Eastern League Kicks Off The 2005 Season
Published on April 12, 2005 under Eastern League (EL1) News Release
After a long and snowy winter in the Northeast, spring has finally arrived, and with it, so has another exciting season of Eastern League baseball. Here is a game by game look at opening night of the 83rd season in Eastern League history.
In Manchester, New Hampshire, fans not only got to see their Fisher Cats begin defense of their 2004 Eastern League Championship, but also saw the opening of a brand new state of the art ballpark located on the banks of the Merrimack River. Prior to the game, which the Fisher Cats lost 5-1 to the New Britain Rock Cats, a sellout crowd of 7,605 was able to enjoy a ceremony celebrating the opening of the new ballpark and also recognizing all of the players and coaches returning from the 2004 championship squad.
Just up the road in Portland, Maine, the Portland Sea Dogs kicked off their season with a 4-2 win over the Norwich Navigators at Hadlock Field. The Sea Dogs were sparked offensively by Jared Sandberg who blasted two home runs and drove in all four Portland runs. Fans in Portland should expect to see a much improved Sea Dogs team this year, as five of the top six prospects in the Boston Red Sox organization are starting the year on the Portland roster, including right-hander Jon Papelbon, who struck out seven batters in five innings of work in the opener.
In Akron, despite having Cleveland Indians ace C.C. Sabathia start the game, the Aeros still fell to the Binghamton Mets by a score of 4-1. Sabathia gave up just one earned run on two singles and a walk while striking out five batters in four innings of work for the Aeros. Akron was unable to capitalize on Sabathia's effort thanks in part to sloppy defense, which led to a pair of unearned runs for Binghamton. After leading the league in total attendance last season, the Aeros continue to lead the pack this season, drawing a league-best opening night crowd of 7,775 fans to Canal Park.
The 3,733 fans in attendance for opening night at Commerce Bank Park saw outstanding performances by the offense and the pitching staff, unfortunately for the Senators fans, it was by the wrong team. Bowie starter Hayden Penn struck out nine batters in just five innings and the Baysox offense racked up 17 hits in a 10-2 win over Harrisburg.
Despite cool temperatures in Erie, the SeaWolves offense started the season on fire, as Erie downed Trenton 11-6 in the season opener at Jerry Uht Park. The SeaWolves offense was paced by third baseman Don Kelly, who went 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs, four RBI and three runs scored.
Fans in Reading had to wait an extra day before the R-Phils and the Altoona Curve were able to kick off their season. The season opener between the two clubs was suspended in the first inning due to rain on Thursday night. When the two teams were finally able to meet on Friday night, the R-Phils defeated the Curve 5-4 in front of a crowd of 5,668 fans.
If the first weekend of the season has been any indication, it looks like Eastern League fans can look forward to another exciting season of baseball.
Portland To Host The 2005 Eastern League All-Star Game
On Wednesday, July 13, 2004, the stars of the Eastern League will come together in Portland, Maine as the Sea Dogs play host to the Hannaford 2005 Eastern League All-Star Game at Hadlock Field. The contest will pit a squad of All-Stars from the Northern Division against a team of their counterparts in the Southern Division.
Each squad will be composed of 24 players, with every Eastern League team being guaranteed one pitcher and one position player on the All-Star roster.
These two players will be voted on via fan balloting in every Eastern League city. The Eastern League office, including managers, media and team personnel, will select the remaining roster for the two teams. Each team can have a maximum of six representatives from a single team.
The 2005 Hannaford Eastern League All-Star Game festivities are scheduled to kick off on Tuesday, July 12 and continue through Wednesday, July 13. Among the events scheduled are the Eastern League Home Run Derby, a reception at Hadlock Field, a baseball clinic, an autograph session and fireworks.
"The 2005 Hannaford Eastern League All-Star Game provides the league and its member clubs an opportunity to bring something special to a city that is involved in an 11-year love affair with a Portland Sea Dogs team that exemplifies the role our clubs play within their communities," said Eastern League President Joe McEacharn. "We are looking forward to showcasing tomorrow's Major League stars to the great fans of Portland, and equally pleased to showcase the city of Portland to the entire Eastern League."
For more information about the game and all of the All-Star festivities, be sure to check out the official Eastern League website (www.easternleague.com) and www.seadogs.com/allstar.
By the Numbers:
Opening Day 2005
2005 Eastern League Opening Day Attendance
Team Attendance
Akron 7,775
New Hampshire 7,065
Reading 5,668 (Played 4/8/05)
Portland 5,278
Harrisburg 3,733
Erie 2,406
2005 Opening Weekend Results
Thursday, April 8
Binghamton 4, Akron 1
Bowie 10, Harrisburg 2
Erie 11, Trenton 6
New Britain 5, New Hampshire 1
Portland 4, Norwich 2
Altoona at Reading, PPD
Friday, April 9
Akron 6, Binghamton 5
Bowie 5, Harrisburg 3
New Britain 5, New Hampshire 4
Portland 7, Norwich 3
Reading 5, Altoona 4
Trenton 3, Erie 1
Saturday, April 10
Altoona 8, Reading 7
Binghamton 5, Akron 3
Harrisburg 4, Bowie 3
New Hampshire 3, New Britain 2
Portland 7, Norwich 4
Trenton 2, Erie 1
Sunday, April 11
Akron 9, Binghamton 0
Altoona 11, Reading 2
Erie 4, Trenton 3
Harrisburg 9, Bowie 8
New Hampshire 4, New Britain 2
Portland 8, Norwich 0
2005 Umpire Crews Announced
The umpire crews that will be calling balls and strikes at the 12 Eastern League ballparks this season have been announced. The Eastern League is pleased to announce that 14 of our 18 umpires from last season are returning for the 2005 season. The squad will be led by Brent Rice, Keith McConkey, Andy Vincent, DJ Reyburn, David Uyl and Jake Uhlenhopp, each of whom are serving as crew chiefs this season.
