Coral Springs 626ers
2005 NL Champions,
2005 NL East Champions (lost WS)
2006 NL Wild Card (lost NLDS), 2007 NL Wild Card (lost NLCS)
Rebuilding begins in Coral Springs
2/16/2008
The Coral Springs 626ers new era has begun. After 3 playoff appearances in 4 years, the time has come to turn the roster over from players on the backside of their careers to those who are peaking or yet to peak.
The players traded away reads
like a who's who of the past decade in baseball history. Barry
Bonds, Manny Ramirez, Greg Maddux, Mike Mussina, Tim Wakefield, and Johnny
Damon are all former stars who will be playing for new teams in
2008. Other players who left the team via trade, expansion, or
silent auction include Jeff Suppan, Marlon Anderson, Neifi Perez, and Jose
Cruz, Jr.
Most of the players leaving were traded for draft picks in the 2008 and
2009 drafts, but a few new players have been added to the Coral Springs
roster before the draft. Jason Marquis will be a solid #4 or #5
starter and Brett Myers will set-up for Huston Street in 2008 and join the
starting rotation in 2009. Gary Matthews. Jr. was added as well to
provide some speed and error-free play in center field.
Strong Pitching Leads Sixers to Third Post-Season Appearance
2007 was another solid year for the Coral Springs 626ers baseball club as they made the playoffs for the third consecutive year. This was no small feat considering the strength of the National League and that 111 wins were only good enough for third place in the mighty NL East Division. The highlights of the year were the move from Coors Field to Dolphin stadium, setting a franchise record with 111 regular season wins, and knocking Eight Men Smout, with the league's best record, out of the playoffs in the first round.
Unfortunately, the season ended on a sour note as the Sixers blew a 3 games to 2 lead in the National League Championship Series and were eliminated by the San Juan Tsunami in a 7 game series. The weak spot for Coral Springs all year was the inconsistent bullpen, and it showed in this series. Coral Springs blew two ninth inning leads in the series and lost both games in extra innings. The team also committed 11 errors in the series after committing no errors in their first round series with Eight Men.
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Dolphins Stadium Makes Pitchers Relevant Again!
The Coral Springs 626ers pitching staff eagerly awaited the team's move from Coors Field to Dolphin Stadium and was not disappointed. The 2007 Sixers set franchise lows in ERA (4.15) and home runs allowed (166). Mike Mussina also set a team record with his 3.45 ERA and 234 strikeouts.
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| 2007 Team Leaders | |
| AVG: Konerko, .318 | WINS: Mussina, 20 |
| HR: Konerko, 42 | ERA: Mussina, 3.45 |
| RBI: Konerko, 136 | K: Mussina, 234 |
| 2006 Team Leaders | |
| AVG: Konerko, .327 | WINS: Pettitte, 21 |
| HR: Konerko, 57 | ERA: Pettitte, 3.63 |
| RBI: Konerko, 159 | K: Pettitte, 186 |
| 2005 Team Leaders | |
| AVG: Bonds, .407 | WINS: Maddux, 13 |
| HR: Bonds, 85 | ERA: Maddux, 6.22 |
| RBI: Ramirez, 228 | K: Maddux, 159 |
| 2004 Team Leaders | |
| AVG: Bonds, .353 | WINS: Colon, 17 |
| HR: Ramirez, 45 | ERA: Mussina, 3.92 |
| RBI: Ramirez, 158 | K: Mussina, 224 |
2008 Coral Springs Playoff Summary
NLDS:
CS defeated 8M 4 games to 1
Stars:
Miguel Tejada
.450, 7 runs, 6 RBI
Michael Cuddyer
.400, 2 HR, RBI
Troy Glaus
.389, 2 HR, walk-off vs. the Sandman
Mike Mussina
2-0, 3.18 ERA, 2 BB, 17 K
NLCS:
SJU defeated CS 4 games to 3
Stars:
A.J. Pierzynski
.476, 7 RBI
Manny Ramirez
.333, 6 HR, 9 RBI
Barry Bonds
.321, 5 HR, 14 RBI