Jacksonville Suns
From BR Bullpen
- Location: Jacksonville, FL
- League: International League 1962-1968; Southern League 1970-1984, 1991-present
- Affiliation: Cleveland Indians 1962-1963; St. Louis Cardinals 1964-1965; New York Mets 1966-1968; Milwaukee Brewers & Montreal Expos 1970; Cleveland Indians 1971; Kansas City Royals 1972-1983; Montreal Expos 1984; Seattle Mariners 1991-1994; Detroit Tigers 1995-2000; Los Angeles Dodgers 2001-present
- Ballpark: Sam Wolfson Baseball Park ; Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville 2003-present
The Jacksonville Suns are a AA minor league baseball team in the Southern League. They have been in the league since 1970 and since 2001, they have been an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They were known as the "Jacksonville Expos" between 1985 and 1990, when they were an affiliate of the Montreal Expos. The Suns were Southern League champions in 1996 and 2005 and co-champions in 2001. The club currently calls the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville their home park.
Another team called the Jacksonville Suns played in the AAA International League from 1962 to 1968. That club won titles in '62 and '64, with a 10th-place finish in between. The 10th-place squad had a pitching staff that at times included Tommy John, Ted Abernathy and Mike Cuellar. In 1964 Hector Espino got his only playing time in the US-based minor leagues while with Jacksonville. Bobby Tolan (in 1965), Tom Seaver and Tug McGraw (in 1966), McGraw and Nolan Ryan (in 1967) and McGraw and Amos Otis (in 1968). Many key players on the Miracle Mets appeared for the club during its 7-year run in the IL.
[edit] Year-by-Year Record
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 94-60 | 1st | Ben Geraghty | Lost League Finals |
| 1963 | 56-91 | 10th | Ben Geraghty (26-39) / Casey Wise (30-52) | |
| 1964 | 89-62 | 1st | Harry Walker | Lost in 1st round |
| 1965 | 71-76 | 6th | Grover Resinger | |
| 1966 | 68-79 | 7th | Solly Hemus | |
| 1967 | 66-73 | 5th | Bill Virdon | |
| 1968 | 75-71 | 4th | Clyde McCullough | League Champs |
| 1970 | 67-70 | 5th | Gus Niarhos | none |
| 1971 | 63-77 | 4th | Ray Hathaway | |
| 1972 | 64-75 | 6th | Billy Gardner | |
| 1973 | 76-60 | 2nd | Billy Gardner | Lost League Finals |
| 1974 | 78-60 | 1st | Billy Gardner | Lost League Finals |
| 1975 | 59-79 | 8th | Billy Scripture | |
| 1976 | 66-72 | 6th | Billy Scripture | |
| 1977 | 72-66 | 4th | Gordon Mackenzie | Lost League Finals |
| 1978 | 73-69 | 3rd | Gordon Mackenzie | |
| 1979 | 69-72 | 6th | Joe Jones | |
| 1980 | 63-81 | 8th | Gene Lamont | |
| 1981 | 65-77 | 8th | Gene Lamont | |
| 1982 | 83-61 | 1st | Gene Lamont | Lost League Finals |
| 1983 | 77-68 | 4th | Gene Lamont | Lost League Finals |
| 1984 | 76-69 | 3rd | Rick Renick | |
| 1991 | 74-69 | 4th | Jim Nettles | |
| 1992 | 68-75 | 7th | Bob Hartsfield | |
| 1993 | 59-81 | 10th | Marc Hill | |
| 1994 | 60-77 | 9th | Marc Hill | |
| 1995 | 75-69 | 5th | Bill Plummer | |
| 1996 | 75-63 | 3rd | Bill Plummer (39-30) / Larry Parrish (36-33) | League Champs |
| 1997 | 66-73 | 8th | Dave Anderson | |
| 1998 | 86-54 | 1st (t) | Dave Anderson | Lost League Finals |
| 1999 | 75-66 | 3rd | Dave Anderson | |
| 2000 | 69-71 | 5th | Gene Roof | Lost League Finals |
| 2001 | 83-56 | 1st | John Shoemaker | Co-Champs* |
| 2002 | 77-62 | 2nd | Dino Ebel | Lost League Finals |
| 2003 | 66-73 | 6th (t) | Dino Ebel | |
| 2004 | 66-71 | 7th | Dino Ebel | |
| 2005 | 79-61 | 3rd | John Shoemaker | League Champs |
| 2006 | 86-54 | 1st | John Shoemaker | Lost in 1st round |
| 2007 | 80-60 | 2nd | John Shoemaker |
* Series cancelled, Huntsville and Jacksonville declared co-champions
