Isotopes score franchise-record 26 runs in rout of Chihuahuas

Albuquerque turned Friday night into a record book blowout, hanging 26 runs on El Paso in a 26-8 rout at Rio Grande Credit Union Field and setting the highest single-game total in Isotopes history. The outburst, completed in 3 hours, 19 minutes before 8,298 fans, pushed the club past its previous high of 23 and tied the most combined runs ever in an Isotopes game at 34.

The game never settled into anything resembling a normal Triple-A night. Every hitter in the Albuquerque lineup collected at least one hit, scored at least one run and drove in at least one run, a complete offensive performance that turned the box score into a cascade of one-sided numbers. The Isotopes finished with eight multi-hit performances, and seven players scored multiple runs and drove in multiple runs, a lineup-wide statement that buried El Paso long before the late innings.

Sterlin Thompson was the biggest reason the scoreboard kept spinning. The 24-year-old went 5-for-5 with two doubles, a home run and two walks, reaching base seven times and becoming the first Isotopes player to do that since at least 2005. Thompson, a Colorado Rockies first-round compensation pick in 2022, entered the night hitting .347 with a .480 on-base percentage and a .975 OPS at the Triple-A level in 2026, and he did nothing to slow that surge against the Chihuahuas.

Vimael Machín added to the avalanche by reaching base at least six times, with MiLB’s game recap noting that he entered the night leading the Pacific Coast League in batting average at .375 and on-base percentage at .500. That kind of depth made the evening feel even more lopsided for El Paso, which set a franchise record for most runs allowed in a game while absorbing the worst offensive beating in its own history.

The result carried league-wide weight, too. Albuquerque became only the third Pacific Coast League team since at least 2005 to score 26 or more runs in a game, underscoring just how rare the eruption was. The Isotopes kept the momentum going the next day as well, beating El Paso 17-7 on May 2, another lopsided finish in a series that quickly turned into an Albuquerque showcase.