Get to know the teams in the Double-A Northeast
As the 2021 season approaches, MiLB.com introduces the 11 leagues created by the restructuring of Minor League Baseball across four levels of play. Below is a team-by-team introduction to the Double-A Northeast, including affiliation, previous circuit and most recent championship. (Note: "Established" refers to the first year of a team's
As the 2021 season approaches, MiLB.com introduces the 11 leagues created by the restructuring of Minor League Baseball across four levels of play. Below is a team-by-team introduction to the Double-A Northeast, including affiliation, previous circuit and most recent championship. (Note: "Established" refers to the first year of a team's continuous operation in that market regardless of league or level.) Learn about other leagues here: Triple-A East, Triple-A West.
The largest of the three Double-A circuits, this 12-team loop mimics the setup of the former Eastern League in every way but one: The Somerset Patriots, most recently a member of the independent Atlantic League, replace the Trenton Thunder as a Yankees affiliate. (The Thunder continue their connection to Major League Baseball in the new MLB Draft League.) The Patriots slot into the Northeast Division with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, Reading Fightin Phils and three New England-based clubs: the Hartford Yard Goats, New Hampshire Fisher Cats and Portland Sea Dogs.
The other six-team division spans three states with a trio of Pennsylvania rivals -- the Altoona Curve, Erie SeaWolves and Harrisburg Senators -- playing alongside teams in Maryland (Bowie Baysox), Ohio (Akron RubberDucks) and Virginia (Richmond Flying Squirrels).
Take a tour around the new Double-A Northeast:
Northeast Division
BINGHAMTON RUMBLE PONIES
Affiliate: New York Mets (since 1992)
Location: Binghamton, New York (189 miles from Citi Field)
Ballpark: NYSEG Stadium (opened April 14, 1992)
Established: 1992 (as the Mets; previous Binghamton clubs date back to 1877)
Previous league: Double-A Eastern League
Last championship: 2014
Did you know? The Rumble Ponies name, adopted in 2016, is a tribute to the region's history as the "Carousel Capital of The World."
HARTFORD YARD GOATS
Affiliate: Colorado Rockies (since 2016)
Location: Hartford, Connecticut (1,876 miles to Coors Field)
Ballpark: Dunkin' Donuts Park (opened April 11, 2017)
Established: 2016 (previous Hartford clubs date back to 1874)
Previous league: Double-A Eastern League
Last championship: None
Did you know? The arrival of the Yard Goats marked the return of Eastern League baseball to Hartford after a 54-year absence.
NEW HAMPSHIRE FISHER CATS
Affiliate: Toronto Blue Jays (since 2004)
Location: Manchester, New Hampshire (520 miles to Rogers Centre)
Ballpark: Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (opened April 6, 2005)
Established: 2004 (previous Manchester clubs date back to 1877)
Previous league: Double-A Eastern League
Last championship: 2018
Did you know? Prior to its first season in New Hampshire, the team announced itself as the Primaries to honor the state’s status in the Presidential primary election. Not all fans supported it, however, and a “name the team” contest ensued, leading to the Fisher Cats moniker.
PORTLAND SEA DOGS
Affiliate: Boston Red Sox (since 2003)
Location: Portland, Maine (107 miles to Fenway Park)
Ballpark: Hadlock Field (opened April 18, 1994)
Established: 1994 (previous Portland clubs date back to 1885)
Previous league: Double-A Eastern League
Last championship: 2006
Did you know? Cartoonist Guy Gilchrist, who drew “Nancy” for 22 years, designed the Sea Dogs logo.
READING FIGHTIN PHILS
Affiliate: Philadelphia Phillies (since 1967)
Location: Reading, Pennsylvania (58 miles from Citizens Bank Park)
Ballpark: FirstEnergy Stadium (opened April 15, 1951)
Established: 1952 (as the Indians; previous Reading clubs date back to 1883)
Previous league: Eastern League
Last championship: 2001 (co-champions)
Did you know? Reading's affiliation with the Phillies is tied for the longest running in Minor League Baseball with Lakeland and the Tigers.
SOMERSET PATRIOTS
Affiliate: New York Yankees (since 2021)
Location: Bridgewater Township, New Jersey (43 miles from Yankee Stadium)
Ballpark: TD Bank Ballpark (opened June 7, 1999)
Established: 1998
Previous league: independent Atlantic League
Last championship: 2015
Did you know? The first official flag of the United States was unfurled in Bridgewater Township in June 1777, and the team's name honors the area's rich history.
Southwest Division
AKRON RUBBERDUCKS
Affiliate: Cleveland Indians (since 1997)
Location: Akron, Ohio (38 miles from Progressive Field)
Ballpark: Canal Park (opened April 10, 1997)
Established: 1989 (as the Canton-Akron Indians; previous Akron clubs date back to 1887)
Previous league: Double-A Eastern League
Last championship: 2016
Did you know? On July 23, 2018, the RubberDucks retired the No. 23 worn by Akron native LeBron James.
ALTOONA CURVE
Affiliate: Pittsburgh Pirates (since 1999)
Location: Altoona, Pennsylvania (97 miles from PNC Park)
Ballpark: Peoples Natural Gas Field (opened April 15, 1999)
Established: 1999 (previous Altoona clubs date back to 1884)
Previous league: Double-A Eastern League
Last championship: 2017
Did you know? The Skyliner roller coaster at Lakemont Park is located beyond the right-field fence at Peoples Natural Gas Field.
BOWIE BAYSOX
Affiliate: Baltimore Orioles (since 1993)
Location: Bowie, Maryland (27 miles from Camden Yards)
Ballpark: Prince George's Stadium (opened June 16, 1994)
Established: 1993
Previous league: Double-A Eastern League
Last championship: 2015
Did you know? While awaiting the completion of Prince George's Stadium, the team played its home games at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium in 1993 and in Annapolis, College Park and Frederick, Maryland, in 1994.
ERIE SEAWOLVES
Affiliate: Detroit Tigers (since 2001)
Location: Erie, Pennsylvania (270 miles to Comerica Park)
Ballpark: UPMC Park (opened June 20, 1995)
Established: 1995 (previous Erie clubs date back to 1887)
Previous league: Double-A Eastern League
Last championship: None
Did you know? On Erie’s Alternative Facts Night in 2017, the SeaWolves gave away 2016 championship replica rings despite having gone just 62-79 the previous season.
HARRISBURG SENATORS
Affiliate: Washington Nationals (since 2005)
Location: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (120 miles to Nationals Park)
Ballpark: FNB Field (opened April 11, 1987)
Established: 1987 (previous Harrisburg clubs date back to 1883)
Previous league: Double-A Eastern League
Last championship: 1999
Did you know? The Senators maintain a “Life-Size Bobblehead Hall of Fame,” featuring Vladimir Guerrero, Cliff Floyd, Bryce Harper, Matt Stairs, Brandon Phillips, Stephen Strasburg and Jamey Carroll.
RICHMOND FLYING SQUIRRELS
Affiliate: San Francisco Giants (since 2010)
Location: Richmond, Virginia (2,865 miles to Oracle Park)
Ballpark: The Diamond (opened April 17, 1985)
Established: 2010 (previous Richmond clubs date back to 1884)
Previous league: Double-A Eastern League
Last championship: None
Did you know? The Flying Squirrels relocated to Richmond from Connecticut after the Richmond Braves departed for Gwinnett, Georgia, in 2008.
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