For the third time in four seasons, the Clearwater Threshers are headed to the Florida State League playoffs. They clinched the first half title in a very contemporary baseball sort of way; a bases loaded pitch clock violation. Robert Phelps scored on the violation to give the Threshers a 2-1 lead that held up the rest of the way. Brad Pacheco allowed five hits over five shutout innings.
Micah Ottenbreit allowed one run over three relief innings and Marty Gair struck out three hitters in a clean inning of relief to record his fourth save.
Clearwater put their first run on the board in the fifth inning when Matthew Ferrara walked and stole second. One out later, Angel Mata delivered a two-out RBI single for the first run of the game. Clearwater added the insurance run the next inning and it turned out that they needed it when Lakeland finally got on the board against Ottenbreit in the eighth. Jude Warwick tripled to lead off the inning and one out later, Warwick scored on a one out sacrifice fly to right from Elian Espinal.
How the FSL playoffs work
In the Florida State League, the season is divided into two halves. The team with the best winning percentage in each division during the first half and the team with the best winning percentage in each division during the second half advance to the playoffs. If a team wins both halves of the season in their division, the club with the next best overall winning percentage in that division for the second half advances.
The playoffs consist of a best-of-three Division Series with the winners playing each other in a best-of-three championship series.
The rest of the farm system
Coming into today’s games, Lehigh Valley (32-36) is 10.5 games behind Rochester for the top spot in the International League. Reading (28-34) is 7.5 games behind Hartford in the Eastern League Northeast standings. In the South Atlantic League, Jersey Shore (24-37) is 15 games back of Frederick in the SAL North Division.
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