Moore, Clevinger return Clippers to titletown
The Governors' Cup has a new home, and it's a familiar one.
Adam Moore collected three hits and an RBI, and Mike Clevinger completed a dominant postseason with 7 2/3 scoreless innings Saturday as Columbus beat Indianapolis, 3-0, to win its third International League championship in six years.
Moore put the Clippers on the board with a run-scoring single in the top of the first inning. The 31-year-old catcher helped pad the lead in the fourth with a double as Jesus Aguilar came all the way around to score on an error by left fielder Keon Broxton.
"My No. 1 job is to run our pitching staff and to get them through innings and tough times on the mound. The bat is a bonus in my book," Moore said. "To go out there and contribute the way I did with the bat, it was a lot of fun and it felt good. I was seeing the ball well this series."
Making his first start in the Finals, Clevinger silenced the Indians on five hits and a walk while striking out seven.
"I felt like everything was working tonight," the Indians' 15th-ranked prospect said. "Changeup was definitely clutch. That was my big pitch tonight, the changeup."
Clevinger spent the regular season with Double-A Akron before joining the Clippers for the playoffs. In two starts, the 24-year-old right-hander gave up five hits and struck out 17 over 15 1/3 shutout innings, with both starts coming in decisive fifth games.
"The guy is fearless," Moore said. "He gets the ball, you call it, he pitches it. It makes our job as a catcher a lot easier, for a guy to have the kind of stuff he does and to be able to locate his pitches and not to rely on his fastball all night. For him to contribute the way he did, the two Game 5s in the playoffs, that says a lot about him and his character. He's a great pitcher and he's going to have a bright future, that's for sure."
C.C. Lee struck out the final batter in the eighth before giving way to Carlos Marmol, who worked around a hit and struck out one in the ninth to close out the Clippers' first title since repeating in 2011. For Moore, who spent part of the 2013 season with Pacific Coast League champion Omaha, this was his first Minor League title.
"It means a lot," the veteran backstop said. "It's a lot of fun. We had a great group of guys, we all stuck together through thick and thin, a lot of moves up and down, like any Triple-A club. Didn't matter. One through nine in that lineup, the five starters we had and the bullpen, we were all contributors. We all believed in one another. It was a complete team effort and it was a lot of fun. We had a blast playing for each other."
Clevinger echoed Moore's sentiments.
"I haven't been part of something like this before," he said. "I'm on cloud nine right now. I didn't expect to be coming up here. Coming up here, I had no idea what I was in store. They fought their butts off all season and that drove me to keep it going."
Michael Choice was named MVP of the Championship Series after going 9-for-14 with three homers and six RBIs.
"If I could name Mr. Clutch, it's Michael Choice," Clevinger said. "That three-run blast last night, I thought was the series sealer. He's been swinging the hottest bat I've seen. He's a great player and an amazing talent."
Erik Gonzalez slugged a solo homer for the Clippers.
Columbus will travel to El Paso on Tuesday to play the winner of the PCL Finals for the Triple-A National Championship.
Robert Emrich is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobertEmrich.nic
Capacity Crowd Cheers Clippers Over Cubs Saturday
COLUMBUS – A full house of 10,100 fans turned out on a beautiful Saturday night in the Arena District as the Columbus Clippers knocked off the Iowa Cubs, 5-1. The Clippers exploded for four runs in the bottom of the 1st inning, highlighted by RBI doubles off the bats of
Wild Friday Evening Ends in Defeat
COLUMBUS – The Columbus Clippers led 5-3 after a wild 1st inning on Friday night, but after things settled down the Iowa Cubs came back to secure a 7-5 victory over the ClipShow. The newest Clippers, Aaron Davenport, surrendered three runs in the top of the 1st including a leadoff
Clippers Fall to Cubs Thursday Afternoon
COLUMBUS – A season-high four-game winning streak came to an end Thursday afternoon at Huntington Park as the Columbus Clippers fell to the Iowa Cubs, 10-2. Milan Tolentino provided the first tally for the Clippers when he clubbed a solo home run in the bottom of the 2nd inning, giving
Offense Does Just Enough in Series Opening Victory
COLUMBUS – After a long two week road trip, the Columbus Clippers finally returned to the friendly confines of Huntington Park on Tuesday to open a six-game series with the Iowa Cubs. Carlos Pérez got the scoring started in the top of the first. With two away, Pérez connected on
The Summer 6-Pack is Here!
