Maine Guides | |
---|---|
Minor league affiliations | |
Previous classes | Triple-A (1984–1988) |
League | International League (1984–1988) |
Division | East Division |
Major league affiliations | |
Previous teams |
|
Minor league titles | |
League titles | None |
Team data | |
Previous names |
|
Previous parks | The Ball Park (1984–1988) |
The Maine Guides were an American minor league baseball franchise that played in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, between 1984 and 1988. The Triple-A International League (IL) club was named for a classification of registered hunting and wilderness guides in the state called Maine Guides for its first four seasons, but changed to the Maine Phillies for its final campaign.
In December 1982, Jordan Kobritz purchased the Charleston Charlies from Carl Steinfelt. [1] The Charlies played in Charleston, West Virginia, in 1983 and Kobritz moved them to Maine ahead of the 1984 season. Sportscaster Gary Thorne was a co-owner of the team. Although Old Orchard Beach is not one of Maine's year-round population centers, it is a popular summer vacation destination. Kobritz oversaw the construction of a stadium, called The Ball Park, on the outskirts of town. Fans who visited the stadium complained of rampant mosquitos, and the team struggled at the turnstiles almost from the outset.
The Guides, top farm team of the Cleveland Indians at the time, drew 183,300 fans in their maiden season—fourth overall in the International League. They finished second in the standings and the runners-up in the IL playoffs. The Guides again placed second in 1985, but fell to 136,000 in total attendance—last in the eight-team league. The 1986 Guides placed last in the league, and last at the gate (105,600).
In 1987, the Indians departed and the club became an affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. In October 1987, John McGee won the franchise through a ruling of a three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. McGee made known his intention to move the club to a new ballpark in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. However the ballpark would not be ready until 1989. McGee chose to remain in Old Orchard Beach for the 1988 season and renamed the team the Phillies. [2] The Guides' attendance had held steady in 1987, but hemorrhaged fans—almost a quarter of its dismal 1987 total—drawing only 80,000 people in 1988 while finishing last in their division. The franchise relocated to Pennsylvania for the 1989 season and was renamed the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, who are now the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
The state of Maine has had the Portland Sea Dogs of the Double-A Eastern League in the city of Portland since 1994.
The Eastern League (EL) is a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) sports league that has operated under that name since 1938, with the exception of the 2021 season, during which the league operated under the moniker Double-A Northeast. The league has played at the Double-A level since 1963, and consists primarily of teams located in the Northeastern United States.
Old Orchard Beach is a resort town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 8,960 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Portland−South Portland−Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The Charleston Dirty Birds are an American professional baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a partner league of Major League Baseball. The Dirty Birds have played their home games at GoMart Ballpark since 2005.
The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The PawSox played their home games at Pawtucket's McCoy Stadium as the only professional baseball team in Rhode Island, and won four league championships, their last in 2014. Following the 2020 season, the franchise moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, to become the Worcester Red Sox.
Alfredo José Pedrique García is a Venezuelan professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop for the New York Mets (1987), Pittsburgh Pirates (1987–88), and Detroit Tigers (1989). Pedrique served as the Houston Astros bench coach and as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He also served first base coach of the Oakland Athletics a season before being shuffled to third base coaching for two further seasons. He is currently the manager for the Reading Fightin Phils.
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders, are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, and are named in reference to Northeastern Pennsylvania being home to the first trolley system in the United States. The RailRiders have played their home games at PNC Field since its opening in 1989.
The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 seasons. They are based in West Sacramento, California, and play their home games at Sutter Health Park which opened in 2000 and was known as Raley Field through 2019.
Innovative Field is a baseball stadium located at One Morrie Silver Way in downtown Rochester, New York. It has been the home of the Rochester Red Wings of the International League since 1997. The park opened in 1996, replacing Silver Stadium in northern Rochester, which had been home to professional baseball in Rochester since 1929. Although the stadium was built for baseball, Innovative Field has had several tenants in numerous sports, including the Rochester Raging Rhinos of the United Soccer Leagues from 1996 to 2005, and the Rochester Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse from 2001 to 2002. The ballpark seats 10,840 spectators for baseball.
PNC Field is a 10,000-seat minor league baseball stadium that is located in Moosic, Pennsylvania in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area that was built in 1989 and rebuilt in 2013. The stadium is home to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees.
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball (MLB).
The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played intermittently in five of the six New England states between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League Baseball clubs in Boston and alongside stronger, higher-classification leagues.
The Charleston Charlies were a Triple-A minor league baseball team located in Charleston, West Virginia. Two separate Charlies franchises played in the International League from 1971 to 1983. The team was the relocated Columbus Jets. In 1977 the franchise was returned to Columbus and Charlies owner Robert Lavine purchased the Memphis Blues, moving the team to Charleston, assuming the Charlies name. The Charlies were affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1971–76), Houston Astros (1977–79), Texas Rangers (1980), and Cleveland Indians (1981–83). The 1973 Charlies won the league's regular-season title. The original Charlies moved back to Columbus as the Columbus Clippers in 1977.
The Winnipeg Whips were a professional Triple-A minor league baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that played in the International League from 1970 to 1971. The team was affiliated with the Montreal Expos of Major League Baseball and played its home games at Winnipeg Stadium.
The Ballpark is a baseball stadium in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, United States. The venue has a seating capacity of 6,000 and is a former Triple-A baseball facility that was almost destroyed by years of neglect until a community organized volunteer effort revived the stadium.
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and they are named in reference to pig iron, used in the manufacturing of steel, for which the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania is well known. The IronPigs play their home games at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown.
The Buffalo Bisons were a professional Triple-A minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York that was founded in 1886 and last played in the International League from 1912 to 1970.
The Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide was a collegiate summer baseball team based in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. It was a member of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL), a wood-bat league with a 56-game regular season comprising 10 teams from New Hampshire to western Connecticut. The team played its home games at The Ball Park.
Gregory Lynn Legg, is an American professional baseball second baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, in two seasons (1986–1987). During his playing days, Legg stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m), weighing 185 pounds (84 kg).
The Portland Blue Sox were a class-D minor league baseball team in Portland, Maine which played from 1907 to 1908 in the Maine State League and the Atlantic Association before folding. The Blue Sox were relaunched in 1919 to make up for the loss of the Portland Duffs, which folded in 1917 and played in the Eastern League. The 1919 Blue Sox were added to the New England League, but only lasted one season.
The Atlantic Association was a minor league baseball organization that operated between 1889 and 1890 and again in 1908 in the Northeastern United States.
Notes
Sources