Dru Baker
Coverage (3 articles)
Knights Finish 81-68 With Winning Halves, Miss the Playoffs
Charlotte won its last two games at Norfolk to finish 81-68, tied for the fourth-best record in the International League. By the club's count it was the first 80-win season since 2012. It was not a playoff season, because the league picks its postseason clubs by half.
Knights Finally Win an Eighth Inning, Beat Buffalo 5-4
Charlotte had lost the eighth inning twice in a row. Wednesday night it took a sacrifice fly and a bad throw to win one there, 5-4 over Buffalo. And the standings page most people check is not the race the Knights are in.
Knights Out-Hit Durham All Weekend and Still Lost the Series
The Charlotte Knights out-hit Durham all weekend and still lost the series two games to one, stranding fourteen runners in a 3-2 finale loss Sunday. Rikuu Nishida and Dru Baker both went 3-for-4, but Charlotte could not come through when it counted. The Knights return home to Truist Field for a six-game homestand against Norfolk starting Tuesday.