The Charleston RiverDogs are a Minor League Baseball team of the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

. They are located in Charleston, South Carolina, and are the

Single-A Class A, also known as Single-A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A, Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams classified at the Single-A level, one for each ...

affiliate of the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

. The RiverDogs' home stadium is Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park.

History

Early success as the Royals

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 Danny Lynn Jackson (born January 5, 1962) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1983 to 1997. He played for the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pi ...

led the league with a 10–1 record and slugger

Cliff Pastornicky Clifford Scot Pastornicky (born November 18, 1958) is an American former Major League Baseball player. Pastornicky was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 8th round of the 1980 draft. He made his debut on June 14, 1983 with the Royals, and b ...

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 Thomas Michael Glavine (born March 25, 1966) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball, for the Atlanta Braves (1987–2002, 2008) and New York Mets (2003–2007). With 164 victories durin ...

and Pat Borders played. On the field the Royals went on to win the Southern Division and

Kevin Seitzer Kevin Lee Seitzer (; born March 26, 1962) is an American former third baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, and Cleveland Indians. He is currently the hitting coach for the Atl ...

was named league MVP.

Rainbows era

In 1985, the team was renamed the ''Charleston Rainbows'' and became affiliated with the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

. From 1985 to 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

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. In 1998, the RiverDogs were the first professional baseball team to broadcast live video on the internet, and the first team to broadcast video of their entire home season. Finally, in 2000 the 'Dogs posted their first winning season since 1988.

Return to the playoffs

In 2003 saw the beginning of a new era as the RiverDogs played well on the field and posted a winning season for the first time since 2000. In 2004 the RiverDogs secured the wildcard spot in the playoffs bringing Charleston a playoff series for the first time in 16 years. Charleston faced the hated rival Capital City in the first round but were swept two games to none. The RiverDogs became the Class Single-A affiliate of the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

on September 15, 2004. 2005 was another great season as the Riverdogs jumped out winning the first-half Southern Division Championship qualifying them for the playoffs for the first consecutive seasons in franchise history. The 2005 playoffs weren't as good to the RiverDogs as fans had hoped, because the RiverDogs fell to eventual champion the

Kannapolis Intimidators Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte and is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. The ...

two games to none. At the end of the 2005 season, Charleston was making an attempt to attract a Class Double-A team by expanding their stadium by a few hundred seats. 2006 saw a good performance on the field, but no playoffs as the RiverDogs posted a 78–62 record. 2007 saw a record year for winning seasons when they finished the season with a 78–62 record and securing their fifth consecutive winning season tying a Charleston professional baseball record with the Sea Gulls (1914–1917, 1919) (No team in 1918). A downside to the record tying season was that the 'Dogs failed to make the playoffs for the second straight season. 2008 brought a memorable year to Charleston, as the Riverdogs recorded their final record at 80–59 bringing their sixth consecutive winning season, breaking a record for the most consecutive winning seasons (a record that stood since 1919) in Charleston baseball history. The downside to 2008 was the third straight season the Riverdogs failed to make the playoffs – despite having the best record in the Southern Division each season, they never held the division lead at the end of a half-season to claim a playoff spot. The 2009 season saw the Riverdogs finish with a winning record again. In the first half the Riverdogs came up a game short to their arch-rival

Greenville Drive The Greenville Drive are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greenville, South Carolina. They are the High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and are a member of the South Atlantic League. They play their home games at Fluor Field at the West E ...

, who are affiliated to the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

and never posed as a threat in the second half failing to make the playoffs for the fourth straight year.

Colbrunn era

After posting a 232–186 record, Riverdogs manager Torre Tyson was named the Tampa Yankees manager in High A baseball. The RiverDogs were quick to name hitting coach Greg Colbrunn as the new manager for the 2010 season. With the RiverDogs on the verge of making the playoffs each of the last four seasons, expectations were high for Colbrunn. The day following the 2015 Charleston church shooting, the RiverDogs decided to proceed with their regularly scheduled game, with Dave Echols, the team's

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

, saying: "We feel it is our duty not to let the acts of one radical human being dictate our lives". The RiverDogs donated the proceeds of the night's game to the charity set up for the

Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church The Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, often referred to as Mother Emanuel, is a church in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1817, Emanuel AME is the oldest African Methodist Episcopal church in the Southern United States. This, ...

