Ritchie Reaps SAL Pitcher of the Week Honors
ROME, Ga – The South Atlantic League, in conjunction with Minor League Baseball, today announced their weekly award winners which included Rome’s staff ace, JR Ritchie. J.R.’s complete game shutout of the Greenville Drive Saturday night drew national attention, as the Braves’ no.7 prospect became just the second pitcher in
ROME, Ga – The South Atlantic League, in conjunction with Minor League Baseball, today announced their weekly award winners which included Rome’s staff ace, JR Ritchie.
J.R.’s complete game shutout of the Greenville Drive Saturday night drew national attention, as the Braves’ no.7 prospect became just the second pitcher in Minor League Baseball to go the distance in a non-shortened game in 2025, and the first to go a full 9.0 innings. Only five pitchers in professional baseball have tossed a complete game shutout in 2025: Nathan Eovaldi, Erik Fedde, Michael King, Stephen Kolek, and JR Ritchie.
The Bainbridge Island, Washington native struck out nine Greenville Drive hitters while keeping his pitch count (95) under the century mark. A leadoff single on the second pitch of the game was the only hit surrendered by Ritchie who went on to retire 25 of the remaining 27 batters. A walk and an error being the only blemishes on his final line.
Since Ritchie’s April 29th start against the Asheville Tourists, the right-hander has posted a spotless 0.00 ERA and 0.58 WHIP over 20.2 innings. No other pitcher in Minor League Baseball has thrown more innings than Ritchie over that span, and only Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies has matched his time on the mound.
Maybe the most impressive stat surrounding the 21-year-old is, of his 27 career starts in professional baseball, just three have yielded more than two earned runs. Ritchie is now 4-1 with a 1.30 ERA in 2025 and carries a career 133:35 SO:BB ratio.
AJ Smith-Shawver, Spencer Schwellenbach, and Owen Murphy (twice) were the last Rome Braves/Emperors to earn pitcher of the week honors in 2023 and 2024.
Emperors Ward Off Shutout, Wilt After Five-Run Ninth
ROME, Ga – For seven innings Wednesday night, the Emperors and the Drive shared just two total bases with Greenville operating with a 1-0 lead, but their five-run ninth all but killed Rome’s chances in game two. Starter Jacob Kroeger’s evening went about as well as one could have hoped,
Hernandez’s Gem, Backed by Dumitru’s Walk-Off, Secures Game One Win
ROME, Ga – Ten starts had come and gone since Herick Hernandez’s last scoreless outing on April 15th, but Tuesday’s six-inning, one-hit masterclass against the Greenville Drive added to what has been his best month on the mound this season. Herick labored through some deep counts early in the game,
Kroeger K's a Career-High 11 'Hoppers in Emperors' Seventh Straight Loss
Rome, GA- Nine of Greensboro's ten hits came with two outs on Thursday night, and Kroeger's stellar High-A debut unfortunately came with a loss attached. Rome’s pitching staff continues to shine, and Kroeger’s performance only added to that reputation. He went 5.2 innings, striking out 11 batters—setting a new single-game,
Janas’ Homer Suffices for Seven Innings Until Bullpen Implosion
ROME, GA – A fifth-inning, two-run homerun off the bat of Justin Janas put the Emperors in front, but Greensboro’s three-run eighth and four-run ninth buried them in the end. Starter Cory Wall and piggy backer Giomar Diaz worked three innings each, giving up a combined four hits and one
Rome Plunges to Three Games under .500 with Sunday's Loss, Their Worst Mark of 2025
GREENVILLE, SC - Red hot Greenville secures tenth win of two-week homestand, putting them within a half-game of first-place and lowering Rome to three games under .500. Greenville threatened with two men on in the first and second innings, but Rome pitcher Cedric DeGrandpre was able to escape both jams
Rodriguez's Post-Weather Delay Three-Run Homer Secures Third-Straight for Drive
GREENVILLE, SC – Greenville's power continues to be separating factor between them and Emperors as Freili Encarnacion’s 6th inning blast broke the game open for the Drive. The first run to score belonged to the Emperors as E.J. Exposito took a 1-1 pitch from Noah Dean high and deep into
Bleis' Seventh-Inning Blast The Difference in 5-4 Loss to Greenville
GREENVILLE, SC – Despite outhitting Greenville 13-9, Rome’s 9th inning rally fell one run short as they lost to the Drive 5-4. Garrett Baumann took the mound for Rome, looking for his first win of the season. Baumann faced traffic on the basepaths immediately as Yophery Rodriguez and Antonio Anderson
Offense Can't Keep Pace with Three More Greenville Homers in Game Three Loss
GREENVILLE, SC – For the second time in the series, three Greenville swings defined nine innings of baseball in 7-2 loss for the Emperors. Called up from Augusta on May 13, Logan Samuels made his fourth start for Rome on Thursday, seeking his first win for the Emperors. Miguel Bleis
Exposito, Emperors Get to Tolle and the Drive Early to Even the Series
GREENVILLE, SC - Luke Sinnard gave the Emperors five innings of one-run baseball Wednesday, relishing in the four-run advantage provided by Exposito and Tavarez's back-to-back doubles in the second and Espinoza's solo shot in the third. After scoring the final run in Tuesday’s game, Exposito and the Emperors picked up
Three Greenville Home Runs Summate Their 7-3 Win Over Rome
