Barons score first Southern League crown since 2013
There was nothing supernatural about it, but the metropolis known as Magic City lived up to its billing on Tuesday night. DJ Gladney ripped a liner into center field in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift Double-A Birmingham to its first Southern League championship since 2013 with a
There was nothing supernatural about it, but the metropolis known as Magic City lived up to its billing on Tuesday night.
The victory capped off an impressive 4-1 postseason run for the Barons, who limped into the playoffs with eight losses in 13 games to close the regular season.
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After their slim 1-0 lead was erased in the ninth inning, Birmingham took advantage of the free baserunner and a wild pitch in the 10th off Montgomery reliever Austin Vernon (Rays). Following a one-out walk, Vernon's wildness moved both runners up a base and precipitated an intentional walk to load the bases.
The hard-throwing right-hander got ahead of Gladney, 0-2, but the 23-year-old laced the next offering up the middle to score Shawn Goosenberg with the championship-clinching run.
The Barons jumped ahead quickly in the opening frame on an RBI single by Michael Turner and held the line for the next seven innings. A one-out single in the ninth by Dru Baker gave the Biscuits the opening they needed and Chandler Simpson responded. The Rays' No. 4 prospect lined a game-tying double off righty Eric Adler, knotting the score, 1-1, but also setting the stage for Gladney's extra-inning heroics. Adler followed up with a perfect 10th to pick up the win.
The victory marked the seventh Southern League title for Birmingham, which capped an up-and-down 2024 by rolling through the playoffs. The Barons reeled off four consecutive wins en route to the crown and never trailed in the two games against a Biscuits club boasting 10 of the Rays' Top 30 prospects on the field for the finale.
After dropping the first playoff game against Tennessee (Cubs) and falling behind by a run in the opening frame of Game 2, Birmingham held the lead or was tied in 35 of its final 36 innings.
The Barons' march toward a championship was cultivated in the early part of the season. The club claimed the first-half title with a 41-28 mark before slumping to 31-38 in the second half, finishing 77-66 overall. An inconsistent offense was balanced out by a strong pitching staff, which put together a league-best 3.15 ERA, thanks in large part to Noah Schultz.
MLB's No. 13 prospect joined the Barons on May 25 and posted a 1.48 ERA and 73 strikeouts over 61 innings spanning 16 starts, cementing himself as one of the game's best up-and-coming hurlers. Mason Adams (CWS No. 8) was also a big contributor early, carving out a 2.44 ERA over 18 appearances (17 starts) before earning a promotion to Triple-A Charlotte.
Michael Avallone is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @MavalloneMiLB.