Shay Whitcomb of the Sugar Land Space Cowboys was the MVP of the 2024 Triple-A National Championship Game. (Photo: Phebe Grosser/Minor League Baseball)
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – On a 98-degree night in the desert in front of 8,007 fans in attendance at Las Vegas Ballpark, the Houston Astros Triple-A affiliate, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, beat the Kansas City Royals’ Triple-A affiliate, the Omaha Storm Chasers, 13-6 to win their first Triple-A National Championship.
The Las Vegas Ballpark, for the third consecutive year, the Triple-A National Championship Game, and is home to the Oakland Athletics Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators.
Grammy-nominated platinum recording artist and activist Aloe Blacc sang the National Anthem prior to the start of the Triple-A National Championship Game.
Space Cowboys designated hitter Shay Whitcomb was named MVP after going 3-for-5 with three RBIs, one run scored and one strikeout on his 26th birthday.
“It feels great there is no emotion that can explain it. It’s just we put in a lot of work and to see it come into fruition it was really special,” Whitcomb told World Baseball Network after the game. “All of us have the ability to swing the bat and tonight was the night that the lord blessed me with a few hits.”
The Storm Chasers finished the 2024 regular season at 89-59, while the Space Cowboys ended the year at 93-56.
Sugar Land was the home team on Saturday during the Triple-A National Championship Game.
The Space Cowboys did not hesitate on getting on the scoreboard early with shortstop Jesus Bastidas leading off the bottom of the first inning with a single up the middle.
The next batter, center fielder Pedro Leon, hit a shallow fly ball into center field that was out of the outstretch glove of Omaha second baseman Ryan Fitzgerald to make it runners on first and second with no outs.
A few batters later, Space Cowboys first baseman Trey Cabbage lifted a sacrifice fly to Storm Chasers right fielder Tyler Gentry, scoring Bastidas for the first run of the game.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Space Cowboys took advantage of a defensive miscue with third baseman Brice Mathews hitting a check swing ground ball back to Storm Chasers starting pitcher Luinder Avila. Avila threw the ball into center field with Fitzgerald covering the bag as right fielder Quincy Hamilton went to third base and Mathews going to second with no outs.
The next batter, Space Cowboys catcher Omar Narvaez rocked a two-run single into right field, scoring Hamilton and Mathews to extend the lead to 3-0.
Shortly after, Omaha manager Mike Jirschele came out to the mound and called upon relief pitcher Austin Cox to replace Avila.
Avila threw 1.1 innings allowing six hits, three earned runs, and struck out three batters.
During the top of the third inning, the Storm Chasers finally got on the board with shortstop Cam Devanney drilling a 404-foot solo home run over the right center field wall into the pool area to make it 3-1.
A few batters later, Storm Chasers catcher Brian O’Keefe knocked a three-run home run 400 feet over the right center field wall, scoring left fielder John Rave and third baseman Nate Eaton to capture a 4-3 lead.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Space Cowboys tied the game up at 4-4, with Narvaez drawing a bases loaded walk with one out, scoring second baseman Tommy Sacco Jr.
Jirschele went to his bullpen once again and called on relief pitcher Eric Cerantola to replace Cox. Cox threw one inning, allowing one hit, one earned run, two walks, and two strikeouts.
Sugar Land took the lead once again in the bottom of the third inning, with Leon drawing a two-out bases loaded walk, scoring Hamilton to capture a 5-4 lead.
The next batter, Space Cowboys designated hitter Shay Whitcomb, pounded a three-run double into the left-center field gap, scoring third baseman Brice Matthews, Narvaez, and Bastidas scored for an 8-4 lead.
Space Cowboys manager Mickey Storey did not let starting pitcher Colton Gordon go out for the top of the fourth inning and called upon relief pitcher Nick Hernandez. Gordon threw three innings, allowing six hits, four earned runs, and three strikeouts.
During the bottom of the fourth inning, Cowboys left fielder Cooper Hummel crushed a 439-foot solo home run, landing on top of the roof of the Hyundai Bar in right-center field to extend the lead to 9-4.
A few batters later, Matthews dialed a 428-foot solo home run over the center field wall to plate the score at 10-4.
In the top of the fifth inning, O’Keefe plowed his second home run of the game with a two-run home run over the left field wall, scoring center fielder Drew Waters to cut the deficit to four runs at 10-6.
During the bottom of the fifth inning, Hummel drilled an RBI double into center field, scoring Whitcomb to extend the lead to 11-6.
Sacco Jr. shortly extended the lead to 12-6, with an RBI ground ball single into left field, scoring first baseman Trey Cabbage.
The Sugar Land offense did not have any hits or get on base from the bottom of the sixth inning and the bottom of the eighth inning.
Sugar Land had a seven-run lead at 13-6, when relief pitcher Wander Suero came into the top of the ninth and replaced relief pitcher Luis Contreras.
Suero got Gentry to fly out to Hamilton for the final out of the game and throned the franchise’s first National Championship and beat the Storm Chasers 13-6.
The Space Cowboys are the first former independent league team to play in the Triple-A National Championship Game. The franchise was founded in 2006 in the Atlantic League before joining to the Pacific Coast League in 2021.
