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| Melbourne Reds | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Information | ||||
| League | Australian Baseball League (1989-1999) | |||
| Location | Melbourne | |||
| Ballpark | Moorabbin Oval | |||
| Founded | 1989–90 | |||
| Folded | 1999 | |||
| Nickname(s) | Reds | |||
| League championships | 1989–90, 1994–95, 1997–98 | |||
| Former name(s) | Waverley Reds | |||
| Former ballparks | Waverley Park (89–94) | |||
| Colours | Red and White | |||
| Mascot | Redmond | |||
| 1998–99 | 20–23 (5th) | |||
| Manager | Steve Livesey | |||
| Uniforms | ||||
| ||||
The Melbourne Reds were a Victorian-based baseball team in the Australian Baseball League. They were the only team to win the championship 3 times. The Reds originally played at the home of VFL/AFL football, Waverley Park from 1989 until the 1994 Championship, when they moved to the former home ground of the St Kilda Football Club, Moorabbin Oval for the 1994/95 Championship and played there until the end of Australian Baseball League in 1999.
History
Birth of the Reds
After the 1988 Claxton Shield the idea of an Australian Baseball League was floated, with the Waverley Baseball Club being one of the strongest clubs in Victorian Baseball they stepped forward in instigating a team to represent the south-east of Melbourne, and the Waverley Reds were created.
In the first Australian Baseball League championship the Reds went through the season winning 34 out of 40 games, with a home record of 17 wins 2 losses, the Reds went into the championship series favourites against cross town rival the Melbourne Monarchs winning 3 out of the 4-game series to become the inaugural Australian Baseball League Champions.
The Waverley Baseball Club were the original majority owners and managers of the team, until it was foreseen that ownership of the team was not going to be a profitable exercise and distanced themselves to avoid future debts affecting the future of the baseball club.
After Waverley
In 1993, shortly after the owners’ departure, the young and ambitious American, Andy Karetsky, bought the team. Karetsky owned and operated the Reds, determined to lead them to victory.
Karetsky was truly a trailblazer for Australian baseball. He brought his US baseball knowledge and innovative thinking to Waverly. Karetsky’s leadership style resulted in the 1994-1995 Championship title and a 2nd place finish in the 1995-1996 season. Towards the end of the “Karetsky Era”, the Australian Football League did not renew the Reds’ lease of Waverly Park so the team moved to Moorabbin Oval where they adopted their new name: The Melbourne Reds. After 3 highly successful seasons, Karetsky sold his ownership of the Reds and returned to the US.
Decline of the ABL
After Karetsky, local baseball junkie and businessman Geoff Pearce purchased the majority ownership of the Reds, leading into the most difficult time of the ABL. Dwindling crowd numbers, severe lack of media attention and the ever-shrinking budget of the club took away a lot of the early excitement and entertainment from the Reds games. However, with all these factors Pearce lead the club to its last hurrah in the 1997/98 Championship, becoming the only team to win the ABL competition 3 times.
Late into the 1998–99 Australian Baseball League championship, the Reds were in the process of making a deal with ACES Sporting Club in Keysborough to convert their golf driving range into a light baseball diamond with grandstand to be the home of the Reds, however with the Australian Baseball League collapse after the 1999 Championship this deal never went ahead, however the Sporting Club entered into a sponsorship with the successor Victorian team after the ABL, the Victoria Aces as naming rights sponsors of the team.
Seasons
| Season | Finish |
|---|---|
| 1989–90 | 1st |
| 1990–91 | 4th |
| 1991–92 | 3rd |
| 1992–93 | 4th |
| 1993–94 | 6th |
| 1994–95 | 1st |
| 1995–96 | 2nd |
| 1996–97 | 8th |
| 1997–98 | 1st |
| 1998–99 | 5th |
The Reds were one of the most successful team in ABL history, having won the Championship title 3 times.
