Burning Rubber. Akron RubberDucks race for First Half Title.

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MiLB is a crucial part of MLB’s cognitive wheel. It brings in local fan bases by making America’s pastime accessible to a wider audience. Furthermore, the MiLB offers opportunities for players to rehabilitate injuries and for a wider range of athletes to receive a chance at making their professional baseball dreams become a reality. The Akron RubberDucks represent the Cleveland Guardians in the Eastern League of Double-A. They rank as one of the highest teams in all Double-A baseball for attendance.

This season, they’ve had Shane Bieber and David Fry rehabilitate with them. They’ve also had weekly events such as Paws and Claws Night, Bluey Night, and Star Wars Night. They’ve also had plenty of giveaways like shirts, bats, and bobblehead giveaways. One highlight was the Donna Kelce bobblehead night on June 7th. Their events, as well as their on-field performance, act as a way to bring in fans from all over Northeast Ohio.

April-

The MiLB season kicked off in April. The RubberDucks were ready as they went on a 5 game winning streak to start the season. They swept the Richmond Flying Squirrels and took the first two over the Altoona Curve.

In a six-game series, the Curve took the first two, but the Ducks came back and won the final two.

The division-leading Erie Seawolves broke Akron’s momentum as they won 4 of 6. This put the Ducks at 9-6 midway through April.

Fortunately for the RubberDucks, they got to replay their favorite team. That being the Flying Squirrels, who sat at the bottom of the standings. While this time around Akron wasn’t able to sweep, but won 5 of 6.

At the end of the first month, Akron played Altoona again. This time around, they split the 6 game series. This put the RubberDucks at 17-10 after one month of ball.

May-

In May, Akron faced some new opponents. The first was the Somerset Patriots. Akron swept Somerset in the first series. Each of which was a shutout victory. But dropped two losses in the subsequent series.

The same fate was held against the Chesapeake Baysox. As the RubberDucks took 3 straight before dropping two of the final three.

The Ducks gained some traction over the Curve. In their next battle, the Ducks took 5 of 6. The month of May ended with a final six-game series versus Somerset. Here, Akron took another series, going 4-2 over the Patriots. This put the Ducks at 34-17 in the first two months. Which was tied with the Erie Seawolves for first place in their division.

June-

Kicking off June, the Baysox travel to Canal Park. The Sox and the Ducks trade blows in the first two games. In game three, the RubberDucks went retro, donning purple as the Akron Aeros. The Aeros were the team’s name from 1997-2013. The Aeros managed to win game three 4-1. However, when the team returned to their rubber form, they lost two straight as the final game was rained out.

Akron travelled to new cities throughout June. The first of which was Hartford, Connecticut. The Yard Goats took two of the first three. However, the RubberDucks continued their sweeping ways, taking the final three. Another new city for Akron this year came as Portland, Maine. The RubberDucks brought their winning streak to six games, taking the first three against the Sea Dogs. However, the Sea Dogs bounced back and won three straight to end the series with a sweep of their own.

This put the RubberDucks at 43-25 in the first half of the season. Which is the third-best record in the entire Double-A. The Erie Seawolves snuck ahead to win the first-half divisional title at 45-23. The RubberDucks will begin their quest for the second half title hosting the 34-34 Harrisburg Senators. The second half of the season will conclude on September 14th. Keep up with the Akron RubberDucks at https://www.milb.com/akron/schedule/2025/fullseason.

About Post Author

Zachary Worstell

A Marietta College Student with three years of journalism experience writing for Marietta's Marcolian Online Newspaper. He was promoted to Editor in Chief of the Marcolian in 2023. A Pittsburgh native, he covers sports from the Pittsburgh region as well as Ohio and West Virginia.

zach102803@gmail.com

https://ngscsports.com/