OKC Dodgers Game Notes - September 27, 2023
September 27, 2023 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Round Rock Express (0-1/89-60) at Oklahoma City Dodgers (1-0/90-57)
PCL Championship Series Game 2
Pitching Probables: RR-RHP Owen White (2-2, 4.99) vs. OKC-RHP Gavin Stone (7-4, 4.74)
Wednesday, September 27, 2023 | Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark | Oklahoma City, Okla. | 7:05 p.m. CT
Radio: 1340 AM The Game, 1340thegame.com, iHeartRadio; Video: Bally Live, MiLB.tv
Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers host the Round Rock Express in Game 2 of the 2023 Pacific Coast League Championship Series presented by Paycom at 7:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Dodgers lead the best-of-three series, 1-0, and can clinch Oklahoma City's first title since 1996...Gates open at 6 p.m. and the first 1,000 fans will receive thunder sticks courtesy of SoFi.
Last Game: The Oklahoma City Dodgers built an early lead, then later used a three-run seventh inning to pull away from the Round Rock Express in an 8-3 win in Game 1 of the Pacific Coast League Championship Series Tuesday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Dodgers went ahead, 4-0, through two innings. Ryan Ward hit a RBI single in the first inning before Oklahoma City added three runs in the second inning, including a RBI ground-rule double by Yonny Hernández, RBI groundout by Hunter Feduccia and a RBI single by Drew Avans. Round Rock loaded the bases in the third inning with two outs, but Kyle Hurt struck out Blaine Crim to escape the jam. Round Rock chipped away at OKC's lead and scored runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, including two RBI singles by Sandro Fabian to cut OKC's lead to one run. Round Rock loaded the bases later in the sixth inning with two outs, but Tyson Miller got Justin Foscue to pop out to end the inning. Hunter Feduccia then hit a solo home run out to left-center field in the bottom of the sixth inning to boost the Dodgers' lead to 5-3. The Dodgers left the bases loaded later in the sixth inning, but added three more runs in the seventh inning, scoring a run on a Round Rock error and adding two more runs on a single by Avans for an 8-3 advantage.
Today's Probable Pitcher: Gavin Stone (7-4) is scheduled to make his first playoff appearance with Oklahoma City after being optioned by the Los Angeles Dodgers Sept. 23...Stone's last three appearances have been with Los Angeles and he most recently pitched Sept. 22 against San Francisco at Dodger Stadium, tossing 4.1 innings after opener Caleb Ferguson. He allowed three runs and three hits, including two home runs, with two walks and five strikeouts. He was charged with the loss in the Dodgers' 5-1 defeat...Over those last three games with LAD, Stone made one start and two bulk relief appearances and allowed 10 runs and 13 hits over 13.0 innings, with four home runs. He earned his first career save Sept. 17 at Seattle after tossing the final 3.1 innings while not yielding a run during a 6-1 win...Stone last pitched for Oklahoma City Sept. 3 against Round Rock. He followed Walker Buehler, who was on a Major League Rehab Assignment, and equaled his season high with 6.0 scoreless innings. He entered the game to start the third inning and retired the first 11 batters he faced and 18 of the 20 batters he faced overall. He was then named PCL Pitcher of the Week for Aug. 28-Sept. 3, receiving a weekly honor for the third time this season (all since July 9)...Stone has made 19 starts for OKC this season, posting a 7-4 record and 4.74 ERA over a team-high 100.2 innings with 46 walks against 120 strikeouts. His strikeout total led OKC and finished tied for sixth in the PCL. He is 5-0 over his last nine Triple-A appearances, lowering his season ERA from 6.71 to 4.74, posting a 2.49 ERA across 47.0 IP with 56 K's and 16 walks while holding opponents to a .168 batting average...He made his ML debut May 3 at Dodger Stadium against Philadelphia and has made a total of eight appearances (four starts) for LA this season...The Dodgers selected Stone in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of the University of Central Arkansas...In three appearances (two starts) against the Express this season, Stone is 2-0 with a 0.52 ERA, allowing one run and three hits, including one home run, seven walks and 21 strikeouts over 17.1 innings.
