The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mirabito Stadium, located in Binghamton.
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History
In 1991, the New York Mets purchased the Williamsport Bills, and moved them to Binghamton, New York, in 1992 as the Binghamton Mets.
In 2016, the franchise announced a plan to stay in Binghamton for the foreseeable future, and to change the team's name. The team held a name-the-team contest on its website from May 17 to June 1; the finalists were the Bullheads (for the bullhead catfish abundant in the nearby Susquehanna River), Gobblers (for the rich hunting culture of the area, as well as the turkeys in Binghamton), Rocking Horses (for the Triple Cities' nickname as the "Carousel Capital of The World"), Rumble Ponies (also a carousel tribute), Stud Muffins (for the collections of carousel horses in Binghamton), and Timber Jockeys (for everyone who rides the carousels). On November 3, 2016, the team announced that it would rename itself the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, and released a new logo. The Mets' High-A affiliate, the Brooklyn Cyclones, are also named after an amusement park ride: the Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster at Luna Park.
In 2019, Major League Baseball proposed a two-year plan to sever ties with 42 minor-league teams, including the Rumble Ponies and fellow Double-A teams such as the Erie SeaWolves and Chattanooga Lookouts. On November 10, 2020, the Mets announced they would continue their affiliation with Binghamton, saving the Rumble Ponies from closure. The team was placed in the Double-A Northeast league. In 2022, the Double-A Northeast was renamed the Eastern League, returning to the name used by the regional circuit before the 2021 reorganization.
On April 26, 2024, the Rumble Ponies' owners agreed to sell the team to Diamond Baseball Holdings.
Season records
(Place indicates finish in Eastern League from 1992 to 1993, in the Northern Division from 1994 to 2009, in the Eastern Division from 2010 to 2020, and in the Northeastern Division from 2021. Italics indicates league champions.)