Editing Kalamazoo Kings (section)

== Team history ==

In their second Frontier League season, Kalamazoo hosted the 2002 Frontier League All-Star game on July 10.  The night before, the [[Major League Baseball]] [[2002 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] game ended in a controversial 7-7 tie after 11 innings. The Frontier League owners in attendance determined that their league All-Star Game should never end in a tie and designed a Home Run Derby to be the tie breaker. The game did end in a tie and the Home Run Derby took place.  Brody Jackson of the [[River City Rascals]] hit the eventual game winner for the West Division. The Derby drew national attention for the League immediately, with a 30-minute segment on [[Fox Sports Radio]]’s national broadcast and continuing to have the television footage shown the following afternoon on [[ESPN]]’s [[SportsCenter]]. Frontier League Commissioner Bill Lee did 12 radio interviews on stations throughout the country and interviews with several newspapers including The [[New York Times]] and [[Washington Post]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://frontierleague.com/league-history/|title=League History – Frontier League|access-date=2021-06-13|archive-date=2021-06-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610231805/https://frontierleague.com/league-history/|url-status=dead}}</ref> A derby has settled a tie in four Frontier League All-Star games - 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://frontierleague.com/hall-of-fame/|title=Hall of Fame – Frontier League|access-date=2021-06-14|archive-date=2021-04-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421021314/https://frontierleague.com/hall-of-fame/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79517564/st-louis-post-dispatch/|title=Clipped From St. Louis Post-Dispatch|newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|date=July 12, 2002|pages=78|via=newspapers.com}}</ref>

[[File:HomerStrykerField.jpg|left|thumb|Kings at Homer Stryker Field, 2007]]

The 2005 Kalamazoo season was the highlight for the franchise as the Kings won the Western division with a 53-43 (.552) record, advancing to the playoffs, defeating the [[Rockford RiverHawks]] 3-1 to advance to their first Frontier League championship series.  Kalamazoo would take the best-of-five series 3-2 against the [[Chillicothe Paints]] to take the title.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79485186/chillicothe-gazette/|title=Clipped From Chillicothe Gazette|newspaper=Chillicothe Gazette|date=September 20, 2005|pages=1|via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79485228/chillicothe-gazette/|title=Clipped From Chillicothe Gazette|newspaper=Chillicothe Gazette|date=September 20, 2005|pages=2|via=newspapers.com}}</ref>  The Kings were managed by former [[Richmond Roosters]] manager Fran Riordan where had won back-to-back titles in 2002 and 2003.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.milb.com/press-release/fran-riordan-returns-as-manager-of-the-las-vegas-aviators-for-2023-campaign | title=Fran Riordan Returns as Manager of the Las Vegas Aviators® for 2023 campaign! }}</ref> The 2005 Kings were led by pitcher Josh Beshears (13-3, 3.12 ERA), closer Josh Daws (7-2, 12 saves, 2.82 ERA), 1B Tim Brown (.323 BA, 16 HR, 71 RBI), and Frontier League MVP RF Pete Pirman (.347 BA, 23 HR, 100 RBI).

The Kings returned to the championship series again in 2008, winning the Eastern division with a dominating 60-36 (.625) record, but lost to the [[Windy City Thunderbolts]] 3-0.  John Brownell (11-2, 3.87 ERA), Brandon Parillo (1-3, 20 saves, 2.93 ERA) and Brendan Murphy (.332 BA, 16 HR, 77 RBI) paced the Kings.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/stats/t-kk12292/y-2008|title=2008 Kalamazoo Kings minor league baseball Statistics on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}</ref>

With financial and attendance pressures, the Kings franchise folded operations for the 2011 season.<ref>{{cite web|title=KALAMAZOO TO CEASE OPERATIONS FOR 2011|url=http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/kalamazoo-to-cease-operations-for-2011/n-4177309|website=oursportscentral.com|access-date=January 30, 2018|date=April 4, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ballparkdigest.com/201012203398/independent-baseball/news/whats-up-in-kalamazoo|title=What's up in Kalamazoo?|first=Kevin|last=Reichard|date=December 20, 2010}}</ref>
In 2012, Kalamazoo Baseball, LLC sued Frontier Professional Baseball, Inc. claiming that they purposely interfered with the sale of the Kalamazoo Kings in 2011, in order to remove the Kings franchise from the league. In the suit, Kalamazoo Baseball, LLC requested $25,000 in damages, as well as interest and attorney fees.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Thalmann|first1=Simon|title=Lawsuit by Kalamazoo Kings ownership says Frontier League and commissioner interfered with sale of team|url=http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/02/kalamazoo_kings_owner_sues_fro.html|website=mlive.com|access-date=January 30, 2018|date=February 1, 2012}}</ref>

The Kalamazoo Kings are represented in the Frontier League Hall of Fame by OF Pete Pirman, OF Willie Edwards, and manager Fran Riordan.