January 8, 2001
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
2019 Dayton Dragons DRAGONS ANNOUNCE 20TH SEASON CELEBRATION GAME DRAGONS ALUMNI TO RETURN FOR GAME ON MARCH 30 Dayton, Ohio—As a kick-off to their 20th season of operation, the Dayton Dragons will host a special, first- of-its-kind game at Fifth Third Field. The “Dayton Dragons 20th Season Celebration Game” will take place on Saturday, March 30 at 2:00 p.m. The game will match the 2019 Dragons (“Team 20”) against a team of Dragons alumni who are still playing in the Cincinnati Reds minor league system. The Dragons Alumni team will include many of the biggest names to play in Dayton over the last several seasons. The full Alumni Team roster will be announced at a future date, but the Reds have identified five former Dragons who are expected to participate. They are outfielder Taylor Trammell, catcher Tyler Stephenson, infielder Jonathan India, outfielder T.J. Friedl, and catcher Chris Okey. Players on both teams will wear specially designed uniforms. These game-worn jerseys will be autographed after the game and will be available for a post-game on-line auction. Every fan attending the game will receive a Dragons commemorative 20th season print. Dragons President Robert Murphy, who has overseen the organization since its inception, says the event will commemorate the milestone season. “This game is a tribute to the incredible memories at Fifth Third Field, and to our fans and sponsors as we head into our 20th season. The Dragons rich history includes an amazing collection of moments. There have been exciting record-breaking achievements, great players, and heartfelt stories within our community. It has been a tremendous success story that we are proud to continue forward. We extend our thanks for the Cincinnati Reds organization for making this game possible.” The Dragons history is headlined by the team’s all-time record sell-out streak that is still active at 1,316 consecutive dates. Over the Dragons history, more than 11 million fans have attended games, placing the franchise at the top of the attendance rankings for Single- A Minor League Baseball for each of their first 19 seasons. The Dragons have hosted two Midwest League All-Star Games, three exhibition games featuring the Cincinnati Reds, and have seen 97 Dragons players reach the Major Leagues. The Dragons will officially open their 20th season in the Midwest League with their Opening Night game on Thursday, April 4 at 7:00 p.m. against the Bowling Green Hot Rods. Ticket information for the Dragons 20th Season Celebration Game: Dragons season ticket holders are receiving information today via email. All fans can go to DaytonDragons.com/CelebrationGame for more ticket information and to add their name to the ticket waitlist. Single-game ticket sales will begin in mid- February. 10 Great Moments in Dragons History 1) April 27, 2000: Dragons First Opening Day The Dragons first home game ever played at Fifth Third Field took place after a season-opening 16-game road trip that allowed for extra time to bring the ballpark closer to completion. The Dragons defeated Cedar Rapids 4-3 before a crowd of 8,833. James Manias threw the first pitch and was credited with the win. Austin Kearns scored the first run and Casey Bookout hit the first home run. 2) July 17, 2000: The start of Austin Kearns’ Assault on the Record Books From July 17-24, Dragons outfielder Austin Kearns enjoyed a week for the ages. Kearns hit home runs in eight straight games while going 18 for 25 (.720) with 10 home runs, 20 runs batted in, 19 runs scored, and 10 walks. Kearns’ home run streak ended two short of the all-time Minor League record set in 1928. 3) 2001: A Season-Long Home Run Derby at Fifth Third Field The 2001 Dragons featured a collection of home run hitters never matched in team history. Four players, Samone Peters, Wily Mo Pena, Randy Ruiz, and Stephen Smitherman, all hit at least 20 home runs that year as the team hit 144, to set a club record that has never been approached. Peters’ 28 is still the club record. 4) June 15-July 8, 2002: 13-Game Winning Streak The Dragons closed out the first half by winning their final two games, then opened the second half by going 11-0 to record for consecutive victories that still stands. Amazingly, Dragons starting pitcher Bobby Basham fired three straight nine-inning complete game shutouts during the winning streak, a feat that will likely never be matched in the new era of lower pitch counts for starters. 