LAS VEGAS AVIATORS® HOST INTRASTATE RIVAL RENO ACES IN A
SIX-GAME HOMESTAND FROM THURSDAY-TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9-14
AT LAS VEGAS BALLPARK®; $2.00 BEER NIGHT (THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9); FIREWORKS (FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10);
AVIATORS FLEECE VESTS (SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11)
The Las Vegas Aviators® professional baseball team of Triple-A West (formerly the Pacific Coast League, PCL), Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, will host intrastate rival, the Reno Aces, Triple-Affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in the opener of a six-game series on Thursday, September 9 at 7:05 p.m. at Las Vegas Ballpark®. The eighth homestand will feature six games against the Aces from Thursday-Tuesday, September 9-14 and all games will begin at 7:05 p.m.
The opener of the series vs. Reno on Thursday, September 9 will feature the ninth of 10 games broadcast live on YurView on Cox Channel 14 and 1014 in high-definition. The fourth game of the series on Sunday, September 12 will feature the final game to be broadcast on YurView in 2021.
The Aviators, under manager Fran Riordan, are concluding a 12-game road trip against the Sugar Land Skeeters, Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, on Tuesday, September 7. The Aviators are 58-49 and 15-5 over their last 20 games.
Triple-A West Standings:
Tacoma (63-44, .589), first place
Reno (61-44, .581), 1.0 game behind
Las Vegas (58-49, .542), 5.0 games behind
The 2021 season will feature six-game series against opponents from Thursday-Tuesday and off days on Wednesday and will total 120 games (60-home; 60-away). The Triple-A Final Stretch, consisting of an additional 10 games (5-home; 5 away) will be featured from September 22 – October 3.
The Aviators are in their 39th season of professional baseball in the Silver State and have the proud distinction of being the longest enduring franchise in the history of professional sports in the state of Nevada.
TRIPLE-A WEST: Formerly the Pacific Coast League (118 years, 1903-2020), Triple-A West consists of two divisions for a total of 10 teams. Western Division: Las Vegas Aviators, Reno Aces, Sacramento River Cats, Salt Lake Bees, Tacoma Rainiers; Eastern Division: Albuquerque Isotopes, El Paso Chihuahuas, Oklahoma City Dodgers, Round Rock Express, Sugar Land Skeeters.
HOMESTAND PROMOTIONS:
Thursday, September 9: $2.00 Beer Night
Friday, September 10: Fireworks
Saturday, September 11: +Aviators Fleece Vests, presented by America First Credit Union
Monday, September 13: Mutt Mondays, presented by Subaru of Las Vegas
Monday, September 13: Epilepsy Foundation of Nevada Night
Tuesday, September 14: Las Vegas Reyes de Plata (“Silver Kings”)
+first 2,000 fans
2021 LAS VEGAS BALLPARK ATTENDANCE: In 54 dates, Las Vegas total is 343,133 (leads Triple-A West) for an average of 6,354 (50% capacity from May 6-11; May 20-25; 100% capacity began on June 10) with three sellouts. The Aviators season-high crowd was 10,190 (sellout) vs. Sacramento on July 3 and the Las Vegas franchise has reached the 300,000 plateau in “home” attendance in all 38 seasons (1983-2019, 2021). The all-time attendance total now stands at 12,995,078.
In 36 seasons at Cashman Field (1983-2018), the attendance total was 12,001,011.
NOTE: The Las Vegas Ballpark regular season attendance total over two seasons (2019, 2021) is 994,067.
Reno’s roster features one of the top 10 prospects in the Diamondbacks organization, according to Baseball America: outfielder Alek Thomas (No. 4). Infielder Jake Hager is also a member of the Aces roster. The Henderson, Nevada native is a 2011 graduate of Sierra Vista High School in Las Vegas. He was a first round pick (32nd overall) by Tampa Bay in June 2011 First-Year Player Draft. Hager made his Major League debut this season with the New York Mets (May 15-21) and Arizona Diamondbacks (August 1-20).
SILVER STATE DIAMOND CHALLENGE: In 2009, Las Vegas and Reno developed the Silver State Diamond Challenge and the “Silver Plate Trophy” to add to the excitement to the rivalry for the two PCL teams that represent the state of Nevada. Reno defeated Las Vegas, 3-games-to-1, in the 2015 PCL Conference Championship Series.
The 2021 campaign will mark the 12th season of the S.S.D.C.
CHAMPION OF THE SILVER STATE DIAMOND CHALLENGE:
2009: Las Vegas 51s (series tied 8-8 and won the “Draw of the Cards” between the two Mayors)
2010: Reno Aces (Reno won series 11-games-to-5)
2011: Reno Aces (series tied 8-8, Aces retain trophy)
2012: Reno Aces (series tied 8-8, Aces retain trophy)
2013: Las Vegas 51s (Las Vegas won series 13-games-to-3)
2014: Las Vegas 51s (series tied 8-8, Las Vegas retains trophy)
2015: Las Vegas 51s (Las Vegas won series 11-games-to-5, Las Vegas retains trophy)
2016: Reno Aces (Reno won series 9-games-to-7)
2017: Reno Aces (Reno won series 12-games-to-4)
2018: Las Vegas 51s (Las Vegas won series 10-games-6)
2019: Las Vegas Aviators lead the series 10-games-to-5
2020: MiLB season canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021: Reno Aces lead the series 11-games-to-7
Copa de la Diversión, MiLB’s season-long “Fun Cup” celebration of Hispanic communities across the baseball landscape, returns in 2021 with its most packed itinerary yet. Nearly two-thirds of Minor League teams will participate in the initiative this year (65.8%, 79 of 120 teams) — the largest percentage of clubs in the five-year history of the program — and the logos, uniforms and identities are as vibrant than ever.