1989–90
| Wins | Loss | Win % | Home | Manager: | Phil Dale |
| 34 | 6 | .850 | 17–2 | US Affiliate: | Cincinnati Reds |
| Award | Name | Stats | Award | Name | Stats |
| Batting Champion | David Clarkson | .444 (126 At Bats) | Pitching Champion | Phil Dale | 1.44ERA (9–2, 81.1IP) |
| RBI Champion | Ron Carothers | 41 (161 At Bats) | Pitching Workhorse | Carl Grovom | 82.1IP (7–0, 2.73) |
| Home Run King | Ron Carothers | 6 | Strikeout King | Carl Grovom | 70 |
| Base Path Pirate | Mark Linger | 13 of 16 | Sigh of Relief | Mark Respondek | 4 Saves |
The first season of ABL play the Reds burst out of the blocks winning 34 out of the 40 games, only losing 2 games at home. The Reds played off with cross-town rivals, the Melbourne Monarchs, winning 3 out of the 4 play-off games to take out the Inaugural ABL championship.
1990–91
| Wins | Loss | Win % | Home | Manager: | Phil Dale |
| 20 | 18 | .526 | 10–10 | US Affiliate: | Cincinnati Reds |
| Award | Name | Stats | Award | Name | Stats |
| Batting Champion | David Clarkson | .370 (127 At Bats) | Pitching Champion | Mike Anderson | 2.58ERA (6–1) |
| RBI Champion | Ron Carothers | 33 (149 At Bats) | Pitching Workhorse | Phil Dale | 68.0IP (7–3, 3.18ERA) |
| Home Run King | Ron Carothers | 10 | Strikeout King | Mike Anderson | 48 |
| Base Path Pirate | Pete Beeler | 6 of 7 | Sigh of Relief | Dave McAuliffe | 3 Saves, 5.76ERA |
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008) |
1991–92
| Wins | Loss | Win % | Home | Manager: | Phil Dale |
| 27 | 19 | .586 | 16–8 | US Affiliate: | Atlanta Braves |
| Award | Name | Stats | Award | Name | Stats |
| Batting Champion | Jon Deeble | .323 (130 At Bats) | Pitching Champion | Phil Dale | 2.12ERA (7–3, 89.1IP) |
| RBI Champion | R. Carothers & David Clarkson | 33 | Pitching Workhorse | Scott Ryder | 92.1IP (8–3, 3.80) |
| Home Run King | Ron Carothers | 7 | Strikeout King | Scott Ryder | 71 |
|
Base Path Pirate |
Brian Kowitz
Kevin O’Connor |
(26 of 30)
(20 of 22) |
Sigh of Relief | Mark Respondek | 3 Saves (2.93) |
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008) |
1992–93
| Wins | Loss | Win % | Home | Manager: | Phil Dale |
| 26 | 21 | .553 | 14–10 | US Affiliate: | Atlanta Braves |
| Award | Name | Stats | Award | Name | Stats |
| Batting Champion | M. Sheldon-Collins | .306 (173AB) | Pitching Champion | Carlos Reyes | 2.02ERA (9–1) |
| RBI Champion | David Clarkson | 24 (137 At Bats) | Pitching Workhorse | Carlos Reyes | 98.0IP |
| Home Run King | D. Clarkson & Andrew Spencer | 4 | Strikeout King | Carlos Reyes | 74 |
| Base Path Pirate | Glenn Reeves | 11 of 11 | Sigh of Relief | Phil Dale | 7 Saves (2.47ERA) |
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008) |
1993–94
| Wins | Loss | Win % | Home | Manager: | Phil Dale |
| 22 | 31 | .415 | 10–15 | US Affiliate: | Atlanta Braves |
| Award | Name | Stats | Award | Name | Stats |
| Batting Champion | Aaron Harvey | .284 (183 At Bats) | Pitching Champion | Phil Dale | 2.72ERA (4–5, 56.1IP) |
| RBI Champion | Andrew Spencer | 28 (146 At Bats) | Pitching Workhorse | Simon Sheldon-Collins | 71.1IP |
| Home Run King | Andrew Spencer | 7 | Strikeout King | Simon Sheldon-Collins | 50 |
| Base Path Pirate | Aaron Harvey | 17 of 22 | Sigh of Relief | Phil Dale | 5 Saves (2.72ERA) |
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008) |
1994–95
| Wins | Loss | Win % | Home | Manager: | Paul Runge |
| 44 | 14 | .750 | 19–7 | US Affiliate: | Atlanta Braves |