From 1998 to 2020, the Patriots were the most successful franchise in the Atlantic League. During their twenty-two seasons, they compiled 1,580 regular seasons wins, 47 playoff wins, captured thirteen division titles and six league championship titles in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, and 2015, all league records. Their most recent Atlantic League playoff appearance was in 2018 when they lost in the semifinals against the Long Island Ducks.[3]
Their success continued with the move to the Eastern League in 2021 winning back-to-back division titles in 2021 and 2022 and the 2022 Eastern League Championship.They won the first-half season division title in 2023 and won the 2024 second-half season division title and the division outright en route to the 2024 Eastern League Championship Series.[4][5]
The "Patriots" name refers to the Middlebrook encampment where the first official flag of the United States was unfurled, after a law to adopt a national flag had been passed by Congress on June 14, 1777. By special order of Congress, a 13-star flag is flown 24 hours a day at the Washington Camp Ground, part of the former Middlebrook encampment, in Bridgewater Township.
History
The Somerset Patriots were one of the founding members of the Atlantic League in 1998.[6] However, the team spent its inaugural season as a road team while TD Bank Park was being constructed. In the 1999 season, the Patriots opened their ballpark, where they quickly became one of the most successful franchises of the league in both the win and attendance columns.
The Patriots, and then manager Sparky Lyle, won their 1,000th game on July 24, 2012. The Patriots defeated the Sugar Land Skeeters with a score of 6–5, in the day game of a day/night doubleheader.
On November 27, 2012, it was announced Somerset's pitching coach and former major league pitcher, Brett Jodie, would become the new manager with Lyle becoming manager emeritus.[8]
Former professional football player Donald Jones briefly played for the Patriots during his recovery from a kidney transplant.[9]
With the Atlantic League's 2020 season cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, Somerset organized a twelve game series called the SOMERSET Professional Baseball Series, which would feature the Patriots and the New Jersey Blasters, a team created for the series.[10] The rosters were composed mostly of players from the state of New Jersey.
In November 2020, the Patriots were announced as the new Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, replacing the Trenton Thunder.[11] They were organized into the Double-A Northeast.[12] Somerset began competition in the new league as a Yankees affiliate on May 4 with a 6–0 victory over the Harrisburg Senators at TD Bank Ballpark.[13] They won the 2021 Northeast Division title with a first-place 72–47 record.[14] Despite winning the division, their record was third-best in the league, and only the two teams with the highest winning percentages in the regular season competed for the league championship.[15] Oswaldo Cabrera won the league's Most Valuable Award.[16] In 2022, the Double-A Northeast became known as the Eastern League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.[17]
On September 28, 2022, the Patriots won their first Eastern League Championship and seventh league championship overall with a 15–0 combined no-hitter victory over the Erie SeaWolves at TD Bank Ballpark.[18]
The Somerset Patriots' official colors are navy blue, maroon, and silver. The primary logo depicts a Continental soldier in navy blue with white stars on his shoulder and maroon stripes flowing to his left, a reference to the U.S. flag. Centered below the soldier is the wordmark in navy blue underlined by a silver baseball bat outlined in navy blue. The word "Somerset" is centered above the wordmark in maroon.
The Patriots wear caps and uniforms produced by New Era. The caps are navy blue throughout with the cap logo centered on the front. The cap logo consists of the Continental soldier's head outlined in white and maroon. The Patriots also have an alternate cap that has a navy blue crown with a maroon brim and button. The cap logo on the alternate cap consists of a scripted "S" in maroon with a white outline and the Patriot-head cap logo superimposed. The home jersey includes pinstripes and the "Patriots" wordmark centered across the front in navy blue and maroon. The away jersey resembles the previous New York Yankees' away jersey with the "Somerset" wordmark. The belt, socks, and undershirt are navy blue.
The Patriots' current alternate jersey is navy blue, it has the "Patriots" wordmark centered on the chest in grey with a white outline. The Patriots' previous alternate jersey was also navy blue, it had the "Patriots" wordmark centered on the chest in maroon with a white outline and a white star in the underscore.
The Patriots have also played as the Jersey Diners for a couple of games during the 2024 season.
Radio and television
All of the Patriots' games are broadcast on Fox Sports New Jersey, as well as MiLB.TV with the voice of the Patriots, Steven Cusumano.
Mascots
One of the Somerset Patriots' official mascots is an anthropomorphic dog named Sparkee. He wears the team's home uniform with white sneakers. The mascot debuted on July 11, 1998, at the Atlantic League's first All-Star Game at Bernie Robbins Stadium in Atlantic City. Sparkee's name refers to the Patriots' first manager, Sparky Lyle.[21] The team also employs another character, a cat (according to Somerset Patriots staff (sometimes mistaken for a bear)) named Slider. After training with Sparkee for several months, he debuted in the 2007 season. Slider wears the Patriots' navy blue alternate jersey with gray pants.[22] The team had a mascot named "TD" (after the stadium's sponsor) debuted in the June 30, 2010, game against the Camden Riversharks. Also, the team had a live mascot known as "General Admission" who wore the traditional uniform donned by those fighting for the colonies during the American Revolution complete with the three-cornered hat and musket.
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