The Salem Red Sox are a minor league baseball team in Salem, Virginia, USA, an independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia. They are a Class High-A team in the Carolina League and are a farm team of the Boston Red Sox. The team, known from 1995 through 2008 as the Salem Avalanche , was previously affiliated with the Houston Astros from 2003 to 2008 and the Colorado Rockies from 1995 to 2002; prior to 1995, the franchise played under several different names and affiliations. The Red Sox play home games at Lewis-Gale Field at Salem Memorial Ballpark, a 4,968 seat facility opened in 1995 that hosted the Carolina/California League All Star Game in 2006. The franchise was owned from 1986 until 2006 by Kelvin Bowles, a local resident and major league baseball scout. Bowles (who, coincidentally, scouted for the Boston Red Sox from 2002-05) bought the team when it was in danger of moving from Salem. In 2006, the team was sold to a pair of businessmen from Atlanta who also owned the Fort Wayne Wizards; in December 2007, this group sold the team to Fenway Sports Group, a subsidiary of the Boston Red Sox ownership group, preparing the team for an affiliation change after its Player Development Contract with the Astros ended in 2008.

SALEM AVALANCHE TICKETS Monster Jam Tickets Chicago Bulls Tickets Los Angeles Lakers Tickets The Harlem Globetrotters New York Knicks Tickets Boston Celtics Tickets

History of baseball in Salem

• 1943 - 1953: Roanoke Red Sox (Boston affiliate)
• 1955 - 1971: Salem Rebels (Pirates affiliate)
• 1972 - 1979: Salem Pirates (Pirates/San Francisco affiliate)
• 1980 - 1986: Salem Redbirds (Padres/Rangers affiliate)
• 1987 - 1994: Salem Buccaneers (Pirates affiliate)
• 1995 - 2003: Salem Avalanche (Colorado affiliate)
• 2003 - 2008: Salem Avalanche (Houston affiliate)
• 2009 - present: Salem Red Sox (Boston affiliate)

Notable former players

• Moisés Alou, New York Mets
• Orlando Cepeda, San Francisco Giants Hall of Famer
• Aaron Cook, Colorado Rockies
• Chone Figgins, Anaheim Angels
• Brad Hawpe, Colorado Rockies
• Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals
• Art Howe, 3rd base coach for Philadelphia Phillies
• Jason Jennings, Texas Rangers
• Jason Kendall, Milwaukee Brewers
• Esteban Loaiza, Chicago White Sox
• Hunter Pence, Houston Astros
• Dave Parker, 7-time All Star (retired)
• Kenny Rogers, Detroit Tigers
• Juan Uribe, Chicago White Sox
• Tim Wakefield, Boston Red Sox
• Larry Walker, St. Louis Cardinals (retired)
• Ron Wotus, Bench Coach of the San Francisco Giants
• Eric Young, San Diego Padres (retired) (works for ESPN)
• Mario Mendoza, The Mendoza Line in batting
• Doug Bair, Pitched 15 years in MLB
• Ken Macha, named Manager of Milwaukee Brewers (2009) by former Salem teammate (pitcher) ...
• Doug Melvin, Brewers General Manager

Club records

• Batting: .370 - Oswaldo Olivares, 1977
• Hits: 208 - Oswaldo Olivares, 1977
• Doubles: 43 - Garrett Atkins, 2001
• Triples: 17 - David Arrington, 1968
• Home Runs: 34 - Gerald Davis, 1981
• Total Bases: 280 - Oswaldo Olivares, 1977
• Runs Batted In: 103 - Gerald Davis, 1981
• Stolen Bases: 84 - Miguel Dilone, 1975
• Wins: 16 - James Marshall, 1972
• Losses: 15 - Frank Brosious, 1983; James McKee, 1970
• Strikeouts: 186 - Ed Whitson, 1976; Doug Blair, 1972
• Walks: 127 - Benjamin Willbank, 1978
• Innings Pitched: 203 - Ed Whitson, 1976
• Earned Run Average: 2.11 - Josh Kalinowski, 1999
• Saves: 27 - Travis Thompson, 1999

Home attendance: 1968-present

• 1968 - 64,532
• 1969 - 63,248
• 1970 - 50,076
• 1971 - 37,872
• 1972 - 43,910
• 1973 - 45,915
• 1974 - 41,379
• 1975 - 39,007
• 1976 - 30,387
• 1977 - 32,744
• 1978 - 51,096
• 1979 - 43,036
• 1980 - 102,456
• 1981 - 72,125
• 1982 - 47,202
• 1983 - 56,451
• 1984 - 61,623
• 1985 - 71,788
• 1986 - 87,047
• 1987 - 111,661
• 1988 - 119,966
• 1989 - 121,581
• 1990 - 126,121
• 1991 - 131,582
• 1992 - 134,598
• 1993 - 145,657
• 1994 - 153,575
• 1995 - 140,111
• 1996 - 173,703 (New Stadium Opened)
• 1997 - 188,023
• 1998 - 189,069
• 1999 - 206,012
• 2000 - 200,863
• 2001 - 203,375
• 2002 - 196,347
• 2003 - 175,155
• 2004 - 224,991
• 2005 - 255,225
• 2006 - 237,724 (5 games cancelled due to heavy amounts of rain)
• 2007 - 258,469 (5 games cancelled)
• 2008 - 235,823

Total Attendace - 4,816,574

Media information

Media Relations Manager: Dave Cawley

• Flagship Radio Station: 960AM WFIR News Talk Radio

--Radio Announcers: Evan Lepler --Number of Games Broadcast: All

• Newspapers covering the Red Sox: The Roanoke Times, The Salem Times-Register
• Official Scorer: Billy Wells

Team mascots

Mugsy A St. Bernard mascot who made his rookie debut in professional baseball in 1997 with the Avalanche. According to the team's website, Mugsy descended from the passing Hale-Bopp comet that raced across the Roanoke Valley sky on April 4, 1997.

Misty Misty is a female saint bernard mascot who joined the team in 2005.

Lefty and Righty Coming to Salem all the way from Boston. Lefty and Righty are the new mascots. They're two red sox, both wearing Boston Red Sox hats, they also have an L on one's back and an R on the other.

Big Mo The Salem Avalanche's Kid's Club mascot, Big Mo is a giant abominable snowman.

The Baseball Nut The Avalanche's first mascot was this distinctive character, which resembled an almond. While the idea was original, the Baseball Nut proved to be unpopular. Lacking a cute or friendly appearance, the mascot intimidated children and was an object of derision by adult fans. Mugsy was developed as a replacement.

Roster

Players				Coaches/Other
Starting rotation Bullpen		Catchers Infielders Outfielders		Manager Coaches † Disabled list ‡ Reserve list § Suspended list

References