Winnipeg Goldeyes
Encyclopedia
The Winnipeg Goldeyes are a professional baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in Canada
. The Goldeyes play in the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball
. From 1994 to 2010, the team was a member of the Northern League.
The Goldeyes have played their home games at Shaw Park (formerly Canwest Park) since 1999. The team is named after the goldeye
, a fish usually served as a smoked delicacy and commonly called Winnipeg goldeye.
There have been two separate and distinct baseball
teams based out of Winnipeg to use the Goldeyes name, each playing in different incarnations of the Northern League. They first played in the original Northern League, from 1954 until 1964. During that time they won the league championship 3 times in 1957, 1959, and 1960.
The team was resurrected in 1994 when the Rochester Aces folded and moved to Winnipeg. It was decided the team would take on the name of the former Winnipeg team in honor of the past. The current team is owned by Sam Katz
. Katz was elected mayor of Winnipeg in 2004, and remains President of the Goldeyes. The team is one of the most successful in the Northern League, despite missing the playoffs in 2004 for the first time since the team commenced operations, and again missing the playoffs in 2005. In 1994 they won their only Northern League championship.
Following the departure of the St. Paul Saints
, Sioux City Explorers
and Sioux Falls Canaries to the breakaway American Association
, the Goldeyes became the longest tenured franchise in the Northern League. On October 13, 2010, the Goldeyes left the Northern League to join the above three in the American Association, coming along with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
, Gary SouthShore RailCats
, and the Kansas City T-Bones
for the 2011 season.
The Goldeyes are not the only team to have once played in the Northern League from Winnipeg. From 1902-1942 the city was represented by the Winnipeg Maroons
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The Goldeyes play in the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with 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...
. From 1994 to 2010, the team was a member of the Northern League.
The Goldeyes have played their home games at Shaw Park (formerly Canwest Park) since 1999. The team is named after the goldeye
Goldeye
The goldeye, Hiodon alosoides, is a species of fish in the mooneye family . It occurs from as far down the Mackenzie River as Aklavik in the north to Mississippi in the south, and from Alberta in the west to Ohio south of the Great Lakes, with an isolated population south of James Bay. It is...
, a fish usually served as a smoked delicacy and commonly called Winnipeg goldeye.
History
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
teams based out of Winnipeg to use the Goldeyes name, each playing in different incarnations of the Northern League. They first played in the original Northern League, from 1954 until 1964. During that time they won the league championship 3 times in 1957, 1959, and 1960.
The team was resurrected in 1994 when the Rochester Aces folded and moved to Winnipeg. It was decided the team would take on the name of the former Winnipeg team in honor of the past. The current team is owned by Sam Katz
Sam Katz
Samuel Michael Katz, OM is the 42nd mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is also a businessperson and a member of the Order of Manitoba.- Life before mayorship :...
. Katz was elected mayor of Winnipeg in 2004, and remains President of the Goldeyes. The team is one of the most successful in the Northern League, despite missing the playoffs in 2004 for the first time since the team commenced operations, and again missing the playoffs in 2005. In 1994 they won their only Northern League championship.
Following the departure of the St. Paul Saints
St. Paul Saints
The St. Paul Saints are a professional baseball team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in the United States. The Saints are a member of the North Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
, Sioux City Explorers
Sioux City Explorers
The Sioux City Explorers are a professional baseball team based in Sioux City, Iowa, in the United States. The Explorers are a member of the North Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball.They were originally to be...
and Sioux Falls Canaries to the breakaway American Association
American Association (21st century)
The American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, based in Durham, North Carolina, is a professional baseball league founded in 2005 and independent of Major League Baseball...
, the Goldeyes became the longest tenured franchise in the Northern League. On October 13, 2010, the Goldeyes left the Northern League to join the above three in the American Association, coming along with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks are a professional baseball team based in Fargo, North Dakota, in the United States. The RedHawks are a member of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
, Gary SouthShore RailCats
Gary SouthShore RailCats
The Gary SouthShore RailCats are a professional baseball team based in Gary, Indiana, in the United States. The RailCats are a member of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. The RailCats have played their home games at...
, and the Kansas City T-Bones
Kansas City T-Bones
The Kansas City T-Bones are a professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Kansas, in the United States. The T-Bones are a member of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
for the 2011 season.
The Goldeyes are not the only team to have once played in the Northern League from Winnipeg. From 1902-1942 the city was represented by the Winnipeg Maroons
Winnipeg Maroons
The Winnipeg Maroons were a minor League Baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that played in the Northern League from 1902-1942. They played at Happyland Park from 1906-1922. It had a seating capacity of 4,000. They subsequently played at Sherbourne Park, which had a seating capacity...
.
Year-by-year record
| First Half | Second Half | Overall | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Division | W-L | Finish | W-L | Finish | W-L | Win% | Playoffs | ||||||
| 1994 | N/A | 16-24 | 5th | 27-13 | 1st | 43-37 | .538 | Won championship | ||||||
| 1995 | N/A | 25-17 | 2nd | 22-21 | 3rd | 47-38 | .553 | Lost championship series | ||||||
| 1996 | West | 25-17 | 2nd | 25-17 | 2nd | 50-34 | .595 | Lost divisional series | ||||||
| 1997 | West | 29-12 | 1st | 24-18 | 2nd | 53-30 | .639 | Lost championship series | ||||||
| 1998 | West | 25-18 | 2nd | 33-10 | 1st | 58-28 | .674 | Lost division series | ||||||
| 1999 | West | 28-15 | 1st | 20-23 | 3rd | 48-38 | 558 | Lost championship series | ||||||
| 2000 | West | 24-19 | 3rd | 24-19 | 2nd | 48-38 | .558 | Lost Central semi-final | ||||||
| 2001 | North | 29-16 | 1st | 23-22 | 1st | 52-38 | .578 | Lost championship series | ||||||
| 2002 | North | 28-17 | 1st | 28-17 | 1st | 56-34 | .622 | Lost championship series | ||||||
| 2003 | East | 26-18 | 2nd | 29-16 | 1st | 55-34 | .618 | Lost championship series | ||||||
| 2004 | North | 26-21 | 3rd | 30-18 | 2nd | 56-39 | .589 | Did not qualify | ||||||
| 2005 | North | 22-25 | 4th | 25-23 | 4th | 47-48 | .495 | Did not qualify | ||||||
| 2006 | North | 27-21 | 2nd | 25-23 | 2nd | 52-44 | .542 | Lost West final | ||||||
| 2007 | North | 27-20 | 2nd | 25-23 | 2nd | 52-43 | .547 | Lost Division Finals | ||||||
| 2008 | N/A | 51-45 | 3rd | N/A | N/A | 51-45 | .531 | Lost semi-final | ||||||
| 2009 | N/A | 55-41 | 2nd | N/A | N/A | 55-41 | .573 | Lost semi-final | ||||||
| 2010 | N/A | 46-53 | 6th | N/A | N/A | 46-53 | .465 | Did not qualify | ||||||
| 2011 | North | 60-40 | 1st | N/A | N/A | 60-40 | .600 | TBD | ||||||