The Columbus Clippers have a great offer for you! Don’t miss any of the action this summer at Huntington Park with a Clippers Summer Six-Pack! Get six games for the price of five and pick from one of the options below or pick your own games! Seats will vary based
Back and Forth Series Finale Goes to the ClipShow
PAPILLION – The Columbus Clippers closed out their longest road trip of the season on Sunday afternoon at Werner Park against the Omaha Storm Chasers. Hoping for a series split, the ClipShow looked to win back-to-back games for the first time since April 14th and 15th. Continuing his MLB rehab
Big Sixth Inning Breezes Clippers to Victory
PAPILLION – The penultimate matchup of the Clippers series with the Storm Chasers on Saturday night at Werner Park was a must win for Columbus in hopes of earning a series split, as Omaha had taken three of the first four games. After a scoreless first on both sides, the
Clippers Battled Back, But Omaha Walks It Off on Friday
PAPILLION – Wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour at Werner Park on Friday night gave defenders the fits in game-four of the Columbus Clippers and Omaha Storm Chasers series. Kody Huff used that wind to his advantage. The former Stanford Cardinal smashed the first pitch he saw
Wild Night in Nebraska Ends in a Clippers Victory
PAPILLION – It was a wild night in Tornado Alley on Thursday as the Columbus Clippers looked to snap a three-game losing streak in game-three of the series with the Omaha Storm Chasers at Werner Park. 24 runs, 25 hits, 11 different pitchers, over 400 pitches thrown, nine unanswered runs
Omaha Out-Slugs Clippers on Windy Wednesday
PAPILLION – Blustery conditions gave defenders all kinds of trouble at Werner Park on Wednesday night, but it was homers that left the yard without the aide of the wind that doomed the Clippers in game-two of the series against the Omaha Storm Chasers. The home team struck early in
Clippers Sunk by Omaha on Tuesday Night
PAPILLION - A fresh series seemed to be just what the doctor ordered for the Columbus Clippers after escaping Indianapolis last week with only a pair of wins, however, the Omaha Storm Chasers looked to stop any plan of starting their new six-game series with a victory at Werner Park
Clippers Blanked by Indy in Series Finale
INDIANAPOLIS – It was not a Sunday Funday in Indianapolis if you were a Clippers fan or a fan of baseball games loaded with offense. The penultimate game of the series on Saturday night saw a pitchers duel end in favor of Columbus, the finale on Sunday afternoon saw another
Pitching Staff Dominant in Shutout Victory
INDIANAPOLIS – After dropping three of the first four games of the series, the Clippers sent Parker Messick to the mound on Saturday, looking to avoid a third straight series loss of the year. Indianapolis countered with fellow 2022 draft pick Thomas Harrington, and a shocker to no one, we
Huff Homers, But Clippers Fall Short on Friday Night
INDIANAPOLIS – After back-to-back day games, the Columbus Clippers and Indianapolis Indians six-game series was once again under the lights at Victory Field on Friday night. The offense was stagnant on both sides until the top of the fifth. Kyle Datres led off with a single, Milan Tolentino was then
Clippers Rally Falls Short in Indy
INDIANAPOLIS – It was sunshine and baseball in the Circle City as the Columbus Clippers and Indianapolis Indians faced off in their second consecutive day game at Victory Field. Indy threatened early. After a one out triple by Nick Solak, Nick Yorke lined a shot to Clippers third baseman Kyle
Pries Leaves the Yard Twice in Wednesday Win
The Columbus Clippers and Indianapolis Indians continued their six-game series on Wednesday with day baseball at Victory Field. Clippers struck first. Will Brennan singled and Johnathan Rodríguez walked with one away in the top of the third. Micah Pries, who hadn't left the yard since April 19th, battled Indy starter
Indy Takes Series Opener from Clippers
COLUMBUS - After a soggy week in Central Ohio last week, partly cloudy with a game time temperature of 71 degrees was a welcome sight for the Clippers as they opened a six-game series, the first of back-to-back road series over the next two weeks, against the Indianapolis Indians at
Clippers Lose to Saints in 10 Innings
The rain in Columbus finally subsided enough for the Columbus Clippers to become the Malmo Oat Milkers on Sunday, May 4, losing the St. Paul Saints, 3-2, in 10 innings. Parker Messick was dialed in early and punched out nine Saints, collecting 15 whiffs overall, 11 coming off of his
Clippers Fall in Rain Shortened Doubleheader Again
More rain forced another double-header attempt in the series between the Columbus Clippers and visiting St. Paul Saints. Game-one couldn’t even end without its own share of rain, with the Saints coming out on top, 6-4, in six inning shortened finish. Lefty Doug Nikhazy made his first start back with
Clippers Take Game-One of the Twin Bill
COLUMBUS – Tuesday’s series opener between the Columbus Clippers and St. Paul Saints became a doubleheader after their matchup on April 5th was postponed. Mother Nature had other plans and the two teams were only able to get the first game of the twin bill in before the rains came,
Clippers Downed in Extras on Wednesday
COLUMBUS - There wasn't a single cloud in the sky at game time on Wednesday as the Columbus Clippers and St. Paul Saints met in game-two of their six-game series at Huntington Park. Petey Halpin, making his fourth appearance in the top spot of the Clippers lineup, once again led
Saints Overpower Clippers in Game-One Win
COLUMBUS - After a forgettable road trip last week, the friendly confines of Huntington Park were a welcome sight to the Columbus Clippers on Tuesday as they opened a six-day, seven-game series with the St. Paul Saints in Ohio's capital city. Not only was it a Tansky Tuesday Dime-A-Dog Night
Halpin's Near Cycle Not Enough on Sunday
ALLENTOWN - Wind gusts of up to 36 miles per hour made things interesting for the fielders on Sunday, both the Columbus Clippers and Lehigh Valley IronPigs had to battle blustery winds in the series finale of their six-game set at Coca-Cola Park. The first five games saw a total
Big Blasts Power Clippers Back to the Win Column
ALLENTOWN - The Columbus Clippers continued the series at Coca-Cola Park with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Saturday night, hoping to avoid their first seven-game losing streak since the 2023 season. That task would be even more difficult as the Guardians were scheduled to play a doubleheader against the Boston