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Perfect Pitch
Baseball is a business as much as it is a game. We surveyed Northeast Ohio’s minor league affiliates to find their best bets for bringing bodies through the gates this summer.
The Indians will always have the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and interleague play to help boost attendance figures, even in the depths of a dreaded rebuilding phase.
But marketing a minor league team — even a contender — is a more daunting proposition. Your big-name draw in the ballpark on any given night is more likely to be Days of Our Lives star Rafe Hernandez than Derek Jeter, and the themes and promotions for each game are nearly as important as the action on the field. But that’s not to say true baseball fans won’t be satisfied with the game alone.
“These players are tenacious,” says Andrew Grover, Lake County Captains on-field host and sales executive. “The passion is there, and you can see that on every play. They really want to be in the majors.”
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Akron Aeros
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Lake County Captains
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Lake Erie Crushers
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Mahoning Valley Scrappers
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Canal Park, Akron
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Classic Park, Eastlake
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All Pro Freight Stadium, Avon
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Eastwood Field, Niles
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9,447
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6,157
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3,500
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5,900
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3,363
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4,950
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3,000
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3,400
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$10 for adult, $8 for juniors/seniors
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$9, $8 junior/senior
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$6 to $18
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$9 box seat and $7 general admission
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Cleveland Indians AA,
Eastern League
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Indians’ Class A,
Midwest League
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Independent,
Frontier League
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Indians’ shortened season A, New York-Penn League
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Super Saver Saturday. Select seats only cost $7 and hot dogs,
popcorn, soda and
beer are
a buck.
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Thirsty Thursday, when you can relive Municipal Stadium’s infamous 10-cent beer night for the hour before game time (the drinking part, not the rioting part). “It is monitored completely,” Grover assures.
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Sunday Family Day. The package includes four tickets, hot dogs,
sodas and bags
of chips for $44.
The kids can run
the bases after
the game.
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Thursdays are Plevin & Gallucci Buck Night. General admission, hot dogs and 12-ounce drinks cost $1.
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The first 1,500 fans on Aug. 14 will receive championship ring replicas, commemorating the Aeros’ third Eastern League title since 2003.
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To mark the halfway point to Christmas, the first 1,500 fans will take home a Skipper Leg Lamp on July 25. Watch out. They are very fra-jee-lay.
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Fans receive a
DentalWorks-sponsored backpack on Aug. 21.
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On July 25, kids
receive a plush,
bulldog Webkinz.
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9
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19
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9
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7
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The Aeros’ had a camouflage jersey created for an Army-themed night last year, but the superstitious team kept wearing them. “They were our good luck charm, especially during the playoffs,” says media director Jacob Rosen.
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On Italian Heritage Night, selected fans had a meatball eating contest. “They shoved as much as they could
into their mouths,”
Grover remembers.
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“We had a triple play earlier this year, the first at Pro Stadium,” sales director Randy Newell says.
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On July 31, Days of Our Lives star Rafe Hernandez will be appearing for a ladies’ night, entertainment director Heather Sahli says. “We have people from six different states coming for that.”
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“We’re flat out the most successful sports team in Northeast Ohio,” Rosen says.
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“We are all
about affordable entertainment,”
Grover says.
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“It’s family friendly and affordable, and people will be pleasantly surprised by the level of play,” says Newell of the defending Frontier League champs.
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“There’s something for everyone, from appearance to giveaways,” Sahli says. “It’s the thing to do in the summer.”
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