OKC Dodgers Hold off Salt Lake to End 2022 Season
September 28, 2022 – Pacific Coast League (PCL) – Oklahoma City Dodgers News Release
The Oklahoma City Dodgers closed out the 2022 season with a 3-2 win against the Salt Lake Bees Wednesday afternoon at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, finishing the season with four straight victories. The Dodgers (84-66) quickly took the first lead of the game when Kevin Pillar connected on a sacrifice fly in the first inning. Salt Lake (70-80) tied the score, 1-1, when Dillon Thomas hit a solo homer out to right field in the third inning. The Dodgers added two more runs in the fourth inning on a solo home run by Michael Busch and sacrifice fly by Omar Estévez for a 3-1 advantage. Jake Palomaki connected on a RBI double in the seventh inning to trim OKC’s lead to one run. OKC starting pitcher Jon Duplantier allowed one run over 4.0 innings before Beau Burrows (8-6) followed with two scoreless innings to earn his eighth win of the season. Three Dodgers relievers then held the Bees to one run and three hits over the final three innings with Nick Robertson earning his second save with the Dodgers.
Of Note:
-Oklahoma City closed out the season with four straight wins and swept the three-game series against the Bees. The Dodgers finished the season 84-66 overall, reaching at least 84 wins for the second time in the team’s Bricktown era (since 1998) and trailing only the team-record 86 wins by the 2015 team as part of a 144-game schedule (86-58)…The Dodgers played 150 games this season for the first time for an OKC team since the 1984 89ers played 154 games as a member of the American Association (70-84).
-The Dodgers held the Bees to four runs over the three-game series, marking the first time this season they’ve held an opponent to two runs or less in three straight games and their lowest total for runs allowed over a three-game span in 2022…Five Dodgers pitchers combined to hold the Bees to two runs and five hits Wednesday with four walks and 13 strikeouts…The Dodgers closed out the season allowing three runs or less in 12 of 25 games this month.
-During their four-game winning streak, the Dodgers outscored opponents, 27-7, and finished the season with a PCL-best run differential of +156.
-Michael Busch hit his 21st home run of the season with the Dodgers and his 32nd of the season overall, including his time with Double-A Tulsa…The Dodgers homered in 13 of their last 14 games, hitting 30 home runs during the span. The Dodgers also hit nine home runs in their last four games and 10 different players hit the team’s final 11 homers.
-The Dodgers finished the season with 949 runs scored, second-most in Triple-A, breaking OKC’s single-season team runs record of 893 runs by the 2005 team (143 games) during the Bricktown era (since 1998)…The Dodgers also drew three more walks Wednesday to boost their Triple-A-leading and team record total to 731 walks during the Bricktown era.
-James Outman went 3-for-4 with a double, stolen base and run scored, while Omar Estévez also finished with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-2 with a RBI.
-Drew Avans went 1-for-3 with a walk, run scored and his 40th stolen base of the season. He finished the season with the fourth-most steals in a single season by an OKC player during the Bricktown era (since 1998) and the most since Esteban German recorded 50 steals in 2010.
-The Dodgers finished the season in second place in the PCL East Division and have finished in first or second place in eight of the last 10 seasons.
What’s Next: The OKC Dodgers are scheduled to open the 2023 season Friday, March 31. Please visit okcdodgers.com or call (405) 218-2182 for additional information.
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