The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, the region’s new professional baseball team, have announced their Atlantic League inaugural season schedule. After a six-game road trip to begin the season, the Blue Crabs will open up the new, state-of-the-art Regency Furniture Stadium with a home game against the Lancaster Barnstormers on Friday, May 2, 2008. Game times have not yet been announced.
“Fans of the Blue Crabs throughout ‘Crustacean Nation’ can now join me in circling a date on their calendars to mark the debut of professional baseball in Southern Maryland,” said Hall-of-Famer and Blue Crabs Co-Owner Brooks Robinson. “I’m looking forward to the inaugural season and to attending ballgames at Regency Furniture Stadium.”
The 2008 Atlantic League schedule was released on Monday and the Blue Crabs will begin their inaugural season on the road against the Somerset (N.J.) Patriots with a three-game series beginning Friday, April 25. After a day off, followed by three more games in York (Pa.) against the Revolution, the Blue Crabs will open their home schedule in Southern Maryland for the first three of 70 home games beginning Friday, May 2. The inaugural, six-game homestand also includes three games against the defending, Atlantic League-champion Newark Bears, May 5-7.
The 140-game, regular schedule includes 70 home games and 70 contests on the road. The Blue Crabs will play each of the other seven Atlantic League teams 20 times, split evenly between home and away. The league is comprised of the Bridgeport (CT) Bluefish, Camden (NJ) Riversharks, Lancaster (PA) Barnstormers, Long Island (NY) Ducks, Newark (NJ) Bears, Somerset (NJ) Patriots and York (PA) Revolution.
“This will be the third year our league has a 140-game schedule, and this season we are poised to break all of our previous single-season attendance records,” Atlantic League executive director Joe Klein said. “In 2009, we will already be welcoming our twenty-millionth fan.”
The home schedule features 19 games in May, 14 in June, 17 in July, 13 in August and seven in September. The Blue Crabs will be home on Memorial Day (May 26) and the Fourth of July. The home schedule includes 11 weekend series’ at Regency Furniture Stadium, with the final home game coming on Wednesday, September 17 against the Bridgeport Bluefish. The Blue Crabs inaugural season concludes on the road with four games in Camden, September 18-21.
The Blue Crabs longest homestand of the season comes just before the Atlantic League All-Star break, from July 3-13, when the club plays ten home games in 11 days. The Blue Crabs will not play more than seven straight games on the road at any point during the inaugural season.
Game times, a schedule of promotions and dates of ticket plans will be announced at a later time.
