Professional baseball made a triumphant return to New Jersey on May 9, 1994 at Trenton's Mercer County Waterfront Park. Professional baseball had been absent from New Jersey for over a decade. The city of Trenton had been without a team since 1950, when residents watched Willie Mays play for the Trenton Giants.
The Trenton Thunder made their debut on April 8, 1994 as the Detroit Tiger's Eastern League (Double-A) affiliate, but spent their first month on the road while their stadium was completed. The Thunder quickly developed a strong following, featuring fan favorite (and current Detroit Tiger star) Tony Clark. They finished their debut season with a 55-85 record, last place in the Southern Division.The Thunder became the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for the 1995 season. The new affiliation paid off immediately with a 73-69 record, landing them a tie for first place in their division, and a trip to the Eastern League playoffs. The 1995 team showcased rising prospect Nomar Garciaparra (1997 American League Rookie of the Year with Boston). The Thunder lost their first playoff series 0-3 to the Reading Phillies.
The 1996 season was the most successful season yet, as the Thunder compiled a league-best 86-56 record. During the season, Trenton played host to the 1996 Double-A Association All-Star Game on July 8th. The season ended with Trenton dropping a playoff series 1-3 to the Harrisburg Senators, who went on to win the league championship.
Trenton's fourth season was not as rewarding as the previous two seasons. The Thunder finished in fourth place in the Southern Division with a 71-70 record.
This season featured the return of Major League Baseball to Trenton in an exhibition game between the Thunder and their parent club, the Boston Red Sox, on May 28, 1998. The Red Sox narrowly defeated their farm team 4-3. The game marked the first time a major league team played at Trenton since the Washington Senators played the Eastern League's Trenton Senators in a 1936 exhibition game. The 1998 season was a virtual carbon copy of the previous season with the Thunder once again posting a 71-70 record, narrowly missing the playoffs.
The Thunder have been packing in the fans since their Trenton debut in May of 1994, averaging sell out crowds! Their average of over 450,000 fans a season is among the top attendances the Eastern League has seen. Their success has silenced the critics and paved the way for the arrival of other minor league sports to the area, like the East Coast Hockey League's Trenton Titans, and the International Basketball League's Trenton Shooting Stars, both slated to begin play in the fall of 1999.
The Trenton Thunder has switched divisions for the 1999 season to accomodate the Eastern League's two new additions: the Erie Seawolves and the Altoona Curve. The Thunder joined the Northern Division with Binghamton, New Britain, New Haven, Norwich, and Portland. Altoona and Erie have joined the Southern Division with Akron, Bowie, Harrisburg, and Reading. On June 13, 1999, their stadium, Mercer County Waterfront Park, was re-dedicated as Samuel J. Plumeri Sr. Field in honor of the man who helped return baseball to Trenton. Plumeri, a co-owner of the Thunder, passed away last September at the age of 84.
Trenton ran away with the division with the league's best record from start to finish for the 1999 season! Unfortunately, Trenton could not get past the Norwich Navigators, falling 2 games to 3 in the Northern Division Championship Series.
Manager DeMarlo Hale opted to leave the Boston Red Sox organization after 1999 to manage the Triple-A Oklahoma City Red Hawks for the Texas Rangers. Billy Gardner was selected as his replacement. The Thunder also hired a new General Manager for the 2000 season as Rick Brenner replaced Wayne Hodes, who accepted a position with the NFL's New Orleans Saints. The 2000 season was dismal for the Thunder, their worst since their inaugural season, a stark contrast to the previous Summer. The 2001 season turned out to be a carbon copy. During the off-season, former Sarasota Red Sox (A - Florida State League) manager Ron Johnson was selected to replace Gardner as manager of the Trenton Thunder. Results were not any better as the Thunder posted their worst record since their inaugural season.
A new era in Trenton Thunder baseball began on 9/17/02 with the official announcement that they have signed a 4-year deal as the new Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees! Two months later, former Yankees and Norwich Navigators skipper Stump Merrill was announced as the Thunder's new Manager. However, the affiliation did little to rejuvenate the Thunder franchise as they finished their 10th season with a 70-71 record for a 4th place finish.
TRENTON THUNDER SEASON
STATS:
YEAR W - L PCT. PLACE (GB) MANAGER
---- ----- ---- --------------- ------------- 1994 55-85 .393 5th (33 1/2 GB) Tom Runnells 1995 73-69 .514 1st Ken Macha 1996 86-56 .606 1st Ken Macha 1997 71-70 .504 4th (14 1/2 GB) DeMarlo Hale 1998 71-70 .504 3rd (10 GB) DeMarlo Hale 1999 92-50 .648 1st DeMarlo Hale 2000 67-75 .472 5th (16 GB) Billy Gardner 2001 67-75 .472 5th (20 GB) Billy Gardner 2002 63-77 .450 6th (tied 13 GB) Ron Johnson 2003 70-71 .496 4th (8 1/2 GB) Stump Merrill
RETIRED NUMBERS:
5 Nomar Garciaparra
33 Tony Clark
42 Jackie Robinson (retired by all teams)
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