Northern League (baseball) facts for kids
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1993 |
| Ceased | 2010 |
| Countries |  United States Canada |
| Continent | North America |
| Last champion(s) |
Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks |
| Most titles | Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (5) |
The Northern League was a special kind of baseball league. It was called an independent league because it wasn't connected to the big leagues like Major League Baseball or the regular minor leagues. This league played from 1993 to 2010.
Later, the Northern League joined with two other leagues, the Golden Baseball League and the United Baseball League. Together, they formed a new league called the North American League.
Teams That Played in the Northern League
The Northern League had many different teams over the years. Some teams stayed for a long time, while others moved or changed their names. Here are some of the teams that were part of the league between 1993 and 2010:
- Rochester Aces (This team later became the Winnipeg Goldeyes in 1994.)
- Thunder Bay Whiskey Jacks (This team changed to the Schaumburg Flyers in 1999.)
- Madison Black Wolf (In 2001, this team became the Lincoln Saltdogs.)
- Duluth–Superior Dukes (This team became the Kansas City T-Bones in 2003.)
- St. Paul Saints (In 2005, they left to help start the American Association.)
- Lincoln Saltdogs (They also left in 2005 to join the American Association.)
- Schaumburg Flyers (This team stopped playing in 2011 before joining the North American League.)
- Sioux Falls Canaries (They left in 2005 to join the American Association.)
- Sioux City Explorers (They also left in 2005 to join the American Association.)
- Calgary Vipers (In 2007, they joined the Golden Baseball League and later stopped playing.)
- Edmonton Cracker-Cats (They joined the Golden Baseball League in 2007 and later changed their name to Edmonton Capitals.)
- Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (In 2010, they left to join the American Association.)
- Gary SouthShore RailCats (They also left in 2010 to join the American Association.)
- Kansas City T-Bones (They left in 2010 to join the American Association.)
- Winnipeg Goldeyes (They also left in 2010 to join the American Association.)
Northern League East Teams
From 1999 to 2002, there was a special division called the Northern League East. These teams later left to form a new league called the Northeast League, which then became the Can-Am League.
Some of these teams included:
- Adirondack Lumberjacks (Played from 1995–2003; later moved and then stopped playing.)
- Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs (Played from 1995–2002; later stopped playing.)
- Allentown Ambassadors (Played from 1997–2003; later stopped playing.)
- Brockton Rox (Played from 2002–2011; now plays in a college baseball league.)
- New Jersey Jackals (Started in 1998 and are still playing today.)
- Les Capitales de Québec (Started in 1999 and are still playing today.)
Northern League Champions
Each year, teams in the Northern League competed to win the championship. The team that won the most championships was the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, with five wins!
Here is a list of the champions each year:
- 1993: St. Paul Saints
- 1994: Winnipeg Goldeyes
- 1995: St. Paul Saints
- 1996: St. Paul Saints
- 1997: Duluth–Superior Dukes
- 1998: Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
- 1999: Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs
- 2000: Adirondack Lumberjacks
- 2001: New Jersey Jackals
- 2002: New Jersey Jackals
- 2003: Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
- 2004: St. Paul Saints
- 2005: Gary SouthShore RailCats
- 2006: Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
- 2007: Gary SouthShore RailCats
- 2008: Kansas City T-Bones
- 2009: Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
- 2010: Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
