Patrick Lee Ties Stolen Base Record in 'Caps 60th Win
July 20, 2025 - Midwest League (MWL)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release
LANSING, MI - Another day, and another franchise record re-written by the West Michigan Whitecaps, as outfielder Patrick Lee stole four bases to tie the most in club history as part of a 6-0 win over the Lansing Lugnuts in front of 5,756 fans on Sunday afternoon at Jackson Field.
Lee, now playing in his second season for the Whitecaps, reached base after being hit by a pitch in the second and drawing walks in both the third and fifth innings. In the second, the speedster stole second base before being part of a double-steal with center fielder Woody Hadeen later in the frame. The third inning saw the 25-year-old steal second base again before picking up another steal in the sixth to tie an effort last duplicated by infielder Juan Francia on August 2, 2002, against the Dayton Dragons, and the fifth time in franchise history a player has stolen four bases in a ballgame. The win makes the 'Caps the first team in the Detroit Tigers organization to hit the 60-win mark in the 2025 regular season.
West Michigan jumped out to a big lead in the early innings for a second straight day. After taking a 6-1 lead after four frames on Saturday, the 'Caps took a 5-0 advantage after just three frames in the series finale. A pair of two-strike, two-out, two-run singles by Peyton Graham and Woody Hadeen in the second and third innings, respectively, helped West Michigan take control of the proceedings on Sunday. Meanwhile, starting pitcher Andrew Sears cruised through five scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and retired the last seven batters he faced. A run-scoring single in the ninth from Luke Gold ensured every Whitecaps player reached base safely at least once as the 'Caps went on to record their second three-game sweep in as many tries after taking three-straight from Dayton to open the regular season back in April.
The Whitecaps propel their way to 16-8 in the second half and 60-29 on the season, while the Lugnuts plummet to 11-13 in the second half and 47-43 on the year. Sears (6-3) takes his sixth win of the season, while Lansing starter Tzu-Chen Sha (1-2) gave up five runs in just three frames in taking his second loss with Lansing. Lee and infielder Peyton Graham led the way on the offensive end with the 'Caps only multi-hit performance of the afternoon, going 2-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI. The shutout is the seventh for the Whitecaps pitching staff this season, placing them in a two-way tie with Wisconsin behind Quad Cities (11). As for Lee, his career has been defined by speed since being signed from Evansville of the Frontier League in 2024, has collected 62 stolen bases while only being caught ten times in two seasons.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps return to the six-game series format this week and head to Dozer Park for a week against the Peoria Chiefs, opening the set Tuesday at 7:35 pm. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 7:20 pm on 106.1 FM 'The Ticket', and 1340 WJRW-AM in Grand Rapids. Catch all the action on the radio or listen to the game live at whitecapsbaseball.com.
PLAYOFF PLANS
The 'Caps will host a playoff game the second week of September, scheduled for Thursday, the 11th at 6:35 pm against the second-half Midwest League Eastern Division champion. Individual tickets will go on sale July 8 at 10:00 am on whitecapsbaseball.com.
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