The Staten Island Yankees were a
minor league baseball team located in the
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
borough of
Staten Island
Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...
from 1999 to 2020. Nicknamed the "Baby Bombers", the Yankees were the
Class A Short Season
Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (cre ...
affiliate of the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
and played in the
New York–Penn League
The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...
at
Richmond County Bank Ballpark
The Staten Island University Hospital, Community Park (SIUH Community Park) is a baseball stadium located on the north-eastern tip of Staten Island. The ballpark is the home of the Staten Island FerryHawks, a member of the Atlantic League of P ...
along the waterfront in
St. George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...
. The Yankees won six
New York–Penn League championships (2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2011). The team was replaced locally by the
Staten Island FerryHawks
The Staten Island FerryHawks are an American minor-league professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Staten Island. They are a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner leag ...
of the independent
Atlantic League.
History
The franchise originated in 1983 as the
Watertown Pirates
The Watertown Pirates were a Short-Season Class-A minor league baseball team located in Watertown, New York. The team played in the New York–Penn League from 1983 to 1998. They played their home games at the Duffy Fairgrounds Ball Park.
From ...
(affiliated with the
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
), and became the Watertown Indians (affiliated with the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
) in 1989.
In 1999, in a deal brokered by New York City Mayor
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis Giuliani (, ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 107th Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney General from 1981 to 198 ...
, the Yankees affiliation was transferred from the
Oneonta Yankees
Oneonta may refer to several places:
Communities
*Oneonta, New York, A small city and inspiration for some of the other "Oneontas"
*Oneonta (town), New York, a town that surrounds the City of Oneonta
*Oneonta, Alabama, Blount County
* Oneonta, Ke ...
to the Watertown franchise, which was relocated and renamed the Staten Island Yankees. The Oneonta Yankees, in turn, became a
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
affiliate and were renamed the
Oneonta Tigers
The Oneonta Tigers were a minor league baseball team located in Oneonta, New York. They were members of the New York–Penn League. The Tigers were the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, and played their home games ...
.
The Staten Island Yankees played their first two seasons at
College of Staten Island Baseball Complex
College of Staten Island Baseball Complex is a stadium in Staten Island, New York. It is primarily used for baseball and was the home of Staten Island Yankees before they moved to Richmond County Bank Ballpark in 2001. The ballpark had a capacit ...
before moving into the Richmond County Bank Ballpark for the 2001 season.
The first SI Yankee to reach the
major leagues as a New York Yankee was in 2003;
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
Jason Anderson, pitching in relief in an 8-4 Yankee win over the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
at the
Rogers Centre
Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a multi-purpose retractable roof stadium in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it ...
. (The first Staten Island Yankee to reach the majors for any team was
Wily Mo Peña
Wily Modesto Peña Gutierrez (born January 23, 1982) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, Washington National ...
, who broke in with the
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
, in 2002.)
On March 26, 2006, the ''
Staten Island Advance
The ''Staten Island Advance'' is a daily newspaper published in the borough of Staten Island in New York City. The only daily newspaper published in the borough, and the only major daily paper focused on a borough, it covers news of local and ...
'' reported that the team's majority owners, the Getzler family, were considering selling their 51% share of the team, and were asking for between three and five million dollars. The New York Yankees purchased the Getzlers’ interest in the team and in return hired Mandalay Sports Properties to run the day-to-day operations of the team. Part of the agreement was that the New York Yankees and Mandalay become equal partners with Mandalay owning 50% of the Staten Island Yankees.
![Staten Island Yankees pitcher](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Staten_Island_Yankees_pitcher.jpg)
In 2006, the Yankees were managed by
Gaylen Pitts
Gaylen Richard Pitts (born June 6, 1946) is an American professional baseball manager and baseball coach, and a former third baseman at the Major League Baseball level.
Playing career (1964–77)
As a player, Pitts threw and batted right-handed ...
, noted for frequently being ejected from games. In a game on August 25, 2006, Pitts was ejected and then returned to the field in sandals after a batter was hit by a pitch in the 9th inning of a 21–6 victory over the
Brooklyn Cyclones
The Brooklyn Cyclones are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and play at Maimonides Park, just off the Coney Island Boar ...
.
In 2007, the Yankees were managed by
Mike Gillespie, who had led the 1998
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ' ...
to a
College World Series
The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisi ...
championship. Gillespie led the Baby Bombers to their third consecutive playoff appearance before losing to the Brooklyn Cyclones in 2007 NYPL Playoffs, 2 games to none.
Former
Florida Gator coach
Pat McMahon managed the Yankees for the 2008 season.
Former major league catcher
Josh Paul
Joshua William Paul (born May 19, 1975) is a retired American professional baseball catcher and professional coach. He most recently served as the quality control coach for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for ...
managed the Yankees for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. in 2010, due to
Dave Eiland
David William Eiland (born July 5, 1966) is an American former professional baseball player who was a pitcher for ten Major League Baseball seasons. Eiland played college baseball for the University of Florida and the University of South Florida, ...
taking a leave of absence, SI Yankees manager Paul was summoned to fill in as the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
bullpen coach, during which time former major leaguer
Jody Reed Jody may refer to:
*Jody (given name), a list of people with the given name
*Jody (singer), French singer, real name Julie Erikssen
* "Jody" (song), 1986 single by Jermaine Stewart
*"Jody", a 1982 song by America from ''View from the Ground''
*"Jod ...
filled in as the interim manager for the Staten Island Yankees.
