Gateway GrizzliesGateway Grizzlies
2301 Grizzlie Bear Blvd.
618-337-3000
618-332-3625 Fax
FOR RELEASE: October 13, 2008
GRIZZLIES, FRONTIER LEAGUE ANNOUNCE 2009 SCHEDULE
Two day-night double headers, four daytime starts and 25 weekend home dates, including July 4th weekend highlight the Gateway Grizzlies 2009 schedule released today by the Grizzlies and the Frontier League. The Grizzlies will play a 96-game schedule, including 48 home dates, extending from May 22 through September 6. The schedule will see the Grizzlies play 12 games against five West Division opponents and six games against six teams from the East division.
The Grizzlies will open their ninth Frontier League season Friday May 22 at GCS Ballpark with the first of a four game series against the River City Rascals. Saturday May 23rd will see the first of the day-night double-headers that have the Grizzlies and Rascals each hosting a home contest that day. The Rascals will play host to the Grizzlies at 12:05 p.m. while the Grizzlies will host River City at 7:05 p.m. that same night. The two teams will play a second split-venue double-header August 29 when the Grizzlies host the Rascals at 12:00 p.m. then travel to River City for a 7:05 p.m. contest.
The Grizzlies home schedule will feature four daytime starts in 2008. June 17 the Grizzlies will host the Southern Illinois Miners in a 12:05 p.m. game. Two Sunday games, August 29 against the Evansville Otters and August 23 against the Kalamazoo Kings, will feature 3:05 p.m. starts.
The league remains at 12 teams for the 2009 season, with two changes. The Chillicothe (Oh.) Paints, who had been in the league since it began in 1993, have left the Frontier League. Avon (Oh.) Professional Baseball will fill the Paints' vacant spot and will compete in the East Division.
The division structure remains the same. The Grizzlies will compete in the West division with Evansville, River City, Rockford, Southern Illinois and Windy City. The Windy City ThunderBolts laid claim to their second consecutive Frontier League title in 2008, after winning the West Division with the league's best record.
The East Division will feature Avon Professional Baseball, the Florence Freedom, the Kalamazoo Kings, the Midwest Sliders of Ypsilanti, the Traverse City Beach Bums and the Washington Wild Things. The Midwest Sliders, who competed as a road-only team in 2008, will play their home games at Eastern Michigan University.
The playoff format will remain unchanged from 2008. Each division winner, plus two "wild card" teams, regardless of division, will advance to a best-of-five first-round series. Home field advantage will be determined by regular-season record. Should two teams from each division advance to the playoffs the first round will be played within the division. The winners of each series will meet in a best-of-five championship series. Home field advantage for the championship series will also be awarded via regular season record.
Season tickets are currently on sale for the 2009 season, and can be purchased by calling the Grizzlies office at 618-337-3000.
The entire 2009 schedule follows.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Grizzlies General Manager Steve Gomric or Joe Pott in the Grizzlies office at 618-337-3000 or Frontier League Commissioner Bill Lee in the league office at 618-667-8000.
