The Rochester Red Wings saw their Triple-A championship dreams slip away early Sunday as the Oklahoma City Comets secured a 5-3 victory in 10 innings at Las Vegas Ballpark, according to a report by WXXI News.
The International League champion Red Wings held a 2-0 lead through seven innings of the winner-take-all title game. However, the Pacific League champion Comets mounted a late-game rally, tying the contest in the eighth inning and threatening further before Rochester escaped the ninth with a runner stranded at third base. In the decisive 10th frame, Rochester issued two walks before conceding a bases-clearing, three-run double that sealed the outcome.
A Hard-Fought Conclusion
“Man, I’m telling you, tonight was electric,” team manager Matt LeCroy said after the game wrapped up around 1:30 a.m. local time, as quoted by WXXI News. “It was a good atmosphere… But you know, we gave them a fight. We knew it was going to be a dog fight, and it was. And unfortunately for us, we didn’t score in the ninth, and they scored three in the extras.”
The matchup pitted the top minor league affiliates of the Washington Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers against one another. Fubo noted ahead of the contest that the single-game championship showcased elite organizational talent, featuring top-tier prospects like Rochester’s Seaver King and Trey Lipscomb alongside Oklahoma City standouts James Tibbs III and Jack Suwinski.
Turning the Page to a Celebration
Despite the extra-inning heartbreak, the defeat caps a remarkable organizational turnaround for Rochester. After finishing with the worst record in the International League last season, the squad bounced back to claim 90 wins against 58 losses, return to the postseason for the first time in over a decade, and capture their first league title in 29 years.
“I’m disappointed for the community and for the team,” LeCroy told WXXI News, “but at the same time… that’s the first time we’ve won a title there since ’97. So I want everybody to celebrate it, and really be happy about what we accomplished this year.”
The organization has scheduled a public celebration at ESL Ballpark featuring live music, refreshments, and opportunities for fans to view the championship trophy and banner.