Trois-Rivières Aigles
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Trois-Rivières Aigles | |
---|---|
Minor league affiliations | |
Class | Double-A |
League | Eastern League |
Major league affiliations | |
Previous teams | Cincinnati Reds |
Minor league titles | |
League titles (0) | None |
Division titles (4) |
|
Team data | |
Name | Trois-Rivières Aigles |
Colors | Red, white |
Ballpark | Stade Municipal de Trois-Rivières |
The Aigles de Trois-Rivières (English: Three Rivers Eagles) were a Canadian Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds from 1971 to 1977. They were located in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, and played their home games at Stade Municipal de Trois-Rivières.
History
[edit]The city of Trois-Rivières was previously represented in Minor League Baseball by the Trois-Rivières Royals in the Provincial League and the Canadian–American League off-and-on from 1939 to 1955.
The Eagles were created as an expansion team of the Double-A Eastern League in 1971, along with the Québec Carnavals, as the league grew from six teams to eight. They played their home games at Stade Municipal de Trois-Rivières.[1] The Cincinnati Reds moved their Double-A affiliation to Trois-Rivières from the Southern League's Asheville Tourists. During their seven-year partnership, the Eagles were supplied with multiple future major leaguers by the Reds, then one of the premier powers in baseball known as the "Big Red Machine".
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Stade_Fernand_B%C3%A9dard_2008.jpg/260px-Stade_Fernand_B%C3%A9dard_2008.jpg)
The Eagles' first club, managed by Jim Snyder, won the 1971 National Division title with a 78–59 record before falling to the Elmira Royals, 3–1, in the playoffs.[2] Snyder was recognized as the Eastern League Manager of the Year and outfielder Gene Locklear was selected for the Eastern League Most Valuable Player Award.[3] The team led the league in attendance with 109,436 people in their inaugural season.[4] They captured a second division title in 1972 (76–60), but again fell in the postseason, this time 3–0 to the West Haven Yankees.[2] They had the second-highest attendance (119,751) behind Québec.[4]
The 1973 team finished in third place at 67–72, 9+1⁄2 games out of first,[2] but still drew the second-highest attendance in the league.[4] The 1974 Eagles finished fourth (last) in the division with a 65–73 record,[2] but had the highest attendance (84,843).[4] In 1975, Ron Plaza replaced Snyder as manager during the season. The team set a franchise-low 57–80 mark, 27 games out of first.[2] Attendance suffered as well, as they dropped to fourth.[4]
New manager Roy Majtyka led the Eagles to win the 1976 Northern Division title (83–55), but they were swept 3–0 by West Haven in the playoffs.[2] Majtyka was the league's Manager of the Year.[3] Their attendance was a third-best 62,655.[4] Chuck Goggin managed the 1977 club to win the Canadian-American Division title with a 76–62 record in their final year.[2] As in the previous postseason, West Haven defeated them in the championship playoffs, 3–0.[2] First baseman Harry Spilman won the Eastern League MVP Award.[3] The Eagles' attendance had dropped to a seventh-place 52,927.[4]
In 1978, the Eastern League shed both the Eagles and the renamed Québec Métros as it shrank back to six teams. The Reds moved their Double-A affiliation back to the Southern League, partnering with the expansion Nashville Sounds.[5]
The city of Trois-Rivières was later represented by the Aigles de Trois-Rivières, a summer amateur-league team in the Ligue de Baseball Élite du Québec and the Trois-Rivières Aigles of the independent Frontier League.
Season-by-season record
[edit]Season | PDC | Division | Finish | Wins | Losses | Win% | Post-season | Manager | Attendance | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Trois-Rivières Aigles | ||||||||||
1971 | CIN | National | 1st | 78 | 59 | .569 | Lost to Elmira in championship series 3-1 | Jim Snyder | 109,346 | |
1972 | CIN | National | 1st | 76 | 60 | .559 | Lost to West Haven in championship series 3-0 | Jim Snyder | 119,751 | |
1973 | CIN | National | 3rd | 67 | 72 | .482 | Jim Snyder | 90,565 | ||
1974 | CIN | National | 4th | 65 | 73 | .471 | Jim Snyder | 84,843 | ||
1975 | CIN | 8th | 57 | 80 | .416 | Jim Snyder | 54,436 | |||
1976 | CIN | North | 1st | 83 | 55 | .601 | Lost to West Haven in championship series 3-0 | Roy Majtyka | 62,655 | |
1977 | CIN | Canadian-American | 1st | 76 | 62 | .551 | Lost to West Haven in championship series 3-0 | Chuck Goggin | 52,927 |
Division winner | League champions |
Notable alumni
[edit]References
[edit]- Specific
- ^ "Stade Fernand-Bédard". Digital Ballparks. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Eastern League Media Guide 2019, p. 105–107.
- ^ a b c "Season-Ending Awards". Eastern League. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Eastern League Media Guide 2019, p. 93.
- ^ Weiss, Bill; Wright, Marshall (2001). "69. 1980 Nashville Sounds". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
- General
- "2019 Eastern League Media Guide" (PDF). Eastern League. Minor League Baseball. 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2020.