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Akron RubberDucks
The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in 7 17 Credit Union Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 7,630 fans. The nickname "RubberDucks" refers to Akron's history in the rubber industry, in particular as the birthplace of tire and rubber companies such as Goodyear, Firestone, B.F. Goodrich, and General Tire.
The franchise began as the Binghamton Triplets, a charter member of the New York–Penn League in 1923. They played in Binghamton, New York, at Johnson Field, winning 10 titles over their 46 seasons. After the 1968 season, Boston businessman John Alevizos acquired the franchise and moved it to Gill Stadium in Manchester, Massachusetts, to become the Manchester Yankees. After three seasons in Manchester, the franchise then relocated to West Haven, Connecticut, under new ownership, and became the West Haven Yankees, playing at Quigley Stadium. In West Haven, the franchise won four Eastern League titles in eight seasons. After the 1979 season, the franchise then moved to Lynn, Massachusetts, to become the Lynn Sailors, playing at Fraser Field.
In 1981, Mike Agganis purchased the team for $48,000. For the 1983 season, the team rebranded as the Pirates, due to their one-year affiliation with the Pittsburgh Pirates. After the 1983 season, the franchise moved to Burlington, Vermont, and became the Vermont Reds, playing at Centennial Field. As the Reds, the franchise won three more Eastern League titles in five seasons. In 1988, they were known as the Vermont Mariners, again due to a change in their major league affiliate. After the 1988 season, the franchise moved to Canton, Ohio. It became the Canton–Akron Indians, playing at newly opened Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium and changing affiliation to the Cleveland Indians, an affiliation they would keep for years to come.
In the early-1990's, then-Akron, Ohio mayor Don Plusquellic made it a priority to bring a stadium to downtown Akron. Plusquellic chose a 8.2-acre (3.3 ha) site situated between South Main Street and the Ohio and Erie Canal. After conversations with Agganis to initially relocate the team to Akron in 1987 did not materialize, a deal was reached on November 22, 1994 with Agganis for a $20 million, 8,500-seat baseball stadium in downtown Akron. Poor field drainage at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium was cited as one of the reasons for the relocation.
In anticipation of the move, the team considered several new names, with "Blast" serving as the initial selection. The community rejected this name as Akron native Judy Resnik was killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986. "Spirit" and "Quest" were also considered before "Aeros" was ultimately chosen due to Ohio's relevant history in aerospace. The Aeros debuted on Opening Day on April 10, 1997. With 9,086 fans in attendance, the Aeros and Harrisburg Senators played the first game at Canal Park, which would later be named 7 17 Credit Union Park due to a sponsorship agreemet. The Aeros finished their first season with a record of 51–90. Despite holding the last-place record, the team drew a Double-A league-leading 473,272 fans that season. The Aeros' opening day pitcher that year, Jaret Wright, would pitch for the Cleveland Indians later that year in the World Series and finish second in American League Rookie of the Year voting.
The following year, the Aeros put together a 30-game "worst-to-first" turnaround; after finishing the prior year 34½ games back, they proceeded to win the Southern Division in 1998 by 8½ games. However, after losing in the playoffs that year, it would be three more years until the Aeros found their way back to the postseason.
On September 6, 1999, the Aeros set an Eastern League attendance record for three consecutive seasons. They once again led all Double-A teams after 522,459 fans attended 17 games at Canal Park in 1999.
In 2002, the team posted a 93–48 record, the third-highest win total in the Eastern League in 50 years. Their success continued, as they won two league championships (their first since moving to Ohio) in 2003 and 2005. In 2006, the Aeros again posted the best regular-season record in the league, but lost the playoff title to the Portland Sea Dogs after taking the series to a deciding fifth game.
Akron RubberDucks
The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in 7 17 Credit Union Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 7,630 fans. The nickname "RubberDucks" refers to Akron's history in the rubber industry, in particular as the birthplace of tire and rubber companies such as Goodyear, Firestone, B.F. Goodrich, and General Tire.
The franchise began as the Binghamton Triplets, a charter member of the New York–Penn League in 1923. They played in Binghamton, New York, at Johnson Field, winning 10 titles over their 46 seasons. After the 1968 season, Boston businessman John Alevizos acquired the franchise and moved it to Gill Stadium in Manchester, Massachusetts, to become the Manchester Yankees. After three seasons in Manchester, the franchise then relocated to West Haven, Connecticut, under new ownership, and became the West Haven Yankees, playing at Quigley Stadium. In West Haven, the franchise won four Eastern League titles in eight seasons. After the 1979 season, the franchise then moved to Lynn, Massachusetts, to become the Lynn Sailors, playing at Fraser Field.
In 1981, Mike Agganis purchased the team for $48,000. For the 1983 season, the team rebranded as the Pirates, due to their one-year affiliation with the Pittsburgh Pirates. After the 1983 season, the franchise moved to Burlington, Vermont, and became the Vermont Reds, playing at Centennial Field. As the Reds, the franchise won three more Eastern League titles in five seasons. In 1988, they were known as the Vermont Mariners, again due to a change in their major league affiliate. After the 1988 season, the franchise moved to Canton, Ohio. It became the Canton–Akron Indians, playing at newly opened Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium and changing affiliation to the Cleveland Indians, an affiliation they would keep for years to come.
In the early-1990's, then-Akron, Ohio mayor Don Plusquellic made it a priority to bring a stadium to downtown Akron. Plusquellic chose a 8.2-acre (3.3 ha) site situated between South Main Street and the Ohio and Erie Canal. After conversations with Agganis to initially relocate the team to Akron in 1987 did not materialize, a deal was reached on November 22, 1994 with Agganis for a $20 million, 8,500-seat baseball stadium in downtown Akron. Poor field drainage at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium was cited as one of the reasons for the relocation.
In anticipation of the move, the team considered several new names, with "Blast" serving as the initial selection. The community rejected this name as Akron native Judy Resnik was killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986. "Spirit" and "Quest" were also considered before "Aeros" was ultimately chosen due to Ohio's relevant history in aerospace. The Aeros debuted on Opening Day on April 10, 1997. With 9,086 fans in attendance, the Aeros and Harrisburg Senators played the first game at Canal Park, which would later be named 7 17 Credit Union Park due to a sponsorship agreemet. The Aeros finished their first season with a record of 51–90. Despite holding the last-place record, the team drew a Double-A league-leading 473,272 fans that season. The Aeros' opening day pitcher that year, Jaret Wright, would pitch for the Cleveland Indians later that year in the World Series and finish second in American League Rookie of the Year voting.
The following year, the Aeros put together a 30-game "worst-to-first" turnaround; after finishing the prior year 34½ games back, they proceeded to win the Southern Division in 1998 by 8½ games. However, after losing in the playoffs that year, it would be three more years until the Aeros found their way back to the postseason.
On September 6, 1999, the Aeros set an Eastern League attendance record for three consecutive seasons. They once again led all Double-A teams after 522,459 fans attended 17 games at Canal Park in 1999.
In 2002, the team posted a 93–48 record, the third-highest win total in the Eastern League in 50 years. Their success continued, as they won two league championships (their first since moving to Ohio) in 2003 and 2005. In 2006, the Aeros again posted the best regular-season record in the league, but lost the playoff title to the Portland Sea Dogs after taking the series to a deciding fifth game.