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PCL Oklahoma City Comets

OKC Dodgers Game Notes - March 31, 2023

March 31, 2023 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Tacoma Rainiers (0-0) at Oklahoma City Dodgers (0-0)

Game #1 of 150/First Half #1 of 75/Home #1 of 75

Pitching Probables: TAC-RHP Darren McCaughan (NR, -.--) vs. OKC-RHP Gavin Stone (NR, -.--)

Friday, March 31, 2023 | Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark | Oklahoma City, Okla. | 7:05 p.m. CT

Radio: KGHM-AM 1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, iHeartRadio; Video: MiLB.tv, Bally Live

Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers open the 2023 season as well as the 25th anniversary season of Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark at 7:05 p.m. against the Tacoma Rainiers. Friday Night Fireworks presented by OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center are scheduled to follow tonight's game.

2022 Record-Setting Rewind: The OKC Dodgers wrapped up the 2022 season with an 84-66 record, posting the second-most wins during the team's Bricktown era (since 1998) and scoring the second-most runs in Minor League Baseball (949). Although the Dodgers held at least a share of first place in the PCL East Division for 111 days, the team finished one game behind division-winning El Paso and has now finished in first or second place in their division in six of the seven seasons during the Los Angeles Dodgers affiliation. OKC led all teams in the Minors with 731 walks, setting a team record and posting the most walks by any Triple-A team since 2004. The Dodgers led Triple-A and finished third among full-season teams in the Minors with a team-record .370 on-base percentage. OKC's +156 run differential paced the PCL and also set a team record. Infielder Miguel Vargas was named the Triple-A Player of the Year by Baseball America and the PCL's Top MLB Prospect by MiLB. Outfielder Jason Martin was named a Triple-A All-Star by MiLB, while right-handed pitcher Ryan Pepiot received postseason Triple-A All-Star recognition from Baseball America. OKC played 150 games last season for the most by an OKC team since 1984 (154 games in the American Association).

Tonight's Probable Pitcher: Gavin Stone makes his second career Opening Day start tonight and enters his third professional season tabbed as the Los Angeles Dodgers' No. 5 prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 6 prospect by Baseball America...Last season Stone was named the Los Angeles Dodgers Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year. He compiled a 1.48 ERA and 9-6 record across 26 games (25 starts) at three levels, starting the season with High-A Great Lakes (six games) before moving up to Double-A Tulsa (14 games) and making his Triple-A debut with OKC Aug. 18. He posted a combined 1.12 WHIP and .206 BAA with 168 strikeouts against 44 walks in 121.2 IP across the three levels...Stone led all pitchers in the Minors in ERA and tied for ninth overall in strikeouts. He also ranked second among Dodgers minor leaguers in strikeouts, WHIP and BAA...With OKC last season, Stone went 2-1 with a 1.16 ERA in six starts with 33 K's...Stone is ranked as the No. 56 overall prospect by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline...The Dodgers selected Stone in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of the University of Central Arkansas...He last faced Tacoma Sept. 7, 2022 in OKC. Stone was charged with the loss after he allowed four runs (two earned), tying his season-high mark, over 4.0 innings. He gave up six hits and notched four strikeouts against one walk...Stone also served as his team's Opening Night starter in his professional debut May 4, 2021 with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga at Inland Empire (3.0 IP, H, 0 R, BB, 6 K).

Against the Rainiers: 2023: 0-0 2022: 5-7 All-time: 56-57 At OKC: 34-23

The Dodgers and Rainiers meet for their first of three series during the 2023 season and first of two series in OKC...The Dodgers won the last meeting between the teams, 20-5, Sept. 11, 2022 as the Dodgers racked up five home runs, but Tacoma won the 2022 series between the teams, 7-5, and won the most recent series between the teams, 4-2, Sept. 6-11 in OKC. Last season marked the first time the Dodgers lost a season series to the Rainiers since 2014 when OKC went 0-4 in Tacoma and entered last season 2-0-3 over the previous five season series...Fueled by the 20 runs they scored in the final game between the teams in 2022, the Dodgers outscored the Rainiers, 77-62, last season and hit 12 homers compared to Tacoma's 10...Drew Avans led OKC with 19 hits, while Jason Martin hit a team-best three homers and drove in 12 runs in the season series...Entering tonight, the Rainiers have won seven of the last 10 games against the Dodgers...The Rainiers finished the 2022 season with a 72-78 record and in second place in the PCL West Division.

