60-606: Benjamin Douglas Bowden (born October 21, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He played college baseball for Vanderbilt University . The Colorado Rockies selected Bowden in the second round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft . He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut for the Rockies in 2021. Bowden was born in Lynn, Massachusetts . He attended Lynn English High School , where he played for
120-598: A 7.07 ERA with 41 strikeouts across 28.0 innings of work. Bowden elected free agency following the season on November 10. On January 24, 2023, Bowden signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies organization. In 49 games out of the bullpen for the Triple–A Lehigh Valley IronPigs , he registered a 6–2 record and 4.64 ERA with 76 strikeouts and 5 saves across 52 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings of work. Bowden elected free agency following
180-861: A black player's head. Now, however, baseball is fully integrated, and there is little to no racial tension between teammates. Between 1943 and 1954, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League fielded teams in several Midwestern towns. Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays . They are located in Durham, North Carolina , and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park , which opened in 1995. Established as
240-761: A former Bulls outfielder, became the first Carolina League player to make it to the majors when he debuted with the Boston Red Sox. Three years after that, the Bulls helped make history when their 5-4 loss to the Danville Leafs featured the first black player in Carolina League history, Percy Miller Jr. , who played for the Leafs. It would not be until April 18, 1957, that the Bulls fielded African-American players, when third baseman Bubba Morton and pitcher Ted Richardson took
300-676: A specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada consists of the National League (founded in 1876) and the American League (founded in 1901). Historically, teams in one league never played teams in the other until the World Series , in which the champions of the two leagues played against each other. This changed in 1997 with
360-579: A team from Wilmington, North Carolina who also played in the Piedmont League and was a Cincinnati Reds affiliate called the Wilmington Pirates relocated to Durham and was going to replace the Bulls. The Bulls franchise, however, was re-activated by having the operations of the Wilmington ball club integrated into the Bulls. The Reds then switched affiliations from the former Wilmington ball club to
420-587: The Albuquerque Isotopes of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League on June 20. Bowden was named to the 2019 All-Star Futures Game . Over 48 relief appearances between Hartford and Albuquerque, he pitched to a 1–3 record and a 3.48 ERA, averaging 14.7 strikeouts per 9 innings. His 20 saves with Hartford were 5th in the league, his 0.584 WHIP was 4th, and his 6.0 strikeouts per walk were 5th. [2] The Rockies added him to their 40-man roster after
480-721: The Commissioner of Baseball . Operating outside the Minor League Baseball organization are many independent minor leagues such as the Atlantic League , American Association , Frontier League , and the feeder league to these the Empire Professional Baseball League . Japan has had professional baseball since the 1930s. Nippon Professional Baseball consists of two leagues, the Central League and
540-681: The Detroit Tigers , 1967 with the New York Mets , and 1969 with the Philadelphia Phillies . The Bulls have won the International League championship eight times (2002, 2003, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2022), all as an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. Durham has gone on to win three Triple-A National Championship Games (2009, 2017, and 2022). The 1988 film Bull Durham , starring Kevin Costner , Tim Robbins , and Susan Sarandon , featured
600-792: The Durham Tobacconists in the North Carolina League in 1902, the team subsequently disbanded and restarted numerous times. After a 10-year hiatus, it was reestablished as the Durham Bulls and played in the North Carolina State League from 1913 to 1917. The Bulls were members of the Piedmont League from 1920 to 1933 and for a second time from 1936 to 1943. Durham competed in the Carolina League from 1945 to 1971. For
660-594: The MiLB.TV subscription feature of the official website of Minor League Baseball, with audio provided by a radio simulcast. Former play-by-play announcers include Gary Cohen , who was the Voice of the Bulls in 1986 and became part of the New York Mets ' broadcast team in 1989, Steve Barnes (who also was the Duke women's basketball radio play-by-play announcer), and Neil Solondz, who was with Durham from 2004 to 2011 before being hired by
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#1733093286476720-677: The Nashville Sounds , winners of the Western Division, in a single playoff game, 13–0, to win the IL championship. Durham faced the Reno Aces for the Triple-A championship, winning 10–6. Playing under a split-season format in 2023 in which the teams with the best league-wide records at the end of each half qualified for the playoffs, Durham won the second-half title at 48–27. Overall, the team posted