GREENVILE, SC – Greenville overpowered Herick Hernandez and the Emperors on Tuesday night; three home runs combining for five of the Drive’s seven runs. Rome’s starting pitcher Herrick Hernandez, had little time to settle into Greenville before receiving a gut punch from the Drive by way of back-to-back longballs in
CDG’s Five Scoreless, Hitless Innings Crowns Him SAL Pitcher of the Week
ROME, Ga – The South Atlantic League, in conjunction with Minor League Baseball, yesterday announced their weekly award winners, which included Emperors right-hander Cedric De Grandpre. For the second time in as many months, Horacio Ramirez’s staff celebrates a Pitcher of the Week nomination. This time, it’s Quebec, Canada’s own
Emperors’ No-Hit Bid Falls One Out Short On Sunday
ROME, GA – Rome’s pitching staff tallies 12 strikeouts, and the offense provides some much-needed power to propel the Emperors to a Sunday victory. The Sunday series finale kicked off with right-handed pitcher Cedric De Granpré on the mound for the Emperors. Cedric was making his first High-A start since
Tourists Bombard Frey With Extra-Base Hits, Take Game Three 5-2
ROME, GA – Back-to-back two-out doubles in the second and Will Bush’s second home run of the series put the Emperors in an unconquerable five-run hole early in Thursday’s game. Left-hander Riley Frey breezed through the first and two-thirds of the second, facing the minimum through five batters, but a
Offensive Hangover Hits: Emperors Sluggish After Tuesday’s Win
ROME, GA – Asheville's four run forth puts Emperors in insurmountable hole and a damper on Sinnard's High-A debut. Rome continues to showcase fresh faces this season, and today was no exception, as former Hoosier and 2024 third-round pick Luke Sinnard took the mound to make his High-A debut. The
Poor Fielding Fuels Two Catastrophic Innings for Tourists
ROME, Ga – Four Asheville errors authorized six of Rome’s 13 runs to be scored as unearned Tuesday night in the Emperors’ seventh straight series-opening win. Three scoreless frames passed before Asheville broke through in the top of the fourth inning. Back-to-back one-out walks issued to Cristian Gonzalez and Will
‘Burgers Have Final Say in Game Five, Walk-Off Emperors for Third Time This Series
SPARTANBURG, SC – Scoreless for eleven innings Saturday afternoon, the Emperors and Spartanburgers both selected the twelfth as their breakout inning with Hub City picking up the bigger hit with the bases loaded. The tenth and the eleventh saw both squads fail in their attempts to score the automatic runner
Emperors Still in Search of Offense Following Game Four Loss
SPARTANBURG, SC – Aside from Mac Guscette’s seventh-inning double that brought home Bryson Horne from first base, the Emperors struggled to build momentum Friday night in their 4-1 loss to Hub City. May 13th call-up Logan Samuels made his first-career High-A start after appearing out of the bullpen last Friday
Hernandez Punches Out 10 but Emperors’ Luck Runs Out in Extras
SPARTANBURG, SC – After failing to capitalize on the extra-innings automatic runner in the eleventh and twelfth last night, Dylan Dreiling’s single to left field walked off the Emperors in game two. Hub City hurler Aidan Curry issued three free passes and gave up a pair of hits across his
Emperors Sear ‘Burgers on Two Long Balls in Series Opener
SPARTANBURG, SC – Ahead 2-1 for the majority of the game one, Rome’s four-run top of the eighth inning, fueled by Ambioris Tavarez’s three-run home run, overcooked the Spartanburgers in the 6-3 victory. After Adam Maier worked through back-to-back walks and let up a run at the onset of his
The Longball the Difference Again in Game Four Loss to Greensboro
GREENSBORO, NC – Counting the Grasshoppers’ two home runs on Friday night, the Pirates’ High-A affiliate has now launched 11 round trippers since Tuesday which is tied for the second-most in all of professional baseball. Lonnie White Jr.’s first-inning solo shot to center field came off Riley Frey’s 3-1 fastball
Espinoza Homers in Third-Straight Game, Emps’ Unable to Squash ‘Hoppers
GREENSBORO, NC – Rome’s leadoff batter, Lizandro Espinoza became just the twelfth Emperor in the last decade to homer in three-straight games, but the Emperors were once again unable to put away the Grasshoppers Thursday, losing 5-4. Titus Dumitru’s second homer of the series jumpstarted the Emperors offense in the
Emperors Deprived of Four-Run Lead in Weather-Afflicted Game
GREENSBORO, NC – Once ahead 7-3 as early as the third inning, Rome watched its lead disappear over the remainder of Wednesday's game, dropping game two to the Grasshoppers by a final of 10-9. A run in the first, courtesy of consecutive singles from Rome’s 1-2 punch of Espinoza and
Dumitru, Espinoza Put on Power Showcase in Win Over Greensboro
GREENSBORO, NC – Rome’s leadoff and three-hole hitter racked up 13 total bases in Tuesday’s series opening 7-5 win over the Greensboro Grasshoppers. After 118 at-bats without a homer to start the season, Titus Dumitru finally ran into a full count fastball at the top of the zone and sent
Ritchie Throws a Maddux, Los Pingüinos Ganan
ROME, Ga – J.R. put the finishing touches on his nine-inning, 95-pitch, shutout masterpiece Saturday night, complete with nine strikeouts. Ritchie, the Braves’ 35th overall pick in the 2022 draft and no.7 prospect, gave up just one hit to Franklin Arias on the second pitch of the game. From that