Salisbury Indians

Last updated

The Salisbury Indians were a United States minor league baseball team which played in Salisbury, Maryland. The team began operation in 1922 as a founding member of the Eastern Shore League, which operated out of cities on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Contents

The Indians did not field a particularly competitive team in the first year of its existence, but from 1923 through 1927 they finished second or third every year. Because of economic hard times, however, the league ceased operations before the 1928 season.

1937 season

The Eastern Shore League was revived in 1936 with the original six teams and the addition of two more. Seven of the eight teams were affiliates of Major league teams. The Salisbury team was affiliated with the Washington Senators. Under the rules of play then in existence, teams in the Class D division of baseball, which included all of the teams in the Eastern Shore League, were only allowed to field three players who had ever played in a higher level league. In 1937, Eastern Shore League commissioner Colonel J. Thomas Kibler ruled that Salisbury was fielding four players with higher level experience because one of their players had signed with a Class C team, even though he had never played for them. Kibler ruled that Salisbury had to forfeit all of its games, meaning that, although they had a record of 21-5 at the time, they dropped to 0-26. The team appealed, first to William G. Bramham, president of the National Association, then to Kenesaw Mountain Landis, Commissioner of Baseball, but the ruling stood.

The team decided that they would recuperate by being competitive on the field. They did so by finishing the season with 59 wins and 11 losses, and winning the league pennant. Counting the wins they had forfeited, Salisbury had a record of 80-16 for the season. Prior to the beginning of the Eastern Shore League playoffs, Salisbury played the Trenton team, which was the Senators' Class A team. The Indians won, 72–. They then went on to win the league playoffs. The Indians' manager, Jake Flowers, was named Minor League Manager of the Year by The Sporting News . The 1937 Indians were recognized as one of the 100 greatest minor league teams of all time. [1]

Later years

In 1938, with many of the same players as the year before, Salisbury went 65-47 to repeat as champions.

The Indians and the league continued in operation until 1941, when the league closed for the duration of World War II, then reformed from 1946 through 1949. The Indians won the league two more times, and won the regular season pennant but lost in the playoffs one time. In 1951, a reconstituted Salisbury Indians team joined the Class B Interstate League, but that team only existed for two years.

Salisbury had no further minor league baseball participation until 1996, when the Delmarva Shorebirds joined the South Atlantic League.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delmarva Shorebirds</span> Minor league baseball team

The Delmarva Shorebirds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Salisbury, Maryland. They are members of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Their home games are played at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. The Shorebirds were members of the Class A South Atlantic League (SAL) from 1996 to 2020 and the Low-A East in 2021, though this was renamed the Carolina League and reclassified as Single-A in 2022. They won two SAL championships, in 1997 and 2000. Also in 1997, the Shorebirds received Baseball America's Bob Freitas Award for Class A baseball.

The Eastern Shore Baseball League was a class D minor league baseball league that operated on the Delmarva Peninsula for parts of three different decades. The league's first season was in 1922 and the last was in 1949, although the years were not consecutive, and featured teams from Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. The first incarnation lasted from 1922 to mid-1928, the second from 1937 to 1941, and the third from 1946 to 1949. Though the level of play was competitive and many future major leaguers gained experience in the ESBL, funding the league remained a constant problem for the rural franchises.

John Thomas Kibler was an American baseball player, coach of basketball and baseball, college athletics administrator and Minor League Baseball executive. He was a coach at Washington College, in various capacities, for over half a century. His duties included coaching the baseball, basketball and football teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Scherger</span> American baseball player, coach, and manager

George Richard Scherger was an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake Flowers</span> American baseball player

D'Arcy Raymond "Jake" Flowers was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. A reserve infielder, primarily a second baseman and shortstop, he appeared in 583 Major League games over ten seasons between 1923 and 1934 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Brooklyn Robins and Dodgers, and Cincinnati Reds. The native of Cambridge, Maryland, attended Washington College, where he played football and basketball in addition to baseball. He batted and threw right-handed and was listed at 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and 170 pounds (77 kg).

Jerome Edward Lynn was a Major League Baseball second baseman. He played for the Washington Senators in 1937.

Joseph James "Blackie" Kohlman was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played over parts of two seasons (1937–38) with the Washington Senators. He is best known for being the star pitcher of the 1937 Salisbury Indians, going 25–1 for the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Cambria</span> American baseball scout and executive

Joseph Carl Cambria, also known as "Papa Joe," was an American professional baseball scout and executive who was a pioneer in recruiting Latin American players. From 1929 through 1940, he owned several Minor League Baseball teams, as well as the Negro league Baltimore Black Sox. He is best known, however, for his work as a scout for Major League Baseball, especially for his work in Cuba. From the mid-1930s until his death in 1962, he recruited hundreds of Cuban players for the Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins. Cambria was described as "the first of many scouts who searched Latin America for inexpensive recruits for their respective ball clubs."

