Squirrels to host Game 1 of Division Series on Tuesday at The Diamond
RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Flying Squirrels have clinched their spot in the Eastern League Postseason and will host Game 1 of the Southwest Division Series at The Diamond on Tuesday.
RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Flying Squirrels have clinched their spot in the Eastern League Postseason and will host Game 1 of the Southwest Division Series at The Diamond on Tuesday.
Tickets for the Flying Squirrels’ home playoff games presented by Richmond Area Honda Dealers are available here.
Tuesday’s game will begin at 6:35 p.m. and will feature postgame In-Your-Face Fireworks. The parking lots will open at 3:30 p.m. and the ballpark gates will open at 5:30 p.m.
“For the first time ever, the Flying Squirrels have made the playoffs two years in a row,” Flying Squirrels CEO Todd “Parney” Parnell said. “This year, we head into the postseason as one of the hottest teams in the minor leagues. We love to see the excitement building in RVA and we are ready for that electric postseason atmosphere that fans at The Diamond do better than anywhere in the country.”
2023 EASTERN LEAGUE SOUTHWEST DIVISION SECOND-HALF CHAMPS 🏆
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) September 15, 2023
We are IN! pic.twitter.com/Xa6rJwVEmW
If the Flying Squirrels win the Division Series, they will host Game 2 of the Eastern League Championship Series on Tuesday, Sept. 26 and, if necessary, Game 3 on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at The Diamond.
Former Flying Squirrels player Johnny Monell, who was a key part of the team’s run to the Eastern League Championship Series in 2011, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Tuesday. In 2011, he coined the phrase “Defend the Nest” as the team made its first-ever postseason appearance. Monell, who played in Richmond for two seasons, hit .478 in the 2011 Eastern League playoffs. He went on to play in the majors with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets.
In the Southwest Division Series, the Flying Squirrels will face the Erie SeaWolves, Double-A affiliate of Detroit Tigers, in a rematch of last year’s Division Series. Following Game 1 on Tuesday at The Diamond, Game 2 and (if necessary) Game 3 will be played in Erie on Thursday and Friday.
The winner of the Southwest Division Series will advance to the Eastern League Championship Series to face the Northeast Division champion. The Northeast Division Series will feature the Somerset Patriots, Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees and the defending Eastern League champs, and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets. Game 1 of the ELCS will be played in the Northeast Division champion’s ballpark, with Games 2 and 3 being hosted by the Southwest Division champion.
Final - Squirrels 7, SeaWolves 3
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) September 15, 2023
We are PLAYOFF BOUND pic.twitter.com/pDJebe4ndw
The Flying Squirrels locked their spot in the postseason with a 7-3 win over the SeaWolves on Thursday night in Erie, clinching the Southwest Division’s second-half title. Since June 18, Richmond’s 46-27 record is the best in the Eastern League. Since August 30, the Flying Squirrels are 12-2. The team’s 38 homers over the last 21 games are the most in the minors.
Last year, the Flying Squirrels made their first postseason appearance since 2014. On Sept. 22, 2022, 9,159 Richmond fans packed The Diamond for the largest playoff crowd in the minors for the year and the largest ever on record in the Eastern League.
A limited number of Parney Playoff Pregame Meet & Greet packages are also on sale now for Tuesday’s game. They include a 90-minute pregame all-you-can-eat buffet in the Cross Timbers Roofing Party Pavilion beginning at 5 p.m., one field-level ticket to the game and a meet-and-greet with Parney from 5:15-5:45 p.m. Tickets and information for the Parney Playoff Pregame Meet & Greet packages are available here.
Tickets for the Flying Squirrels’ home playoff games presented by Richmond Area Honda Dealers are available online at SquirrelsBaseball.com/Tickets, by phone at 804-359-FUNN (3866) or in person at the Flying Squirrels ticket office. In the event that any Championship Series games are not played, fans who purchase tickets will receive a credit which can be used for tickets to a Flying Squirrels home game in 2024.