Luke Shliger paused to watch his first grand slam disappear into the right-field night at UPMC Park. By the time his second landed in the same direction five innings later, the Erie SeaWolves’ playoff opener had become an 18-6 rout of the Richmond Flying Squirrels—and Shliger had authored a performance worthy of the long look.
The catcher drove in eight runs with his two slams, going 2-for-4 with a walk as Erie opened the postseason with 18 runs and 17 hits. His first powered an eight-run first inning. His second, part of a five-run sixth, removed what little doubt remained after Richmond had cut into a once-massive lead.
Manager Tony Cappicelli had spent the pregame reflecting on a club that finished the regular season with the best record and won the second half.
“Finishing the regular season with the best record and winning the second half. Stuff we’re really proud of.”
— Tony Cappicelli, Erie SeaWolves Manager
Erie carried that confidence straight into its first turn at bat.
Richmond had taken a 1-0 lead against Lucas Elissalt in the top of the first, but the SeaWolves answered by sending 12 batters to the plate. Peyton Graham singled, Woody Hadeen walked and Zyhir Hope reached on an error before Andrew Jenkins was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, tying the game.
On Miguel Mendez’s next pitch, Shliger launched a drive high and deep to right. The ball carried beyond Dakota Jordan’s view, and a crowd that had just watched Richmond claim the lead was suddenly celebrating a 5-1 Erie advantage.
The inning kept rolling after Mendez departed. E.J. Exposito singled, Seth Stephenson brought him home and raced to third on Maui Ahuna’s throwing error, and Graham crushed a two-run homer to left that landed atop the arena. UPMC Park rocked as Erie’s lead reached 8-1.
The SeaWolves added four more in the second. Jenkins drove in Chris Meyers with a single, Exposito lined an RBI double to left and Stephenson plated two with a single to right. After Richmond had recorded six outs, Erie had built a 12-1 lead against three pitchers.
The breadth of the damage went well beyond Shliger. Exposito collected four hits in five at-bats, including his double. Stephenson went 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBIs, while Jenkins reached four times and drove in two. Graham finished with four RBIs and two runs.
That support gave Elissalt room to settle after Richmond collected three hits and a run in the first. He retired the side in order in the second and third, then worked around two singles in the fourth. Richmond scored twice in the fifth, but Elissalt completed the inning and earned the win with three earned runs allowed, four strikeouts and no walks over five innings.
Cappicelli had hoped before the game that his starter would respond after a pair of abbreviated outings.
“I mean, I want to see, you know, I want to see a good bounce back.”
— Tony Cappicelli, Erie SeaWolves Manager
Richmond pulled within 12-4 in the sixth, but any suggestion of a comeback lasted only until Shliger returned to the plate.
Hope had singled and Meyers walked against Shane Rademacher before Esmerlin Vinicio entered and walked Jenkins. With the bases loaded, Shliger drove a 1-2 offering deep to right for his second grand slam. The eruption inside UPMC Park matched the improbability of the moment: two swings, two slams and eight RBIs in a playoff opener.
Izaac Pacheco doubled and later scored on Graham’s groundout to complete the five-run sixth. Graham brought home Shliger with a forceout in the eighth for Erie’s final run.
Richmond, which finished with 15 hits, scored twice in the ninth against Wandisson Charles. By then, the night belonged entirely to Shliger and a SeaWolves lineup that had turned Game 1 into a celebration before the first inning was over.