St. Petersburg Pelicans

Last updated
St. Petersburg Pelicans
St. Petersburg Pelicans.gif
Minor league affiliations
Previous classesIndependent Winter League
League Senior Professional Baseball Association
DivisionNorthern Division
Minor league titles
League titles 1 (1989)
Division titles 1 (1989)
Team data
Previous parks
Al Lang Stadium

The St. Petersburg Pelicans were one of the eight original franchises that began playing in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989. The team was managed by Bobby Tolan, while Dick Bosman, Ozzie Virgil, Sr. and Tom Zimmer served as coaches. They played their home games at Al Lang Stadium in Downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. [1]

Contents

The Pelicans went 42-30 in the regular season and won the Northern Division title. Steve Henderson hit .352 for the club, and Lenny Randle batted .349. Milt Wilcox went 12-3, and Jon Matlack added 10 wins. Led by Lamar Johnson's home run and three RBI, the Pelicans went on to beat the West Palm Beach Tropics 12-4 to win the league's championship game. [2]

The team returned for a second season but ceased operation when the league folded in December 1990.

Notable players

Source: [3]

Notes

The original St. Petersburg Pelicans were a team that played in the 1940s and 1950s in the Florida State Negro Baseball League [4] . They played its home games at Campbell Park in St. Petersburg. [5]

On June 21, 2008 the Tampa Bay Rays wore St. Petersburg Pelicans jerseys to honor the team in a game against the Houston Astros. [6]

Sources

  1. 1989–1990 St. Petersburg Pelicans. Fun While It Lasted. Retrieved on February 20, 2016.
  2. February 4, 1990 in History. Brainy History. Retrieved on February 20, 2016.
  3. The Trading Card Database
  4. Cassandra Waggoner. "Negro Baseball Leagues (1920-1950)" . Retrieved December 3, 2007.
  5. McLin, E.H. (1952-04-29). "Pelicans face Ocala in League Opener Sunday". St. Petersburg Times . Retrieved 2009-03-22.
  6. Tampa Bay Rays (2008-06-19). "Rays celebrate 'Turn Back the Clock' and honor the 1990 Senior League (SPBA) champions, St. Petersburg Pelicans". MLB.com . Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved 2009-03-22.


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida State League</span> Baseball league in Florida, US

The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues. The league temporarily operated for the 2021 season as the Low-A Southeast before reassuming its original moniker in 2022.

This is a list of award winners and league leaders for the New York Mets professional baseball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Henderson (baseball)</span> American baseball player

Steven Curtis Henderson is an American former Major League Baseball left fielder who is best remembered for being one of the players the New York Mets acquired in the infamous "Midnight Massacre."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Matlack</span> American baseball player (born 1950)

Jonathan Trumpbour Matlack is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1971 through 1983 for the New York Mets and the Texas Rangers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tampa Tarpons (1957–1988)</span> Minor league baseball team

The Tampa Tarpons were a minor league baseball team based in Tampa, Florida. Their home ballpark was Al Lopez Field, and they were a member of the Class A Florida State League (FSL) from 1957 until 1988, mostly as an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. In 1988, they were sold, relocated, and renamed the Sarasota White Sox. During their run in Tampa, they won three FSL league championships, in 1957, 1959 and 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senior Professional Baseball Association</span>

The Senior Professional Baseball Association, referred to commonly as the Senior League, was a winter baseball league based in Florida for players age 35 and over, with a minimum age of 32 for catchers. The league began play in 1989 and had eight teams in two divisions and a 72-game schedule. Pitchers Rollie Fingers, Ferguson Jenkins, and Vida Blue, outfielder Dave Kingman, and managers Earl Weaver and Dick Williams were the league's marquee names; and former big league outfielder Curt Flood was the circuit's first Commissioner. At age 54, Ed Rakow was the league's oldest player.

Charles G. LaMar Jr. is an American professional baseball scout, former college baseball head coach, and former general manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). LaMar was the first general manager of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, hired approximately three years before they began play in the American League in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenny Randle</span> American baseball player (born 1949)

Leonard Shenoff Randle is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers franchise, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners from 1971 to 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milt Thompson (baseball)</span> American baseball player (born 1959)

Milton Bernard Thompson, is an American former professional baseball outfielder, pinch hitter, and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Colorado Rockies. He returned as the Cincinnati Reds’ minor league hitting instructor, for the 2019 season. Over his MLB career, Thompson compiled a batting average of .274.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milt May</span> American baseball player (born 1950)

Milton Scott May is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1984 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, and San Francisco Giants.

The Tigres de Aragua(English: Aragua Tigers) is a baseball team that plays in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League and represents the state of Aragua.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Rajsich</span> American baseball player (born 1951)

David Christopher Rajsich is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1978 to 1980 for the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers. He also played one season in Japan for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in 1984. Rajsich, whose last name is pronounced "Ray-Sich", was a southpaw pitcher known as "The Blade" because he was so tall and thin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 St. Louis Cardinals season</span> Major League Baseball season

The St. Louis Cardinals 1989 season was the team's 108th season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 98th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 86–76 during the season and finished third in the National League East division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1986 St. Louis Cardinals season</span> Major League Baseball season

The 1986 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 105th season in St. Louis, Missouri and its 95th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 79–82 during the season and finished third in the National League East division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 St. Louis Cardinals season</span> Major League Baseball season

The St. Louis Cardinals' 1985 season was the team's 104th season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 94th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 101–61 during the season and finished in first place in the National League East division by three games over the New York Mets. After defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games in the NLCS, they lost in seven games in the World Series to their cross-state rivals, the Kansas City Royals in the I-70 Series. The World Series is known for the infamous "safe" call on the Royals' Jorge Orta by umpire Don Denkinger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 New York Mets season</span> Major League Baseball team season

The 1978 New York Mets season was the 17th regular season for the Mets, who played their home games at Shea Stadium. Led by manager Joe Torre, the team had a 66–96 record and finished in sixth place in the National League East.

The 1974 Cleveland Indians season was the team's 74th season in Major League Baseball. It involved the Indians competing in the American League East, where they finished fourth with a record of 77–85.

Baseball in the Tampa Bay area, both amateur and professional, has had a long and storied history, even though the Tampa Bay Rays are one of the two youngest franchises in Major League Baseball, the other being the Arizona Diamondbacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tampa Bay Rays</span> Major League Baseball franchise in St. Petersburg, Florida

The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. The Rays are one of two major league clubs based in Florida, alongside the National League (NL)’s Miami Marlins. Since its inception, the team's home ballpark has been Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Rajsich</span> American baseball player (born 1954)

Gary Louis Rajsich is an American Major League Baseball (MLB) scout and a former professional baseball outfielder. He played all or parts of four seasons in the Majors from 1982 until 1985, then played three additional seasons for the Chunichi Dragons from 1986 until 1988. He was the Baltimore Orioles' director of amateur scouting from November 28, 2011, until the conclusion of the 2018 season.