Portland Sea Dogs

Portland Sea Dogs
Founded in 1994
Portland, Maine
Team logoCap insignia
Class-level
Current Double-A (1994–present)
Minor league affiliations
League Eastern League (1994–present)
Division Eastern Division
Major league affiliations
Current Boston Red Sox (2003–present)
Previous Florida Marlins (1994–2002)
Minor league titles
League titles (1) 2006
Division titles (6)
  • 1995
  • 1996
  • 1997
  • 2005
  • 2006
  • 2014
Team data
Nickname Portland Sea Dogs (1994–present)
Ballpark Hadlock Field (1994–present)
Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
 Dan Burke
Manager Carlos Febles
General Manager Charlie Eshbach

The Portland Sea Dogs are a minor league baseball team based in Portland, Maine that currently plays in the Eastern League. The team is sanctioned in the Eastern Division. 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.

History

The Sea Dogs hosting Hartford Yard Goats during the 2016 season.

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.[1] The city renovated Hadlock Field, transforming what was once a high-school stadium into a professional ballpark.

Slugger the Sea Dog, the team mascot

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.

Notable alumni

All Star Kevin Youkilis
Ryan Lavarnway

Players who have played for the Sea Dogs on rehab stints

Gabe Kapler

(Player currently on the Red Sox in Bold, players formerly on the Red Sox in italics.)

Season records

(Place is finish in Northern Division)

Playoffs

Current roster

Portland Sea Dogs roster
Players Coaches/Other

Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

   

Outfielders

 

Manager

Coaches



7-day disabled list
* On Boston Red Sox 40-man roster
# Rehab assignment
∞ Reserve list
‡ Restricted list
† Temporary inactive list
Roster updated on May 10, 2016
Transactions
→ More MiLB rosters
→ Boston Red Sox minor league players

References

  1. ↑ Sea Dogs Time Line (Franchise History) – Portland Sea Dogs.

External links

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