York White Roses
York White Roses | |
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Minor league affiliations | |
Previous classes | Single-A (1884–1969) |
League |
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Major league affiliations | |
Previous teams |
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Minor league titles | |
League titles | 2 (1925), (1969) |
Team data | |
Previous names |
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Previous parks | Bob Hoffman Stadium |
The York White Roses was the name of a minor league baseball team based in the city of York, Pennsylvania, US, that existed between 1894 and 1969.
History
Early years
The York White Roses began as members of the short-lived Keystone Association in 1884. The league disbanded after only 20 games. The White Roses transferred to the Eastern League after the Harrisburg Olympics folded.[1] The team remained in the Eastern League until the 1893 season when York joined the Pennsylvania State League.
Turn of the 20th century
York joined the Tri-State League as the York Penn Parks in 1904. York defeated Williamsport before 3,500 fans at the Phillies' ball park in Philadelphia for the new league's first championship.[2]
The name was quickly changed back to White Roses for the 1905 season. The 1906 season was full of controversy when the rival Lancaster Maroons changed their name to the Red Roses. George Heckert, White Roses manager, publicly denounced Lancaster's team and predicted that Lancaster would end the season in last place after it unveiled new jerseys and a new name days before the season opener against York.[3] Yorkers viewed the change as a copycat maneuver since York had called itself the White Roses since 1884.[4] The Red Roses went on to win the first game, 9–4, and an even heavier rivalry began.[5] Some sources indicate that the rival teams were named for the opposing factions in England's Wars of the Roses.
In 1907, the York franchise was moved to Reading, Pennsylvania, and became the Reading Pretzels for the 1908 season. In 1908 a York team played as members of the Pennsylvania-New Jersey League. The White Roses returned to York for the 1909 season. They made another move in 1914 when rival Lancaster Red Roses moved to Atlantic City. After a bad start to the season in York, the White Roses moved to Lancaster and became the Red Roses for the second half of the 1914 season. The franchise remained in Lancaster until The Tri State league broke up at the end of the 1914 season.
New era of White Roses
York is one of the six original teams of the
The White Roses were unaffiliated until the 1933 season when they became part of the
The White Roses joined the Interstate League in 1943, spending most of their seasons in this league (1943–1952) as an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates until 1950. From 1953 to 1955, the White Roses were members of the Piedmont League, affiliated with the St. Louis Browns from 1952 to 1953 and the Baltimore Orioles from 1954 to 1955. Hall of Fame player Brooks Robinson played his first professional season for the 1955 White Roses. [6]
The White Roses re-joined the Eastern League, affiliated with the
York Pirates
In 1968, the team was renamed as the York Pirates, affiliated once again with
The 1969 season was the last season of York minor-league baseball in the 20th century. After many dismal seasons in the 1960s the York Pirates made it to the Finals against the Pittsfield Red Sox. Pittsfield won the first game of the series 7–4 but the remaining games of the Championship were rained out and York was named champions (York was in first place in the league that season).
Stadium
The White Roses had numerous ballparks during the first half of the 20th century.[4] In 1947, York moved its minor-league team from Memorial Field in West York, Pennsylvania, to Memorial Stadium in York. York's minor-league clubs continued to play at Veterans Memorial Stadium/Bob Hoffman Stadium until the York Pirates folded at the end of the 1969 season.
