| Lexington Legends | |
| Founded: | 2001 |
| City: | Lexington, Kentucky |
| Cap Logo: | File:Lexington Legends cap.png |
| Colors: | Blue, green, silver, white |
| League: | Atlantic League of Professional Baseball |
| Division: | South Division |
| Former Leagues: | South Atlantic League (2001–2020) |
| Former Names: |
|
| Ballpark: | Legends Field (2001–present) |
| Owner: | Temerity Baseball[1] |
| General Manager: | Justin Ferrarella |
| Manager: | Gregg Zaun |
| Website: | lexingtonlegends.com |
The Lexington Legends are an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball.[2] [3] The Legends have played their home games at Legends Field since 2001. The team was known as the Lexington Counter Clocks during the 2023 season before reinstating their original name in 2024.
The Class-A Kissimmee Cobras moved from the Florida State League to Lexington following the 2000 season and changed their name to the Lexington Legends. The 2001 season began under manager J. J. Cannon. The team finished their first regular season with 92 wins and 48 losses and first place in the sixteen-team South Atlantic League. In the postseason, the Legends defeated the Hagerstown Suns in the first round and advanced to play the Asheville Tourists in the League Championship Series. However, the series was canceled after the Legends won the first two games due to the September 11 attacks, and the Legends were declared co-champions after having gone up 2–0 before game three was canceled.
Cannon returned to manage in 2002 and led the team to another winning record, but the Legends failed to qualify for the playoffs. Lexington returned to the playoffs in 2003 but was defeated by the Lake County Captains in the first round. In 2004, the Legends finished with a record of 68–72, their first losing record in team history. The following season, the Legends posted an 81–58 regular season record and finished in first place under manager Tim Bogar.
On May 31, 2006, Roger Clemens announced that he would come out of retirement to pitch for the Houston Astros for the remainder of the 2006 season. Clemens, planning to keep himself to a strict 60-pitch limit, returned to baseball with the Legends, where his oldest son Koby played. Father and son denied reports that Koby would catch his dad for the return. "He doesn't listen to me," Roger Clemens said. "We'd be shaking each other off and arguing too much."[4] In his first game, Clemens threw 62 pitches, allowed no walks, and only one run while striking out 6 batters in three innings of work with the Legends, who won the game 5–1.
The team received national attention again in 2006 following a controversial game against the Asheville Tourists on June 25. In the fifth inning of the game, Tourists manager Joe Mikulik went on an extended tirade after being ejected from the game following an argument with an umpire. The event received coverage on various television programs, including NBC's The Tonight Show, ESPN's Pardon the Interruption and SportsCenter, and MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Roger Clemens' appearance as a Legend and Joe Mikulik's meltdown are chronicled in the 2011 documentary film Legendary: When Baseball Came to the Bluegrass.
The Lexington Legends were one of the minor league teams that lost MLB affiliation under a new plan by MLB.[5] On February 18, 2021, the team announced that it would be joining the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent MLB Partner league, for the 2021 season.[6]
On October 28, 2022, the team and their ballpark were sold to Nathan and Keri Lyons.[7] [8]
It was announced March 6, 2023, that the team was changing its name to the Lexington Counter Clocks.[9] For that season, their ballpark was known as Counter Clocks Field.
It was announced January 25, 2024, that the team had been sold to Temerity Baseball along with several local investors. On February 15, 2024, it was announced the team would be renamed back to the Lexington Legends.[10]
The Legends' mascot from 2001 to 2022 was Big L, a mustachioed baseball player caricature. His best friend was Pee Wee, another team mascot. The team's colors were blue, green, and yellow.
Along with its new name, in 2023 the Lexington Counter Clocks introduced two new mascots: Hoss, a horse that races to the left, and Dinger, a clock swinging a bat.[11] The team's colors are now blue, red, and white.
