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Bridgeport Bluefish

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Bridgeport Bluefish
Team logo Cap insignia
Information
LeagueAtlantic League of Professional Baseball (Liberty Division)
LocationBridgeport, Connecticut
BallparkThe Ballpark at Harbor Yard
Founded1997
Nickname(s)Park City Blues, Park City Nine, The Fish, Magic City
League championships1 (1999)
Division championships5 (1998, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2010)
ColorsNavy blue, teal, silver, white        
Retired numbers42, 21, 1, 19
OwnershipFrank Boulton
MediaConnecticut Post
Websitebridgeportbluefish.com

The Bridgeport Bluefish is an American professional baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The team is a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. They play their home games at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard.

History of Bridgeport baseball

The game of baseball was first played in Bridgeport, Connecticut soon after the Civil War ended. Teams that called the city home included the Victors, Soubrettes, Orators, Crossmen, Mechanics, Hustlers, Bolts, Americans, Bees and the Bears. Bridgeport was the home of Major Leaguer James "Orator" O'Rourke, who signed the first African-American to play for a professional baseball team in 1895. Visiting Major League and Negro League teams often played exhibition games in the shadow of the Bridgeport's smokestacks. The last affiliated minor league baseball team, the Bridgeport Bees, played in the Interstate League and the Colonial League from 1941 to 1950. Professional baseball would not be played in Bridgeport for about another half-century, until the arrival of the Bluefish in 1998.

Bridgeport Bluefish

The first game of the Bridgeport Bluefish was May 21, 1998, and the team has had many winning seasons. The team has been to five Atlantic League Championship Series, and won in 1999 versus the Somerset Patriots. They lost to Atlantic City (1998), Newark (2002) Lancaster (2006) and to York (2010).

The Bluefish, and the Atlantic League itself, tend to attract veteran minor leaguers as well as the occasional Major Leaguer at the end of their careers. Some of the former major-leaguers who have sported Bluefish jerseys include Endy Chávez, Shea Hillenbrand, Alex Hinshaw, José Offerman, Edgardo Alfonzo, Deivi Cruz, Junior Spivey, Quinton McCracken, Antonio Alfonseca, Willy Mo Pena, Joey Gathright, Adam Greenberg and Mariano Duncan.

The Bluefish won their first league championship in 1999, and have won the most games in Atlantic League history. The land under The Ballpark at Harbor Yard was purchased by the city of Bridgeport from Donald Trump for $1 and with the forgiveness of back taxes owed on the property. The Jenkins Valve plant was demolished to make way for the stadium. The success of the Bluefish led to major redevelopment of the South End, including construction of the Arena at Harbor Yard and a multi-use parking garage.[1] In many ways, the renaissance of Bridgeport was started by the Bluefish.[2]

The original founders of the Bluefish were Mickey Herbert, Jack McGregor, Mary-Jane Foster, and the Bridgeport Waterfront Investors. Herbert anchored the team through a mayoral scandal and difficult financial circumstances. Prior to the 2006 season, the franchise was purchased by Get Hooked, LLC, a group of investors from Fairfield County that included McGregor and Foster. However, Get Hooked dropped the Bluefish prior to the 2008 season in favor of seeking a new ballpark for the city of Yonkers, New York. The Bluefish were purchased by Frank Boulton, who is also the owner of the Long Island Ducks and the founder of the Atlantic League.

The Bluefish became the first team in Atlantic League history to record 1,000 victories as a franchise in 2012. On June 27, 2012 the Bluefish defeated the York Revolution 2-1 at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard to capture the victory.[3][4]

For one day in May 2016 Jennie Finch was a guest manager for the Bluefish, thus becoming the first woman to manage a professional baseball team.[5] The team played and won one game that day.[5]

Logos and uniforms

The official colors of the Bridgeport Bluefish are navy blue, teal, and silver. The primary logo consists of the "Bluefish" wordmark in navy blue with white and teal outline superimposed over a depiction of a cartoon bluefish holding a baseball bat.

The primary cap is navy blue with a teal brim and button, with the cap logo depicting a bluefish interwoven with a capital "B" centered on the front. The home jersey is white with traditional navy blue piping below the collar and around the sleeves. The "Bluefish" wordmark is centered across the front in navy blue with white outline and teal drop shadow. The away jersey is grey with navy blue piping, and the "Bridgeport" wordmark centered across the front in navy blue with white and teal outline. The Bluefish also have a teal alternate jersey, with navy piping with the "fishhook" wordmark centered across the front.

Season-by-season records

Bridgeport Bluefish - 2006 to 2016[6]
Season First Half W - L Record First Half Winning Percentage First Half Finish Second Half W - L Record Second Half Winning Percentage Second Half Finish Overall W - L Record Overall Winning Percentage Overall Finish Playoffs
2006 38-25 .603 2nd in North Division 37-24 .607 1st in North Division 75-49 .605 1st in North Division 2-3

Division: def. Long Island Ducks 2-0; Championship: lost to Lancaster Barnstormers 3-0

2007 35-28 .556 2nd in North Division 25-38 .397 4th in North Division 60-66 .476 3rd in North Division Did not qualify for the playoffs
2008 33-37 .471 3rd in Liberty Division 34-36 .486 3rd in Liberty Division 67-73 .479 3rd in Liberty Division Did not qualify for the playoffs
2009 33-37 .471 3rd in Liberty Division 32-38 .457 3rd in Liberty Division 65-75 .464 3rd in Liberty Division Did not qualify for the playoffs
2010 36-34 .514 3rd in Liberty Division 47-23 .671 1st in Liberty Division 83-57 .592 1st in Liberty Division 3-4

Division: def. Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 3-1; Championship: lost to York Revolution 3-0

