Interstate League

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The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952.

Early leagues

Earlier versions of the Interstate League, with years active:

  • 1896–1901: an unclassified loop with teams in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, and West Virginia.
  • 1905-08; 1914-16: a Class D league with clubs in Pennsylvania and New York.
  • 1913: a Class C league operating in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
  • 1932: a Class D circuit based in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

In addition, a Class C Interstate Association existed for one season, 1906, in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.

1939–1952

Interstate League
Sport Baseball
Founded 1939
Inaugural season 1939
Ceased 1952
No. of teams 4 (1939)
8 (1940–1941) (1946–1952)
6 (1942–1945)
Country  United States
Last champion(s) Hagerstown Braves
Most titles Wilmington Blue Rocks (4)
Lancaster Red Roses (4)
Official website None

The longest tenured version of the Interstate League was the last incarnation, which played in the Middle Atlantic States from 1939 through 1952, and was one of the few mid-level minor leagues to operate continuously during the World War II period.

This circuit, which began as Class C and was upgraded to Class B in 1940, typically had teams in Allentown, Harrisburg, Lancaster and Sunbury, all in Pennsylvania; Hagerstown, Maryland; Trenton, New Jersey; and Wilmington, Delaware. Its final champion was the Hagerstown Braves, a Boston Braves affiliate. That season, the York White Roses led the league in attendance, attracting over 78,000 fans.

Cities/Teams/Years

Cities represented Teams Major League Affiliate Year(s)
Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown Dukes Boston Braves 1939
Allentown Fleetwings St. Louis Cardinals 1940
Allentown Wings Philadelphia Phillies (1941)
St. Louis Cardinals (1942–43)
1941–43
Allentown Cardinals St. Louis Cardinals 1944–52
Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport Bees Boston Braves 1941
Hagerstown, Maryland Hagerstown Owls Detroit Tigers (1941–44) (1947–48)
Chicago Cubs (1945–46)
Washington Senators (1949)
1941–49
Hagerstown Braves Boston Braves 1950–52
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg Senators Pittsburgh Pirates (1941–42)
Cleveland Indians (1946–51)
Philadelphia Athletics (1952)
1940–42, 1946–52
Hazleton, Pennsylvania Hazleton Mountaineers Unaffiliated 1939–40
Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster Red Roses Philadelphia Athletics (1944–47)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1948–52)
1940–52
Reading, Pennsylvania Reading Chicks Unaffiliated 1940
Reading Brooks Brooklyn Dodgers 1941
Salisbury, Maryland Salisbury Athletics Philadelphia Athletics 1951
Salisbury Reds Cincinnati Reds 1952
Sunbury, Pennsylvania Sunbury Senators Unaffiliated 1939
Sunbury Indians Unaffiliated 1940
Sunbury Yankees[1] New York Yankees 1946–47
Sunbury Reds Cincinnati Reds 1948–49
Sunbury Athletics Philadelphia Athletics 1950
Sunbury Giants New York Giants 1951–52
Trenton, New Jersey Trenton Senators Unaffiliated 1939–41
Trenton Packers Philadelphia Phillies (1942–43)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1944)
1942–44
Trenton Spartans Brooklyn Dodgers 1945
Trenton Giants New York Giants 1946–50
Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington Blue Rocks Philadelphia Athletics (1940–43)
Philadelphia Phillies (1944–52)
1940–52
York, Pennsylvania York Bees Boston Braves 1940
York White Roses Pittsburgh Pirates (1943–50)
St. Louis Browns (1952)
1943–52

League champions

Season Interstate League champion Interstate League runner-up Other postseason participants
1939 Allentown Dukes Sunbury Senators Trenton Senators
1940 Lancaster Red Roses Reading Chicks Trenton Senators; Wilmington Blue Rocks
1941 Harrisburg Senators Trenton Senators Hagerstown Owls; Reading Brooks
1942 Wilmington Blue Rocks Hagerstown Owls Harrisburg Senators; Allentown Wings
1943 Lancaster Red Roses York White Roses Hagerstown Owls; Wilmington Blue Rocks
1944 Lancaster Red Roses Allentown Cardinals Wilmington Blue Rocks; York White Roses
1945 Lancaster Red Roses Allentown Cardinals Trenton Spartans; Wilmington Blue Rocks
1946 Harrisburg Senators Wilmington Blue Rocks Hagerstown Owls; Allentown Cardinals
1947 Wilmington Blue Rocks Allentown Cardinals Trenton Giants; Harrisburg Senators
1948 Trenton Giants York White Roses Wilmington Blue Rocks, Sunbury Reds
1949 Trenton Giants Harrisburg Senators Allentown Cardinals; Wilmington Blue Rocks
1950 Wilmington Blue Rocks Hagerstown Braves Harrisburg Senators; Trenton Giants
1951 Wilmington Blue Rocks Sunbury Giants Hagerstown Braves; Allentown Cardinals
1952 Hagerstown Braves Lancaster Red Roses York White Roses, Allentown Cardinals

