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The Lancaster JetHawks are a minor league baseball team of the California League located in Lancaster, California. The team is named for the city's association with the aerospace industry and plays its home games at The Hangar. The Lancaster JetHawks are the Class A – Advanced affiliate of the Houston Astros. The JetHawks are the only California League team in Los Angeles County. ==History== Prior to moving to Lancaster, the team was known as the Riverside Pilots of Riverside, California. Notable players to play for the JetHawks include José Cruz, Jr. and Brandon Webb. While in Riverside, the team played at UC-Riverside Sports Center. The Pilots' previous owners chose Lancaster over Palm Springs, California in a lucrative offer. In November 2005, the original owners of the JetHawks during their first 10 years in Lancaster, Clutch Play Baseball, LLC, sold the team to a group led by majority investor Peter Carfagna of Cleveland, Ohio. One of their first acts was to replace the stadium's original scoreboard with a more advanced video board. For the first time, this allowed for video replays and other views from cameras around the field. For the 2006 season, the JetHawks' manager was former major leaguer Brett Butler. On September 29, 2006, the Boston Red Sox announced a two-year affiliation agreement with the JetHawks after losing their previous Carolina League affiliation in Wilmington. Since the Fenway Sports Group purchased the Carolina League's Salem Avalanche franchise after the 2007 season, with the stated intent of moving the Red Sox's High-A affiliation there once the 2007–2008 agreement term expired, the JetHawks were forced to find a new major league affiliate before the 2009 season—the Houston Astros. On August 25, 2008, the JetHawks announced its new General Manager, Antelope Valley native Larry Thornhill. Thornhill, a former JetHawks broadcaster from its inaugural season of 1996, took over day-to-day operations of the Lancaster organization from Brad Seymour who was promoted to Vice President of both the JetHawks and Lake County Captains. Seymour joined the organization in 2004 and served as General Manager for five seasons with the JetHawks. Wes Clemente, after serving the 2009 season as the JetHawks' manager, took over the managerial position for the Corpus Christi Hooks, Houston's Double-A affiliate. On November 16, 2009, the JetHawks announced its new manager for the 2010 season, Tom Lawless. He served as the manager of the Lexington Legends, the Astros' Class A minor league team, for the 2009 season. The JetHawks concluded the 2010 season with a 54–86 record, setting the worst season mark in franchise history. The JetHawks have been lauded for their creative giveaways. Every season, they give away a NASA-related bobblehead to pay tribute to the Antelope Valley and its leading industry. The Buzz Aldrin bobblehead was a big hit. On July 12, 2008, the JetHawks gave away skateboards to the first 500 children to arrive at the ballpark. These skateboards were widely considered the most expensive and high-end giveaway of the season in minor league baseball. Minor League Baseball (MILB.com) rated the skateboard giveaway one of the top ten promotions of 2008 in the minor leagues. On December 9, 2010, Tom Spencer was named as the JetHawks' manager for the 2011 season. He served as the manager of the Palm Beach Cardinals, the Advanced A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, for the 2009 season. On May 26, 2011, the Lancaster JetHawks announced that Larry Thornhill had resigned his position as Vice President and General Manager of the franchise for personal reasons. Derek Sharp, Lancaster's Assistant General Manager who has been with the organization since 2008, was named Interim General Manager for the remainder of the 2011 California League season. Brad Seymour, who was the JetHawks General Manager from 2004 – 2008, had also been named Senior Consultant for the JetHawks. Seymour currently also serves as Vice President and General Manager of the Lake County (OH) Captains, Class A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians under the direction of the Peter A. Carfagna ownership group which also controls the Lancaster JetHawks. Seymour, along with team President Peter E. Carfagna, will have direct oversight of the day-to-day activities of the JetHawks. On September 7, 2011, Derek Sharp was promoted from Interim General Manager to General Manager. On January 3, 2012, Rodney Linares was named as the JetHawks' manager for the 2012 season. He served as the manager of the Lexington Legends, the Class A affiliate of the Houston Astros, for the 2011 season. The Lancaster JetHawks clinched a playoff berth after the 2012 season as the #2 seed Wild Card. In the Southern Division Mini-Series, the JetHawks beat the Lake Elsinore Storm, two games to one. In the Southern Division Championship Series, the JetHawks beat the First & Second Half Champion High Desert Mavericks, three games to one. On September 15, 2012, the Lancaster JetHawks became the California League Champions after sweeping the Northern Division Champion Modesto Nuts three games to none with a final score in Game 3 of 3–2. It would be the JetHawks’ first California League Championship title in franchise history. On May 12, 2013 (Mother’s Day), the Lancaster JetHawks beat the Stockton