It didn't take long -- especially when watching Birmingham's box scores -- to see that something had changed with the run-scoring environment in Minor League Baseball in 2026.
As the season winds down, Baseball America's J.J. Cooper put it all in context, and came away calling it "the greatest offensive explosion the minors have seen in our lifetimes."
With just one week left in the regular season for Class A teams, two weeks for Double-A and three weeks for Triple-A, MiLB as a whole is averaging 5.4 runs per game per team this year. Not only is that 15% higher than last year, it’s far beyond any run scoring environment we’ve seen in the minors in at least the past 60 years. Last season, only the Pacific Coast League and California League averaged over five runs per game. This year, every full-season league is averaging over five runs per game.
As a frame of reference, consider that MLB has averaged more than five runs per game only three times since baseball was integrated in 1947. That’s just three times in 80 seasons. The only season in which MLB averaged over 5.3 runs per game since the World Series began in 1903 was in 1930, when the league averaged 5.5 runs per game. That means the 2026 MiLB run environment is similar to what was the most overheated offensive year in MLB history.
Back in May, Cooper speculated that the ball was the most likely cause, even if Major League Baseball didn't make any intentional changes. That notion is still leading the way, but he provides some supporting evidence from the Florida State League that younger hitters are also getting better at hitting balls that are better at challenging the fences, putting them in a position to benefit from any additional boost from manufacturing.
Gwinnett 4, Charlotte 2
- Rikuu Nishida went 2-for-3 with a sac bunt.
- Junior Pérez was 0-for-3 with a strikeout.
- Kyle Teel caught the whole game, going 1-for-3 with an HBP and a strikeout.
- Drew Thorpe: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 44 of 66 pitches for strikes.
- Huascar Brazobán: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 7 of 11 pitches for strikes.
Biloxi 6, Birmingham 5 (10 innings)
- Caleb Bonemer singled, walked, hit a sac fly, struck out twice and stole a base.
- Anthony DePino was 0-for-4 with a walk.
- Colby Shelton, 0-for-4.
- Ryan Burrowes went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Samuel Zavala was 1-for-3 with an HBP and a stolen base.
- Connor McCullough: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 2 HR, 45 of 70 pitches for strikes.
- Pierce George: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 17 of 26 pitches for strikes.
- Mathias LaCombe: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 7 of 11 pitches for strikes.
Winston-Salem 8, Rome 6 (12 innings)
- Javier Mogollón went 2-for-5 with a homer, HBP, strikeout and stolen base.
- Kyle Lodise was 2-for-5 a double, walk, strikeout and two stolen bases.
- George Wolkow wore the platinum sombrero, with an HBP and a stolen base.
- Jeral Perez went 1-for-5 with a strikeout.
- James Taussig singled and struck out four times.
- Max Banks: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 8 of 13 pitches for strikes.
Notes:
*Greenville beat Bowling Green, so the Dash are in first place by a game, but the 1½-game margin over Greenville is still what matters.
Kannapolis 9, Delmarva 8
- Jaden Fauske went 1-for-4 with a walk, strikeout and stolen base.
- Matthew Boughton was 0-for-4 with an HBP and a strikeout.
- Abraham Nunez was 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Braden Holcomb tripled, singled twice, got plunked and struck out.
- Christian Gonzalez pinch-ran for him and scored.
- Truman Pauley saved his best for last: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K, 55 of 84 pitches for strikes.
Highlights:
*Pauley broke Grant Umberger's single-season Kannapolis strikeout record, finishing with 120.
*The Shorebirds scored seven runs in the top of the ninth to take an 8-7 lead, with Garrett Cleavinger allowing all three inherited runners to score, but Grayson Fitzwater doubled home the tying run, and a Clay Burdette sac fly salvaged the ugly win.
