This 2024 Frederick Keys season saw plenty of memories on and off the field en-route to the team’s second place overall finish, but ultimately 10 plays made the spotlight as the best moments from a historic 2024 campaign for the Keys.
Here are the top 10 moments from the 2024 Keys season:
- Elijah Dickerson Earns Walk-Off Win vs Scrappers to Begin First Homestand of the Second Half
The Keys took on the Mahoning Valley Scrappers on July 27 in the beginning of their first six-game homestand of the second half, and Elijah Dickerson capped off his impressive start in second half play with a walk-off RBI single to second, handing the Keys a come-from-behind win by a score of 6-5 on the annual Christmas in July game.
- Keys Win Sixth Straight Game in First Half at Williamsport
After starting off rather slow to begin the season, Frederick found a grove in late June during the first half with a six-game winning streak, capped off by a victory against the first half champion Williamsport Crosscutters by a score of 4-2. Led by a Daylan Pena solo home run and standout pitching from Evan Yates, P.J. Labriola, and Valek Cisneros out of the bullpen, the Keys recorded their sixth straight win on the road at Williamsport to finish 3-0 against them in the first half.
- Keys Welcome 8,246 Fans on July 3 vs Trenton (No 8 Top 10)
A record number of fans came to Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium on July 3 to watch an exciting Keys game against the Trenton Thunder while taking in a Fireworks Super Show. Despite the loss, it was the greatest number of fans to come to a Keys game in since they have been in the MLB Draft League, which dates back to 2021.
- Allan Gil-Fernandez Game Winning RBI 2B in Sudden Death vs West Virginia on Opening Night
The fireworks from the 2024 season started early on opening night, after Allan Gil-Fernandez recorded a game-winning RBI double in sudden death on the road against the two-time defending champion West Virginia Black Bears. His game-winning swing brought home the first win for the Keys throughout the entire 2024 season.
- Keys Win Season High Seventh Straight Game vs Thunder on August 17
On the road in Trenton, the Keys picked up their seventh straight win after taking down the Thunder 5-2 on the road at Trenton Thunder ballpark. Capped off by an incredible jumping catch from Tyeler Hawkins in left field The Keys put up four early runs on offense with Frederick then finishing with a three-run victory to record their season- high seven-game winning streak.
- 33 Runs in two days vs Williamsport on June 15 and 16
During the first weekend home series of the season, Frederick finished with 33 runs in just two games against the Williamsport Crosscutters after winning both contests 21-6 and 12-2 respectively. The 21 runs on the 15th were the most runs scored in any game this season for Frederick, as both wins came against the team that ended up winning the first half by 5.5 games in the Crosscutters.
- Sam Ruta Earns Walk-off Double on Night of Stadium Renovation Announcement
In the first game of the final homestand of the season, the Keys announced prior to the game that $39.1 million was coming into the stadium for renovations as Frederick enters a new era of baseball at Nymeo Field. Later that night, Sam Ruta delivered an RBI double into right-center field to hand his team the victory 5-4, all while keeping their playoff hopes alive.
- Christian Rodriguez Gets First Ever First Half Complete Game Performance Against Scrappers
Christian Rodriguez cemented himself in Keys history on the night of July 12 in an 8-2 win over the Mahoning Valley Scrappers at home, as he tossed the first ever first half complete game by any pitcher in the history of the Draft League. He also recorded 16 strikeouts which is a single game record in the Draft League over the last four seasons.
- Jake Curtis Records Complete Game Shutout on August 20 Against Crosscutters
Jake Curtis put himself all alone in league history after he tossed the first ever complete game shutout in the Keys Draft League history against the Williamsport Crosscutters back on August 20. In that game, Curtis finished with no runs allowed while allowing only four hits across nine innings of work and had seven strikeouts to lower his ERA at the time to a 2.25 mark.
- Keys Score Five Runs in Close to 6,000 Fans to Extend Playoff Hopes Over Black Bears
During the beginning of the final homestand of the season, the Keys saved one of their best moments for last after scoring five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning in a 6-4 win against the West Virginia Black Bears. In front of close to 6,000 fans on September 1, the Keys had their first seven base runners reach in a row with Sam Ruta, Keenan Taylor, and Elijah Dickerson all getting RBI singles to put the Keys in position to earn a series win and keep their playoff hopes alive heading into the final series of the season.
Relive every moment!