Eastern League (baseball)

The Eastern League is a minor league baseball league which operates primarily in the northeastern United States, although it has had a team in Ohio since 1989. The Eastern League has played at the AA (Double-A) level since 1963. The league was founded in 1923 as the New York-Pennsylvania League. In 1936 the first team outside of the two original states was created, when the York White Roses of York, Pennsylvania moved to Trenton, New Jersey and renamed the Trenton Senators. When, in 1938, the Scranton Miners of Scranton, Pennsylvania team moved to Hartford, Connecticut and renamed the Hartford Bees, the league was renamed as the Eastern League.

Since 1923, there have been Eastern League teams in 51 different cities located in 12 different states and two Canadian provinces. The league consisted of six to eight teams from 1923 until 1993. In 1994, the league expanded to ten teams with the addition of the Portland Sea Dogs and the New Haven Ravens, and split into two divisions, the Northern Division and the Southern Division In 1999, the league expanded to twelve teams with the addition of the Altoona Curve and the Erie SeaWolves.

On December 18, 2009, the Eastern League of Professional Baseball Clubs, Inc., announced that the two divisions in the league will be restructured and renamed for the 2010 season. The two six-team divisions will now be known as the Eastern Division and the Western Division. The change came about because the Connecticut Defenders moved after the 2009 season to Richmond, Virginia, where they are now known as the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

Current teams

¹ Hosting 2011 Eastern League All-Star Game

Current team rosters

Complete list of Eastern League teams (1923–Present)

Notes: Bold font indicates that team is an active Eastern League team • An "^" indicates that team's article redirects to an article of an active Eastern League team

Champions

See also

• Sports attendances

External links

• Eastern League official website