The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, that currently plays in the Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.
The Sea Dogs became part of the Red Sox system for the 2003 season; previously they were affiliated with the Florida Marlins. The change in affiliation brought success in the 2005 and 2006 seasons as the Sea Dogs went to the Eastern League championship series both years. They won their first-ever title on September 17, 2006, defeating the Akron Aeros 8-5 in a rematch of the series from the previous year. It was the first double-A championship for a Red Sox farm team since 1983 when they were based in New Britain, Connecticut.
The Sea Dogs' home stadium is Hadlock Field, named after long-time Portland High School baseball coach Edison Hadlock. It currently has a seating capacity of 7,368. Hadlock Field is often visited by vacationing celebrities, such as former NFL coach Bill Parcells, former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and his wife Barbara. In left field stands the Maine Monster, a 37-foot-tall replica of Fenway Park's Green Monster, complete with Coke bottle and Citgo sign. Along the right-field foul line just beyond first base, a picnic pavilion is available for group outings from 20 up to 300 people. In 2006, a new pavilion opened above the right-field wall over the Sea Dogs bullpen. Modeled after the Green Monster seats at Fenway Park in Boston, it seats up to 393 people and gives fans an opportunity to catch a home run ball. Currently all games are carried on a network of radio stations with Mike Antonellis providing the play-by-play, with the flagship WPEI and select TV games on NESN with Eric Frede play-by-play and former Red Sox relief pitcher Ken Ryan.
Sea Dogs games are frequented by the team's official mascot Slugger the Sea Dog.
Video Portland Sea Dogs
History
Minor league baseball officially returned to Maine on October 4, 1992, when Portland was awarded one of two Eastern League expansion franchises (the other being the New Haven Ravens) to begin play in April 1994. The Sea Dogs signed an affiliation agreement with the Florida Marlins on May 3, 1993, beginning what would become a nine-season relationship. The city renovated Hadlock Field, transforming what was once a high-school stadium into a professional ballpark.
City manager Robert Ganley led efforts to renovate Hadlock Field and return professional baseball to Portland.
The team won its first game, defeating the Reading Phillies on the road 2-1, with the help of a 14th-inning home run by future major league catcher Charles Johnson. The team opened Hadlock Field on April 18, 1994, losing 7-6 to the Albany-Colonie Yankees.
Cartoonist Guy Gilchrist designed the team's logo as well as logos for the Connecticut Defenders, Binghamton Mets, and New Britain Rock Cats. Gilchrist's comic strip Mudpie had a series of strips in which the young cat's family visit the Portland area and attend a Sea Dog game.
Maps Portland Sea Dogs
Notable alumni
Players currently on the Red Sox in Bold, players formerly on the Red Sox in italics.
Players who have played for the Sea Dogs on rehab stints
- Andrew Bailey (2012)
- Craig Breslow (2013)
- Carl Crawford (2012)
- Gabe Kapler (2003, 2006)
- David Ortiz (2008)
- Daisuke Matsuzaka (2009, 2012)
- Gary Sheffield (1994)
- John Smoltz (2009)
- Ryan Sweeney (2012)
- John Lackey (2013)
- Shane Victorino (2015)
- Mookie Betts (2015)
- Ryan Hanigan (2016)
- Joe Kelly (2016)
- Josh Rutledge (2017)
- Brock Holt (2017)
- Eduardo Rodriguez (2017)
- Roenis Elias (2017)
Season records
(Place is finish in Northern Division)
Playoffs
- 1995 season: Lost to New Haven, 3-2 in semifinals.
- 1996 season: Defeated Binghamton 3-2 in semifinals; lost to Harrisburg 3-2 in championship.
- 1997 season: Defeated Norwich 3-2 in semifinals; lost to Harrisburg 3-1 in championship.
- 2005 season: Defeated Trenton 3-2 in semifinals; lost to Akron 3-1 in championship.
- 2006 season: Defeated Trenton 3-1 in semifinals; defeated Akron 3-2 to win championship.
- 2007 season: Lost to Trenton 3-1 in semifinals.
- 2008 season: Lost to Trenton 3-0 in semifinals.
- 2014 season: Lost to Binghamton 3-2 in semifinals.
Current roster
References
External links
- Portland Sea Dogs official web site
- Portland Sea Dogs' MiLB Page
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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