The Comets didn’t just survive with their backs against the wall in the Pacific Coast League Championship Series. They came out swinging, got a lift from one of baseball’s top prospects, and finished the job against the Aviators to claim the PCL title.
Josue De Paula’s arrival ahead of Game 2 gave an already dangerous outfield another jolt, and the timing worked out just fine for Oklahoma City. The championship-clinching win was built on a full-team effort, but the Comets still had a few headliners.
Zach Ehrhard was right at the center of it. The young outfielder went 2-for-5 and kept up a huge series, finishing the Championship Series with a .500 average in 12 at-bats. He scored twice, drove in a run, and doubled as part of a night where Oklahoma City never needed a home run to put the Aviators away.
Ehrhard was one of four Comets with multiple hits, and veteran Ryan Fitzgerald started the scoring with the first run of the game. Mike Sirota also kept doing what he has done all season, drawing three walks in five plate appearances. By the end of the night, every Comets hitter had reached base at least once, with Eliezer Alfonso getting on via catcher’s interference in the ninth.
The pitching side was just as steady. Cole Irvin started, but the Comets handled this one like a bullpen game, pulling him after 2.1 scoreless innings and a little more than 30 pitches. Kyle Hurt and Bobby Miller followed with scoreless work, and Oklahoma City kept the Aviators off the board until the eighth.
By then, the Comets had already built a 5-0 cushion. Seth Halvorsen allowed a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth, but the damage was already done. De Paula added his first hit since his temporary return to the minors and drove in Oklahoma City’s fifth and final run, putting the finishing touch on a title-winning night.
In Other News...
Manny Machado Just Gave Dodgers Fans Another Reason To Hate October
Manny Machado managed to hit two very different notes in the same night during a recent Padres-Dodgers series, and both of them landed squarely in front of the Los Angeles crowd. Before doing damage at the plate, he signed autographs for Dodgers fans, then went on to launch a two-run home run and add a sacrifice fly in the game. For a player who has long been one of the more polarizing figures in the rivalry, it was a reminder that even his courteous moments can come with a competitive edge attached.
He later kept a promise by handing his batting gloves to a young fan, another small gesture that only sharpened the contrast between the public persona and the player Dodgers supporters have spent years bracing against. The bigger question, of course, is what all of this looks like if these teams meet again in October, when every Machado plate appearance carries more weight and every gesture, polite or otherwise, gets folded into the larger tension between San Diego and Los Angeles. [Read more 🡒]
Miguel Rojas Shared A Farewell Message Dodgers Fans Will Feel
Miguel Rojas has given Dodgers fans another reason to appreciate what he brings beyond the box score. After announcing he will retire following the 2026 season, he signed a one-year deal with Los Angeles for that final year on the field, keeping him in a familiar role as the Dodgers prepare for another stretch of championship expectations. Even as his playing days wind down, Rojas has already mapped out a future with the organization, with plans to help in player development and the front office in 2027.
Recently, Rojas also sent a public thank-you to Dodgers fans, a message that landed with extra weight because he is clearly nearing the end of his career. It was the kind of farewell note that reminds a fan base how much a veteran can mean over time, especially when a player has become part of the fabric of the clubhouse and the larger organizational picture. For the Dodgers, it adds a human layer to a simple roster move, and for Rojas, it signals that the next chapter may be just as tied to Los Angeles as the last one. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Three Peat Path May Get Toughest Before The World Series
The Dodgers enter 2026 with the kind of roster that keeps them near the top of every postseason conversation, but one of the more interesting takes circulating around the league is that their hardest path might come before the World Series even begins. According to an MLB general manager cited by ESPNs Jeff Passan, the National League playoff field could present a stiffer test than anything waiting on the other side, a reflection of just how deep and competitive the bracket could be.
For a club chasing a third straight title, that framing matters because it shifts the spotlight from Octobers final round to the road there. The idea is not about a confirmed matchup or a settled bracket, just the league-wide sense that the Dodgers could have to survive a tougher set of NL opponents than the American League would offer once the World Series arrives. It is the kind of reminder that repeat championships are rarely won in a straight line. [Read more 🡒]