Charleston RiverDogs
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Charleston RiverDogs Founded in 1980 Charleston, South Carolina |
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| Class-level | |||||
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| Current | A | ||||
| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| League | South Atlantic League (1980–present) | ||||
| Division | Southern Division | ||||
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| Current |
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| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles (0) | None | ||||
| Division titles (5) |
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| Team data | |||||
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| Colors | Navy blue, gold, white, gray |
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| Ballpark | Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park (1997–present) | ||||
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Previous parks
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College Park (1980–1996) | ||||
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Owner(s)/
Operator(s) |
Goldklang Group | ||||
| Manager | Luis Dorante | ||||
| General Manager | Dave Echols | ||||
The Charleston RiverDogs are a minor league baseball team based in Charleston, South Carolina. The team plays in the Class Single-A South Atlantic League and are an affiliate of the New York Yankees. Their home stadium is at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. The majority owner is Marvin Goldklang who also owns a stake in three other minor league baseball teams throughout the country (Fort Myers Miracle, Hudson Valley Renegades, and St. Paul Saints). The name originates from an urban legend that sailors in Charleston would notice large rats on the banks of the nearby Cooper and Ashley rivers, and would call them "river dogs", and was chosen in a name-the-team contest held at local Piggly Wiggly outlets in 1994.
The RiverDogs were founded in 1980 as the Charleston Royals, and were a farm team of the Kansas City Royals. In their first season as the Royals they won the South Atlantic League's Southern Division championship, but fell in the playoffs against Greensboro. Like the Pirates, the Royals were known for their pitching, because in 1981 pitcher Jeffery Gladden led the league with a 2.09 ERA. In 1982 batting may have caught up with the pitching as pitcher Danny Jackson led the league with a 10-1 record and slugger Cliff Pastornicky paced the South Atlantic League with a .343 batting average. In 1983 Mark Pirruccello set a single-season team record with 25 home runs. 1984 was an exciting season for Charleston as the city hosted the all-star game in which Tom Glavine and Pat Borders played. On the field the Royals went on to win the Southern Division and Kevin Seitzer was named league MVP.
In 1985 the team was renamed the Charleston Rainbows and became affiliated with the San Diego Padres. From 1985–1987 were the building years as the Rainbows improved each season under a great pitching staff until 1988 when they won the Southern Division title, but were bounced in the first round of the playoffs. The 1988 season was powered by a pitching staff whose combined ERA equaled 2.07. 1988 was the last of the "good ol' days", because starting in 1989 the team suffered 11 consecutive losing seasons. Poor play on the field translated into a South Atlantic League record, when in 1990 pitcher Charles Thompson registered 17 losses. In 1994 the team was renamed Charleston RiverDogs. Despite the name change, the losing continued. In 1997 saw the RiverDogs leave the 84-year-old College Park and move into the brand-new 5,500-seat Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. The team also began its eight-year affiliation with the Tampa Bay Rays in 1997. The move to the "Joe" helped to spur a rise in total attendance, as the team set a record with an increase in over 100,000 fans. Finally, in 2000 the 'Dogs posted their first winning season since 1988.
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