Harrisburg Senators
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| Harrisburg Senators | ||
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| League | Eastern League | |
| Division | Southern Division | |
| Year founded | 1987 | |
| Major League affiliation | Washington Nationals | |
| Home ballpark | Commerce Bank Park | |
| Previous home ballparks | Island Field | |
| City | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | |
| Current uniform colors | red, navy blue, gold | |
| Previous uniform colors | black, red | |
| Logo design | the wordmark "Senators" in white with navy and gold outline. A star-spangled streamer and streaking baseball underlines the wordmark. | |
| Division titles | 1994, 1997 | |
| League titles | Original: 1927, 1928, 1931 Modern Era: 1987, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 |
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| Manager | Scott Little | |
| Owner | City of Harrisburg | |
The Harrisburg Senators are a minor league baseball team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The Senators play in Commerce Bank Park, located on City Island in Harrisburg; originally opened in 1987 as Riverside Stadium, the stadium seats 6,360 fans. The "Senators" nickname refers to the host city being the capital and thus home of the Pennsylvania legislature. The team colors are red, navy blue, and gold, the same colors of the parent club, the Washington Nationals.
Harrisburg has won nine Eastern League titles and is the first team in league history to win four titles in a row: 1927, 1928, 1931, 1987, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999.
Contents |
[edit] Franchise History
- 1901 - Harrisburg Baseball Club organizes.
- 1902 - "Chief" Bender, future Hall of Fame member, pitches for Harrisburg for a salary of $125.00 per month.
- 1904 - Tri-State Association forms with William Farnsworth of Harrisburg as President. Farnsworth cup awarded to champs.
- 1912-14 - Harrisburg wins league championship under Manager George Cockhill of Steelton.
- 1915 - Newark, New Jersey, Class "AA" team moves to Harrisburg as part of International League. Jim Thorpe plays for Harrisburg.
- 1916 - Harrisburg joins New York State League and finishes last.
- 1917-23 - Only sandlot teams. West End League, with future stars Les Bell, Fred Frankhouse and Dittie Cocklin.
- 1924 - Harrisburg part of original New York-Penn League (renamed the Eastern League in 1938)
- 1925 - Joe Munson hits Senator record .400 average, 33 home runs. Oscar Charleston, future Hall of Fame member, manages Harrisburg Giants and hits .430.
- 1927 - League Champions.
- 1928 - League Champions.
- 1931 - League Champions.
- 1936 - Flood washes away Island Field and ends baseball in Harrisburg.
- 1940 - Harrisburg joins Inter-State League, Les Bell Manager. Team affiliates with Pittsburgh Pirates.
- 1941 - League champions with stars Billy Cox and Dennis Taylor.
- 1943 - Senators' franchise moves to York, Pennsylvania.
- 1946 - Senators reorganize as a Cleveland Indians farm team.
- 1952 - Senators finish in last place. League and team disband.
- 1987 - Harrisburg Senators reform as a Pittsburgh Pirates farm team. League champions of Class "AA" Eastern League.
- 1991 - Affiliation switches to Montreal Expos. Modern Day Senators reach 1,000,000 in total attendance.
- 1993 - Eastern League champions with win over Canton, Ohio.
- 1994 - Dave Jauss, Expo Scout, named Manager.
- 1995 - Pat Kelly named Manager. Modern Day Senators reach 2,000,000 in total attendance.
- 1996 - City of Harrisburg buys team to keep it from moving to Springfield, MA. Eastern League Champions
- 1997 - Eastern League Champions
- 1998 - Eastern League Champions
- 1999 - Eastern League Champions. Modern Day Senators reach 3,000,000 in total attendance.
- 2001 - Senators set team single season attendance mark with 276,691 fans (3,897 a game on average) in a season.
- 2003 - Sueng Song pitches first no-hitter in modern history. Modern Day Senators reach 4,000,000 in total attendance
- 2004 - RiverSide Stadium renamed Commerce Bank Park
- 2005 - The Expos move from Montreal to Washington D.C. and are renamed the Washington Nationals, while the Senators continue to serve as their AA farm team; Baltimore Orioles battle Washington over placement of Triple-A affiliate team in Harrisburg.
- 2007 - If attendance goes as predicted, the Modern Day Senators should reach 5,000,000 in total attendance.
- 2008 - If all goes as planned, the Senators could get renovations done to Commerce Bank Park.
