The Norfolk Tides 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 of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

and the Triple-A affiliate of the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

. They are located in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

. The team plays their home games at Harbor Park, which opened in 1993. The Tides previously played at High Rock Park in 1961 and 1962, Frank D. Lawrence Stadium from 1961 to 1969, and at Met Park from its opening in 1970 until the end of the 1992 season. Originally known as the Portsmouth-Norfolk Tides, the team began play in 1961 as members of the Class A

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 h ...

. In 1963, they joined 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 ...

and became known as the Tidewater Tides, taking their geographic identifier from the Tidewater region. The Tides were replaced by a Triple-A International League team in 1969. The Triple-A Tides carried on the history of the Class A team that preceded them. The club rebranded as the Norfolk Tides in 1993. 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 reorganization of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Tides were placed in the Triple-A East, which was renamed the International League in 2022. The team has won seven league championships in its history. They won the Carolina League championship in 1965 as the Class A affiliate of 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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. During their 38-year Triple-A affiliation with the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

from 1969 to 2006, they won the Governors' Cup, the championship of the International League, on five occasions (1972, 1975, 1982, 1983, and 1985) and won the Triple-A World Series in 1983. As an affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, they won another International League championship and the Triple-A championship in 2023.

History

Before the Tides

Both

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

and

Portsmouth, Virginia Portsmouth is an Independent city (United States), independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. It lies across the Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth River from Norfolk, Virginia, Norfolk. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

, first hosted

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

teams in the late 19th century. Among the clubs to hail from these neighboring cities were the

Norfolk Tars The Norfolk Tars were a minor league baseball team that existed on and off from 1906 to 1955. Based in Norfolk, Virginia, they played in the Virginia League from 1906 to 1918 and from 1921 to 1928, in the Eastern League (1916), Eastern League from ...

, which played on and off from 1906 to 1955 primarily in the Virginia League and Piedmont League; the Portsmouth Truckers, which played at intervals from 1895 to 1935 mostly in the Virginia League; the

Portsmouth Cubs The Portsmouth Cubs were a minor league baseball team based in Portsmouth, Virginia. From 1935 to 1955, Portsmouth teams played exclusively as members of the Class B (baseball), Class B level Piedmont League, which was one of few minor leagues tha ...

of the Piedmont League from 1936 to 1952; and the Portsmouth Merrimacs also of the Piedmont League from 1953 to 1955. The Tars folded in July 1955 due to low attendance and steep financial losses. Fiscal problems also caused the Merrimacs to cease operations after the 1955 campaign.

South Atlantic League (1961–1962)

Six years after the loss of the Tars and Merrimacs, the Portsmouth-Norfolk Tides were established as members of the Class A

. They played some home games at Frank D. Lawrence Stadium in Portsmouth and some at High Rock Park in Norfolk. The Tides had a limited affiliation with

Kansas City Athletics The Kansas City Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Kansas City, Missouri, from 1955 to 1967, having previously played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the Philadelphia Athletics. After moving in 1967, the team became the ...

. Their inaugural season opener was a 7–4 victory in Portsmouth over the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

with 3,158 people in attendance on April 17, 1961. In 1962, they became an affiliate of the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

. The Tides dropped out of the Sally League after losing their working agreement with St. Louis and following what Tides general manager Marshall Fox called "unfair treatment" by the league.

Carolina League (1963–1968)

The

, a Class A circuit, accepted the Tides as members for 1963. At this point, the team became known as the Tidewater Tides, taking their geographic identifier from the Tidewater region, and began playing their home games exclusively at Lawrence Stadium in Portsmouth. They were not affiliated with any Major League Baseball team in their first Carolina League season. Ed Stroud Senators

The Tides became the Class A affiliate of the

in 1964. Under

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

Allen Jones, they qualified for the playoffs that year for the first time in team history and defeated the Kinston Eagles in the semifinals to advance to the championship round where they lost to the Winston-Salem Red Sox.

Outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

Ed Stroud won the league's

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

(MVP) Award. Jones led the team back to the postseason in 1965. After defeating the Peninsula Grays in the semifinals, the Tides won the Carolina League championship by sweeping the

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

, 2–0. Tidewater became an affiliate of the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

in 1966. They made the postseason in 1967 and 1968, but they were defeated in the finals by Durham in 1967 and eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Raleigh-Durham Mets in 1968.

