Hot Rods Game Notes South Atlantic League Divisional Round Game One
SAL Bowling Green Hot Rods

Hot Rods Game Notes South Atlantic League Divisional Round Game One

Published on September 9, 2025 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release


The Stage is Set... The Hot Rods make the 12th playoff appearance in franchise history, taking on the Hub City Spartanburgers in the first round of the South Atlantic League Playoffs. Bowling Green enters fresh off a second-half title, edging out Hub City, as well as the Greenville Drive. The Hot Rods captured titles in both halves, going 34-30 in the first half, and 35-31 in the second half. Hub City was able to clinch a second-half playoff berth with a 34-32 record in the second half, beating out Greenville by 1.0 game.

Going for Gold... Bowling Green is looking for their fifth championship in the past seven seasons. The first of their trophies came from the Midwest league in 2018. The next championship came in the High-A East league during the 2021 season, before the title was switched back to South Atlantic League. The Hot Rods made it back-to-back titles with another win in 2022. They will be looking for the same outcome, winning in the previous 2024 season.

Unfamiliar Foes.... Only two series throughout the 2025 season had the Hot Rods and Spartanburgers matched up. The first series started on April 15 at Fifth Third Park, ending in a split. The second series occurred at the end of the first half at Bowling Green Ballpark. The Hot Rods took a rain-shortened series with the Spartanburgers, 3-2. The two series make for the least games against a division opponent for Bowling Green this year. The team Bowling Green played the most in the regular season was the Greensboro Grasshoppers, although it was inter-divisional play, it is a possible championship matchup.

New Postseason Personnel.... The Hot Rods have added three new faces for the postseason, including two pitchers, and one position player. RHP Jadon Bercovich tossed 21.2 innings in Single-A with the RiverDogs, logging a 2.91 ERA with 30 strikeouts and six walks. RHP Jonathan Russell hurled 37.1 innings for Charleston this year, racking up a 4-0 record with a 2.17 ERA, whiffing 46 batters compared to 11 strikeouts. On the position player side, the Hot Rods add infielder Narcisco Polanco. The left-handed hitter batted .228 over 120 games with the RiverDogs, collecting four homers and 43 RBIs.

Marcus Meets the Playoffs... Marcus Johnson will get the nod for Tuesday's playoff opener. The righty experienced his best month of the season in August, making five starts with a 3.00 ERA. The strikeouts have come in bunches as of late, logging a career-high 10 punchouts on August 2 against Aberdeen. His last outing was tough, allowing four runs on 10 hits across 5.0 innings. Johnson ranks third in all of MiLB full season with 16 walks over 138.0 innings pitched this season.

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South Atlantic League Stories from September 9, 2025


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