JUPITER, FL – Through three different rain delays and nearly four total hours from start to finish, the Jupiter Hammerheads walked off the Tampa Tarpons by a final score of 1-0 in game three of the Florida State League Championship Series on Wednesday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Jake McCutcheon delivered the walk-off, RBI double to score Josh Hogue from first base to deliver the victory. With this win, they clinch their second Florida State League Championship in four years.
Game three started exactly one hour after the originally scheduled first pitch time. After the first and top of the second innings were completed, the game entered a second delay which lasted over 30 minutes. Through the first five innings of the contest, both Jupiter starting pitcher Manuel Genao and Tampa starting pitcher J.T. Etheridge held the game scoreless and allowed a combined four hits.
Genao was lifted from his final start of the season with five innings pitched and allowed no runs, two hits, one walk, one hit-by-pitch, and struck out eight batters in a no-decision. Ethridge finished six shutout innings where he allowed three hits and seven strikeouts.
Elier Morillo (W, 1-0) was the first and only pitcher out of the Jupiter bullpen and pitched four shutout innings where he struck out eight hitters and allowed just one hit. Tampa relief pitcher Jose Ledesma finished with 1 1/3 scoreless innings to keep the game tied at 0-0.
With the game still scoreless into the bottom of the ninth inning, the game entered the third rain delay of the night. The game resumed as Hogue drew a leadoff walk against Tampa relief pitcher Rafael Arias (L, 0-1). After Luis Leon was called upon to pinch-run for Hogue, McCutcheon delivered a walk-off, RBI double into left-center field to score Leon from first base third base and sealed the 2026 Florida State League Championship with a 1-0 win over Tampa.
Between the regular season and postseason, Jupiter finished with six walk-off wins. With this win, the Hammerheads secured their second title in franchise history and second in four years after defeating the Clearwater Threshers in three games back in 2023.
Thank you to all the Hammerheads fans for following along and supporting the team all season long and we can’t wait to see you at the ballpark in 2027!
About Jupiter Stadium, LTD:
Opening in 1998, the 110-acre complex/stadium is specially designed to house two Major League and two Minor League Baseball Teams. The stadium is home to the Miami Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals for Spring Training. The Florida State League’s Jupiter Hammerheads (Class A Affiliate of the Miami Marlins) and Palm Beach Cardinals (Class A Affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals) make their home at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium from April through September. Branded as “America’s Busiest Ballpark,” this year-round facility can accommodate everything from birthday parties to corporate outings to tournaments, while never forgetting that every fan is our most important priority.