The Oklahoma City Comets got absolutely rocked for seven runs in the sixth inning, letting a tie evaporate in a brutal 14-8 road loss to the El Paso Chihuahuas. Yeah, the scoreboard wasn’t pretty, but holy cow, James Tibbs III dropped his 30th home run of the season, and top prospect Mike Sirota made his Triple-A debut, flashing some truly wild numbers for the Comets.
Tibbs III and the Power Surge
Forget the loss for a second, because James Tibbs III is absolutely mashing the ball. The Comets got on the board early, putting up five runs in the third inning, and Tibbs was right in the thick of it with a monster three-run home run. That shot was his 30th bomb of the season, which is the second-most in the entire Pacific Coast League! He’s not just hitting dingers either. Tibbs III is the first player in the PCL since Greg Brock back in ’82 to rack up at least 100 runs, 100 RBI, and 100 walks in a season. Seriously, he’s got 109 runs and 108 walks so far. Talk about a complete hitter! And don’t sleep on Noah Miller either, who started that third-inning rally with a two-run homer, his second straight start going deep. Ryan Fitzgerald also had a big day, grabbing three hits and driving in his 101st run, pushing his hit total to 171, the most by an Oklahoma City player in the Bricktown era.
Sirota’s Stellar Triple-A Welcome
Then there’s Mike Sirota, a guy who’s been crushing it all year and finally got the call to Triple-A. This dude is a top 100 prospect for a reason, right? He started the season in High-A Great Lakes, moved up to Tulsa in May, and put up a ridiculous .450 on-base percentage in Double-A. The Drillers’ season ended, so Friday he got the promotion, and Saturday he’s batting third and playing right field in his first Triple-A game. What did he do? Oh, you know, just walked three times and then smacked a double. That pushed his season walk total across three levels to 100! After his second walk in the fifth inning, he scored his 100th run of the season, all in just 107 games played. Sirota’s overall .463 OBP across 497 plate appearances is the third-highest in the entire minor leagues for anyone with at least 300 PAs. He and Tibbs are the only Dodgers minor leaguers with triple-digit walks, and Sirota is the seventh to score 100 runs this season. The future is bright with talent like this.
With just one day left in the regular season, the Comets are back at it against El Paso on Sunday morning at 11:05 a.m. PT. Ryder Ryan takes the mound for Oklahoma City against Ian Koenig for El Paso. All eyes will be on these young guys to see who keeps making their case for the next level.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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