Williamsport Bills
Williamsport Bills | |||||
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Minor league affiliations | |||||
Previous classes | Double-A | ||||
League | Eastern League (1987–1991) | ||||
Major league affiliations | |||||
Previous teams |
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Team data | |||||
Colors | Blue, orange, white (1991) Blue, gold, white (1989-1990) Navy blue, red, white (1987-1988) | ||||
Previous parks | Bowman Field |
The Williamsport Bills were a Class AA
The Bills began playing in 1987 as the AA affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, became an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners in 1989, and played their final season in 1991 as part of the New York Mets organization. Over their five-season history, the Bills did not win an Eastern League championship. Notable former Bills players and managers include
Indians farm team
The Bills were the AA farm team of the Cleveland Indians for two seasons. The franchise began play in 1987, having moved from
The potato incident
The franchise's most notable game took place in 1987. Dave Bresnahan was
The president of the Eastern League took offense to what he perceived as Bresnahan's affront to the game, banning the grandnephew of
Mariners farm team
The Williamsport Bills became a farm team of the Seattle Mariners during the 1989 and 1990 seasons after the franchise was moved to Hagerstown, Maryland, becoming the Hagerstown Suns and the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Pittsfield Cubs were quickly moved to Williamsport to take its place. The team finished in seventh place both years under the leadership of Jay Ward and Rich Morales, respectively. Williamsport trailed the rest of the league in attendance numbers both years. They finished in last place by as many as 50,000 fans behind the next worst team in terms of attendance. Former major leaguers who played for the Bills during the Mariners years included Tino Martinez, Rich DeLucia and Mike Gardiner.[citation needed]
Mets farm team
The 1991 season was the final season in the Eastern League for the Williamsport Bills. The franchise was purchased Maines Family in late 1990; they decided to move the franchise to Binghamton for 1992. The Bills played one last season at Bowman Field under the leadership of Clint Hurdle, and their attendance increased. Former Penn State Nittany Lion running back D. J. Dozier played outfield during his off-season from the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. Dozier made it to the majors during the 1992 season, playing for the Mets.[7] Other future major leaguers to play for the Bills during their final season were Jeromy Burnitz and Tim Bogar.[citation needed]
Year-by-year record
Year | Record | Finish | Manager |
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1987 | 60–79 | 7th | Orlando Gomez
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1988 | 66–73 | 6th | Mike Hargrove |
1989 | 63–77 | 7th | Jay Ward |
1990 | 61–79 | 7th | Rich Morales |
1991 | 60–79 | 7th | Clint Hurdle |
References
Notes
- ^ "Gill wants to build dynasty at KU". ESPN. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
- Albany Times Union. p. B1.
- ^ "Bills 11, Red Sox 1, 1st game". Associated Press. April 17, 1988.
- ^ "Bills 3, Red Sox 1 (16 innings)". Associated Press. August 13, 1987.
- ^ a b c Tom Speicher. "The Great Potato Caper... Revisited". Williamsport Crosscutters. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
- ^ "Dave Bresnahan Potato". The Baseball Reliquary Inc. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
- ^ "D. J. Dozier". Ultimate Mets Database. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
Sources
- 1988–1992 Baseball Almanacs
- 1989 and 1991 Baseball Guides