COLUMBUS, OH - Over 9,000 fans turned out on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon as the Columbus Clippers closed out a successful homestand against Iowa with a 6-3 victory. The Clippers won five out of the six games against the visiting Cubs.
Kahlil Watson swung the game with a 3-run bomb in the bottom of the 3rd inning, his 19th homer of the 2026 campaign.
The reigning International League Player of the Month, Ralphy Velazquez, crushed a massive solo home run down the right field line in the 6th to make it a 5-2 Clippers lead.
Kyle Manzardo also had a couple RBI for the victorious Clippers, effectively making the Cubs pitchers look like a bunch of wet noodles.
The pitching star of the day for Columbus was right-hander Hunter Stanley (3-2). He entered the game in the top of the 5th and delivered 4.0 innings of very solid relief work, allowing just one unearned run on two hits with three punchouts.
The victory gives Columbus a record of 74-61 for the season, while Iowa leaves town much worse for the wear at 57-78. Now with a second half record of 33-28, the Clippers remain in the thick of the playoff hunt in the wild-but-true twenty-team International League free-for-all.
The Clippers embark on their final road trip of the season this week in Louisville. Columbus returns home for the last Tansky Tuesday Dime-A-Dog Night of 2026 on September 15 against the St. Paul Saints. The series includes Ohio State Night on Friday, September 18 and the annual Clippers 5K event on Sunday, September 20 before the season finale. Get Clippers tickets with lower online fees than ever at ClippersBaseball.com.
