Fish swimming in success Goldeyes back in playoffs, attendance on the rise By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 5:23 PM CDT Thursday, Sep. 3, 2026 Last Modified: 12:02 PM CDT Friday, Sep. 4, 2026 Updates

Tip your cap to the Winnipeg Goldeyes — they’re having a fantastic season, both on and off the field.

From a pure baseball perspective, the Fish are flying high. Wednesday’s 6-2 victory in Fargo was the latest in a second-half surge that has helped punch their ticket to the American Association playoffs.

Winnipeg has officially locked up a post-season spot, meaning it will play for keeps for the 22nd time in 32 seasons.

The final five games of the regular season — including Thursday’s finale against the RedHawks in North Dakota, followed by four dates in Kansas City from Friday through Monday — will determine the final seeding and the Goldeyes’ first-round opponent.

A 53-42 record through 95 games is quite the turnaround from last year’s disappointing campaign, when Winnipeg went 41-58 and was relegated to the sidelines for the playoffs.

“I would just say that we were a lot more clutch this year than last year,” general manager Andrew Collier told the Free Press on Thursday about what’s changed for his club.

“We were a lot more clutch this year than last year.”

“We came through more often with guys on base. Pitching-wise, we did a good job of not giving away leads. I think we might have had two blown saves all year. Last year we lost so many one-run games. This year we did a better job of not letting those games get away from us.”

Much of the credit has to go to third-year skipper Logan Watkins and his staff, who have done a solid job filling holes on the roster and getting the most out of their players.

Winnipeg was 27-31 in late July, only to flip a switch and rip off a franchise-record 13-game winning streak. They haven’t looked back since.

“They have done a great job with this group. We had pitchers who had their contracts transferred early in the season and some pitching injuries throughout, but the coaches just pivoted and got the most out of the guys on the staff,” said Collier.

“Guys that were slated at the start of the year to be bullpen guys ended up starting and filled in very well. We had returning guys that elevated their game over last year, and new players that came in and have been key to our success this year. This is a fun group of players. They enjoy playing the game they love together. Clinching a spot is just the first step.”

Indeed, you won’t find any ‘happy to be here’ sentiments from this group.

The Goldeyes have their eyes set on a league championship, something they haven’t claimed since 2017. That year represented their second consecutive title and fourth in franchise history.

Winnipeg entered action Thursday night in second place in the West Division, two games behind first-place Kansas City. Fargo was four games behind the Goldeyes, while Sioux Falls and Sioux City were eight games back and tied for the fourth and final playoff spot.

The top team at season’s end Monday gets to choose whether it wants to face the third- or fourth-place team. The second-place team gets the other.

Both first-round series are best-of-three, with the lower-seeded team hosting Game 1 on Wednesday and the higher seed hosting Games 2 and 3, if necessary, next Friday and Saturday.

In other words, plan for post-season baseball at Blue Cross Park on Sept. 11 — and possibly Sept. 12 — likely against one of Fargo, Sioux Falls or Sioux City.

The divisional series and league championship series are both best-of-five, with those rounds running over the subsequent weeks. Milwaukee, Lake Country, Kane County and Cleburne have secured the four playoff spots in the East Division.

The Goldeyes are hoping to get some big crowds for the playoffs — something they’ve enjoyed repeatedly this season. Winnipeg drew 191,895 fans in 2026, an average of 3,996 per game, which is the highest overall attendance since 2019.

“I can’t say enough about our ticket department this year. Groups, suites, patios, and packages were all up over the last few seasons,” said Collier.

“Our fans are amazing. Even during the month of June when it rained almost every game day, they still came out and supported us.”

“The entire staff does a great job making sure everyone that comes to a game has a great time and wants to come to another game. And as always, our fans are amazing. Even during the month of June when it rained almost every game day, they still came out and supported us.”

The Goldeyes certainly gave fans their money’s worth, tying a franchise record with 34 home wins this season.

They’d like to add several more here in September.

“Our record has a lot to do with our fans. The players feed off their energy,” said Collier. “Two comeback wins during the last homestand have a lot to do with our fans sticking around until the final out.”

www.winnipegfreepress.com/mikemcintyre

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Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.