Trenton Thunder
From SoSH
| Location: | Trenton, New Jersey |
| Established: | 1980 |
| MLB Affiliation: | New York Yankees |
| League: | Eastern League |
| Level: | AA |
| Ballpark: | Mercer County Waterfront Park |
| Championships: | 1 (2007) |
| Division Titles: | 1 (2007) |
| Wild Card: |
The Trenton Thunder are an American minor league baseball team and are the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. The Thunder play in the Northern Division of the Eastern League, and are the defending league champions. The Thunder's home stadium is Mercer County Waterfront Park in Trenton, New Jersey.
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Franchise History
The Trenton franchise originated in Glens Falls, New York, in 1980 as the Glens Falls White Sox. The Detroit Tigers replaced the White Sox in 1985, and stayed on after the franchise moved to London, Ontario, in 1989, becoming the London Tigers and playing at historic Labatt Park.
In 1994, the Thunder moved to Trenton, and kept the Detroit affiliation for a season before switching affiliations to the Boston Red Sox in 1995. As a Red Sox affiliate, the club recorded three first-place finishes, but was eliminated from the playoffs in the first round each time. In 2003, the Thunder became aligned with the Yankees; the Red Sox adopted the Portland Sea Dogs at that time. The switch reflected both teams' fanbases, as Central New Jersey is home to a large number of Yankees fans, while Maine is part of “Red Sox Nation”.
On June 4, 1994, Phil Stidham became the first Thunder alumni to play in the major leagues for the Detroit Tigers, giving up six runs on six hits, including two home runs, as part of a 21-7 romp by the Minnesota Twins.
In 2006, the Thunder became the first team in Minor League Baseball history to draw over 400,000 fans for twelve consecutive seasons at the Double-A level or below. Through 13 seasons, over 5.4 million people had attended a Thunder game.
Surpassing the previous mark set of 8,729 while Derek Jeter was on a rehab stint with the team, the Thunder set a new single-game attendance record on May 23, 2007, when 9,134 fans attended to watch Roger Clemens make his second minor-league start as he worked toward a return to the Yankees.
On September 15, 2007, the Thunder defeated the Akron Aeros to win their first Eastern League Championship Series in team history.
Major League Affiliations
- New York Yankees (2003-present)
- Boston Red Sox (1995-2002)
- Detroit Tigers (1985-1994)
- Chicago White Sox (1980-1984)
Franchise Names
- Trenton Thunder (1994-present)
- London Tigers (1989-1993)
- Glens Falls Tigers (1985-1988)
- Glens Falls White Sox (1980-1984)
Notable Alumni
Notable Red Sox Who Played Here
The Sox Years with Trenton
Professional Baseball came back to Trenton in 1994, as the London Tigers moved to Trenton. The next year, the Sox moved from their 22 year affiliation with the state of Connecticut (first with the Bristol Red Sox, later with the New Britain Red Sox) and moved their AA team to Trenton.
The affiliation was immediately successful, as the Thunder tied for the Southern Division title (with a 73-69 record), and made the playoffs. They were unfortunately swept in their first playoff appearance. The next season, the team again won the Southern Division title (with a 86-56 record), but again went on to lose in the first round of the playoffs. 1996 also saw the AA All-Star game come to Trenton.
1997 and 1998 saw a reversal in fortune, as the team finished with identical 71-70 records, out of the playoff. Highlighting the 1998 season was the return of Major League Baseball to Trenton, as the Red Sox played an exhibition with the Thunder in late May. It was the first time a professional team had played in Trenton since the Washington Senators played an exhibition in 1936.
1999 saw a switch in Divisions, as the Thunder moved to the Northern Division as the Eastern League expanded by 2 teams. The team responded with their best season ever, winning the division with a 92-50 record. Unfortunately, their playoff losing streak continued, losing to the Yankee affiliated Norwich Navigators in the first round.
The turn of the century saw fortunes dip in Trenton, as 2000-2002 featured 3 consecutive losing seasons. Worse yet, in 2002, it appeared the Red Sox forgot about the team, not properly stocking the team or giving injury replacements, leaving the field management juggling people to fill in at positions they were unfamiliar with. It certainly appeared that the Red Sox no longer wanted to be in Trenton.
After the 2002 season, the Red Sox announced they they had signed a Player Development Contract with the Portland Sea Dogs. Trenton announced that they had signed a Player Develpment Contract with the New York Yankees. The teams would meet in 2005 in the Northern Division Playoff series... as the Thunder's playoff luck continued to be poor, losing to the Seadogs 3-2.
Teams and Records
- 1995 73-69 (Manager: Ken Macha)
- 1996 86-56 (Manager: Ken Macha)
- 1997 71-70 (Manager: DeMarlo Hale)
- 1998 71-70 (Manager: DeMarlo Hale)
- 1999 92-50 (Manager: DeMarlo Hale)
- 2000 67-75 (Manager: Billy Gardner, Jr.)
- 2001 67-75 (Manager: Billy Gardner, Jr.)
- 2002 63-77 (Manager: Ron Johnson)
Awards
Eastern League Manager of the Year
- 1999 DeMarlo Hale
Easterm League Pitcher of the Year
- 1996 Carl Pavano
Eastern League Post-Season All-Stars
- 2002 Freddy Sanchez (Utility)
- 2000 Shea Hillenbrand (1st Base)
- 1999 David Eckstein (2nd Base), Raul Gonzalez (OF)
- 1998 Dernell Stenson (OF)
- 1996 Adam Hyzdu (OF), Walt McKeel (C ), Carl Pavano (RHP)
- 1995 Nomar Garciaparra (SS), Clyde "Pork Chop" Pough (DH)
League Leaders
Wins
- 1996 - Carl Pavano - 16
Strikeouts
- 1995 - Rafael Orellano - 160
ERA
- 1996 - Carl Pavano - 2.63
Trenton Baseball Hall of Fame
4 Red Sox Minor Leaguers have been Honored by this HoF
- Nomar Garciaparra
- David Eckstein
- Ken Macha - Manager
- Steve Braun - Hitting Coach
also Honored: Boston Sportswriter Bob Ryan and the Thermos, Tony Clark
Trivia
- Nomar Garciaparra's Number 5 was retired by Trenton.
- Tony Clark's Number 33 was retired by Trenton.
External Links
Trenton Thunder Official Site
Eastern League Official Site
Trenton Thunder History Page