First Impressions: OKC is 11-13 overall in season openers since 1998 and 4-7 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark on Opening Day. Last season's walk-off win against Albuquerque (3-2), secured by a solo home run by Jason Martin in the ninth inning, marked OKC's first home win on Opening Day since 2008...Since Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark opened in 1998, OKC is 9-15 in home openers. Last year's victory was just the team's second win in a home opener in the last 10 seasons and OKC is now 2-5 in home openers during the Dodgers affiliation...This series will mark the first time ever OKC and Tacoma have opened the season against each other. The teams were scheduled to start the 2020 season in Tacoma prior to the cancelation of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Boys in Blue: OKC's initial 2023 roster includes two of the Los Angeles Dodgers' top six prospects as ranked by Baseball America - infielder Michael Busch (No. 4) and starting pitcher Gavin Stone (No. 6). Between his time in Double-A and Triple-A, Busch tied for the overall Minor League lead with 118 runs scored and ranked third overall in the Minors in total bases, tied for third with 70 extra-base hits and fifth with 108 RBI. His 32 home runs tied for the Dodgers' organizational lead and was tied for sixth overall in the Minors. Stone was named the 2022 Los Angeles Dodgers Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year, playing at three different levels and posting a cumulative 1.48 ERA - best in the Minors. Infielder Devin Mann is ranked as the Dodgers No. 22 prospect by Baseball America....In addition to Busch and Grove, three other players are on the Los Angeles Dodgers' 40-man roster: relief pitchers Justin Bruihl and Victor González and infielder Yonny Hernández...A total of 12 players spent at least part of the 2022 season with OKC, including pitchers Robbie Erlin, Justin Hagenman, Jake Reed, Nick Robertson and Mark Washington, catcher Hunter Feduccia, and outfielder Drew Avans. Erlin and Avans are the only two players that have been on the team's Opening Day roster in both 2022 and 2023...Eighteen players have previous Major League experience, with three appearing for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022 (Bruihl, Erlin and Grove) and seven others appeared in Majors last season with a different organization: pitchers Tyler Cyr (Philadelphia/Oakland), Adam Kolarek (Oakland) and Tayler Scott (San Diego), catcher Patrick Mazeika (New York-NL), infielder Luke Williams (San Francisco/Miami) and outfielders Steven Duggar (San Francisco, Texas, Los Angeles-AL) and Bradley Zimmer (Toronto/Philadelphia). Others who have appeared in the Majors throughout their careers are pitchers Matt Andriese, Dylan Covey and Wander Suero, catcher David Freitas and infielder Jahmai Jones. The reliever trio of González, Kolarek and Suero all have the distinction of pitching for a World Series-winning team, with González and Kolarek both part of the Dodgers in 2020 and Suero with the Washington Nationals in 2019.

Forging the Way: Travis Barbary enters his fourth season managing the Oklahoma City Dodgers in 2023, as well as his 29th season in the Dodgers organization as a player, staff member or coach. The team has finished in second place in its division during each of the last two seasons, going a combined 151-124. Barbary's 2023 coaching staff includes returning hitting coach Manny Burriss, who is back with the team for a third season. They will be joined by pitching coaches Doug Mathis and Justin DeFratus. Mathis begins his first season in OKC after spending the last three seasons on the coaching staff of the Texas Rangers, and DeFratus returns for his third season in OKC. Bench coach Chris Gutierrez comes to Triple-A after holding the same role with Double-A Tulsa last season.

Split Decision: The Triple-A seasons in both the Pacific Coast League and International League will be split into halves for 2023, with the first half ending June 25. The second half will begin June 28 and the regular season will conclude Sept. 24. The first-half winners will host the second-half winners in a best-of-three LCS slated to begin Sept. 26 in both the PCL and IL. The two LCS winners will advance to Las Vegas for the Triple-A National Championship Game...This is the first time since 1997 the PCL has played with a split-season format.

Party Like It's 1998: Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark celebrates its 25th anniversary season in 2023. The ballpark opened in 1998 and was constructed as part of the original MAPS (Metropolitan Area Projects) - "Oklahoma City's visionary capital improvement program for new and upgraded sports, recreation, entertainment, cultural and convention facilities" funded by a temporary one-cent sales tax approved by OKC voters in December 1993. The $34 million Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark was the first project completed under original MAPS, and to celebrate the ballpark's milestone anniversary in 2023, several festivities are planned throughout the season. On April 29, the Dodgers will wear commemorative city-themed jerseys and debut the organization's new 405 area code caps on the field for the first time as part of a special night of celebration for Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The team's game-worn jerseys will be available for purchase through an online auction with proceeds benefiting the OKC Dodgers Baseball Foundation. A Dodgers 405 hat giveaway for the first 1,000 fans will also take places. Additionally, the formation of the Oklahoma City Triple-A Baseball Hall of Fame takes place in 2023. The inaugural HOF class will be unveiled in late April and an induction ceremony will take place later in the season.

Them's the Rules: Several notable new and returning rules will be in place at the Triple-A level throughout 2023:.

- Pitch Clock: The pitch clock will once again be utilized to improve pace of play at the Triple-A level and will be enforced starting on Opening Day. Pitchers must begin their motion within 14 seconds when the bases are empty and within 19 seconds if there is a runner on base just like in 2022. Batters will be required to be in the batter's box and alert to the pitcher with eight or more seconds remaining to align with the new MLB rules, which is a slight change from the nine-second threshold used last season in Triple-A. A violation by the pitcher results in an automatic ball, and a violation by the hitter results in an automatic strike.

- Disengagements/Step-offs: When there is at least one runner on base, the pitcher is allowed two step-offs or disengagements from the pitching rubber during each plate appearance. If there is a third disengagement or a defensive timeout before an out is recorded, a balk is called and each runner advances one base. This remains the same as the 2022 season rules at the Triple-A level.

- ABS: The automated strike zone, also known as ABS, returns to the Pacific Coast League in 2023 and will expand to be in use throughout Triple-A. In games Tuesday-Thursday, balls and strikes will exclusively be called by ABS. Each pitch is sent to the home plate umpire via an earpiece, and the umpire then relays the call. In a new development for 2023, for games Friday-Sunday beginning April 7, teams will use the challenge system During these games, umpires will call balls and strikes, but players can challenge the result of the pitch. The challenge will be resolved by the ABS system, which will either uphold the initial call or overturn it. Each team has three challenges per game, but challenges are only taken away when a call is upheld.

- Infield Positioning Restrictions: On defense, teams will be required to have two players standing on each side of second base with both feet on the infield dirt before each pitch is thrown, which is a new rule for 2023. A violation of this rule will result in either an automatic ball or the batting team can elect to take the result of the play.

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