The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels defeated the Clearwater Threshers 6-4 in 10 innings Sunday at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla., closing the 2026 season with multiple all-time franchise records.
Fort Myers finished 68-60 overall and 31-32 in Florida State League play. The victory ended a five-game losing streak, and the Mighty Mussels finished 8-4 in extra-inning games.
Fort Myers sets franchise offensive marks
The Mighty Mussels established franchise records since 1992 in on-base percentage and OPS. Fort Myers raised the on-base percentage mark from .345 to .365 and the OPS record from .749 to .769, surpassing the 2013 Miracle team in both categories.
Fort Myers also tied the 2013 team for the franchise season-long slugging percentage record at .404. The Mighty Mussels finished with 129 home runs, passing the previous record of 103 set in 2023, and 288 stolen bases, passing the previous record of 236 set in 2025.
The 288 stolen bases led the Florida State League by 15, while the 129 home runs ranked third. Fort Myers also recorded 186 roster transactions, used 96 players and had 18 rehabbers, while 31 players were promoted to higher levels in the Minnesota Twins organization.
Carson Tinney delivers in the 10th
Fort Myers and Clearwater entered the 10th inning tied 2-2. Jimmy Keenan delivered a two-out single to put the Mighty Mussels ahead 3-2, and Merphy Hernandez walked before Carson Tinney hit a three-run home run to right field for a 6-2 lead.
The home run was Tinney’s eighth in 24 games and moved him into a tie for the second-most home runs in the Florida State League since his debut July 30. Clearwater scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the 10th, but Brad Rudis induced a flyout with the winning run at the plate.
Fort Myers pitching limits Clearwater
Eric Hammond retired the first six batters he faced and finished with four scoreless innings, five strikeouts and no walks. He faced two batters above the minimum.
Clearwater first baseman Jack Hopko recorded the first hit of the game with a leadoff single in the third inning. Colby Turner reached on a leadoff error in the fourth, stole second and scored when Quentin Young singled to center.
Melvin Rodriguez allowed Clearwater to take a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning before Jake Covey entered and retired the next two batters. Bryce Fowler extended his hitting streak to seven games with a single in the eighth inning.
Hendry Chivilli, Nick McAuliffe, Rainer Marin and Brad Rudis held Clearwater to two hits over the final four innings without allowing an earned run. Marin earned the win and improved to 2-0.
Roster turnover defined the season
Four players who were on the active roster on opening day remained with Fort Myers at the end of the season: Bryan Acuna, Quentin Young, Adam Falinski and Eric Hammond. Falinski spent May and June in High-A with the Cedar Rapids Kernels before returning to Single-A.
Jason Reitz, Matt Barr and Callan Fang opened the season on the injured list and finished the year healthy with Fort Myers. The Mighty Mussels return to action in April 2027.
Source: Original report