Along with the name change announced on February 15, 2024, a new mascot was introduced: Mighty Lex, a baseball with arms, legs, and the same mustache worn by past mascot Big L.
Since its inception, the Lexington franchise has played 22 seasons, initially in the South Atlantic League (2001–2019) and later in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (2021–present). As of the completion of the 2022 season, the club had played in 2,886 regular season games and compiled a record of 1,400–1,486 for a .485 winning percentage. The team postseason record was 19–8.
| League Champions † | Post-season Berth ♦ |
| Season | Manager | Record | Win % | League | Division | GB | Post-season record | Post-season win % | Result | MLB/League affiliate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 † | 92–48 | .657 | 1st | 4–0 | 1.000 | Won division series vs Hagerstown Suns, 2–0 Led Asheville Tourists 2–0 in League Championship Series Declared Co-League Champions | Houston | ||||
| 2002 | 81–59 | .579 | 2nd | – | – | – | Houston | ||||
| 2003 ♦ | 75–63 | .543 | 2nd | 0–2 | .000 | Lost division series vs Lake County Captains, 0–2 | Houston | ||||
| 2004 | 68–72 | .486 | 7th | – | – | – | Houston | ||||
| 2005 | 81–58 | .583 | 1st | – | – | – | Houston | ||||
| 2006 ♦ | 75–63 | .543 | 3rd | 0–2 | .000 | Lost division series vs Lakewood BlueClaws, 0–2 | Houston | ||||
| 2007 | Gregg Langbehn | 59–81 | .421 | 7th | – | – | – | Houston | |||
| 2008 | Gregg Langbehn | 45–93 | .326 | 8th | – | – | – | Houston | |||
| 2009 | 68–72 | .486 | 5th | – | – | – | Houston | ||||
| 2010 | Rodney Linares | 71–68 | .511 | 4th | – | – | – | Houston | |||
| 2011 | Rodney Linares | 59–79 | .428 | 6th | – | – | – | Houston | |||
| 2012 | 69–69 | .500 | 4th | – | – | – | Houston | ||||
| 2013 | 68–70 | .493 | 8th | 6th/4th | 9.5/10 | – | – | – | Kansas City | ||
| 2014 | Brian Buchanan | 57–83 | .407 | 11th | 6th/6th | 17/20.5 | – | – | – | Kansas City | |
| 2015 | Omar Ramirez | 58–80 | .420 | 12th | 6th | 26.5 | – | – | – | Kansas City | |
| 2016 | Omar Ramirez | 52–87 | .374 | 13th | 7th | – | – | – | Kansas City | ||
| 2017 | Scott Thorman | 62–75 | .453 | 12th | 6th | 16 | – | – | – | Kansas City | |
| 2018 † | Scott Thorman | 76–60 | .559 | 2nd | 1st | 5–1 | .833 | Won division series vs Rome Braves 2–0 Won League Championship Series vs Lakewood BlueClaws 3–1 League Champions | Kansas City | ||
| 2019 † | Brooks Conrad | 68–70 | .493 | 7th | 3rd | 9 | 5–1 | .833 | Won division series vs Augusta Greenjackets 2–0 Won League Championship Series vs Hickory Crawdads 3–1 League Champions | Kansas City | |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||||||
| 2021 † | P. J. Phillips | 60–60 | .500 | 4th | 2nd | 4.5 | 5–2 | .714 | Won division series vs Charleston Dirty Birds 2–1 Won League Championship Series vs Long Island Ducks 3–1 League Champions | Atlantic League of Professional Baseball | |
| 2022 | P. J. Phillips | 56–76 | .424 | 7th | 4th | 32 | – | – | – | Atlantic League of Professional Baseball | |
| 2023 | Barry Lyons | 49-75 | .4395 | 9th | 5th | 29 | – | – | – | Atlantic League of Professional Baseball | |
The Lexington Legends honored ten past members of the organization by inducting them into the Lexington Legends Hall of Fame.[12] These individuals are: