Double-A Erie Wins Third Straight Division Crown; Now Plays for League Title
While the Detroit Tigers haven't won their division since 2014 and haven't won the World Series since 1984, the Double-A Erie SeaWolves are making a habit out of stacking up division titles and contending for championships.
Erie won Friday night's game three 2-1 against the Akron RubberDucks (Cleveland Guardians affiliate) to claim their third consecutive Southwest Division title. They take on the Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees affiliate) tonight in game one of the best-of-three Eastern League Championship.
The SeaWolves won Friday night's contest thanks to an unlikely hero: infielder turned part-time outfielder Chris Meyers. A 2021 13th-round pick out of Toledo, the corner infielder didn't step foot in the outfield until late last season, picking up some occasional work in left field for Erie late last year.
But with the tying run on second base and one out, Meyers made a diving catch on a liner tailing away, popping up in time to get the game-ending double play at second base.
The play that sent the @erie_seawolves to the Eastern League Championship Series, as called by @SamLebo14 pic.twitter.com/JkZIDS4jHH
— Isaac Petkac (@IJPBroadcasting) September 21, 2024
Erie's win on Friday in the elimination game was their first such victory in franchise history, having previously gone 0-for-7 in those contests.
With the victory, Erie will remain at home for tonight's game one versus Somerset. Game two will be played in New Jersey on Tuesday and the teams will remain there for a potential game three, if needed, to be played on Wednesday.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 PM ET from UPMC Park. Erie has announced RHP Wilkel Hernandez as their game-one starter. Hernandez, a 2016 international free agent by the Los Angeles Angels that was acquired by Detroit prior to 2018, is 5-7 with a 4.34 ERA this season in 27 starts for Erie. Somerset is sending LHP Ben Shelds to the mound. An undrafted free agent following the 2023 MLB Draft, Shields is 5-5 with a 3.48 ERA in 26 combined appearances across High-A Hudson Valley, Somerset, and a single outing in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Erie is looking for their second consecutive Eastern League championship in their third straight appearance. After losing the title to Somerset in 2022, the SeaWolves took down the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets organization) 2-0 to claim last year's championship, their first since joining the Eastern League in 1999.
LINDSAY CROSBY