Dodgers Close out 2021 with 4-1 Win 

OKC Dodgers - 4

El Paso Chihuahuas - 1

Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021 – Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark – Oklahoma City, Okla.

Game Summary: The Oklahoma City Dodgers closed out their 2021 season and the Triple-A Final Stretch with a 4-1 win against the El Paso Chihuahuas Sunday afternoon at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Starting pitcher Yefry Ramírez (6-4) allowed one run over a season-high 7.0 innings and recorded a season-high 10 strikeouts and Zach McKinstry drove in two of the Dodgers’ four runs in the season finale. The Dodgers (67-62) broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the fifth inning. Drew Avans scored a run on an El Paso throwing error during a pickoff attempt at third base and McKinstry added a RBI single for a 2-0 OKC lead. Meanwhile, Ramírez retired 13 El Paso batters in a row before a walk followed by a RBI single by Ivan Castillo trimmed OKC’s lead to 2-1 in the sixth inning. The Dodgers added runs on sacrifice flies by Avans in the sixth inning and McKinstry in the seventh inning for a 4-1 advantage. El Paso (51-79) brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning, but pitcher Kevin Quackenbush went on to record his league-leading 23rd save of the season.

Of Note:

-OKC starting pitcher Yefry Ramírez finished with a season-high 10 strikeouts Sunday, tying for the most strikeouts by an OKC pitcher this season. Josiah Gray notched 10 K’s in the team’s season opener May 6 in Round Rock and Ramírez matched that total in Sunday’s season finale as he fell one strikeout shy of his career-high of 11 K’s (June 30, 2016 vs. LAK). His 10 K’s were his most in a single game since May 9, 2017 with Double-A Trenton at Akron. His 7.0 innings pitched were his most in a single game since May 16, 2018 with Triple-A Norfolk at Indianapolis… Ramírez retired 17 of the first 18 batters he faced Sunday, including a run of 13 straight between the second and sixth innings…Ramírez finished the season with a team-high 23 starts, 113.0 innings pitched and 115 strikeouts…At the plate Sunday, he also notched his second double of the season.

-OKC finished the Triple-A Final Stretch with a 6-4 record as the team’s schedule extended into October for the first time in the Bricktown era (since 1998). All 30 Triple-A teams played five road games and five home games during the new postseason tournament format. Triple-A East’s Durham went 9-1 and will be awarded the Final Stretch mystery prize.

-The OKC Dodgers finished the season 67-62 overall, concluding a season with a winning record for the 17th time in 23 seasons during the team’s Bricktown era, as well as the fifth time in six seasons during the Dodgers affiliation…The Dodgers went 30-34 at home this season, finishing with a losing record at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark for the second consecutive season after it happened just twice over the first 21 seasons in Bricktown.

-OKC recorded a season-high four stolen bases Sunday, including the 19th of the season by Drew Avans. Prior to Sunday, the team’s highest single-game total for stolen bases this season was three, achieved Aug. 17 against Round Rock in OKC…Avans’ 19 stolen bases this season are tied for sixth in Triple-A West.

-OKC’s pitching staff tallied 13 strikeouts Sunday for the team’s fifth straight double-digit strikeout game. The Dodgers racked up 1,267 strikeouts this season for the third-most strikeouts in a season during the team’s Bricktown era behind the 2019 (1,287) and 2017 (1,277) squads.

-Kevin Quackenbush recorded his league-leading 23rd save of the season Sunday. His 23 saves rank second all-time among OKC pitchers during the team’s Bricktown era, only trailing Jose Veras’ 24 saves in 2005.

-Hamlet Marte finished with a team-high two hits Sunday, going 2-for-3 with a double and scoring two runs in his fifth multi-hit game of the season.

-After going 0-for-37 during the El Paso series with two outs, the Dodgers broke the trend with a two-out RBI single by Zach McKinstry in the fifth inning Sunday.

-The Dodgers closed out the season winning their final series against El Paso, 3-2, and also won the overall season series between the team, 14-9. Outside of 2018, OKC has won or split each season series against the Chihuahuas since Tucson’s franchise relocated to El Paso for the 2014 season…After the Chihuahuas scored 12 runs and tallied 12 extra-base hits over the previous two games, the Dodgers held El Paso to one run and without an extra-base hit Sunday afternoon.