Fans of baseball take heart, baseball can be found in all six of the New England states. Including the Boston Red Sox, there are 9 professional baseball teams in New England (MLB, MiLB, and independent league). In addition, there are nearly 30 summer college baseball teams that play in three summer college baseball leagues throughout New England. If you don’t see a baseball game in New England during the summer you almost have to go out of your way to avoid the boys of summer.
New England Baseball Facts and Trivia
- The Boston Red Sox were founded in 1901 as the Boston Americans.
- The Boston Red Sox won the first World Series in 1903 defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 5 games to 3.
- Fenway Park is the oldest major league ballpark in the United States. It opened in April of 1912.
- The Pawtucket Red Sox, the Triple-A minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, have the distinction of having played in the longest professional baseball game ever played – 33 innings against the Rochester Red Wings at Pawtucket’s McCoy Stadium. The PawSox won the game 3 to 2.
- There are two other minor league affiliates of the Boston Red Sox who play in New England – the Portland Sea Dogs (AA) in Portland, Maine, and the Lowell Spinners (Class A Short Season) in Lowell, Massachusetts.
- There are 7 minor league baseball teams in New England (1 AAA, 3 AA, 3 Class A Short Season).
- There is one independent league baseball team in New England.
- There are 3 summer college baseball leagues that field teams in New England.
New England Major League Baseball
Boston’s Fenway Park
The pinnacle of baseball in New England is Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox. The Boston Red Sox were founded in 1901 as one of the original teams in the new American League. Fenway Park, the oldest professional ballpark in the United States has been their home since 1912. Fenway Park is widely believed to be one of the most intimate ballparks in the country and is a not-to-miss attraction for any fan of baseball.
New England Minor League Baseball
McCoy Stadium, Home to the Pawtucket Red Sox
New England has a rich minor league baseball history. At the top of the list are the Pawtucket Red Sox, the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox who play their home games at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket Rhode Island. Following is a list of all of the New England teams that play for Minor League Baseball (MiLB):
- AAA – Pawtucket Red Sox (affiliate of the Boston Red Sox), Pawtucket, Rhode Island
- AA – New Britain Rock Cats (affiliate of the Minnesota Twins), New Britain, Connecticut
- AA – New Hampshire Fisher Cats (affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays), Manchester, New Hampshire
- AA – Portland Sea Dogs (affiliate of the Boston Red Sox), Portland, Maine
- Class A Short Season – Connecticut Tigers (affiliate of the Detroit Tigers), Norwich, Connecticut
- Class A Short Season – Lowell Spinners (affiliate of the Boston Red Sox), Lowell, Massachusetts
- Class A Short Season – Vermont Lake Monsters (affiliate of the Oakland Athletics), Burlington, Vermont
New England Independent League Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball fields the independent Bridgeport Bluefish in Bridgeport, CT.
New England Summer College Baseball
There are three summer college baseball leagues in New England:
- Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL)
- Futures Collegiate Baseball League of New England (FCBL)
- New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Photo credits: The picture of Fenway Park is by Jared Vincent from Wikimedia Commons. It is is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. The picture of McCoy Stadium is from the Wikimedia Commons. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
