The New Britain Rock Cats were a minor league baseball team that competed in the Eastern League. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for 12 years, the Minnesota Twins for 20 years and the Colorado Rockies for one. They played their home games at New Britain Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut. The team moved to Dunkin' Donuts Park in nearby Hartford before the 2016 season, becoming the Hartford Yard Goats.
Walter Dropo, nicknamed "Moose", was an American college basketball standout and a professional baseball first baseman. During a 13-year career in Major League Baseball, he played for the Boston Red Sox (1949–1952), Detroit Tigers (1952–1954), Chicago White Sox (1955–1958), Cincinnati Redlegs (1958–1959) and Baltimore Orioles (1959–1961).
New Britain Stadium is a baseball venue in New Britain, Connecticut, United States. It is the home of the New Britain Bees of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. Opened in 1996, the stadium seats 6,146 spectators.
Scott Kendrick Cooper is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, and Kansas City Royals, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Seibu Lions.
Old-Timers' Day refers to a tradition in Major League Baseball where a team devotes the early afternoon preceding a weekend game to honor retired players who played for the organization during their careers. The retired players play in an exhibition game, usually lasting about three innings.
Peter William Appleton, born Peter Jablonowski and sometimes known as "Jabby" and the "Polish Wizard," was an American baseball player, scout, and manager.
Muzzy Field is a stadium in Bristol, Connecticut adjacent to Rockwell Park. It has been in use since 1912 for both baseball and football. The brick-faced grandstand, with a capacity of 4,900 people, was built in 1939. It features a ring of tall pine trees that line the outside of the outfield wall and the grandstand.
The 1988 Boston Red Sox season was the 88th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished first in the American League East with a record of 89 wins and 73 losses, but were then swept by the Oakland Athletics in the ALCS.
John Russell Gibson was an American professional baseball catcher who played for the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1967 and 1972. Listed at 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) and 195 pounds (88 kg), he batted and threw right-handed.
Steven James Lomasney is an American former professional baseball catcher who played in a single Major League Baseball (MLB) game. In the late 1990s, he was a highly regarded prospect for the Boston Red Sox. During his career, he batted and threw right-handed, stood 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) tall, and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg).
Fiondella Field is a baseball venue located on the campus of the University of Hartford in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States. It is home to the Hartford Hawks baseball team, a member of the NCAA Division I America East Conference. The stadium hosted its first game on March 29, 2006. It holds a capacity of 1,000 spectators and includes dugouts, batting cages, and a modern scoreboard over the left field fence.
The Hartford Hawks baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball program of the University of Hartford, located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The program had been a member of the NCAA Division I America East Conference from 1985 to 2022. It has played home games at Fiondella Field since the venue opened at the start of the 2006 season.
George Chelston Springer III is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Houston Astros from 2014 to 2020.
Markus Lynn "Mookie" Betts is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the United States national team. He previously played for the Boston Red Sox. In 2018, while with the Red Sox, he became the first player in MLB history to win the Most Valuable Player, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, batting title, and World Series in the same season.
Michael Andrew Yastrzemski, nicknamed "Yaz", is an American professional baseball outfielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is the grandson of Hall of Famer and Triple Crown winner Carl Yastrzemski. Yastrzemski played college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores. The Baltimore Orioles selected him in the 14th round of the 2013 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut with the Giants in 2019.
The Hartford Yard Goats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Hartford, Connecticut. The Yard Goats, which play in the Eastern League, are the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. The team was founded in 2016 when the New Britain Rock Cats relocated to Hartford. The Yard Goats' home stadium is Dunkin' Park.
Dunkin' Park is a 6,121-seat baseball park in Hartford, Connecticut. It is the home field of the Hartford Yard Goats of the Eastern League. The stadium has a total capacity of 6,850 people, including standing room, which was reached numerous times during its inaugural season of 2017. It was planned to open for the 2016 season on April 7, but numerous constructions delays postponed this opening and forced the Yard Goats to play the entire season on the road. The stadium opened in time for the team's 2017 home opener on April 13.
The New Britain Bees are an American collegiate summer baseball team based in New Britain, Connecticut. They are a member of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL), a wood-bat league with teams in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Vermont. Founded in October 2015, the Bees played the 2016 to 2019 seasons as an independent professional baseball team in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. The Bees have played all their home games at New Britain Stadium, where they succeeded the New Britain Rock Cats, who played in the Eastern League before moving to Hartford, becoming the Hartford Yard Goats.
The Double-A All-Star Game was an annual baseball game held from 1991 to 2002 between professional players from the affiliated Double-A leagues of Minor League Baseball—the Eastern League (EL), Southern League (SL), and Texas League (TL). Teams of American League-affiliated Double-A All-Stars faced off against teams of National League-affiliated Double-A All-Stars. Seven games were won by American League teams, and five were won by National League teams.
