The second half of the Pacific Coast Leage season came down to the wire on the final day as both the Round Rock Express and Reno Aces came into the day tied for first place with a record of 44-30. A win by Reno, or a loss by Round Rock would clinch the second half and playoff berth for the Aces who were facing the Aviators in Vegas. Round Rock was in Tacoma for their match up against the Rainiers. The Aces would lose their game by a score of 6-5 to the Aviators, snapping an eight-game winning streak, and leaving them in limbo to watch the outcome of the Round Rock game which was still only in the fourth with the Express up by a score of 3-2.

Hearts must have sunk in the Reno locker room after the game when the Express piled on seven runs in the fifth to extend the lead that they would not relinquish to go on and win the game by a score of 11-6 and clinch the second half title in the Pacific Coast League, and set the stage for the Pacific Coast League Championship against the Oklahoma City Dodgers.

And then there were four.

Earlier in the week Durham clinched their third straight playoff berth as the reigning Triple-A Champions will take on the Norfolk Tide, Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. The Tide have a strong lineup including Minor League Player of the year Jackson Holliday.

Round Rock also stocked up their roster this week by calling up this year’s fourth overall pick Wyatt Langford, and their top pitching prospect Jack Leiter who both could play a huge role in the playoffs against OKC.

The League Championship series start tonight in Oklahoma City, and Norfolk respectively as each team won the first have of their divisions. The winners of the best of three series will face off in Las Vegas on Saturday, September 30^th. Will Durham be the first team to win FOUR Triple-A Championships, and three in a row?

Here in Sacramento, the River Cats had another losing season with a final record of 67-82 and 23.5 games out of first. The River Cats have not had a winning season since 2019, which has also been their only winning season since becoming an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants in 2015.

The most exciting player to watch this season, and team MVP was Tyler Fitzgerald who become the first River Cats player since Jarrett Parker in 2015 to have a 20/20 season in which he hit 20 home runs and stole 29 bases. He would end the season leading the River Cats in all offensive categories including the aforementioned home runs and steals, along with a .279 batting average, 72 runs scored, and 69 RBI. Tyler’s accomplishments didn’t go unnoticed by the Giants who called him up on September 21, a week after his 26th birthday. Through his first five games Tyler is hitting .250 with a double and a home run in only 16 at bats.

On the mound Nick Avila finished his amazing campaign with a 14-0 record, and an even 3.00 ERA, along with a 1.29 WHIP makes him one of the best pitchers in the Pacific Coast League this year.

Amazingly the River Cats had ten players make their Major League debut this season and that list included not only Fitzgerald, but Tristan Beck, Kyle Harrison, Marco Luciano, Luis Matos, Patrick Bailey, Ryan Walker, Keaton Winn, Casey Schmitt, and Wade Meckler.

The Giants potentially have the right pieces in place to be a solid team with this batch and some of the younger players in the lower levels of the Minor Leagues, but it sure has been rough for their fans. It will be exciting to see what 2024 brings for the both the River Cats, and the Giants, who will return for an exhibition game against Sacramento prior to the start of the season next spring at Sutter Health Park.

2024 marks the River Cats 25th Anniversary in Sacramento and for a long-time fan as myself, it makes me wonder if lightning can strike twice and the team can field a Champion as it did for their 20th Anniversary in 2019. Relive the magic of 2019 with my book, “Let’s Get it All” as I documented the unbelievable season that saw the River Cats go from their worst record in team history in 2018 to a National Championship one year late. Available at the River Cats’ On Deck Shop, and Amazon.