Long Island Ducks

The Long Island Ducks are an American professional baseball team based on Long Island in the Suffolk County town of Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent baseball league not affiliated with Major League Baseball, and are the league's only team based in New York. The Long Island Ducks played their first season in 2000, two years after the ALPB inaugural season. Since their inception the Ducks' home ballpark has been Bethpage Ballpark, formerly known as Suffolk County Sports Park (1999), EAB Park (2000-2001), and Citibank Park (2002-2009).[2] The "Ducks" name refers to Long Island's duck-farming heritage (itself represented by the Big Duck ferrocement)[3] and recalls the former Long Island Ducks professional ice hockey team. The team's first manager was Bud Harrelson, a part-owner of the team and a former Major League player.

For other uses, see Long Island Ducks (disambiguation).

Long Island Ducks
Team logo Cap insignia
Information
League	Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (Liberty Division)
Location	Central Islip, New York
Ballpark	Bethpage Ballpark
Year founded	1998
League championships	4 (2004, 2012, 2013, 2019)
Division championships	8 (2004, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
Colors	Green, orange, black, white
Mascot	QuackerJack
Ownership	Frank Boulton (Founder & CEO), Bud Harrelson (Owner), Seth Waugh (Owner)[1]
Manager	Wally Backman
General Manager	Michael Pfaff
Media	Newsday
Website	www.liducks.com

History

The Ducks, the only professional baseball team located on suburban Long Island, began play in 2000, and from 2000-2019 won four ALPB championships (see below). Team owner Frank Boulton expressed his contentment with the Ducks in 2007 to Baseball America, saying, "The Long Island Ducks are the best thing I've ever done in baseball."[4]

A league rivalry developed between the Ducks and the Bridgeport Bluefish, with the two teams contesting the "Ferry Cup" from 2009 until the latter team's termination in 2017. The Ferry Cup name referred to its exclusive sponsor, the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company, which was utilized by the teams and their fans for traveling to each ballpark.[5][6][7]

Former Major League Baseball player and MLB Hall of Fame member Gary Carter managed the Ducks in 2009. Following Carter's death in 2012, the Ducks dedicated the season to his memory and wore a commemorative patch on their uniforms.

Former Major League Baseball players to have played on the Ducks include Dontrelle Willis,[8] Ramon Castro,[9] Ben Broussard, Leo Rosales, Josh Barfield, Bill Hall, Bryant Nelson, Ian Snell, and Lew Ford. Rich Hill played with the Ducks in 2015, prior to his return to the majors in 2016 with the Boston Red Sox. In 2017, pitcher Éric Gagné attempted a professional baseball comeback with the Ducks; that same year, Nate Freiman, Henderson Alvarez, Quintin Berry, and Tim Melville played with the Ducks and later joined an MLB organization or foreign professional league.[10]

Logos and uniforms

The official colors of the Long Island Ducks are black, green, orange, and white. The primary logo features the "Ducks" wordmark in orange with black outline. The wordmark begins with a stylized, cartoon duck head in the form of a capital, cursive "D."

Since 2015, OC Sports has been the official on-field headwear of the Atlantic League.[11] The home caps are black throughout with the duck head logo centered on the front. The away caps are black with an orange brim and the duck head logo. The batting helmets are black with the webbed-foot logo.

The Ducks wear uniforms produced by Rawlings.

The home jersey is white with black pinstripes with the "Ducks" wordmark centered across the front. The numbering on the jersey is primarily in green with white outline and black drop shadow. The away jerseys are grey with the "Long Island" cursive wordmark centered across in green with white and orange outline. The numbering is in green with white outline and orange drop shadow. The alternate is an orange jersey with the "Ducks" word mark centered across the chest.