Against the Express: 2023 Regular Season: 14-4 All-time (Regular Season): 176-139 At OKC (Regular Season): 83-71 Playoffs (All-time): 1-3
The Express and Dodgers meet for the second time in the postseason and last played one another in the 2015 PCL American Conference Finals when the Express swept the Dodgers, 3-0. This is their first meeting in a PCL Championship Series...The Dodgers won the regular-season series between the teams, 14-4, including wins in nine of the first 10 games and in four of the last five regular-season meetings...The Dodgers swept the Express May 9-14 in their lone series in Round Rock. It was OKC's first-ever six-game series sweep since PCL teams started playing primarily six-game series in 2021. OKC trailed in the seventh inning or later in four of the six wins and hit a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning twice...The last 12 meetings between the teams in the regular season were played in OKC, with the Dodgers winning both series, 4-2. During a 17-7 win Aug. 6, OKC set a new team record for hits in a home game with 22...In their most recent series Aug. 29-Sept. 3, the Dodgers held the Express to four runs or less in each of the final five games, including allowing one run in each of the final two meetings of the regular season, winning by a combined score of 16-2...During the regular season, Ryan Ward led OKC with 16 hits in 17 games against the Express, including seven doubles and three homers. David Dahl paced the Dodgers with 12 RBI against the Express in nine games.
Clash of the Titans: The Pacific Coast League Championship Series features the top two teams in the overall 2023 PCL standings after the Dodgers won the PCL's first-half title in June with a 50-23 record and Round Rock won the PCL's second-half title Sunday with a 45-30 record. The Dodgers finished the regular season 90-58 for the best record in the PCL, while the Express finished in second place overall with an 89-60 record...The Dodgers snapped a three-game losing skid with last night's Game 1 victory, while Round Rock's four-game winning streak came to an end Tuesday...The winner of the PCL Championship Series will advance to play in the 2023 Triple-A National Championship Game Saturday, Sept. 30 at Las Vegas Ballpark against the winner of the International League Championship Series, in which second-half champion Durham has a 1-0 lead in a best-of-three series against first-half champion Norfolk.
Postseason Points: Oklahoma City is making its first postseason appearance since the 2018 season and seeks its first league title since 1996 when the Oklahoma City 89ers won the American Association as a Texas Rangers affiliate. OKC won 10 PCL division titles and three PCL conference titles during the Bricktown era (since 1998) before winning this season's PCL first-half title. During the team's Triple-A baseball history (since 1962), Oklahoma City won PCL titles in 1963 and 1965 and American Association titles in 1992 and 1996...During the Bricktown era, OKC is now 18-35 in playoff games, including 10-16 at home. Last night's Game 1 victory was Oklahoma City's first Game 1 win in a playoff series since 1999 against Omaha at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. OKC had lost the first game of each of its last 12 playoff series entering Tuesday...OKC is seeking its first playoff series win since the 2016 American Conference Finals when the Dodgers defeated Nashville, 3-2...This is the fourth time OKC is in the PCL Championship Series since 1998, having previously suffered defeats against Vancouver in 1999 (3-1), Sacramento in 2008 (3-1) and El Paso in 2016 (3-1)...Tonight is the first time since 1996 OKC will play in a potential championship-clinching game. During the Bricktown era, the team is 3-4 in potential series-clinching games (1-2 at home). The team has never started a postseason series, 2-0, over the previous 13 postseason series during the Bricktown era.
