The IronPigs escapes their second game from the break with a win over Worcester on Saturday night.
Kody Clemens got the scoring started in the first inning via home run and ultimately Cal Stevenson working a walk got Lehigh Valley the win.
It was in the bottom of the third that IronPigs history was made, however. Darick Hall hit a solo home run off of Jason Alexander (not the Seinfeld actor) to reach 70 home runs in his career in AAA Lehigh Valley.
That puts him alone in the top spot for the franchise.
Hall had originally pulled into a nice tie at 69 with the previous record holder, Andy Tracy, who is currently in his fifth season with the Columbus Clippers (AAA, Cleveland Guardians) and his fourth as their manager.
Some of the more recent top power hitters to spend time with the franchise include Rhys Hoskins and Dylan Cozens.
Hall now has a slash line of .257/.328/.410 on the season with 10 home runs. It’s a bit below his numbers from the past two seasons, but he’s been very productive in AAA nonetheless (30 runs, 43 RBIs).
It’s hard to not like having a slugger who may be ready for the majors waiting in the wings, but it remains to be seen how long Hall, who is still on the Phillies 40-man roster, may be able to stick with the franchise. The primary issue for Hall is that the Phillies are seemingly locked into Bryce Harper at first for the next seven years and Kyle Schwarber, who is a poor defender anywhere, is still under contract next season, leaving the two positions that Hall could occupy effectively blocked for quite a but of time.
For now, though, Hall will be able to continue to showcase his talents at AAA where he can help the IronPigs (currently tied for first place) to shoot for one of the two playoff berths in the East division.
If he can show another increase in his numbers after pitchers have adjusted to him so many times in AAA already, it should signal to teams he has the ability to make those adjustments himself and hit pitchers that attack him differently.
The IronPigs are currently tied for first with a 13-7 record in the second half, along with Syracuse (Mets, already secured first-half playoff bid) and Rochester (Nationals).
