The Twenty - Five Things That Made Genesee County Famous
Number 9
Batavia Muckdogs
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Picture of the formation of the 1939 Batavia team |
On January 8, 1939, community leaders from throughout New York, Pennsylvania, and Ontario, Canada met with baseball executives at the Hotel Richmond in Batavia to discuss the formation of a new minor league. The Class D Pennsylvania - Ontario – New York League (or PONY for short) was the result of the meeting. Batavia and five other cities--Jamestown, Niagara Falls, Olean, Bradford, and Hamilton--became charter franchises. In 1956, the name was changed to the New York – Penn League.
Batavia has fielded a team in the league every year except for 1954, 1955, 1956, and 1960. The team names have been the Clippers, Indians, Pirates and Trojans. In 1998 the team was renamed the Muckdogs following a fan contest. They have won league championships in 1945, 1946, 1963 and most recently 2008.
How Do They Make Genesee County Famous?
Although Batavia is one of the smallest cities in America to have a Minor League franchise, the team consistently ranks near the top of the merchandise sold list. More than 100 Little League and softball teams across the country use Muckdogs as their team name.
Since the beginning of the 2008 baseball season, the Muckdogs have been managed by the Rochester Red Wings through an agreement with the franchise owners, the Genesee County Baseball Club. The agreement has allowed the Muckdogs brand to be marketed to a larger audience throughout the region and nation.
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1946 League Championship Team (Click image for larger picture) |
Many major leaguers began their professional careers in Batavia including World Series champions and current members of the Philadelphia Phillies Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Kyle Kendrick, Ryan Madson and JA Happ. National media outlets visited Batavia in 1998 when Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams played left field for the team. Some of the early Batavia greats were Jack Tighe, Dick Fowler, Manny Sanguillen and Doc Ellis. Clarence (Cito) Gaston led Batavia and the league in homers and runs batted in while playing for the 1966 Trojans. Gaston won two World Series as the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1990s.
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Baseball exhibit at the Holland Land Office Museum (Click image for larger picture) |
In pop culture, the team was mentioned at the end of the 2001 hit movie, Summer Catch, starring Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Jessica Biel. In the movie, Prinze’s character is drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies and is assigned to play for the Batavia Muckdogs.
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