Alek Thomas' 10th-inning double lifts Oklahoma City Comets to Triple-A title
The short version
- Alek Thomas hit a three-run double in the 10th as Oklahoma City beat Rochester 5-3 to win the Triple-A championship in Las Vegas.
- It is the first Triple-A title for a Dodgers affiliate since the championship game began in 2006.
- Seth Halvorsen escaped a ninth-inning jam and closed out the 10th for the win; Clayton Beeter took the loss.
- The Comets trailed 2-0 after seven innings before eighth-inning RBIs from Mike Sirota and Ryan Fitzgerald tied it.
- Emmet Sheehan allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts in the start.
The Los Angeles Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate beat the Rochester Red Wings 5-3 in Las Vegas for the first Triple-A championship by a Dodgers farm club.
Alek Thomas hit a three-run double in the top of the 10th inning to give the Oklahoma City Comets a 5-3 win over the Rochester Red Wings on Saturday night in Las Vegas, securing the Triple-A championship. Thomas was named the game's MVP. Rochester is the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, while Oklahoma City is the top farm club of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The decisive rally began against Rochester reliever Clayton Beeter, a 2020 Dodgers second-round draft pick. James Tibbs III and Mike Sirota, who finished first and second among Dodgers minor leaguers in walks this season with 108 and 100 respectively, drew back-to-back free passes to open the extra frame. With automatic runner Josue De Paula aboard, the bases were loaded with nobody out, and Thomas lined a ball off the bat at 99.5 mph to the wall in left-center to clear the bases and give Oklahoma City its first lead of the night.
Seth Halvorsen closed it out. He had entered a tie game in the bottom of the ninth with two runners on and one out and worked out of trouble to force extras, then recorded the final three outs in the 10th. The automatic runner scored against him, but nobody else did, and he struck out Leandro Pineda to end it. Halvorsen, named a Pacific Coast League All-Star earlier Saturday, earned the win with 1 2/3 innings of one-hit, one-unearned-run relief. Beeter took the loss without retiring a batter, charged with three runs, two earned, on a hit and two walks.
The title is the first for a Dodgers affiliate since the Triple-A championship game was established in 2006. It capped a comeback for Oklahoma City, which was held scoreless through seven innings and trailed 2-0 entering the eighth. The Comets were hitless in their first seven at-bats with runners in scoring position. Rochester's offense included a home run from first baseman Liover Peguero.
The comeback started in the eighth. James Tibbs III walked, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Mike Sirota, who was playing in just his sixth game at the Triple-A level. Third baseman Ryan Fitzgerald, who led all of the minor leagues in hits this season after striking out in his first three at-bats, then doubled off the left-center wall to bring home Sirota with the tying run. Fitzgerald also contributed a diving stop and throw at third in the fifth, and shortstop Noah Miller added a diving play up the middle in the seventh.
Zach Ehrhard had three hits in the final to finish a strong postseason. The outfielder reached base 13 times in 21 plate appearances across four playoff games, going 9-for-17 with six runs scored, five RBIs, three doubles and a home run during the three-game Pacific Coast League championship series. Thomas posted a .500 on-base percentage in 21 postseason plate appearances, adding two hits and a hit by pitch in the title game.
Starter Emmet Sheehan kept the game close despite unusual traffic on the bases. He allowed six hits — matching his total over his previous three starts combined — walked three and hit a batter, yet gave up only two runs over 5 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts, throwing 90 pitches and staying fully stretched out should the Dodgers need him during the postseason. Kyle Hurt, optioned to Triple-A on Wednesday, relieved Sheehan with two on and one out in the sixth and escaped on one pitch via a 3-4-1 double play, then added a perfect seventh with a strikeout. The result closed out the 2026 minor league baseball season.
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