New England League

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
New England League
FormerlyEastern New England League (1885)
SportMinor League Baseball
Founded1885; 139 years ago (1885)
First season1886; 138 years ago (1886)
Ceased1949; 75 years ago (1949)
CountryUnited States
Most titles6 Lowell Tigers

The New England League was a mid-level league in American

minor league baseball that played intermittently in five of the six New England states (Vermont excepted) between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League Baseball clubs in Boston
and alongside stronger, higher-classification leagues.

In

African-Americans to play. The following season, Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby
would integrate the major leagues.

Early history

In 1877 a non–classified league first called the "New England League" played with the

Manchester Reds and Rhode Islands as members.[1]

The New England League was next called the Eastern New England League beginning play in 1885 with five teams in Massachusetts and Maine. The five teams, playing an 80 game season were, Lawrence, Haverhill, Biddleford/Newburyport, Portland and Brockton, with Lawrence winning the 1885 championship. The league continued play and shortened its name after the 1885 season.[2][3][4][5]

The newly named "New England League" played its first game in

Boston Globe sportswriter. When the minor leagues were assigned classifications in 1902, the NEL was graded Class B, at that time two levels below major league status, equivalent to Class AA today.[6][7]

Disruption caused by the outlaw

Eastern League, ending the NEL's most long-lived period of operation. The league attempted to revive in 1919, then closed down in early August. Seven years later, the NEL returned in 1926 with eight clubs in the region's mill towns, but the Great Depression devastated the minor leagues, and the NEL was no exception: it disbanded June 22, 1930. A 1933 revival was followed the next season
by a name change to the Northeastern League – and another shutdown that would last through the 1940 baseball season.

Semi–pro league

The New England League was revived in May 1941 as a semi–pro league with eight franchises. Many players were in the military assigned to nearby bases, including some major league players (often playing under an assumed name). Football Hall of Famer, Major League umpire and NBA coach Hank Soar sometimes played for Pawtucket. Pawtucket's best pitcher in 1945 was once and future major league pitcher Randy Gumpert, pitching under the alias "Ralph Wilson".[citation needed]

The teams in 1941 were the New Bedford Whalers (which relocated to Cranston, Rhode Island on July 31), Pawtucket Slaters, Lynn Frasers, Worcester Nortons, Woonsocket Marquettes, Quincy Shipbuilders, Fall River, and Manchester (New Hampshire) Dexters. Pawtucket won the championship.

1942 saw seven teams take the field but one, the Fitchburg Blue Sox, dropped out early in the season. Pawtucket, Lynn, Manchester, Worcester, Quincy and Woonsocket all returned and Pawtucket again won the championship in October when the best-of-7 series against Manchester was halted after five games due to poor weather. In the middle of the championship series the Slaters hosted a game against the Boston Red Sox in front of over 9,000 fans.

Pawtucket played their first game at the new Pawtucket Stadium (present-day McCoy Stadium) on July 5 against Lynn with over 6,000 fans in attendance.

By 1943, with the war, the League operated with just four teams. Pawtucket, Woonsocket and Quincy were back, joined by the Providence Frigates of Cranston.

Providence, which defeated Pawtucket for the championship in 1943, changed ballparks in 1944, moving from Cranston Stadium to Municipal Stadium in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Joining them were Pawtucket, Lynn, Woonsocket and Quincy. Lynn bested Pawtucket 3 games to 2 for the 1944 championship.

In 1945, Cranston returned to the fold joining Pawtucket and Lynn, the return of the Worcester Nortons and two new teams: the New London Diesels and the

Lawrence Millionaires
. The Cranston Firesafes defeated Pawtucket for the championship, 4 games to 1.

From 1941 to 1945 the member teams regularly played exhibition matches against teams from other leagues. Major league teams, Negro league teams, famous barnstorming teams and military teams all found their way into New England League ballparks. For example, Pawtucket, with once and future major league players such as

Boston Braves, New York Black Yankees, and in other years teams such as the Havana All-Stars, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Boston Colored Giants, House of David and the Brooklyn Dodgers
.

Return to professional status

In 1946 with the postwar baseball boom, the New England League was restored to an "affiliated" eight–team

Fall River Indians. Its most notable member, the Nashua Dodgers, was a Brooklyn farm club where, in 1946, African-American players and future Dodger greats Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella made their debuts as part of the handful of men who broke the baseball color line
. The players succeeded on the field and were very complimentary in remarks about their Nashua experience in later years.

In 1947 the Cranston Chiefs had a working agreement with the

Fall River Indians had the same arrangement with the Chicago White Sox. The still independent Lawrence Millionaires cancelled their home game against Pawtucket on July 14 and became the Lowell "Stars" the following day playing in Pawtucket, wearing the uniforms of a popular semi-pro team of the same name. A name-the-team contest never panned out, and the press began calling the team the Lowell Orphans; after August 18 they became a "road" team. Following the 1947 season the franchise was moved to Springfield as a farm team of the Chicago Cubs, and the Springfield Cubs became the only New England League team to survive the 1949 season, as one of the Cubs' two Class AAA team from 1950–1953. Dewacasino168
the most trusted england league match join us now before it's too late.

