Bangor Blue Ox

History

The Northeast League began play in 1995 with six teams, all in New York, but only three returned for a second season. Seeking expansion into New England, the league added teams in West Warwick, Rhode Island, and Bangor—which had not hosted a professional baseball team in over 80 years—for the 1996 season, along with Elmira to bring the roster back to six clubs. The Blue Ox and the league hoped that placing a team in Bangor would prompt the city to build a new ballpark; in the interim, the team played at Mahaney Diamond on the University of Maine campus in Orono.

In their first year, the Blue Ox finished third with a 46–33 record. The starting rotation was led by 36-year-old former Major Leaguer Oil Can Boyd, who was attempting a comeback and finished the season at 10–0 with a 3.22 ERA, though he did not return to the majors. Despite on-field success, attendance was low: 35,652 fans, roughly 900 per game, next-to-last in the league. In 1997, the Northeast League absorbed remnants of the failed North Atlantic League and expanded to eight teams; the Blue Ox finished 40–43, sixth place. Attendance again was next-to-last at 35,591. By the end of the 1997 season, it was clear Bangor would not build a new stadium (as of 2021, the city still had not done so). Mahaney Diamond, while suitable for college baseball, was not designed as a permanent minor-league park. The team was sold to new ownership and moved to Quebec City for the 1998 season, where the franchise continues as the Québec Capitales. Other players with Major League experience included pitcher Mike Smith (1996), and in 1997 Fernando Ramsey, outfielder Bob Zupcic, pitcher Joe Grahe, and pitcher George Tsamis.