Record
1-3 (September 19-22)
68-79 (overall, eighth place of 10)
35-38 (second half, sixth place of 10)

Charlotte was too unsteady in every aspect of the game to advance into the first division of a very large division/league. While the White Sox have their top prospects arbitrarily bypass their Triple-A affiliate as often as not, it remains a serious indictment that the club cannot pool enough talent at this level to field a competitive team. We can get chuffed over becoming a better-rated system all we want, but consistently failing to run out a legitimate four-, five- or six-man rotation on the team at the doorstep of the majors prevents any serious estimation of this organization.

On to the 1-3 conclusion of the season!

September 19: Charlotte Knights 7, Syracuse Mets 3
Let’s just call this a Johan Domínguez payback game. The righthander, given no serious consideration as anything more than AAAA filler picked up a somewhat sloppy win courtesy of a nice offensive outburst and coming up clutch while facing significant leverage. Support was hardly needed past the second batter in the Knights order, as Mark Payton and Corey Julks combined to go 5-for-9 with four runs, five RBIs, two doubles, a triple and a homer.

GAME MVP
Johan Domínguez (RHSP) 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB, 2 K, HB, 16.4% WPA

September 20: Syracuse Mets 12, Charlotte Knights 5
And now, the beginning of the end, with the Knights at 35-35 and with a chance at a .500 second half to build toward in 2025.

Syracuse said: NO.

The Mets moved out to a 10-0 lead through two, and given a triplet of runs scored in the garbage-time ninth inning, this game was WAY less close than indicated by the final score. Cory Abbott, nearly heroic as a forced rotation piece rather than the spot-starter/swingman/long arm role he’s suited for, wore it for Charlotte tonight. For a second straight game — to less effect — the top of the order carried the offense, this time around Mark Payton/Corey Julks/Tim Elko combining for nearly all of the clubbing output: 7-for-12, four runs, two RBIs, three walks, K, two doubles. Edgar Quero got back behind the plate after missing five weeks; the Mets ran wild on him.

GAME MVP
Mark Payton (LF) 3-for-4, 2 R, 2B, BB

September 21: Syracuse Mets 10, Charlotte Knights 3
What a disheartening way to end a season. If this were the old days, when 20 players could be called up to the majors for a September cup of coffee, OK. But this was the second straight game where a taxed pitching staff just had to eat it. Touki Toussaint destroyed his Triple-A season this time around, with eight earned runs in the process of two outs, swelling his season ERA from sub-five to six-plus.

GAME MVP
Trey McGough (RHRP) 3 IP, 3 H, 3 K, 30-for-38 strikes

September 22: Syracuse Mets 5, Charlotte Knights 4 (10 innings)
Well, at least it wasn’t a rout? Fans in Syracuse, not getting enough of their 77-71 Mets, were treated to an extra stanza of baseball in finishing the season out. Unfortunately for Knights faithful, the season ended with a third straight loss, and a heartbreaker at that after rallying to tie with two runs in the top of the ninth. Those clutch RBIs would be highlighted here, but they both came on ground outs, so, pfft. Notable, in the 10th, Tim Elko was thrown out trying to steal third as the Manfred Man; crazy, right, your top clubber stealing bags? Well, Elko was safe, and that sort of call can tend to deflate a club in the razor wire extras of today. Umps, if you want to go home to start the offseason, just call the game, don’t put us through a charade.

GAME MVP
Rafael Ortega (CF) 3-for-4, R, RBI, 36.0% WPA

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Tim Elko photo by Laura Wolff/Charlotte Knights