Wichita Indians (baseball)
| Wichita Indians | |
|---|---|
|
The Wichita Indians were a
In 1956, the Indians were succeeded by the Class AAA level
History
Wichita first hosted minor league baseball in 1887, when the "Wichita" team played as members of the
The 1950 Wichita Indians rejoined the Western League, playing as a minor league affiliate of the
The 1950 Indians ended the season with a 77–77 record, placing fourth in the Western League regular season standings, playing the season under manager
In 1951, Wichita became an affiliate of the
The 1952 Indians finished in a tie for sixth place with the
Becoming a St. Louis Browns affiliate, the Wichita Indians finished in last place in 1953, playing under managers George Hausmann, George Kovach and Mark Christman. Wichita ended the season with a record of 58–96 and finished 37.0 games behind the Colorado Springs Sky Sox in the eight–team Western League regular season standings. Wichita had attendance of 68,683 fans, seventh best in the Western League.[5][15][16][17]
In 1954, the Indians became affiliates of the Baltimore Orioles after the St. Louis Browns relocated.[18] The Indians ended the season with a 76–77 record, and in sixth place in the regular season standings of the eight team Western League. Playing under managers Herb Brett and Les Layton, Wichita did not qualify for the Western League playoffs, finishing 19.0 games behind the first place Denver Bears. The 1954 home season attendance was 87,854, fourth in the league.[5][19][20][21]
Wichita won the 1955 Western League championship. In the regular season, the 1955 Indians finished in a tie for third place at 78–73 and began a Western League championship run, playing under manager Bud Bates. First, the Indians defeated the Des Moines Bruins in a third-place tie–breaker game. In the playoffs, the Indians beat the Pueblo Dodgers 3 games to 1 in the semifinals to advance. Advancing to the finals, Wichita beat the Des Moines Bruins 3 games to 1 to claim the 1955 Western League championship. Bob Harrison pitched a no–hitter for Wichita in the finals.[5][22][23]
The Western League continued play in
The ballparks
The Wichita Indians hosted minor league home games at historic
The Indians were noted to have played some games at Central Park Stadium in El Dorado, Kansas during the July and August months. Today, the stadium is called McDonald Stadium.[27][28]
Timeline
| Year(s) | # Yrs. | Team | Level | League | Affiliate | Ballpark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1 | Wichita Indians | Class A |
Western League | St. Louis Browns | Lawrence-Dumont Stadium
|
| 1951–1952 | 2 | Cleveland Indians
| ||||
| 1953 | 1 | St. Louis Browns | ||||
| 1954–1955 | 2 | Baltimore Orioles |
Year–by–year records
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 77–77 | 4th | Joe Schultz |
Lost league finals |
| 1951 | 84–68 | 3rd | Joe Schultz |
Lost in 1st round |
| 1952 | 67–87 | 6th (t) | Ralph Winegarner | Did not qualify |
| 1953 | 58–96 | 8th | George Hausmann (18–30) George Kovach (1–1) / Mark Christman (39–65) |
Did not qualify |
| 1954 | 76–77 | 6th | Herb Brett (12–23) / Les Layton (64–54) | Did not qualify |
| 1955 | 78–73 | 3rd | Bud Bates | Won league championship |
Notable alumni
- Bobby Balcena (1950)
- Bud Bates (1955, MGR)
- Jack Bruner (1952)
- Mike Blyzka (1950)
- Mark Christman (1953, MGR)
- Perry Currin (1950)
- George Elder (1950)
- Johnny Goryl (1955)
- Lenny Green (1955)
- Bob Harrison (1955)
- George Hausmann (1953)
- Mel Held (1950, 1953)
- Hal Hudson (1955)
- Julián Ladera (1953)
- Don Larsen (1950) 1956 World Series Most Valuable Player
- Garland Lawing (1954)
- Les Layton (1954)
- Chuck Locke (1953)
- Harry MacPherson (1951)
- Don Minnick (1951)
- Don Mossi (1951) MLB All-Star
- Jim Pisoni (1953)
- Carl Powis (1950)
- Joe Schultz(1950-1951, MGR)
- Jim Snyder (1955)
- Bob Turley (1950) 3x MLB All-Star; 1958 AL Cy Young Award; 1958 World Series M.V.P.
- Lefty Wallace (1952)
- Tommy Warren (1954-1955)
- Wichita Indians players
References
- ^ "1887 Wichita Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Wichita, Kansas sports teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "Baseball in Kansas, 1867-1940 - Kansas Historical Society". www.kshs.org.
- ^ "Wichita plays ball!". F5paper.com. November 13, 2014.
- ^ ISBN 978-1932391176.)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link - ^ a b "1947 Western League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1950 Wichita Indians Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1950 Western League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1950 Wichita Indians Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1951 Wichita Indians Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1951 Wichita Indians Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1952 Wichita Indians Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1952 Wichita Indians Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1952 Western League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1953 Wichita Indians Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1953 Wichita Indians Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1953 Western League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "September 27, 1953: St. Louis Browns depart for Baltimore after 100th loss of the season – Society for American Baseball Research".
- ^ "1954 Wichita Indians Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1954 Western League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1954 Wichita Indians Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1955 Wichita Indians Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1955 Wichita Indians Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Western League (A) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in Wichita, KS history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ Spedden, Zach (February 13, 2019). "New Wichita Ballpark Breaks Ground".
- ^ a b "Historical Baseball Sites in Kansas - Fort Hays State University". www.fhsu.edu.
- ^ "Stadium History". El Dorado Broncos.