The Akron RubberDucks are 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 ...

team based in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Akron metr ...

. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the

Cleveland Guardians 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 , the team has played its home gam ...

. They play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 7,630 fans. The nickname "RubberDucks" refers to Akron's history in the rubber industry, in particular as the birthplace of tire and rubber companies such as Goodyear, Firestone, B.F. Goodrich, and

General Tire Continental Tire the Americas, LLC, d.b.a. General Tire, is an American manufacturer of tires for motor vehicles, and semi trucks. Founded in 1915 in Akron, Ohio by William Francis O'Neil, Winfred E. Fouse, Charles J. Jahant, Robert Iredell, ...

History

The franchise began as the

Binghamton Triplets The Binghamton Triplets were a minor league baseball team based in Binghamton, New York between 1923 and 1963. The franchise played as members of the New York–Penn League (1923–1937), Eastern League (1938–1963), New York–Penn League ( ...

, a charter member of 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 ...

in 1923. They played in

Binghamton, New York Binghamton ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the c ...

, at Johnson Field, winning 10 titles over their 46 seasons. After the 1968 season,

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

businessman John Alevizos acquired the franchise and moved it to Gill Stadium, in Manchester, Massachusetts, to become the Manchester Yankees. After 3 seasons in Manchester, the franchise then relocated to

West Haven, Connecticut West Haven is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located on the coast of Long Island Sound. The city is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, South Central Connecticut Planning Region. At the 2 ...

, under new ownership, and became the West Haven Yankees playing at Quigley Stadium. While in West Haven, the franchise won 4 Eastern League titles in their 8 seasons. After the 1979 season, the franchise then moved to

Lynn, Massachusetts Lynn is the eighth-largest List of municipalities in Massachusetts, municipality in Massachusetts, United States, and the largest city in Essex County, Massachusetts, Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Boston city line ...

, to become the

Lynn Sailors The Lynn Sailors were a Minor League Baseball franchise that originated in 1980 in Lynn, Massachusetts. The Sailors were affiliated with the Seattle Mariners from 1980 to 1982 and with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1983, when they were known as the L ...

playing at Fraser Field. During the 1983 season they were known as the Lynn Pirates. After the 1983 season, the franchise was moved to

Burlington, Vermont Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Can ...

, and became the

Vermont Reds The Vermont Reds are a defunct minor league baseball team. They played in the Eastern League at Centennial Field in Burlington, Vermont from 1984 to 1987. They were affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds. The team won the Eastern League Championsh ...

playing at Centennial Field. As the Reds, the franchise won 3 more Eastern League titles in 5 seasons. In 1988 they were known as the Vermont Mariners. After the 1988 season, the franchise moved to

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in Stark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, eighth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 70,872 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Canton–Massillo ...

, and became the Canton-Akron Indians playing at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium. After the 1996 season, the franchise moved up I-77 to Akron, Ohio, and became the Akron Aeros.

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

on April 10, 1997, marked the debut of the Akron Aeros. With 9,086 fans in attendance, the Aeros and Harrisburg Senators played the first game at Canal Park. The Aeros went on to finish the season with a record of 51–90. Despite the last place record, the team drew a Double-A league-leading 473,272 fans to Canal Park that season. In the 1998 season, the Aeros put together a 30-game "worst-to-first" turnaround; after finishing the prior year 34½ games back, they proceeded to win the Southern Division that season by 8½ games. However, after losing in the playoffs that year, it would be three more years until the Aeros found their way back to the postseason. On September 6, 1999, the Aeros set an Eastern League attendance record for three straight seasons and once again led all Double-A teams after 522,459 fans attended Canal Park in 1999. In 2002, the team posted a 93–48 record, the third-highest win total in the Eastern League in 50 years. They built on that success and finally won two league championships (their first since moving to Ohio) in 2003 and 2005. In 2006, the Aeros again posted the best regular-season record in the league, but lost the playoff title to

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

after taking the series to a deciding fifth game. From 2005 to 2008, the Aeros advanced to the Eastern League Championship Series. Although the Aeros won the ELCS in 2005, they were defeated in three consecutive trips from 2006 to 2008. In 2009, the Aeros again advanced to the league championship and defeated the

Connecticut Defenders The Connecticut Defenders were a Minor League Baseball team based in Norwich, Connecticut. The team, which played in the Eastern League, was the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major-league club from 2003 until following the 2009 ...

(three games to one) capping a 95-win season and their third title in the last seven years. Jared Head was named the playoff MVP. In their first three seasons in Canal Park, the Aeros led all of Double-A in attendance, becoming the first team at that level to draw a half-million fans in a single season. The team was sold by Mike Agganis to Ken Babby in October 2012.

2014–present

On October 29, 2013, the Akron Aeros officially changed their name to the Akron RubberDucks. The RubberDucks won their first Eastern League Championship under the new name in 2016, sweeping Trenton 3-0. Akron also hosted the 2016 Eastern League All-Star Game at Canal Park. In conjunction with

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 restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the RubberDucks were placed into the Double-A Northeast. They won the Southwest Division title with a 73–46 record. They qualified for the championship playoffs by possessing the league's best record. Akron defeated the

Bowie Baysox The Chesapeake Baysox are a Minor League Baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League. Their home ballpark is Prince George's Stadium. From 1993 to 2024, th ...

, 3–0, in the best-of-five series to win the Double-A Northeast championship. Rouglas Odor was selected as the league Manager of the Year. In 2022, the Double-A Northeast became known as the Eastern League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.

