Sermo Slugs Second Most Circuit Swats, Four Big Opening Day Crowds in MLB Partner League
Published on May 21, 2026 under American Association (AA) News Release
The Milwaukee Milkmen (5-1) and Sioux Falls Canaries (5-1) are among the teams off to hot starts as the American Association of Professional Baseball (@AA_Baseball) put the first week of the 2026 regular season in the books. All games are as always available free for live viewing on AABaseball.tv.
Here are 10 (or so) Things to Know about the AAPB this week:
Big crowds were the norm, with Chicago, Lincoln, Kane County and Winnipeg all attracting announced crowds of 5,000 or more for their openers, topped by Kane County's 8,093 on Friday vs. Kansas City and Chicago netting a sellout of 7,128, also on Friday.
With a home runs in back-to-back games against Cleburne on Tuesday and Wednesday and after four homers in four wins over Cleburne in which Fargo-Moorhead scored 42 runs, the RedHawks' José Sermo (Austin, Texas) now has 147 career AAPB homers, passing Reggie Abercrombie for second-most in league history. Sermo's 12 RBI move him up to fourth in league career history with 512.
Ryan Hernandez's first-inning grand salami and three-run shot in the sixth vs. Sioux Falls on Tuesday brings his total to a franchise-leading 50 home runs with the Lake Country DockHounds.
A look at the Opening Day rosters yielded some interesting tidbits:
6'9 Milwaukee Milkmen right-handed pitcher Brady Puckett (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) is the tallest player in the AAPB. He formerly played college baseball at Lipscomb University in Nashville, getting drafted in the 15th round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Miami Marlins. The two shortest, at 5'7, are both international players: catcher Juan Fernandez (Valencia, Venezuela) of Fargo-Moorhead and left-handed pitcher Ryo Kohigashi (Kyoto, Japan) of Winnipeg.
Mitchell Lambson (Montclair, Calif.), a seven-year veteran of the Winnipeg Goldeyes, is the oldest player in the league at 35, while Sioux Falls Canaries catcher, TJ Racherbaumer (Hermann, Mo.) checks in as the youngest at 22.
Sioux City righty LJ Waco (Cary, Ill.) has been transferred to the Washington Nationals organization. He becomes the 34th player moved since Explorers Manager Steve Montgomery took over the reins of the ball club in 2014. Waco made his pro debut for the X's on Friday.
The Nationals were busy scooping up AAPB players, as Winnipeg RHP Noah Millikan (Berkeley, Calif.) and Chicago RHP Adam Bogosian (Brooklyn, N.Y.) were also transferred to the Nationals' org
The Lake Country Dockhounds will adopt the name "Wisconsin Dive Bars" for contests July 7-9, with new jerseys on the way for those dates.
Kane County's "Ozzie" mascot raced alongside the Northern Illinois Food Bank's new mascot "Clementine" in the 13th Annual Fight Hunger Run. It is said they became "fast" friends.
The Sioux Falls Canaries played an exhibition game on May 10 in Humboldt, S.D., a fundraiser for the families of Reed Harter and Chandler Bakley, two former Dakota Wesleyan baseball players who were killed in a car accident back in January.
American Association Stories from May 21, 2026
- Sermo Slugs Second Most Circuit Swats, Four Big Opening Day Crowds in MLB Partner League - AA
- Goldeyes Battle Back to Beat Kane County - Winnipeg Goldeyes
- Jose Sermo Climbs AAPB All-Time Home Run List with 147th Home Run - Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
- Saltdogs Earn First Win in Doubleheader Split - Lincoln Saltdogs
- Explorers Split a Pair with Saltdogs - Sioux City Explorers
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