EL1 Eastern League

Eastern League news

Published on August 2, 2005 under Eastern League (EL1) News Release


Eastern League Attendance At A Near Record Pace Through July

After setting a new all-time attendance Attendance Comparisonrecord last season, the Eastern League is 2004 vs. 2005 again having an outstanding season at the turnstiles this year. The Eastern League had (Through July 31)an average attendance of 4,734 fans per game through July 31 last season. Through Club Openings Total Average the same date this season the average attendance in the league is 4,718 fans per game, which is just 16 fans per game less than the all-time record pace of the 2004 Portland season. There are currently four teams in the Eastern League that are averaging more fans per game this season than they were through July 31 during the 2004 season.

Those teams are the Bowie Baysox, the New Britain Rock Cats, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and the Norwich Navigators. The Fisher Cats have had the largest gain in average attendance since last year. While playing at their temporary home, Gill Stadium, last season the Fisher Cats had an average attendance of 3,047. This year in their new state of the art ballpark on the banks of the Merrimack River, the Fisher Cats are drawing an average of 4,283 fans per game, an increase of almost 30% over last years pace.

The second largest increase from last season is in New Britain where the Rock Cats are averaging 95 more fans per game Trentonthis year. In Norwich 70 more fans per game are turning out and in Bowie an average of Altoona 61 more fans per game are in attendance. If the weather cooperates in August and September it is very possible that at the end Harrisburgof the season the Eastern League will once again have set a new all-time attendance Erie record. Setting a record this season would be even more impressive than last year, as the months of April and May this past spring Norwichwere filled with unseasonably cold and wet weather.

Don King To Visit Dodd Stadium

Legendary boxing promoter Don King is scheduled to make an appearance at Dodd Stadium when the Norwich Navigators take on the New Hampshire Fisher Cats on August 18 for "Only In America Day".

King's name and face are among the most recognizable in the history of sports. He has handled box-ing's biggest names; including Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard and Evander Holyfield. He has promoted over 500 world championship fights with nearly 100 individual boxers earning a million dollars or more. Don King Productions has the distinction of having promoted six of the 10 largest pay-per-view events in history.

King is also well known for his humanitarian efforts. He established the Don King Foundation which has donated millions of dollars to worthy causes and organizations and has been a long time supporter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the United Negro College Fund and the Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation - among many others.

"I am first and foremost an American," King said, "and when I was asked to come to Norwich for Only in America Day with the Navigators' fans, I was happy to accept. I look forward to seeing everyone at Dodd Stadium for an American celebration on August 18."

"Don King is someone who brings tremendous energy to any venue," said Lou DiBella, President and Managing Partner of the Navigators. "I'm looking forward to treating him to a baseball game at Dodd Stadium and I'm sure our fans will enjoy seeing one of sports' most charismatic personalities of all time."

New Britain Hosts Largest Crowd In Franchise History

The New Britain Rock Cats entertained a record crowd of 7,514 fans when they took on the Norwich Navigators at New Britain Stadium on Saturday night. The sellout crowd, the 11th of the season for the Rock Cats, was the largest single-game crowd in the history of the New Britain franchise.

The previous single-game attendance record was set earlier this season when the Rock Cats hosted a crowd of 7,428 fans on Friday, June 10.

Transactions

(July 25-31)

Akron Aeros

Sent C Javier Cardona to Buffalo (AAA) Activated C Armando Camacaro from the DL

Altoona Curve

Sent C Paul Chiaffredo to Indianapolis (AAA) Placed LHP Jeremy Harts on the DL Activated C Chris Snusz from the DL Received RHP Jason Roach

Binghamton Mets

Received RHP Steve Trachsel on a Major League Rehab Assignment

Bowie Baysox

Sent C Javy Lopez to Baltimore Released RHP David Manning Received C Ryan Hubele from Ottawa (AAA)

Erie SeaWolves

Received RHP Justin Verlander from Detroit Activated RHP Virgil Vasquez from the DL Sent RHP Preston Larrison to Lakeland (A) Placed INF Scott Tousa on the Temporary Inactive List Received OF Leo Grullon from Oneonta (A) Activated INF Scott Tousa from the Temporary Inactive List Sent OF Leo Grullon to Oneonta (A) Placed RHP Nate Cornejo on the DL Received RHP Preston Larrison from Lakeland (A)

Harrisburg Senators

Sent RHP Kip Bouknight to New Orleans Placed OF Dee Haynes on the Temporary Inactive List Received LHP Micah Bowie from GCL Nationals (R)

