LEXINGTON, KY - In the spring of 2001, the Lexington Legends took the field at Applebee’s Park through a field of temporary corn, a nod to “The Field of Dreams.” Over the next 24 years, families have continued to flood the gates for wholesome family entertainment provided by legendary minor league baseball. Fun, food, family, and most importantly baseball have become part of the culture of Lexington.
The first season for the Lexington Legends saw the team join the South Atlantic League as a Single-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. Players such as Felix Escalona and John Buck ultimately found their way to the Major Leagues, but not before bringing home the hardware as champions of the South Atlantic in their inaugural season. I still remember attending the games; my spry eight-year-old self quickly fell in love with all that is Legends Baseball. From the mid-game promotional antics to watching high-quality professional baseball, and just the overall excitement from fans, Legends games quickly captured the hearts of others around Central Kentucky, not just myself.
Fast forward to 2005, a stud of an outfielder found his way to the diamond on Legends Lane. His name? Hunter Pence. You may recognize Pence’s name from his time in “The Show.” Pence would retire from baseball as a four-time All-Star and two-time World Series Champion, accolades that eventually landed him on the San Francisco Giants’ “Wall of Fame.” Of the hundreds of games that I have seen inside Legends Field, he still holds the longest home run that I witnessed, nearly striking the “Makers Mark Ball” located 491 feet from home plate over the fence in left-center.
The very next year saw a rocket launch… from Lexington? No, NASA didn’t run a pre-game promotion. Rather, ESPN, the worldwide leader, broadcasted a rehab start for seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens. Clemens threw 62 pitches that night in front of a sold-out Applebee’s Park, eventually making his way back to the Houston Astros just a year after their appearance in the World Series.
Four years later, the now-face of the Houston Astros franchise took his spot at second base for the Legends. The year was 2010, and an undersized Jose Altuve hammered the ball for a .308 batting average and 45 RBIs before being called up after just 96 games for Lexington.
The Kansas City Royals became the new affiliate of the Lexington Legends in 2012, a partnership that lasted until the pandemic forced MiLB to cancel the season in 2020. The Legends rallied and created a “Battle for the Bourbon Barrel” series with the Florence Y’alls and two other temporarily created teams. Fans filled the stands once again as just about everyone worldwide was itching for any form of live entertainment.
A name change to the “Lexington Counter Clocks” in 2023 was met with animosity from those very fans who showed such love and admiration for the franchise for the previous 22 seasons. Attendance numbers dwindled to seemingly nothing. The ballpark had been renovated by new owners “Temerity Baseball,” but unless Lexington figured out something quickly, professional baseball would become history in Lexington as financially it would no longer be a tenable situation.
Over the off-season, “a legendary” announcement was teased by the front office. Billboards plastered around Central Kentucky sought to create the excitement that the Legends once brought to the community. Ultimately, the “legendary” announcement was indeed legendary. The team formerly known as the “Lexington Legends” would be returning to the diamond. No more “Lexington Counter Clocks,” and the fans rejoiced. Their (and my) beloved Legends would no longer be just mentioned in stories from the past; a new chapter was to be written in the story of professional baseball in Lexington.
The Legends have struggled on the field since their return under the rebrand. However, attendance numbers quickly surpassed the past season’s within the first month of play. Affiliation may have been lost, but the love for baseball from Lexingtonians preserved through all of the obstacles thrown its way.
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Article presented by: Ale-8-One
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