Individual records

Hitting

  • Games: 142, Steve Flipowicz, Sunbury (1947)
  • Batting Average: .428, Woody Wheaton, Hazelton (1939)
  • At Bats: 593, Robert Mays, Hagerstown (1943)
  • Runs: 128, Nellie Fox, Lancaster (1945)
    128, Richard Burgett, Allentown (1946)
  • Hits: 220, George Kell, Lancaster (1943)
  • Runs Batted In: 144, Edward Sanicki, Wilmington (1946)
  • Doubles: 52, Bob Maier, Hagerstown (1943)
  • Triples: 24, Harold Bamberger, Trenton (1947)
    24, Charley Neal, Lancaster (1951)
  • Home Runs: 37, Edward Sanicki, Wilmington (1947)
  • Extra Base Hits: 73, John Capra, Allentown (1944)
  • Total Bases: 320, Del Ennis, Trenton (1943)
  • Consecutive Game Hitting Streak: 22, Harold Nerino, Sunbury (1940)
    22, Bill Cox, Harrisburg (1941)
    22, Edward Nowak, Hagerstown (1945)
  • Sacrifices: 24, Harvey Johnson, Harrisburg (1941)
  • Stolen Bases: 47, Joseph Schmidt, Wilmington (1946)
  • Walks: 130, Guy Glaser, Wilmington (1945)
  • Hit By Pitch: 23, Nellie Fox, Lancaster (1945)
  • Struck Out: 123, Peyton Rambin, Trenton (1949)

Pitching

  • Games: 49, George Eyrich, Wilmington (1948)
  • Complete Games: 29, Charles Bowles, Lancaster (1943)
    29, Norman Shope, York (1944)
  • Wins: 24, Daniel Lewandowski, Allentown (1951)
  • Losses: 21, Wilson Emmerick, Allentown (1943)
  • Best Percentage: .880 (22-3), Anderson Bush, Hagerstown (1951)
  • Earned Run Average: 1.44, Royce Lint, Harrisburg (1942)
  • Innings Pitched: 260, Charles Miller, Hagerstown (1943)
  • Win Streak: 13, Woody Wheaton, Lancaster (1943)
  • Shutouts: 7, John Burrows, Wilmington (1942),
  • Strikeouts: 278, Andy Tomasic, Trenton (1947)
  • Bases on Balls: 165, Dick Libby, Sunbury (1948)
  • Wild Pitches: 19, Joseph Slotter, Hagerstown (1944)

No-hitters

Year Date Pitcher Team Opposition Score Notes
1940 July 2 Don Kepler Sunbury York 6-0 7 innings
1942 August 24 Jack Casey Trenton Hagerstown 2-3 lost game
1943 July 1 Steve Gerkin Lancaster Trenton 4-0 7 innings
1944 June 25 Hal Kelleher Trenton York 6-0 7 innings
1946 June 10 Whitey Konikowski Trenton Harrisburg 4-0 7 innings
1949 May 7 Tony West Trenton Westbury 11-0
1950 June 11 Joe Micciche Trenton Harrisburg 9-0
1950 August 25 Tony Segzda York Sunbury 6-0
1951 April 28 Keith Kelley Lancaster Wilmington 10-0
1951 June 14 William Minton Salisbury Harrisburg 0-2 lost game
1951 July 18 Tom Casagrande Wilimington York 0-1 11 innings; lost game
1951 July 28 Ernest Nichols Lancaster Salisbury 6-2
1951 August 20 Tom Casagrande Wilmington Harrisburg 4-0 7 innings
1952 June 5 Bob Berresford Harrisburg Wilmington 1-0
1952 August 6 Doug Gostlin Lancaster Sunbury 1-0

References

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Further reading