New Britain Rock Cats

Placed INF Felix Molina on the DL Received INF J.R. Taylor from Ft. Myers (A)

New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Placed 3B Rob Cosby on the DL Sent LHP Zach Jackson to Syracuse (AAA) Activated RHP Casey Janssen from the DL Received LHP David Purcey from Dunedin (A) Sent RHP Dustin McGowan to Toronto Placed SS Raul Tablado on the Temporary Inactive List Received INF Carlo Cota from Dunedin (A)

Norwich Navigators

Activated RHP Chris Begg from the DL Activated OF Dan Trumble from the DL Sent OF Dan Trumble to Augusta (A) Placed C Eliezer Alfonzo on the Inactive List Received C Justin Knoedler from Fresno (AAA)

Portland Sea Dogs

Sent RHP Marc Deschenes to Pawtucket (AAA) Activated INF Raul Nieves from the DL Traded INF Kenny Perez to the Diamondbacks Organization Received INF Bret LeVier from Greenville (A)

Reading Phillies

Received LHP Phil Devey Received RHP Travis Thompson Received RHP Adam Shafer from Clearwater (A) Placed LHP Sean Fesh on the Temporary Inactive List Activated RHP Chris Rojas from the Temporary Inactive List Sent RHP Travis Minix to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA) Activated LHP Sean Fesh from the Temporary Inactive List

Trenton Thunder

Sent INF Gabe Lopez to Columbus (AAA) Received INF Nick Walsh from Charleston (A) Traded RHP Eduardo Sierra to the Rockies Organization Traded RHP Ramon Ramirez to the Rockies Organization Activated RHP Danny Borrell from the DL Received RHP Michael Brunet

News and Notes From Around The League

Week Ending July 31, 2005

Akron Aeros

E.L. Player of the Week Ryan Mulhern currently has a nine-game hitting streak during which he is batting .471 (16-for-34) with three doubles, six home runs, 12 runs scored and 10 RBI. Cleveland DH Travis Hafner will begin a rehab assignment in Akron on Monday. Over his last four games 2B Eider Torres is hitting .500 (8-for-16) with five doubles, one triple, seven RBI, six runs scored and a pair of stolen bases.

Altoona Curve

Altoona enters the week with a season-high eight-game winning streak. Two Curve players established new club records during the week. RHP Justin Kaye notched his 22nd save of the season on Sunday at Trenton to become the club's single-season leader in that category, while OF Rajai Davis surpassed Chris Duffy's club record for steals when he swiped his 35th bag against Binghamton on Wednesday.

Binghamton Mets

2B Aarom Baldiris broke out of a 6-for-60 slump by batting .417 (5-for-12) with a homer, two doubles and three RBI in a three-game series against Akron over the weekend. The B-Mets finished the month of July with a seven-game losing streak to end the month with a league-worst record of 6-22.

Bowie Baysox

C Ryan Hubele hit a pair of home runs and had three RBI in his Baysox debut on Thursday in a 6-1 win against the R-Phils. In five appearances since rejoining the club from Triple-A Ottawa, RHP Chris Piersoll is 4-0 with a save. Piersoll has not given up a run and has allowed just three hits in 12 innings pitched.

Erie SeaWolves

RHP Justin Verlander allowed his first run of the season against Trenton on Thursday. Verlander has now allowed just one run in 29.2 innings of work with the SeaWolves. Verlander pitched eight innings in the game on Thursday to pick up his first victory since June 21.

Harrisburg Senators

In a three-game series against the Baysox over the weekend OF Cristian Guerrero went 7-for-10 with a double, a triple, a homer and nine RBI. With the addition of LHP Micah Bowie to the roster on Saturday, the Senators have had 51 different players in uniform this year. Only eight players that were on the opening night roster have been with the Senators all season long.

New Britain Rock Cats

RHP Levale Speigner tossed a complete game against the Sea Dogs on Thursday to earn his fourth victory of the year. It was the first complete game thrown by a New Britain pitcher this season. OF Alex Romero hit .435 (10-for-23) with five RBI and four runs scored for the Rock Cats last week. On Saturday night the Rock Cats entertained the largest crowd in franchise history, welcoming 7,514 fans thru the turnstiles at New Britain Stadium.

