Tri-State League
Encyclopedia
The Tri-State League was the name of five different circuits in American
minor league baseball
.
, Michigan
and West Virginia
.
The second league, played from 1904-1914, and had member clubs in Delaware
, New Jersey
and Pennsylvania
. Charles F. Carpenter
was president from 1906 to 1913.
During the 1920s, two versions of the Tri-State League briefly existed: a 1924 loop with clubs in Iowa
, Nebraska
and South Dakota
, and a 1925-1926 association located in Tennessee
, Mississippi
and Arkansas
.
The most recent incarnation of the league was the post-World War II
Tri-State, a Class B circuit with clubs in Tennessee, North Carolina
and South Carolina
. This league, which played from 1946-55, typically included clubs in Charlotte
, Asheville
, Knoxville
, Rock Hill
and Spartanburg
; most of its teams were affiliated with Major League Baseball
farm systems.
The attendance crisis in the minor leagues of the 1950s - and the defection of clubs like Charlotte to higher-classification loops - eventually took its toll on the Tri-State League. In its last season, 1955
, there were only four clubs in the league. Its last champion was the Spartanburg Peaches, an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
.
History
The first league of that name played for four years (1887-1890) and consisted of teams in OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
.
The second league, played from 1904-1914, and had member clubs in Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Charles F. Carpenter
Charles F. Carpenter
Charles F. Carpenter was President of the Tri-State League in baseball from 1906 to 1913. He was forced into retirement in 1913 by the club owners....
was president from 1906 to 1913.
During the 1920s, two versions of the Tri-State League briefly existed: a 1924 loop with clubs in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
and South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, and a 1925-1926 association located in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
and Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.
The most recent incarnation of the league was the post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Tri-State, a Class B circuit with clubs in Tennessee, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. This league, which played from 1946-55, typically included clubs in Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
, Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, Rock Hill
Rock Hill, South Carolina
Rock Hill is the largest city in York County, South Carolina and the fourth-largest city in the state. It is also the third-largest city of the Charlotte metropolitan area, behind Charlotte and Concord, North Carolina. The population was 71,459 as of . Rock Hill has undergone rapid growth between...
and Spartanburg
Spartanburg, South Carolina
thgSpartanburg is the largest city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest city of the three primary cities in the Upstate region of South Carolina, and is located northwest of Columbia, west of Charlotte, and about northeast of...
; most of its teams were affiliated with Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
farm systems.
The attendance crisis in the minor leagues of the 1950s - and the defection of clubs like Charlotte to higher-classification loops - eventually took its toll on the Tri-State League. In its last season, 1955
1955 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers over New York Yankees ; Johnny Podres, MVP*All-Star Game, July 12 at County Stadium: National League, 6-5 -Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Cangrejeros de Santurce...
, there were only four clubs in the league. Its last champion was the Spartanburg Peaches, an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
.
1888-1890
- Akron Akrons (1890)
- Canton (1888, 1890)
- Canton Nadjys (1889)
- Columbus SenatorsColumbus SenatorsThe Columbus Senators Minor league baseball team was born in as a founding member of the Tri-State League. After that, the Senators played in the Western League , Interstate League Western Association and American Association...
(1888) - Dayton Reds (1889-1890)
- Hamilton (1889)
- Jackson Jaxons (1888)
- Kalamazoo Kazoos (1888)
- Lima Lushers (1888)
- Mansfield (1890)
- McKeesport (1890)
- Sandusky Fish Eaters (1888)
- Springfield (1889-1890)
- Toledo MaumeesToledo MaumeesThe Toledo Maumees were originally formed in 1888. The team was based in Toledo, Ohio and formed part of the Tri-State League for one season. Their home games were played at Speranza Park in Toledo....
(1888) - Wheeling Nail Cities (1888)
- Wheeling Nailers (1889-1890)
- Youngstown Giants (1890)
- Zanesville Kickapoos (1888)
1904-1914
- Allentown (1912-1914)
- Altoona Mountaineers (1904-1909)
- Altoona Rams (1910-1912)
- Atlantic City (1912-1913)
- Camden (1904)
- Chester (1912)
- Harrisburg SenatorsHarrisburg SenatorsThe Harrisburg Senators are a minor league baseball team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals....
