COLUMBUS, OH (August 19, 2026) - They hit two home runs before the rain came on Wednesday night. Once the game resumed on Thursday morning, they hit five more, tying a season-high with seven long balls. Not to be overshadowed, the pitcher’s fanned a season-tying high 16. In the end the St. Paul Saints flexed their way to a 10-2 beatdown of the Columbus Clippers in the resumed game from Wednesday night at Huntington Park.
On the first pitch of the game Jenkins drilled an opposite field solo homer, his eighth of the season, putting the Saints up 1-0. It was the 11th home run to lead off a game for the Saints, and the fourth on the first pitch of the game.
Tristan Gray hit his first homer with the Saints, a solo shot to right with one out in the second, upping the lead to 2-0. It was the Saints 200th home run of the season becoming the second fastest International League to 200 home runs, 121 games, since stats became available in 2005. The only team to do it in fewer games was the Omaha Storm Chasers, in 119 games, in 2021.
After the rain halted play on Wednesday night Trent Baker took over for Ricky Castro, who went 2.1 hitless, scoreless innings and fanned five, with runners at first and second and one out and a 2-0 count on Daniel Schneeman. After a walk loaded the bases, Baker punched out the next two hitters to end the threat.
Ralphy Velazquez led off the fourth for the Clippers with a solo homer to center, his 16th of the season, cutting the Saints lead to 2-1.
Jenkins came calling again in the fifth. After a David Bañuelos single, Jenkins crushed a two-run homer to right, his second of the game and ninth of the season, putting the Saints up 4-1. Jenkins went 2-4 with two home runs, three RBI, and two runs scored.
Gabby Gonzalez and Gray went back-to-back to start the sixth, their 14th and second, respectively. For Gonzalez, he has now homered in back-to-back games and it was the seventh time Gray had homered twice in a game, and first time since 2023. Gray went 2-5 with two home runs, two RBI, and two runs scored.
Kyle Manzardo led off the bottom of the inning with a solo homer to right, his fourth of the season, making it 6-2. Baker went 4.1 innings allowing two runs on four hits while setting a career-high in strikeouts out of relief with eight.
For the first time in his career Gonzalez had a multi-homer game. Emmanuel Rodriguez led off the eighth with a walk and Gonzalez delivered a two-run homer to left, his second of the game and 15th of the season, pushing the Saints lead to 8-2. Gonzalez went 3-4 with two homers, three RBI, and two runs scored. It was the third time in franchise history the Saints have had three players have a multi-homer game. The other two times were June 5, 2022 when Spencer Steer, who had three, Caleb Hamilton, and Alex Kirrilloff and June 13, 2024 when Michael Hellman, Matt Wallner, and Yunior Severino.
Rodriguez put the exclamation point on the seven homer game in the ninth. After Kala’i Rosario was hit by a pitch, Rodriguez went the opposite way with a two-run homer to left, his seventh of the season and first since coming off the injured list, upping the lead to 10-2.
Eric Orze pitched 1.1 innings of perfect relief and Marco Raya struck out the side in the ninth.