New Hampshire Fisher Cats

The Fisher Cats lost all six of their games last week to extend their franchise record losing streak to 10 games. Prior to this streak the Fisher Cats had never lost more than four games in a row, which they did once last year in their inaugural season and twice earlier this season. New Hampshire finished the month of July with a record of 11-17, their worst month in franchise history.

Norwich Navigators

Tim Hutting is batting .320 (16-for-50) since taking over as the everyday shortstop on July 15. OF Fred Lewis hasn't gone two consecutive games without a hit since going hitless in three straight games from June 17-19. Lewis is batting .333 (47-for-141) since that hitless streak ended.

Portland Sea Dogs

Portland defeated the Fisher Cats for the eighth consecutive time on Sunday in a 3-0 win. It is the second longest winning streak against an opponent in team history. Portland defeated Trenton in nine straight games in 2001. The Sea Dogs pitching staff recorded their franchise record tying 12th shutout in Sunday's 3-0 win over New Hampshire. The 12 shutouts currently lead the league.

Reading Phillies

RHP Travis Minix was promoted to Triple-A on Sunday. In his last 13 games with the R-Phils he pitched 19.1 scoreless innings with 24 strikeouts and just four walks. RHP Chris Rojas has won his last seven starts with Reading and currently leads the league in wins, with 12. OF Chris Roberson has hit a career-high 13 home runs with the R-Phils this season, topping his previous best of nine which was set last year at Single-A Clearwater.

Trenton Thunder

Over his last five games INF Nick Walsh is hitting .375 (6-for-16) with one double, four runs scored and two RBI. Trenton finished the month of July with a 10-17 record. The Thunder hit only .224 as a team during the month while allowing opponents to hit .268.

Quote of the Week

"Baseball is a kids game. Grownups just screw it up."

Bob Lemon, Cleveland Indians

Line of the Week

July 30, 2005

IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
5 2 1 1 3 6 0 1.80

Dustin McGowan, Toronto Blue Jays

New Hampshire right-hander Dustin McGowan made his Major League debut for the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, filling in for the injured Ted Lilly against the Texas Rangers. McGowan allowed just two hits and one run in five innings of work, but got a no decision as the Rangers went on to win the game 3-2.

Eastern League Player of the Week

RYAN MULHERN, a first baseman for the Akron Aeros, is the Eastern League's Player of the Week for the week ending July 31st. The 24-year old had an outstanding week for Akron, hitting .545 (12-for-22) with one double, five home runs, nine runs scored, eight RBI, a .600 on-base percentage and a 1.273 slugging percentage in six games. The 6'2", 195 lb. slugger had four multiple hit games during the week, including a four-hit, two-home run performance in the Aeros 16-4 victory over Binghamton at NYSEG Stadium on Friday night. Ryan, who is hitting .292 with nine homers, 24 RBI and 22 runs scored since making his Double-A debut with the Aeros on June 21st, was chosen by the Cleveland Indians in the 11th round of the June 2003 draft out of the University of South Alabama.

Ryan Mulhern's Batting Line for the week ending July 31, 2005:
G Avg.AB H 2B3BHR RBI R SB BB SLG%
6 .545 2213 60 3 9 5 0 1 1.217

Year to Date:
G Avg.AB H 2B3BHR RBI R SB BBSLG%
92 .285 351 100 28 1 18 63 61 2 37 .524

Eastern League Pitcher of the Week

HANSEL IZQUIERDO, a right-handed pitcher for the Altoona Curve, is the Eastern League's Pitcher of the Week for the week ending July 31st. In a pair of starts last week, the 28-year old went 1-0 with 10 strikeouts and a 1.20 ERA. In his first start of the week the 6'1", 200 lb. hurler tossed eight shutout innings while scattering four hits and striking out five batters in a no-decision against the Binghamton Mets on Monday night at Blair County Ballpark. In his second start of the week Izquierdo, a native of Miami, Florida, gave up two runs on one hit and three walks while striking out five batters to pick up a win against the Trenton Thunder at Waterfront Park on Saturday. Hansel, who is 3-4 with a 4.75 ERA in 17 games with the Curve, was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as a Minor League Free Agent on August 18, 2004.

Hansel Izquierdo's Statistics for the week ending July 31, 2005:
GW LSIP HRERKBBERA
2 1 0 0 15 52 2 10 3 1.20

Year to Date:
GW LS IP HRERKBBERA
17 3 4 0 60.26136 32 49 22 4.75

Check out the Eastern League Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Eastern League Stories from August 2, 2005


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central