Auburn Doubledays
Encyclopedia
The Auburn Doubledays are a minor league baseball
team in Auburn, New York
, USA, that is owned and operated by Auburn Community Baseball
. They are a member of the Short-Season Class A New York-Penn League and have been a farm team
of the Houston Astros
(1996–2000), the Toronto Blue Jays
(2001–2010), and Washington Nationals
(from 2011).
The Doubledays are the most recent name of the Auburn entry in the New York-Penn League that dates back to 1958. From 1982–1995, the team operated as the Auburn Astros
.
The Doubledays play home games at Leo Pinckney Field at Falcon Park
. The "new" Falcon Park opened in June 1995, replacing the original Falcon Park which was built in 1927 on the same site. Falcon Park seats 2,800 fans. In 2008, new blue box seats were installed.
The team and its mascot are named after Abner Doubleday
, the Civil War
general
and Auburn native apocryphally credited with inventing the game of baseball
. Abner wears number 96 in honor of the birth of the team in 1996.
In 1998 the Doubledays and the Oneonta Yankees were named Co-Champions of the NY Penn League after Central New York was hit with a torrential rain storm and the fields at both parks were deemed unplayable.
The Doubledays won the Pinckney Division title for six straight years in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, but failed to win the league championship for the first five of those years. After losing in the first round of the playoffs for the first three years of their streak, they advanced to the New York - Penn League Championship series before being swept by the Staten Island Yankees. In 2003, the Doubledays led all of baseball in winning percentage (.757).
The Doubledays finally won the NY Penn League title in 2007, sweeping the Brooklyn Cyclones
in the League Championship series. The final game featured a stellar pitching performance by Brett Cecil
and a home run by J.P. Arencibia. This was the first league championship for the city of Auburn since 1973.
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
team in Auburn, New York
Auburn, New York
Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States of America. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 27,687...
, USA, that is owned and operated by Auburn Community Baseball
Auburn Community Baseball
Auburn Community Baseball is the parent organization of the Auburn Doubledays and its predecessor Auburn, New York teams in the New York-Penn League dating back to 1958....
. They are a member of the Short-Season Class A New York-Penn League and have been a farm team
Farm team
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team or nursery club, is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher level at a given point...
of the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
(1996–2000), the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
(2001–2010), and Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
(from 2011).
The Doubledays are the most recent name of the Auburn entry in the New York-Penn League that dates back to 1958. From 1982–1995, the team operated as the Auburn Astros
Auburn Astros
The Auburn Astros were a minor league baseball team that existed from 1982 to 1995. The team played in the New York–Penn League and was affiliated with the Houston Astros. The team was located in Auburn, New York; played home games at Falcon Park; and was owned and operated by Auburn Community...
.
The Doubledays play home games at Leo Pinckney Field at Falcon Park
Falcon Park
Falcon Park is a stadium in Auburn, New York. The stadium is primarily used for baseball and is the home field of the Auburn Doubledays minor league baseball team. The Auburn Maroons varsity baseball team also plays its home games at the stadium....
. The "new" Falcon Park opened in June 1995, replacing the original Falcon Park which was built in 1927 on the same site. Falcon Park seats 2,800 fans. In 2008, new blue box seats were installed.
The team and its mascot are named after Abner Doubleday
Abner Doubleday
Abner Doubleday was a career United States Army officer and Union general in the American Civil War. He fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter, the opening battle of the war, and had a pivotal role in the early fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg. Gettysburg was his finest hour, but his...
, the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
and Auburn native apocryphally credited with inventing the game of baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. Abner wears number 96 in honor of the birth of the team in 1996.
History
Baseball in Auburn dates back to at least 1958. The current franchise began operations in 1982.In 1998 the Doubledays and the Oneonta Yankees were named Co-Champions of the NY Penn League after Central New York was hit with a torrential rain storm and the fields at both parks were deemed unplayable.
The Doubledays won the Pinckney Division title for six straight years in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, but failed to win the league championship for the first five of those years. After losing in the first round of the playoffs for the first three years of their streak, they advanced to the New York - Penn League Championship series before being swept by the Staten Island Yankees. In 2003, the Doubledays led all of baseball in winning percentage (.757).
The Doubledays finally won the NY Penn League title in 2007, sweeping the Brooklyn Cyclones
Brooklyn Cyclones
The Brooklyn Cyclones is a minor league baseball team in the Short-Season A classification New York - Penn League, affiliated with the New York Mets. The Cyclones play at MCU Park just off the Coney Island boardwalk in the New York City borough of Brooklyn....
in the League Championship series. The final game featured a stellar pitching performance by Brett Cecil
Brett Cecil
Brett Aarion Cecil is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball. Cecil was drafted as the 38th overall pick in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft by the Blue Jays...
and a home run by J.P. Arencibia. This was the first league championship for the city of Auburn since 1973.