Crew # 1
Hometown 2004 Assignment Years Exp.
#6 - Brent Rice* Jackson, MI Eastern League 6
#10 - Jonathan Merry Dahlonega, GA EasternLeague 6
#8 - Karreem Mebane Hamden, CT Carolina League 7
Crew # 2
#4 - Keith McConkey* St. Catharines, Ontario Eastern League 6
#11 - Jeffrey Spisak Indianapolis, IN Eastern League 6
#15 - John Coons Streator, IL Eastern League 5
Crew # 3
#3 - Andrew Vincent* Simsbury, CT Eastern League 7
#14 - Rob Healey Cranston, RI Eastern League 7
#24 - Christopher Conroy Williamstown, MA Eastern League 6
Crew # 4
#17 - Daniel Reyburn Nashville, TN Eastern League 6
#16 - Arthur Stewart Frankfort, IL Eastern League 7
#13 - Mayhew Edwards Chesapeake, VA Eastern League 6
Crew # 5
#7 - David Uyl Caledonia, MI Eastern League 6
#28 - Jason Klein Orange, CT Eastern League 6
#31 - Brian Reilly Lansing, MI Florida State League 4
Crew # 6
#12 - Jacob Uhlenhopp Nevada, IA Eastern League 6
#20 - Stephen McMullen Willingboro, NJ Southern League 6
#5 - Timothy Donald Mount Forest, Ontario Carolina League 4
Line of the Week
April 7, 2005
AB 1B 2B 3B HR R RBI BB
4 1 0 0 2 2 4 1
Jared Sandberg, Portland Sea Dogs
Former Tampa Bay Devil Ray Jared Sandberg blasted a pair of home runs and drove in all four Portland runs in the Sea Dogs 4-2 win over the Norwich Navigators on opening night at Hadlock Field. It was Sandberg's first game with Portland after spending the first nine years of his career in the Tampa Bay organization.
Quote of the Week
"You always get a special kick on Opening Day, no matter how many you go through. You look forward to it like a birthday party when you're a kid. You think something wonderful is going to happen."
Joe DiMaggio, New York Yankees
AKRON AEROS
Manager: Torey Lovullo
Pitching Coach: Greg Hibbard
Coach: Wayne Kirby
Trainer: Jeff Dejardins
ALTOONA CURVE
Manager: Tony Beasley
Hitting Coach: Matt Winters
Pitching Coach: Jeff Andrews
Trainer: Jason Palmer
BINGHAMTON METS
Manager: Jack Lind
Pitching Coach: Blaine Beatty
Hitting Coach: Dave Hollins
Trainer: Victor Trasoff
BOWIE BAYSOX
Manager: Don Werner
Field Coach: Butch Davis
Pitching Coach: Larry McCall
Trainer: Mark Shires
ERIE SEAWOLVES
Manager: Duffy Dyer
Pitching Coach: Mike Caldwell
Hitting Coach: Pete Incaviglia
Trainer: Rob Sonnenberg
HARRISBURG SENATORS
Manager: Keith Bodie
Coach: Frank Cacciatore
Pitching Coach: Rick Tomlin
Trainer: Beth Jarrett
NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS
Manager: Stan Cliburn
Coach: Floyd Rayford
Pitching Coach: Stu Cliburn
Trainer: Chad Jackson
NEW HAMPSHIRE FISHER CATS
Manager: Mike Basso
Pitching Coach: David LaRoche
Hitting Coach: Gary Cathcart
Trainer: Voon Chong
NORWICH NAVIGATORS
Manager: Dave Machemer
Pitching Coach: Bob Stanley
Hitting Coach: Roger LaFrancois
Trainer: Patrick Serbus
PORTLAND SEA DOGS
Manager: Todd Claus
Hitting Coach: Russ Morman
Pitching Coach: Fernando Arroyo
Trainer: Masai Takahashi
READING PHILLIES
Manager: Steve Swisher
Coach: John Morris
Pitching Coach: Tom Filer
Trainer: Joel Kennedy
TRENTON THUNDER
Manager: Bill Masse
Hitting Coach: Ty Hawkins
Pitching Coach: Dave Eiland
Trainer: Zac Womack
Eastern League Stories from April 12, 2005
- Izquierdo gem leads Curve to fourth straight win - Altoona Curve
- Fisher Cats and CHaD Announce Partnership Campaign - New Hampshire Fisher Cats
- Eastern League Kicks Off The 2005 Season - EL1
- Today's Sea Dogs Game Postponed - Portland Sea Dogs
- Browns Backers Night - Akron RubberDucks
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