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The Lakewood BlueClaws are a minor league baseball team based in Lakewood, New Jersey. The BlueClaws play in the Class A South Atlantic League and are affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. Their home field is FirstEnergy Park.
The BlueClaws moved to Lakewood from Fayetteville, North Carolina, where they had been known first as the Fayetteville Generals and later as the Cape Fear Crocs. Their first season in Lakewood was 2001. The Phillies' previous South Atlantic League affiliate was based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, and known as the Piedmont Boll Weevils from 1995 to 2000.
Since their arrival in New Jersey, the BlueClaws have been a success at the gate. In each of their first five seasons, they have averaged over 6,500 fans per game. On August 26, 2002, in a game against the Hickory Crawdads which the BlueClaws won 3-0, attendance was a South Atlantic League record 13,003. This success comes in the absence of great success on the field. In their first four seasons, the BlueClaws failed to qualify for the playoffs. Their overall record topped the .500 mark for the first time in 2004.
On September 1, 2004, Ryan Howard became the first former BlueClaw to play in the major leagues, playing first base for the Phillies in a 7-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. He played for the BlueClaws in the 2002 season. In 2005, he was named the National League Rookie of the Year.
The team shares ownership with the Trenton Thunder.
Season Records
| Season | Affiliation | Manager | First Half Record | Second Half Record |
| 2001 | Phillies | Greg Legg | 28-42, 7th place North | 32-37, 5th place North |
| 2002 | Phillies | Jeff Manto | 33-36, 6th place North | 36-34, 5th place North |
| 2003 | Phillies | Buddy Biancalana | 22-47, 8th place North | 35-34, 3rd place North |
| 2004 | Phillies | P.J. Forbes | 31-36, 7th place North | 39-30, 3rd place North |
| 2005 | Phillies | P.J. Forbes | 25-45, 6th place North | 31-38, 7th place North |
| 2006 | Phillies | Dave Huppert | 37-32, 4th place North |
Post-Season Records
No post-season play through 2005Alumni
External link
"Lakewood BlueClaws"