Notable alumni
Hall of Fame alumni
- Brooks Robinson Inducted, 1983
Other notable alumni
- Clyde Barnhart (1931)
- Dick Bosman (1965–1966) 1969 AL ERA Title
- Boom-Boom Beck (1946)
- Joe Coleman (1966–1967) MLB All-Star
- Ripper Collins (1923) 3 x MLB All-Star
- Tito Francona (1952) MLB All-Star
- Lonny Frey (1932) 3 x MLB All-Star
- Jim Lemon (1964) 2 x MLB All-Star
- Dutch Leonard (1933) 5 x MLB All-Star
- Florida Marlins
- Mel Parnell (1962) 2 x MLB All-Star
- Ken Raffensberger (1955) MLB All-Star
- Dave Robertson (1928) 2 x NL Home Run Leader (1916–1917)
- Dick Siebert (1933) MLB All-Star
- Del Unser (1966–1967)
- Buck Weaver (1910) Black Sox Scandal
- Wilbur Wood (1962) 3 x MLB All-Star
Year-by-year records
Keystone Association (1884)
Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs | Notes |
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1884 | 10–10 | 2nd | Frank Burnham | none | Keystone Association disbanded June 7 |
Eastern League (1884)
Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
10–21 | 5th | John Murphy | none | York replaced the disbanded Harrisburg team July 18 |
Pennsylvania State League (1893)
Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1893 | 51–55 | 6th | William Stevens / Bill Sharsig |
Tri-State League (1909–1914)
Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1909 | 41–73 | 8th | Frank Reisling / William Poole | none | |
1910 | 37–74 | 8th | Louis Simmel / Jacob Weitzel / Curt Weigand | none | |
1911 | 50–58 | 6th | Curt Weigand | none | |
1912 | 45–65 | 7th | John Manning | none | |
1913 | 59–52 | 4th | George Heckert | none | |
1914 | 16–37 | – | George Heckert / Eddie Hooper | York moved to Lancaster (10–46) July 8 |
New York–Penn League (1923–1933, 1936)
Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1923 | 73–51 | 2nd | Rube Dessau | none | |
1924 | 80–48 | 2nd | Rube Dessau | none | |
1925 | 77–55 | 1st (t) | Rube Dessau | League Champs | |
1926 | 79–57 | 2nd | Rube Dessau | none | |
1927 | 79–58 | 3rd | Rube Dessau / Johnny Tillman | none | |
1928 | 65–72 | 5th | Win Clark | none | |
1929 | 71–66 | 4th | Jack Bentley | none | |
1930 | 66–73 | 6th | Jack Bentley | none | |
1931 | 73–67 | 5th | Jack Bentley / Frank Uzmann | none | |
1932 | 72–66 | 3rd | Russ Wrightstone / Rube Dessau | none | |
1933 | 59–78 | 8th | Rube Dessau | none | |
1936 | 24–45 | – | Dutch Dorman / Walter Smallwood | York moved to Trenton (16–54) July 2 |
Interstate League (1943–1952)
Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs | Notes |
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1943 | 73–66 | 4th | Bunny Griffiths | Lost League Finals | |
1944 | 69–68 | 3rd | Bunny Griffiths | Lost in 1st round | |
1945 | 49–90 | 6th | Bunny Griffiths | ||
1946 | 68–70 | 5th | Boom-Boom Beck | ||
1947 | 67–70 | 5th | Edward Turchin | ||
1948 | 77–62 | 3rd | Frank Oceak | Lost League Finals | |
1949 | 66–72 | 6th | Frank Oceak | ||
1950 | 65–73 | 6th | Frank Oceak | ||
1951 | 51–88 | 7th | Eugene Crumling |
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1952 | 74–62 | 3rd | Jim Crandall | Lost in 1st round |
Piedmont League (1953–1955)
Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1953 | 59–70 | 5th | Mark Christman / Bill Enos / George Hausmann | ||
1954 | 72–67 | 3rd | George Staller | Lost in 1st round | |
1955 | 64–65 | 3rd | George Staller | Lost in 1st round |
Eastern League (1958–1969)
Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs | Notes |
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1958 | 68–61 | 3rd | Joe Schultz |
Lost in 1st round | |
1959 | 59–81 | 6th | Mike Ryba / Ed Lyons | ||
1963 | 63–77 | 5th | Danny O'Connell / Johnny Schaive | none | |
1964 | 55–85 | 6th | Jim Lemon | none | |
1965 | 67–72 | 3rd | Billy Klaus | none | |
1966 | 62–77 | 6th | Billy Klaus | none | |
1967 | 43–95 | 8th | Billy Klaus / George Case | ||
1968 | 58–82 | 5th | Joe Morgan |
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1969 | 89–50 | 1st | Joe Morgan |
* League Champs |
- *1969– Playoffs Rained out, York Pirates named Eastern League Champions
See also
References
- ISBN 0-7864-0181-8)
- ^ "Penn Park Wins the $1000 Game, Defeating Williamsport Easily By The Score Of 8 To 2". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. October 11, 1904. p. 10.
- ^ 1906–1914: A Rose by Any Other Name Archived February 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c York-area baseball through the years – The York Daily Record
- ^ "The York and Lancaster Rivalry". Lancaster County Historical Society. Archived from the original on April 15, 2007. Retrieved May 6, 2006.
- ^ "Brooks Robinson Minor Leagues Statistics & History".