New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Minor league baseball team

New Hampshire Fisher Cats

* Founded in 1994 in New Haven, Connecticut
* Based in Manchester, New Hampshire since 2004

|  |

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Team logo | Cap insignia
Minor league affiliations
Class| Double-A (1994–present)
League| Eastern League (1994–present)
Division| Northeast Division
Major league affiliations
Team| Toronto Blue Jays (2003–present)
Previous teams|

* St. Louis Cardinals (2001–2002)
* Seattle Mariners (1999–2000)
* Colorado Rockies (1994–1998)

Minor league titles
League titles (4)|

* 2000
* 2004
* 2011
* 2018

Division titles (3)|

* 2003
* 2004
* 2011

Team data
Name| New Hampshire Fisher Cats (2004–present)

Previous names

| New Haven Ravens (1994–2003)
Colors| Navy, red, gray, white

Mascot| Fungo (2004–present)
Slider (2006–present)
Rally Raven (1994–2003)
Ribbi Raven (1999–2003)
Ballpark| Delta Dental Stadium (2005–present)

Previous parks

* Gill Stadium (2004)
* Yale Field (1994–2003)

Owner(s)/
Operator(s)

| Diamond Baseball Holdings[1]
General manager| Michael Neis
Manager| Cesar Martin
Website| milb.com/new-hampshire

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB).

During the team's first season in Manchester, the Fisher Cats played at Gill Stadium, a historic ballpark in a residential neighborhood. Starting with the 2005 season, the Fisher Cats have played at Delta Dental Stadium (originally known as Fisher Cats Ballpark, later as Merchantsauto.com Stadium, and then as Northeast Delta Dental Stadium), which is located in Manchester and has a capacity of 6,500.[2][3]

The Fisher Cats won the Eastern League championship in 2004, their first season in New Hampshire after moving the franchise from New Haven, Connecticut (the franchise won one championship while playing as the New Haven Ravens). They next won the Eastern League championship in 2011, their first season wearing their current red, white, and blue team color scheme, and again in 2018. Overall, the franchise has won four Eastern League championships, three while based in New Hampshire.

## History

[edit]

Northeast Delta Dental Stadium during the 2008 Eastern League All Star Game

New Haven, Connecticut, along with Portland, Maine, was granted an expansion Double-A franchise on October 3, 1992. The new ballclub was named the New Haven Ravens in January 1993, the result of a contest sponsored by the New Haven Register, WELI and WTNH.[4] The Ravens began play in the 1994 season affiliated with the Colorado Rockies. The team hosted the 1998 Double-A All-Star Game, was league runner-up in 1995 and 2003, and won the Eastern League Championship in 2000 with an 82–60 record, defeating the Reading Phillies 3 games to 1 in the championship series. The Ravens played in Yale Field.[citation needed]

The team was sold on January 27, 2003, to Lowell Spinners owner Drew Weber, with the intention of moving the franchise to Manchester, New Hampshire.[5] The Eastern League baseball team owners voted to approve the move during the league playoffs later that same year on September 3.[6] The team's first season in Manchester was 2004. The first season was played at Gill Stadium southeast of the downtown area while the current ballpark was under construction.[7]

Travis Snider while playing for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats

On July 19, 2005, Drew Weber sold his controlling interest in the team. Art Solomon became the new controlling owner with 60% ownership while Weber retained a 40% ownership share. On July 12, 2008, Solomon purchased full ownership of the Fisher Cats from Weber.[8]

Gary Cathcart was named the team's new manager on December 3, 2007; Cathcart had served as the Fisher Cats' hitting coach during 2005 and 2006, and had most recently managed the single-A Lansing Lugnuts.[9]

On July 16, 2008, the team hosted the 2008 Eastern League All-Star Game and Home Run Derby between the Northern Division and Southern Division. Travis Snider of the Fisher Cats won the Home Run Derby over Luis Montanez of the Bowie Baysox 7–6. In the All-Star Game itself, the Northern Division defeated the Southern Division 5–3 before a Northeast Delta Dental Stadium record crowd of 8,762.[citation needed]

On May 21, 2012, three Fisher Cats pitchers combined to throw the third no-hitter in franchise history, stifling the Portland Sea Dogs in a 6–0 victory at New Hampshire. Combining on the gem for the team were Brett Cecil (5⅔ innings), Danny Farquhar (2⅓), and Ronald Uviedo (1). It was the first no-hitter for New Hampshire since Kyle Drabek hurled a complete-game, nine-inning no-hitter against the New Britain Rock Cats on July 4, 2010.[10]

In conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Fisher Cats were organized into the Double-A Northeast.[11] 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.[12]

## Origin of current team name

[edit]

View on field

On November 6, 2003, the new management unveiled the New Hampshire Primaries name and logo, which featured an elephant and a donkey holding baseball bats, and was to be used starting in the 2004 season. The management stated that they felt it reflected a unique aspect of the state, since the New Hampshire primary, held every four years, signifies the start of the presidential election process. Immediately, the name and logo were widely criticized. An online petition was created by two local baseball fans asking the team ownership to reconsider their decision and was covered by local newspapers, radio, and television stations. This coverage was led by a front-page article in the New Hampshire Union Leader, New Hampshire's largest newspaper, on Sunday November 9, 2003. By the afternoon of November 10, over 1200 unique visitors had signed the petition. Later in the day, the team announced that they would not use the Primaries name after all and that they would seek public opinion on a new name.[citation needed]

On November 13, 2003, the team announced the "Name the Team" contest which had three phases over the following weeks. During the first phase, fans submitted suggestions. During the second phase, fans ranked their top five favorite names from the suggestions. For the final phase, fans voted for their single favorite among the top five names from the second round. On December 3, the final voting results were announced: New Hampshire Fisher Cats (1,574 votes – 24.5%), Manchester Millers (1,552 votes – 24.1%), Granite State Mountain Men (1,382 votes – 21.5%), New Hampshire Granite (1,302 votes – 20.2%), and New Hampshire Primaries (627 votes – 9.7%). The ultimate source of the name is the fisher, often called a fisher cat in New Hampshire. On January 22, 2004, the team unveiled the new set of logos that would be used for the name New Hampshire Fisher Cats. All of the team's logos and fonts were created and designed by Studio Simon of Louisville, Kentucky. Team colors were green, black, silver, and bronze.[citation needed]

On August 25, 2007, the Fisher Cats held a "turn back the clock" promotion and played as the New Hampshire Primaries against the Portland Sea Dogs. The Primaries wore specially-designed game worn jerseys for the game.[13] This event would be repeated on July 4, 2008, for a game against the Trenton Thunder,[14] and on July 4, 2009.[15]

On November 28, 2007, the team unveiled a new logo, uniforms, and team colors that were designed by Rickabaugh Graphics of Gahanna, Ohio. The official colors were emerald green, black, white, and silver.

On November 16, 2010, the team colors were changed to red, white and blue, with no other major changes to the logo and uniforms.[16]

In 2021, Manchester's minor league baseball team announced it will briefly change its name from the New Hampshire Fisher Cats to the Manchester Chicken Tenders, referencing the city's role as the birthplace of the chicken tender.[17]

In December 2023, the team was purchased by Diamond Baseball Holdings.[1]

## Season-by-season

[edit]

These statistics are current through the 2024 season.[18]

League champions † | Finals appearance * | Division winner ^ | Wild card berth ¤

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Season  | League | Division | Finish  | Wins | Losses | Win% | GB | Post-season  | Manager