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| Friday | 5/22 | River City | Friday | 7/17 | Avon | |
| Saturday | 5/23 | at River City/ River City | Saturday | 7/18 | Avon | |
| Sunday | 5/24 | River City | Sunday | 7/19 | Avon | |
| Monday | 5/25 | OFF | Monday | 7/20 | Midwest | |
| Tuesday | 5/26 | Washington | Tuesday | 7/21 | Midwest | |
| Wednesday | 5/27 | Washington | Wednesday | 7/22 | Midwest | |
| Thursday | 5/28 | Washington | Thursday | 7/23 | at Evansville | |
| Friday | 5/29 | at Florence | Friday | 7/24 | at Evansville | |
| Saturday | 5/30 | at Florence | Saturday | 7/25 | at Evansville | |
| Sunday | 5/31 | at Florence | Sunday | 7/26 | Southern Illinois | |
| Monday | 6/1 | OFF | Monday | 7/27 | Southern Illinois | |
| Tuesday | 6/2 | at Washington | Tuesday | 7/28 | Southern Illinois | |
| Wednesday | 6/3 | at Washington | Wednesday | 7/29 | Windy City | |
| Thursday | 6/4 | at Washington | Thursday | 7/30 | Windy City | |
| Friday | 6/5 | Florence | Friday | 7/31 | Windy City | |
| Saturday | 6/6 | Florence | Saturday | 8/1 | at Southern Illinois | |
| Sunday | 6/7 | Florence | Sunday | 8/2 | at Southern Illinois | |
| Monday | 6/8 | OFF | Monday | 8/3 | at Southern Illinois | |
| Tuesday | 6/9 | OFF | Tuesday | 8/4 | at Windy City | |
| Wednesday | 6/10 | at River City | Wednesday | 8/5 | at Windy City | |
| Thursday | 6/11 | at River City | Thursday | 8/6 | at Windy City | |
| Friday | 6/12 | at Rockford | Friday | 8/7 | Evansville | |
| Saturday | 6/13 | at Rockford | Saturday | 8/8 | Evansville | |
| Sunday | 6/14 | at Rockford | Sunday | 8/9 | Evansville | |
| Monday | 6/15 | Southern Illinois | Monday | 8/10 | OFF | |
| Tuesday | 6/16 | Southern Illinois | Tuesday | 8/11 | at Traverse City | |
| Wednesday | 6/17 | Southern Illinois | Wednesday | 8/12 | at Traverse City | |
| Thursday | 6/18 | Rockford | Thursday | 8/13 | at Traverse City | |
| Friday | 6/19 | Rockford | Friday | 8/14 | at Kalamazoo | |
| Saturday | 6/20 | Rockford | Saturday | 8/15 | at Kalamazoo | |
| Sunday | 6/21 | at Southern Illinois | Sunday | 8/16 | at Kalamazoo | |
| Monday | 6/22 | at Southern Illinois | Monday | 8/17 | OFF | |
| Tuesday | 6/23 | at Southern Illinois | Tuesday | 8/18 | Traverse City | |
| Wednesday | 6/24 | OFF | Wednesday | 8/19 | Traverse City | |
| Thursday | 6/25 | River City | Thursday | 8/20 | Traverse City | |
| Friday | 6/26 | River City | Friday | 8/21 | Kalamazoo | |
| Saturday | 6/27 | Evansville | Saturday | 8/22 | Kalamazoo | |
| Sunday | 6/28 | Evansville | Sunday | 8/23 | Kalamazoo | |
| Monday | 6/29 | Evansville | Monday | 8/24 | OFF | |
| Tuesday | 6/30 | at Rockford | Tuesday | 8/25 | at Windy City | |
| Wednesday | 7/1 | at Rockford | Wednesday | 8/26 | at Windy City | |
| Thursday | 7/2 | at Rockford | Thursday | 8/27 | at Windy City | |
| Friday | 7/3 | Windy City | Friday | 8/28 | at River City | |
| Saturday | 7/4 | Windy City | Saturday | 8/29 | River City/ at River City | |
| Sunday | 7/5 | Windy City | Sunday | 8/30 | at River City | |
| Monday | 7/6 | OFF | Monday | 8/31 | OFF | |
| Tuesday | 7/7 | at Avon | Tuesday | 9/1 | Rockford | |
| Wednesday | 7/8 | at Avon | Wednesday | 9/2 | Rockford | |
| Thursday | 7/9 | at Avon | Thursday | 9/3 | Rockford | |
| Friday | 7/10 | at Midwest | Friday | 9/4 | at Evansville | |
| Saturday | 7/11 | at Midwest | Saturday | 9/5 | at Evansville | |
| Sunday | 7/12 | at Midwest | Sunday | 9/6 | at Evansville | |
| Mon.-Thurs. | 7/13-7/16 | All-Star Break | Tuesday | 9/8 | Playoffs Begin | |
| Home games listed in bold | ||||||
| Monday-Saturday: 7:05 p.m., Sundays and July 4: 6:05 p.m. | ||||||
| June 17, Aug. 29: 12:05 p.m. | ||||||
| Aug. 9, Aug. 23: 3:05 p.m. | ||||||