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The Capital City Bombers are a minor league baseball team that plays in Columbia, South Carolina as a Class-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and a member of the South Atlantic League
History
The Bombers began their history in 1977 Shelby, North Carolina as the Shelby Reds. In 1983, the team moved to Columbia, which had lacked a minor league team since the departure of the Columbia Reds in 1961. Affiliated with the New York Mets the team was originally known as the Columbia Mets and made their home at Capital City Stadium. The team changed its name in 1993 to honor members of the Doolittle Raiders, who had conducted their initial training in Columbia. As of 2004, the team sought to relocate to either Wilmington, North Carolina, Greenville, South Carolina, or Bowling Green, Kentucky due to the failure of Columbia City Council to foster a compromise between the Bombers and the University of South Carolina in attempts to build a joint-use stadium. Also, in 2004, the Bombers changed affiliations and became the affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, who had previously been affiliated with the Augusta GreenJackets, also of the South Atlantic League. The Bombers have had a rich history within the South Atlantic League, winning three League Championships in 1986, 1998 (if anyone knows the date of the 3rd Championship, I would appreciate it being added here. It was sometime in the early '90s, I believe)
Stadium Capital City Stadium, at Downtown Columbia, is the home of the Bombers. The stadium was originally built in 1927, but was completely rebuilt in 1991. Capital City Stadium has a seating capacity for 6,000 spectators, has a grass surface and features the following fence dimensions: (LF) 330 ft., CF 400 ft., RF 320 ft.
The stadium has often proven inadeqeuate for baseball due to poor field conditions. Situated in a low-lying area, Capital City Stadium features poor drainage and heavy rains often resulted in a flooded infield. Also aesthetically displeasing, the Bombers sought assistance from Columbia in building a new stadium located in the Congaree Vista area of Columbia. Efforts to construct a stadium to be shared with the University of South Carolina's baseball team fell through when the University demanded the Bombers pay $6,000,000 in fees upfront. Since then, Bombers owner Rich Mozingo has sought to relocate the team. For the foreseeable future, the team will play in Columbia, however.
Notable players More than 100 members of the Mets/Bombers have gone on to the major leagues, the standouts include Endy Chávez, Brian Daubach, Alex Escobar, Dave Magadan, Guillermo Mota, Curtis Pride, Fernando Vińa, and Preston Wilson.
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