International League

New York Mets (1969–2006)

In 1969, the

moved their Triple-A

(IL) affiliate, the Jacksonville Suns, from

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, to Portsmouth as the Tidewater Tides. The team was operated by Tidewater Professional Sports and owned by the Mets. The Triple-A Tides carried on the history of the Class A team that preceded them. International League Manager of the Year Clyde McCullough led the team to a league-best 76–59 record in their first Triple-A season, but they were eliminated in the semifinals of the Governors' Cup playoffs to determine the IL championship. The 1969 season was the team's last at Lawrence Stadium. They moved into the new Met Park, located in Norfolk, in 1970. After another semifinal exit that year, the Tides reached the finals in 1971 but lost the championship to the

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

in the full five-game series. Hank Bauer, manager of the 1972 club, led the Tides to win their first Governors' Cup with a 3–2 series defeat of the

Louisville Colonels The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as th ...

in the finals. Following this win, Tidewater competed in the Kodak World Baseball Classic, a five-team

round-robin tournament A round-robin tournament or all-play-all tournament is a competition format in which each contestant meets every other participant, usually in turn.''Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged'' (1971, G. & ...

that included the champions of the American Association (the Evansville Triplets) and

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

(the

Albuquerque Dukes The Albuquerque Dukes were a minor league baseball team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. History The first Dukes team was formed in 1915 as part of the Class D Rio Grande Association. The team finished in third place with a 32-25 record. Fran ...

), the Caribbean All-Stars, and the hosting Hawaii Islanders. The Tides went 3–2 but were eliminated. Bauer was selected as the 1972 IL Manager of the Year. The club returned to the playoffs in 1973 but could not advance past the semifinals. Tidewater finished atop the league standings in 1974 with an 86–55 record under manager

Joe Frazier Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. Nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He was known for ...

. After sweeping the Charleston Charlies, 3–0, in the semis, they won the IL championship over the

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

, 3–1. Afterwards, they met the Evansville Triplets, champions of the American Association, in the Junior World Series, which the Tides lost, 4–1. The Tides swept the 1975 International League year-end awards with outfielder Mike Vail as the IL MVP and Rookie of the Year, Craig Swan as the Most Valuable Pitcher, and Frazier as Manager of the Year. Davey Johnson 1986

They next appeared in the postseason in 1977, 1979, and 1981, but they were unable to move on past the semifinals. During this stretch, Juan Berenguer won the 1978 Most Valuable Pitcher Award, and outfielder Mookie Wilson won the 1979 Rookie of the Year Award. Tidewater won back-to-back Governors' Cups in 1982 and 1983. Jack Aker's 1982 club swept the

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...

, 3–0, in the semifinals and did the same against Rochester in the finals. Under Davey Johnson in 1983, the Tides dispatched Columbus in the semis, and then won a second consecutive IL title over the Richmond Braves. That postseason, the Tides, the American Association champion Denver Bears, and Pacific Coast League champion

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams h ...

contested the Triple-A World Series, a round-robin tournament to crown an overall champion of the classification. Tidewater won the series, 3–1. Walt Terrell was the IL's Most Valuable Pitcher for 1973. In 1985, Bob Schaefer led the team to its sixth and final Governors' Cup championship with a semifinal victory over the Maine Guides and a finals win over Columbus. Though the Tides would remain members of the International League for the next 35 years, they were unable to win another league crown. They lost in the semifinals in 1986 and suffered defeats in the finals of both 1987 and 1988. John Mitchell was selected as the IL Most Valuable Pitcher for 1986.

First baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

Randy Milligan Randall Andre Milligan (born November 27, 1961) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who played from 1987 to 1994. He is currently a scout with the Baltimore Orioles of the Major League Baseball (MLB). Milligan is nicknamed "Moose". ...

won both the 1987 MVP and Rookie of the Year Awards. Third basemen Tom O'Malley (1989) and Jeff Manto (1994) later won IL MVP Awards. The club went through a season of change from 1992 to 1993. First, in December 1992, the Mets sold the franchise to a group led by

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

businessman Ken Young. The Triple-A affiliation between the teams remained intact. In 1993, the Tides left Met Park and moved into the new US$16-million Harbor Park. As they moved into the new facility, the team also replaced the "Tidewater" in its name with that of Norfolk. Also in 1993, the Tides introduced their

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

, Rip Tide. The franchise was awarded the 1993 John H. Johnson President's Award, recognizing them as the "complete baseball franchise—based on franchise stability, contributions to league stability, contributions to baseball in the community, and promotion of the baseball industry." The 1995 Tides led the league with their 86–56 record but were eliminated in the Governors' Cup finals by the Ottawa Lynx. They did, however, win all four IL year-end awards: MVP (third baseman/outfielder Butch Huskey, Most Valuable Pitcher and Rookie of the Year (

Jason Isringhausen Jason Derik Isringhausen ( born September 7, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and coach. He pitched in Major League Baseball from 1995 through 2012 for the New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay ...

, and Manager of the Year ( Toby Harrah). Norfolk made three more playoff appearances as a Mets affiliate, exiting in the semifinal rounds of 1996, 2001, and 2005. Mike Fyhrie won the 1996 Most Valuable Pitcher Award, and first baseman Roberto Petagine was the 1997 IL MVP. The 38-year Triple-A affiliation with New York ended after the 2006 season when the Mets elected to affiliate with the

New Orleans Zephyrs New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** New (Paul McCartney song), "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * New (EP), ''New'' (EP), ...

for 2007.

