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Ontario, CA - March 17: Home of the Buzzers is painted above the home team dugout as the wraparound screen lit up as construction continues for opening day, April 2nd, at Ontario Tower Buzzer Stadium in Ontario on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (Photo by Terry Pierson/MediaNews Group/The Press-Enterprise via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
Oklahoma City lost in walk-off fashion on Thursday night, but for the first time this season they did not have the Dodgers minor league stage to themselves. Tulsa and its many prospects got off on the right foot, and Ontario ushered in a new stadium with plenty of pomp and circumstance.
Among the Dodgers contingent to show up for the Tower Buzzers’ first game were Jaime Jarrín, Steve Sax, Shawn Green, Mickey Hatcher, Darry Strawberry, Eric Davis, Rick Dempsey, and Joe Kelly.
Player of the day
Tulsa Drillers left-hander Luke Fox got the opening day start and did not disappoint, matching his career high with eight strikeouts in six strong innings, allowing only one run on three hits and no walks. The lone run came on a solo home run in his final frame.
Fox struck out eight twice last May for High-A Great Lakes, two months before getting promoted to Double-A. Dating back to last season, Fox has lasted at least six innings in four of his last six starts.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
A 2-0 lead didn’t hold, as the Oklahoma City Comets allowed two runs in the eighth then a walk-off two-run home run in the ninth to lose to the Las Vegas Aviators (Athletics).
Keynan Middleton loaded the bases and left with one out in the eighth inning. Kyle Hurt entered and struck out Zack Gelof, but couldn’t escape the frame before allowing a game-tying single to Colby Thomas.
In a tie game in the ninth, Antoine Kelly did not record an out. He walked his first batter before Joey Meneses took him deep to end the game.
Ryan Ward homered and doubled in the loss. James Tibbs III hit his fourth home run in six games.
Double-A Tulsa
The Drillers backed Fox by peppering the San Antonio Missions (Padres) with single runs in five different innings in a 5-1 win on opening night.
Josue De Paula had two hits, walked, stole a base, and scored a run. One of his hits drove in Kendall George, who doubled.
Zyhir Hope also had an RBI single, and shortstop Elijah Hainline singled, walked, stole a base, and scored two runs.
Christian Suárez, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch for being part of the World Baseball Classic champion Venezuela squad, also threw the final 15 pitches of the game with a scoreless ninth inning to finish off the victory.
Class-A Ontario
A five-run third inning put the Ontario Tower Buzzers behind most of the night. Their comeback fell short in a loss the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres).
Outfielder Brendan Tunink was drafted in the eighth round in 2024 and this offseason was ranked 18th among Dodgers prospects by Baseball America.
“Tunink is one of the most athletic players in the Dodgers’ system, but he has clear holes to fix before he can get the most out of his ability,” said BA’s scouting report. “Tunink makes plenty of impact when he connects, as shown by a 90th percentile exit velocity of 102.6 mph.”
Tunink on Thursday made plenty of impact, hitting not only the first home run in Ontario franchise history but also the second. A memorable full-season level debut for the 20-year-old.
FIRST HOMERUN BY BRENDAN TUNINKpic.twitter.com/jXjNFnkCcI
— Ontario Tower Buzzers (@towerbuzzers) April 3, 2026
Center fielder Jaron Elkins had two hits and stole a base in two attempts. Emil Morales walked twice and scored a run. Third baseman Chase Harlan had three hits, including a triple.
Brady Smith started and pitched the first two inning in scoreless fashion. But then he allowed a double and single before getting pulled in the five-run third inning.
Transactions
Triple-A: On Wednesday, Oklahoma City placed Chris Campos and Antonio Knowles on the 7-day injured list. Knowles pitched once for the Comets, with 1 1/3 scoreless innings last Saturday, while Campos hasn’t yet pitched this season. Of note, River Ryan will join Oklahoma City and start Saturday in Las Vegas, per broadcaster Alex Freedman.
Thursday scores
Friday schedule
- 3:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Sterling Patick) vs. Fort Wayne [Padres] (Kash Mayfield)
- 5 p.m.: Tulsa (Adam Serwinowski) vs. San Antonio (Miguel Mendez)
- 6:35 p.m.: Ontario (TBA) vs. Lake Elsinore (TBA)
- 7:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Ryder Ryan) at Las Vegas (Joey Estes)
Opening day for High-A Great Lakes.
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