The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues.
The Great Lakes Loons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Midland, Michigan, and play their home games at Dow Diamond, which opened in April 2007.
The Michigan Battle Cats were a Minor League Baseball team which began playing in the Midwest League in 1995 and called C.O. Brown Stadium in Battle Creek, Michigan, home. The franchise had previously been located in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1994 where they were called the Madison Hatters. Prior to that the team was located in Springfield, Illinois, and was known as the Springfield Cardinals. Upon moving to Battle Creek the team initially sought the name Battle Creek Golden Kazoos to help create a regional tie-in with the city of Kalamazoo, Michigan, but legal disputes led to the adoption of the Battle Cats moniker. The team became known as the Battle Creek Yankees beginning with their affiliation with the New York Yankees in 2003, and again changed names and affiliations in 2005 and became the Southwest Michigan Devil Rays. In 2007, citing declining attendance, the team moved to Midland, Michigan and became the Great Lakes Loons.
The Michigan Battle Cats of the Midwest League became the Battle Creek Yankees for the 2003 season. In 2005, their affiliation with the New York Yankees ended. They became an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays known as the Southwest Michigan Devil Rays. The team played their home games in C.O. Brown Stadium in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Robert Michael Seay is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher He has previously played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays from 2001 to 2004, the Colorado Rockies in 2005, and the Detroit Tigers from 2006 to 2009.
C.O. Brown Stadium is a baseball stadium in the United States located in Battle Creek, Michigan. The current stadium structure was built in 1990 and is a part of Bailey Park, a longtime home of amateur baseball and softball. Prior to the 1990 reconstruction, Bailey Park had been home to amateur, high school and college play since the 1930s, in a single-level grandstand built primarily of wood. C.O. Brown Stadium is the former home of the Michigan Battle Cats, Battle Creek Yankees and the Southwest Michigan Devil Rays of the Class A Midwest League. The stadium has a seating capacity of 2,193. C.O. Brown Stadium is the current home of the Northwoods League's Battle Creek Battle Jacks.
Casey Paul Fossum is a former professional pitcher. Previously, he played for the Boston Red Sox (2001–2003), Arizona Diamondbacks (2004), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2005–2007), Detroit Tigers (2008), and New York Mets (2009) of Major League Baseball, and the Hanshin Tigers (2010) of Nippon Professional Baseball. He bats and throws left-handed.
Matthew Thomas DeSalvo is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He made his major league debut with the New York Yankees on May 7, 2007, against the Seattle Mariners going 7 innings and only giving up 3 hits.
The Madison Hatters were a minor-league baseball team based in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1994. A Class A minor league baseball affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, they were a member of the Midwest League. The team played its home games at Warner Park.
Akinori Iwamura is a former Japanese baseball infielder, who currently is a manager for the Fukushima Red Hopes in Japan's Baseball Challenge League. He made his Major League debut with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2007.
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays' 2007 season, the tenth season in franchise history, involved the Devil Rays trying to improve on their 2006 season, where they finished last in the American League East, and managed to finish the season with a league-worst record of 66–96. During the offseason they signed Japanese infielder Akinori Iwamura to a three-year deal. Their manager was Joe Maddon, who entered his second season with the Devil Rays.
William Henry "Skeeter" Barnes is a retired Major League Baseball utility player for the Cincinnati Reds, Montreal Expos (1985), St. Louis Cardinals (1987) and Detroit Tigers (1991–1994).
The 2006 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season was their ninth since the franchise was created. They finished last in the American League East, posting a league-worst record of 61–101. Their manager was Joe Maddon, who entered his first season with the Devil Rays. The Devil Rays' offense had the fewest runs (689), hits (1,395) and RBI (650) in Major League Baseball, as well as the joint-lowest batting average (.255) and lowest on-base percentage (.314).
The 2004 New York Yankees season was the 102nd season for the team. The Yankees opened the season by playing two games against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in Japan on March 30, 2004. The team finished with a record of 101–61, finishing 3 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the AL East. The 2004 season was the Yankees third straight season of 100+ wins, the first such instance in franchise history. New York was managed by Joe Torre. In the playoffs, the Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins, 3 games to 1, in the ALDS, before losing to the wild card Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 3, in the ALCS. The 2004 Yankees are notable as the only team in MLB history to lose a 7-game playoff series after taking a 3 games to none lead. This was the fourth straight year in which the Yankees lost to the eventual World Series champions in the postseason. Only the Los Angeles Dodgers (2016–19) have duplicated the same feat.
The 2005 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season was the team's eighth since the franchise was created. This season, they finished last in the American League East, and managed to finish the season with the AL's third-worst record of 67–95. Their manager was Lou Piniella who entered his third and last season with the Devil Rays.
The 2000 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season was their third since the franchise was created. They finished last in the American League East with a record of 69–92. Their manager was Larry Rothschild, who entered his third year with the club. This season is sometimes referred to as the "Hit Show" because the club signed several big-name sluggers in hopes of the team putting up better offensive numbers.
The 1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season was the first season in franchise history. This season, they finished last in the American League East and finished the season with a record of 63–99, 51 games behind the World Champion New York Yankees. They finished with the worst record in the American League and second worst in all of MLB, ahead of only their in-state rivals and defending World Series champion Florida Marlins. Their manager was Larry Rothschild.
The Oakland Athletics' 2001 season was the team's 34th in Oakland, California, and the 101st season in franchise history. The team finished second in the American League West with a record of 102–60.
The Springfield Cardinals were a minor league baseball team located in Springfield, Illinois. The Springfield Cardinals played in the Midwest League from 1982 to 1993 and were an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team played at Lanphier Park on the northside of Springfield.
The Michigan Baseball Foundation (MBF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Midland, Michigan, that refers to itself as a social enterprise. MBF is the current owner and operator of the Dow Diamond – a baseball stadium located in downtown Midland. Profits from the operation of the Dow Diamond are donated to youth groups and to initiatives that seek to improve life in Midland and its surrounding areas.