1st Base
- Vito ChiaravallotiVito ChiaravallotiVito Chiaravolloti is a professional baseball player currently playing in the Independent league. Chiaravalloti attended Christian Brothers Academy, and then went on to the University of Richmond where he was an All-American baseball player...
- Joe PepitoneJoe PepitoneJoseph "Joe" Anthony Pepitone is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder who played the bulk of his career for the New York Yankees. He also played several seasons with the Chicago Cubs and had short stints with the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves...
- Ed KranepoolEd KranepoolEdward Emil Kranepool is a former first baseman who spent his entire Major League Baseball career with the New York Mets....
- David CooperDavid Cooper (baseball)David Fletcher Cooper is a first baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays. He is 6 feet tall and weighs 200 pounds.-Minor League career:...
Starting Pitchers
- Johan SantanaJohan SantanaJohan Alexander Santana Araque is a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher who is currently playing for the New York Mets. He is a native of Venezuela....
- Jerry KoosmanJerry KoosmanJerome Martin Koosman is a former left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies between 1967 and 1985...
- Mel StottlemyreMel StottlemyreMelvin Leon Stottlemyre, Sr. is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and pitching coach. He played 11 years in the Major Leagues, all of them with the New York Yankees...
- Shane ReynoldsShane ReynoldsRichard Shane Reynolds is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Houston Astros , Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks...
- Roy OswaltRoy OswaltRoy Edward Oswalt is an American Major League Baseball pitcher and Olympic gold medalist who is currently a free agent. Oswalt, a slender six-foot right-handed starting pitcher, is currently in his eleventh major league season...
- Rollie SheldonRollie SheldonRoland Frank Sheldon , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1961 to 1962 and 1964 to 1966. In 1961, Sheldon had a sensational rookie season for the New York Yankees with 11 wins, but would never match that total ever again in his career...
- Brian Ridley
- Robert RayRobert Ray (baseball)Robert Andrew "Bobby" Ray is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed...
- Brett CecilBrett CecilBrett Aarion Cecil is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball. Cecil was drafted as the 38th overall pick in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft by the Blue Jays...
- Marc RzepczynskiMarc RzepczynskiMarc Walter Rzepczynski is an American professional baseball left-handed pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.The Toronto Blue Jays blogosphere gave Rzepczynski the nickname "Scrabble".-Amateur career:...
- Ricky Romero
- Shaun MarcumShaun MarcumShaun Michael Marcum is an American professional baseball starting pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball.-Early life:...
- David PurceyDavid PurceyDavid Kent Purcey is a left-handed pitcher in professional baseball.-Amateur career:Purcey attended high school at Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, Texas, and then attended the University of Oklahoma, where he played for the Sooners baseball team.-Professional career:Purcey originally was...
- Dustin McGowanDustin McGowanDustin Michael McGowan is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball. Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays out of Long County High School in Ludowici, Georgia in the 1st round with 33rd pick of the draft on June 4, 2000...
- Jesse LitschJesse LitschJesse Allen Litsch is an American pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball. He is tall and weighs 225 pounds....
- Josh BanksJosh BanksJoshua Charles Banks is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He is 6'3" in height and weighs 195 pounds. Banks attended college at Florida International University...
Bullpen
- Tug McGrawTug McGrawFrank Edwin "Tug" McGraw Jr. was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher and the father of Country music singer Tim McGraw and actor/TV personality Mark McGraw and Cari McGraw...
- Billy WagnerBilly WagnerWilliam Edward Wagner , nicknamed "Billy the Kid", is a retired Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He pitched for the Houston Astros , the Philadelphia Phillies , the New York Mets , the Boston Red Sox , and the Atlanta Braves...
- Todd Jones
- Casey JanssenCasey JanssenRobert Casey Janssen is a right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays.He was selected by the Blue Jays out of UCLA in the fourth round of the draft. When an injury to A.J...
- Brandon LeagueBrandon LeagueBrandon Paul League is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Seattle Mariners. He is married with three children. He resides in Honolulu, and is hapa Yonsei. His maternal great-grandparents were born and raised in Fukuoka prefecture on Kyushu Island in Japan...
- David BushDavid BushDavid Thomas Bush is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed...