LAS VEGAS: The Las Vegas 51s professional baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL), Triple-A affiliate of the 2015 National League Champion New York Mets, will open a brief four-game homestand on Tuesday, May 10 against the El Paso Chihuahuas, Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, at Cashman Field. All games on the homestand from Tuesday-Friday, May 10-13 will begin at 7:05 p.m.
The 51s, under fourth-year manager Wally Backman, are currently playing a stretch of 16 out of 20 games on the road from May 2-22. Las Vegas is 3-3 on the eight-game road trip (2-2 vs. El Paso; 1-1 vs. Sacramento). The trip will conclude in Northern California on Monday evening against the Sacramento River Cats, Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.
The 51s organization have the proud distinction of being the longest enduring franchise in the history of professional sports in the state of Nevada.
2016 ATTENDANCE: In 14 dates, Las Vegas’ total is 76,788 for an average of 5,485. The season-high “home crowd” was an overflow sellout of 11,726 vs. Tacoma on April 28 for Fireworks/Star Wars Night. The Las Vegas franchise has reached the 300,000 plateau in “home” attendance in all 33 seasons (1983-2015). The all-time attendance total now stands at 11,054,517. The Las Vegas franchise welcomed the 11-millionth fan (Brian Johnson) during the opening homestand on April 14 vs. Sacramento.
HOMETOWN HEROES NIGHT – FRIDAY, MAY 13
8 News Now Viva Las Vegas Fireworks (post-game show),” presented by The Orleans & Gold Coast will be featured on Hometown Heroes Night.
The GUNS AND HOSES will play a preliminary game at 5 p.m., pitting local police agencies, against local firefighters. All ticket holders will be able to come inside and watch the first responder showdown, and then stay for the rest of the festivities. At 6 p.m., there will be a static display of emergency service and patrol vehicles parked in front of Cashman Field for attendees to tour and learn about the types of vehicles and technology used to keep our community safe. A K-9 unit will also be on hand for a brief demonstration.
The 51s organization will conduct a special pre-game ceremony dedicated to recognize, support and to thank our emergency service providers including the police, fire and emergency medical providers of Southern Nevada. The “Color Guard Ceremony” will feature members of the Police and Fire Departments and including ceremonial first pitches for individuals who will be honored for their acts of heroism.
Individual police officers, firefighters and emergency personnel who have dedicated their lives to helping others will be acknowledged during the pre-game ceremony.
The 51s will have a special “thank you” announcement for the families of our local Hometown Heroes.
“The 51s organization is excited to present the annual Hometown Heroes Night at Cashman Field,” 51s President/COO Don Logan said. “We are honored to have all of the departments & organizations with ties to First Responders at the ball park for this special evening.
“We are privileged to acknowledge the members of the police, fire and emergency medical providers and for all of the important jobs that they all serve for the safety of our entire community.”
The following is the Departments & Organizations with ties to First Responders who will be at Cashman Field:
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department; City of North Las Vegas Police Department; City of Henderson Police Department; Nevada Department of Public Safety – Highway Patrol Division; Crime Prevention and Community Relations – Clark County School District Police Department; Friends of Las Vegas Metro Police Department Foundation; Clark County Fire Department; City of Las Vegas Fire Department; City of North Las Vegas Fire Department; City of Henderson Fire Department; Henderson Firefighters Benevolent Association; Special Olympics; Operation FireHEAT; Save the Fire Truck.
Budweiser Dollar Beer Night will also be presented on Thursday, May 12 in game three of the four-game series against El Paso. Dollar Beer Night will be featured at every Thursday home game during the 2016 season. Proper identification and wristbands are required for dollar beer night.
El Paso’s roster features two of the top 10 prospects in the Padres organization, according to Baseball America: Top prospect: outfielder Manuel Margot (No. 2) and outfielder Hunter Renfroe (No. 3).
Former Las Vegas 51s first baseman James Loney is also a member of the El Paso roster. Loney played two seasons for Las Vegas (2006-07, Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers) and was the 2006 PCL Batting Champion with a .380 average (98 games, 139-for-366, 33 doubles, 8 HR, 67 RBI). The .380 average is a Las Vegas single-season franchise record.
Four Las Vegas players in franchise history (1983 – present) have recorded PCL Batting Titles: John Kruk (.351, 1985); Loney in 2006; Terry Tiffee (.378, 2008); David Cooper (.364, 2011).
Loney has enjoyed a successful 10-year Major League career with the Dodgers (2006-12), Boston (2012) and Tampa Bay (2013-15). He has appeared in 1,343 career ML games and has a career .285 average (1,334-for-4,680) with 251 doubles, 99 home runs and 635 RBI. He was originally selected in the first round (19th overall) by the Dodgers of June 2002 First-Year Player Draft.
The 51s will broadcast all games on Lotus Broadcasting on NBC Sports Radio AM 920 ‘THE GAME’, which will carry live all 144 regular season games. Also, all games will be available on the 51s website (Major League Baseball Advanced Media, MLBAM) at www.LV51.com. Russ Langer, the 10-time Nevada Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NSSA), is in his 17th season behind the microphone calling 51s baseball.
All 51s games (home & away) will also be broadcast on MiLB.TV via LV51.com.
Following the homestand, Las Vegas will start a stretch of 16 straight games against the American Conference from May 14-30, beginning in Oklahoma City, Okla., against the Dodgers, Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The four-game series will conclude on Tuesday, May 17. The next scheduled off day for the PCL is Wednesday, May 18. The 51s will then continue the eight-game road trip at Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday, May 19 against the Sky Sox, Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. The four-game series will conclude on Sunday, May 22.
Tickets for all 51s home games can be purchased at the America First Credit Union Box Office at Cashman Field. The box office is open Monday-Friday (non-game days) from Noon to 4:30 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased through Ticketmaster (1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com). Ticketmaster outlets are located at selected Smith’s Food & Drug.
The individual game tickets for the 72-game home season are priced at $11.00 (reserved, $12.00-Day of Game); $14.00 (plaza, $15.00-Day of Game) and $16.00 (field, $17.00-Day of Game) & the blue dugout seats at $30.00. The traditional $2.00 discount for Military personnel is offered on plaza, field and reserved seats throughout the season except for the “Fireworks Extravaganza” on Monday, July 4 (all seats priced at $16.00-presale & $17.00-Day of Game for this special event).
Season tickets and mini-plan packages (11, 22, 36-game plans) are available by calling the 51s office at (702) 798-7825.
Official licensed 51s team merchandise is available on the “Team Shop” section of the website.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.