The New Jersey Jackals are a professional baseball team based in Paterson, New Jersey. The Jackals compete in the National Association of Professional Baseball (NAPB) as a member of the East Division in the Atlantic Conference. The team was founded in 1998 by Floyd Hall and is owned by Baye Adofo-Wilson who also owns the New York Cosmos. The Jackals play their home games at former Negro leagues ballpark Hinchliffe Stadium. They were previously members of the Northeast League, Northern League, Can-Am League, and All-American Baseball Challenge.
The Jackals have a rivalry with their cross-Hudson River neighbor New York Boulders, the Québec Capitales, as well as the Sussex County Miners (Battle of New Jersey). The Jackals are one of three Frontier League teams in the New York metropolitan area; the others are the Boulders and the Miners.
Team history
1998: Inaugural season The Jackals were founded in 1998 and replaced the Bangor Blue Ox in the Northeast League after that franchise folded. Kash Beauchamp was named the team's first manager and they began play on May 30, 1998, against the Waterbury Spirit, where they won both games of a doubleheader.
The Jackals' first home game was played at a yet-to-be-finished Yogi Berra Stadium on June 5. Facing the Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs, New Jersey went to extra innings before winning 2–1 in the thirteenth on a home run by Gary Collum.
The Jackals finished the regular season with 53 wins, most in the league, and won the first half championship, which ensured a place in the Northeast League playoffs. They would defeat the Allentown Ambassadors in their first playoff series, then face Albany-Colonie again for the league championship. The Jackals defeated the Diamond Dogs 2–0 in a best of three series to win their first league championship.
1999–2000: Entering a new league
The Jackals became members of the Northern League for the 1999 season after the league decided to absorb the Northeast League. The Jackals became part of the new Northern League East Division.
The Jackals won 45 games in 1999 and again qualified for the playoffs, knocking off Allentown in their first playoff matchup before falling to Albany-Colonie in a rematch of their league championship series from 1998.
The Jackals received the honor of hosting the Northern League All-Star Game in 2000. 4,211 fans showed up to watch the game, which saw the East defeat the Central Division 10–5. It was one of the year's highlights, but there were not many others as the Jackals struggled throughout the season. A 31–52 record placed the team last in the division, and following the season Kash Beauchamp announced his resignation after three seasons.
2001–2004: Champions George Tsamis was hired to take over the Jackals for 2001. He had lost his job as manager in Waterbury following the 2000 season when the Spirit suspended operations.
The Jackals again found struggles, but managed to pull together 45 victories against 45 losses. They qualified for the Northern League playoffs for the second time in three years as a wild card and once again won their first round series, sweeping Albany-Colonie.
Shortly after the Jackals' win over the Diamond Dogs, the September 11 attacks occurred and threw the rest of the playoffs into doubt. After discussion the Northern League determined that they would continue to play and the Jackals resumed their championship quest against the Elmira Pioneers on September 17. In a five-game series, New Jersey emerged victorious and advanced to the Northern League Championship Series against the Winnipeg Goldeyes, whom they defeated in four games to win their second league championship.
2002
The 2002 Jackals season was historic on two fronts. The first historic moment came when Jeremy Callier threw a no-hitter on August 28 against the Berkshire Black Bears, requiring a home run by Ryan Kane in the bottom of the ninth inning to make it official.
The second piece of team history saw the Jackals set a team record for victories, finishing with 62 to lead the league.
In the playoffs, however, the Jackals had problems. In the first round, they took the first two against Elmira before the Pioneers won the next two to tie the series. The Jackals emerged victorious in five games.
Then, in the Northern League East Championship Series against Adirondack, the Jackals were down to their final out in Game 5 trailing 2–1 when Dave Callahan hit a double with the bases loaded to score all three runners and give the team a 4–2 victory. The Jackals capped it off with their second straight victory over Winnipeg in the Northern League Championship Series, defeating the Goldeyes 3 games to 1.
2003 2003 saw two major changes for the Jackals. First George Tsamis resigned to take the managerial position with the St. Paul Saints, New Jersey hired Gary SouthShore RailCats manager Joe Calfapietra to take his place. The second saw the end of the merger with the Northern League, as the Northeast League once again became its own entity. The Jackals finished 52–37 and returned to the playoffs for a third consecutive year by winning both halves of the season in their division, but were dispatched in the first round by the eventual league champion Brockton Rox.
2004 In 2004, New Jersey improved their record to what was then the team's second-best showing in its history, winning 54 games and losing 29. However, the first half of the season required saw the Jackals end in a tie with the New Haven County Cutters, requiring a one-game playoff which New Jersey won for their fifth consecutive half-season victory. The Jackals pulled away in the second half with a 28–18 record, winning both halves for a third straight year.
The Jackals beat the Bangor Lumberjacks in the opening round of the playoffs, then found themselves in trouble against the North Shore Spirit in the league championship series. Trailing two games to none and down late in the third game, the Jackals rallied for an extra inning victory. They duplicated the feat the next day in Game 4 to tie the series, and then won the fifth and deciding game to take the Northeast League Championship. It would be the fourth league championship for the Jackals, but would be their last for over a decade.
