The Adelaide Giants are a professional baseball team that plays in the Australian Baseball League. They are one of the six foundation franchises of the league, in its first incarnation from 1989 to 1999. The team adopted the name Bite or Adelaide Bite when the league relaunched in 2010,[1] officially Adelaide ETSA Bite, when the South Australian power company ETSA Utilities became its major sponsor.[2] After an ETSA rebrand to SA Power Networks, the Bite became the Adelaide Bite, proudly presented by SA Power Networks.[citation needed] In 2019, the team was rebranded as Adelaide Giants.[1]
The Adelaide Giants were one of the foundation members of the original Australian Baseball League (ABL). They competed in all 10 seasons but however never once made the league's final playoff series, though they did appear in two Semi-Final series. They also have the novelty of winning the first ever ABL match against the Perth Heat in the 1989–90 season.[3] Now members of the reformed Australian Baseball League, and after a spell known as the Adelaide Bite, the team is back to the original name of Giants.
During its original run from 1989 to 1999, ABL clubs were affiliated with Major League Baseball teams who would generally send Minor League prospects to play in Australia during the North American off season. The Giants were affiliated with the famed Los Angeles Dodgers and were only ABL team to stay affiliated with the same team throughout the history of the original ABL. One of the Dodgers Minor League prospects to play for the Giants was catcher Paul Lo Duca who was with the team in 1995–96.[4] Lo Duca went on to make his Major League debut for the Dodgers in 1998 and would appear in four All-Star Games (2003–2006) before his retirement in 2008.
Giants infielder and Australian representative at the 1996 Summer Olympics Andrew Scott holds the ABL and club record for most appearances with 469 games played.[5]
Adelaide Bite
During the 2010 through 2018 ABL seasons, the team was named the Adelaide Bite. That name was a reference to the Great Australian Bight — a nearby hydrographic landmark — as well as to the great white shark, a species which inhabits the coast of South Australia.[6]
Adelaide's first general manager was former New York Yankees infielder Pat Kelly.[7] He served as the General Manager from 2009 to 2013.
The Giants have multiple alumni who have played in the MLB in following years and many players who play for Team Australia in an international level. The team is made up of up-and-coming MLB draft prospects who play minor league baseball in the USA or established Australian players. Former big-league players often play in the ABL.
The franchise rebranded as the Adelaide Giants in time for the 2019 ABL season, a move that marked a return to the identity that graced Adelaide's entry in the original incarnation of the ABL from 1989 to 1999.[8]
2023
On 22 January 2023, the team won its first title in the Championship Series.
Game day atmosphere
The Adelaide Bite were known for their unique sports atmosphere. Their specialty was the Shark Tank — a section where fans could sit on the field right next to the Adelaide Bite home dugout and interact with players. They also served a pig roast on the field as well as a drinks package.[9]
The nature of baseball allows kids to run around and chase foul balls. They even can run on the field in-between innings. There are many catchy songs, quirky walk up music selections from the players, and many in-game activations.
Various entertainers appeared for their games including Ethan Hall (or "Hiccup Kid") who sang the national anthem while hiccuping before a game.[11]
As the Bite, the team was known for its quirky off-field antics. On 1 April 2016, the Bite fooled the world by announcing that baseball legend Derek Jeter would be joining the club as a player manager. It would have been the most high-profile signing in Australian sports' history. The practical joke garnered international headlines including a story in The New York Times and the Yankees' Twitter account.[12]
The Giants/Bite have seen 25 players move on to MLB after playing in Adelaide. Since the ABL reformed in 2010, Adelaide has 10 players progress to the Big Leagues:
Chen Kuan-jen – Taiwanese baseball player. CPBL Rookie of the Year (2006). Played for the Bite in 2017–18.
Chang Tai-shan – Taiwanese baseball player. Holds record for all-time most CPBL home runs. Played for the Bite in 2017–18.
Results
1989–1999 results
Season
Finish
1989–90
5th
1990–91
?
1991–92
?
1992–93
?
1993–94
4th
1994–95
?
1995–96
?
1996–97
3rd
1997–98
6th
1998–99
3rd
Current club
The team has known heartbreak in the postseason. It has qualified for the playoffs in six of the ABL's ten campaigns since the league relaunched in 2010, advanced to the Australian Baseball League Championships Series four times, but has not won a title up to that point. As the Adelaide Bite, the franchise twice lost the championship series to the Perth Heat (2010–11 and 2014–15) and was bested by the Brisbane Bandits once (2015–16). As the Adelaide Giants, the team was defeated by the Melbourne Aces (2019–20). This ended when they beat the Perth Heat (2022–23), ending the 43-year old drought. They would also go on to win their second title the following season, also against Perth (2023–24)
