Atlantic City Surf

Did You Know?

• The Surf's mascot was named Splash.
• Home uniforms featured an interlocking 'AC' on the left chest and navy pinstripes.
• Radio broadcasts were handled by play-by-play announcer Matt Martucci on WLFR.

Earlier Atlantic City baseball teams

Atlantic City hosted a few short-lived, unnamed teams in various leagues in the 19th century. In 1916, the Bacharach Giants, originally the Duval Giants of Jacksonville, Florida, relocated to Atlantic City and were renamed for mayor Harry Bacharach. The team was independent from 1916 to 1922, then joined the Eastern Colored League from 1923 until that league folded during the 1928 season, winning the league in 1926 and 1927 under Dick Lundy. The Giants became part of the American Negro League in 1929 and continued in the Negro National League in 1932, when the team folded as a professional club.

Atlantic City Surf

The Surf opened their ballpark, The Sandcastle, on May 20, 1998, losing to the Somerset Patriots 8-5. They hosted the first Atlantic League All-Star game on July 15, defeating the League All-Stars 6-4, and later won the league's first Championship Series over the Bridgeport Bluefish three games to one. The Surf reached the postseason four times in five years (2002 and 2004–06) but were eliminated in the first round each time. In 2007, the Surf moved to the Can-Am League and made the playoffs in their inaugural season, finishing with the second-best overall record of 51-41 under manager Chris Carminucci, but lost to the North Shore Spirit three games to one in the opening round. Carminucci received Manager of the Year, starting pitcher Brian Rodaway won Pitcher of the Year with a league-best 15-3 record, and relief pitcher Matt Pike earned Reliever of the Year for his league-leading 24 saves. In 2008, Cecil Fielder managed the team to a 51-43 record and another playoff appearance, losing to the Quebec Capitales three games to one. On March 30, 2009, the Can-Am League announced the Surf would not operate in the 2009 season due to the collapse of a proposed sale and lack of ownership. Players were made available in an April 3, 2009 dispersal draft. On May 17, 2018, Atlantic City's City Council authorized former owner Frank Boulton to find an ownership group to bring minor league baseball back to Surf Stadium for the 2019 season, but success quickly became unlikely, and no indications exist that professional baseball will return to Atlantic City.