JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The National Championship match-up is set: it’s the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins) versus the Las Vegas Aviators (Athletics).
Crustacean Nation came out in droves Thursday night to see Jacksonville finish out its first playoff series since 2017 and its first at home in 11 years. Down in the first game, the Shrimp managed to force a third — and make it count — with a clutch win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
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The Shrimp started strong with 5 runs in the first inning and continued padding their early lead to 7-0 in the third. They carried that score all the way until the ninth, when the RailRiders managed their first run — and then three more. With bases loaded, the Shrimp just barely avoided an upset loss with a final strikeout.
The final score: 7-4.
Jacksonville now advances to the winner-take-all single-game Triple-A National Championship at the competition’s home turf on Saturday, September 27. First pitch is at 10:05 pm EST.
Thursday’s game marks Jacksonville’s first league victory in the Jumbo Shrimp era. It’s their eighth league championship in the Triple-A/Double-A era, which began in 1962. The Jacksonville Suns won the International League in 1968, the city’s final year in Triple-A until rejoining in 2021. The last time they won a league title was in 2014.
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