780-701: The Pacific League , each with six teams. South Korea has had professional baseball since 1982. There are 10 teams in KBO League . Taiwan has had professional baseball since the 1990s. The Chinese Professional Baseball League absorbed Taiwan Major League in 2003. There are currently 6 teams in the CPBL. Other Asian leagues include three now defunct leagues, the China National Baseball League , Israel Baseball League , and Baseball Philippines . During
840-862: The Tampa Bay Rays . Patrick Kinas has been the announcer since 2012. Broadcasts are produced by members of Explorer Post 50, a youth-based group for students who have completed middle school and are 14 to 20 years old. The program provides youth with hands-on experience in television production. Pitchers Catchers Infielders Outfielders Manager Coaches 60-day injured list [REDACTED] 7-day injured list * On Tampa Bay Rays 40-man roster ~ Development list # Rehab assignment ∞ Reserve list ‡ Restricted list § Suspended list † Temporarily inactive list Roster updated September 18, 2024 Transactions → More rosters: MiLB • International League → Tampa Bay Rays minor league players These honors have been awarded to
900-716: The Toledo Mud Hens in a three-game sweep during the first round of the playoffs, but were defeated three games to two in the Governors' Cup Final by the Richmond Braves (now Gwinnett Braves ). 2007 was also the first season of Charlie Montoyo as Bulls manager, replacing Bill Evers . In 2008, with a record of 74-70 the Bulls would once again win the South Division. After defeating the Louisville Bats three games to one in
960-630: The Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League , where he posted a 0.30 earned run average (ERA) with 43 strikeouts over 30 innings pitched , helped lead the Red Sox to the league championship, and was named playoff co- most valuable player . In 2016, his 10 saves were 4th in the SEC, and his 12.0 strikeouts per 9 innings were 5th. [1] The Colorado Rockies selected Bowden in
1020-610: The 1972 season, and baseball would not return to Durham until 1980. Also, minor league baseball in Raleigh ended for good. For the 1980 season, the Raleigh-Durham Triangles were reformed and renamed back to the Durham Bulls. On June 22 of that same year, the local CBS affiliate, then WTVD in Durham , broadcast the Bulls game locally, the first time that the Bulls had ever been featured on television. The team also became an affiliate of
1080-522: The 1994 season. Durham Bulls Athletic Park opened its doors in 1995, complete with a new snorting bull sign. The 1997 season was the final one in which the Bulls were an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and also their last year in the High-A Carolina League. In 1998, the franchise moved two levels up to Triple-A and joined the International League (IL), in part because of their popularity as
1140-691: The 2018 season with Asheville and was promoted at midseason to the Lancaster JetHawks of the Class A-Advanced California League ; over 52 innings pitched between the two teams, he went 7–2 with a 3.98 ERA and 78 strikeouts, averaging 13.5 strikeouts per 9 innings. Bowden opened the 2019 season with the Hartford Yard Goats of the Class AA Eastern League , and served as Hartford's closer , before being promoted to
1200-495: The 2019 season. Bowden made the Rockies' 2021 Opening Day roster. On April 2, 2021, Bowden made his MLB debut in relief against the Los Angeles Dodgers , allowing two runs in 1 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings pitched with two strikeouts. In 39 games, he posted a 3–2 record with a 6.56 ERA in 35 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings. During spring training in 2022, the Rockies optioned Bowden to Albuquerque. On April 29, 2022, Bowden
1260-430: The Atlanta Braves that season and would remain so until 1998. Team owner Miles Wolff began pushing for a new ballpark for the Bulls in 1988 in order to attract Triple-A baseball, but stadium plans were pushed back for years. When the film Bull Durham was released in mid-1988, it led to a major resurgence of local popular interest in the team and their ballpark. Both the real Bulls and their movie counterparts played in
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#17330932864761320-526: The Bulls and Durham Athletic Park , the team's stadium at the time. Most of the filming was done at the ballpark following the end of the 1987 season. The Bulls were founded in 1902 as the Durham Tobacconists. The official date when the franchise formed was March 18. William G. Bramham , later President of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues ( Minor League Baseball ), was
1380-557: The Bulls and the Bulls continued as the same franchise. On the evening of June 17, 1939, the Durham Athletic Park burned to the ground hours after the Bulls defeated the Portsmouth Cubs 7-3. The groundskeeper, Walter Williams, who was asleep under the grandstand when the blaze began, was able to escape though the fire nearly killed him. Damage costs were more than $ 100,000. In a remarkable two-week turnaround, Durham Athletic Park
1440-546: The Bulls briefly during the 1999 season and was then called up to the major leagues on September 18, 1999, at the age of 35. He made his debut against Royce Clayton of the Texas Rangers , striking him out on four pitches. Morris made four more appearances later that year. The 2001 season saw the Bulls set single-game (10,916 on July 23) and full-season (505,319 set on September 1) attendance records. The Bulls celebrated their 100th anniversary season in 2002. On September 12, 2002,
