Wednesday afternoon at VyStar Ballpark: Heriberto Hernández connected on a Riley Gowens pitch in the bottom of the ninth, and circled the bases on what was, for a moment, a walk-off three-run home run.
Then came the review. According to the Jumbo Shrimp's own release, Hernández was ruled out for being physically assisted by a teammate as he made his way to home plate. The Knights' release described the play as an RBI walk-off double; Jacksonville's described it as a two-run walk-off triple with Hernández out at home. The MLB line score went with 7-6 — meaning one run came home on the play, and the other two did not. Final: Jacksonville 7, Charlotte 6.
It was Game 2 of the road trip. Game 1 had gone differently.
Tuesday: A Triple-A Debut and a Win
Two Charlotte Knights made their 2026 Triple-A debuts in the series opener: outfielder Braden Montgomery, getting his first International League action, and starting pitcher Shane Murphy, who had spent limited time with the Knights in 2024 and 2025. Montgomery walked. Murphy pitched.
Murphy went five innings, allowed three runs, and earned the first Triple-A win of his career. The bullpen took it from there. Chris Murphy, Tyler Schweitzer, and Ben Peoples — who picked up his first save of the season — combined for four perfect innings. Charlotte retired the last 13 Jumbo Shrimp hitters.
The offense did just enough. In the top of the fourth, Jacob Gonzalez walked, advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw, and scored on a wild pitch. Jacksonville answered with two in the bottom of the inning. Then the Knights put up a three-run fifth: a sacrifice fly from Mario Camilletti — who walked Memphis off in the tenth a month ago — followed by a Josh Breaux two-run home run to make it 4-2. Ryan Galanie added a solo shot in the sixth for insurance. Final: 5-3 Charlotte, in front of 7,732 at VyStar.
The win was Charlotte's third in a row, going back to Sunday's walk-off finale against Gwinnett. It moved the Knights to 17-17 on the season. Charlotte now leads all of Triple-A in run differential, at plus-35.
It was also the team's first return to VyStar since last month's six-game series in Jacksonville, which the defending Triple-A champion Jumbo Shrimp won four games to two.
Wednesday: A 3-0 Lead, a 6-4 Lead, and the Walk-Off That Wasn't
Game 2 was a 12:05 first pitch. Charlotte built a 3-0 lead through five and a half innings. In the top of the fifth, Caden Connor reached on a fielder's choice ahead of a Dru Baker two-run home run — Baker's third of the year — off Jacksonville starter Patrick Monteverde. In the top of the sixth, LaMonte Wade Jr. took Josh White deep to right field for his fourth home run.
The lead probably should have been larger. Jacksonville saved a pair of runs early on a diving catch. The Charlotte offense kept making contact the rest of the afternoon; the contact kept finding the wrong places. In the seventh, Michael Turner was called out trying to stretch a single into a double, and a Caden Connor double missed being a home run by inches. In the eighth, Korey Lee crushed what would have been a two-run shot, and the ball leaked foul.
The Jacksonville rally, when it came, was efficient. In the bottom of the sixth, off Charlotte reliever Lucas Sims, the Jumbo Shrimp scored four runs on two hits — both singles. The damage came on three walks, two wild pitches that brought home runners, and RBI singles from Hernández and Johnny Olmstead. Charlotte trailed 4-3 for the first time all afternoon.
The Knights answered in the eighth. Braden Montgomery singled. Jacob Gonzalez doubled. An error brought Montgomery in to tie the game at four. Two batters later, Connor blooped a two-run single to shallow left-center, and Charlotte led 6-4 going to the bottom of the inning.
That lead did not last the inning. With two outs, Acosta walked, advanced to second on an errant pickoff throw by Riley Gowens, and Olmstead followed with a two-run home run that tied the game at six.
Then came the ninth. Gowens stayed in. With one out, Agustín Ramírez and Deyvison De Los Santos delivered consecutive singles. Hernández hit the ball over the wall.
What the Rule Says
The Official Baseball Rules prohibit a teammate from physically assisting a runner during or immediately following a play. The umpires ruled that Hernández had been physically assisted as he crossed home plate. He was declared out. The ball — which had cleared the wall — was officially recorded as a double, according to the Knights' release. Jacksonville's release scored the same play as a triple. The MLB line score, which is the one that decides the final, has it as 7-6: one run home on the play, the other two not credited.
The play and the ruling are both rare. The next-best comparison may have to be invented.
What's Next
The Knights are 17-18 after Wednesday — under .500 again, less than a day after they got back to even. The Jacksonville series is tied 1-1 with four games left through Sunday. Charlotte sends right-hander Duncan Davitt to the mound Thursday at 7:05 ET opposite Jacksonville left-hander Thomas White.
Three storylines worth tracking alongside the games. Oliver Dunn was named International League Player of the Week on Tuesday — the first Knights player this season to take an IL weekly award — after going 10-for-24 with three home runs and 11 RBI against Gwinnett. Braden Montgomery is on the Triple-A roster now. Shane Murphy has a rotation spot to defend.
The next game is Thursday. The walk-off rule, presumably, will not feature.