[edit] Uniforms
Team uniforms for the Harrisburg Senators look nearly identical to the Washington Nationals uniforms, Home and Away. The obvious differences are with the hat, having an "H" with a baseball swooshing through the middle of it, instead of a "W" (The colors of the hat are identical with what the Nationals have, Red for home, Navy Blue for away). The front of the uniforms say Senators and white for home, Harrisburg and gray uniforms for away, in the script much like what the Nationals have.
[edit] Ownership
The Senators are currently owned by the City of Harrisburg, which paid $6.7 million in 1995 to acquire the team from the previous owners of the franchise, who were planning to move the team to a new taxpayer-financed ballpark in Springfield, Massachusetts.[1] Instead of buckling and offering a new stadium of his own, Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed lead the City of Harrisburg to purchase the team instead. The previous owners had bought the team only six months earlier for just $4.1 million. Citing the ballpark as the major link in his downtown revitalization project, when asked how he could afford the hefty price tag, Mayor Reed responded by asking, "How could we not?" The Senators remain one of the only sports franchises in the nation to be completely owned by the citizens of the community they reside in. In 2006 the city of Harrisburg; however, in order to combat a major budget deficit, has put the team up for sale. Mayor Reed has stipulated that the new owner must keep the team in Harrisburg for at least 29 years.[1]
[edit] Triple-A Franchise bid
In mid 2005, Peter Angelos, owner of the Baltimore Orioles MLB franchise, with the permission of the Double-A Eastern League and the Triple-A International League, struck a deal to move Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate from Ottawa to Harrisburg.[2]One of the hangups with the agreement was that a buyer for the Double-A Senators franchise had to be found. The shake up in several minor league baseball markets since, has resulted in competition from other cities bidding for Triple-A teams like Ottawa. As of December 2005, the Ottawa team appears to be moving to Allentown, Pennsylvania as the Triple-A team for the Philadelphia Phillies.[2] The Baltimore Orioles also signed a player development deal with the Norfolk Tides of the International League. The Tides will now be the AAA affiliate of the Orioles. With all links to the next level of baseball ended, as well as two AAA teams now in Eastern PA, the future of AAA ball in Harrisburg remains unknown.[2]
[edit] Stadium Renovation
Commerce Bank Park will receive a much awaited $30 million renovation ($19.1 million in state funding). Originally the renovation was to begin in 2005, however delays in state funding for the project have pushed it back until 2007, meaning the improvements won't be implemented for Senators fans until the 2008 season at the earliest. Final designs for the project have been completed by HOK Sport, and the city has floated $18 million in bonds to cover its share of the projected $30 million cost. The project calls for 1,700 more seats, 20 skyboxes, 766 club seats, a second level, a new party deck and restaurant, new picnic areas, a children's play area, new clubhouses, state-of-the-art concession areas, and a new entryway. The overall look and feel of the new stadium improvements will ultimately give a Camden Yards feel to it, utilizing historic brick architecture for the stadiums new entryway and grandstand. Originally, the renovations were to have been implemented to help lure a move from the Ottawa Lynx, the Triple A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. The Ottawa affiliation will be taken over, however, by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2007, who will move the franchise to Allentown, PA in 2008. The Orioles also signed an affiliation agreement with the Norfolk Tides. With their proximity to Baltimore and the success of baseball in Norfolk, along with 2 AAA franchises in Eastern Pennsylvania, and other cities in the area gaining independent franchises, the city of Harrisburg is very unlikely to see AAA baseball any time soon.
[edit] Broadcast
Every Harrisburg Senators game is carried on Flagship Station 1460 the Ticket (AM 1460 WTKT - Clear Channel, Harrisburg.) The games are also streamed on the team's website www.senatorsbaseball.com. Some games are also aired on a local tv station called CN8.
