GASTONIA, N.C. – Eric De La Rosa connected on his 20th home run of the season on Sunday, becoming the first player in Gastonia franchise history to join the 20-homer, 40-stolen base club.
De La Rosa has stolen 42 bases on the year, and with his solo shot in the fifth inning against the Blue Crabs, he has reached the 20-40 plateau.
The outfielder is having a banner year with the Ghost Peppers, tallying a career-high 20 homers, 70 RBIs, 42 steals, 49 walks, 71 runs scored and eight triples. His .916 OPS is higher than any previous year’s mark.
De La Rosa, 28, was drafted by the Tigers out of Grossmont College in 2018. He reached as high as Double-A with Detroit from 2021-2023.
The San Diego native has played for Gastonia since 2023. He ranks top five in franchise history in games played, hits, doubles, homers, stolen bases, runs scored, RBIs and walks, while being the all-time triples leader.
De La Rosa became the second player in the ALPB this season to go 20-40, joining Charleston’s James Nelson (33 HR, 50 SB). He’s the first player in Gastonia’s franchise to accomplish the feat.
De La Rosa’s 20th homer helped the Ghost Peppers take the series from Southern Maryland on Sunday, lowering the magic number to seven. Gastonia remains in first place with nine games remaining, as the club begins a six-game series at Charleston on Tuesday night.
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Gastonia Ghost Peppers begins its second season of operations with Zawyer Sports & Entertainment – a sports ownership group with professional teams operating in the U.S. and the fifth season for the franchise at CaroMont Health Park in the FUSE District of Gastonia. The Ghost Peppers have made the ALPB Playoffs for three consecutive seasons, setting the league record for highest win percentage in a three-year span (.651 from 2022-2024.)
In their inaugural season, the Ghost Peppers had seven players with contracts purchased by other leagues, whether that be MLB-affiliated clubs or leagues outside the country. They also had two former players make their MLB debuts in 2024 — Spencer Bivens (Tigers) and Bryan Sammons (2024.) Bivens is on the Giants’ 26-man roster in 2025. J.C. Escarra, who played for Gastonia in 2023, is currently on the Yankees’ 26-man roster.
Single game tickets for the Gastonia Ghost Peppers are currently on sale. Contact the Ghost Peppers office at 980-415-2255, or visit www.ghostpeppersbaseball.com for more information.