The Dayton Dragons almost got blown out. They almost set a record for biggest comeback in club history. They almost won.
But almost doesn’t count, and Lake County survived a nine-run comeback for a 12-11 Midwest League victory, scoring its final run on a wild pitch.
“It’s frustrating,” said slugging first baseman Ruben Ibarra who tied the score twice. “You want to win. It’s not a priority to do well. Obviously you want to do well, do your job, but winning is the main goal. Wins correlate to playoffs, playoffs correlate to success, and everyone loves success.”
The first-place Captains (12-6) scored six runs in the seventh to take a 9-0 lead. The Dragons (7-12) responded with an eight-run seventh. Jack Rogers and Livin Fernandez hit two-run singles and Blake Dunn hit a three-run homer to cut the Captains’ lead to 9-8.
Ibarra tied the score with a leadoff homer in the eighth. The 6-foot-4, 290-pound first baseman sent the ball out of stadium 436 feet at 116 mph. One out later, Justice Thompson homered deep down the left-field line for a 10-9 lead.
“Those home runs are big, clutch, but the other guys coming around the bags are just as important as those because we were down nine,” Dragons manager Bryan LaHair said.
The Dragons were in position to pull off the biggest comeback since at least 2004. Records before then are incomplete. Previously the Dragons rallied from seven back to win three times, the last being in 2021.
Owen Holt pitched a scoreless eighth and came back for the ninth with a one-run lead but ran into bad luck. A bunt single and infield single on a high bouncer put two runners on. The Captains got two runs home on a single and sacrifice fly to take an 11-10 lead.
“That’s a tough spot for Holt,” LaHair said. “Obviously you feel for him. He was throwing the ball really well tonight. You get in that bind and all of a sudden there’s a little extra pressure added. But he handled it well and kept the damage down.”
The Dragons answered with a run to force extra innings. Dunn led off with a walk. Captains catcher Victor Planchart argued the ball four call and was ejected. Then manager Omir Santos ran onto the field and was ejected the moment he opened his mouth.
With a new catcher in, Dunn stole second on the next pitch. One out later, Dunn scored the tying run on Ibarra’s ground single to right.
“I’m grateful to be in that moment,” Ibarra said. “Win or lose, I want it on my back. Whoever’s going to be in that box we’re going to be with them.”
Both teams stranded the ghost runner at third in the 10th. In the 11th, Joe Lampe started the inning at second and scored from third with two outs on a wild pitch by Jake Gozzo, who also pitched the 10th. The pitch ticked off the glove of catcher Mat Nelson for the game’s final run. The Dragons went down in order in the bottom of the inning.
“The way our guys fought throughout the whole game, put up that big eight spot and just never quit, that’s a positive for me,” LaHair said.
Ibarra joined the team this week after a spring-training injury. The Reds drafted him in fourth round in 2021 out of San Jose State. Despite the 1-3 start to this series and the Dragons’ 0-6 record in one-run games, he is excited to be in the organization.
“Seeing the guys that came in in my draft class and seeing the guys in the org already, I see that there’s a bunch of dogs,” he said. “I see how hungry we are, and I see that it’s kind of starting to taste sour to lose games like this. I’m really excited. Honestly, I just can’t put it into words.”
He thought for a few seconds and continued.
“It’s fun to be around the clubhouse. No one ever talks about let’s have an off day. We get to do this for a living. So let’s seize the moment. Let’s go out there. Let’s give them the best game and go stomp someone’s teeth in.”
On Friday, the Dragons almost did.
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