Baltimore Orioles (2007–2020)

Norfolk became the Triple-A affiliate of the

in 2007. The Orioles preferred the quality of the facilities at Harbor Park as well as the more favorable weather and proximity of Norfolk compared to their previous location in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. Maryland Baseball Holding, the Tides' ownership group led by Ken Young, also owned two other Orioles-affiliated teams at the time: the Bowie Baysox and Frederick Keys. From 2007 to 2014, the Tides regularly finished with losing records and only finished at or above .500 in 2009, 2012, and 2013. The 2015 team, led by IL Manager of the Year

Ron Johnson Ronald Harold Johnson (born April 8, 1955) is an American businessman and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Wisconsin, a seat he has held since 2011. A Rep ...

qualified for the Governors' Cup playoffs as winners of the Southern Division title but lost in the semifinals to Columbus in five games. The Tides added a second mascot, a green sea creature named Triton, in 2016. Norfolk continued to post losing seasons from 2016 to 2019. In 2019, first baseman Ryan Mountcastle was selected as the IL MVP. The start of the 2020 season was initially 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 being cancelled altogether.

Triple-A East / International League

Baltimore Orioles (2021–present)

Following the 2020 season, Major League Baseball assumed control of Minor League Baseball in a move to increase player salaries, modernize facility standards, and reduce travel. The Tides were organized into the Triple-A East and maintained their affiliation with the Baltimore Orioles. Norfolk ended the season in sixth place in the Southeastern Division with a 48–72 record. No playoffs were held to determine a league champion; instead, the team with the best regular-season record was declared the winner. However, 10 games that had been postponed from the start of the season were reinserted into the schedule as a postseason tournament called the Triple-A Final Stretch in which all 30 Triple-A clubs competed for the highest winning percentage. Norfolk finished the tournament tied for 20th place with a 4–6 record. In 2022, the Triple-A East became known as the International League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.

Shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

Gunnar Henderson won the 2022 International League Top MLB Prospect Award. On April 8, 2023, the Tides set the franchise record as an Orioles affiliate for the most runs scored in a game in a 21–2 victory over the

Gwinnett Stripers The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia ...

. In addition, Norfolk tied the franchise record for runs scored in an inning after 11 crossed the plate in the 6th inning. The Tides won the first-half of the 2023 season, clinching a berth in the championship playoffs at the conclusion of the season. In the best-of-three series, the Tides defeated the Durham Bulls to win the International League championship. They won the Triple-A National Championship Game versus the

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Comets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their ho ...

, champions of the

, 7–6. Buck Britton won the 2023 IL Manager of the Year Award. The franchise was purchased by

Diamond Baseball Holdings Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH) is an American sports ownership and management group that operates over 40 Minor League Baseball (MiLB) teams in the United States and Canada. DBH was established in 2021 by media conglomerate Endeavor and is a su ...

on October 17, 2023. In 2024, third baseman Coby Mayo won the IL Top MLB Prospect Award.

Season-by-season records

Radio and television

All Tides home and road games are broadcast on ESPN 94.1 WVSP-FM. Live audio broadcasts are also available online through the station's website as well as on the team's website and the MiLB First Pitch app. Games can be viewed through the MiLB.TV subscription feature of the official website of Minor League Baseball, with audio provided by a radio simulcast. As of 2021, Pete Michaud is the play-by-play announcer. Several former Tides broadcasters have gone on to work in Major League Baseball or other major league sports, including: Ford C. Frick Award winner Marty Brennaman (1970–1973), Pete Van Wieren (1974–1975), Larry Matson (1976), Bob Rathbun (1980–1985, 1990), Charlie Slowes (1986, 1991–1992), Ken Levine (1989–1990), and Bob Socci (2006–2011).

Roster

Awards

The franchise has been awarded these honors by Minor League Baseball. One player won a league award in recognition for their performance with Tidewater in the Carolina League. Sixteen players, six managers, and two executives have won league awards in recognition for their performance with Tidewater/Norfolk in the International League.

Managers

Norfolk has had 33

managers Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administr ...

since their inaugural 1961 season.

Notes

References

External links

*
Statistics from ''Baseball-Reference''
{{Diamond Baseball Holdings 1961 establishments in Virginia Baltimore Orioles minor league affiliates Baseball teams established in 1961 Chicago White Sox minor league affiliates Carolina League teams International League teams Kansas City Athletics minor league affiliates New York Mets minor league affiliates Philadelphia Phillies minor league affiliates Professional baseball teams in Virginia South Atlantic League (1904–1963) teams Sports clubs and teams in Norfolk, Virginia St. Louis Cardinals minor league affiliates Triple-A East teams