OKC Comets Game Notes - September 23, 2026
PCL Oklahoma City Comets

OKC Comets Game Notes - September 23, 2026

Published on September 23, 2026 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Oklahoma City Comets (0-1/89-60) vs. Las Vegas Aviators (1-0/87-61)

2026 PCL Championship Series, Game 2

Pitching Probables: OKC-RHP Landon Knack (4-1, 2.08) vs. LV-RHP Ryan Magdic (2-2, 5.57)

Wednesday, September 23, 2026 | Las Vegas Ballpark | Las Vegas, Nev. | 9:05 p.m. CT

Radio: KGHM-AM 1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, iHeartRadio; Video: MLB+, Bally Sports Live

Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Comets and Las Vegas Aviators meet for the second time in their best-of-three Pacific Coast League Championship Series at 9:05 p.m. CT at Las Vegas Ballpark. The Aviators won Game 1 Tuesday and the Comets must win tonight to continue the series against the defending PCL champions...Prior to yesterday's loss, the Comets had won 18 of their last 21 games to close out the regular season...After losing the first game of a playoff series during the Bricktown era, the Comets are 7-5 in Game 2.

Last Game: The OKC Comets scored six straight runs over the final two innings, but their comeback fell short in a 13-11 loss to the Las Vegas Aviators in Game 1 of the PCL Championship Series Tuesday night at Las Vegas Ballpark. Las Vegas opened the series with a fast lead, scoring two runs in the first inning. The Aviators added three runs in the third inning to take a 5-0 lead. OKC got on the board in the fourth with a leadoff blast from James Tibbs III before the Aviators got the run back in the bottom of the inning. OKC put together a four-run fifth inning, scoring on a double from Ben Rortvedt followed by singles from Zach Ehrhard and Ryan Fitzgerald to make it a one-run game. Las Vegas doubled its run total with six runs in the sixth inning in a rally which included three bases-loaded walks to put the score at 12-5. After the Aviators scored a run in the seventh inning, OKC rallied for five runs in the eighth inning in a frame kept alive by a pair of Las Vegas fielding errors to get within three runs. In the ninth inning, Zach Ehrhard hit a solo homer.

Today's Probable Pitcher: Landon Knack (4-1) looks to continue a strong September surge into the postseason...Knack last pitched in relief for the Los Angeles Dodgers Sept. 17 at Cincinnati, earning a win after 4.0 scoreless frames with four hits and two strikeouts...Across three September outings with the Dodgers and Oklahoma City, Knack hasn't allowed a run through 11.2 innings with nine hits, three walks and nine strikeouts...Over his last eight games with the Comets, Knack has a 1.62 ERA (6 ER/33.1 IP)...Knack has had three stints with the Dodgers this season, allowing a combined five runs and 12 hits across 11.2 innings with four homers, two walks and eight strikeouts over four relief outings...Tonight marks Knack's first career postseason start, although he made three relief appearances for the Dodgers during their 2024 World Series run...Knack ranks third all-time in OKC's Bricktown era with 244 career strikeouts and fourth with 48 starts...He was selected by the Dodgers in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of East Tennessee State.

Against the Aviators: 2026 PCL CS: 0-1 2026: 7-5 All-time (regular season): 85-82 At LV (regular season): 48-43

Despite having played each year since the start of Oklahoma City's Bricktown era (1998), this marks the first-ever playoff series between the two sides...The Comets won the regular season series for the fourth straight year in 2026...After winning two of six games in Las Vegas, the Comets responded with five straight wins following a series opening loss July 28-Aug. 2 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark...The last time the two sides met in Las Vegas March 31-April 5, James Tibbs III was named PCL Player of the Week after going 10-for-25 with five home runs, including a three-homer game April 4...Tibbs, alongside Ryan Fitzgerald and Zach Ehrhard, each finished with a batting average over .345 in the regular-season series...Las Vegas swept Tacoma in two games in the 2025 PCL Championship Series, but lost to Jacksonville in the Triple-A National Championship Game, 8-7.

All Aboard the 'Ship: This marks the fifth time OKC has advanced to the postseason since the team's affiliation with the Los Angeles Dodgers began in 2015. OKC last went to playoffs in 2023 after winning the first half title and then went on to win OKC's first PCL championship during the Bricktown era, sweeping a best-of-three series against Round Rock, 2-0...Overall, this is OKC's fifth berth in the PCL Championship Series during the Bricktown era, joining 1999, 2008, 2016 and 2023. Including last night's loss, OKC is now 5-10 LCS games and just 1-6 on the road. During the Bricktown era, OKC has a 19-37 playoff record overall, including 8-20 on the road, with losses in five straight road games...Including last night's Game 1 loss and the 2023 Triple-A National Championship Game, OKC has lost 14 of the last 15 playoff series openers...OKC is 5-10 in elimination games during the Bricktown era, including 2-4 on the road...During the team's Triple-A history, OKC has won five league titles: 1963, 1965, 1992, 1996 and 2023.