1500-664: The Bulls defeated the Charlotte Knights , the Chicago White Sox affiliate, 18-3 for their 6,000th win in franchise history. The team retired the number 20 of longtime general manager Bill Evers the following year. In 2013, the team won its fourth Governors' Cup title, defeating the Pawtucket Red Sox in the International League Final. The same year the number 10, belonging to former Bulls player Chipper Jones,
1560-587: The Bulls were organized into the Triple-A East . In their first season in the league, the Bulls claimed the Triple-A East's championship with a 77–43 record. After the conclusion of the regular season, 10 games that had been postponed from the start of the season were reinserted into the schedule as a postseason tournament called the Triple-A Final Stretch in which all 30 Triple-A clubs competed for
1620-534: The Bulls won their first IL championship, defeating the Buffalo Bisons 2-0 for the Governors' Cup . In 2003, Durham became the first club in the 119-year history of the championship to sweep back-to-back final playoff series, defeating the Pawtucket Red Sox . After missing the playoffs for the 2005 and 2006 seasons, the Bulls captured the 2007 South Division title with an 80-64 regular season record. Durham defeated
1680-574: The Bulls' first game of the season. On September 5, 1943, the last-place Bulls played their last Piedmont League game, beating Richmond 15-5. The following year, the Piedmont League became an all-Virginia league, and there was no baseball in Durham in 1944. In 1945, a second Carolina League formed. On April 27 the reactivated Bulls played their first game in the new league, defeating the Burlington Bees 5-0. Three years later, in September 1948, Tom Wright,
1740-708: The Durham Bulls in the North Carolina State League . Their first game was on April 24, 1913, at Hanes Field on the Trinity College campus (now the East Campus of Duke University ). They defeated the Raleigh Capitals 7-4. On May 30, 1917, however, the North Carolina State League folded due to America's joining of the Allied Powers during World War I. The Bulls were declared league champions, even though
1800-558: The High-A Carolina League in the late 1980s. On August 30, 1990, a crowd of 6,202 made the Bulls the first Class-A team in history to pass the 300,000 mark in attendance for a season. The Bulls were sold to the Raleigh -based Capitol Broadcasting Company in 1991. Capitol president Jim Goodmon initially proposed building the new stadium near Raleigh-Durham International Airport , but after city leaders in Durham offered to renovate
1860-731: The Mets to the Philadelphia Phillies and were renamed the Raleigh-Durham Phillies for the 1969 season. The team hadn't been affiliated with the Phillies since the 1932 season. The Phillies abandoned the franchise and the team became independent, renaming themselves the Raleigh-Durham Triangles for the 1970 season. The team played as the Triangles from 1970–1971 and remained independent for both seasons. The franchise disbanded again before
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1920-579: The Triple-A East, but this was renamed the International League in 2022. Durham has won 17 league championships. They won the Piedmont League championship six times (1922, 1924, 1925, 1930, 1940, and 1941). Though not affiliated with any MLB team for the first four, the Bulls were a farm club for the Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers , respectively, for the last two. They won the Carolina League championship on three occasions: in 1957 with
1980-406: The United States and Canada. The minor leagues are divided into classes AAA, AA, High-A, A, and Rookie. These minor-league divisions are affiliated with major league teams, and serve to develop young players and rehabilitate injured major-leaguers. "Affiliated baseball" (archaically, " organized baseball ") is often applied as an umbrella term for all leagues — major and minor — under the authority of
2040-484: The advent of interleague play . The Philadelphia Phillies , founded in 1883, are the oldest continuous same-name, same-city franchise in both Major League Baseball and all of American professional sports. In addition to the major leagues, many North American cities and towns feature minor league teams. An organization officially styled Minor League Baseball , formerly the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, oversees nearly all minor league baseball in
2100-430: The championship, their third since joining the International League. The Bulls advanced to the Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game against the champions of the Pacific Coast League for the first time in team history, as that championship game did not exist at the time of the Bulls' previous two Governors' Cup championships. Facing the Memphis Redbirds , the Bulls would win their first class championship, scoring
2160-538: The field in a loss to Greensboro . That season also saw the first Carolina League All-Star game played in Durham. In 1967, the Bulls became a New York Mets affiliate. One year later, the Bulls were renamed the Raleigh-Durham Mets . The franchise was renamed because the Bulls acquired the nearby Raleigh Pirates and merged with them. The team still maintained their affiliation with the Mets, playing half of their home games at Durham Athletic Park and half at Devereaux Meadow in Raleigh. The team switched affiliations from
