Adelaide Giants (1989–1999)


The Adelaide Giants were one of the foundation members of the original Australian Baseball League. They competed in all 10 seasons but however never once made the leagues 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. 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 1989–99, 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. lo Duca went on to make his Major League debut for the Dodgers in 1998 and would appear in four All-Star Games 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.

History