Before playing in the Pacific Coast League, the club was an independent league team in the Atlantic League known as the Sugar Land Skeeters, and were not affiliated with an MLB organization. The Skeeters became affiliated in 2021 with the Houston Astros and changed the franchise name to the Space Cowboys the following season. The Skeeters won two titles in the Atlantic League in 2016 and 2018 and won the Constellation Energy League in 2020.
The Omaha pitching staff threw eight innings, allowing 13 hits, seven earned runs, six walks, and 14 strikeouts.
The Sugarland pitching staff threw nine innings, allowing nine hits, five earned runs, five walks, and 10 strikeouts.
Omaha won back-to-back national championships in 2013 and 2014.
The Storm Chasers lost to the Columbus Clippers in the Triple-A National Championship Game in their first appearance in the 2011 National Championship Game at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, N.M.
Omaha is now 2-2 at the Triple-A National Championship Game.
Top 30 MLB Organization Prospects From MLB Pipeline.com
Omaha Storm Chasers on the Kansas City Royals’ Top 30 Prospects list
12.Noah Cameron, LHP
13. Javier Vaz, 2B/OF
15. Tyler Gentry, OF
16. Chandler Champlain, RHP
26. Luinder Avila, RHP
27. Tyson Guerrero, LHP
29. Eric Cerantola, RHP
Sugar Land Space Cowboys on the Houston Astros’ Top 30 Prospects list
1. Jacob Melton, OF (MLB No. 92)
3. Brice Matthews, SS/3B
7. Miguel Ullola, RHP
9. A.J. Blubaugh, RHP
11. Colton Gordon, LHP
14. Shay Whitcomb, INF/OF
21. Pedro León, OF/2B
22. Kenedy Corona, OF
24. Rhett Kouba, RHP
MiLB Triple-A National Champions
Year – National Champions (Affiliate) – Venue – City
2006 – Tucson Sidewinders (ARI) – AT&T Bricktown Ballpark – Oklahoma City
2007 – Sacramento River Cats (OAK) – AT&T Bricktown Ballpark – Oklahoma City
2008 – Sacramento River Cats (OAK) – AT&T Bricktown Ballpark – Oklahoma City
2009 – Durham Bulls (TB) – AT&T Bricktown Ballpark – Oklahoma City
2010 – Columbus Clippers (CLE) – AT&T Bricktown Ballpark – Oklahoma City
2011 – Columbus Clippers (CLE) – Isotopes Park – Albuquerque, N.M.
2012 – Reno Aces (ARI) – Durham Bulls Athletic Park – Durham, N.C.
2013 – Omaha Storm Chasers (KC) – Coca-Cola Park – Allentown, Pa.
2014 – Omaha Storm Chasers (KC) – BB&T Ballpark – Charlotte, N.C.
2015 – Fresno Grizzlies (HOU) – Southwest University Park – El Paso, Texas
2016 – Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) – Memphis, Tenn.
2017 – Durham Bulls (TB) – PNC Field – Moosic, Pa.
2018 – Memphis Redbirds (STL) – Huntington Park – Columbus, Ohio
2019 – Sacramento River Cats (SFG) – AutoZone Park – Memphis, Tenn.
2020 – Canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
2021 – Game Not Held
2022 – Durham Bulls (TBR) – Las Vegas Ballpark – Las Vegas
2023 – Norfolk Tides (BAL) – Las Vegas Ballpark – Las Vegas
2024 – Sugar Land Space Cowboys (HOU) – Las Vegas Ballpark – Las Vegas
Triple-A National Championship Most Valuable Player Award
Year – Player – Team (MLB affiliation) – Position
2006 – Scott Hairston – Tucson Sidewinders (ARI) – LF
2007 – Lou Merloni – Sacramento River Cats (OAK) – 3B
2008 – Chris Gissell – Sacramento River Cats (OAK) – P
2009 - Jeremy Hellickson – Durham Bulls (TB) – P
2010 – Jerad Head – Columbus Clippers (CLE) – LF
2011 – Joe Martinez – Columbus Clippers (CLE) – SP
2012 – A. J. Pollock – Reno Aces (ARI) – CF
2013 – Chris Dwyer – Omaha Storm Chasers (KC) – P
2014 – Brett Hayes – Omaha Storm Chasers (KC) – C
2015 – Chris Devenski – Fresno Grizzlies (HOU) – P
2016 – Chris Parmelee – Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) – 1B
2017 – Kean Wong – Durham Bulls (TB) – 2B
2018 – Alex Mejia – Memphis Redbirds (STL) – 1B
2019 – Caleb Baragar – Sacramento River Cats (SF) - P
2020 – Game canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
2021 – Game not held
2022 – Bligh Madris – Durham Bulls (TB) – LF
2023 – Colton Cowser – Norfolk Tides (BAL) – CF
2024 – Shay Whitcomb – Sugar Land Space Cowboys (HOU) – DH
Photo: Las Vegas Ballpark in Downtown Summerlin. It is the home field for the Las Vegas Aviators a Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. (Photo: Getty Images)
