Mattoon Phillies
Mattoon Phillies | |
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Minor league affiliations | |
Previous classes | Class D 1947–1957, 1906–1908 Class E 1899 |
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Team data | |
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Previous parks | Mattoon Baseball Park |
The Mattoon Phillies was the primary nickname for a minor league baseball franchise in Mattoon, Illinois. Mattoon was a founding franchise in the Midwest League and played in the leagues directly preceding the MWL: the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League (1949–1955) and the Illinois State League (1947–1948). The franchise is the oldest in the MWL, evolving into today's Fort Wayne TinCaps.[1] Earlier, Mattoon had teams in the Eastern Illinois League (1907–1908), Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League (1906) and Indiana–Illinois League (1899). Mattoon was affiliated with the Chicago White Sox (1947), Cleveland Indians (1948), Cincinnati Reds (1952), Philadelphia Phillies (1953–1956) and Kansas City Athletics (1957).[2] The team moved to Iowa and became the Keokuk Indians in 1958.
History
The Mattoon Illinois State League (ISL) franchise was the direct result of the efforts of the Mattoon Athletic Association, which was formed in 1947 by William Zurheider, Clyde Kirk and Charles Heath. The corporation issued 600 shares of stock at $250 and built a new ballpark. Charles Heath was also a founder of the ISL.[3]
No hitters
- On August 24, 1954 Tom Cronin defeated the Hannibal Cannibals 2-0 in his no-hitter. On July 16, 1956 Mike Wallace pitched a no-hitter against the Clinton Pirates, winning 6-0.[4]
The ballpark
Mattoon played their home games at the Mattoon Baseball Park.[1] The park was located at DeWitt Avenue and North Logan Street.[3] The ballpark hosted the 1948 Illinois State League All-Star Game and the 1950 Mississippi–Ohio Valley League All-Star Game.[1] Baseball Hall of Fame member Earl Weaver played in the 1948 game.[5] The ballpark had a capacity of 2,500 and was destroyed shortly after the team left in the late 1950s.[6][7]
Notable alumni[2]
- Lew Krausse, Sr. (1957, MGR)
- Art Mahaffey (1956) 3x MLB All-Star
- Jimmie Coker (1955)
- Jim Golden (1954–1955)
- Dallas Green (1955) Manager: 1980 World Series Champion – Philadelphia Phillies; Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Fame
- Don Landrum (1954)
- Grover Lowdermilk (1908)
- Larry Doyle (1906) 1915 NL Batting Champion; 1912 NL Most Valuable Player
- Pug Bennett (1899)
- Roy Brashear (1899)
- Dummy Taylor (1899)
- Bob Wicker (1899)
References
- ^ a b c "Baseball in Mattoon, Illinois". Retrieved July 4, 2018.
- ^ a b "Mattoon, Illinois Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
- ^ a b "Summary of Professional Ball in Mattoon, Illinois". Retrieved July 4, 2018.
- ^ "No Hit Games". Retrieved July 4, 2018.
- ^ "Illinois State League 1948". Retrieved July 4, 2018.
- ^ "Baseball in Mattoon". Retrieved July 4, 2018.
- ^ http://digitalballparks.com/Mattoon.html
- Defunct Midwest League teams
- Defunct baseball teams in Illinois
- Chicago White Sox minor league affiliates
- Cleveland Indians minor league affiliates
- Cincinnati Reds minor league affiliates
- Philadelphia Phillies minor league affiliates
- Kansas City Athletics minor league affiliates
- Coles County, Illinois
- 1899 establishments in Illinois
- 1957 disestablishments in Illinois
- Illinois State League
- Mississippi-Ohio Valley League
- Defunct minor league baseball teams
- Professional baseball teams in Illinois