Perth Heat
Encyclopedia
The baseball team Perth Heat is a team in the current Australian Baseball League
and a foundation member of the now-defunct Australian Baseball League (1989-1999). Corvallis Knights
coach Brooke Knight has been announced as head coach
for the 2010–11 Australian Baseball League season
.
pitched the Heat to a Game 5 championship win on the Gold Coast against the Dolphins to take the series 3-2. A second championship was won in 1996-97.
. This re-branding of the team, together with the facilities of the new Tom Bateman Reserve in the suburb of Thornlie
, reportedly contributed to increased interest in the sport in Western Australia, with many exhibition matches attracting more than 2,000 spectators, very high compared with usual Australian attendances for the sport.
Western Australia hosted the 2007 Claxton Shield carnival at Tom Bateman Reserve, with games also being played in the nearby regional centres of Rockingham
and Mandurah
. Spectator numbers were between 1,000 and 1,500, and the grand final, eventually won by Victoria
against New South Wales
, attracted 1,500. However, the Heat was unable to win a game at home.
In late 2007, the name was further applied to the state's junior representatives, with the under-14, under-16 and under-18 teams being renamed the "WA State Heat".
The Heat won the 2008 and 2009 Claxton Shield titles. In 2008, it won the Southern Division with an 8-4 record and swept New South Wales in the best-of-three final in Sydney. In 2009, the Heat finished the regular season with the best record, at 12-4, and came back from losing the first game to beat New South Wales in three games in the Grand Final. The WA side led the deciding third game throughout but blew a 2-0 lead in the top of the ninth inning, with the game set for extra innings before outfielder Dan Floyd hit a walk-off single to deliver back-to-back titles for Perth.
were announced. The ABL, which is partly funded by Major League Baseball
features six teams, Sydney Blue Sox
, Melbourne Aces
, Canberra Cavalry
, Brisbane Bandits
and Adelaide Bite
. The first season features a 40-game home-and-away season, with the top four teams qualifying for a three-round playoff format. The Heat's first game was at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground
against the Brisbane Bandits
on 11 November, won by Brisbane 8–3. The Heat won their first home game 4–2, on 17 November against the Adelaide Bite
at the newly renovated Baseball Park
.
The Heat have made several key signings in preparation for the new season. 2008 Claxton Shield MVP Clint Balgera will return to the team after sitting out the last two seasons, while pitching prospect Liam Baron is another key acquisition, with the former collegiate pitcher expected to lead the Heat's rotation. Allan de San Miguel
, Warwick Saupold, Daniel Schmidt and Mitch Graham, who have been some of the Heat's most significant players in recent Claxton Shield seasons, as well as Jesse Baron, Clint Knight, Brandon Dale, Aaron Bonomi and Tyler Anderson have also signed on for the upcoming season. However, 2009 MVP and former Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
minor league centre fielder Nick Kimpton is leaving the Heat to return home to play for Canberra, while Tim Kennelly
will miss the first half of the season after it was announced he will be sent to the Arizona Fall League
by the Philadelphia Phillies
. Minnesota Twins
third baseman Luke Hughes is yet to sign after missing much of the Major League season with injury.
In early October, Perth announced a deal with the Baltimore Orioles
, which saw the Major League Baseball outfit send four of their top prospects to play for the Heat during the first ABL season. Left-handed starter Cole McCurry, right-handed reliever Brett Jacobson and outfielders Ronnie Welty and Robbie Widlansky were the prospects Perth secured. Jacobson is the most noteworthy of the four, having been drafted by the Detroit Tigers
in the 2008 MLB draft, before he was traded for Aubrey Huff
. Jacobson was traded by the Orioles to Minnesota in the middle of the ABL season, however, and he returned to America.
The Heat started the 2010-11 season with a loss to the Brisbane Bandits
, but quickly bounced back by winning the final three games of the series. They then won two out of four games in their next three series' before sweeping the Canberra Cavalry
at home. Perth's season hit a snag when they lost every match of a four-game series to the Sydney Blue Sox
but bounced back emphatically. The Heat won their next eight games before splitting the final home series against the Melbourne Aces
to finish the regular season in second position. Among the highlights of the season were Widlansky, who led the league in hits with 52, and Daniel Schmidt, who was tied with Brisbane's Chris Mowday
for most wins (six).
