Editing Youngstown Athletics
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The '''Youngstown Athletics''', or '''Youngstown A's''', was the final name of a baseball team in the [[Mid-Atlantic League]] that was based in [[Youngstown, Ohio]], between 1939 and 1941 and 1946 and 1951. |
The '''Youngstown Athletics''', or '''Youngstown A's''', was the final name of a baseball team in the [[Mid-Atlantic League]] that was based in [[Youngstown, Ohio]], between 1939 and 1941 and 1946 and 1951. |
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==History== |
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==Youngstown Browns: 1939–1941== |
==Youngstown Browns: 1939–1941== |
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==Youngstown Gremlins and Colts: 1946–1948== |
==Youngstown Gremlins and Colts: 1946–1948== |
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After the war, Youngstown fielded a new team for the Middle Atlantic League, the '''Youngstown Gremlins'''.<ref name="filchia258">{{cite book| last = Filchia| first = Peter| title = Professional Baseball Franchises: From the Abbeville Athletics to the Zanesville Indians| year = 1993| publisher = Facts on File| location = New York| page = 258}}</ref> The club made its debut in 1946, the sixth consecutive season in which the National Amateur Baseball Federation tournament was held in [[Youngstown, Ohio]].<ref name="warda">{{cite news| first = Frank B.| last = Ward| title = Along the Sports Rialto| work=[[The Youngstown Vindicator]]| date = September 17, 1946}}</ref> The team was owned by the [[Pittsburgh]] sportsmen Bill Koval and Nick Andolina, who "bankrolled" the reorganization of the Mid-Atlantic League in 1946.<ref name="landolf">{{cite news| first = Charles A.| last = Landolf| title = Youngstown Once Main Link In Minor Loop Baseball Chain| publisher = Youngstown Vindicator| page = 7| date = April 1, 1977}}</ref> The team went |
After the war, Youngstown fielded a new team for the Middle Atlantic League, the '''Youngstown Gremlins'''.<ref name="filchia258">{{cite book| last = Filchia| first = Peter| title = Professional Baseball Franchises: From the Abbeville Athletics to the Zanesville Indians| year = 1993| publisher = Facts on File| location = New York| page = 258}}</ref> The club made its debut in 1946, the sixth consecutive season in which the National Amateur Baseball Federation tournament was held in [[Youngstown, Ohio]].<ref name="warda">{{cite news| first = Frank B.| last = Ward| title = Along the Sports Rialto| work=[[The Youngstown Vindicator]]| date = September 17, 1946}}</ref> The team was owned by the [[Pittsburgh]] sportsmen Bill Koval and Nick Andolina, who "bankrolled" the reorganization of the Mid-Atlantic League in 1946.<ref name="landolf">{{cite news| first = Charles A.| last = Landolf| title = Youngstown Once Main Link In Minor Loop Baseball Chain| publisher = Youngstown Vindicator| page = 7| date = April 1, 1977}}</ref> The team went 67-62, good for third place in the six-team league. They were defeated in the first round of the playoffs, three games to one, to the [[Erie, Pennsylvania|Erie]] Sailors. The owners acknowledged that the team had been a losing venture at the close of the 1946 season but indicated to Frank Ward, sports editor of ''[[The Vindicator|The Youngstown Daily Vindicator]]'', that they would continue to sponsor the club in 1947.<ref name="wardb">{{cite news| first = Frank B.| last = Ward| title = Along the Sports Rialto| publisher = The Youngstown Vindicator| date = September 18, 1946}}</ref> |
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Youngstown's star performer was [[Johnny Kucab]], who eventually moved on to the major leagues. As a pitcher for the Gremlins, Kucab posted a |
Youngstown's star performer was [[Johnny Kucab]], who eventually moved on to the major leagues. As a pitcher for the Gremlins, Kucab posted a 13-1 record, followed up by 12-4.<ref name="landolf"/> He had the best winning percentage and pitched four shutouts in his 15 starts, tying him for second in the Mid-Atlantic League in whitewashes. Kucab was brought up by the Philadelphia Athletics in 1951.<ref name="landolf"/> |
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The team was renamed as the '''Youngstown Colts''' in 1947.<ref name="landolf"/> The Gremlins' brief run coincided with the 33rd NABF sandlot "world series", which won recognition for Youngstown among national observers.<ref name="nyt-02-27-44">{{cite news| title = Youngstown Selected; Picked As The Site of Amateur Baseball Event in Fall| work = The New York Times| page = S-3| date = February 27, 1944}}</ref> A local newspaper editorial stated: "If any other city has comparable equipment, it is not generally known. Baseball Commissioner Chandler exclaimed in surprise that our [[sandlot baseball|sandlot]] fields are better than the parks of many professional teams".<ref name="warda"/> |
The team was renamed as the '''Youngstown Colts''' in 1947.<ref name="landolf"/> The Gremlins' brief run coincided with the 33rd NABF sandlot "world series", which won recognition for Youngstown among national observers.<ref name="nyt-02-27-44">{{cite news| title = Youngstown Selected; Picked As The Site of Amateur Baseball Event in Fall| work = The New York Times| page = S-3| date = February 27, 1944}}</ref> A local newspaper editorial stated: "If any other city has comparable equipment, it is not generally known. Baseball Commissioner Chandler exclaimed in surprise that our [[sandlot baseball|sandlot]] fields are better than the parks of many professional teams".<ref name="warda"/> |
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==Youngstown Athletics: 1949–1951== |
==Youngstown Athletics: 1949–1951== |
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In 1949 the team's name changed to '''Youngstown Athletics''' and the team enjoyed a working relationship with the [[Philadelphia Athletics]].<ref name="landolf"/> The team posted a |
In 1949 the team's name changed to '''Youngstown Athletics''' and the team enjoyed a working relationship with the [[Philadelphia Athletics]].<ref name="landolf"/> The team posted a 74-64 record, for third-place in the league in 1949. The following year the team posted a 51-61 record, for fourth-place. However the 1951 season, would be the team's last as the club relocated to [[Oil City, Pennsylvania]] on June 2, 1951. The Oil City club then disbanded 2 months later on August 6. That year also turned out to be the last for the Mid-Atlantic League, as the organization soon folded. Minor league baseball would not return to the [[Mahoning Valley]] until 1999, when nearby [[Niles, Ohio]] became the home for the [[Cleveland Indians]]’ affiliate in the [[New York–Penn League]], the [[Mahoning Valley Scrappers]].<ref>{{cite news| first = Vince| last = Guerrieri| title = Youngstown Baseball Has a History Dating Back to 19th Century| publisher = Did the Indians Win Last Night?}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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[[Category:Baseball teams established in 1939]] |
[[Category:Baseball teams established in 1939]] |
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[[Category:Sports clubs |
[[Category:Sports clubs disestablished in 1951]] |
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[[Category:Defunct minor league baseball teams]] |
[[Category:Defunct minor league baseball teams]] |
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[[Category:Defunct baseball teams in Ohio]] |
[[Category:Defunct baseball teams in Ohio]] |