ApL Bluefield Ridge Runners

Holmberg Notches 1,400th Win as Jays Defeat Princeton

August 5, 2015 - Appalachian League (ApL)
Bluefield Ridge Runners News Release


Bluefield, WV - A win against your archrival is sweet; no matter what the records are or what the final score is. For Bluefield (17-19) manager Dennis Holmberg, the 7-3 win over the Princeton Rays (20-15) Wednesday night was just a little bit sweeter.

The victory was Holmberg's 1,400th as a manager and was Bluefield's 2nd win in a row over the Rays.

1,400 wins as a manager isn't a number that comes overnight. Holmberg is now in the middle of his 28th season as a minor league manager. He's been either a manager or coach in professional baseball for 37 seasons. All but one of them has been spent in the Toronto Blue Jays organization.

Drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 5th round of the 1970 draft, Holmberg also played 8 seasons of minor league baseball. His managerial career began in 1977, when he led the Newark Co-Pilots of the New York-Penn League to a record of 43-29.

Holmberg's career record is now a well-rounded 1,400-1,300 (.518). He's in his 5th season as the manager of the Bluefield Blue Jays. His pitching coach, Antonio Caceres, has been by his side all 5 years in Bluefield. Hitting coach Aaron Mathews is in his first season with the team.

The win over Princeton was not only significant because of Holmberg's milestone. It was also an important victory for a Bluefield squad that had lost the first 4 games of the Mercer Cup. The series is now 4-2 still in favor of the Rays. However, the momentum has swung in the direction of the Blue Jays.

Momentum will be important in this series going forward considering the first 3 games of the series were decided by just 1 run.

Bluefield and Princeton will play game 7 of this year's Mercer Cup at Hunnicutt Field Thursday night with first pitch set for 7 PM. The two teams have a 3 game series from August 13-15 before their final meeting on August 26.

Check out the Bluefield Ridge Runners Statistics



Appalachian League Stories from August 5, 2015


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.

OurSports Central