OKC Dodgers Pound Tacoma for 20 Runs
September 11, 2022 – Pacific Coast League (PCL) – Oklahoma City Dodgers News Release
Five different players hit home runs for the Oklahoma City Dodgers in a 20-5 win against the Tacoma Rainiers in the series finale between the teams Sunday afternoon at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Tacoma (64-71) grabbed a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning, scoring a run on an OKC throwing error. The Dodgers (75-60) then scored 15 straight runs, including five home runs. The Dodgers loaded the bases in the second inning and Jake Amaya sent a grand slam out to left field for a 4-1 lead. Oklahoma City added four more runs in the third inning, including a solo home run by Jason Martin and three-run homer by Devin Mann to take an 8-1 lead. A RBI triple by Mann and RBI single by Tony Wolters put the Dodgers in front, 10-1, in the fifth inning. The Dodgers added five more runs in the sixth inning, including a two-run homer by Edwin Ríos and solo homer by James Outman. Five Dodgers pitchers combined to hold Tacoma scoreless and to just one hit until the eighth inning when the Rainiers scored four runs, including a three-run homer by Marcus Wilson. Wilson then pitched the bottom of the eighth inning for the Rainiers and the Dodgers tacked on five more runs, including a RBI double by Wolters and two-run double by Michael Busch.
Of Note:
-The Dodgers’ win, along with losses by both Round Rock and El Paso Sunday afternoon juggled the PCL East Division standings. The Dodgers are now tied with El Paso for first place in the division standings with 75-60 records, while Round Rock (74-61) sits 1.0 game back in third place with 15 games remaining in the regular season.
-The 20 runs scored by the Dodgers Sunday matched the team’s season-high run output as OKC also scored 20 runs Aug. 14 against Round Rock at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The 20 runs also equaled OKC’s total runs scored over the team’s previous six games combined. Sunday was the seventh time in the team’s Bricktown era (since 1998) an OKC team scored at least 20 runs and first time an OKC team scored 20 or more runs twice in the same season. The Dodgers entered Sunday’s game having scored a total of 29 runs during the month of September (nine games) – the fewest runs scored in the league and tied for the fewest among all Triple-A teams this month…The Dodgers scored in six of eight innings Sunday after scoring in just nine of their previous 44 innings…The Dodgers posted four innings of four or more runs Sunday, including two innings with five runs scored…The Dodgers’ 18 hits were the most for the team since racking up a season-high 20 hits July 12 in Tacoma. Sunday marked the fourth time this season the Dodgers tallied 18 or more hits in a game…All nine of OKC’s batters collected at least one hit, while seven players finished with multi-hit games and seven players had multi-RBI games.
-The Dodgers hit five home runs Sunday after being held without a home run in six straight games – the team’s longest stretch without a homer during the Dodgers affiliation (since 2015) and longest since a six-game stretch July 27-Aug. 1, 2014. The Dodgers entered Sunday’s game with just two home runs this month – the fewest among the 30 Triple-A teams in September…The Dodgers finished with at least five home runs for the fourth time this season and third time since Aug. 20 in Sugar Land. Sunday’s five homers were the most for the team since OKC matched its season-high mark with six homers Aug. 28 against El Paso in OKC.
-Jake Amaya hit Oklahoma City’s seventh grand slam of the season and his second with the Dodgers as he became the first OKC player with more than one grand slam this season and first with more than one grand slam in a season since Matt Davidson hit two grand slams in 2021- Aug. 28 against Las Vegas and Sept. 7 against Albuquerque. Amaya’s grand slam was OKC’s first since Aug. 30 in Round Rock and OKC’s first at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark since July 22 against Sacramento. Amaya also hit a grand slam June 16 in Reno…Amaya went 3-for-4 with a career-high four runs scored, a double, homer, four RBI and a walk. It was his fourth game of the season with OKC and Double-A Tulsa that he recorded at least four RBI. He has now hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games, going 19-for-46 (.413) with four doubles, a triple, three homers, 11 RBI and 16 runs scored.
-Devin Mann went 3-for-3 as he reached base in all five of his plate appearances with a homer, triple, walk and hit by pitch. He recorded four RBI and scored a career-high four runs. His RBI were his most in a game since posting a career-high five RBI one year ago on Sept. 11, 2021 with Double-A Tulsa.
-Jason Martin hit a solo home run out to right field in the third inning – his league-leading 31st home run of the season. He finished the game 2-for-6 with a homer, two runs scored and two RBI, boosting his league-leading RBI total to 105 this season. With the two RBI, Martin set the Oklahoma City team record for RBI in a season during the team’s Bricktown era (since 1998), surpassing former record holder Nate Gold’s 103 RBI in 2007…Martin’s 31 homers this season are tied with Edwin Ríos for the third-most homers by an OKC player in a season during the team’s Bricktown era. Ríos hit 31 homers during the 2019 season. Martin is the first OKC player to reach both 30 homers and 100 RBI in the same season.
-Edwin Ríos hit the 56th home run of his career with Oklahoma City and his career total ranks third in the team’s Bricktown era (since 1998), trailing just Jason Hart’s 60 home runs (2002-03; 2006) and Scott Sheldon’s 57 homers (1998-99). He has hit six homers with OKC this season after racking up 50 homers from 2017-19….Ríos went 2-for-6 with two RBI Sunday.
-Tony Wolters went 3-for-5 with a double, run scored and three RBI, tying his season-high marks for hits and RBI. He has hit safely in four of his last five games, going 7-for-20.
-Dodgers pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts Sunday, racking up 10 or more K’s in a third straight game and posting the team’s highest strikeout total since Sept. 1 in Round Rock.
-Despite OKC’s win, Tacoma won the six-game series, 4-2, and the season series, 7-5. The Dodgers dropped a season series to the Rainiers for the first time since going 0-4 in Tacoma during the 2014 season.
-The Dodgers have now won five straight home series finales, as well as eight of the last nine.
-Victor González pitched a scoreless fifth inning, allowing one walk with one strikeout as he continued his Major League Rehab Assignment. He faced four batters and threw 17 pitches (11 strikes) in his eighth appearance with OKC. He underwent arthroscopic debridement surgery on his left elbow in May.
-The OKC Dodgers took the field in Cielo Azul jerseys during ¡Celebración Cielo Azul! as part of MiLB’s Copa de la Diversión, or Fun Cup, which is a season-long event series designed to embrace the culture and values that resonate most with participating teams’ local U.S. Hispanic/Latino communities, including creating unique on-field personas and gameday experiences. The name Cielo Azul translates to “Blue Sky.”
What’s Next: Following a day off Monday, the OKC Dodgers open a 12-game road trip and six-game road series against the Albuquerque Isotopes at 7:35 p.m. CT Tuesday at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park. Live radio coverage of each OKC Dodgers game begins 15 minutes before first pitch on AM 1340 “The Game,” 1340thegame.com and through the free iHeartRadio or MiLB First Pitch apps. All OKC Dodgers games are also available streamed live on MiLB.TV with a subscription.
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