On June 20, 2016, the team launched a campaign to rename the organization starting with the 2017 season. On September 8, 2016, the potential names were whittled down to five, with an online vote beginning on the team's website from that date; the candidate names were the Bridge Trolls, Heroes, Killer Bees, Pizza Rats, and Rock Pigeons. Ultimately, the team decided to retain the Yankees moniker but to call itself the Staten Island
Pizza Rat
Pizza Rat is an internet meme based around a viral video of a brown rat carrying a slice of pizza down the steps of a New York City Subway station in Manhattan. The video was first uploaded to Instagram on September 21, 2015, and a copy was uplo ...
s for select games as an alternate identity.
Prior to the 2020 season, it was announced that the team would be shuttered when the MLB/MiLB agreement ended at the conclusion of the 2020 season under a proposed plan calling for the Short Season Class A designation to be eliminated. The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
before ultimately being cancelled on June 30.
On November 7, 2020, the New York Yankees announced that they were withdrawing from Staten Island as well as abandoning their affiliation with the
Trenton Thunder
The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark.
From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the Doub ...
as they were moving forward with their new
Double-A affiliate: the
Somerset Patriots
The Somerset Patriots are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey, that is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They compete in the Eastern League, known as the Double-A Northeast in 2021, and ...
, but they would seek to place a team from the independent
Atlantic League at
Richmond County Bank Ballpark
The Staten Island University Hospital, Community Park (SIUH Community Park) is a baseball stadium located on the north-eastern tip of Staten Island. The ballpark is the home of the Staten Island FerryHawks, a member of the Atlantic League of P ...
in 2021. On December 3, 2020, the Staten Island Yankees announced that the club would cease operations.
Year-by-year record
Notable alumni
Over a hundred Staten Island Yankees players reached the major leagues, not including MLB players who were with the team on a rehab assignment.
[
]
The following MLB players made rehab appearances with the Staten Island Yankees:
*
Orlando Hernandez
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures relea ...
(2001)
*
José Contreras
José Ariel Contreras Camejo (born December 6, 1971), is a Cuban former professional baseball pitcher, who played in the Cuban National Series (CNS), Major League Baseball (MLB), and internationally for the Cuban national baseball team.
Contr ...
(2003)
*
Kevin Brown Kevin Brown may refer to:
Entertainment
* Kevin Brown (blues musician) (born 1950), English blues guitarist
* Kevin Brown (author) (born 1960), American journalist and translator
* Kevin Brown (poet) (born 1970), American poet and teacher
* Kevin ...
(2004)
*
Steve Karsay
Stefan Andrew Karsay (born March 24, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and coach. Karsay played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics (1993–94, 1997, 2006), Cleveland Indians (1998–2001), Atlanta Brav ...
(2004)
*
Felix Rodríguez (2005)
*
Octavio Dotel
Octavio Eduardo Dotel Diaz (born November 25, 1973) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. Dotel played for 13 major league teams, the second most teams played for by any player in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), setti ...
(2006)
*
Jeff Karstens
Jeffrey Wayne Karstens (born September 24, 1982) is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). Karstens pitched for the New York Yankees in 2006 and 2007 and the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2008 to 2012.
High schoo ...
(2007) – the only former SI Yankee to return on an MLB rehab assignment
*
Darrell Rasner
Darrell Wayne Rasner, Jr. (born January 13, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals and New York Yankees and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Toh ...
(2007)
*
Jonathan Albaladejo
Jonathan Albaladejo Santana ( ; born October 30, 1982) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Washington Nationals, New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks in Major League Baseball (MLB), as well as the Yomi ...
(2008)
*
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 ...
(2011)
Mascots
The original Staten Island Yankees Mascot was Scooter the "Holy Cow."
A combination of New York Yankees shortstop
Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto and his commentating catch phrase "Holy Cow!" Scooter debuted for the Staten Island Yankees when the franchise relocated from Watertown, New York, in 1999. In summer 2003, the Baby Bombers debuted Scooter's sisters Red and Huckleberry (or "Huck").
[ Scooter and his sisters were a staple at SI Yankee games, leading fan rallies and between-inning on-field games. The cows were known to have a ]The Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...
-like relationship in which Red and Huck often teamed up to trick and trap Scooter[
]
Retired numbers
*6: Brett Gardner
Brett Michael Gardner (born August 24, 1983) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees.
Gardner was a walk-on for the College of Charleston's base ...
*17: Robinson Canó
Robinson José Canó Mercedes (; born October 22, 1982) is a Dominican-American professional baseball second baseman who is currently a free agent. He previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, San Die ...
*19: Jason Anderson
*41: Chien-Ming Wang
Chien-Ming Wang (; born March 31, 1980) is a Taiwanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Washington Nationals, Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals. He also played for ...
*42: Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...
References
External links
* {{Official website, http://www.milb.com/staten-island
Statistics from Baseball-Reference
Baseball teams established in 1999
Baseball teams disestablished in 2020
Defunct New York–Penn League teams
Professional baseball teams in New York (state)
Sports in Staten Island
New York Yankees minor league affiliates
Defunct baseball teams in New York City
1999 establishments in New York City
2020 disestablishments in New York (state)
2020 in New York City
History of Staten Island