TinCaps Close Regular Season with Several Milestones
Fort Wayne, Ind. - As the Fort Wayne TinCaps bid adieu to the regular season at Parkview Field Monday afternoon, the players and 6,083 fans in attendance enjoyed an action-packed day for both the team and the franchise. Monday's crowd helped yield the second-highest regular-season attendance in the franchise's 21-year history, with 403,596 fans coming through the gates for 70 home dates. The TinCaps also welcomed the 2,000,000th fan to Parkview Field, with the five-year attendance total reaching 2,002, 519.
The 2013 attendance figure marked the second time in the five years at Parkview Field that the TinCaps have welcomed more than 400,000 fans. The average attendance for the team's 35 second-half home games was 6,599.
Fort Wayne was the only club in the 16-team Midwest League to not miss a home game due to inclement weather in the 2013 season. Among countless rainouts and 17 cancelled games throughout the league this season, the three-time defending Midwest League Grounds Crew of the Year, Keith Winter and Andrew Burnette, kept Parkview Field's playing surface in top shape each and every night.
After the conclusion of Monday's game, the TinCaps gave their 2,000,000th fan the chance to win $2,000,000. Seven-year-old Aidan Wissing of Auburn, Indiana, chose four winning bags out of the 40 laid on the basepaths at Parkview Field in the promotion, and although he didn't become a millionaire, he went home with $2,000.
The TinCaps are also headed to the playoffs for a Midwest League-leading fifth consecutive season. The Clinton LumberKings have made the postseason for four straight years, while none of the other 14 teams has a playoff streak of more than two consecutive years. The 2013 TinCaps team finished the regular season with a record of 72-67, tying the 2000 and 2004 Wizards teams for the fifth-most wins in franchise history. The team opens its playoff schedule Wednesday night at 8:05 ET in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and returns to Parkview Field Thursday night at 7:05 ET for playoff action with post-game fireworks and the usual Thirsty Thursday ™ beer specials. Tickets are available at TinCaps.com, by calling 260-482-6400 or at the Parkview Field Ticket office.