SWB RailRiders Game Notes- August 9, 2025
IL Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB RailRiders Game Notes- August 9, 2025

Published on August 9, 2025 under International League (IL)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (28-9, 66-43) at Lehigh Valley IronPigs (18-19, 64-47)

August 9, 2025 | Game 110 | Road Game 55 | Coca-Cola Park | First Pitch 6:35 P.M.

RH Kenta Maeda (3-4, 5.97) vs. RH Adonis Medina (0-2, 5.14)

Maeda: Yankees-affiliated debut; Signed on 8/04 as MiLB FA; 7 APP w/ DET & 12 w/ Iowa in 2025

Medina: Allowed 4 R on 2 H over 4.0 IP in 8/03 Loss @ WOR with 1 K & 5 BB (11-1 WooSox)

LAST TIME OUT- ALLENTOWN, PA (August 8, 2025) - The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders lost 10-5 to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs Friday night at Coca-Cola Park. The IronPigs took an early lead and countered every time the RailRiders tacked on a run.

Justin Crawford led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run to right off RailRiders starter Sean Boyle. Lehigh Valley added three runs on a homer from Payton Henry in the third to build a 4-0 advantage. Duke Ellis hit his first home run of the season in the top of the fourth to get the RailRiders on the board. The 382-foot fly out to left cut the deficit to three.

In the fifth, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre loaded the bases with no one out and tallied a run on a double play, but answered with a run-scoring double by Rodolfo Castro for a 5-2 lead. After the RailRiders cut the deficit to two again with a Jorbit Vivas sac fly in the sixth, the IronPigs plated four runs on four hits and a pair of walks in the bottom half of the inning for a 9-3 advantage. Jose Rojas skyed his team-best 20th home run of the season in the top of the seventh; the two-run blast moved the utility man past former RailRider Everson Pereira to take sole possession of the team lead. Lehigh again answered with a run on two hits and a walk in the last of the seventh to close the scoring at 10-5.

Boyle (7-8) took the loss, allowing the first five runs on four hits over 4.1 innings. Michael Mercado (5-1) worked an inning out of the IronPigs bullpen to garner the win.

EXPERIENCED ADDITION- The Yankees signed right-hander Kenta Maeda to a Minor League contract on Monday and he will make his first start for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre tonight. Maeda, 37, has gone 68-56 with six saves and a 4.20 ERA in 226 career games, 172 starts, over nine Major League seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2016-19), Minnesota Twins (2020-21, '23) and Detroit Tigers (2024-25). His 1,055 career strikeouts are the third-most in Major League history by a Japan-born player. The right-handed pitcher posted a 7.88 ERA in seven relief appearances with the Tigers this season before being designated for assignment on May 1. He was released from the roster on May 7 and signed a Minor League contract with the Chicago Cubs on May 15. Maeda went 3-4 with a 5.97 ERA in 12 starts with Iowa before being released on August 2.

CLUBHOUSE LEADER- Jose Rojas hit his 20th home run of the season on Friday night, breaking the tie atop the team leaders list with Everson Pereira, who was traded to Tampa Bay at the deadline. It is the fourth time Rojas has reached 20 or more home runs in a season in his eight-year Minor League affiliated career and the third straight season stateside where he has reached the mark (2022 & 2024 prior).

STRONG SUMMER STRETCH- T.J. Rumfield has played in all 37 games during the second half and has excelled. The first baseman carries a .364 average with five home runs and a team-best 35 runs batted in since the second season started on June 24.

TOUGH START- Justin Crawford's leadoff home run in the bottom of the first was just the second first-batter homer that the RailRiders have surrendered this season. Donovan Walton, now with Lehigh Valley, hit a leadoff home run for Syracuse on May 3 in the home half of the first inning at NBT Bank Stadium.

EXTRA EFFORT- The RailRiders are now 5-4 in extra innings this season. Six of the nine extra inning games have taken at least two additional frames.

WINNING WITH WINANS- Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is 15-0 in games that Allan Winans has appeared in this year.

DUH DUH DAH- Ismael Munguia's ninth inning grand slam was the fifth this year by a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre hitter. The franchise record for grand slams in a season was set in 2019 when the RailRiders hit eight.

HIGH PRAISE- Major League Baseball has announced that RailRiders' outfielder Spencer Jones was tabbed as the International League's Player of the Month for July. Jones, 24, batted a league-best .419 in July with a league-high 11 home runs. He also led the IL in on-base percentage (.477), slugging percentage (.946) and OPS (1.423). He was second in runs (25) and total bases (70) and was third in hits (31) and RBI (23). He recorded 10 multi-hit games, including consecutive four-hit games on July 19 and 20.

FLYING IN- Jake Bird was optioned by New York and reported to the RailRiders on Wednesday. The right-hander was acquired from Colorado last week in exchange for INF Roc Riggio and LHP Ben Shields. Bird made three appearances for the Yankees between last Thursday and being optioned on Monday. Reliever Eric Reyzelman was placed on the 7-Day Injured List in a countermove for Bird reporting.

NEXT TEAM UP- Scranton/Wilkes-Barre returns to PNC Field next week to host Indianapolis. The RailRiders have not faced the Indians since 2019.

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION- New York lost 5-3 to Houston in 10 innings. The Yankees leveled the game at two in the sixth, but three runs in the top of the tenth sealed the series opener for the Astros... Somerset fell 5-2 to Binghamton. Garrett Martin homered in the loss... Hudson Valley shut out Brooklyn 2-0. Xavier Rivas, Sebastian Keene and Chris Kean combined to blank the Cyclones... Tampa lost 10-4 in game one of a doubleheader against St. Lucie. Game two was postponed and the clubs play two today.

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International League Stories from August 9, 2025


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