C’s are back on top 👑 The Canadians now lead 4-3 #AtTheNat
Blue Jays Minor League Musings: Canadians’ magic number for NWL Championship Series sits at two
Photo credit: Vancouver Canadians PR
Aug 31, 2026, 16:45 EDT
The High-A Vancouver Canadians are on the cusp of booking their ticket to the Northwest League Championship Series.
With a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over Spokane on Sunday, the Toronto Blue Jays’ High-A affiliate’s magic number sits at just two to punch what will likely be their fourth trip to the Championship Series in the five seasons.
Sunday’s game didn’t start great for the lone Canadian minor league club, as Tommy Hopfe hit a solo home run in the top of the third. In the top of the fourth, Spokane scored two more runs. But the C’s fought back, first with Ryan Sprock hitting his fourth home run since the Blue Jays acquired him from the Minnesota Twins.
Down two entering the bottom of the fifth, Maddox Latta hit a first-pitch lead-off home run, his ninth of the season, to cut the lead to one. The C’s kept the pressure on, with Jaxson West following Latta with a single. JoJo Parker hit a two-out single, bringing up Jake Casey. On a 1-0 count, the outfielder hit his 11th double in High-A to cash in the game-tying and game-tying runs.
Five of the six C’s hits came in that two inning stretch. Parker’s four-game multi-hit streak came to an end, while Casey was the big standout from this game. He went 1-2 with two RBIs and two walks.
On the mound, Silvano Hechavarria went four and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs (two earned) and striking out two. Bradley Wilson threw eight consecutive strikes with two strikeouts in the top of the ninth, but his immaculate inning bid was broken up after throwing a ball in the dirt. Still, he picked up his second save since joining the organization after striking out four over two and two-thirds innings.
The C’s got some help in the out of town scoreboard as well. Only the Everett AquaSox have a say in whether or not the C’s punch their ticket to the NWL Championship Series, but they fell on Sunday evening. Now sitting four games back, the C’s need to win just two of their last six games to make the Championship Series, as they have the tiebreaker over the AquaSox.
Also in the lower-minors, the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays swept their doubleheader, winning 4-3 in the first game and 8-3 in the second. Josh Winckowski started the 4-3 win, going one and two-thirds innings with two walks and two strikeouts. Denis Samudio struck out six, but gave up three earned runs over three and one-third innings.
None of the D-Jays’ five hits were of the extra-base variety, with Jake Cook’s two-hit, two-RBI game being the standout performance with the bats. The same cannot be said for the D-Jays’ 8-3 win. Aldo Gaxiola’s recent hot streak continued, hitting a grand slam for his 17th long-ball of the season in a two-hit effort.
GAX GOES GRAND🤩 Aldo Gaxiola's 17th home run of the season is a grand slam, his fifth homer over his last seven games😱
Enmanuel Bonilla also had a two-hit game, while Brayden Martin went 3-3 with three singles. Like Gaxiola, Juan Sanchez hit a double, while Jake Bennett hit his fifth home run since the Blue Jays selected him in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Neither upper-minor Blue Jays affiliate won on Sunday. The Triple-A Buffalo Bisons fell 9-7 to the Rochester Red Wings, but Sean Keys hit his 28th home run of the season, as well as his 11th Triple-A double. Nick Goodwin and Lenyn Sosa each hit a double, with the latter finishing with two hits. Also finishing with two hits was Peyton Williams, who hit his third Triple-A blast.
KEYS BLAST 💥
Joe Mantiply pitched a third of an inning, walking a batter and giving up a hit. Lázaro Estrada gave up an earned run over his inning of work, as did Daniel Guerra. However, Guerra also struck out the side. Chad Dallas pitched a clean inning with a strikeout, while Brendan Cellucci struck out two in a clean inning.
The Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats fell 6-2 to the Hartford Yard Goats. Cutter Coffey went 2-4 with his fourth double of the season, one of two players with a two-hit game. J.R. Freethy also notched two hits, but the Fisher Cats’ biggest hit of the game belonged to Carter Cunningham, who hit his 18th home run of the season.
Cunningham's second homer of the week!
Despite being tagged with the loss, Austin Cates had a solid performance, giving up two earned runs over six innings of work with four strikeouts.
Next week, the Canadians take on the last-placed Tri-City Americans in their final six games. The D-Jays are also set to play their final series, taking on the Florida State League West-leading Tampa Tarpons. As for the Fisher Cats, they have two more series remaining this season, traveling to Binghamton to face the Rumble Ponies this week. The Bisons have three series remaining, hosting the Worcester Red Sox for six games this week.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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