[edit] Team Records
[edit] Season Records
| Original Harrisburg Senators 1924-1935 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year (affiliation) | Wins | Losses | Winning Pct. | GB (Division Standing) | Manager |
| 1924 (Independent) | 70 | 60 | .539 | -15.5 (4th out of 8) | Steve Yerkes/Mickey LaLonge/Glen Killinger |
| 1925 (Independent) | 61 | 69 | .469 | -15 (6th out of 8) | Rankin Johnson |
| 1926 (Independent) | 47 | 84 | .359 | -35.5 (8th out of 8) | Rankin Johnson/Joe Lightner |
| 1927 (Independent) | 87 | 51 | .630 | +6 (1st out of 8) | Win Clark |
| 1928 (Independent) | 82 | 54 | .603 | +1 (1st out of 8) | Glen Killinger |
| 1929 (Independent) | 75 | 62 | .547 | -7 (3rd out of 8) | Johnny Tillman |
| 1930 (Independent) | 70 | 69 | .504 | -9.5 (4th out of 8) | Johnny Tillman |
| 1931 (Independent) | 83 | 56 | .597 | +3 (1st out of 8) | Joe Cobb/Eddie Onslow |
| 1932 (Boston Braves) | 74 | 66 | .529 | -4.5 (2nd out of 8) | Eddie Onslow |
| 1933 (Boston Braves) | 60 | 76 | .441 | -20 (7th out of 8) | Eddie Onslow |
| 1934 (Boston Braves) | 60 | 75 | .444 | -16.5 (8th out of 8) | Leslie Mann |
| 1935 (Boston Braves) | 59 | 77 | .434 | -22.5 (6th out of 8) | Art Shires |
| ORIGINAL SENATORS TOTAL | 828 | 799 | .509 | ||
| Modern Day Senators (1987-) | |||||
| 1987 (Pittsburgh Pirates) | 77 | 63 | .550 | -11 (2nd out of 8) | Dave Trembley |
| 1988 (Pittsburgh Pirates) | 65 | 73 | .471 | -15.5 (7th out of 8) | Dave Trembley |
| 1989 (Pittsburgh Pirates) | 71 | 65 | .522 | -19 (2nd out of 8) | Dave Trembley |
| 1990 (Pittsburgh Pirates) | 69 | 69 | .500 | -9.5 (5th out of 8) | Marc Bombard |
| 1991 (Montreal Expos) | 87 | 53 | .621 | +6 (1st out of 8) | Mike Quade |
| 1992 (Montreal Expos) | 78 | 59 | .569 | -1.5 (3rd out of 8) | Mike Quade |
| 1993 (Montreal Expos) | 94 | 44 | .681 | +19 (1st out of 8) | Jim Tracy |
| 1994 (Montreal Expos) | 88 | 51 | .633 | +5.5 (1st out of 5 in Southern Division) | Dave Jauss |
| 1995 (Montreal Expos) | 61 | 80 | .433 | -11.5 (5th out of 5 in Southern Division) | Pat Kelly |
| 1996 (Montreal Expos) | 74 | 68 | .521 | -12 (2nd out of 5 in Southern Division) | Pat Kelly |
| 1997 (Montreal Expos) | 86 | 56 | .606 | +11 (1st out of 5 in Southern Division) | Rick Sofield |
| 1998 (Montreal Expos) | 73 | 69 | .514 | -8.5 (2nd out of 5 in Southern Division) | Rick Sweet |
| 1999 (Montreal Expos) | 76 | 66 | .535 | -9.5 (2nd out of 6 in Southern Division) | Doug Sisson |
| 2000 (Montreal Expos) | 76 | 67 | .531 | -9.5 (2nd out of 6 in Southern Division) | Doug Sisson |
| 2001 (Montreal Expos) | 66 | 76 | .465 | -18 (4th out of 6 in Southern Division) | Luis Dorante |
| 2002 (Montreal Expos) | 79 | 63 | .556 | -14.5 (2nd out of 6 in Southern Division) | Dave Huppert |
| 2003 (Montreal Expos) | 60 | 82 | .423 | -28.5 (6th out of 6 in Southern Division) | Dave Machemer |
| 2004 (Montreal Expos) | 52 | 90 | .366 | -33.5 (6th out of 6 in Southern Division) | Dave Machemer |
| 2005 (Washington Nationals) | 64 | 78 | .451 | -20 (5th out of 6 in Southern Division) | Keith Bodie |
| 2006 (Washington Nationals) | 67 | 75 | .472 | -20 (5th out of 6 in Southern Division) | John Stearns |
| 2007 (Washington Nationals) | 0 | 0 | .0 | Scott Little | |
| CURRENT SENATORS TOTAL | 1463 | 1347 | .521 | ||
| ALL TIME TOTAL | 2291 | 2146 | .516 |
