Somerset Patriots

The Somerset Patriots are an American professional Minor League Baseball team based in Bridgewater, New Jersey. They are the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees and compete in the Eastern League. Before joining the Eastern League in 2021, they were part of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball from 1998 to 2020.

From 1998 to 2020, the Patriots were one of the most successful teams in the Atlantic League. They won many games, thirteen division titles, and six league championships in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, and 2015. After moving to the Eastern League, they continued their success, winning division titles in 2021, 2022, and 2024, as well as the 2022 Eastern League Championship.

The team's name, "Patriots," comes from the Middlebrook encampment, where the first official flag of the United States was shown after Congress passed a law to adopt a national flag on June 14, 1777. A special 13-star flag is flown at the Washington Camp Ground in Bridgewater Township to honor this history.

History

The Somerset Patriots started as one of the first teams in the Atlantic League in 1998. They played their first season away from home while their ballpark was being built. When they opened TD Bank Park in 1999, they quickly became one of the league's best teams.

In 2009, the Patriots were the first Atlantic League team to hold spring training close to home at the Jack Cust Baseball Academy in Flemington, instead of traveling to Lakeland, Florida. Later, the Lancaster Barnstormers and the York Revolution did the same, partly because of money problems in 2008 and 2009.

The team reached a big milestone on July 24, 2012, when they won their 1,000th game, beating the Sugar Land Skeeters 6–5. In 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Atlantic League did not play, so the Patriots created a special series with a new team called the New Jersey Blasters, using players mostly from New Jersey.

In November 2020, the Patriots became affiliated with the New York Yankees, moving to the Double-A Northeast league. They started playing there in May 2021 and won the Northeast Division that year. In 2022, the league changed its name back to the Eastern League. On September 28, 2022, the Patriots won their first Eastern League Championship and their seventh league title overall with a strong 15–0 win over the Erie SeaWolves at TD Bank Ballpark.

Season-by-season results

Logos and uniforms

The Somerset Patriots use navy blue, maroon, and silver as their team colors. Their main logo shows a soldier from long ago with stars on his shoulder and stripes, like the U.S. flag. Below the soldier is the team name written in navy blue with a silver baseball bat under it. "Somerset" is written above in maroon.

The team wears caps and uniforms made by New Era. Their caps are all navy blue with a special logo on the front. They also have another cap with a navy blue top and a maroon bottom edge. The home jerseys have thin stripes and the word "Patriots" written across the front. The away jerseys look similar to the ones worn by the New York Yankees, but with "Somerset" on them instead.

For a few games in 2024, the team dressed up as the Jersey Diners. They wore a fun coffee mug logo and uniforms that were cotton-candy blue with hot pink details.

Radio and television

All of the Patriots' games are shown on Fox Sports New Jersey and MiLB.TV. Steven Cusumano, the voice of the Patriots, provides the commentary for these broadcasts.

Mascots

The Somerset Patriots have fun characters that cheer up fans at their games. One mascot is Sparkee, an anthropomorphic dog who wears the team’s home uniform with white sneakers. Sparkee’s name honors the team’s first manager, Sparky Lyle. Another mascot is Slider, a cat (sometimes thought to look like a bear) who wears a navy blue jersey and gray pants. There was also a mascot named “TD” and a live mascot called “General Admission” who dressed up like soldiers from the American Revolution.

Roster

The Somerset Patriots are a baseball team based in Bridgewater, New Jersey. They play in the Eastern League and are connected to the New York Yankees team. Previously, they were part of the Atlantic League from 1998 to 2020.

Retired numbers

The Somerset Patriots have honored two players by retiring their numbers. Number 28 belongs to Sparky Lyle, a manager who helped the team, and it was retired on June 14, 2014. Number 42 belongs to Jackie Robinson, a famous second baseman (/w/3), and this number is retired by all teams in professional baseball since April 15, 1997.