Las Vegas Reyes de Plata (“Silver Kings’’): The Aviators will transform to Reyes de Plata and will take the field celebrating the city and state’s pioneering history at the forefront of the precious metal mining business that continues to define the Silver State today.
Minor League Baseball announced on Feb. 18, 2019 the second annual Copa de la Diversión® (Fun Cup™) event series that took place during the 2019 campaign. MiLB, on July 24, 2017, launched Es Divertido Ser Un Fan, a new multi-cultural fan engagement platform aimed at specifically connecting with Hispanic/Latino baseball fans in the then- 160 markets throughout the U.S. and Canada. The program debuted in August 2017 in select MiLB markets, including Las Vegas, Charlotte, North Carolina; Kane County, Illinois; and Visalia, California, with national expansion implemented in the 2018 season.
Following an off-day on Wednesday, September 15, the Aviators will embark to Northern California for a six-game road trip against the Sacramento River Cats, Triple-Affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, from Thursday-Tuesday, September 16-21. The six-game road trip will conclude the 120-game Triple-A West regular season.
The “Triple-A Final Stretch” will then be held from September 23 – October 3. All 30 Triple-A clubs (East and West) will play five home games and five road games during the Final Stretch. The Aviators will host the Oklahoma City Dodgers, Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in a five-game series from Thursday-Monday, September 23-27.
The Aviators will host the Oklahoma City Dodgers, Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in a five-game series from Thursday-Monday, September 23-27. These games will mark the final home contests of the 2021 season.
For each the Triple-A East and Triple-A West, a 2021 Regular Season Champion will be named based on the best overall winning percentage through the originally scheduled championship season consisting of 120 total games.
Among the 30 clubs, a single 2021 Triple-A Final Stretch Winner will also be crowned based on the highest overall winning percentage during this 10-game stretch.
The Aviators will broadcast all games on Lotus Broadcasting on Raider Nation Radio AM 920, which will carry live all 130 regular season games. Also, all games will be available on the Aviators website (Major League Baseball Advanced Media, MLBAM) at www.aviatorslv.com. Russ Langer, the 10-time Nevada Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NSSA), is in his 21st season behind the microphone calling Aviators baseball.
NOTE: The Aviators games on Monday, September 13; Sunday, September 19; Sunday, September 26 will be broadcast on 98.9FM/1340 AM Fox Sports Radio (KKGK).
All Aviators games (home & away) will also be broadcast on MiLB.TV via aviatorslv.com.
Individual Game Tickets: Aviators tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster www.ticketmaster.com.
Hospitality group areas, including suites, party decks and the pool area in right-center field are available by calling the Aviators administrative offices at (702) 943-7200.
Official licensed Aviators team merchandise is available on the “Team Shop” section of the website at www.aviatorslv.com.
About Las Vegas Aviators®
The Las Vegas Aviators® have the proud distinction of being the longest enduring franchise in the history of professional sports in the state of Nevada. The 2021 campaign marks the 39th season in the Silver State as a proud member of Triple-A professional baseball of Triple-A West (formerly the Pacific Coast League, PCL) and the second season in Las Vegas Ballpark (10,000). The Aviators led all minor league baseball in 2019 attendance with a total of 650,934 for an average of 9,299. Las Vegas recorded 47 sellouts and 23 crowds of 10,000+.
The Stars (1983-2000)/51s (2001-18)/Aviators (2019) have reached the 300,000 mark in “home” attendance in all 38 seasons (36 seasons at Cashman Field, 1983-2018; Las Vegas Ballpark, 2019, 2021). The Aviators are also in their second season as the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics and the franchise won the PCL championship in 1986 and 1988.
About Las Vegas Ballpark®
Las Vegas Ballpark®, located on eight acres in Downtown Summerlin® just south of City National Arena – practice facility for the Vegas Golden Knights, is the home of the Las Vegas Aviators®, the city’s professional Triple-A baseball team of Triple-A West (formerly the Pacific Coast League, PCL) and affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. The team is wholly owned by The Howard Hughes Corporation®, developer of the award-winning master-planned community of Summerlin® and developer of Las Vegas Ballpark. With a wide range of seating options including 22 suites, club seats, berm seating, party zones and decks, picnic tables, kids’ zone, bars and a pool beyond the outfield wall, Las Vegas Ballpark boasts a capacity of 10,000. Designed to host a variety of events in addition to baseball, the site is landscaped to complement the surrounding master-planned community. The site is easily accessed from all regions of the valley via the 215 Beltway. For more on Las Vegas Ballpark, visit www.thelvballpark.com.