Lake County Captains

MiLB infobox
name = Lake County Captains
founded = 2003
city = Eastlake, Ohio
misc =

uniform
class level = Class A
past class level=
current league = South Atlantic League
conference =
division = Northern Division
past league =
majorleague = Cleveland Indians (1991-present)
pastmajorleague =
uniform =
nickname = Lake County Captains (2003-present)
pastnames = Columbus RedStixx (1992-2002)
* Columbus Indians (1991)
ballpark = Classic Park
pastparks = Golden Park
leaguechamps =
divisionchamps =
misc6 =
owner =
retirednumbers = 2, 42
manager = Chris Tremie
gm =

The Lake County Captains are a minor league baseball team in Eastlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. The team, a Class A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, plays in the South Atlantic League.

The Captains will join the Midwest League following the 2009 season in a shuffle caused by the Columbus Catfish's move to Bowling Green, Kentucky for the 2009 season. [http://midwest.league.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080902&content_id=453433&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jspp] The move will alleviate travel costs and time, as it is the SAL's northernmost team—the nearest team (the West Virginia Power in Charleston) is a 256-mile drive from Eastlake.

Prior to the 2003 season, the club was based in Columbus, Georgia and known as the Columbus RedStixx. The Captains play their home games in Classic Park, which has a capacity of 7,273 and opened in 2003 as Eastlake Stadium. The current stadium name is the result of a naming rights arrangement; the sponsor is Classic Automotive Group, a major area chain of auto dealerships. Classic Park hosted the South Atlantic League All-Star Game on June 20, 2006.

Facts

*Current uniform colors: White, gold, and blue.
*Current logo design: A naval captain with a gray mustache and sideburns wearing a hat that covers his eyes holding a bat.

*On-Field Host: Andrew Grover
*Racing fish: Buster Bluegill, Pauley Perch, and Willy Walleye
*mascot: Skipper
*"'Merchandise Store: The Cargo Hold, "Largest Store in Minor League Baseball"

*Broadcast Information: :Radio Station: WELW 1330 AM :Television: Time Warner Cable (formerly Comcast) Cable Channel 99:Broadcasters: Craig Deas:Internet: WELW.COM

:Manager: Aaron Holbert:Hitting Coach: Jim Rickon:Pitching Coach: Ruben Niebla

Trivia

*Besides the Captains, the only other minor league baseball teams with the word "county" in their official moniker are the Brevard County Manatees, Kane County Cougars, and Orange County Flyers.
*While sill the RedStixx, the team was sued by Exxon for using two x's in their name.
*Captains outfielder, and 2006 SAL All-Star, Johnny Drennen hit a memorable home run on June 6th, by|2006 against Lexington Legends pitcher Roger Clemens.
*During a home game at Classic Park on June 24, 2007, Captains pitchers Carlton Smith, Austin Creps, and Luis Perdomo combined to throw a no-hitter against the Delmarva Shorebirds. [http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070624&content_id=264242&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp]
*During an away game at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium on July 3, 2007, Captains pitchers Hector Rondon and Neil Wagner combined to throw a no-hitter against the Delmarva Shorebirds. [http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070704&content_id=270050&vkey=news_t437&fext=.jsp&sid=t437]

Recent win-loss records

*2003: 97-43 (1st and 2nd Half Northern Division Champions)
*2004: 73-66
*2005: 72-66
*2006: 64-74
*2007: 64-74
*2008: 75-65 (1st Half Northern Division Champions)

Overall records

*Win-loss record entering 2009: 445-388
*Longest winning streak: 13 games (May 27 - June 8, 2003)
*Longest losing streak: 8 games (August 28 - September 4, 2005)
*Pitcher with most wins in a season: Steve Kline, 18 in 1994 (also league leader that year)
*Hitter with most home runs in a season: Russell Branyan, 40 in 1996 (also league leader that year)

Roster

Notable former players

*Fausto Carmona
*Ben Francisco
*Aaron Laffey
*Rafael Perez
*Kevin Kouzmanoff
*Víctor Martínez
*C. C. Sabathia
*Jaret Wright
*Jhonny Peralta
*Russell Branyan

External links

* [http://www.captainsbaseball.com Lake County Captains web site]
* [http://www.captainsbaseballfans.com]