2220-450: The first hall of famer to play for the Bulls, who was a member of the 1963 club ( Chipper Jones , who played for the Bulls in 1992, was the second, elected in 2018). Morgan's number remained the only one retired by the club for many years; he attended the ceremony where his number was retired. The team also retained the snorting bull sign that was used in Bull Durham and it remained at Durham Athletic Park until both team and sign left after
2280-424: The first owner. The Tobacconists took the field for the first time on April 24 in an exhibition game against Trinity College . Their first game in the North Carolina League was at Charlotte on May 5 against the Hornets , and their first home game was against the New Bern Truckers on May 12. The league, however, folded in July, not having played a full season. In December 1912, the Durham Tobacconists re-formed as
2340-454: The first round, the Bulls again lost the championship, this time in four games to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees . In 2009, they won the division for a third consecutive season with an 83-61 record. Facing the Louisville Bats in the first round again, the Bulls were victorious, winning in five games. The third time was the charm for the Bulls in the Governors' Cup final, as they dethroned the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in three games to win
2400-448: The franchise or its personnel by Minor League Baseball. Four players, eight managers, and one executive won league awards in recognition for their performance with Durham in the Carolina League. Ten players, two managers, and two executives have won league awards in recognition for their performance with Durham in the International League. The Bulls have honored five individuals by retiring their uniform numbers . This ensures that
2460-421: The highest winning percentage. Durham won the tournament with a 9–1 record. In 2022, the Triple-A East became known as the International League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization, which the Bulls had been members of since their move up to Triple-A. Manager Brady Williams led the 2022 Bulls to win the Eastern Division title with a 86–64 record. They then defeated
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2520-542: The late 19th and early 20th centuries, players of black African descent were barred from playing the major leagues , though several did manage to play by claiming to be Cubans or Native Americans . As a result, a number of parallel Negro leagues were formed. However, after Jackie Robinson began playing with the major-league Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, the Negro leagues gradually faded. The process of integration did not go entirely smoothly; there were some ugly incidents, including pitchers who would try to throw directly at
2580-432: The latter part of this stretch, they merged with a team from Raleigh , becoming the Raleigh-Durham Mets (1968), Raleigh-Durham Phillies (1969), and Raleigh-Durham Triangles (1970–1971). The Durham Bulls returned as members of the Carolina League in 1980. They were replaced by an International League team in 1998. In conjunction with Major League Baseball 's (MLB) reorganization of the minors in 2021, they were placed in
2640-524: The league's second-best record, 88–62. In a single round of playoffs for the IL championship versus the Norfolk Tides, winners of the first-half, the Bulls were defeated, two games to one. All Bulls home and road games are broadcast on 96.5 FM Buzz Sports Radio . Live audio broadcasts are also available online through the team's website and the MiLB First Pitch app. Select home games are televised on Me-TV 50.2 , and all home games are broadcast by WRAL Sports+ . All home and road games can be viewed through
2700-461: The main team in Bull Durham , and also because the Triple-A leagues needed two more teams to accommodate affiliates for the Major League Baseball expansion teams Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks . Wolff's dream of attracting Triple-A baseball came true when the Bulls became the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now Tampa Bay Rays ), who have remained their parent club ever since. DBAP expanded its seating capacity due to
2760-446: The move. 1998 also saw the Bulls play their first game outside the United States when they played road games against the Ottawa Lynx (now the Lehigh Valley IronPigs ), though it would be another year before they recorded their first win in Canada. The Bulls' second appearance on film was in The Rookie , released in 2002. It starred Dennis Quaid as Jim Morris , a baseball pitcher who is now retired. The real Jim Morris did play for
2820-425: The old ballpark or help build a new stadium, the current downtown Durham site was secured. In July 1992, the Bulls unveiled their current mascot, Wool E. Bull, a moniker submitted by Durham resident Jim Vickery out of a pool of 500, inspired by the otherwise unrelated novelty song oldie, " Wooly Bully ". The "E" in his name stands for "education." The next June, the Bulls retired the number 18 belonging to Joe Morgan ,
2880-416: The playing field. Six years later, in 1932, the team became affiliated with the National League 's Philadelphia Phillies , the first of ten teams that the Bulls have been affiliated with. The next year, the city of Durham purchased El Toro Park, renaming it the Durham Athletic Park after the 1933 season. The Bulls were unable to operate for the 1934 and 1935 seasons due to the Great Depression . Meanwhile,
