IL1 Lehigh Valley IronPigs

IronPigs Honor One Millionth Fan

Published on July 8, 2009 under International League (IL1)
Lehigh Valley IronPigs News Release


Terry Toth, a 39-year-old Middle School teacher born and raised in nearby Bangor, was randomly selected from Tuesday's capacity crowd of 10,000 at Coca-Cola Park as the team's one millionth fan. Toth was honored on-field during a post-game ceremony and was awarded with a wide array of outstanding prizes, including a pair of season tickets to the 2010 IronPigs season presented by Capital BlueCross. Since opening in 2008, the IronPigs have now drawn a remarkable 1,009,691 fans to the foremost baseball and entertainment venue in the Minors - Coca-Cola Park. Since the franchise's inception a year ago, the team has averaged 8,693 per game - a number that exceeds Coca-Cola Park's fixed seating capacity of 8,089. Since Coca-Cola Park's opening, every seat in the ballpark has been sold for 82 of 116 regular season games with 26 capacity crowds of 10,000.

"I definitely plan on being at every game next season," exclaimed Toth, a teacher a JT Lambert Intermediate in East Strousburg. "I am sure I will get some texts from some of my students once they hear the exciting news!"

Through 46 openings at Coca-Cola Park this season, the IronPigs are averaging 8,862 fans per game - an 11% increase over last season's 46-opening mark of 8,006 fans per game. The increase has the IronPigs on pace to surpass last year's attendance total of 602,033 fans.

"While I want offer my congratulations to Mr. Toth, all of our fans should be extremely proud of this record-breaking accomplishment," remarked IronPigs General Manager Kurt Landes. "The level of excitement and fanfare that the Lehigh Valley IronPigs and Coca-Cola Park have brought to the region is unmatched. We are very thankful that so many people have chosen Coca-Cola Park for a convenient, affordable and fun sports and entertainment experience."

By virtue of winning the one millionth fan promotion, Toth will receive a pair of 2010 season tickets along with the following great prizes:

* A personalized official IronPigs jersey. * A team-autographed baseball. * 1,000,000 sips of Coke provided by Coca-Cola. * 1,000,000 potato chips courtesy of Martin's Potato Chips. * 1,000,000 swings at the driving range courtesy of The Bethlehem Golf Club. * 1,000,000 kernels of popcorns courtesy of Popcorn To Go. * 1,000,000 bites of pretzels courtesy of The Philly Pretzel Factory. * 1,000,000 kernels of "Aw Shucks" Roasted Corn. * A one year supply of Just Born Candy.

By becoming one of just six (out of 160) Minor League franchises to surpass the 600,000 mark for total attendance, the IronPigs emerged as one of the top draws and premier organizations in Minor League Baseball. Bolstered by the success of Coca-Cola Park and the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the International League established a single-season attendance record in 2008, breaking the seven-million fan threshold (7,097,411) for the first time in the league's 125-year history. The most recent Triple-A team to eclipse the IronPigs total attendance in their first season was the Sacramento River Cats in 2000 with 861,808 fans (Sacramento is among the top 50 most populous cities in the U.S. while Allentown ranks 235th). The River Cats are also the last team in Minor League baseball to surpass the one million fan plateau in fewer games than the IronPigs - doing so at the beginning of their second season at Raley Field.

Prices for single-game tickets remain identical to 2008 and start as low as $6 for General Admission, granting fans access to the Capital BlueCross Lawn seating area and standing room only areas. Field Level reserved seats are just $9.

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are dedicated to providing family-friendly entertainment and are the only Minor League team to offer bubbles to fans entering the AT&T Plaza and balloons for all children exiting Coca-Cola Park.

Fans are reminded that there are three entry points for parking and are encouraged to use the Dauphin Street entrance when traveling from downtown Allentown. In addition to the Dauphin Street entrance, entry to Coca-Cola Park can be gained off American Parkway and Union Boulevard. Preferred/Handicapped Parking access is available via American Parkway only.

The cost of parking for all IronPigs home games is $3 per vehicle.

Single-game tickets, mini-plan packages and group tickets for all IronPigs home games 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 July 8, 2009


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