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New Haven Ravens
1994  | EL  | North  | 2nd ¤  | 77  | 63  | .550  | 4.5  | Lost semifinals (Binghamton) 0–3  | Paul Zuvella
1995  | EL  | North  | 2nd ¤  | 79  | 63  | .556  | 7  | Won semifinals (Portland) 3–1
Lost finals (Reading) 2–3 *
1996  | EL  | North  | 4th  | 66  | 75  | .468  | 17  |  | Bill Hayes
1997  | EL  | North  | 5th  | 64  | 78  | .451  | 15  |
1998  | EL  | North  | 5th  | 59  | 83  | .415  | 24  |  | Tim Blackwell
1999  | EL  | North  | 4th  | 65  | 77  | .458  | 27  |  | Dan Rohn
2000  | EL  | North  | 2nd ¤  | 82  | 60  | .577  | 1  | Won semifinals (Binghamton) 3–1
Won finals (Reading) 3–1 †
2001  | EL  | North  | 6th  | 47  | 95  | .331  | 40  |  | Danny Sheaffer
2002  | EL  | North  | 2nd ¤  | 74  | 65  | .532  | 1.5  | Lost semifinals (Norwich) 0–3  | Mark DeJohn
2003  | EL  | North  | 1st ^  | 79  | 63  | .556  | —  | Won semifinals (New Britain) 3–2
Lost finals (Akron) 0–3 *  | Marty Pevey
New Hampshire Fisher Cats
2004  | EL  | North  | 1st ^  | 84  | 57  | .596  | —  | Won semifinals (Binghamton) 3–1
Won finals (Altoona) 3–0 †  | Mike Basso
2005  | EL  | North  | 5th  | 68  | 74  | .479  | 8  |
2006  | EL  | North  | 4th  | 68  | 73  | .482  | 11.5  |  | Doug Davis
2007  | EL  | North  | 3rd  | 70  | 73  | .490  | 13.5  |  | Bill Masse
2008  | EL  | North  | 6th  | 61  | 81  | .430  | 26  |  | Gary Cathcart
2009  | EL  | North  | 5th  | 64  | 78  | .451  | 19  |
2010  | EL  | East  | 2nd ¤  | 79  | 62  | .560  | 3.5  | Lost semifinals (Trenton) 0–3  | Luis Rivera
2011  | EL  | East  | 1st ^  | 77  | 65  | .542  | —  | Won semifinals (Reading) 3–1
Won finals (Richmond) 3–1 †  | Sal Fasano
2012  | EL  | East  | 6th  | 61  | 81  | .430  | 18  |
2013  | EL  | East  | 3rd  | 68  | 72  | .486  | 17.5  |  | Gary Allenson
2014  | EL  | East  | 5th  | 66  | 76  | .465  | 22  |  | Bobby Meacham
2015  | EL  | East  | 5th  | 69  | 71  | .493  | 10.5  |
2016  | EL  | East  | 4th  | 69  | 73  | .486  | 20.5  |
2017  | EL  | East  | 4th  | 59  | 80  | .424  | 32.5  |  | Gary Allenson
2018  | EL  | East  | 2nd ¤  | 76  | 62  | .551  | 2  | Won semifinals (Trenton) 3–0
Won finals (Akron) 3–0 †  | John Schneider
2019  | EL  | East  | 5th  | 63  | 76  | .453  | 17  |  | Mike Mordecai
2021  | AANE  | Northeast  | 3rd  | 52  | 55  | .486  | 14  |  | Cesar Martin
2022  | EL  | Northeast  | 5th  | 59  | 79  | .428  | 25  |  | Cesar Martin
2023  | EL  | Northeast  | 4th  | 62  | 72  | .463  | 20.5  |  | Cesar Martin
2024  | EL  | Northeast  | 6th  | 52  | 84  | .382  | 25.0  |  | Cesar Martin
Statistic  | Wins  | Losses  | Win %

|
|
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Regular season record (1994–2024)  | 2,082  | 2,242  | .481
Postseason record (1994–2024)  | 32  | 23  | .582
All-time regular and postseason record | 2,114 | 2,265 | .483

## Roster

[edit]

New Hampshire Fisher Cats roster

* v
* t
* e

Players | Coaches/Other

|

Pitchers

* 34 Ryan Boyer
* \-- T. J. Brock
* 31 Ian Churchill
* 36 Michael Dominguez
* 28 Lazaro Estrada
* 27 Nick Fraze
* 10 Hunter Gregory
* 33 Devereaux Harrison
* 26 Ryan Jennings
* 25 Justin Kelly
* \-- Conor Larkin
* 45 Johnathan Lavallee
* \-- Bobby Milacki
* 7 Kevin Miranda
* 22 Rafael Sanchez
* 4 Dahian Santos
* 30 Anders Tolhurst
* 15 CJ Van Eyk

|  |

Catchers

* 32 Robert Brooks
* 48 Nate LaRue
* 11 Andres Sosa

Infielders

* 21 Alex De Jesus
* \-- Cade Doughty
* 19 Drew Jemison
* 23 Charles McAdoo
* 1 Ryan McCarty
* 37 Rainer Nunez
* 12 Eddinson Paulino
* 5 Josh Rivera

Outfielders

* 8 Dasan Brown
* 3 Devonte Brown
* 18 Gabriel Martinez
* 17 Yohendrick Pinango
* 6 R. J. Shreck
* 3 Myles Straw

|  |

Manager

* \-- Brent Lavallee

Coaches

* \-- Austin Bibens-Dirkx (pitching)
* \-- Thomas Caulfield (assistant pitching)
* 24 Delta Cleary Jr. (coach)
* 9 Mitch Huckabay (hitting)
* 16 Jake McGuiggan (bench)

