CLEVELAND — The Lake County Captains will be going by a different name for one night only when they take the field at Classic Park in Eastlake Tuesday night.
Instead of “Lake County,” the Captains will play under the name “Quake County,” a not-so-subtle nod to the 4.0 magnitude earthquake that shook the Northeast Ohio community early Monday.
Although there will be no new merchandise for fans to purchase or unique jerseys worn by the players, the Captains plan on having plenty of fun with the “Quake County” name during the game if they are not rained out by thunderstorms sweeping through the area during the afternoon/early-evening hours.
Monday’s earthquake was recorded in Lake Erie, 2.5 miles off the shores of Eastlake and 3.1 miles deep, according to WKYC chief meteorologist Betsy Kling.
WKYC and state records reported the last time an earthquake of this size happened in Northeast Ohio came on January 31, 1986. In that year, a 5.0 earthquake occurred east of Cleveland.
Currently, the Captains, the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, are in third place in the Midwest League’s Eastern Division. At 36-26, the Captains find themselves just a half-game in back of the second-place team in the Eastern Division standings, the Bowling Green Hot Rods.
After wrapping up their series against the Lugnuts Monday, the Captains will host the Great Lakes Loons before going on a three-game road trip ahead of next week’s Midwest League All-Star Game in South Bend, Indiana on June 18.