Rock Hill Chiefs
| Rock Hill Chiefs | |
|---|---|
| |
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Class | Class D (1908) Class B(1947–1955) Class A (1963–1968) |
| League | South Carolina League (1908) Tri-State League (1947–1955) Western Carolinas League (1963–1968) |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Team | Chicago Cubs (1950–1951) Washington Senators (1954) St. Louis Cardinals (1963–1966) Cleveland Indians (1967–1968) |
| Minor league titles | |
| League titles (2) |
|
| Team data | |
| Name | Rock Hill Catawabas (1908) Rock Hill Chiefs (1947–1955) Rock Hill Wrens (1963) Rock Hill Cardinals (1964–1966) Rock Hill Indians (1967–1968) |
| Ballpark | Municipal Stadium (1947–1968) |
The Rock Hill Chiefs was a primary name of the minor league baseball teams based in Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA between 1908 and 1968. Rock Hill teams played as members of the South Carolina League (1908), Tri-State League (1947–1955) and Western Carolinas League (1963–1968).
Rock Hill was a minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs (1950–1951), Washington Senators (1954), St. Louis Cardinals (1963–1966) and Cleveland Indians (1967–1968)
Baseball Hall of Fame members Sparky Anderson (1965, MGR) and Steve Carlton (1964) are Rock Hill Cardinals alumni.
History
[edit]The Rock Hill Catawabas played as members of the Class D level South Carolina League in 1908. The Rock Hill Chiefs then played as members of the Class B level Tri-State League from 1947 to 1955. The Rock Hill Wrens (1963), Rock Hill Cardinals (1964–1966) and Rock Hill Indians (1967–1968) played as members of the Class A level Tri-State League. Rock Hill teams were an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs in 950 and 1951, Washington Senators in 1954, St. Louis Cardinals from 1963 to 1966 and Cleveland Indians from 1967 to 1968.[1][2][3][4]
The Rock Hill Chiefs won the 1950 Tri-State League Championship, playing as an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. After placing fourth in the regular season standings with a 73–69 record, 13.5 games behind the first place Knoxville Smokies, the Chiefs qualified for the playoffs. In the playoffs, Rock Hill swept Knoxville in three games. In the Finals, Rock Hill defeated the Asheville Tourists 4 games to 3 to capture the 1950 championship, playing the season under manager Dick Bouknight.[5][6][7][4]
Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Steve Carlton pitched for the 1964 Rock Hill Cardinals at age 19. Carlton compiled a 10–1 record with a 1.03 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 78 innings. With Carlton on the roster, the 1964 Rock Hill Cardinals finished 2nd in the eight-team Western Carolinas League. Led by manager Hal Smith, the Cardinals placed second in the regular season standings with a 76–51 record, 0.5 games behind the first place Salisbury Dodgers (77–51) and won the first–half standings, while Salisbury won the second–half standings in the split–season format. In the playoff Final, the Salisbury Dodgers defeated Rock Hill 2 games to 1.[8][9][10]
Led by Baseball Hall of Fame member Sparky Anderson as manager, the Rock Hill Cardinals captured the 1965 Western Carolinas League Championship. Anderson had been fired after managing the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Class AAA International League in 1964, before the Cardinals organization hired him to manage Rock Hill just before the 1965 season. After finishing fifth in the regular season overall standings with a 59–63 record, Rock Hill qualified for the playoffs by having the best second–half record, as the league had a split–season format. In the 1965 Western Carolinas League playoffs, Rock Hill defeated the Salisbury Astros 2 games to 0 in the Finals to capture the championship.[11][12][13][14][4]
The Rock Hill team folded after the 1968 season and minor league baseball has not returned to Rock Hill, South Carolina.[15][12]
The ballpark
[edit]Rock Hill teams were noted to have played at American Legion Municipal Stadium. American Legion Municipal Stadium had a capacity of 6,800 in 1949 and 8,000 in 1963, with dimensions of 301–406–330. Municipal Stadium was demolished in 1984. The ballpark was located at the corner of York Avenue & Cherry Road, Rock Hill, South Carolina.[16][17][18][19]
Timeline
[edit]| Year(s) | # Yrs. | Team | Level | League | Affiliate | Ballpark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 | 1 | Rock Hill Catawabas | Class D | South Carolina League | None | Unknown |
| 1947–1949 | 3 | Rock Hill Chiefs | Class B | Tri-State League | Municipal Stadium | |
| 1950–1951 | 2 | Chicago Cubs | ||||
| 1952–1953 | 2 | None | ||||
| 1954 | 1 | Washington Senators | ||||
| 1955 | 1 | None | ||||
| 1963 | 1 | Rock Hill Wrens | Class A | Western Carolinas League | St. Louis Cardinals | |
| 1964–1966 | 3 | Rock Hill Cardinals | ||||
| 1967–1968 | 2 | Rock Hill Indians | Cleveland Indians |
Notable alumni
[edit]- Sparky Anderson (1965, MGR) Inducted Baseball Hall of Fame, 2000
- Steve Carlton (1964) Inducted Baseball Hall of Fame, 1994
- Jack Brohamer (1968)
- Vic Correll (1967–1968)
- Jake Early (1954) MLB All-Star
- Wes Ferrell (1963, MGR) 2x MLB All-Star; 1935 AL Wins Leader; Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame; Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame
- Kirby Higbe (1953) 2x MLB All-Star
- William D. Mullins (1954), member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
- Dusty Rhodes (1950–1951)
- Hal Smith (1964, MGR) 3x MLB All-Star
- Dick Tidrow (1967)
- Mike Torrez (1966)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "1908 Rock Hill Catawbas Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1963 Rock Hill Wrens Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1964 Rock Hill Cardinals Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ a b c Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
- ^ "1950 Rock Hill Chiefs Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1950 Rock Hill Chiefs Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1950 Tri-State League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1964 Western Carolinas League (WCL) minor league baseball Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1964 Western Carolinas League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Steve Carlton Winter & Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1965 Rock Hill Cardinals Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ a b "1965 Rock Hill Cardinals Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Cardinals boosted managing career of Sparky Anderson". November 5, 2010.
- ^ "1965 Western Carolinas League (WCL) minor league baseball Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "Register Team Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
- ^ "Municipal Stadium (Rock Hill, SC) - SABR Encyclopedia". encyclopedia.sabr.org.
- ^ Wilmer, Jerry (March 6, 2011). "At the Ballpark – Winthrop Ballpark, Rock Hill, SC".
- ^ "Historic Resources Survey" (PDF). City of Rock Hill. Historic Resources Survey Update. Edwards- Edwards-Pitman Environmental, Inc. 2004.
- ^ "Municipal Stadium in Rock Hill, SC history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- Defunct minor league baseball teams
- Rock Hill, South Carolina
- Defunct Tri-State League teams
- Professional baseball teams in South Carolina
- Baseball teams established in 1947
- Baseball teams disestablished in 1955
- Defunct baseball teams in South Carolina
- Washington Senators (1901–1960) minor league affiliates
- Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates