Mets' Double-A affiliate caps historic season with Eastern League title

Double-A Binghamton's record-setting season just got even more memorable.

After racking up a franchise-best 90 wins in the regular season, the Rumble Ponies put the perfect bow on top by winning the Eastern League championship for the first time since 2014. Binghamton became the second Mets affiliate to win a title following High-A Brooklyn's South Atlantic League crown last week.

The Rumble Ponies upended a two-time defending champion to take home their fourth crown in franchise history. After dropping the Finals opener on Sunday, Binghamton bested Erie, 5-4, on Tuesday to set up an 8-2 victory in the finale at UPMC Park.

Through the first five frames of Wednesday's contest, Jack Wenninger (NYM No. 13) took center stage. The 23-year-old right-hander carved through the lineup of Tigers prospects, fanning 11 while allowing two runs on three hits and two walks. The standout performance was his second gem of the playoffs. In Game 2 of the semifinals, Wenninger notched nine punchouts over six scoreless innings and transformed into the Rumble Ponies’ strongest arm of the postseason.

“He's not shy of the big moment,” Binghamton manager Reid Brignac said. “He wants the ball. He wants to carry the team. He did an outstanding job tonight again, just mixing pitches, changing speeds.”

Offensively, the bats came alive in the sixth. Mets No. 6 prospect Jacob Reimer led off the frame with a solo homer. Two batters later, Chris Suero (NYM No. 15) launched a two-run moonshot to give Binghamton a three-run lead.

The offense tacked on three more runs in the ninth and Joander Suarez, TJ Shook and Carlos Guzman combined for four scoreless innings of relief to finalize the win.

Binghamton was one of just two Minor League clubs to win 90+ games in 2025 (Detroit's High-A affiliate West Michigan, the Midwest League champion, was the other). The Rumble Ponies were the first Eastern League team since 2017 to reach the 90-win mark, and just the second since at least 2005.

For the majority of the 136-game season, the Rumble Ponies were headlined by a trio of top Mets prospects -- No. 2 Jett Williams (MLB No. 29), No. 4 Jonah Tong (MLB No. 43) and No. 8 Ryan Clifford.

“Three great human beings, first off,” Brignac said. “High character, hardworking, coachable, all the things that you want as a manager or coach. Just to see their growth and their progress over the year, it's been nothing short of amazing.”

Williams suited up for 96 games at Double-A en route to being named the Eastern League's Top MLB Prospect. The 2022 first-rounder swiped 32 bases and hit 10 homers for Binghamton, accumulating an .867 OPS, the second-best mark on the circuit among qualifiers.

Tong, a finalist for MiLB’s Pitching Prospect of the Year, also was named the league's Pitcher of the Year. Over 102 innings, the Canada native posted a 1.59 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. Tong also racked up 162 of his Minor League-leading 179 strikeouts at Double-A and handled the brunt of Binghamton's perfect game on May 11.

Rounding out the group was Clifford. The Mets’ Minor League home run leader -- 29 big flies across two levels -- led the circuit with 24 homers. Additionally, his 75 RBIs ranked second, earning him a spot on the Eastern League All-Star Team.

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At the time of the trio’s promotion, Binghamton sported a gaudy 71-35 record. In the ensuing games, the club went 19-11 before capping the memorable season with a triumphant postseason run.

“It's just the next-man mentality,” Brignac said. “We have a ton of confidence in our guys, and we want them to be confident when they go out there and pitch and play, and it's just great to see their growth.”