IL1 Lehigh Valley IronPigs

IronPigs and Phillies Extend Affiliation

Published on June 30, 2008 under International League (IL1)
Lehigh Valley IronPigs News Release


(Allentown, PA) -- The Lehigh Valley IronPigs have announced a four-year extension of their Player Development Contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, maintaining the two clubs' affiliation through the 2012 season. The announcement was made by IronPigs General Manager Kurt Landes and Phillies Director, Minor Leagues, Steve Noworyta on Wednesday afternoon at Coca-Cola Park.

The four-year extension is the maximum permitted under the agreement between Major League and Minor League Baseball.

"We are quite pleased to keep our relationship with the IronPigs and the Lehigh Valley and extend our agreement," said Noworyta. "The Lehigh Valley is an ideal place to develop talent because of its proximity to Philadelphia and our other affiliates and its centralized location in the International League. As an added bonus, Coca-Cola Park is one of the premier ballparks in all of Minor League Baseball."

The IronPigs are in the midst of their first season at Coca-Cola Park, located in the heart of the Lehigh Valley in East Allentown. The state-of-the-art, 8,100-seat venue was designed by HOK, an industry leader that has planned the most renowned ballparks in America, including Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

"We are so excited for our fans that will have the opportunity to watch future stars develop their skills as IronPigs before reaching the Major League level with the Phillies," said Landes. "We strongly believe that our affiliation with the Phillies will be a key to our organization's long term success."

The last two National League Most Valuable Players - 1B Ryan Howard (2006) and SS Jimmy Rollins (2007) - were products of the Phillies' Triple-A affiliates, as have active former N.L. All-Stars 2B Chase Utley (2006-07), LHP Cole Hamels (2007), LHP Randy Wolf (2003), 3B Scott Rolen (2002) and RHP Vincente Padilla (2002).

The list of former Major League standouts that came through the Phillies' Triple-A affiliates includes Hall of Famers 3B Mike Schmidt (1972, Eugene) and 2B Ryne Sandberg (1981, Oklahoma City) as well as five-time Phillies' N.L. All-Star SS Larry Bowa and three-time Phillies' All-Stars 3B Richie Allen, C Bob Boone and C Darren Daulton.

Already this season, the IronPigs have sent two players to Philadelphia - OF Chris Snelling and OF T.J. Bohn.

The historic IronPigs-Phillies exhibition game this March ended a 47-year drought by providing the Lehigh Valley with its first affiliated professional baseball game since 1960 (when the Allentown Red Sox of the Eastern League left for Johnstown, Pa). It also marked the first time that a Major League team took the field in the Lehigh Valley in more than 50 years.

The inauguration of the IronPigs has been highly successful in the Lehigh Valley as the club is averaging 7,785 fans per home game at Coca-Cola Park, the second-best average in the 14-team International League. Moreover, through 38 home dates, the IronPigs have amassed 17 sell-outs.

On the field, Phillies Triple-A affiliates have appeared in the post-season 17 times in their history and won four league championships. A full list of Phillies Triple-A affiliates since 1948 is available below.

The IronPigs return from an eight-game road trip on Friday, June 27, to open a three-game series against the Syracuse Chiefs at Coca-Cola Park. Single-game tickets and mini-plan packages for the IronPigs inaugural season, presented by Capital BlueCross, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Coca-Cola Park Ticket Office, online at www.ironpigsbaseball.com or by calling (610) 841-PIGS.

Check out the Lehigh Valley IronPigs Statistics

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International League Stories from June 30, 2008


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.

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