2021 restructuring

On November 7, 2020, the Yankees announced that Charleston would not be part of their minor league organization under the restructuring of Minor League Baseball for 2021. Instead, they were organized into the

Low-A East The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unt ...

as the

Low-A Class A, also known as Single-A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A, Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams classified at the Single-A level, one for each ...

affiliate of the

. In 2022, the Low-A East became known as the Carolina League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.

Before the Riverdogs

Seagulls, Sea Gulls, and Gulls

Baseball has a long history in the Palmetto State dating back to 1862. Union soldiers from the 165th New York Infantry competed against soldiers of the 47th and 48th New York Infantries on Christmas Day 1862. After the Civil War the game of baseball exploded in Charleston. From 1866 to 1886 the Holy City would be home to over 100 individual black and white baseball clubs. The first organized team in Charleston was the Palmetto Baseball Club of Charleston with Mr. A.W. Wardell selected as president. The first official game took place at the Citadel Green (Marion Square) on May 23, 1866, when the club split into separate teams to play. The Charleston Seagulls became the first professional baseball team to play in Charleston. The team was part of the newly formed Southern League and had a 22-man roster. The Seagulls first game was an exhibition game against the Louisville Colonels of the America Association on March 16, 1886. This was the first game ever to be played on their newly constructed "Ball Park Field" located at the corner of Meeting Street and Shepherd Street. The Seagulls ended up losing 5 to 7. The first official Southern League game took place on April 15, 1886, against the 1885 Southern League Champions, the Atlanta Atlantas. The Seagulls would lose this game as well 4 to 6. The 1886 season ended after the earthquake that occurred on August 31. The Seagulls would finish just under 50% with a 44–49 record.

Palmettos and Pals

Starting in 1920, the ''Gulls'' became the ''Palmettos'', however, later that year that name was shortened to the ''Pals'' while Charleston was promoted to "Class B". In 1922, the Pals created excitement around Charleston as they won the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

title, but due to unknown reasons the Pals folded at the end of the season, and that lead to a 16-year baseball drought in Charleston.

Rebels

Finally in 1940, a new team began play in the South Atlantic League known as the ''Charleston Rebels''. Just two years later, in 1942, the Rebels won the

Championship ending a 20-year championship drought. However, the next year, the Rebels posted a losing record. 1947 started out with a bang as the Rebels were promoted to Class A and drew 184,851 fans in the season, a Charleston baseball record that stood until 1997. After all the excitement from the 1947 season, the Rebels went out and won the South Atlantic League Championship for the second time in seven years in 1948, the last time Charleston won a championship. After that memorable season, the Rebels declined and couldn't post a winning season. With fans losing interest the Rebels folded at the end of the 1953 season.

ChaSox and White Sox experiment with affiliation

In 1959, baseball returned to Charleston, but this time the team was affiliated with a

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

Team, the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

. The experiment failed horribly as attendance was down by more than 50% and the ''White Sox'' failed to post consecutive winning seasons.

New team, new league

In 1973, the ''Charleston Pirates'' were born, who were affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and for the first time since 1893 were playing in a league other than the South Atlantic League, they were in the

Western Carolinas League Portion of plaque displaying likeness of John Henry Moss at Municipal Stadium, Hagerstown, Maryland The Western Carolinas League was a Class D (1948–52; 1960–62) and a low Class A (1963–79) full-season league in American minor league base ...

. As the Pirates, Charleston excelled in pitching as in 1973

John Candelaria John Robert Candelaria (born November 6, 1953) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. Nicknamed "The Candy Man", he played in MLB during the years 1975–1993 for eight teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates, California Angels, New York Mets, New Y ...

led the league with a 10–2 record. The following year, the Pirates pitcher

Randy Sealy The Charleston RiverDogs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They are located in Charleston, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The RiverDogs' home stadium is Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. His ...

set a team record with a 1.97 ERA. However, after those promising years, the Pirates set a league record by losing 22 straight games. In 1976 and 1977, the ''Pirates'' became the ''Patriots'', but the name change still had no effect on the team's play as the team failed to post a winning record and watched attendance plunge. Finally, in 1978 the Pirates left town.

