(This story has been updated to add new information and to correct an inaccuracy.)
Two weeks ago, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp were drifting six games out of first place.
Now, for the first time ever as the Jumbo Shrimp, they’ve splashed their way into the Triple-A playoffs.
Once on the fringe of the postseason chase, the Jumbo Shrimp rang in summertime and clinched the International League first-half championship on June 21 with their 4-2 victory over the host Syracuse Mets.
That win, coupled with a 9-5 loss for the suddenly-reeling Lehigh Valley IronPigs against the Rochester Red Wings, gave Jacksonville a one-game lead with one game remaining — and since the Jumbo Shrimp own the tiebreaker over Lehigh Valley, by virtue of their superior record over the past 20 games, the win clinched a berth in the Triple-A postseason.
Lehigh Valley led by eight games earlier in the month, and as recently as June 17, the Jumbo Shrimp still trailed Lehigh Valley by three games with only six remaining in the first half. But the IronPigs collapsed down the stretch with five consecutive defeats to last-place Rochester, an opponent that had previously lost 12 games in a row.
Jumbo Shrimp: What will the Triple-A championship look like?
The Jumbo Shrimp will play the second-half champion in a best-of-3 series beginning Sept. 23 on home turf at VyStar Ballpark, after the regular season concludes. It would be the franchise’s first postseason appearance since 2017, when they still competed at Double-A level in the Southern League.
The winner of that series, in turn, would advance to the Triple-A national championship in Las Vegas on Sept. 27.
Jacksonville’s only previous Triple-A championship came in 1968, as the original version of the Jacksonville Suns. That franchise moved the following year to Portsmouth, Va., to be replaced by a Double-A club in 1970.
How did the Jumbo Shrimp win?
The same factors that have buoyed the Jumbo Shrimp all year — relief pitching (league-high 25 saves and a third-best 3.62 ERA), speed (first-place 159 steals) and clutch hitting (27-10 in games decided by one or two runs) — tipped the balance again.
Troy Johnston delivered the go-ahead single to left in the seventh to score Maximo Acosta to break a 2-2 tie, and four relievers combined to work 7 1/3 innings of four-hit, one-run baseball to stifle Syracuse.
The Jumbo Shrimp, who stole four bases on the night, jumped ahead 2-0 in the first on back-to-back homers from Jakob Marsee and Victor Mesa Jr. before Syracuse tied the score.
Christian Roa (7-0) worked 1 2/3 innings of relief for his seventh victory while cutting his ERA to 1.97, and Anderson Pilar struck out three in two innings for his fourth save.
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp: Past franchise playoff appearances
1962: Lost in finals
1964: Lost in first round
1968: Champions
1973: Lost in finals
1974: Lost in finals
1977: Lost in finals
1982: Lost in finals
1983: Lost in finals
1986: Lost in first round
1987: Lost in first round
1988: Lost Eastern playoff
1990: Lost in first round
1996: Champions
1998: Lost in finals
2000: Lost in finals
2001: Co-champions
2002: Lost in finals
2005: Champions
2006: Lost in first round
2009: Champions
2010: Champions
2014: Champions
2017: Lost in first round
Note: Triple-A from 1962-68 and 2021-present; Double-A from 1970-2019. All playoff appearances as Jacksonville Suns except 1986-90 (Jacksonville Expos) and 2017 (Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp)
Source: Baseball Reference and Times-Union archives
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Champions: Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp win first-half International League title
Reporting by Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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