I Love the 90s: The Dodgers finished the regular season with 90-58 record overall and with the most wins for an Oklahoma City team in a single season during the Bricktown era (since 1998). Their 90 wins are the second-most wins in OKC's Triple-A history (since 1962) behind only the 1965 Oklahoma City 89ers, who finished 91-54...OKC's 90 wins tied for the most in the Minors this season with Triple-A Norfolk (90-59) and the Dodgers are just the second Pacific Coast League team since 2006 to notch at least 90 wins, joining the 2017 Memphis Redbirds (91-50). They are also just the fourth PCL team over the last 23 seasons to reach 90 wins. In addition to Memphis in 2017, the feat was also accomplished by Tucson in 2006 and Sacramento in 2003...The Dodgers finished in first place in the overall PCL standings, marking the fourth time that has happened during the team's Bricktown era (also 2005, 2013 and 2015). However, in each of those three seasons, the team was bounced in their first playoff series...The Dodgers held at least a share of first place in the league standings for all but seven days this season, first from April 1-Aug. 25 and again from Sept. 2 to the end of the season...This season's OKC squad became the fastest PCL team to reach 50, 60 and 70 wins since at least 2005, as data from 2004 and earlier is not available. They also became the second-fastest PCL team to reach 75 wins (117 games) since at least 2005, with the 2017 Memphis Redbirds doing it two games earlier (115 games). The fastest PCL team to reach 80, 85 and 90 wins was also the 2017 Memphis Redbirds, who reached the 80-win milestone in 121 games (80-41), the 85-win mark in 133 games (85-48) and the 90-win mark in 140 games (90-50).
How He Drew It Up: Drew Avans finished with a game-high four hits Tuesday night, going 4-for-4 with a walk, three RBI and a run scored as he reached base in all five of his plate appearances. Avans' four hits tied his season-high mark set June 11 in El Paso. His three RBI marked his highest RBI total since that same June 11 game when he collected a season-high five RBI...Avans finished the 2023 regular season tied for fifth in the PCL with 95 runs scored and tied for ninth with 77 walks. His 95 runs are the fifth-most by an OKC player in a season since 1998 and his 77 walks are sixth-most by an OKC player in a season since 1998...He led OKC with 129 hits in 129 games during the regular season. His games, hits, runs, walks, doubles, home runs and RBI totals were all career highs.
M-V-B: Michael Busch picked up a hit in Game 1 as he has now hit safely in his last 10 games. He is 13-for-37 (.351) with six extra-base hits, eight RBI and nine runs scored during the stretch...Busch finished the 2023 regular season with a team-leading 27 home runs - the eighth-most homers hit by an OKC player in a single season during the Bricktown era. He finished the regular season leading the PCL in SLG (.618) and OPS (1.049) and among the league's top-five qualified players in AVG (2nd, .323), OBP (3rd, .431), homers (4th, 27), extra-base hits (5th, 57), RBI (T-5th, 90) and total bases (T-5th, 241)...Busch was named the 2023 Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year by the Los Angeles Dodgers and the 2023 Dodgers Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America.
Feducciary Duty: Hunter Feduccia hit his third home run in the last six games and his fourth home run in the last 12 games last night, going 1-for-3 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored. He hit an opposite-field homer out to left-center field in the sixth inning Tuesday for his 12th homer overall this season...Feduccia set career highs with 89 hits, 61 runs, 57 RBI, 58 walks and .838 OPS over 90 games.
Around the Horn: The Dodgers' offense scored eight runs on 10 hits Tuesday night after the team had been held to a total of five runs on 16 hits over the final three games of the regular season (16x92; .174). The Dodgers scored in four of eight innings last night after scoring in just four of the previous 35 innings going back to last Thursday in Albuquerque...The Dodgers held the Express to three runs last night (two earned) and have allowed a total of five runs (four earned) over their last two games after allowing at least five runs in each of their previous four games (26 total runs) and a total of 52 runs over the previous seven games...Yonny Hernández went 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and two runs scored last night as he connected on his first extra-base hit since Aug. 22 against Albuquerque in OKC (a double), a stretch of 24 games...The Dodgers only started one of their final eight regular season series by winning each of the first two games, and that was the previous series in Albuquerque. They did not win the first two games of any of their final six home series, dropping Game 2 after their three series opening wins during that stretch.
Pacific Coast League Stories from September 27, 2023
- Oklahoma City Tops Round Rock for PCL Championship - Round Rock Express
- OKC Dodgers Game Notes - September 27, 2023 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Dodgers Win Game 1 Over the Express, 8-3 - Oklahoma City Comets
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