Carlos Lagrange toes the slab for the Somerset Patriots on Thursday, as the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate trails the best-of-three division series 0-1.
After a 3-1 defeat in New Jersey last night, they’re turning to one of the hardest throwers in the Minor Leagues to try and right the ship in a must-win situation.
Somerset has qualified for the postseason in each of the last four seasons, winning the Eastern League Championship in 2022, and they’ve been eliminated by Binghamton (2023) and Erie (2024) in the following seasons.
Lagrange will face that very Binghamton Rumble Ponies squad that eliminated them in the division round back in 2023, as they were swept in two games.
Hoping to avoid that same fate, it’ll be a big game for the hard-throwing right-hander, as the Patriots hope to advance to the Championship Round for the second year in a row.
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Yankees Get to See Carlos Lagrange Pitch in a Big Must-Win Game
Carlos Lagrange finished with the third-most pitching strikeouts in Minor League Baseball this season, punching out 168 batters across 120 innings.
He pitched at the High-A and Double-A levels this year, finishing with a 3.53 ERA and 3.14 FIP in a year that’s cemented him as one of the best prospects in the organization.
With the Somerset Patriots, Lagrange posted a 3.22 ERA and 3.44 FIP in 16 outings, struggling with his command, but overpowering hitters with a dominant fastball and nasty secondaries.
The right-hander will face off against a Binghamton team looking to go back to the Eastern League Championship round after losing to the Erie SeaWolves in 2023.
Lagrange will face Jack Wenninger, who punched out 147 batters in 135.2 innings with a 2.92 ERA for the Rumble Ponies this season.
If Somerset can force a winner-takes-all Game 3 in Binghamton, Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz would be slated to make a season-defining start.
The Patriots have their backs against the walls tonight, and Carlos Lagrange will pitch on the road in what is the highest-stakes game of his early pro career.