Season-by-season records

Long Island Ducks - 2004–2020[12]
Season	W - L Record	Winning Percentage	Finish	Playoffs
2000	82-58	.586	3rd in North Division	Did Not Make Playoffs
2001	62-64	.492	1st in North Division	Did Not Make Playoffs
2002	65-61	.516	2nd in North Division	Did Not Make Playoffs
2003	67-59	.532	1st in North Division	Did Not Make Playoffs
2004	65-61	.516	3rd in North Division	5-1 (Won Championship)
2005	67-73	.479	1st in North Division	1-2 (Lost Division Final)
2006	73-53	.579	2nd in North Division	0-2 (Lost Division Final)
2007	72-54	.571	1st in North Division	0-2 (Lost Division Final)
2008	71-69	.507	1st in Liberty Division	0-2 (Lost Division Final)
2009	74-66	.529	1st in Liberty Division	2-3 (Lost Division Final)
2010	70-68	.507	3rd in Liberty Division	Did Not Make Playoffs
2011	78-47	.624	1st in Liberty Division	4-4 (Lost Championship Series)
2012	63-74	.460	3rd in Liberty Division	6-4 (Won Championship)
2013	63-77	.450	2nd in Liberty Division	6-2 (Won Championship)
2014	73-67	.521	2nd in Liberty Division	Did Not Make Playoffs
2015	80-59	.576	2nd in Liberty Division	2-3 (Lost Division Final)
2016	72-68	.514	2nd in Liberty Division	3-5 (Lost Championship Series)
2017	73-67	.521	3rd in Liberty Division	3-4 (Lost Championship Series)
2018	68-57	.544	2nd in Liberty Division	5-5 (Lost Championship Series)
2019	86-54	.614	1st in Liberty Division	6-2 (Won Championship)
2020	Season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Totals (2000–20)	1424-1202	.542	14 Playoff Berths	4 Championships
Playoffs	43-41	.512	-	-

• 4 Atlantic League Championships (2004, 2012, 2013, 2019)

Radio

All games are broadcast over the Ducks' official YouTube channel, website and (beginning 2017) Facebook Live. For 2017, WRHU/88.7 serves as the radio home of the Ducks (replacing previous broadcaster WRCN-FM 103.9). Michael Polak, Chris King, and Andrew Weiss currently serve as the team's official broadcasters.

Mascot

The Long Island Ducks' official mascot is an anthropomorphic duck named QuackerJack. He wears the Ducks' full home white uniform with green and white sneakers. He debuted on March 18, 2000 at then-Citibank Park.[13] His name alludes to a popular baseball game food produced by the Cracker Jack brand, and the quacking sound of a duck.

Current roster

Long Island Ducks roster
Active (25-man) roster				Coaches/Other
Pitchers -- Travis Banwart -- Brandon Beachy 22 Ismael Cabrera 45 Felix Carvallo 33 Brendan Feldmann -- Joe Iorio -- Josh Lucas 34 Vin Mazzaro -- Akeel Morris -- David Roseboom		Catchers 38 Ramón Cabrera Infielders 1 Vladimir Frias -- Ryan Jackson 2 Steve Lombardozzi 21 Deibinson Romero -- Brock Stassi Outfielders 29 Daniel Fields 20 Lew Ford 14 D'Arby Myers		Manager  6 Wally Backman Coaches 20 Lew Ford (hitting) -- Mauro Gozzo (pitching) Disabled list ‡ Inactive list § Suspended list Roster updated April 20, 2020 Transactions

Retired numbers

4 (Justin Davies)

Outfielder and franchise record holder for stolen bases. Retired on June 18, 2015

16 (Ray Navarrete)

Utility player and franchise record holder for runs, hits, home runs, RBI, and doubles. Retired on August 16, 2015

42 (Jackie Robinson)

Second baseman. Retired throughout professional baseball on April 15, 1997

3 (Bud Harrelson)

Part owner of Long Island Ducks 4x atlantic league champion. Retired on August 3, 2018

References

1. "Staff". Long Island Ducks. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
2. "Park History". Long Island Ducks. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
3. "Determining the Facts - Reading 1: Representational Architecture". National Park Service. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
4. Baseball America's 2007 Independent organization of the year
5. "Ferry Cup Package Available This Weekend". Long Island Ducks. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
6. "Ferry Cup Package Available This Weekend". Long Island Ducks. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
7. "Ducks Swim By 'Fish In Series Finale". Long Island Ducks. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
8. "Dontrelle Willis Joins Long Island".
9. "Ramon Castro Inked by Ducks".
11. "The Atlantic League Announces Headwear Partnership with OC Sports". SFIA. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
12. Atlantic League information
13. "QuackerJack". Long Island Ducks. Retrieved June 11, 2011.

External links

• Long Island Ducks (official website)
• Atlantic League of Professional Baseball

Achievements
Preceded by Long Island Ducks 2012	Atlantic League Champions Long Island Ducks 2013	Succeeded by Lancaster Barnstormers 2014

Achievements
Preceded by Long Island Ducks 2016	Liberty Division Champions Long Island Ducks 2017	Succeeded by –
Preceded by Nashua Pride 2003	North Division Champions Long Island Ducks 2004	Succeeded by Nashua Pride 2005