BY DAN GLICKMAN
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Rochester Red Wings have never had a winning season as a Washington Nationals affiliate. Until now, that is.
Jackson Cluff led the Wings to their 75th win of the season, 4-3, to move them to 75-69 with four games remaining, ensuring an above-.500 record for the first time since 2017. That year, the then-Twins affiliate went 80-62 (.563 winning percentage). The previous best record for the Red Wings since the Nationals became their parent club after Major League Baseball’s takeover of the minor leagues was a 67-81 record (.453 winning percentage) in 2022.
“Cluffy had a nice day at the plate,” said Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy. “He had a big home run to tie it, he got a big home run to tie it up, and then he got a big hit there late.”
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The Colorado-born shortstop paced the team with with a three-hit night, including two of the team’s biggest hits of the night: a game-tying shot in the third and the go-ahead eventual game-winner in the eighth.
That go-ahead hit, coming just a half-inning after the Cubs had tied it at 3-3, was the result of at team effort. Catcher C.J. Stubbs, playing his first home game as a Red Wing, recorded a two-out walk. He was pinch-run for by Andrew Pinckney, who promptly stole second on the first pitch of Cluff’s at-bat to put the go-ahead run in scoring position. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Cluff got hold of a slider, sending it into right field. Finding himself caught in a rundown between first and second, Cluff not only kept the fielders too occupied to try and get Pinckney, but also reached second when the Cubs botched the rundown and left second base open.
“I knew [Pinckney] was trying to score, so if the ball goes through, then I’m going to get to second, easily,” Cluff said post-game. ‘But if [the fielders] cut it off, I know that run was going to score. I just had to get in the rundown [to get the run in], but they didn’t have anyone at second, so I was able to get second.”
Earlier, Iowa had jumped to an early lead on a first-inning double by top Chicago Cubs prospect Matt Shaw, Cluff tied it up to lead off the third, working a 2-2 count from Connor Noland before jumping on a sinker left high, launching the ball at 103.5 MPH for a 357-foot home run.
“I got behind in the count, so I was just trying to battle,” he said post-game. “Fortunately, he threw a couple uncompetitive pitches off the plate, but I saw his offspeed, so I was comfortable with all the pitches he threw. Fortunately, he left one right over the plate.”
Although Iowa moved ahead again on an RBI single by Reivaj Garcia in the fourth, the Red Wings stormed back, not only tying but moving ahead with four straight hits with one out against Noland. Center fielder Robert Hassell III started the rally with a single, and the speedy 23-year-old came around to score a batter later, when Stubbs smacked a double to right for his first hit as a Red Wings, tying it at 2-2. Cluff moved Stubbs to third on bunt for a hit, and finally Trey Lipscomb put the Wings ahead, singling to right to put the Wings up, 3-2, setting the stage for the back-and-forth eighth inning and Cluff’s heroics.
On the mound, Spenser Watkins started the game for Rochester and went five innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out five. Amos Willingham earned the win despite allowing the tying run in the eighth on a Darius Hill double. Rico Garcia worked a scoreless ninth for his 20th save of the season.
With four games remaining, the Red Wings are out of the playoff hunt, but LeCroy believes that they’ve both accomplished a lot and still have more to play for.
“We had more talent (this season), we were younger, had a little bit more pitching,” he said. “That tells us that our organization is trending in the right direction.”
“We had a lot of really neat things that happened this year, a lot of guys went up to the big leagues, but everybody here is fighting for a spot next year (as well). We just want to make sure we have good at-bats, play defense, and go out and play the game the right way. We didn’t reach our goal (of the playoffs), but we’ll continue to grind it out these last few games.”
The two teams continue their series on Thursday at 6:05 P.M., with Rochester sending out righty Thaddeus Ward (8-6, 5.65) against Iowa right-hander Trey Supak (4-2, 4.83).
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