Jake Gelof's two-run homer in the eighth inning Sept. 2, broke a 3-3 tie and lifted the Tulsa Drillers past the Wichita Wind Surge 5-3 at ONEOK Field.

The blast was Gelof's 30th of the season. It put him in a club only five other players have entered since Tulsa pro baseball's modern era began in 1932, the Tulsa World reported.

The others, according to the Tulsa World: Tim Wheeler, 33 home runs in 2011; Bubba Smith, 32 in 1996; Jim Beauchamp, 31 in 1983; Joe Koshansky, 31 in 2005; and Jeoff Long, 30 in 1982. Wheeler, Smith and Koshansky wore Drillers uniforms. Beauchamp and Long played for the Tulsa Oilers.

Gelof needs three more to break Wheeler's franchise record.

"I was kind of flirting with it most of the day, and it was finally nice to get it that last AB," Gelof told the Tulsa World.

On his previous at-bat, Gelof fell just a few feet short of the wall. The eighth-inning swing off Wichita reliever Mitch Mueller did not come up short.

Gelof, a University of Virginia product who became UVA's all-time home run leader in college, said the milestone carried weight. He had been talking to his dad about the franchise's history and called joining the list "pretty cool."

The win also marked a team milestone. The Drillers became the first Tulsa team to reach 80 wins since the 1983 Oilers went 84-63. No Drillers squad had done it. Tulsa stands at 80-68 overall with 10 regular-season games left.

The Drillers managed just three hits in the game, two of them bunts. Two Wichita errors led to a pair of third-inning runs, and three walks set up a seventh-inning run. A walk to Josue De Paula in the eighth extended the inning for Gelof's blast.

De Paula, the Los Angeles Dodgers' top prospect, also reached a milestone Wednesday. His third-inning sacrifice fly was his 100th RBI of the season. He is the first Driller since Carlos Pena in 2000 to post 100 RBIs and 100 runs in a single season, according to the Tulsa World.

Tulsa has already clinched the Texas League North Division first-half championship and secured a playoff spot. As first-half champions, the Drillers will host Game 2 and, if necessary, Game 3 of the best-of-three North Division Playoff Series.

The Drillers continue their final regular-season homestand against Wichita at ONEOK Field: 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 6 p.m. Sunday.