Clifford homers, Wenninger shines as Syracuse tops Rochester 3-1

Jack Wenninger gave Syracuse the kind of start that makes a six-game series feel manageable from the first pitch. With the Mets already coming off a rain-shortened 3-2 loss to Rochester the night before, Wenninger quieted the Red Wings and helped Syracuse secure a 3-1 win in the opener at NBT Bank Stadium.

Ryan Clifford set the tone immediately. He led off the first inning with a drive to right-center for his sixth home run of the season, a blast that put Syracuse ahead 1-0 and tied him for second among Mets minor leaguers at the time. The Mets added to the lead in the second when Hayden Senger doubled home Yonny Hernández, then stretched it to 3-0 in the third on Christian Arroyo’s RBI single after A.J. Ewing and Nick Morabito reached base. Rochester spent the rest of the night trying to recover from that early punch.

Wenninger made sure the Red Wings never fully did. The 24-year-old left-hander allowed four hits over six scoreless innings and struck out six, lowering his season ERA to 1.27. That mark stood as the best in the International League and the second-best among Mets minor leaguers, a strong indication that the organization’s No. 6 prospect was settling into Triple-A with real command. The Mets drafted Wenninger in the sixth round in 2023 out of the University of Illinois, and the outing moved him to 3-1 with a 1.27 ERA in six starts.

Rochester finally broke through in the eighth when Dylan Crews doubled in the Red Wings’ only run, but by then the game was already in Syracuse’s hands. Alex Carrillo worked through a tense eighth inning, and Anderson Severino finished the last two outs in the ninth for his fourth save in four opportunities, good for a tie for second in the International League. Syracuse did not need a late surge or a flurry of insurance runs. Wenninger’s start, Clifford’s first-inning homer and a quick three-run cushion were enough to turn the opener into a controlled win.

The game drew 1,511 fans, started at 6:36 p.m. and lasted 2 hours and 34 minutes.