Tides To Play as Norfolk Red Stockings on June 30

In honor of Jackie Robinson Day, the Norfolk Tides today announced that they will transform their identity into the Norfolk Red Stockings for their game on Friday, June 30th vs. Charlotte at Harbor Park. The Tides will wear special jerseys and hats that night to help celebrate the Negro League team that played in Norfolk from 1878 into the early 1900s. The Tides will also honor Norfolk native Dan McClellan, by inducting him into the Tidewater Baseball Shrine, who played for the Red Stockings among other Negro League teams.

“Norfolk has a rich history of baseball including the Negro Leagues.” said Tides General Manager Joe Gregory. “The Norfolk Red Stockings were formed in 1878 as one of the first professional African American teams in the country and the first in the south. We want to do our part to celebrate the history of African Americans in Norfolk baseball and educate people on the history that has been forgotten by many over the last 150 years.”

McClellan was born on June 11, 1878 in Norfolk, Virginia. He was the first of five children to his mother and father, Margaret and Daniel. According to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), both of McClellan’s parents were likely born into slavery, with Daniel being a shoemaker. The McClellan family lived on 132 Brewer Street in Norfolk, which in modern times would roughly be located just east of Granby Street and north of East Brambleton Avenue in the Neon District and Young Terrace.

Daniel Jr.’s earliest games were found in 1897 for the Red Stockings. On May 24, in a rain- shortened five-inning affair, “the feature was the pitching of Dan McClellan, who struck out nine men.”, according to the Norfolk Virginian. In 1899, Dan’s supposed older cousin, John, was a catcher for the Red Stockings.

Dan McClellan would go on to play for several Negro League teams through the 1913 season. He played for the Cuban X Giants, the Philadelphia Giants, the New York Lincoln Giants and the Paterson Smart Set in that span after playing for the Red Stockings. He also played for Habana in the Cuban Winter League. From publicly available stats during 1903 – 1913, McClellan totaled 56 games (46 starts) in his career, going 24-24 with a 3.16 ERA and struck out 178 batters to 74 walks in 422.0 innings.

*A special thank you to SABR and the Slover Library in Downtown Norfolk for assisting in research*

Specialty NewEra caps have been created for the night. They will be a charcoal cap and brim with a red “N” in the team’s original font. The customized jersey is also charcoal and features the red original font “N” on the right chest with red piping on the sleeves.

Limited-edition custom merchandise is also available, including the 59fifty New Era cap, adjustable caps, flex-fit caps and jerseys. All the Norfolk Red Stockings merchandise is available for purchase now at Tides.milbstore.com and will be available for purchase, while supplies last, at the Tides Team Store starting Monday, April 17.

Ticketing Information

Fans can purchase tickets in person at the Harbor Park box office or online at NorfolkTides.com/Tickets. The Harbor Park box office is currently open from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday each week. The box office also opens at 10 a.m. on Saturdays when the team is at home, and is open from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturdays with no home game.

Single-game tickets start at $15 for Reserved Seats, with Box Seats available for $16. The Tides also offer special discounts to children ages two through high school, active military with ID (4 tickets per ID) and senior citizens (60 +). These special discounts are available in the Lower and Upper Reserved sections and can be purchased for $12. Children under two years old are admitted free of charge. For groups of 20 or more, please call the Norfolk Tides front office to speak with a group sales representative at 757-622-2222.