2940-407: The school's baseball and basketball teams. As a senior, Bowden was named the state's high school baseball player of the year. He was named the 2013 Gatorade Player of the Year in Massachusetts. After high school, he enrolled at Vanderbilt University where he played college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores . After his sophomore season in 2015, he played collegiate summer baseball for
3000-453: The season on November 6. On November 24, 2023, Bowden signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves . In 27 games for the Triple–A Gwinnett Stripers , he compiled a 4.03 ERA with 35 strikeouts across 29 innings pitched. Bowden was released by the Braves organization on July 14, 2024. Professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for
3060-419: The season was shortened to only 36 games. On October 31, 1919, the Bulls joined the Piedmont League , a minor league with clubs scattered around Virginia and North Carolina . Seven years later, in 1926, the team moved from Hanes Field to El Toro Park . The park was dedicated on July 26 by the Commissioner of Baseball Kenesaw Mountain Landis , who put on a show by riding a real bull , the team mascot, onto
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#17330932864763120-432: The season, Baseball America named the Bulls the most successful MiLB franchise of the 2010s. As a consequence of the worldwide onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Minor League Baseball announced on June 30, 2020, that no season would be held, meaning that the Durham Bulls would not take the field again until the following spring. In conjunction with Major League Baseball 's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021,
3180-449: The second round with the 45th overall selection of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft . He agreed to a $ 1.6 million signing bonus with the Rockies, and made his professional debut with the Asheville Tourists of the Class A South Atlantic League . He spent all of 2016 with Asheville, where he posted an 0–1 record with 3.04 ERA in 26 games, averaging 11.0 strikeouts per 9 innings. He did not pitch in 2017 due to injury. He began
3240-429: The team had their fourth losing season since 1998 and missed the playoffs. 2017 proved a watershed year for the Bulls, as they captured their first South Division championship since 2014 with an 86-56 record. The Bulls then won their second Triple-A National Championship, defeating the Memphis Redbirds after beating the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders for their fifth Governors' Cup title. Success continued in 2018;
3300-449: The team went 79-60 and won their second straight South Division championship and Governor's Cup before falling to Memphis in the National Championship. Sandberg left before the 2019 season for a position with the Seattle Mariners . The Bulls hired Brady Williams as their 5th Triple-A manager. The team finished 2019 with a 75-64 record, making the playoffs as a wild card, and advanced to the Governor's Cup before losing to Columbus. After
3360-430: The winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom half of the 11th inning. Also in 2009, the Bulls retired the number 8 of Crash Davis, the main character of Bull Durham , which was their first number retirement in 16 years. On August 19, 2010, the Bulls won their fourth straight division championship. Almost two weeks later, the Bulls set the Triple-A wins record winning their 84th game of the 2010 season. On August 2, 2011,
3420-465: The year with a cumulative mark of 533,033. Before the 2015 season, Jared Sandberg was named the fourth manager in the team's Triple-A history, replacing Montoyo. The 2015 season saw the Bulls set both a new single-game paid attendance record on July 4, and a new single-season paid attendance record, finishing with a cumulative mark of 554,788. In 2016, the Bulls had the franchise's second-highest attendance numbers and retired Montoyo's number 25. Overall,
3480-418: Was claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Rays . In eight games for the Triple-A Durham Bulls , he posted a 1.80 ERA with a 3–0 record in 10 innings. He was designated for assignment on May 31. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Durham on June 4. On July 24, 2022, Bowden was traded by the Rays to the San Francisco Giants . In 22 games for the Triple–A Sacramento River Cats , he struggled to
3540-441: Was functioning again by July 2, with the old wooden grandstand replaced by concrete and steel . Temporary bleachers were also added and seated 1,000. The crowd that day saw the Bulls beat the Charlotte Hornets 11-4. A new Durham Athletic Park was finally completed in April 1940, in time for an exhibition game between the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox , which attracted 5,574 fans. Only 1,587 turned out ten days later for
3600-408: Was retired. Following a $ 20 million renovation to the DBAP, the Bulls hosted the 27th Triple-A All-Star Game on July 16, 2014, which saw the International League prevail 7-3 over the Pacific Coast League. Montoyo became the franchise's all-time winningest manager on July 21, earning his 614th victory to pass Evers. On August 31, 2014, the Bulls again broke their all-time paid attendance record, finishing
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