Bowie Baysox
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Bowie Baysox Founded in 1993 Bowie, Maryland |
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| Class-level | |||||
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| Current | AA | ||||
| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| League | Eastern League | ||||
| Division | Western Division | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Current | Baltimore Orioles (1989-present) | ||||
| Previous | Cleveland Indians (1987-1988) | ||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles (1) | 2015 | ||||
| Division titles (2) |
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| Team data | |||||
| Nickname | Bowie Baysox (1993–present) | ||||
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Previous names
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| Colors | Black, Orange, Teal, White | ||||
| Mascot | Louie, Rocko | ||||
| Ballpark | Prince George's Stadium (1994–present) | ||||
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Previous parks
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Owner(s)/
Operator(s) |
Maryland Baseball Holding, LLC | ||||
| Manager | Gary Kendall | ||||
| General Manager | Brian Shallcross | ||||
The Bowie Baysox are a minor league baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the class-AA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League. The team's home ballpark is Prince George's Stadium.
The Baysox are currently managed by Gary Kendall, as of 2014 games are broadcast on WNAV, 40 games are broadcast live on the station and all games are streamed live on their website.
From 1989 to 1992, the Orioles' AA affiliate was located in Hagerstown, Maryland and called the Suns. When Major League Baseball added two teams in 1993, bids were offered for two new triple-A franchises, and the Maryland Baseball Limited Partnership (which owned the Suns and also the Advanced-A Frederick Keys) got into the running to put one of the new franchises in central Maryland. Although their bid fell short, the idea of having a team in Bowie was so well-received, that the MBLP decided to move the double-A team across the state from Hagerstown. The Suns, meanwhile, were dropped to Low-A status.
A contest was held among the community to choose a new name for the team, and over 3,500 suggestions poured in. "Baysox" was chosen over the other finalists, which were "BayBirds" and "Nationals" (the latter was also chosen for the nearby Washington major-league team when it moved to the area in 2005). The "Bay" references are to the Chesapeake Bay, which lies less than 20 miles to the east of Bowie.
A complex land deal hindered completion of the stadium, and in their inaugural season in 1993, the Baysox were forced to find an alternate site to play their home games. Eventually, a deal was reached that gave them Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, which had been vacated a year earlier when the Orioles moved into Camden Yards. A harsh winter prevented the new stadium from being completed in time for the beginning of the 1994 season, and the Baysox played 31 games that year at four other ballparks, including the University of Maryland and the Naval Academy. Finally, the Baysox moved into their permanent home on June 16, 1994.
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