Perth faced Sydney in the major semi-final and swept the series, winning game one 4-2 after Matt Kennelly's go-ahead two-run home run in the ninth inning before taking game two 6-0. That ensured they hosted the inaugural ABL Grand Final, where they met the Adelaide Bite
. In front of 2,680 fans in game one, which was broadcast nationally on Fox Sports, Adelaide won 4-3 despite allowing 14 hits. The Heat forced the best-of-three series to a deciding game with a 9-1 victory in the second match, which came on the back of an eight-run fifth inning, where Ronnie Welty homered twice (a solo home run and then a grand slam) in front of 3,074 spectators. In game three, which was attended by 1,876 people, the Heat scored three in the fifth inning and four in the eighth to secure the title with a 7-1 victory. Import Ben Moore pitched a complete game
four-hitter in game three, allowing just one run and striking out 10 without walking an Adelaide batter. Moore was named the MVP of the championship series.
For the 2011-12 season, Perth announced they'd recruited the previous season's Helms Award winner James McOwen
from Adelaide. They also recruited American utility Alex Burg, who is a San Francisco Giants
minor league player and Brenden Webb, Mychal Givens, Aaron Baker and Darryl Crosier from the Baltimore Orioles
system. Brooke Knight was retained as the Heat's head coach.
Australian Baseball League
The Australian Baseball League was a baseball league, established in 1987 and disbanded in 1999.-Formation:Before the formation of the Australian Baseball League, the Claxton Shield, established in , was Australia's premier baseball tournament...
and a foundation member of the now-defunct Australian Baseball League (1989-1999). Corvallis Knights
Corvallis Knights
The Corvallis Knights is a collegiate summer baseball team located in Corvallis, Oregon. Founded in 1990 in Beaverton by Dan and his brother Joe Segal, the Knights moved to Corvallis from Gresham in , they play in the West Coast League, a college summer wood-bat league where college players and...
coach Brooke Knight has been announced as head coach
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
for the 2010–11 Australian Baseball League season
2010–11 Australian Baseball League season
- Rosters :During the season each team made use of a 22-man active roster, drawn from 35-man squads announced on 28 October 2010.- Venues :Four of the six teams used their existing venues from the Claxton Shield: the Adelaide Bite, Perth Heat and Sydney Blue Sox all used the same grounds used...
.
Australian Baseball League 1989-1999
It won the ABL championship in 1990-91, when Graeme LloydGraeme Lloyd
Graeme John Lloyd is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who had a ten year career from 1993 to 2003.-Playing career:...
pitched the Heat to a Game 5 championship win on the Gold Coast against the Dolphins to take the series 3-2. A second championship was won in 1996-97.
Claxton Shield
In 2005, the name was resurrected by the Western Australian baseball team competing in the Claxton ShieldClaxton Shield
The Claxton Shield was the name of the premier baseball competition in Australia held between state-based teams, as well as the name of the trophy awarded to the champion team...
. This re-branding of the team, together with the facilities of the new Tom Bateman Reserve in the suburb of Thornlie
Thornlie, Western Australia
Thornlie is a large outer suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 18 kilometres south-east of Perth's central business district. It is part of the City of Gosnells local government area. The Canning River runs through the northern side of the suburb...
, reportedly contributed to increased interest in the sport in Western Australia, with many exhibition matches attracting more than 2,000 spectators, very high compared with usual Australian attendances for the sport.
Western Australia hosted the 2007 Claxton Shield carnival at Tom Bateman Reserve, with games also being played in the nearby regional centres of Rockingham
Rockingham, Western Australia
Rockingham is a suburb and primary centre in Western Australia south-west of the Perth city centre and south of Fremantle. It has a beachside location at Mangles Bay, the southern extremity of Cockburn Sound. To its north stretches the maritime and resource-industry installations of Kwinana and...
and Mandurah
Mandurah, Western Australia
Mandurah is the second-largest city in Western Australia and is located approximately south of the state capital, Perth.The city attracts a large number of tourists, including many international visitors...
. Spectator numbers were between 1,000 and 1,500, and the grand final, eventually won by Victoria
Victoria Aces
The Victoria Aces are an Australian baseball team who compete in the Claxton Shield Baseball Championship. One of the founding teams of the Claxton Shield in 1934, they competed until 1988. Thereafter the Claxton Shield was awarded to the winner of the Australian Baseball League until 2002...
against New South Wales
New South Wales Patriots
New South Wales Patriots compete in the Claxton Shield baseball championship in Australia.The Patriots were one of the founding teams of the Claxton Shield in 1934 and competed as New South Wales until 1988 when the Claxtion Shield was awarded to the winner of the Australian Baseball League...
, attracted 1,500. However, the Heat was unable to win a game at home.
In late 2007, the name was further applied to the state's junior representatives, with the under-14, under-16 and under-18 teams being renamed the "WA State Heat".
