Trenton Thunder

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For current information on this topic, see
2008 Trenton Thunder season
Trenton Thunder
Founded in 1980
Trenton, New Jersey

Team Logo
Cap Insignia
Class-Level
  • Double-A (1980-Present)
Minor League affiliations
Major League affiliations
Name
  • Trenton Thunder (1994-present)
  • London Tigers (1989-1993)
  • Glens Falls Tigers (1985-1988)
  • Glens Falls White Sox (1980-1984)
Ballpark
Minor League titles
League titles 2007
Division titles 2007 (Northern)
Owner(s)/Operated by: Garden State Baseball, LP (Joe Finley, Joe Caruso, and Joe Plumeri)
Manager: Tony Franklin
General Manager: Brad Taylor

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.

Contents

[edit] Team 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 with the team being known as the Glens Falls Tigers, 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 home to a large number of Red Sox fans.

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.[1]

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.[2]

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.

[edit] Notable alumni

Tigers

Red Sox

Yankees

Angels

[edit] Retired numbers

†Jackie Robinson never played for the Trenton Thunder, but his number, 42, was retired by every Major League Baseball team and affiliate. See grandfather clause.

[edit] Season records

Season Affiliation Manager Record
1994 Tigers Tom Runnells 55-85, 5th place South
1995 Red Sox Ken Macha 73-69, 1st place South (tie)
1996 Red Sox Ken Macha 86-56, 1st place South
1997 Red Sox DeMarlo Hale 71-70, 4th place South
1998 Red Sox DeMarlo Hale 71-70, 3rd place South
1999 Red Sox DeMarlo Hale 92-50, 1st place North
2000 Red Sox Billy Gardner, Jr. 67-75, 5th place North
2001 Red Sox Billy Gardner, Jr. 67-75, 5th place North
2002 Red Sox Ron Johnson 63-77, 5th place North (tie)
2003 Yankees Stump Merrill 70-71, 4th place North
2004 Yankees Stump Merrill 64-78, 6th place North
2005 Yankees Bill Masse 74-68, 2nd place North
2006 Yankees Bill Masse 80-62, 1st place North
2007 Yankees Tony Franklin 83-59, 1st place North
2008 Yankees Tony Franklin 41-22, 1st place North (as of June 10, 2008)

[edit] Playoff appearances

[edit] Waterfront Park

Main article: Mercer County Waterfront Park
Waterfront Park
Waterfront Park

Official Name: Samuel J. Plumeri Field at Mercer County Waterfront Park

Address: One Thunder Road, Trenton, NJ 08611

Opened: May 9, 1994

Seating Capacity: 6,440

Dimensions: LF - 330 ft, CF - 407 ft, RF - 330 ft

Waterfront Park is located right on the banks of the Delaware River, creating beautiful scenery for guests.

[edit] Mascots

[edit] Boomer

Boomer is the Thunder's well-known and much-loved mascot. He is a blue "Thunderbird" with a yellow beak and buck teeth. He wears a Thunder uniform as well as purple and yellow shades. Boomer traditionally takes part in many of the promotions and activities throughout Thunder home games, such as a race around the bases against a young fan. Boomer's likeness has appeared on numerous pieces of merchandise, and he is involved with several programs assisting children in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. These factors have made him perhaps the most popular and enduring aspect of the Trenton Thunder.

[edit] Chase

Chase "That Golden Thunder" is a six year old Golden Retriever who has been part of the Thunder family since late in the 2002 season. He often serves as "batdog" during the first inning at most Thunder home games, retrieving bats and balls and returning them to the Thunder dugout. Contrary to popular belief, his teeth do not leave marks in the equipment, as Retrievers are trained to carry birds without puncturing them. Later in the game, Chase usually catches frisbees to win a cash prize for a lucky fan. He does however have a golden tooth due to his bat carrying duties. Chase has garnered significant media attention, appearing on FOX, CNN, YES Network, UPN9, WNBC4, and even Japanese television. In 2008, Chase sired a litter of pups. One of the pups is being trained to be his successor and will be named in a fan poll.

[edit] Current roster

Trenton Thunder roster
v • d • e
Players Coaching staff
Pitchers
  • 58 Alfredo Aceves
  • 34 Anthony Claggett
  • 30 Phil Coke
  • 30 Michael Gardner †
  • 28 Eric Hacker
  • 21 Bo Hall
  • 43 Steven Jackson
  • 36 Jason Jones
  • 20 George Kontos
  • 45 Zachary Kroenke
  • 48 Mark Melancon
  • -- Brett Smith
  • 50 Eric Wordekemper
  • 47 Chase Wright


† disabled list
‡ temporary inactive list
Roster updated 2008-06-11

 Catchers

Infielders

  • 32 Reegie Corona
  • 40 Cody Ehlers
  • 17 Chris Malec
  • 14 Carlos Mendoza
  • 29 Ramiro Peña
  • 10 Kevin Russo
  • 46 Marcos Vechionacci †

Outfielders


 Manager
  • 18 Tony Franklin

Coaches


[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/gl.cgi?n1=stidhph01&t=p
  2. ^ http://www.trentonthunder.com/release/zRelease.asp?pYYYYMMDD=200609032#200609032

[edit] External links

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