Gage Ziehl put Buffalo (Blue Jays AAA) on the board with a home run, but that was the only run he allowed in his five innings. The bullpen (Angel Bastardo and Tyler Samaniego) were not as lucky, as they got taken for a seven-run ride in the seventh. This was enough to erase the lead Worcester had amassed throughout the game through some three-hit games from Franklin Arias, Kristian Campbell and Romy Gonzalez, the last of whom is tearing the cover off the ball in Triple-A following a demotion. Even with the team stranding ten, those hits kept them in good position to win Sunday until the lead slipped away.
Henry Godbout’s latest home run is just the newest indication that you can’t judge performance after a promotion too soon. He continued to swing a hot bat against the BaySox (Orioles AA) as he hit his fifteenth home run of the season but his eighth in just a month. The homer was part of a 3-for-5 afternoon for the 2025 Competitive Balance round pick as he adjusts to his third playing level of 2026. Sunday as a whole was something of a home run derby for the Sea Dogs, as Tyler McDonough, Will Turner, and Max Ferguson all chipped balls over the wall before the fifth inning was even over. Meanwhile, the pitching staff, which allowed two home runs of their own up, came together to strike out thirteen BaySox batters as they cruised to a win in the penultimate Sunday game of their season.
The Drive didn’t get yet another walk off in Bowling Green (Rays High-A). The Hot Rods put up all 4 runs of offense very late, the Drive were actually having kept them off the board through 7. Leighton Finley, who was rewarded for an effective first full season in professional baseball with a start in High-A to finish off the season, pitched brilliantly though his afternoon was a little short. But he put the team in a great position to win, striking out 7 out and allowing just 1 hit. Jake Schaffner and Owen Hull reached the final game of their first season in the pros and there’s a lot to look forward to as they continue to move through the farm.
Salem’s final game of 2026 was a loss that was closer than it appeared it might be at the beginning, as Lynchburg (Guardians A) took them for fourteen hits and eight walks. But Andrews Opata, who had 58 stolen bases on the season, kept it interesting early with his 11th home run. Some 2026 draft picks also got some hits in this game; Willis McGinnis and Colton Coates, to name a couple. Catcher Kleyvar Salazar also added in three hits of his own, but this game was an uphill battle even with the multitude of offense because the Howlers put seven on the RidgeYaks within the first four innings. It wasn’t always pretty for the lowest level of the system in 2026. I think the most comforting thing I can say is that at least draft picks from the most recent draft were productive within days of suiting up for the first time.