2011 32-31 .507 3rd in Liberty Division 36-28 .671 2nd in Liberty Division 68-59 .535 2nd in Liberty Division lost play in game to Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
2012 31-39 .443 3rd in Liberty Division 36-33 .522 2nd in Liberty Division 67-72 .482 2nd in Liberty Division Did not qualify for the playoffs
2013 23-47 .329 4th in Liberty Division 15-19 .441 2nd in Liberty Division 38-66 .365 3rd in Liberty Division Did not qualify for the playoffs
2014 22-48 .314 4th in Liberty Division 25-45 .357 4th in Liberty Division 47-93 .336 4th in Liberty Division Did not qualify for the playoffs
2015 26-44 .371 4th in Liberty Division 30-39 .435 3rd in Liberty Division 56-83 .403 3rd in Liberty Division Did not qualify for the playoffs
2016 30-40 .429 4th in Liberty Division 36-34 .514 2nd in Liberty Division 66-74 .471 4th in Liberty Division Did not qualify for the playoffs
Totals (1998–2016) 619-631 .495 - 645-601 .518 - 1264-1232 .506 - 13-18
  • 1 Atlantic League Championship (1999)
  • 5 Division Championships (1998, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2010)

Ferry Cup

The Bridgeport Bluefish contend with the Long Island Ducks over the Ferry Cup, which is sponsored by the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company. The two teams border on Long Island Sound, and many fans of both teams regularly cross it to support them. The Ducks currently hold the Ferry Cup by winning the 2011 season series 12-6. As of 2011 the Bluefish-Ducks rivalry record is 114-112, in favor of Bridgeport.[7]

Mascots

One of the Bridgeport Bluefish official mascots is an anthropomorphic bluefish named B.B. He wears the team's alternate jersey (number 98) with black sneakers. B.B. was born on May 29, 1997 in Cape Hatteras. He later migrated to the Long Island Sound, and joined the Bluefish soon after. The mascot's name alludes to the initials of the team and its nickname.[8]

Captain L.I Sounder is another source of entertainment at the Harbor Yard. He wears a uniform of a sailor. L.I Sounder's name referred to the nautical rank of captain and a name for a Long Island Sound resident. Sounder occasionally appears at Bluefish home games.

Current roster

Template:Bridgeport Bluefish roster

Retired numbers

42 (Jackie Robinson)
2B, Retired throughout professional baseball on April 15, 1997
21 (Roberto Clemente)
RF, Retired by the Bluefish in 2006[9]
19 (Luis Lopez)
3B, Retired by the Bluefish on September 19, 2015

Guest managers

On several occasions, the Bluefish have had promotional nights in which former baseball players and managers, as well as other celebrities, have been enlisted to serve as guest managers.

Manager Date Opponent Result
Pete Rose June 16, 2014[10] Lancaster Barnstormers W 2–0
Paul O'Neill July 24, 2015[11] Long Island Ducks W 4–3
Jennie Finch May 29, 2016[12] Southern Maryland Blue Crabs W 3–1
Roger Clemens August 5, 2016[13] Long Island Ducks L 6–2
Ozzie Guillén August 19, 2016[14] Somerset Patriots L 9–3
New World Order
(Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman) 		September 2, 2016[15] Southern Maryland Blue Crabs W 8–6

References

  1. ^ "Bridgeport Renewal" (PDF). EPA. Retrieved 2006-05-26.
  2. ^ "Bridgeport's Renaissance" (PDF). EPA. Retrieved 2006-05-26.
  3. ^ "Bluefish Win # 1,000". bridgeportbluefish.com. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  4. ^ "Bridgeport Bluefish vs. York Revolution - Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Clubs - boxscore". Pointstreak Sports Technologies. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  5. ^ a b Eisenberg, Matt (2013-07-16). "Guest manager Jennie Finch leads Bridgeport Bluefish to win". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2016-05-31.
  6. ^ "Atlantic League Information". nbpfaus.net. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  7. ^ "Bluefish and Ducks introduce Ferry Cup". Bridgeport Bluefish. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  8. ^ "Mascot Biographies". Bridgeport Bluefish. Retrieved October 2, 2008.
  9. ^ Roberto Clemente Night, Bridgeport Bluefish, August 14, 2008. Accessed March 5, 2009. "Roberto Clement Night."
  10. ^ "Pete Rose Manages the Bridgeport Bluefish Photos and Images | Getty Images". www.gettyimages.com. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
  11. ^ Pierson, John (2015-07-25). "Yankees legend Paul O'Neill manages Bridgeport Bluefish to 4-3 win". SportzEdge. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
  12. ^ "Guest manager Jennie Finch leads Bridgeport Bluefish to win". Retrieved 2016-09-14.
  13. ^ "Roger Clemens loses managerial debut, doesn't see himself as a full-time skipper". Retrieved 2016-09-14.
  14. ^ "Somerset Takes Opener Of Big Showdown". bridgeportbluefish.com. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
  15. ^ Werner, Barry. "Bridgeport Bluefish nWo jerseys are too sweet". Retrieved 2016-09-14.

See also

Achievements
Preceded by Atlantic League Champions
Bridgeport Bluefish
1999 		Succeeded by
Achievements
Preceded by Liberty Division Champions
Bridgeport Bluefish
2010 		Succeeded by
Preceded by North Division Champions
Bridgeport Bluefish
2006 		Succeeded by
Preceded by North Division Champions
Bridgeport Bluefish
2002 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
New League
 Atlantic League
Best Regular Season Record
Bridgeport Bluefish
1998, 1999 		Succeeded by
Nashua Pride 
North Division 2000
Somerset Patriots
South Division 2000

Template:Bridgeport Bluefish

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