5) June 20, 2006: Bruuuuuuuce Expectations were high for former first round draft pick Jay Bruce entering the 2006 season, but the 19-year-old Texan was up to the challenge as he spent the entire season with the Dragons. On June 20, he was named the “Star of Stars” of the Midwest League All-Star Game after collecting three hits including a home run. Baseball America picked Bruce as the league’s Prospect of the Year. Just two years later, he debuted with the Reds and started a streak of six straight seasons with at least 20 home runs. 6) April 5, 2007: The Best Start in Baseball The Dragons roster looked strong to begin the 2007 season, but who could have predicted the way the team opened the year? The Dragons won their first nine games and their record stood at an incredible 23-4 after 27 games. The team was led by several future Reds. Their hottest hitter was shortstop Chris Valaika, while outfielders Drew Stubbs and Chris Heisey, second baseman Justin Turner, and third baseman Juan Francisco were all big contributors. 7) July 9, 2011: Dragons 815 The Dragons extended their sell-out streak to 815 games, surpassing the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers for the longest in the history of sports in North America. The streak now stands at 1,316 and is still active. 8) Sept. 3, 2011: Run, Billy, Run Electrifying shortstop Billy Hamilton broke the Dragons team record for stolen bases in a season before the end of May, and in the final series of the regular season in September, he reached the century mark. Hamilton finished the year with 103 steals, the most ever by a Reds major or minor league player. He broke his own record the following year. 9) July 31, 2017: Siri-mania Dragons center fielder Jose Siri produced a 39-game hitting streak from June 22-August 3 to break a 40-year-old league record set in 1977 at 35 straight games. Siri’s record-breaking hit came on an 0-2 pitch in his final at-bat of the game at Fort Wayne. Siri was the Midwest League’s best player in 2017, finished first or second in the league in eight major categories including home runs, slugging percentage, extra base hits, stolen bases, runs, and hits. 10) July 26, 2018: Fastest of the Fast Dragons starting pitcher Hunter Greene fired a 102 mph fastball with his final pitch of the first inning against Fort Wayne, getting a called third strike. The pitch broke the Fifth Third Field record for fastest pitch, eclipsing the previous record of 101 set by, among others, Reds reliever Aroldis Chapman on an injury rehabilitation assignment. Dayton Dragons 20th Season Celebration Game Alumni Team Players (named so far) Taylor Trammell, outfielder Trammell, the Reds supplemental first round draft pick in 2016, is rated by Baseball America as the #3 prospect in the Reds organization. He spent the entire 2017 season with the Dragons, appearing in 129 games as the starting left fielder and a key component in the Dragons run to the second round of the Midwest League playoffs. He finished the year batting .281 with 13 home runs, 77 RBI, and 41 stolen bases. He spent the 2018 season with Daytona and batted .277 with 8 home runs, 41 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. He was named the MVP of the 2018 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. Tyler Stephenson, catcher Stephenson, the Reds first round draft pick in 2015, is rated by Baseball America as the #6 prospect in the Reds organization. He spent parts of the 2016 and ’17 seasons with the Dragons, appearing in 119 games. Stephenson was among the Midwest League leaders in runs batted in when he suffered a thumb injury in July, 2017 that ended his season. He finished the year batting .278 with six home runs and 50 RBI. He spent the 2018 season with Daytona and batted .250 with 11 home runs and 59 RBI. Jonathan India, third baseman India, the Reds first round draft pick in 2018, is rated by Baseball America as the #4 prospect in the Reds organization. He enjoyed a huge 2018 season at the University of Florida, earning consensus First Team All-America honors and Southeastern Conference Player of the Year. He joined the Dragons late in the 2018 season and closed out the season on the Dayton roster, appearing in 27 games. Chris Okey, catcher Okey, the Reds second round draft pick in 2016, joined the Dragons on July 1 of that season after a big season at Clemson University. Okey appeared in 42 games for the Dragons, blasting six home runs. He split the 2018 season between Daytona and Double-A Pensacola. TJ Friedl, outfielder Friedl, the Reds 2018 Minor League Hitter of the Year, spent the first half of the 2017 season with the Dragons and was selected to play in the Midwest League All-Star Game.