Better by affiliation? Comparing the 2015 and 2014 River Cats

The River Cats completed their first season as the Triple-A affiliate of the Giants on Monday. They had been the A’s Triple-A team since their inaugural season in 2000. The River Cats switched because they believed there was more support for the Giants than the A’s in the Sacramento area. Did the decision pay off? The box-office numbers say yes.

Booster shot

The first-year Giants affiliate averaged nearly 800 more fans per game than last season. More importantly, it sold out Raley Field 12 times, twice the number of sellouts in 2014. The River Cats posted their most sellouts in a season since their inaugural year in 2000, when they had 16. The sellout total also was the team’s highest since 2001 (nine).

Streaky – in both directions

This season’s River Cats set franchise records for longest winning and losing streaks. They won 13 in a row Aug. 9-22; they lost 10 in a row May 19-29. Last year’s River Cats had two seven-game winning streaks (both in May) and never lost more than five in a row.

Guest shots

Giants players Hunter Pence, Nori Aoki and Matt Cain donned River Cats uniforms this season during rehabilitation assignments. Cain pitched the final two innings in Monday’s season finale. Notable among last season’s guest shots were A’s outfielder Josh Reddick, who had four hits in a game at New Orleans; Phil Humber, who threw a perfect game in 2012 for the Chicago White Sox and had a 44-game stint with the River Cats last summer; and the Giants’ Brandon Belt, who visited as a member of the Fresno Grizzlies.

This story was originally published September 8, 2015 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Better by affiliation? Comparing the 2015 and 2014 River Cats."