READING, Pa. — The ball clanged off a light pole in right-center field, sending the announced crowd of 7,010 into a frenzy. It had been 31 years since the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils had won an outright Eastern League title, and the fans in attendance could sense that another one was coming after the clutch swing.
Locked in a tie with Erie in the bottom of the sixth in Game 2 of the best-of-three championship series, Fightins catcher Caleb Ricketts stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. He battled against right-hander Colin Fields, then clobbered a full-count cutter over the middle of the plate. He delivered the go-ahead grand slam that lifted Reading to an eventual 13-4 victory and an Eastern League crown on Tuesday night at FirstEnergy Stadium.
“That feeling was pretty unbelievable,” Ricketts said. “I’m glad I got to do my part and help us win, and we had a great team effort the whole time. I’m just fired up that we were able to win the whole thing.”
Ricketts has been part of Philadelphia’s organization since 2022, when he was drafted in the seventh round out of the University of San Diego. He reached Double-A Reading in 2024, repeated the level last year and split this season between Triple-A Lehigh Valley and the Fightins.
Last fall, the Phillies had Ricketts participate in their “stay-ready” camp at Lehigh Valley during the postseason, keeping in baseball shape in case the big-league team needed an emergency replacement. He played first base with the Phillies in an intrasquad scrimmage at Citizens Bank Park before the 2025 National League Division Series. Earlier this season, he had a 4-for-4 performance for the IronPigs with two doubles and two home runs, including a walk-off shot.
But no moment in the 26-year-old’s professional career could compare to what happened on Tuesday.
“That’s the one guy we’re (most) happy for,” Fightins manager Al Pedrique said, “because he got sent down. He was a little disappointed. But then he talked to the hitting coach. He made some adjustments with his swing. His makeup was outstanding since he came back, and I’m happy that he was the one that came through on the big hit for the team.”
Ricketts began the year with the IronPigs, then returned to the Fightins in June with a .173 batting average at Triple-A. Overall, he hit .216 with 15 home runs and a .658 OPS in 97 games between Reading and Lehigh Valley. He ultimately finished at a lower level than he started, but he stayed healthy this season after spending three stints on the injured list in 2024 and breaking his hand in 2025.
The left-handed hitter had a .773 OPS in 54 games for the Fightins and helped the club earn its first Eastern League postseason berth since 2019 with a 40-28 record in the second half. After Reading defeated Hartford in the first round of the playoffs, Ricketts drove in the sole run in a 1-0 Fightins win in Game 1 on Sunday. Two days later, he recorded the biggest hit of Reading’s season.
The Fightins trailed 3-2 in the sixth inning when they put their first three runners on base. Designated hitter Carson DeMartini drew a walk to bring in a run and even the score. That set the table for Ricketts, who came up an out later and didn’t miss his pitch to hit.
“I blacked out,” infielder and top hitting prospect Aidan Miller said. “I was on third base. I knew it was gone, and me and (bench coach) Marty (Malloy) were yelling at each other. It was just so cool.”
Reading kept piling on, and DeMartini fully broke Game 2 open with a grand slam of his own in the eighth. The Fightins celebrated. They popped bottles, drank beers and hopped in the swimming pool in right field after clinching. They continued the party that Ricketts started and took it deep into the night.
“I don’t have too many words,” Ricketts said. “It’s just excitement that I was able to help us have all this and celebrate as a group, because we did such a great job as a team the whole season.”
