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Portland Sea Dogs

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Portland Sea Dogs
Team logo Cap insignia
Minor league affiliations
ClassDouble-A (1994–present)
LeagueEastern League (1994–present)
DivisionNortheast Division
Major league affiliations
TeamBoston Red Sox (2003–present)
Previous teamsFlorida Marlins (1994–2002)
Minor league titles
League titles (1)2006
Division titles (6)
  • 1995
  • 1996
  • 1997
  • 2005
  • 2014
  • 2024
Second-half titles (1)
  • 2022
Team data
NamePortland Sea Dogs (1994–present)
ColorsNavy, red, gray
     
MascotSlugger
BallparkDelta Dental Park at Hadlock Field (1994–present)
Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
Diamond Baseball Holdings[1]
General managerGeoff Iacuessa
ManagerChad Epperson
Websitemilb.com/portland
Portland Sea Dogs Uniform

The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League.[a] Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.

Originally affiliated with the Florida Marlins, the Sea Dogs became part of the Red Sox system for the 2003 season. The team went to the Eastern League championship series in 2005, losing to the Akron Aeros; and again in 2006, when they defeated the Aeros to win the first Double-A championship for a Red Sox farm team since the New Britain Red Sox in 1983.

All games are carried on a network of radio stations with Emma Tiedemann providing the play-by-play,[3] with the flagship WPEI doing both home and away games.

History

[edit]
Slugger the Sea Dog, the team mascot

Minor league baseball returned to Maine on October 4, 1992, when Portland was awarded one of two Eastern League expansion franchises (the other being the New Haven Ravens) to begin play in April 1994. The Sea Dogs signed an affiliation agreement with the Florida Marlins on May 3, 1993, beginning a nine-season relationship.[4] The city renovated Hadlock Field, transforming a high-school stadium into a professional ballpark. City manager Robert Ganley led efforts to renovate Hadlock Field and return professional baseball to Portland.

The team won its first game, defeating the Reading Phillies on the road 2–1, with the help of a 14th-inning home run by future major league catcher Charles Johnson. The team opened Hadlock Field on April 18, 1994, losing 7–6 to the Albany-Colonie Yankees.

Cartoonist Guy Gilchrist designed the team's logo.[5] His comic strip Mudpie had a series of strips in which the young cat's family visit the Portland area and attend a Sea Dogs game.[citation needed]

The team won its sole league title on September 17, 2006, defeating the Akron Aeros 8–5, in a rematch of the series from the previous year.

When Major League Baseball restructured Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Sea Dogs were organized into the Double-A Northeast.[6] In 2022, the division was renamed the Eastern League, the name used by the regional circuit before the 2021 reorganization.[7]

Ahead of the 2023 season, the Sea Dogs' longtime owners, the Burke family, sold the team to Diamond Baseball Holdings.[8]

In August 2024, Portland cartoonist Lincoln Peirce featured the team in his comic strip Big Nate.[9]

Stadium

[edit]
The Sea Dogs hosting the Hartford Yard Goats during the 2016 season

The Sea Dogs' home stadium is Delta Dental Park at Hadlock Field, named after longtime Portland High School baseball coach Edson Hadlock.[10] It has a seating capacity of 7,368.[10] Hadlock Field is often visited by vacationing celebrities, such as former NFL coach Bill Parcells, former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and his wife Barbara. In left field stands the Maine Monster, a 37-foot (11 m) replica of Fenway Park's Green Monster, complete with Coke bottle and Citgo sign.[10] Along the right-field foul line just beyond first base, a picnic pavilion is available for group outings from 20 up to 300 people. In 2006, a new pavilion opened above the right-field wall over the Sea Dogs bullpen. Modeled after the Green Monster seats at Fenway Park in Boston, it seats up to 393 people and gives fans an opportunity to catch a home run ball.

Slugger the Sea Dog has been the Sea Dogs' mascot since May 6, 1994.[11]

Season records

[edit]

The team was a member of the Northeast division of the Eastern League from 1994 to 2020 and the Northeast division of Double-A Northeast in 2021. They have been members of the Eastern League's Northeast division since 2022.

In the below table, "Place" represents finish within the team's division for the overall regular reason. Note that in 2019 and 2022, the Eastern League played a split-season schedule, with first-half and second-half winners advancing to the postseason.