(1904-1914) - Johnstown Johnnies (1905-1908)
- Johnstown Jawns (1909)
- Johnstown Johns (1910-1912)
- Lancaster Red RosesLancaster Red RosesThe Lancaster Red Roses baseball team, originally known as the Maroons, changed its name at the start of the 1906 season during a bitter match with the York, Pennsylvania-based White Roses. Some sources indicate that the rival teams were named for the opposing factions in England's historic Wars of...
(1905-1912, 1914) - Lebanon (1904)
- Reading Pretzels (1907-1912, 1914)
- Shamokin (1905)
- Trenton TigersTrenton TigersThe Trenton Tigers were an American basketball team based in Trenton, New Jersey that was a member of the American Basketball League.In the 1946/47 season, the team made it to the championship playoffs where they were to meet the Baltimore Bullets...
1907-1914 - Williamsport MillionairesWilliamsport MillionairesThe Williamsport Millionaires were a minor league baseball team based in Williamsport from 1906 to 1910. Many teams in this era never adopted formal nicknames and neither did the Millionaires...
(1904-1910) - Wilmington Peaches (1904-1908)
- Wilmington Chicks (1911-1914)
- York Penn Parks (1904)
- York White RosesYork White RosesThe York White Roses was the name of a minor league baseball team in the city of York, Pennsylvania, USA, that existed from 1894–1969.-Early years:...
(1905-1907, 1909-1914)
1924
- Beatrice BluesBeatrice BluesThe Beatrice Blues were a semi-professional baseball team located in Beatrice, Nebraska. A member of the Nebraska State League from 1922–1923, 1928, 1932–1938, and the Tri-State League in , they were affiliated with the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1936-1938....
- Grand Island Islanders
- Hastings Cubs
- Norfolk Elk Horns
- Sioux City Cardinals
- Sioux Falls CanariesSioux Falls CanariesThe Sioux Falls Pheasants are a professional baseball team based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA. The Pheasants are a member of the North Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 1993 season, the...
1925-1926
- Blytheville Tigers (1925-1926)
- Corinth Corinthians (1925-1926)
- Dyersburg Deers (1925)
- Jackson Giants (1925)
- Jackson Jays (1926)
- Jonesboro Buffaloes (1925-1926)
- Sheffield-Tuscumbia Twins (1926)
- Tupelo Wolves (1925-1926)
1946-1955
- Anderson A's (1946)
- Anderson Rebels (1947-1954)
- Asheville TouristsAsheville TouristsThe Asheville Tourists are a minor league baseball team based in Asheville, North Carolina, USA. They play in the Class A South Atlantic League and have been a farm team of the Colorado Rockies since 1994....
(1946-1955) - Charlotte HornetsCharlotte Hornets (baseball)The Charlotte Hornets was the name of an American minor league baseball franchise based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The club was originally founded in 1901, and lasted in some form until 1973, capturing 11 league titles during its history...
(1946-1953) - Fayetteville Cubs (1947-1948)
- Florence Steelers (1948-1950)
- Gastonia Rockets (1952-1953)
- Greenville SpinnersGreenville SpinnersThe Greenville Spinners were a minor league baseball team located in Greenville, South Carolina.They played in the Carolina Association from 1908-1912, the South Atlantic League from 1919-1930, 1946-1950 and 1961-1962, the Palmetto League in 1931 and the Tri-State League from 1954-1955.The team had...
(1951-1952, 1954-1955) - Greenwood Tigers (1951)
- Knoxville Smokies (1946-1952, 1954)
- Reidsville Luckies (1947)
- Rock Hill Chiefs (1947-1955)
- Shelby Cubs (1946)
- Spartanburg Spartans (1946)
- Spartanburg Peaches (1947-1955)
- Sumter ChicksSumter ChicksThe Sumter Chicks were a minor league baseball team based in Sumter, South Carolina, USA that played in the Tri-State League in 1949 and 1950. Tony Daniels and Wes Livengood played for them....
(1949-1950)