Season-by-season records

, - , 1980 (Royals) , , 78 , , 61 , , Southern Division Champions , , WON First Round (Spartanburg), 2–0
Lost SAL Championship Series (Greensboro), 1–3 , - , 1981 (Royals) , , 75 , , 67 , , 2nd Southern Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 1982 (Royals) , , 74 , , 66 , , 2nd Southern Division , , Lost First Round (Florence) 0-2 , - , 1983 (Royals) , , 64 , , 80 , , 5th Southern Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 1984 (Royals) , , 78 , , 64 , , First Half Southern Division Champions , , WON First Round (Columbia), 3–1
Lost SAL Championship Series (Asheville), 2–3 , - , 1985 (Rainbows) , , 63 , , 69 , , 3rd Southern Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 1986 (Rainbows) , , 68 , , 71 , , 3rd Southern Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 1987 (Rainbows) , , 85 , , 53 , , 5th Southern Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 1988 (Rainbows) , , 72 , , 68 , , Southern Division Champions , , WON First Round (Myrtle Beach), 3–1
Lost SAL Championship Series (Spartanburg), 0–3 , - , 1989 (Rainbows) , , 46 , , 96 , , 3rd Southern Division , , Lost First Round (Augusta), 0–3 , - , 1990 (Rainbows) , , 69 , , 72 , , 6th Southern Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 1991 (Rainbows) , , 55 , , 85 , , 4th Southern Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 1992 (Rainbows) , , 55 , , 85 , , 7th Southern Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 1993 (Rainbows) , , 66 , , 70 , , 5th Southern Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 1994 (RiverDogs) , , 50 , , 89 , , 6th Southern Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 1995 (RiverDogs) , , 50 , , 89 , , 7th Southern Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 1996 (RiverDogs) , , 63 , , 78 , , 4th Central Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 1997 (RiverDogs) , , 60 , , 82 , , 6th Central Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 1998 (RiverDogs) , , 67 , , 74 , , 5th Central Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 1999 (RiverDogs) , , 65 , , 77 , , 5th Central Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 2000 (RiverDogs) , , 73 , , 66 , , 3rd Central Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 2001 (RiverDogs) , , 64 , , 76 , , 7th Southern Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 2002 (RiverDogs) , , 60 , , 76 , , 7th Southern Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 2003 (RiverDogs) , , 77 , , 62 , , 3rd Southern Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 2004 (RiverDogs) , , 76 , , 63 , , 2nd Southern Division , , Lost First Round (Capital City), 0–2 , - , 2005 (RiverDogs) , , 80 , , 58 , , Southern Division Champions , , Lost First Round (Kannapolis), 0–2 , - , 2006 (RiverDogs) , , 78 , , 62 , , 2nd Southern Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 2007 (RiverDogs) , , 78 , , 62 , , 4th Southern Division , , Did Not Qualify , - , 2008 (RiverDogs) , , 80 , , 59 , , Southern Division Champions , , Did Not Qualify (Were not leading division at the end of each half season) , - , 2009 (RiverDogs) , , 74 , , 65 , , ''2nd Southern Division'' , , ''Did Not Qualify'' , - , 2010 (RiverDogs) , , 65 , , 74 , , ''6th Southern Division'' , , ''Did Not Qualify'' , - , 2011 (RiverDogs) , , 55 , , 85 , , ''6th Southern Division'' , , ''Did Not Qualify'' , - , 2012 (RiverDogs) , , 76 , , 63 , , ''2nd Southern Division'' , , ''Did Not Qualify'' , - , 2013 (RiverDogs) , , 75 , , 63 , , ''3rd Southern Division'' , , ''Did Not Qualify'' , - , 2014 (RiverDogs) , , 71 , , 69 , , ''3rd Southern Division'' , , ''Did Not Qualify'' , - , 2015 (RiverDogs) , , 66 , , 74 , , ''4th Southern Division'' , , ''Did Not Qualify'' , - , 2016 (RiverDogs) , , 76 , , 63 , , ''2nd Southern Division'' , , Lost First Round (Rome), 1-2 , - , 2017 (RiverDogs) , , 76 , , 63 , , ''2nd Southern Division'' , , Lost First Round (Greenville), 1-2 , - , 2018 (RiverDogs) , , 64 , , 72 , , ''5th Southern Division'' , , ''Did Not Qualify'' , - , 2019 (RiverDogs) , , 73 , , 66 , , ''2nd Southern Division'' , , ''Did Not Qualify'' , - , 2021 (RiverDogs) , , 82 , , 38 , , Southern Division Champions , , Won Finals (Down East), 3-2 , - , 2022 (RiverDogs) , , 88 , , 44 , , Southern Division Champions , , Won Finals ( Bank of the James Stadium, Lynchburg, Virginia), 2-0 , - , Overall (Regular Season) , , 2910 , , 2919 , , , , , - , Overall (Playoffs) , , 20 , , 26 , , , , , - , Overall , , 2930 , , 2945 , , , ,

Roster

Notable players

A number of ex-RiverDogs have gone on to make a name for themselves in

, including:

B. J. Upton Melvin Emanuel Upton Jr. (born August 21, 1984), known as B. J. Upton, is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays / Rays, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Pad ...

