no-hit innings in Rocket City's combined no-hitter at Birmingham. He finished 2026 with 134 strikeouts, third-most in franchise single-season history; his 26 starts rank second, 124.1 innings rank sixth, and eight wins tie for third.

MAC MOVES UP: Mac McCroskey finished the regular season with 309 career games for Rocket City, third in franchise history behind Tucker Flint and David Calabrese. His two hits in Sunday's finale raised his career total to 178, fifth all-time, while he also ranks fourth in walks (115) and fifth in runs scored (108).

MINACCI'S MILESTONES: Camden Minacci's perfect eighth inning in Sunday's division-clinching victory marked his 108th career appearance, fourth in Trash Pandas history. His two strikeouts brought him to 155, eighth all-time, while his 12 career holds tied Nick Jones for third.

FLINT'S FRANCHISE: Tucker Flint enters his first postseason as Rocket City's all-time leader in games (388), hits (313), home runs (45), RBI (197), runs scored (214), doubles (65) and walks (227). He also established single-season club records with 128 games played, 82 runs scored, and 69 RBI in 2026.

Check out the Rocket City Trash Pandas Statistics

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Southern League Stories from September 15, 2026


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