Columbus Clippers
| Columbus Clippers Founded in 1977 Columbus, Ohio |
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| Class titles | 2010, 2011 | ||||
| League titles | 1979, 1980, 1981, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1996, 2010, 2011 | ||||
| Division titles | 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2011 | ||||
| Owner(s)/Operated by: Franklin County, Ohio government | |||||
| Manager: Mike Sarbaugh | |||||
| General Manager: Ken Schnacke | |||||
The Columbus Clippers are a minor league baseball team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The team is owned by the government of Franklin County, Ohio.
From 1977 to 2008, the Clippers played in Cooper Stadium, which was known as Franklin County Stadium until 1984. The final game at "The Coop" was played on September 1, 2008 in front of a sellout crowd of 16,777. It was the third largest audience in stadium history. In 2009, the Clippers began playing in Huntington Park, located at the corner of Neil Ave. and Nationwide Blvd. in the Arena District of Columbus.
The Clippers began play in 1977 as an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, changing its affiliation to the New York Yankees in 1979, beginning a 28-year relationship that ended in 2006. An affiliation with the Washington Nationals lasted from 2007 to 2008. A four-year affiliation with the Cleveland Indians was announced on September 18, 2008.[1] In September 2010 that working agreement with the Indians was extended through 2014.[2]
Columbus defeated the Tacoma Rainiers 12–6 on September 21, 2010, to win the Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game.
On September 16, 2011, the team won back-to-back Governors' Cup championships for the first time since 1992 by defeating the Lehigh Valley IronPigs 3 games to 1 in the best-of-five series.[3]
On September 20, 2011 the Clippers defeated the Omaha Storm Chasers in the Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game to win their second consecutive AAA baseball title.[4]
In 2012, Forbes ranked the Clippers as the 4th most valuable franchise in Minor League Baseball.[5]
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Championships[edit]
The Clippers have won the Governors' Cup, the International League championship, nine times, and played in the championship series 12 times.
- 1979 – Defeated Syracuse
- 1980 – Defeated Toledo
- 1981 – Defeated Richmond
- 1985 – Lost to Tidewater
- 1987 – Defeated Tidewater
- 1990 – Lost to Rochester
- 1991 – Defeated Pawtucket
- 1992 – Defeated Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons
- 1996 – Defeated Rochester
- 1997 – Lost to Rochester
- 2010 – Defeated Durham
- 2011 – Defeated Lehigh Valley
Current roster[edit]
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Columbus Clippers roster
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Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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Notable alumni[edit]
- Mike Bacsik
- Steve Balboni
- Dale Berra
- Mike Blowers
- Emilio Bonifacio
- Jay Buhner
- Michael Brantley
- Melky Cabrera
- Robinson Canó
- Carlos Carrasco
- Bubba Crosby
- Bucky Dent
- Brad Gulden
- Drew Henson
- Trey Hillman
- Rex Hudler
- Hideki Irabu
- Derek Jeter
- Austin Kearns
- Roberto Kelly
- Jason Kipnis
- Ken Macha
- Lou Marson
- Don Mattingly
- Hensley Meulens
- Charles Nagy, pitching coach
- Otis Nixon
- Scott Patterson
- Carlos Peña
- Andy Pettitte
- Vinnie Pestano
- Andy Phillips
- Jorge Posada
- Scott Radinsky, pitching coach
- Dave Righetti
- Mariano Rivera
- Deion Sanders
- Carlos Santana
- Buck Showalter
- Grady Sizemore
- Alfonso Soriano
- Darryl Strawberry
- Steve Taylor
- Chien-Ming Wang
- Bernie Williams
- Alex White
- Randy Velarde
Broadcast alumni[edit]
Columbus has been the former home of many current MLB broadcasters. Below is Clippers briadcast alumni and the MLB teams they were with after they left Columbus.
- Pat Hughes, Minnesota Twins 1983, Milwaukee Brewers 1984-1995, Chicago Cubs 1996–Present
- John Gordon, New York Yankees 1982-1986, Minnesota Twins 1987-2011
- Terry Smith, Los Angeles of Anaheim 2002–present
- Tom Hamilton, Cleveland Indians 1990–present
Before the Clippers[edit]
Except for six seasons — 1971–76 — Columbus has been represented in the highest levels of minor league baseball since 1902, at first in the American Association (1902–54) by the Columbus Senators and Columbus Red Birds, and since then in the International League. The first IL team in Ohio's capital, the Columbus Jets, was the transplanted Ottawa Athletics which moved to Columbus in 1955. While playing for its first two seasons as the top farm club of the Kansas City Athletics, the Jets spent the next 14 years as a top affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates (whose owner, John Galbreath, hailed from Columbus). The franchise moved to Charleston, West Virginia, as the Charleston Charlies in 1971.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Castrovince, Anthony (September 18, 2008). "Indians' Triple-A affiliate now Columbus". MLB.com. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
- ^ "Indians, Clippers extend agreement through 2014". USA Today. September 23, 2010.
- ^ "Clippers 4, IronPigs 1: Back-to-back championships". 2011-09-16. Retrieved 2011-09-16. Unknown parameter
|owner=ignored (help) - ^ Massie, Jim (2011-09-21). "Clippers are Triple-A champs with 8-3 win over Omaha". Retrieved 2011-09-21. Unknown parameter
|owner=ignored (help) - ^ "How Billionaires Like Warren Buffett Profit From Minor League Baseball Ownership " Forbes. Retrieved on 6 June 2012.
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Columbus Clippers |
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| Triple-A | Double-A | Class A | Rookie |
| Columbus Clippers | Akron Aeros |
Carolina Mudcats Lake County Captains Mahoning Valley Scrappers |
AZL Indians DSL Indians |
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