Carl Crawford Carl Demonte Crawford (born August 5, 1981), nicknamed "The Perfect Storm", is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. He ba ...

Rocco Baldelli Rocco Daniel Baldelli (; born September 25, 1981) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and coach who is the manager of the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). As a player, Baldelli quickly progressed through the min ...

Delmon Young Delmon Damarcus Young (born September 14, 1985) is an American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter for the Melbourne Aces of the Australian Baseball League. He played in Major League Baseball for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Ray ...

Seth McClung Michael Seth McClung (born February 7, 1981), nicknamed Big Red, is an American former professional baseball pitcher. In his career, he pitched as a starting pitcher and as a relief pitcher. Career Tampa Bay Devil Rays McClung began the season ...

Josh Hamilton Joshua Holt Hamilton (born May 21, 1981) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from to , most prominently as a member of the Texas Rangers teams that won two consecutive Americ ...

Toby Hall Toby Jason Hall (born October 21, 1975) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2000 to 2008, primarily with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Listed at and , he batted and threw right-handed. ...

Aubrey Huff Aubrey Lewis Huff III (born December 20, 1976) is an American former professional baseball player who played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Huff played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tiger ...

, and

Fernando Tatís Fernando Gabriel Tatís Medina Sr. (born January 1, 1975) is a Dominican former professional baseball third baseman and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) manager. Over his 11-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, Tatís played for the Texas R ...

who all played for the RiverDogs;

Sandy Alomar Jr. Santos "Sandy" Alomar Velázquez Jr. (, ; born June 18, 1966) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher between 1988 and 2007, most notably as a member of the Cleve ...

Roberto Alomar Roberto "Robbie" Alomar Velázquez (; ; born February 5, 1968) is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball player for the San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, and Arizon ...

, and

Carlos Baerga Carlos Obed Ortiz Baerga (; ; born November 4, 1968) is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball player. Baerga was known for his superb hitting abilities during his first stint with the Cleveland Indians in the early-to-mid-1990s, accumulatin ...

who all played for the Rainbows; and

David Cone David Brian Cone (born January 2, 1963) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, and current color commentator for the New York Yankees on the YES Network and WPIX as well as for ESPN on Sunday Night Baseball.John Candelaria John Robert Candelaria (born November 6, 1953) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. Nicknamed "The Candy Man", he played in MLB during the years 1975–1993 for eight teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates, California Angels, New York Mets, New Y ...

who played for the Royals and Pirates, respectively.

Aaron Judge Aaron James Judge (born April 26, 1992) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). Judge was unanimously selected as the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year in 2017, and finishe ...

Danny Burawa Daniel James Burawa (born December 30, 1988) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves in 2015, and also played internationally for the Israel national baseball team. Early ...

Phil Hughes Philip Joseph Hughes (born June 24, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, and San Diego Padres from 2007 through 2018. He stands tal ...

, David Robertson, Gary Sánchez, Austin Jackson,

John Axford John Berton Axford (born April 1, 1983), nicknamed "Ax Man", is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Pitts ...

Eduardo Núñez Eduardo Michelle Núñez Méndez (born June 15, 1987) is a Dominican former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, and the New ...

, and

Phil Coke Phillip Douglas Coke (born July 19, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Baseball c ...

have also played for the RiverDogs more recently.

References

External links

*
Statistics from Baseball-Reference
* http://www.charlestonrainbows.com {{South Carolina Sports 1980 establishments in South Carolina Baseball teams established in 1980 Defunct South Atlantic League teams Kansas City Royals minor league affiliates New York Yankees minor league affiliates Professional baseball teams in South Carolina San Diego Padres minor league affiliates Sports in Charleston, South Carolina Tampa Bay Devil Rays minor league affiliates Tampa Bay Rays minor league affiliates Texas Rangers minor league affiliates Carolina League teams