Jackson Cluff stepped to the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning on Easter Sunday at NBT Bank Stadium and sent a two-run home run over the wall to give the Syracuse Mets a 4-3 walk-off win over the Toledo Mud Hens.
It was the kind of moment that makes minor league baseball worth the price of a $12 ticket and a Hofmann hot dog.
The Game
Syracuse trailed 3-2 heading into the eighth. Cluff’s blast scored two, flipping the game and sending the Easter Sunday crowd home happy. It was the second walk-off of the young season and a signature moment for a team trying to find its footing after a slow start.
The Mets entered the week at 6-8 after dropping a 5-0 shutout to the Buffalo Bisons on Saturday, April 11. The series at Buffalo was a split: Syracuse took the Thursday finale 5-4 when Cluff hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh to drive in the go-ahead run. MJ Melendez doubled and scored in the same game.
The Player: Jackson Cluff
Cluff has been the early-season spark plug. The utility infielder has delivered in multiple clutch situations across the first two weeks, including the Easter walk-off and the series-clinching sac fly against Buffalo. He is the kind of player who might not make the New York Mets highlight reel but keeps the Syracuse lineup competitive every night.
EARLY SEASON SNAPSHOT
The Season So Far
Dick Scott returns for his fourth year as manager. The roster opened with notable names: MJ Melendez has been active at the plate, recording doubles and driving in runs through the first two weeks. Craig Kimbrel, Jose Aular, and Mike Baumann started the season on the development list.
The March 27 season opener at Worcester began a schedule that will keep Syracuse on the road heavily in April before the home schedule fills out in May and June.
NBT Bank Stadium
The stadium on Syracuse’s north side off I-81 remains one of the best values in CNY entertainment. The 10,815-seat ballpark has hosted professional baseball since 1997, and the summer calendar is packed: Tuesday dollar nights ($1 hot dogs and sodas), Friday fireworks after every home game, Saturday theme nights, and Sunday family days where kids run the bases post-game.
The parking is easy, the beer is cold, and the sunset from the third-base side is one of the better views in Syracuse.
APRIL RESULTS
WHY NBT BANK STADIUM IS WORTH YOUR TIME
What to Know
- Jackson Cluff hit a walk-off two-run homer on Easter Sunday to beat Toledo 4-3 at NBT Bank Stadium
- Syracuse is 6-8 through mid-April under fourth-year manager Dick Scott
- Cluff also drove in the go-ahead run in the 5-4 series finale win at Buffalo on April 9
- Syracuse dropped the final two at Buffalo (1-7 and 0-5)
- MJ Melendez has been active early with doubles and RBIs
- NBT Bank Stadium: 10,815 seats, north side of Syracuse off I-81
- Dollar Tuesdays, Friday fireworks, Sunday family days all summer
Hero photo: NBT Bank Stadium at sunset, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA). Sources: MiLB.com Syracuse Mets, Mets News and Links, OurSports Central.
