Eastern League (baseball)

The Eastern League is a Minor League Baseball league which operates primarily in the northeastern United States, although it has had a team in Ohio since 1989. The Eastern League has played at the Double-A level since 1963. The league was founded in 1923 as the New York–Pennsylvania League. The first team outside the two original states was created in 1936 when the York White Roses of York, Pennsylvania moved to Trenton, New Jersey and were renamed the Trenton Senators. The league was renamed the Eastern League in 1938 when the Scranton Miners of Scranton, Pennsylvania moved to Hartford, Connecticut and became the Hartford Bees.

This article is about the league founded in 1923 and using that name since 1938. For the 1884–1912 league, see Eastern League (1884). For the 1916–1932 league, see Eastern League (1916). For the league in Japan, see Eastern League (Japanese baseball).
Eastern League
SportBaseball
Founded1923
PresidentJoe McEacharn[1]
No. of teams12
CountryUnited States
Most recent
champion(s)		Trenton Thunder (2019)
Most titlesBinghamton Triplets (10)
ClassificationDouble-A
Official websitewww.easternleague.com

Since 1923, there have been Eastern League teams in 52 different cities, located in 12 different states and two Canadian provinces. The league consisted of six to eight teams from 1923 until 1993. The league expanded to 10 teams in 1994 with the addition of the Portland Sea Dogs and the New Haven Ravens and split into two divisions, the Northern Division and the Southern Division. The league expanded to 12 teams in 1999 with the addition of the Altoona Curve and the Erie SeaWolves. The two divisions were restructured and renamed for the 2010 season as the Eastern Division and the Western Division because the Connecticut Defenders moved to Richmond, Virginia after the 2009 season, where they are now known as the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30.[2][3]

Current teams
Current team locations:
  Eastern Division
  Western Division
Division Team MLB Affiliation City Stadium Capacity
Eastern Binghamton Rumble Ponies New York Mets Binghamton, New York NYSEG Stadium 6,012[4]
Hartford Yard Goats Colorado Rockies Hartford, Connecticut Dunkin' Donuts Park 6,121[5]
New Hampshire Fisher Cats Toronto Blue Jays Manchester, New Hampshire Northeast Delta Dental Stadium 6,500[6]
Portland Sea Dogs Boston Red Sox Portland, Maine Hadlock Field 7,368[7]
Reading Fightin Phils Philadelphia Phillies Reading, Pennsylvania FirstEnergy Stadium 9,000[8]
Somerset Patriots New York Yankees Bridgewater Township, New Jersey TD Bank Ballpark 6,100
Western Akron RubberDucks Cleveland Indians Akron, Ohio Canal Park 7,630[9]
Altoona Curve Pittsburgh Pirates Altoona, Pennsylvania Peoples Natural Gas Field 7,210[10]
Bowie Baysox Baltimore Orioles Bowie, Maryland Prince George's Stadium 10,000[11]
Erie SeaWolves Detroit Tigers Erie, Pennsylvania UPMC Park 6,000[12]
Harrisburg Senators Washington Nationals Harrisburg, Pennsylvania FNB Field 6,187[13]
Richmond Flying Squirrels San Francisco Giants Richmond, Virginia The Diamond 9,560[14]

Current team rosters
Main article: Eastern League rosters

Complete list of Eastern League teams (1923–present)

Notes: This list includes teams in predecessor New York–Pennsylvania League of 1923 to 1937.

Bold font indicates that team is an active Eastern League team.

A "^" indicates that team's article redirects to an article of an active Eastern League team.

A "†" indicates that team's article redirects to an article of a defunct Eastern League team.

Champions
Main article: List of Eastern League champions

League champions have been determined by different means since the Eastern League's formation in 1923. Before 1934, the champions were simply the league pennant winners. A formal playoff system to determine league champions was established in 1934.[15]

The Binghamton Triplets won 10 championships, the most among all teams in the league, followed by the Elmira Colonels/Pioneers/Royals (8) and the Scranton Miners/Red Sox (7). Among active franchises, the Harrisburg Senators have won 6 championships, the most in the league, followed by the Akron Aeros/RubberDucks (5) and Reading Fightin Phils (4).[15]

Awards

See also

References
  1. "Personnel and Staff". Eastern League. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  2. "A Message From Pat O'Conner". Minor League Baseball. March 13, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  3. "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved". Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  4. Knight, Graham (September 17, 2010). "NYSEG Stadium". Baseball Pilgrimages. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  5. Mock, Joe. "Dunkin' Donuts Park". www.baseballparks.com. Grand Slam Enterprises, Inc. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  6. "2012 New Hampshire Fisher Cats Media Guide" (PDF). Minor League Baseball. April 9, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  7. Knight, Graham (July 6, 2010). "Hadlock Field – Portland Sea Dogs". Baseball Pilgrimages. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  8. Leon, Matt (May 17, 2011). "Minor League Ballpark Guide". KYW. Philadelphia. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  9. "Akron RubberDucks Canal Park". Minor League Baseball. November 27, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  10. "2012 Altoona Curve Media Guide". Minor League Baseball. 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  11. "Bowie Baysox Baysox/Stadium Info". Minor League Baseball. March 11, 2009. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  12. "Jerry Uth Park". Erie County Convention Center Authority. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  13. Reichard, Kevin (June 28, 2010). "Metro Bank Park / Harrisburg Senators". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  14. O'Connor, John (March 27, 2010). "Bleacher Banners Give Diamond New Look, Fewer Seats". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  15. "Past Champions". Eastern League. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
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