- in GB is behind, + in GB is ahead Bold years are Eastern League Championship years
| Playoff Results | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1987 | Semi-Finals | vs. Reading | 3-2 |
| Finals | vs. Vermont | 3-1 | |
| 1989 | Semi-Finals | vs. Canton-Akron | 3-2 |
| Finals | vs. Albany | 1-3 | |
| 1991 | Semi-Finals | vs. Canton-Akron | 3-1 |
| Finals | vs. Albany | 1-3 | |
| 1992 | Semi-Finals | vs. Canton-Akron | 1-3 |
| 1993 | Semi-Finals | vs. Albany-Colonie | 3-1 |
| Finals | vs. Canton-Akron | 3-2 | |
| 1994 | Semi-Finals | vs. Bowie | 3-2 |
| Finals | vs. Binghamton | 1-3 | |
| 1996 | Semi-Finals | vs. Trenton | 3-1 |
| Finals | vs. Portland | 3-1 | |
| 1997 | Semi-Finals | vs. Bowie | 3-2 |
| Finals | vs. Portland | 3-1 | |
| 1998 | Semi-Finals | vs. Akron | 3-1 |
| Finals | vs. New Britain | 3-1 | |
| 1999 | Semi-Finals | vs. Erie | 3-1 |
| Finals | vs. Norwich | 3-2 | |
| 2000 | Semi-Finals | vs. Reading | 0-3 |
| 2002 | Semi-Finals | vs. Akron | 3-2 |
| Finals | vs. Norwich | 2-3 | |
| PLAYOFF RECORD | 54-41 | .568 Win Pct. |
[edit] Individual Season Records
| Batting Records | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Games | 141 | Jamie Carroll | 1999 |
| At Bats | 565 | Brandon Watson | 2003 |
| Runs | 134 | Lawrence Fischer | 1932 |
| Hits | 198 | Horace McBride | 1930 |
| Total Bases | 355 | Joe Munson | 1925 |
| Doubles | 40 | Horace McBride | 1930 |
| Triples | 21 | Horace McBride | 1930 |
| Home Runs | 37 | Andy Tracy | 1999 |
| RBI | 129 | Joe Munson | 1925 |
| Walks | 93 | Val Pascucci | 2002 |
| Strikeouts | 139 | Andy Tracy | 1999 |
| Sacrifices | 30 | Glenn Killinger | 1928 |
| Sacrifice Flies | 11 | Lance Belen | 1988 |
| Stolen Bases | 52 | Jim Reboulet | 1987 |
| Batting Average | .400 | Joe Munson | 1925 |
| Pitching Records | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Games | 60 | Alberto Reyes | 1994 |
| Complete Games | 22 | Louis Polli | 1927 |
| Shutouts | 5 | Louis Polli | 1927 |
| Wins | 23 | Clint Brown | 1928 |
| Losses | 18 | Clint Parkes | 1929 |
| Saves | 35 | Alberto Reyes | 1994 |
| Innings | 292 | Charles Parkes | 1929 |
| Walks | 130 | Bill Dietrich | 1931 |
| Strikeouts | 161 | Ronald Chiavacci | 2001 |
| ERA | 2.15 | Clint Brown | 1928 |
All info from 2006 Eastern League Media Guide
[edit] References
- ^ a b Morrow, Geoff (January 07, 2007). Reed, Interest in Senators' sale is on rise. Harrisburg Patriot-News. Retrieved on 2007-01-07.
- ^ a b c Loverro, Thom (August 18, 2005). O's, Nats battle over Harrisburg. The Washington Times. Retrieved on 2007-01-07.
[edit] External links
- Harrisburg Senators official site
- Harrisburg Senators' MiLB Page
- Photographs of Commerce Bank Park, home of the Harrisburg Senators - Rochester Area Ballparks
| Washington Nationals Franchise | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | AA | A | Rookie |
| Columbus Clippers | Harrisburg Senators |
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Gulf Coast Nationals VSL Nationals |
| Eastern League | ||
| Northern Division | Southern Division | |
|---|---|---|
| Binghamton Mets | Connecticut Defenders | New Britain Rock Cats | New Hampshire Fisher Cats | Portland Sea Dogs | Trenton Thunder | Akron Aeros | Altoona Curve | Bowie Baysox | Erie SeaWolves | Harrisburg Senators | Reading Phillies | |