2005 In 2005 the Jackals joined the 8-team Can-Am League but failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2000 despite posting a winning record of 48–44. Outfielder Zach Smithlin led the league with 135 hits and a .358 batting average, while second baseman Ricardo Cordova also topped .350 and was named to the All-Star team. Pitcher Joel Bennett recorded a 2.68 ERA and an 11–2 record in his abbreviated season and also garnered All-Star consideration.
2006 2006 saw another history-making performance as Aaron Myers threw the second no-hitter in team history, but New Jersey again missed the playoffs and—with a 43–48 record—finished with only their second losing record in team history. The Jackals’ major bright spot was veteran minor league John Lindsey, who led the team in home runs but was signed away from the team in the second half of the season. Joel Bennett and Raul Valdes both led the Jackals in wins with seven, while Isaac Pavlik and Joe Orloski each recorded six.
2007 The Jackals returned to the playoffs as they won the Can-Am League First Half Championship in 2007 with a 31–15 record, guaranteeing them a spot in the playoffs. Their 31 wins in the first half still mark a franchise best in the first half, and second most in a half (32 in 2002). The Jackals' second half was not as strong, as they finished in last place with an 18–29 record. New Jersey took the Nashua Pride to a fifth game at Yogi Berra Stadium in their best-of-five series before losing and getting knocked out.
The Jackals’ leading hitter was returning catcher Sandy Madera, who hit .364 with 21 home runs and 75 RBI. Zach Smithlin stole 33 bases, marking the fourth consecutive year where he recorded at least 25.
After the season, Joel Bennett retired from professional baseball. He finished his final season with a 3–2 record.
2008 The Jackals missed the playoffs in 2008, finishing 43–51.
In a ceremony prior to their game on August 22 vs. the Brockton Rox, the Jackals retired pitcher Joel Bennett’s number 28.
The Jackals total attendance in 2008 was 103,817. Averaging 2,209 per game.
2009 New Jersey was able to ride a CanAm League record 14 game winning streak to a First Half Championship in 2009 with a 28–19 record, once again guaranteeing the team a playoff spot. The Jackals won 27 games in the second half for a total of 55, the second most in team history. Despite that, New Jersey was eliminated from the playoffs by the Worcester Tornadoes.
2010 In 2010, the Jackals slipped in the first half, finishing fourth with a 19–27 record. The team battled back to a 23–23 record in the second half, beating out the Worcester Tornadoes by 0.5 game for the fourth and final playoff spot. The Jackals were swept by Québec three games to none in the opening round.
2011 The Jackals finished the regular season 57–36, the second most season wins in franchise history behind the 62 wins the 2002 team put up. Despite an impressive record, the Jackals were unable to win either half of the regular season (Québec won both halves), and finished second of the eight teams.
On July 30, the Jackals retired Zack Smithlin's #4 jersey in a pregame ceremony.
Jackals pitcher Isaac Pavlik made a close run for the pitching triple crown, finishing the regular season atop the league in wins and strikeouts, but third in ERA.
The Jackals defeated the Pittsfield Colonials to advance to the Can-Am League Championship Series, losing again to Québec.
2012 The Jackals completed the season second overall with a 59–41 record. They once again faced the Capitales in the championship series, which was extended to a best-of-seven, but again lost.
Jackals 3B Nick Giarraputo was named the Can-Am League's 2012 Player of the Year.
2013 The Jackals finished at 55–44, in second place. Québec loomed in the league championship series again, and the Jackals rallied from three games to one down to force a seventh game which the Capitales won.
2014 With the Newark Bears ceasing operations after the 2013 season, the Can-Am League was down to just 4 teams for 2014. The New Jersey Jackals, Rockland Boulders, Trois-Rivières Aigles, & Québec Capitales.
More inter-league play with American Association kept the Can-Am afloat, while allowing the league to maintain its own separate identity.
The Jackals hosted the St. Paul Saints, Winnipeg Goldeyes, & Lincoln Saltdogs going 4–5.
The Winnipeg Goldeyes returned to Yogi Berra Stadium on June 17, 2014, for the first time since losing the Northern League Championship to NJ on September 21, 2002. A span of 4,287 days between games.
Jackals manager Joe Calfapietra recorded his 700th managerial win on July 7, a 4–3 victory over the Capitales at Stade Municipal.
NJ visited the Sioux Falls Canaries, St. Paul Saints, & Winnipeg Goldeyes in August. Going 5–4 on the road trip.
On August 25, the Jackals eliminated the Québec Capitales (winners of 5 consecutive League Championships) & earned themselves a 13th postseason appearance in 17 years with a 7–3 home victory. The Jackals finished one game behind their rivals, the Boulders, with a 55–41 record.
New Jersey lost its fourth consecutive league championship series, falling in six games to Rockland after winning the first two at home.
9/3 – Jackals 3, Boulders 2
9/4 – Jackals 3, Boulders 2
9/5 – Boulders 5, Jackals 4
9/6 – Boulders 8, Jackals 7 10 Innings
9/7 – Boulders 14, Jackals 4
9/8 – Boulders 4, Jackals 0
(Rockland wins series 4–2)
The Jackals total attendance in 2014 was 76,423. Averaging 1,661 per game.
2015 In 2015 the Sussex County Miners & the Ottawa Champions were added to the Can-Am League.
The Garden State Grays played 60 games, & the Shikoku Island League All-Stars played 16 games.