The Parksley Spuds was a Class D minor league baseball team based in Parksley, Virginia, which had a population of just over 600 people at the 1920 United States Census. They played in the Eastern Shore League between 1922 and 1928, the entire run of the league's initial incarnation. The Spuds won multiple league pennants during that span. The league encountered financial difficulties during the 1928 season and the owners of the teams voted to disband the league.

The Laurel Blue Hens were a minor league baseball team based in Laurel, Delaware. In 1922 and 1923, the Blue Hens teams played exclusively as members of the Class D level Eastern Shore League. Laurel hosted home minor league games at League Park.

The Concord Weavers were a minor league baseball team based in Concord, North Carolina. Between 1936 and 1951, Concord teams played as a member of the Independent level Carolina League from 1936 to 1938 and the Class D level North Carolina State League from 1939 to 1942 and 1945 to 1951, winning two league pennants and one championship. The franchise played as the Concord Nationals from 1949 to 1950 and Concord Sports in 1951, with Concord teams hosting minor league home games at Webb Field.

The Mooresville Moors were a minor league baseball team based in Mooresville, North Carolina. Between 1936 and 1953, the Mooresville Moors teams played as members of the 1936 Carolina League, the North Carolina State League from 1937 to 1942 and 1945 to 1952 before playing a final season in the 1953 Tar Heel League. The Mooresville Moors won six North Carolina State League Championships.

The Crisfield Crabbers were a minor league baseball team based in Crisfield, Maryland. The Crisfield Crabbers teams played as exclusively as members of the Class D level Eastern Shore League from 1922 to 1928 and in 1937, winning the 1926 league championship. Crisfield hosted home minor league games at the Crisfield Ball Park and their final season at Clarke Park. The 1937 Crisfield Crabbers were a minor league affiliate of the New York Giants.

The Federalsburg A's were a minor league baseball team based in Federalsburg, Maryland. Federalsburg teams played as exclusively as members of the Class D level Eastern Shore League from 1937 to 1941 and 1946 to 1949, winning the 1939 league pennant. The "A's" moniker was interchanged with the similar "Athletics" and "Little A's" before the franchise became the "Feds" for their final season of 1949. Hosting all minor league home games at Federal Park, Federalsburg played as a minor league affiliate of the Philadelphia Athletics from 1937 to 1941 and 1946 to 1948.

The Kannapolis Towelers were a minor league baseball team based in Kannapolis, North Carolina. From 1936 to 1941, the Towelers played as a member of the independent Carolina League from 1936 to 1938 and the Class D level North Carolina State League from 1939 to 1941, winning league pennants in 1937, 1939 and 1940. Kannapolis hosted minor league home games at the Kannapolis Ballpark.

The Newton–Conover Twins were a minor league baseball team based in Newton, North Carolina. The team was operated in partnership with neighboring Conover, North Carolina. Newton–Conover Twins teams played as members of the North Carolina State League in 1937 and 1938, Tar Heel League in 1939 and 1940 and the Western Carolina League from 1948 to 1951 and again from 1961 to 1963. The Twins played home minor league games in Newton, Carolina.

Minor league baseball teams were based in Lexington, North Carolina between 1937 and 1967. Lexington teams played as members of the Carolina League in 1936, North Carolina State League from 1937 to 1942 and 1945 to 1952, Tar Heel League in 1953 Western Carolina League from 1960 to 1961 and Western Carolinas League from 1963 to 1967. Lexington won two league championships.

Minor league baseball teams were based in Fulton, Kentucky in various seasons between 1911 and 1955. Fulton teams played exclusively as members of the Class D level Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League under differing names in five different decades, winning three league championships and two league pennants. Fulton was a minor league affiliate of the Detroit Tigers from 1939 to 1942 and Washington Senators from 1948 to 1955. Fulton minor league teams hosted home games at High Street Park from 1922 to 1924 and Fairfield Park between 1936 and 1955.

Minor league baseball teams were based in Centreville, Maryland between 1937 and 1946. Centreville teams played as exclusively as members of the Class D level Eastern Shore League in the 1937–1941 and 1946 seasons.

Minor league baseball teams were based in Easton, Maryland between 1924 and 1949. Easton teams played as exclusively as members of the Class D level Eastern Shore League from 1924 to 1928, 1937 to 1941 and 1946 to 1949.

References

  1. ↑ "Top 100 Teams". MiLB.com. 2001. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.