7-day injured list
* On Toronto Blue Jays 40-man roster
~ Development list
# Rehab assignment
∞ Reserve list
‡ Restricted list
§ Suspended list
† Temporarily inactive list
Roster updated February 13, 2025
Transactions
→ More rosters: MiLB • Eastern League
→ Toronto Blue Jays minor league players

## See also

[edit]

* Professional baseball in Connecticut (for New Haven Ravens)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "New Hampshire Fisher Cats Sold to Diamond Baseball Holdings". New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Minor League Baseball. December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
2. ^ "Northeast Delta Dental Stadium". MiLB.com. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
3. ^ "Delta Dental Stadium". MiLB.com. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
4. ^ "Franchise history from the New Haven Ravens 2001 Souvenir Program (Second Edition)". Pataky.net. 2001.
5. ^ "Manchester to get Double-A baseball". Sun Journal. Lewiston, Maine. The Associated Press. January 28, 2003.
6. ^ Woody, Anderson (September 4, 2003). "EL Approves Move". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on October 27, 2015.
7. ^ "Gill Stadium". City of Manchester NH Official Web Site. City of Manchester. Retrieved November 14, 2019. "The Fisher Cats played home games at Gill in 2004 while the new Fisher Cats Ballpark was being constructed."
8. ^ McLaughlin, Michael (March 16, 2011). "When Business Can Be Fun". Brown Alumni Magazine. No. March/April 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
9. ^ "Cathcart named Fisher Cats manager". MiLB.com. December 3, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
10. ^ Raymond, Jonathan (May 22, 2012). "New Hampshire trio no-hits Portland". MiLB.com.
11. ^ Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues". Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
12. ^ "Historical League Names to Return in 2022". Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
13. ^ "N.H. Primary date set" (Press release). New Hampshire Fisher Cats. August 14, 2007. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
14. ^ "PRIMARIES RETURN TO MERCHANTSAUTO.COM STADIUM ON JULY 4TH" (PDF) (Press release). New Hampshire Fisher Cats. June 25, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 7, 2009. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
15. ^ "Original NH Primaries Jerseys Being Auctioned Off". MiLB.com (Press release). New Hampshire Fisher Cats. August 24, 2009. Retrieved August 11, 2019. "The Fisher Cats first played as the Primaries... on August 25, 2007. The red, white and blue uniforms made subsequent appearances on the Fourth of July in 2008 and 2009."
16. ^ "Fisher Cats Unveil New Team Colors, Promotional Schedule for All-Star Season". MiLB.com. November 16, 2010.
17. ^ Sylvia, Andrew (November 1, 2021). "New Hampshire Fisher Cats will become Manchester Chicken Tenders (temporarily…)". Manchester Ink Link. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
18. ^ 2018 Eastern League Media Guide and Record Book (PDF). Eastern League. 2018. pp. 111–117. Retrieved September 15, 2018.111-117&rft.pub=Eastern+League&rft.date=2018&rft_id=http://www.milb.com/documents/2/8/8/272436288/2018_Eastern_League_Media_Guide_Digital_.pdf&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:New+Hampshire+Fisher+Cats" class="Z3988">

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

* Official website
* Statistics from Baseball-Reference

* v
* t
* e

New Hampshire Fisher Cats

* Formerly the New Haven Ravens
* Founded in 1994
* Based in Manchester, New Hampshire

The Club|

* History
* Team name
* Players
* Records

Ballparks|

* Yale Field
* Gill Stadium
* Delta Dental Stadium

* v
* t
* e

Toronto Blue Jays

* Established in 1977
* Based in Toronto, Ontario

Franchise|

* History
* Expansion
* Expansion draft
* Seasons
* Records
* First-round picks
* Award winners and league leaders
* Roster
* Players
* Minor league players
* Managers
* Owners and executives
* Broadcasters
* Radio network
* Opening Day starting pitchers

Ballparks|

* Exhibition Stadium
* Rogers Centre
* Sahlen Field
* TD Ballpark

Spring training:|

* Grant Field
* TD Ballpark
* Cecil P. Englebert Complex

Culture|

* Baseball in Canada
* Continental League
* Mascots (BJ Birdy
* Ace)
* "OK Blue Jays"
* Major League Baseball on TSN
* Toronto Blue Jays on Sportsnet

