Tri-City ValleyCats
- Location: Troy, NY
- League: New York-Penn League 2002-2019; Frontier League 2021-present
- Affiliation: Houston Astros 2002-2019
- Ballpark: Joseph L. Bruno Stadium
- Famous Alumni: Hunter Pence, Jason Hirsh, Matt Albers, Ben Zobrist, Devern Hansack
Team History[edit]
Baseball returned to Troy, NY for the first time in 86 years with the Tri-City ValleyCats, the Class A affiliate of the Houston Astros in the New York-Penn League, who began play in 2002. Previously known as the Pittsfield Astros, they were renamed when they moved to Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy. The team moved from Pittsfield following the city's decision not to replace ancient Wahconah Park. A name-the-team contest was held with ValleyCats winning over entrants such as Titans, Haymakers and Des-Troy-ers.
The Tri-City name represents Troy, NY, Albany, NY and Schenectady, NY. Founded in 1977 in Little Falls, NY, this franchise was one of the two the NYPL issued as part of the American League's Seattle/Toronto expansion. The operation moved to Pittsfield, MA in 1989 before finally settling in Troy.
The ValleyCats operation joined the Frontier League after MLB's 2021 Minor League Reorganization eliminated them and most other New York-Pennsylvania League teams. A week later, they sued their ex-parent Houston Astros. A New York court tossed some of the case in August 2021, but the remainder is still pending. Then, in December, the 'Cats and three other dropped teams jointly filed a new suit against MLB itself. One of the others, the Staten Island Yankees, also has a pending suit against its former parent, and the other two - the Norwich Sea Unicorns and Salem-Keizer Volcanoes - are taking their first legal action.[1]
Founded in 1977 in Little Falls, NY as the Little Falls Mets, this franchise was one of two the NYPL issued as part of the American League's Seattle/Toronto expansion. The operation moved to Pittsfield, MA, in 1989, as the Pittsfield Mets before settling in Troy until the reorganization.
Year-by-Year Record[edit]
Related Sites[edit]
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