Connor McCullough finished his season by pitching around Birmingham’s mistakes, surrendering almost nothing of his own and handing the bullpen a shutout to protect. Three relievers did exactly that, and the Barons eventually turned a tight game into a 7-0 victory over the Knoxville Smokies on Sunday at Regions Field.
McCullough allowed one hit across five scoreless innings, struck out three and did not issue a walk. Birmingham committed three errors behind him, including two by Colby Shelton, but none became a run. Knoxville’s only hit against McCullough was Kane Kepley’s soft bunt single in the third.
The right-hander earned the win, and Morris Austin, Liam Paddack and Jackson Kelley carried the shutout through the final four innings. Knoxville finished with two hits.
It was a fitting finish for a club that manager Pat Leland praised before the season finale, particularly for the way it stayed in the race deep into the second half.
“And to come back in the second half and be in it all the way until the last weekend of the season and pushing and trying to accomplish a collective goal, that’s been really rewarding for the group.”
— Pat Leland, Birmingham Barons Manager
McCullough pitched with a lead from the second inning on. Samuel Zavala walked, moved to second on Jacob Burke’s single and scored when Calvin Harris lined an RBI single into right-center. The ball split the open space, allowing Burke to take third as Birmingham went ahead 1-0.
That lone run was enough for the pitching staff. The Barons kept adding anyway.
Harris drew a leadoff walk in the fifth and scored from second on Alec Briley’s sacrifice fly into the right-center gap, challenging the outfield and making it home to double the lead. Birmingham loaded the bases in the sixth before Harris walked again, forcing in the third run.
Austin followed McCullough with two scoreless innings, working around two walks in the seventh and ending the threat with a strikeout. Paddack allowed Knoxville’s other hit, Andy Garriola’s eighth-inning single, but stranded two runners. Kelley struck out two in the ninth to complete the shutout.
By then, Zavala and Dylan Campbell had removed the suspense.
Campbell began the decisive burst with two outs in the seventh, lifting his ninth home run high toward left. It carried just over the 12-foot wall inside the foul pole. Shelton and Ryan Burrowes followed with line-drive singles to right, and Zavala sent a towering fly toward right-center that kept carrying beyond Garriola’s reach.
The three-run homer, Zavala’s 14th, completed a four-run inning and gave Birmingham its final margin. Zavala went 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs; Shelton and Burrowes also collected two hits apiece. The Barons finished with 11.
The performance brought Leland’s pregame description of the organization’s purpose into focus: development, but with the expectation that winning habits grow alongside individual players.
“We’re here to develop these guys. We’re here to try to win in the process, develop winning players.”
— Pat Leland, Birmingham Barons Manager
Birmingham’s final afternoon offered both sides of that mission. McCullough closed his year with five commanding innings, the bullpen finished his work, and a lineup led by Zavala turned a one-run game into a rout.
For Leland, it also closed a season in a city that quickly felt different to him.
“This is a special place. It didn’t take me long to figure that out.”
— Pat Leland, Birmingham Barons Manager