Eastern League Playoffs Underway
September 3, 2003 - Eastern League (EL1)
New Haven Ravens News Release
With their first Northern Division Championship in hand, the New Haven Ravens will now turn their attention to the Eastern League playoffs.. They will face the second-place team, the New Britain Rock Cats, in a best-of-five series with the winner advancing to the Eastern League Championship Series. The Ravens, through a sponsorship with A-1 Toyota New Haven Savings Bank, and WTNH, have announced that any and all 2003 playoff games at Yale Field will feature FREE ADMISSION! Tickets must be picked up in person at the Ravens box office (Yale Field, 252 Derby Avenue, West Haven, CT).
Game one is TONIGHT at 6:35. Game two is Thursday at historic at 6:35. Game three and game four (if necessary) are at New Britain Friday and Saturday at 6:35. Game five, if necessary, is at historic Yale Field Sunday at 4:05 (note that some tickets incorrectly say 1:05). If the Ravens advance to the championship, games one and two would be at historic Yale Field on September 9 and 10 at 6:35. Games three, four (if necessary) and five (if necesary) are at the Southern Division winner (Akron or Altoona).
Fireworks On Thursday
Due to poor weather, the fireworks show scheduled for Wednesday will now take place after THURSDAY'S game (6:35 start). We apologize for any inconvenience.
Reimers Wins Community Service Award
Righthander Cam Reimers has won the 2003 New Haven Ravens Community Service Award, the club announced September 2. Reimers was honored for his numerous appearances throughout the season at local hospitals, schools, and fundraising drives. He was also a regular in the A.J. Wright Autograph Corral, meeting and greeting fans at home games.
Reimers, 24, was also highly successful on the field, as he was named to the midseason Eastern League All-Star team and finished with a 10-5 record and 3.08 ERA. He was also named Toronto's Organizational Pitcher of the Month for July.
Merchandise Clearance
Now is the time to get your last piece of Ravens memorabilia! Check out our merchandise section for all the best deals, including several items on clearance.
Weather Update
As of 3:00 on Wednesday, game one of the Northern Division Championship Series is STILL ON AS SCHEDULED for 6:35. In the event that the game is postponed, it would be played on Thursday and game two would be played on Friday at historic Yale Field. Please check the Ravens' website for the latest updates.
Pitching Rotations Set
Here is a look at the projected pitching rotations for the Northern Division Championship Series:
Wednesday, September 3 at New Haven, 6:35
Ravens: LHP Dave Gassner (10-4, 2.79)
Rock Cats: RHP J.D. Durbin (6-3, 3.14)
Thursday, September 4 at New Haven, 6:35
Ravens: RHP Dustin McGowan (7-0, 3.17)
Rock Cats: RHP Henry Bonilla (9-7, 3.36)
Friday, September 5 at New Britain, 6:35
Ravens: RHP David Bush (7-3, 2.78)
Rock Cats: LHP Horatio Estrada (2-1, 3.34)
Saturday, September 6 at New Britain (if necessary)
Ravens: RHP Cameron Reimers (10-5, 3.08)
Rock Cats: TBA
Sunday, September 7 at New Haven, 4:05 (if necessary)
Ravens: RHP Chris Baker (9-6, 3.89)
Rock Cats: TBA
Did You Know?
The Ravens wrapped up their first-ever Northern Division title in emphatic fashion on August 27, beating Portland 10-1 at historic Yale Field. In their first nine years, the Ravens had made four playoff appearances - all as the second-place team. They won one Eastern League title, in 2000.
The Ravens finished the season with the best team batting average in the Eastern League (.293), and outfielder Alexis Rios finished the season as the league's leading hitter (.352). Both of those numbers also represent franchise records. Rios already had the team record for hits in a season (181, beating John Gall's 166 from 2002) and triples in a season (11, beating Jermaine Clark's nine from 2000).
Lefty Dave Gassner finished with the best ERA in the league at 2.79. The Ravens have now had six ERA champions in their ten-year history: righty Juan Acevedo (2.37 in 1994), lefty Mike Vavrek (2.57 in 1997), lefty Mike Kusiewicz (2.32 in 1998), righty Pat Ahearne (2.61 in 1999), righty Greg Wooten (2.31 in 2000) and Gassner.
The Ravens' 79 wins tied for the second-most in team history. The 2000 team won 82 games, while the 1995 team also won 79 games.
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Eastern League Stories from September 3, 2003
- Eastern League Playoffs Underway - New Haven Ravens
- Aeros Dynamics - Akron RubberDucks
- Former Curve Owner Lozinak to Throw Out First Pitch Friday - Altoona Curve
- Walker, Halsey Take EL Awards - EL1
- Let the Playoffs Begin - Altoona Curve
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