Jentezen Smith
Sports Editor
The Oklahoma City Dodgers are Pacific Coast League champions after defeating the Round Rock Express, 5-2, on September 27, securing the series sweep. This championship is quite significant as it’s the first Triple-A title for OKC baseball since 1996, when the team formerly were the OKC 89ers.
OKC tallied five runs behind eight hits offensively and the pitching staff held the Express to 2 runs on 5 hits, with starting pitcher Gavin Stone securing the win and Wander Suero recording the save to seal the game. After pitching six and a third stellar innings, surrendering only two runs and striking out 10, starter Gavin Stone spoke with the Oklahoman about OKC’s championship victory.
“This is something that we have worked for the past nine months, 10 months,” Stone said. “From the time we got to spring training until this moment, this is what we have worked for and I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to do it with.”
That work the Dodgers put together clearly paid off, as OKC holds a championship trophy for the time in 27 years. Another standout effort came from infielder Michael Busch, who changed the game by hitting a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning, that ended up being the game winner. Busch spoke with the Oklahoman about the game winning homer.
“I saw a curveball in, got to a 3-2 count, just tried to put a barrel in,” Busch said. “I knew it was a close game and every run mattered at that point, so just trying to put the ball in play and something good happened.”
Something good is an understatement as Busch’s swing played a huge part in the Dodgers becoming 2023 PCL champions. The championship puts an exclamation point on a record setting regular season, in which Oklahoma City went 90-58, tied for the best overall record in all Triple-A baseball with Norfolk.
According to statscrew.com, the 90 victories are a franchise record, dating back as far as Oklahoma City’s been a part of the PCL. The franchise record is even more remarkable when taken into consideration every player called up to Los Angeles within the season.
According to mlb.com, notable names who traveled between the LA and OKC Dodgers included Michael Busch, Kyle Hurt, Miguel Vargas, Gavin Stone, Gus Varland, Wander Suero, Victor Gonzalez, Emmet Sheehan, Jonny Deluca, Ryan Pepiot, Yonny Hernandez and Bryan Hudson. All these players who played for stints or remained in LA, were major difference makers in OKC and valuable assets to success. Yet, even with the always-shifting roster Oklahoma City still managed to accomplish a franchise record in victories and win the PCL.
This triumph speaks volumes about the high level of development, coaching and culture the Dodgers have brought to their farm system. Oklahoma City is the beneficiary of a winning culture that starts in Los Angeles that runs through their whole minor league system. The local support can look optimistically towards the future of OKC Dodgers baseball, it’s brighter than ever.
