| Worcester Tornadoes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| Information | |||||
| League | Can-Am League | ||||
| Location | Worcester, Massachusetts | ||||
| Ballpark | Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field | ||||
| Founded | 2005 | ||||
| Disbanded | 2012 | ||||
| League championships | 2005 | ||||
| Former name(s) | Worcester Tornadoes (2005–12) | ||||
| Colors | Black, burnt orange, beige, white | ||||
| Ownership | Todd Breighner of Streamlined Sports, Inc. | ||||
| Manager | Ed Riley[1] | ||||
| General Manager | Jorg Bassiacos | ||||
| Media | Worcester Telegram & Gazette, WTAG/580 (also on W235AV/94.9), WCTR Charter TV3 | ||||
| Website | www | ||||
The Worcester Tornadoes were a professional baseball team based in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States. The Tornadoes were a member of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, an independent baseball league which was not affiliated with Major League Baseball. The Tornadoes played their home games at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field, on the College of the Holy Cross campus.
The Tornadoes were formerly owned by Perfect Game LLC. On October 5, 2009, the majority stake of the franchise was sold to an undisclosed group of Maryland-based investors, which was later revealed to be Todd Breighner of Streamlined Sports, Inc.[2][3] The directors of the ownership group included Charles Milanz and John Grammer. Jorg Bassiacos is executive vice president and general manager. The Tornadoes were managed by Rich Gedman, a former Major League catcher with the Boston Red Sox, until the end of the 2010 season.
The Worcester Tornadoes were named after the destructive tornado that hit Worcester on June 9, 1953. At a home game on or around the anniversary of the tornado, the team remembered the victims with a moment of silence before the singing of the national anthem.[4]
The Tornadoes, in their first season, won the Can-Am League Championship, sweeping the Quebec Capitales three games to zero. After beating Quebec in the first two games at Stade Municipal, the Tornadoes clinched the championship on their home field on September 15, 2005.
On August 31, 2012, the Can-Am League announced that it was terminating the franchise's charter due to a slumping financial state which included failure to pay for uniform cleaning. League commissioner Miles Wolff declared he would try to find a new ownership group, but was unable to do so and the remaining Tornadoes players were either taken in a dispersal draft in October 2012 or given their outright releases.
Baseball returned to Worcester in 2014 with the advent of the summer collegiate league Worcester Bravehearts, who took the Tornadoes’ place at Fitton Field. Since then, the Boston Red Sox have relocated their AAA team from Pawtucket, Rhode Island to Worcester, where they play as the Worcester Red Sox.
- ^ "Worcester Inks Minor League Veteran Ed Riley". January 24, 2011. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011.
- ^ Wilson, Jim (May 9, 2010). "Tornadoes' new owner optimistic". Telegram & Gazette.
- ^ Sutner, Shaun (October 5, 2009). "Tornadoes Sold". Telegram & Gazette.
- ^ Doyle, Bill (June 3, 2011). "Gedman throws himself into new role". Telegram & Gazette.