Madison Muskies

The Midwest League expanded in 1982, adding the Beloit Brewers, the Danville Suns, the Springfield Cardinals, and a team in Madison, Wisconsin.^[2] The name "Muskies" was chosen in a name-the-team contest and refers to the muskellunge, the state fish of Wisconsin.^[3] The debut Muskies team had a league-best 87–52 record,^[4] 6.5 games ahead of the Appleton Foxes in the North Division,^[5] however, they lost the Midwest League championship to the Foxes 2 games to 1. Tom Romano, a Muskies outfielder, was the Midwest League Most Valuable Player in 1982.^[6] In 1991, they made their second and last championship appearance, this time losing to the Clinton Giants 3 games to 0.^[7] That year, Muskies manager Gary Jones was awarded Midwest League Manager of the Year. ^[6]

The Muskies played their last home game in Madison against the Foxes in 1993. In a driving rainstorm, with Appleton leading 5–3 in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Foxes' pitcher slipped on the mound and his manager requested that the game be called. After a second slip, the umpire called the game, ending the Muskies' Madison tenure in anticlimactic fashion: Madison's final home game ended with one out in the bottom of the ninth, with the potential tying run coming to bat.

They finished their 12-year run in Madison with an 860–786 record, .522 winning percentage, including three division titles and four second-place finishes.^[8]