Ports, 2–0, as Kyle Hallock and Luis Cruz combined to throw the first nine-inning no-hitter in franchise history. The win was also JetHawks manager Rodney Linares' 300th career win as a manager. The only other no-hitter in JetHawks history came in 2010 when they no-hit the Lake Elsinore Storm in a combined 10-inning no-hitter. Robert Donovan, Edwin Walker, David Berner, David Carpenter, and Jose Trinidad pitched in the game for the JetHawks. The Lancaster JetHawks clinched a playoff berth after the 2013 season as the First and Second Half Champions. On December 20, 2013, Will Thornhill, son of former general manager Larry Thornhill, was named the new general manager of the Lancaster JetHawks after Derek Sharp accepted a job with the New Britain Rock Cats, the Double A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. On April 29, 2014, Lance McCullers and Kyle Smith combined to tie a Lancaster franchise record with 17 strikeouts against the High Desert Mavericks. The record was set on August 8, 1997 when then Mariners' farmhand Jason Bond struck out 14 batters and the bullpen fanned three at Recreation Park against the Visalia Oaks. On May 13, 2014, Josh Hader, J.D. Osborne, and Daniel Minor combined to throw the third no-hitter in franchise history as the JetHawks beat the Bakersfield Blaze, 1-0, at The Hangar. On June 5, 2014, designated hitter Dan Gulbransen doubled to lead of the eighth inning to complete the sixth cycle of JetHawks history in a 16-7 win over the Inland Empire 66ers at The Hangar. Gulbransen became the first JetHawk to hit for the cycle since Brandon Barnes and Freddy Parejo hit for the cycle on back-to-back days on June 8 and 9, 2010. On June 11, 2014, the Lancaster JetHawks clinched the 2014 South Division First Half Championship title with a 16-3 win over the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes at The Hangar. The feat marks the sixth time the JetHawks have won the first half title in franchise history and the first time they've won back-to-back first halves since 2007 and 2008 as a Boston Red Sox affiliate. With three games remaining before the first half of the season concluded, the JetHawks tied the franchise record for first half wins with forty-three that was set back in 2004. On June 13, 2014, the JetHawks set a new franchise record for first half wins with forty-four with a 7-4 win over the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes at The Hangar. The Lancaster JetHawks clinched a playoff spot as the First Half Champions after the 2014 season. In the Southern Division Championship Series, the JetHawks swept the Second Half Champion Inland Empire 66ers, three games to none. On September 15, 2014, the Lancaster JetHawks became the California League Champions after beating the Northern Division Champion Visalia Rawhide three games to two with a final score in Game 5 of 10-2. It would be the JetHawks' second California League Championship title in franchise history, achieved on the two-year anniversary of their first and second title in three seasons. On November 12, 2014, Ballpark Digest.com announced the Lancaster JetHawks were being sold by Peter A. Carfagna's ownership group to the ownership group headed by Jake Kerr and Jeff Mooney, current owners of the Vancouver Canadians. Upon closing, Kerr and Mooney will become the third ownership group in the JetHawks' 19-year history. The sale is expected to close by the end of the calendar year, after receiving approvals by the California League and Minor League Baseball and a review by Major League Baseball.〔http://ballparkdigest.com/2014/11/13/lancaster-jethawks-sold-to-vancouver-canadians-owners/〕 On December 19, 2014, the Lancaster JetHawks announced their Field Staff for the 2015 season with Omar Lopez replacing Rodney Linares as JetHawks' skipper after three successful seasons that included two California League Championships (2012, 2014) and one California League Manager of the Year Award (2013). Lopez joins the JetHawks for his first season as manager and his 17th overall with the Astros organization. As manager of the Class A Quad Cities River Bandits in 2013, Lopez led the club to the Midwest League Championship title after an 81-57 finish in the regular season. Rodney Linares will take over as 2015 manager of the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks. On January 15, 2015, Tom Backemeyer was announced to have been appointed Executive Vice President of the Lancaster JetHawks in advance of the 2015 season effective January 6, 2015. The native of Lincoln, Nebraska has a vast background in Minor League Baseball as prior to his arrival in Lancaster, Backemeyer helped develop franchises in Nashville, Rancho Cucumonga, Fresno, and in Everett where he was named Executive Vice President of the Aquasox of the Northwest League. A graduate of Colorado State University (BA) with an MBA from University of Denver, Backemeyer has developed into one of Minor League Baseball's bright young minds as he joins the JetHawks organization. The Lancaster JetHawks clinched a playoff berth after the 2015 season as the #2 seed Wild Card. In the Southern Division Mini-Series, the High Desert Mavericks beat the JetHawks, two games to one. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Lancaster JetHawks」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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