In 1979, the first real impact player would join the team. Kevin Bass would step up to this plate as a Holyoke Miller for 2 seasons before going onto be an everyday player for the Astros. In 1980 pitcher Doug Jones would go 5-3 with a 2.90 ERA before going on to pitch for over a dozen Major League teams. According to former Holyoke pitcher Gerald Ako, his 1980 Millers would win the Eastern Division Championship... a powerful goodbye, as Milwaukee said farewell to the Eastern League when the season ended.