Stephen Makes Organizational Debut for Cleveland against Cats
EL New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Stephen Makes Organizational Debut for Cleveland against Cats

Published on August 24, 2025 under Eastern League (EL)
New Hampshire Fisher Cats News Release


The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (21-28, 50-68) and Akron RubberDucks (26-24, 69-49) wrap up their six-game series with a 1:05 PM EDT first pitch on Sunday afternoon.

LAST NIGHT

The Fisher Cats took down the RubberDucks in extra innings on Saturday night, 6-5. New Hampshire jumped out to a 5-0 lead thanks to a solo shot from Je'Von Ward and a three-run homer from Charles McAdoo. Eddinson Paulino drove in McAdoo with a sacrifice fly in the top of the 11th inning as the go-ahead run in New Hampshire's third win of the series.

Five of New Hampshire's eight hits were split between Ward, McAdoo and Jackson Hornung. Ward and Hornung finished 2-for-5 as McAdoo crushed his team-leading 16th homer of the year and sixth in August.

Rafael Sánchez started and brought a no-hitter into the bottom of the fifth inning and was pulled after 5-1/3 innings of work. Sánchez was charged with four earned runs on four hits and struck out five. Nate Garkow (W, 3-0) dealt a scoreless bottom of the ninth and 10th innings to capture the win as Yondrei Rojas (S, 2) staved off the Ducks in the 11th for his second Double-A save.

PITCHING MATCHUP

New Hampshire's Geison Urbaez (1-2, 3.05 ERA) will make his fourth start for the Fisher Cats this season. Urbaez tossed one inning in relief during New Hampshire's 4-1 loss to Akron on Thursday night. The right-hander was New Hampshire's game two starter of a doubleheader in Binghamton on Saturday, August 16. Urbaez opened with three innings pitched, allowing three runs, all unearned, with three walks, one hit-by-pitch and three punchouts. Through three starts, Urbaez has not surrendered an earned run on eight hits with six walks and eight punchouts over 10 innings pitched. Urbaez spent the majority of the 2024 campaign with High-A Vancouver, making 15 appearances and six starts for the Canadians. His first six outings of the year were starts before the righty took on a relief role for the remainder of the season. Urbaez went 0-1 with a 3.09 earned run average across 23-1/3 innings pitched.

Making his Cleveland organizational debut, Khal Stephen (0-0, 9.00 ERA) gets the start for the RubberDucks on Sunday afternoon. Stephen was traded to Cleveland for right-handed pitcher Shane Bieber on July 31. Bieber made his Blue Jays debut on Friday, August 22, against Miami and collected nine strikeouts in six, one-run innings. Stephen's lone Fisher Cats start was against Binghamton on July 20, when the righty surrendered five runs, four earned, with two strikeouts and one walk over four innings of work. Stephen was called up to New Hampshire on July 20 after a nine-game stint with High-A Vancouver, where he recorded a 6-1 record with a 1.49 earned run average and 49 strikeouts over 48-1/3 innings pitched. The Mississippi State product garnered Northwest League Pitcher of the Month honors by posting a 3-1 record with a 0.95 ERA in June. The former No. 9 Toronto prospect (MLB Pipeline) started the year with Single-A Dunedin and pitched to a 2.06 ERA with 48 strikeouts to seven walks over 39-1/3 innings pitched. The Blue Jays selected Stephen in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft and made his professional debut in 2025. Sunday will be Stephen's first start since July 20 at Delta Dental Stadium.

THIS DAY IN FISHER CATS HISTORY

August 24, 2011- The Fisher Cats scored in five of eight at-bats in a 16-3 win over the Trenton Thunder in Manchester. Travis d'Arnaud homered to start the second for the first run, and the lead grew to 6-0 with a two-run single by Moises Sierra and a two-run double by Yan Gomes in the third. Eight of the nine Fisher Cats had at least two hits. Drew Hutchison went five scoreless frames for the win, striking out eight.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Fisher Cats return home to Delta Dental Stadium after their 12-game road trip to Binghamton and Akron. New Hampshire greets the Erie Sea Wolves starting at 6:35 PM EDT on Tuesday night.

Check out the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Statistics

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