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Charlotte nabs Triple-A championship game for 2014

BB&T Ballpark

Big win for the Charlotte Knights (Class AAA; International League): the Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game will be played at new BB&T Ballpark on Sept. 16, 2014.

President & CEO of Minor League Baseball Pat O’Conner, International League President Randy Mobley, Vice-President of Marketing for Gildan Retail Rob Packard and  other executives from the Charlotte area were on hand for the announcement on Tuesday in Uptown Charlotte.

“We are very pleased to bring the ‘World Series’ of Minor League Baseball to the city of Charlotte” said Charlotte Knights Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer Dan Rajkowski. “This three-day event will showcase the city of Charlotte on a national stage and it will bring in fans from across the county.”

The Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game pits the champions of the International League against champions of the Pacific Coast League in a one-game, winner-take-all match-up. The 2014 version is the 9th installment in the series and the Pacific Coast League leads the overall series 5-3. The game will be televised live to a national audience on the NBC Sports Network beginning at 7 p.m.

“Hosting the Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game will be a tremendous way for the Charlotte Knights to conclude their first season in a new stadium,” O’Conner said.“The Knights will be able to showcase their first class facility, as well as the Queen City, to a national television audience during one of our crown jewel events.”

“Bringing special baseball events to a new Uptown ballpark was always part of the plan being discussed publicly by Dan Rajkowski and team ownership,” Mobley said. “Triple-A Baseball is excited to partner with the Knights and Gildan Activewear to help make this come true in 2014.

“With the Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game coming to town it will be yet another opportunity for Charlotte to shine in a national spotlight. Baseball executives from the 29 other Triple-A franchises will be in attendance and the NBC Sports Network will be airing the game live. The excitement emanating from Uptown Charlotte is certain to be on full display.”

The Triple-A National Championship Game debuted in its current one-game format in 2006. The Triple-A World Series, Triple-A Classic and Las Vegas Triple-A World Series all served as predecessors to the current championship event.

The International League has captured the Triple-A National Championship in three of the past four seasons with Omaha beating Durham last year by a score of 2-1. The 2013 game was hosted by the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, PA in front of 9,602 fans. The highest attended championship game took place in 2006 in Oklahoma City, OK and saw 12,572 fans walk through the gates. Overall, the game has drawn 73,983 fans over the course of its eight years.

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