Legend
Place   Playoffs
Division champions   Won championship series
Made playoffs   Lost championship series
Results by season
Year W–L Pct. Place Manager Playoffs
1994 60–81 .426 4th Carlos Tosca  
1995 86–56 .606 1st Lost to New Haven, 3–2 in semifinals
1996 83–58 .589 1st Defeated Binghamton, 3–2 in semifinals
Lost to Harrisburg, 3–2 in championship
1997 79–63 .556 1st Fredi González Defeated Norwich, 3–2 in semifinals
Lost to Harrisburg, 3–1 in championship
1998 66–75 .468 3rd Lynn Jones  
1999 65–77 .458 3rd Frank Cacciatore  
2000 71–70 .504 4th Rick Renteria  
2001 77–65 .542 3rd  
2002 63–77 .450 5th Eric Fox  
2003 72–70 .507 3rd Ron Johnson  
2004 69–73 .486 4th  
2005 76–66 .535 1st Todd Claus Defeated Trenton, 3–2 in semifinals
Lost to Akron, 3–1 in championship
2006 72–67 .518 2nd Defeated Trenton, 3–1 in semifinals
Defeated Akron, 3–2 in championship
2007 71–72 .497 2nd Arnie Beyeler Lost to Trenton, 3–1 in semifinals
2008 74–66 .529 2nd Lost to Trenton, 3–0 in semifinals
2009 67–74 .475 4th  
2010 70–71 .496 3rd  
2011 59–83 .415 6th Kevin Boles  
2012 68–73 .482 4th  
2013 68–73 .482 4th  
2014 88–54 .620 1st Billy McMillon Lost to Binghamton, 3–2 in semifinals
2015 53–89 .373 6th  
2016 55–84 .396 6th Carlos Febles  
2017 65–74 .468 4th  
2018 63–76 .453 6th Darren Fenster  
2019 62–77 .446 6th Joe Oliver  
2020 Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 67–47 .588 2nd Corey Wimberly  
2022 75–63 .543 3rd Chad Epperson Lost to Somerset, 2–0 in semifinals
2023 73–63 .537 3rd  
2024 78–60 .565 1st  

Roster

[edit]
Players Coaches/Other

Pitchers

  • 48 Caleb Bolden
  • 57 Bryce Bonnin
  • 46 Jonathan Brand
  • 28 Zach Bryant
  • 29 Felix Cepeda
  • 33 Isaac Coffey
  • 19 Connelly Early
  •  3 Juan Daniel Encarnacion
  • 12 Alex Hoppe
  • 36 Gabriel Jackson
  • 17 Chih-Jung Liu
  • 43 David Sandlin
  • 56 Reidis Sena
  • 30 Christopher Troye
  • 15 Tyler Uberstine
  • 37 Blake Wehunt

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

  • 58 Allan Castro
  • 24 Nick Decker
  • 35 Jhostynxon Garcia
  • 17 Bryan Gonzalez


Manager

  • 55 Chad Epperson

Coaches

  • 53 Justin Frometa (development coach)
  • 66 Chris Hess (hitting)
  • 77 Sean Isaac (pitching coach)
  • 40 Mickey Jiang (coach)
  • 54 Kyle Sasala (coach)

60-day injured list

  • -- Angel Bastardo (full season)
  • 97 Taylor Broadway (full season)
  • 99 Matt Donlan
  • 10 Karson Simas
  • 61 Noah Song (full season)

7-day injured list
* On Boston Red Sox 40-man roster
~ Development list
# Rehab assignment
∞ Reserve list
‡ Restricted list
§ Suspended list
† Temporarily inactive list
Roster updated October 7, 2024
Transactions
→ More rosters: MiLB • Eastern League
Boston Red Sox minor league players

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Portland is 107 miles (172 km) from Fenway Park in Boston.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Portland Sea Dogs are being sold, but sticking with Red Sox". www.boston.com. Associated Press. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  2. ^ "MLB affiliate overview: American League East". MiLB.com. February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  3. ^ "Emma Tiedemann hired as new 'Voice of the Sea Dogs'". milb.com. March 16, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  4. ^ Sea Dogs Time Line (Franchise History) – Portland Sea Dogs.
  5. ^ Mehler, Johnny; Neel, Bailey (April 6, 2017). "There's a story behind the Sea Dogs name and logo". newscentermaine.com. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  6. ^ Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues". Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  7. ^ "Historical League Names to Return in 2022". Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  8. ^ "Portland Sea Dogs sold to group that has gone on minor league baseball buying spree". Press Herald. December 6, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  9. ^ Peirce, Lincoln (July 29, 2024). "Big Nate by Lincoln Peirce for July 29, 2024 | GoComics.com". GoComics. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c "Hadlock Field | Portland, ME". www.portlandmaine.gov. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  11. ^ "Slugger the Sea Dog". MiLB.com. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
[edit]
Preceded by Boston Red Sox
Double-A affiliate

2003–present
Succeeded by
current