Portland Sea Dogs

Portland Sea Dogs Founded in 1994 Portland, Maine
Team logo Cap insignia
Class-level
Current	Double-A (1994–present)
Minor league affiliations
League	Eastern League (1994–present)
Division	Eastern Division
Major league affiliations
Current	Boston Red Sox (2003–present)
Previous	Florida Marlins (1994–2002)
Minor league titles
League titles (1)	2006
Division titles (5)	1995 1996 1997 2005 2014
Team data
Nickname	Portland Sea Dogs (1994–present)
Colors	Navy, red, gray
Ballpark	Hadlock Field (1994–present)
Owner(s)/ Operator(s)	Dan Burke
Manager	Darren Fenster
General Manager	Geoff Iacuessa

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

The Sea Dogs became part of the Red Sox system for the 2003 season; previously they were affiliated with the Florida Marlins. The change in affiliation brought success in the 2005 and 2006 seasons as the Sea Dogs went to the Eastern League championship series both years. They won their first-ever title on September 17, 2006, defeating the Akron Aeros, 8–5, in a rematch of the series from the previous year. It was the first Double-A championship for a Red Sox farm team since 1983 when they were based in New Britain, Connecticut.

Currently, all games are carried on a network of radio stations with Mike Antonellis providing the play-by-play, with the flagship WPEI and select TV games on NESN with Eric Frede play-by-play and former Red Sox relief pitcher Ken Ryan.

History

Minor league baseball officially 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 what would become a nine-season relationship.^[1] The city renovated Hadlock Field, transforming what was once 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 as well as logos for the Connecticut Defenders, Binghamton Mets, and New Britain Rock Cats. Gilchrist's 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.

Stadium

The Sea Dogs hosting the Hartford Yard Goats during the 2016 season

The Sea Dogs' home stadium is Hadlock Field, named after long-time Portland High School baseball coach Edson Hadlock.^[2] It currently has a seating capacity of 7,368.^[2] 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-tall replica of Fenway Park's Green Monster, complete with Coke bottle and Citgo sign.^[2] 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.

Sea Dogs games are frequented by the team's official mascot, Slugger the Sea Dog.

Season records

"Place" represents finish in the Northern Division.

Slugger the Sea Dog, the team mascot

Current roster

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Portland Sea Dogs.

• Portland Sea Dogs official web site
• Portland Sea Dogs MiLB Page