Season-by-season results

*1997: 51–90 (5th), manager

Jeff Datz Jeffrey William Datz (born November 28, 1959) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) catcher and coach who played for the Detroit Tigers in 1989, and who is currently a scout for the New York Yankees. Playing career A native of Camden ...

*1998: 81–60 (1st), manager

Joel Skinner Joel Patrick Skinner (born February 21, 1961) is an American former professional baseball manager, coach, and catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). Skinner mostly has managed at the minor-league level, save for one half of one season at the he ...

• Lost to

Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...

3–1 in first round of playoffs *1999: 69–71 (5th), manager Joel Skinner *2000: 75–68 (3rd), manager Eric Wedge *2001: 68–74 (3rd), manager Chris Bando *2002: 93–48 (1st), manager Brad Komminsk • Lost to

3–2 in first round of playoffs *2003: 88–53 (1st), manager Brad Komminsk • Defeated Altoona 3–1 in first round of playoffs; defeated

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

3–0 in ELCS *2004: 63–78 (5th), manager Brad Komminsk *2005: 84–58 (1st), manager Torey Lovullo • Defeated Altoona 3–2 in first round of playoffs; defeated

3–1 in ELCS *2006: 87–55 (1st), manager Tim Bogar • Defeated Altoona 3–2 in first round of playoffs; lost to

3–2 in ELCS *2007: 80–61 (2nd), manager Tim Bogar • Defeated Erie 3–1 in first round of playoffs; lost to Trenton 3–1 in ELCS *2008: 80–62 (2nd), manager Mike Sarbaugh • Defeated Bowie 3–1 in first round of playoffs; lost to Trenton 3–1 in ELCS *2009: 89–53 (1st), manager Mike Sarbaugh • Defeated

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

3–0 in first round of playoffs; defeated

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

3–1 in ELCS *2010: 71–71 (4th), manager Joel Skinner *2011: 73–69 (4th), manager Chris Tremie *2012: 82–59 (1st), manager Chris Tremie • Defeated Baysox 3–2 in first round of playoffs; defeated Trenton 3–1 in ELCS *2013: 68–73 (5th), manager Edwin Rodriguez *2014: 73–69 (2nd), manager Dave Wallace *2015: 73–69 (4th), manager Dave Wallace *2016: 77–64 (1st), manager Dave Wallace • Defeated Altoona 3–1 in first round of playoffs; defeated Trenton 3–0 in ELCS *2017: 69–71 (3rd), manager Mark Budzinski *2018: 78–62 (2nd), manager Tony Mansolino • Defeated Altoona 3–1 in first round of playoffs; lost to

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

3–0 in ELCS *2019: 61–79 (5th), manager Rouglas Odor *2020: Season canceled due to

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 ...

*2021: 73–46 (1st), manager Rouglas Odor • Defeated Bowie 3–0 in Double-A Northeast Championship Series *2022: 79–59 (2nd), manager Rouglas Odor *2023: 65–73 (5th), manager Rouglas Odor *2024: 80–58 (1st), manager Greg DiCenzo • Lost to Erie 2–1 in first round of playoffs Note: Place indicates finish in Eastern League's Northern Division from 1980 to 1982; in divisionless Eastern League from 1983 to 1993; in Eastern League's Southern Division from 1994 to 2009; in Eastern League's Western Division from 2010 to 2020; in Double-A Northeast/Eastern League's Southwest Division in 2021 to present.

Notoriety

Over the off-season between the 2010–2011 season, the Aeros received national attention after introducing a number of new promotions as well as menu items at Canal Park. The team was featured in a segment titled "Back in Black" during ''

The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night talk and news satire television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States, with extended episodes released shortly after on Paramount+ ...

'' performed by comedian

Lewis Black Lewis Niles Black (born August 30, 1948) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. His comedy routines often escalate into angry rants about history, politics, religion and cultural trends. He hosted the Comedy Central series ''Lewis Black's ...

. In the segment, Black talks about several of the menu items including The "Three Dog Night" consisting of a hot dog in a Bratwurst in a Kielbasa, and "The Nice to Meat You Burger". The food was also covered by CNBC Sports Financial Analyst

Darren Rovell Darren Rovell (born June 30, 1978) is a sports business analyst who works for The Action Network. He previously worked for ESPN. Early life and education He attended and graduated cum laude from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, in ...

. For the 2016 season, several different promotions were announced, including (but not limited to) Thirsty Thursdays, Star Wars Night on May 4, Shooter McGavin Bobblehead Night, and An action-filled two days for the Eastern League All-Star Game.

Media

Games are broadcast on

WHLO WHLO (640 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Akron, Ohio, featuring a conservative talk format. Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves both the Akron and Canton metro areas. WHLO's studios are located in North Canton while its ...

AM 640 and the iHeartRadio app. Jim Clark - in his 31st year in 2024 - as well as Marco LaNave call play-by-play.

Attendance

On August 12, 2017, the RubberDucks reported their highest single-game attendance since rebranding of 8,396 fans.

Roster

References

External links

*
Statistics from Baseball-Reference

Statistics from The Baseball Cube
{{Ohio Sports Baseball teams established in 1923 Cleveland Guardians minor league affiliates Eastern League (1938–present) teams 1997 establishments in Ohio Professional baseball teams in Ohio Sports in Akron, Ohio Double-A Northeast teams