The 2008 Eastern League season began on April 3 and the regular season ended on September 1. The All Star Game was played on July 16 at Merchantsauto.com Stadium in Manchester, New Hampshire. The Playoffs began on September 3 with the Divisional Series. The Akron Aeros defeated the Bowie Baysox in the Southern Division Championship Series and the Trenton Thunder defeated the Portland Sea Dogs in the Northern Division Championship Series. The Trenton Thunder defeated the Akron Aeros to win the Eastern League Championship Series.
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. In 1936, the first team outside the two original states was created, when the York White Roses of York, Pennsylvania, moved to Trenton, New Jersey, and was renamed the Trenton Senators. In 1938, when the Scranton Miners of Scranton, Pennsylvania, moved to Hartford, Connecticut, and became the Hartford Bees, the league was renamed the Eastern League.
Manchester is a city in the southern part of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It is the most populous city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. As of the 2010 census the city had a population of 109,565, up slightly to 111,196 in a 2017 estimate. The combined Manchester-Nashua Metropolitan Area had a 2010 population of 400,721.
The Bowie Baysox are a Minor League Baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League. Their home ballpark is Prince George's Stadium.