The Heat won the 2008 and 2009 Claxton Shield titles. In 2008, it won the Southern Division with an 8-4 record and swept New South Wales in the best-of-three final in Sydney. In 2009, the Heat finished the regular season with the best record, at 12-4, and came back from losing the first game to beat New South Wales in three games in the Grand Final. The WA side led the deciding third game throughout but blew a 2-0 lead in the top of the ninth inning, with the game set for extra innings before outfielder Dan Floyd hit a walk-off single to deliver back-to-back titles for Perth.
New Australian Baseball League
In early 2010, plans for a reformed Australian Baseball LeagueAustralian Baseball League
The Australian Baseball League was a baseball league, established in 1987 and disbanded in 1999.-Formation:Before the formation of the Australian Baseball League, the Claxton Shield, established in , was Australia's premier baseball tournament...
were announced. The ABL, which is partly funded by Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
features six teams, Sydney Blue Sox
Sydney Blue Sox
The Sydney Blue Sox are a professional baseball team, and one of six foundation teams in the re-formed Australian Baseball League . The team plays their home games at Blacktown International Sportspark Sydney , one of the two venues for used for baseball at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, when it was...
, Melbourne Aces
Melbourne Aces
The Melbourne Aces is a professional baseball team in the Australian Baseball League based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.On Friday, 20 August 2010 it was announced that ex-Australian Baseball player Philip Dale would take up the head coaching role at Melbourne Aces.On Tuesday, 12 October 2010,...
, Canberra Cavalry
Canberra Cavalry
The Canberra UberGlobal Cavalry is a professional baseball team in the Australian Baseball League. The team is based in the city of Canberra, Australia...
, Brisbane Bandits
Brisbane Bandits
The Brisbane Bandits were a foundation team in the Australian Baseball League which was bought by a private owner and shut down in 1999. The Bandits have now been resurrected as a team in the new Australian Baseball League which is due to start in November 2010...
and Adelaide Bite
Adelaide Bite
The Adelaide Bite are a professional baseball team who plays in the Australian Baseball League and is one of the six founding teams of the league. Their home ballpark is Coopers Stadium at Norwood Oval which is based in the city of Adelaide, South Australia...
. The first season features a 40-game home-and-away season, with the top four teams qualifying for a three-round playoff format. The Heat's first game was at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground
Brisbane Exhibition Ground
The Brisbane Exhibition Ground , is a showground established in Brisbane during 1875 especially for Ekka . The Exhibition ground is owned and operated by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland...
against the Brisbane Bandits
Brisbane Bandits
The Brisbane Bandits were a foundation team in the Australian Baseball League which was bought by a private owner and shut down in 1999. The Bandits have now been resurrected as a team in the new Australian Baseball League which is due to start in November 2010...
on 11 November, won by Brisbane 8–3. The Heat won their first home game 4–2, on 17 November against the Adelaide Bite
Adelaide Bite
The Adelaide Bite are a professional baseball team who plays in the Australian Baseball League and is one of the six founding teams of the league. Their home ballpark is Coopers Stadium at Norwood Oval which is based in the city of Adelaide, South Australia...
at the newly renovated Baseball Park
Baseball park
A baseball park, also known as a baseball stadium, ball park, or ballpark is a venue where baseball is played. It consists of the playing field and the surrounding spectator seating...
.
The Heat have made several key signings in preparation for the new season. 2008 Claxton Shield MVP Clint Balgera will return to the team after sitting out the last two seasons, while pitching prospect Liam Baron is another key acquisition, with the former collegiate pitcher expected to lead the Heat's rotation. Allan de San Miguel
Allan de San Miguel
Allan Murray de san Miguel is an Australian professional baseball catcher in the Minnesota Twins organization in the United States....
, Warwick Saupold, Daniel Schmidt and Mitch Graham, who have been some of the Heat's most significant players in recent Claxton Shield seasons, as well as Jesse Baron, Clint Knight, Brandon Dale, Aaron Bonomi and Tyler Anderson have also signed on for the upcoming season. However, 2009 MVP and former Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
minor league centre fielder Nick Kimpton is leaving the Heat to return home to play for Canberra, while Tim Kennelly
Tim Kennelly
Tim ‘the Horse’ Kennelly was an Irish sportsperson. He played Gaelic football with his local club Listowel Emmets and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from 1975 until 1984. Kennelly captained Kerry to the All-Ireland title in 1979.-Biography:Tim Kennelly was born in Listowel,...
will miss the first half of the season after it was announced he will be sent to the Arizona Fall League
Arizona Fall League
The Arizona Fall League is an off-season league owned and operated by Major League Baseball which operates during the fall in Arizona, United States at five spring training complexes...
by the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
third baseman Luke Hughes is yet to sign after missing much of the Major League season with injury.
