The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

TAHNAJ Thomas and his Greensboro Grasshoppers are headed to the championship series in Minor League Baseball’s High-A East League.

The Grasshoppers will face the Bowling Green Hot Rods in a best of five series which opens September 21 at First National Bank Field in Greensboro, North Carolina. First pitch is set for 6:30 pm local time.

Both teams emerged from the East League’s Southern Division. The Hot Rods topped the division and overall league standings at 82-36 while the Grasshoppers finished 74-46.

The format for the MiLB High-A 2021 postseason consists of two teams per league in a single best-of-5 series to decide the title. The two championship participants for each league (regardless of division) were decided based on regular season standings.

Hudson Valley topped the North Division at 71-49.

Greensboro will also host game two of the series on September 22. Following a travel day on September 23, the series will shift to Bowling Green where the Hot Rods will host games three, four and five (if necessary), September 24-26.

Greensboro was 38-20 in road games this season, the fewest road losses of any team in the High-A East. They also finished 22-12 this season against teams that are .500 or above.

Thomas, the No 13 ranked prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ organisation, recently returned from a week-long stint on the injured list (September 9).

In 16 appearances this season, all starts, the 6’5” right handed pitcher finished with a 3-3 record in 60.2 innings, with 62 strikeouts, an ERA of 5.19 and a 1.58 WHIP.

In 2019 with the Bristol Pirates of the Appalachian League, Thomas finished with a 2-3 win-loss record which also included 59 strikeouts - the most for any Bristol pitcher since 2012. In 12 starts, he pitched 48.1 innings with a 3.17 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. As the MiLB returned after a COVID-19 canceled 2020 season, Thomas was promoted to the Grasshoppers and High-A baseball.

In his first two appearances, he had 15 strikeouts in seven innings and allowed just three hits, one earned run and four walks.

In his first win of the season Thomas finished with five strikeouts and one walk in the Grasshoppers’ 7-4 win over the Winston Salem Dash. In his final win of the season he pitched five innings and finished with four strikeouts, and allowed four runs in a 19-11 win over the Ashville Tourists.