About the Stadium where the Region X Tournament will be held- Burlington Royal Stadium

About the stadium

Burlington Athletic Stadium is a 3,500-seat baseball stadium in the central North Carolina Piedmont city of Burlington. It was originally built in Danville, VA, and was reconstructed in 1958 after being dismantled and moved 43 miles south from its original home.
Fairchild Stadium
The ballpark was known historically as Fairchild Stadium after the adjacent Fairchild Park city recreation area and nearby World War II Fairchild Aircraft manufacturing plant. It played host to many games in the legendary original Carolina League, and appears momentarily in Ron Shelton's 1988 film homage to the Minors, "Bull Durham."
Let's play two...
The park was also the site of the eight-hour and 15-minute, 27-inning marathon between the Burlington Indians and Bluefield Orioles on June 24-25, 1988. The WBBB-AM radio play-by-play call of that game by Indians' announcer Richard Musterer stands as the longest continuous single-game solo broadcast in baseball history.

Burlington Baseball Alumni

Since Burlington began hosting professional baseball in Fairchild Park in 1958, many notable and future major league baseball players have gotten their starts in Burlington.

Pre-Appalachian League

Historic greats who once made Fairchild Stadium their home field include Red Sox pitching legend Luis Tiant, and longtime New York Yankees pitcher and coach Mel Stottlemyre.

Burlington Indians (1986-2006)

Many current and former major leaguers in the Cleveland Indians system spent their first professional season in Burlington. Of all the players who played in Burlington from 1986-2000, 11 were selected by fans in 2001 as the top prospects to play for the Indians' Rookie-Level squad.

• Rouglas Odor, 2b, 1988 - Hit .248 with 13 SB in Burlington before returning to manage the team from 2001-04.
• Mark Lewis, ss, 1988 - Led Burlington to a division title by hitting .264 with 7 HR and 14 SB, and hit .263 in 11 years with the Indians, Reds, Tigers, Giants, Phillies, and Orioles in the majors.
• Brian Giles, of, 1989 - Hit .310 over half of a season in Burlington, and spent 15 seasons with the Indians, Pirates, and Padres, including four straight 35+ home run seasons from 1999-2002 and two All-Star appearances. He retired in 2010 with a lifetime .291 average and 287 career home runs.
• Jim Thome, 3b, 1990 - Blasted 12 HR and hit .373 in half of a season in Burlington before continuing on to become one of the most respected power hitters in major league history. During his 20-year major league career with the Indians, Phillies, White Sox, Dodgers, and Twins, he has amassed 589 home runs, good for eighth all-time and second among active players. He is a five-time major league All-Star and the Cleveland Indians' all-time leading home run hitter with 334.
• Manny Ramirez, of, 1991 - Led the Appalachian League in home runs (19), RBI (63), total bases (146), and slugging percentage (.679) while hitting .326. He went on to enjoy an extremely productive major league career with the Indians, Red Sox, Dodgers, and White Sox, which has produced 11 All-Star appearances, nine Silver Slugger Awards, and the 2002 AL Batting Crown. He has compiled 555 career home runs, including five seasons of 40 or more, and claims a lifetime .313 batting average with 1,830 RBI.
• Einar Diaz, c, 1992-93 - In his second season in Burlington, hit .299 with 5 HR and 15 doubles before spending 11 seasons as .254 hitter with the Indians, Rangers, Expos, Cardinals, and Dodgers. He returned to Burlington as the manager of the visiting Bluefield Orioles in 2009 and 2010.
• Alex Ramirez, ss/of, 1993 - Hit .270 with 13 HR and 58 RBI for the Appalachian League champion Burlington Indians, and played part-time in the majors for three seasons with the Indians and Pirates.
• Richie Sexson, 1b, 1993 - Hit .186 with 1 HR and 5 RBI in 40 games in Burlington, and went on to enjoy a 12-year major league career with the Indians, Brewers, Diamondbacks, Mariners, and Yankees. He earned two All-Star appearances and tallied two 45 HR seasons on his way to bashing 306 career HR.
• Bartolo Colon, rhp, 1994 - Went 7-4 with a 3.14 ERA and 84 SO in 12 starts for Burlington before embarking on a 13-year major league career with the Indians, Expos, White Sox, Angels, and Red Sox. He won the 2005 AL Cy Young Award, and made two All-Star teams while amassing a lifetime 153-103 record and 1,607 SO.
• Jaret Wright, rhp, 1994 - Made four starts in Burlington before spending 11 years in the majors and finishing with a career mark of 68-60. In 1997, he pitched effectively for the AL Champion Cleveland Indians, and started (but took a no decision in) the deciding Game 7 of the World Series against the Florida Marlins.
• C.C. Sabathia, lhp, 1998 - At the age of 17, started five games and struck out 35 hitters for Burlington before becoming one of the most effective left-handed pitchers in the major leagues. Through 11 seasons with the Indians, Brewers, and Indians, he has compiled a 157-88 record and a 3.57 ERA and captured the 2007 AL Cy Young Award.

In addition to the players voted on by fans, the following former Burlington Indians were on major league rosters to start the 2011 season:

• Russell Branyan, 1b, 1994, 189 HRs, 453 RBI
• Maicer Izturis, if, 1998, .275 BA, 65 SB
• Fausto Carmona, rhp, 2002, 2010 All-Star, 46 W
• Rafael Perez, lhp, 2003, 15 W, 3.80 ERA
• Edward Mujica, rhp, 2003, 8 W, 4.47 ERA
• Aaron Laffey, rhp, 2003, 18 W, 4.41 ERA




Burlington Royals (2007-)


Since Burlington began its affiliation with the Kansas City Royals in 2007, the Royals have brought in a new wave of top prospects. Two cracked the Kansas City roster in 2011, one more did so in 2012, and many more are on the way.
• Salvador Perez, c, 2008 - Appeared in 13 games for Burlington, posting a .325 and knocking in 10 runs while displaying excellent defensive skills behind the plate. The 21-year-old made his major league debut with the Royals on August 10, and appeared in 37 games down the stretch. He posted a .333 batting average with three HR and 20 RBI. He also received high praise for his handling of the major league pitching staff, and has been pegged the Royals' catcher of the future.
• Kelvin Herrera, rhp, 2008 - Started eight games, posting a stellar 1.42 ERA and earning two wins in half a season in Burlington. The diminutive flamethrower advanced all the way from High-A Wilmington to the major league club in an impressive 2011 campaign. Now exclusively out of the bullpen, he went 7-1 with a 1.60 ERA at three minor league levels, before appearing in his first two major league games during the month of September.
• David Lough, of, 2007 - After being selected by the Royals in the 11th round of the first-year player draft, Lough played in 24 games in Burlington, hitting a scalding .337 with 6 stolen bases. He quickly advanced through the minor league system, where he played 2010, 2011, and most of 2012 with Triple-A Omaha. He's a career .294 minor league hitter. He made his major league debut on September 1, 2012.
C Will Myers, who joined the Burlington club for four games in 2009, is expected to be the next Burlington Royal to make big major league impact.