Harrisburg Senators
Harrisburg Senators | |||||
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Minor league affiliations | |||||
Class | Double-A (1987–present) | ||||
League | Eastern League (2022–present) | ||||
Division | Southwest Division | ||||
Previous leagues |
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Major league affiliations | |||||
Team | Washington Nationals (2005–present) | ||||
Previous teams |
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Minor league titles | |||||
League titles (6) |
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Division titles (4) |
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Team data | |||||
Name | Harrisburg Senators (1987–present) | ||||
Colors | Red, navy blue, gold, white | ||||
Mascot | Rascal (1998–present) Grrrounder (2004–present) Uncle Slam (1987–1998, 2015–present) Thrilla Gorilla (2004) Senator Rudy (1997–1998) | ||||
Ballpark | FNB Field (1987–present) | ||||
Owner(s)/ Operator(s) | Diamond Baseball Holdings[1] | ||||
President | Kevin Kulp | ||||
General manager | Randy Whitaker | ||||
Manager | Delino DeShields[2] |
The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team who play in the Eastern League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The team is based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at FNB Field on City Island, which opened in 1987 and has a seating capacity of 6,187.
The "Senators" nickname refers to the host city being the state's capital and thus home of the Pennsylvania legislature. The team colors are red, navy blue, gold, and white, the same of the parent club, the Washington Nationals.
Harrisburg has won nine Eastern League titles and is the first team in league history to win four titles in a row: 1987, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999. The 1993 Senators were recognized as one of the 100 greatest minor league teams of all time.[3]
Previous Harrisburg baseball history
The city of Harrisburg has a long history of professional baseball. The Harrisburg Base Ball Association existed as long ago as 1884 (according to a stock certificate issued on March 1, 1884). According to another source, in 1901, the first baseball club in Harrisburg was created. In 1912, Harrisburg won the first of three Tri-State Association championships in a row. In 1915, an affiliated International League team moved from Newark, New Jersey, to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The club lasted one year before moving to the New York State League and disbanding. This left the city without professional baseball for seven years.
In 1924, an incarnation of the Senators joined the newly formed
Another team representing Harrisburg affiliated with the
Modern franchise history
New England roots
The modern Harrisburg Senators originated in the New England states.[4] First established in 1976 as an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, the Berkshire Brewers played one season in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. After that season, they moved to Holyoke, Massachusetts, where they took the nickname the Millers.
In 1981, the franchise changed affiliations, moving from the Brewers to the
At the same time, during the mid-1980s, Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed initiated a revitalization plan that included a ballpark for a new Minor League Baseball team in the city. The Nashua Pirates relocated to Harrisburg and was rechristened the Senators on December 9, 1986.[5]
The Senators
Like the original Senators, success was quick, winning the Eastern League championship in its very first season. In 1991, affiliation shifted from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Montreal Expos, an affiliation continuing through that team's move to Washington, D.C., where they continued as the Washington Nationals. The first several years of affiliation with Montreal brought consecutive championships from 1996 to 1998. In 1999, the Senators played the Norwich Navigators for a shot at their record-setting fourth consecutive Eastern League championship. In the bottom of the ninth inning of game 5, the Senators trailed by 3 runs, but with 2 outs, the bases loaded, and a full count Milton Bradley hit a walk-off grand slam to right center field to win the fourth-straight championship for the Senators, an Eastern League first.[6] In 2003, Sueng Song pitched the first no-hitter in modern Senators history.
Uniforms and logo
The official colors of the Harrisburg Senators are red, navy blue, metallic gold, and white. The home and away uniforms resemble those of the Washington Nationals, with a red cap for home games and navy blue for away. Both caps include the "H" and streaking baseball logo, with the "H" in the same script as the Nationals' pretzel-shaped "W." The white home jerseys include red and navy blue trim around the collar and sleeves with the "Senators" wordmark in red with metallic gold bevels and navy blue outline. The grey away jersey has navy blue and red trim around the collar and sleeves, with the "Harrisburg" wordmark in navy blue with metallic gold bevels and red outline. Both wordmarks are identical to the Nationals brand.
In 2007, the Senators added a unique logo to their brand, incorporating the prevalent and much reviled mayfly into the "H." Because of FNB Field's location on City Island in the Susquehanna River, thousands of mayflies are attracted to the ballpark's bright lights, obscuring their view.
Ownership
The city of Harrisburg paid
Triple-A franchise bid
In mid-2005,
Stadium renovation
Life Size Bobblehead Hall of Fame
In 2016, the Harrisburg Senators started a tradition by recognizing great players from their history in a unique way, The One & Only World-Famous, Life Size Bobblehead Hall of Fame. These enshrined Senators' legends will each receive their own life-size bobblehead. The life-size bobbleheads will be on permanent display at FNB Field with each bobblehead holding a commemorative plaque. The Senators plan to enshrine players yearly.
Season Inducted | Player | No. | Date Inducted | Major League Affiliation | Season(s) with Senators |
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2016 | Vladimir Guerrero | 27 | April 16, 2016 | Montreal Expos | 1996 |
Cliff Floyd | 30 | July 9, 2016 | Montreal Expos | 1993 | |
Bryce Harper | 34 | August 13, 2016 | Washington Nationals | 2011 | |
2017 | Matt Stairs | 25 | May 6, 2017 | Montreal Expos | 1991 |
Brandon Phillips | 7 | August 5, 2017 | Montreal Expos | 2001–2002 | |
2018 | Stephen Strasburg | 37 | May 26, 2018 | Washington Nationals | 2010 |
2019 | Jamey Carroll | 13 | August 3, 2019 | Montreal Expos | 1998–2002 |
2021 | Ryan Zimmerman | 16 | August 7, 2021 (June 27, 2020) | Washington Nationals | 2005 |
2022 | Gregg Mace | 27 | July 23, 2022 | – | 1987–2019 |
2023 | Michael Barrett | 8 | July 29, 2023 | Montreal Expos | 1998 |
2024 | Aaron Barrett | 32 | July 20, 2024 | Washington Nationals | 2013, 2019, 2021 |
Broadcast
Every Harrisburg Senators ballgame is aired on 1460 the Ticket (AM 1460 WTKT – Clear Channel). Terry Byrom has been the voice of the Senators since 2005.[11] The games are also streamed on the team's website. Some games are also aired on the local TV station, Comcast Network, and occasionally has games aired on MASN. The first radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Senators was Dan Kamal, who did the broadcasts from 1987 until the mid-1990s. Kamal at the time was also the radio voice of the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League. He later was a TV analyst and studio host for the Atlanta Thrashers and then the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League.
Roster
Players | Coaches/Other | |||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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Manager Coaches
7-day injured list |
Team records
Season records
This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Senators. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Harrisburg Senators seasons
Year (affiliation) | Wins | Losses | Winning pct. | GB (Division standing) | Manager |
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2018 (Washington Nationals) | 72 | 65 | .526 | −5.5 (3rd out of 6 in Western Division) | Matthew LeCroy |
2019 (Washington Nationals) | 76 | 63 | .547 | −1.5 (2nd out of 6 in Western Division, 1st Half Division Winner) | Matthew LeCroy |
2021 (Washington Nationals) | 42 | 76 | .356 | −30.5 (6th out of 6 in Southwestern Division) | Tripp Keister |
2022 (Washington Nationals) | 52 | 85 | .380 | −27.5 (6th out of 6 in Southwestern Division) | Tripp Keister |
2023 (Washington Nationals) | 59 | 77 | .434 | −15.5 (6th out of 6 in Southwestern Division) | Delino DeShields |
CURRENT SENATORS TOTAL | 2516 | 2520 | .500 | ||
ALL TIME TOTAL | 3344 | 3319 | .502 |
– in GB is behind, + in GB is ahead Bold years are Eastern League Championship years
- 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic
Individual season records
Batting records | |||
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Games | 141 | Jamie Carroll | 1999 |
At Bats | 565 | Brandon Watson | 2003 |
Runs | 134 | Lawrence Fischer | 1932 |
Hits | 198 | Horace McBride | 1930 |
Total Bases | 355 | Joe Munson | 1925 |
Doubles | 40 | Horace McBride | 1930 |
Triples | 21 | Horace McBride | 1930 |
Home Runs | 37 | Andy Tracy | 1999 |
RBI | 129 | Joe Munson | 1925 |
Walks | 93 | Val Pascucci
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2002 |
Strikeouts | 139 | Andy Tracy | 1999 |
Sacrifices | 30 | Glenn Killinger | 1928 |
Sacrifice Flies | 11 | Lance Belen | 1988 |
Stolen Bases | 52 | Jim Reboulet | 1987 |
Batting Average | .400 | Joe Munson | 1925 |
Pitching records | |||
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Games | 60 | Alberto Reyes | 1994 |
Complete Games | 22 | Louis Polli | 1927 |
Shutouts | 5 | Louis Polli | 1927 |
Wins | 23 | Clint Brown | 1928 |
Losses | 18 | Clint Parkes | 1929 |
Saves | 35 | Alberto Reyes | 1994 |
Innings | 292 | Charles Parkes | 1929 |
Walks | 130 | Bill Dietrich | 1931 |
Strikeouts | 161 | Ronald Chiavacci | 2001 |
ERA | 2.15 | Clint Brown | 1928 |
References
- ^ De Martini, Tom (April 10, 2024). "Harrisburg Senators baseball club sold, will continue to play at FNB Field". pennlive.com. Advance Local Media LLC. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ^ "Roster".
- ^ "Top 100 Teams". MiLB.com. 2001. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
- ^ "Eastern League (AA) Encyclopedia and History - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
- ^ "Nashua Baseball Team Moving to Harrisburg," The Associated Press, Sunday, December 14, 1986. Retrieved January 25, 2019
- ^ "The Official Site of The Harrisburg Senators – senatorsbaseball.com Homepage". Harrisburg Senators. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ a b Morrow, Geoff (January 7, 2007). "Reed, Interest in Senators' sale is on rise". Harrisburg Patriot-News. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved January 7, 2007.
- ^ "Harrisburg Senators announce change in ownership". ABC 27 News. February 25, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2017. includes text and video.
- ^ a b Loverro, Thom (August 18, 2005). "O's, Nats battle over Harrisburg". The Washington Times. Retrieved January 7, 2007.
- ^ Photographs of FNB Field, home of the Harrisburg Senators – Rochester Area Ballparks
- ^ "Broadcaster Terry Byrom embraces Metro Bank Park's unique radio booth location". 7 August 2014. Retrieved 2016-08-19.