The Eastern League (EL) is a
Minor League Baseball
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
(MiLB) league that has operated under that name since 1938, with the exception of the 2021 season, during which the league operated under the moniker Double-A Northeast. The league has played at the
Double-A level since 1963, and consists primarily of teams located in the
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. Located on the East Coast of the United States, ...
. Prior to 1963, the league operated at the
Class A level.
History
The league was founded in 1923 as the
New York–Pennsylvania League. The first team outside the two original states was created in 1936 when the
York White Roses of
York, Pennsylvania
York is a city in York County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located in South Central Pennsylvania, the city's population was 44,800 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in ...
, moved to
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...
, and were renamed the
Trenton Senators. The league was renamed as the Eastern League in 1938 when the
Scranton Miners of
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...
, moved to
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
, and became the
Hartford Bees.
The league has had teams in a total of 52 different cities, located in 12 different states and two Canadian provinces. The league consisted of six to eight teams from 1923 until 1993. The league expanded to 10 teams in 1994 with the addition of the
Portland Sea Dogs and the
New Haven Ravens and split into two divisions, the Northern Division and the Southern Division. The league expanded to 12 teams in 1999 with the addition of the
Altoona Curve and the
Erie SeaWolves. The two divisions were restructured and renamed for the 2010 season as the Eastern Division and the Western Division because the
Connecticut Defenders moved to
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
, after the 2009 season, becoming the
Richmond Flying Squirrels.
The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
before ultimately being cancelled.
As part of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues, the league was temporarily renamed the "Double-A Northeast"; the
Somerset Patriots, formerly an independent team, joined the league, while 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 D ...
were relegated to the newly-formed
MLB Draft League.
Following MLB's acquisition of the rights to the names of the historical minor leagues, the Double-A Northeast was renamed the Eastern League effective with the 2022 season.
Current teams
Complete list of Eastern League teams (1923–present)
Notes: This list includes teams in predecessor
New York–Pennsylvania League of 1923 to 1937.
Bold font indicates an active Eastern League team.
A "^" indicates that team's article redirects to an article of an active team formerly of the Eastern League.
A "†" indicates that team's article redirects to an article of a defunct Eastern League team.
*
Akron Aeros^
*
Akron RubberDucks
*
Albany Senators
*
Albany-Colonie A's
*
Albany-Colonie Yankees
*
Allentown Brooks
*
Allentown Cardinals
*
Allentown Red Sox
*
Altoona Curve
*
Berkshire Brewers
*
Binghamton Rumble Ponies
*
Binghamton Triplets
*
Bowie Baysox
*
Bristol Red Sox
*
Buffalo Bisons
*
Canton–Akron Indians
*
Charleston Indians
*
Chesapeake Baysox
*
Connecticut Defenders
*
Elmira Colonels
*
Elmira Pioneers
*
Elmira Red Jackets
*
Elmira Red Wings
*
Elmira Royals
*
Erie SeaWolves
*
Glens Falls Tigers
*
Glens Falls White Sox
*
Hagerstown Suns
*
Harrisburg Senators
*
Hartford Bees†
*
Hartford Chiefs
*
Hartford Laurels
*
Hartford Yard Goats
*
Hazleton Red Sox
*
Holyoke Millers
*
Jersey City A's
The Jersey City A's were a minor league baseball team based in Jersey City, New Jersey which played in the Eastern League for the 1978 season and was the AA affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.
History
The team changed their name from the Jer ...
*
Jersey City Indians
*
Johnstown Johnnies
*
Johnstown Red Sox
*
Lancaster Red Roses
*
London Tigers
*
Lynn Pirates
*
Lynn Sailors
*
Manchester Yankees
*
Nashua Angels
*
Nashua Pirates
*
New Britain Red Sox†
*
New Britain Rock Cats
*
New Hampshire Fisher Cats
*
New Haven Ravens^
*
Norwich Navigators
*
Pawtucket Indians
*
Pawtucket Red Sox
*
Pittsfield Cubs
*
Pittsfield Rangers
*
Pittsfield Red Sox
*
Pittsfield Senators
*
Portland Sea Dogs
*
Québec Carnavals (also as Québec Metros)
*
Reading Fightin Phils
*
Reading Indians^
*
Reading Phillies^
*
Reading Red Sox
*
Richmond Flying Squirrels
*
Schenectady Blue Jays
*
Scranton Miners
*
Scranton Red Sox
*
Shamokin Indians
*
Sherbrooke Pirates
*
Somerset Patriots
*
Springfield Giants
*
Springfield Nationals
*
Springfield Rifles
*
Syracuse Chiefs
*
Syracuse/Allentown Chiefs
*
Syracuse Stars
*
Thetford Mines Miners
*
Thetford Mines Pirates
*
Trenton Senators
*
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 D ...
*
Trois-Rivières Aigles
*
Utica Blue Sox
*
Utica Braves
*Utica Indians/
Oneonta Indians
*
Vermont Mariners
*
Vermont Reds
*
Waterbury A's
*
Waterbury Angels
*
Waterbury Dodgers
*
Waterbury Giants
*
Waterbury Indians
*
Waterbury Pirates
*
Waterbury Reds
*
West Haven A's
*
West Haven White Caps
*
West Haven Yankees
*
Wilkes-Barre Barons
The Wilkes-Barre Barons were a basketball team from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
The Barons played between 1933 and 1980 in different United States, American sports league, leagues. The team won 11 titles during this time, including while playin ...
*
Wilkes-Barre Indians
*
Williamsport A's
*
Williamsport Billies
*
Williamsport Bills
*
Williamsport Grays
*
Williamsport Mets
*
Williamsport Tomahawks
*
Williamsport Tigers
*
York Pirates
*
York White Roses
Champions
League champions have been determined by different means since the Eastern League's formation in 1923. Before 1934, the champions were simply the league pennant winners. A formal playoff system to determine league champions was established in 1934.
The
Binghamton Triplets have won 10 championships, the most among all teams in the league, followed by the
Elmira Colonels/Pioneers/Royals (8) and the
Scranton Miners/Red Sox (7). Among active franchises, the
Akron Aeros/RubberDucks and
Harrisburg Senators have each won 6 championships, the most in the league, followed by the
Reading Fightin Phils (4).
[
]
Awards
* Eastern League Most Valuable Player Award
* Eastern League Pitcher of the Year Award
* Eastern League Top MLB Prospect Award (formerly the Eastern League Rookie of the Year Award)
* Eastern League Manager of the Year Award
See also
* List of Eastern League stadiums
* Sports attendances
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eastern League (Baseball)
Sports leagues established in 1923
Minor baseball leagues in the United States