Lore|

* The Drive of '85
* 1991 All-Star Game
* Touch 'em all Joe (1993)
* José Bautista's bat flip (2015)

Rivalries|

* Montreal Expos (relocated)
* Detroit Tigers
* Seattle Mariners

Retired numbers|

* 12
* 32
* 42

Key personnel|

* Owner: Rogers Communications
* President & CEO: Mark Shapiro
* General manager: Ross Atkins
* Manager: John Schneider

World Series championships (2)|

* 1992
* 1993

American League pennants (2)|

* 1992
* 1993

Division titles (6)|

* 1985
* 1989
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 2015

Wild Card berths (4)|

* 2016
* 2020
* 2022
* 2023

Minor league affiliates|

* Triple-A
* Buffalo Bisons
* Double-A
* New Hampshire Fisher Cats
* High-A
* Vancouver Canadians
* Single-A
* Dunedin Blue Jays
* Rookie
* FCL Blue Jays
* DSL Blue Jays

Seasons (48)

1970s|

* 1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 ·  1977
* 1978
* 1979

1980s|

* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989

1990s|

* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999

2000s|

* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009

2010s|

* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019

2020s|

* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

* v
* t
* e

Eastern League

Northeast Division|

* Binghamton Rumble Ponies
* Hartford Yard Goats
* New Hampshire Fisher Cats
* Portland Sea Dogs
* Reading Fightin Phils
* Somerset Patriots

Southwest Division|

* Akron RubberDucks
* Altoona Curve
* Chesapeake Baysox
* Erie SeaWolves
* Harrisburg Senators
* Richmond Flying Squirrels

* Champions
* Manager of the Year Award
* MVP Award
* Pitcher of the Year Award
* Rosters
* Stadiums
* Top MLB Prospect Award
* Teams

* v
* t
* e

Sports teams based in New Hampshire

Baseball|

New Hampshire Fisher Cats
FCBL
Nashua Silver Knights
NECBL
Keene Swamp Bats

Soccer|

USL2
Seacoast United Phantoms

Roller derby|

WFTDA
New Hampshire Roller Derby

Rugby union|

NERFU
Amoskeag
Freedom
Mondanock
Seacoast
Upper Valley

College athletics|

| NCAA
Division I|

* Colby-Sawyer Chargers (men's and women's apline skiing)
* Dartmouth Big Green
* Franklin Pierce Ravens (women's ice hockey)
* New Hampshire Wildcats
* Plymouth State Panthers (men's and women's apline skiing)
* Saint Anselm Hawks (women's ice hockey)

|

NCAA
Division II|

* Franklin Pierce Ravens
* Saint Anselm Hawks
* Southern New Hampshire Penmen

NCAA
Division III|

* Colby-Sawyer Chargers
* Keene State Owls
* New England College Pilgrims
* Plymouth State Panthers
* Rivier Raiders

USCAA
Division II|

* Great Bay Community College Herons
* NHTI – Concord's Community College Lynx

* v
* t
* e

Diamond Baseball Holdings

Subsidiary of Silver Lake

Triple-A|

* Albuquerque Isotopes
* Charlotte Knights
* Gwinnett Stripers
* Iowa Cubs
* Louisville Bats
* Memphis Redbirds
* Norfolk Tides
* Oklahoma City Comets
* Omaha Storm Chasers
* Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
* St. Paul Saints
* Syracuse Mets
* Worcester Red Sox

Double-A|

* Altoona Curve
* Arkansas Travelers
* Birmingham Barons
* Binghamton Rumble Ponies
* Columbus Clingstones
* Harrisburg Senators
* Midland RockHounds
* New Hampshire Fisher Cats
* Portland Sea Dogs
* Springfield Cardinals
* Tulsa Drillers
* Wichita Wind Surge

High-A|

* Brooklyn Cyclones
* Hub City Spartanburgers
* Hudson Valley Renegades
* Lansing Lugnuts
* Rome Emperors
* Tri-City Dust Devils
* Vancouver Canadians
* Winston-Salem Dash

Single-A|

* Augusta GreenJackets
* Hickory Crawdads
* Fresno Grizzlies
* Inland Empire 66ers
* Modesto Nuts
* Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
* Salem Red Sox
* San Jose Giants

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