Nashua was the most successful member of the postwar league, winning three consecutive playoff championships from 1946-48. But by the middle of

Boston Braves, but the Portland Pilots, a Phillies
affiliate, won the playoffs, thus bookending the championship earned by the Maine city's entry in the NEL's maiden season 63 years earlier.

List of teams

[8] [9]

Standings & statistics

1886 to 1888

1886 New England League - schedule
President: Jacob C. Morse

Team standings W L PCT GB Managers
Portland
 66 36 .647 - Harry Spence
Haverhill
 59 38 .608 4.5 Frank Selee / Fred Doe /
John Irwin
Lynn
 53 52 .505 14.5 Dan Shannon / Ed Flanagan /
Fred Doe
Brockton
 45 56 .455 20.5 Bill McGunnigle / Jim Cudworth
Lawrence
 42 55 .433 21.5 Frank Cox
Boston Blues
 35 63 .357 29.0 Tim Murnane / Walt Burnham

Newburyport (35-34) moved to Lynn August 14.

Player statistics
Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
Tom McCarthy Brockton BA .330 Tom Lovett Newburyport/Lynn W 32
Bobby Wheelock Portland Runs 93 Tom Lovett Newburyport/Lynn SO 300
Sam LaRocque Newburyport/Lynn Hits 134 Tom Lovett Newburyport/Lynn ERA 1.27
Guerdon Whiteley Newburyport/Lynn HR 11 Tom Lovett Newburyport/Lynn Pct .756; 31-10
Ted Scheffler Portland HR 11 Tug Wilson Newburyport/Lynn HR 11
Mike Slattery Haverhill SB 63


1887 New England League - schedule
President: Jacob C. Morse

Team Standings W L PCT GB Managers
Lowell Browns
 71 33 .683 - Bill McGunnigle
Portland
 68 36 .654 3.0 Harry Spence
Haverhill
 47 36 .566 13.5 Walt Burnham
Manchester Farmers
 55 46 .545 14.5 Frank Leonard
Salem
 45 50 .473 21.5 Pat Pettee / Henry Putnam
Lynn Lions
 40 64 .384 31.0 George Brackett / Henry Murphy
Haverhill
 15 41 .268 NA Arthur Williams / Fred Doe
Salem Fairies
 10 45 .181 NA Wallace Fessenden / Ed Flanagan /
Frank Murphy

Salem disbanded July 9; Haverhill disbanded July 11; Boston (35-18) moved to Haverhill July 11; Lawrence (29-34) moved to Salem July 26.

Player statistics
Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
Hugh Duffy Salem/Lowell BA .470 Henry Burns Lowell W 32
Wyman Andrus Portland Runs 165 Henry Burns Lowell SO 137
Wyman Andrus Portland Hits 233 Jim Devlin Lynn ERA 1.84
Ed Kennedy Lowell HR 15 Henry Burns Lowell Pct .780; 32-9
Gil Hatfield Portland SB 141


1888 New England League - schedule
President: Edward Chesney

Team standings W L PCT GB Managers
Lowell Chippies
 51 36 .573 - Jim Cudworth
Worcester Grays
 48 40 .545 3.5 Walt Burnham
Manchester Maroons
 47 50 .485 9.0 Jim Clinton / Herbert Clough
Lynn Lions
 37 26 .587 NA George Brackett
Salem Witches 36 34 .514 NA Wallace Fessenden
Portsmouth Lillies 12 20 .375 NA Frank Leonard
Portland
 2 18 .200 NA Henry Myers / David Mahoney

Portland disbanded June 9 and was replaced by Portsmouth July 20; Lynn disbanded July 20; Salem disbanded August 3.

Player statistics
Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
Ted Scheffler Manchester BA .375 Alex Ferson Lynn/Manchester W 25
Ted Scheffler Manchester Runs 107 Alex Ferson Lynn/Manchester ERA 1.10
Ed Kennedy Lowell Hits 121 Alex Ferson Lynn/Manchester Pct .781; 25-7
Mark Polhemus Lowell HR 14 Henry Burns Lowell SO 224

[8]

Baseball Hall of Fame alumni

References

  1. ^ "1877 New England League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  2. ^ "Baseball - Digital Commonwealth". www.digitalcommonwealth.org.
  3. ISBN 978-0786431595
    .
  4. ^ "1885 Eastern New England League (ENEL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  5. ^ "Eastern New England League (Independent) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  6. ^ "1886 New England League (NEL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  7. ^ "New England League (B) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  8. ^
    ISBN 0-963-718-91-6
  9. ^ Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball

References

  • Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, editors: The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997.
  • Roper, Scott C., and Roper, Stephanie Abbot. "'We're Going to Give All We Have for this Grand Little Town': Baseball Integration and the 1946 Nashua Dodgers." Historical New Hampshire 53:1/2 (Spring/Summer 1998) 3-19.
  • Tygiel, Jules. Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and his Legacy. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
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