Binghamton Franchise History
The B-Mets continued their roll by beating the Rich mond Flying Squirrels in the first two games of the Eastern League Championship Series in Virginia. In Game 3, B-Mets starter Steven Matz carried a no-hitter into the eighth in front of 5,904 at NYSEG Stadium. With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth, Jayce Boyd ripped a walk-off double into the right- field alley, giving the B-Mets their first Eastern League Cham-pionship in two decades. In 2015, Lopez navigated the B-Mets to a 77-64 record and secured a postseason berth for the third straight year, a franchise record. The team’s all-time winningest manager was inducted into Binghamton’s Baseball Shrine in September 2015, but his club was swept in the Division Series by Reading. In December 2015, John Hughes acquired full ownership of the franchise from Mike Urda. The new president made it clear that professional baseball would be played in Binghamton for years to come. On November 3, 2016, the new Rumble Ponies identity of the team was unveiled at Benja- min Franklin Elementary School in Binghamton. The name reflects Binghamton’s standing as the “Carousel Capital of the World.”
Nearly a century ago, local businessman and philanthropist George F. Johnson commissioned and funded the construction of six carousels to be enjoyed free-of-charge by the public through- out the Binghamton area. Almost 100 years later, these cherished artifacts continue to be used and beloved by the community.
Riding the momentum of a new name and image, in addition to several improvements to Mirabito Stadium, the Rumble Ponies embarked on their first season with vigor in 2017. The team welcomed more than 190,000 fans over the course of the season. The Rumble Ponies teamed up with their fans in a “#BingItHome” social media campaign in the summer of 2017 to convince the Eastern League to award Binghamton the rights to host the 2020 Eastern League All-Star Game. In 2018, the Rumble Ponies welcomed Tim Tebow to the Southern Tier. The former NFL quarterback added to his legend, launching a homer in his first plate appearance en route to being named Mid-season All-Star later that season. On November, 22 2021 David and Karen “KJ” Sobotka of New York based Southpaw Reources LLC, assumed ownership of the Rumble Ponies from Hughes. In addition, former Bingham- ton Mayor Richard C. David and the Rumble Ponies announced a 23-year lease extension keeping the Ponies in the Southern Tier for decades to come. Despite falling to the Erie Seawolves in the ELCS, it was an incredible season that en- thralled Ponies fans. As the Rumble Ponies head into their 31st season, over 5.6 million fans have entered Mirabito Stadium to watch their beloved team that continues to be a fixture of the community. The Rumble Ponies’ identiy reveal at Benjamin Franklin High School
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