Down the Stretch: The Comets went 48-27 during the second half of the PCL season and clinched the second half title last Wednesday in El Paso. After a 12-15 start to the half, the Comets posted a 36-12 record over the final 48 games for the best record among all Triple-A teams and the most wins in the Minors during the stretch. The Comets went 18-3 over the last 21 games and 19-4 over the last 23 games...The Comets entered their Aug. 28 game against El Paso tied for fourth place in the second half standings and 4.0 games behind league-leading Sugar Land. The Comets then won a franchise-best 14 consecutive games during the Bricktown era to take over first place in the second half standings by 5.0 games. Going back further, after losing three straight games in Sugar Land Aug. 19-21, the Comets were 6.5 games behind the Space Cowboys. OKC then went 21-6...The Comets went 7-0-1 over the final eight regular season series.

Winning the Marathon: The Comets finished the 2026 regular season with the PCL's best regular season record at 89-60. This is the fifth time in the 28 seasons during the Bricktown era that OKC topped the PCL during the regular season (previously 2005, 2013, 2015 and 2023)...The Comets' 89 wins this season are the second-most by the team during the Bricktown era and trail only the 2023 team's 90-58 record. In OKC's overall Triple-A history since 1962, the Comets' 89 wins this season are third-most behind the 1965 89ers (91-54) and the 2023 team...This is the sixth time in 11 seasons OKC has won at least 80 games during the team's affiliation with the Dodgers (since 2015) and fourth time in the last five seasons...OKC's 89 wins are second-most in Triple-A, one shy of Rochester (WSH), which finished 90-58 in the International League.

Running Wild: The Comets and Aviators combined for 24 runs Tuesday for the most combined runs in a playoff game for Oklahoma City during the Bricktown era. The previous high was 21 during a 16-5 win over Iowa in the first round Sept. 7, 2008...The 13 runs by the Aviators were the most allowed by OKC in a postseason game since a 14-run outburst by Omaha during Game 2 of a first-round series Sept. 9, 1999 in Bricktown...OKC also scored its most runs in a playoff game since Game 2 of the 2008 PCL Championship Series at Sacramento during an 11-2 win. Last night was the most runs OKC has scored in a playoff loss in the Bricktown era, with the previous high of seven runs.

Jumbled: Last night's Game 1 included a combined six errors, with four charged to Las Vegas, and a combined 21 walks. No Comets opponent committed four errors in a game during the regular season...The 12 walks allowed by the Comets were the most allowed by OKC since surrendering a season-high 14 July 28 vs. Las Vegas. Five of those walks occurred in the sixth inning, marking the fourth time this season OKC allowed five or more walks in a frame, and seventh time allowing 12 or more walks in a game, with three of those against the Aviators...The Comets allowed the second-most walks in the PCL during the regular season (743).

Hard-Line: Zach Ehrhard reached base five times in six plate appearances Tuesday, going 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI, two walks and a hit by pitch. He's now hit safely in each of his last 13 games, going 22-for-51 (.431) with eight extra-base hits and eight RBI during the stretch...During he regular season, Ehrhard scored 120 runs to lead the PCL and set a Bricktown era single-season record. His 155 hits ranked second-most in the league.

Fitz Blitz: Ryan Fitzgerald drove in three runs Tuesday and has now picked up a hit in each of his last seven games, going 11-for-27 (.407) with four extra-base hits and eight RBI. He's also hit safely in 22 of his last 25 games, going 34-for-98 (.347) with 15 extra-base hits and 28 RBI...Fitzgerald has tallied at least one RBI in five of the last six games for a total of eight RBI...During the regular season, Fitzgerald led the Minors with 172 hits while also leading the PCL with 35 doubles, finishing second with 265 total bases and third with 102 RBI.

Around the Horn: James Tibbs III has homered in back-to-back games and now six times across seven total games at Las Vegas Ballpark this season...The Comets have allowed 11 or more runs in three of the last seven games and at least 13 runs in two of the last three games. Between June 17-Sept. 13, the Comets allowed at least 10 runs only three times over 74 games...The Comets used 19 different players in last night's game for the most used by the team since May 2 in Round Rock (19).

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