In early October, Perth announced a deal with the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
, which saw the Major League Baseball outfit send four of their top prospects to play for the Heat during the first ABL season. Left-handed starter Cole McCurry, right-handed reliever Brett Jacobson and outfielders Ronnie Welty and Robbie Widlansky were the prospects Perth secured. Jacobson is the most noteworthy of the four, having been drafted by the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
in the 2008 MLB draft, before he was traded for Aubrey Huff
Aubrey Huff
Aubrey Lewis Huff III is a Major League Baseball first baseman with the San Francisco Giants. He debuted in 2000 with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and later played for the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, and Detroit Tigers. He is the starting first baseman for the San Francisco Giants who won the...
. Jacobson was traded by the Orioles to Minnesota in the middle of the ABL season, however, and he returned to America.
The Heat started the 2010-11 season with a loss to the Brisbane Bandits
Brisbane Bandits
The Brisbane Bandits were a foundation team in the Australian Baseball League which was bought by a private owner and shut down in 1999. The Bandits have now been resurrected as a team in the new Australian Baseball League which is due to start in November 2010...
, but quickly bounced back by winning the final three games of the series. They then won two out of four games in their next three series' before sweeping the Canberra Cavalry
Canberra Cavalry
The Canberra UberGlobal Cavalry is a professional baseball team in the Australian Baseball League. The team is based in the city of Canberra, Australia...
at home. Perth's season hit a snag when they lost every match of a four-game series to the Sydney Blue Sox
Sydney Blue Sox
The Sydney Blue Sox are a professional baseball team, and one of six foundation teams in the re-formed Australian Baseball League . The team plays their home games at Blacktown International Sportspark Sydney , one of the two venues for used for baseball at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, when it was...
but bounced back emphatically. The Heat won their next eight games before splitting the final home series against the Melbourne Aces
Melbourne Aces
The Melbourne Aces is a professional baseball team in the Australian Baseball League based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.On Friday, 20 August 2010 it was announced that ex-Australian Baseball player Philip Dale would take up the head coaching role at Melbourne Aces.On Tuesday, 12 October 2010,...
to finish the regular season in second position. Among the highlights of the season were Widlansky, who led the league in hits with 52, and Daniel Schmidt, who was tied with Brisbane's Chris Mowday
Chris Mowday
Christopher Mowday is an Australian pitcher for the Brisbane Bandits.Mowday started his professional baseball career when in 1997 he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays organisation as an international free agent...
for most wins (six).
Perth faced Sydney in the major semi-final and swept the series, winning game one 4-2 after Matt Kennelly's go-ahead two-run home run in the ninth inning before taking game two 6-0. That ensured they hosted the inaugural ABL Grand Final, where they met the Adelaide Bite
Adelaide Bite
The Adelaide Bite are a professional baseball team who plays in the Australian Baseball League and is one of the six founding teams of the league. Their home ballpark is Coopers Stadium at Norwood Oval which is based in the city of Adelaide, South Australia...
. In front of 2,680 fans in game one, which was broadcast nationally on Fox Sports, Adelaide won 4-3 despite allowing 14 hits. The Heat forced the best-of-three series to a deciding game with a 9-1 victory in the second match, which came on the back of an eight-run fifth inning, where Ronnie Welty homered twice (a solo home run and then a grand slam) in front of 3,074 spectators. In game three, which was attended by 1,876 people, the Heat scored three in the fifth inning and four in the eighth to secure the title with a 7-1 victory. Import Ben Moore pitched a complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
four-hitter in game three, allowing just one run and striking out 10 without walking an Adelaide batter. Moore was named the MVP of the championship series.
For the 2011-12 season, Perth announced they'd recruited the previous season's Helms Award winner James McOwen
James McOwen
James McOwen is a professional baseball player in the Seattle Mariners organization. He currently plays for the Class-A High Desert Mavericks. He was Mariners' sixth-round selection in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft; signed by Mariners scout Mike Tosar. He plays outfield, primarily right...
from Adelaide. They also recruited American utility Alex Burg, who is a San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
minor league player and Brenden Webb, Mychal Givens, Aaron Baker and Darryl Crosier from the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
system. Brooke Knight was retained as the Heat's head coach.
Current Roster
The 35-man roster will be reduced to a 22-man active roster for each series.See also
- Sport in AustraliaSport in AustraliaAustralia has a long sporting history dating back to the mid 1800s. By the 1920s, a number of sports were being played by both men and women, including cricket, badminton, judo, swimming, tennis, netball, lacrosse, golf, hockey and various codes of football....
- Australian Baseball
- Australian Baseball League (1989-1999)