The Middle Atlantic League (or Mid-Atlantic League) was a lower-level circuit in American minor league baseball that played during the second quarter of the 20th century.
| Classification | Class C (1925–1942, 1946–1951) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Minor League Baseball |
| First season | 1925 |
| Ceased | 1951 |
| President | Ray H. Archibald (1925) Elmer M. Daily (1926–1942, 1946–1951) |
| No. of teams | 30 |
| Country | United States |
| Most titles | 5 Erie Sailors |
| Related competitions | Blue Ridge League Central League Pennsylvania State Association |
History
editThe Middle Atlantic League played from 1925 through 1951, with the exception of three seasons (1943–45) when the loop suspended operations during World War II. The league primarily featured clubs based in the U.S. states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, although it had a team in Maryland and, in its final season, one in New York. Its longest-tenured team, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania - the Johnnies - existed for 19 seasons. Its final champion was the 1951 Niagara Falls Citizens.
Throughout its 24-year history, the Middle Atlantic League was a Class-C level, one rung up from the lowest classification, Class-D.
Elmer M. Daily was president of the league through 23 years of its existence.
List of teams
edit- Akron, OH: Akron Yankees 1935–1941
- Altoona, PA: Altoona Engineers 1931
- Beaver Falls, PA: Beaver Falls Beavers 1931
- Beckley, WV: Beckley Black Knights 1931–1934; Beckley Miners 1935
- Butler, PA: Butler Yankees 1946–1947; Butler Tigers 1948–1951
- Canton, OH: Canton Terriers 1936–1942
- Charleroi, PA: Charleroi Babes 1927–1928; Charleroi Governors 1929–1931
- Charleston, WV: Charleston Senators 1931–1942
- Clarksburg, WV: Clarksburg Generals 1925–1932
- Cumberland, MD: Cumberland Colts 1925–1932, 1941–1942
- Dayton, OH: Dayton Ducks 1933–1938; Dayton Wings 1939–1940
- Erie, PA: Erie Sailors 1938–1939, 1941–1942,1946–1951
- Fairmont, WV: Fairmont Maroons 1925; Fairmont Black Diamonds 1926–1931
- Hagerstown, MD: Hagerstown Hubs 1931
- Huntington, WV: Huntington Boosters 1931–1933; Huntington Red Birds 1934–1936
- Jeannette, PA: Jeannette Jays 1926–1931
- Johnstown, PA: Johnstown Johnnies 1925–1938, 1946–1950
- Lockport, NY: Lockport Locks 1951
- New Castle, PA: New Castle Chiefs 1948; New Castle Nats 1949–1950; New Castle Indians 1951
- Niagara Falls, NY: Niagara Falls Frontiers 1946–1947; Niagara Falls Citizens 1950–1951
- Oil City, PA: Oil City Oilers 1946; Oil City Refiners 1947–1950; Oil City A's 1951
- Parkersburg, WV: Parkersburg Parkers 1931
- Portsmouth, OH: Portsmouth Pirates 1935–1936; Portsmouth Red Birds 1937–1940
- Scottdale, PA: Scottdale Scotties 1925–1930; Scottdale Cardinals 1931
- Springfield, OH: Springfield Chicks 1933; Springfield Pirates 1934; Springfield Indians 1937–1939; Springfield Cardinals 1941–1942
- Uniontown, PA: Uniontown Cokers 1926; Uniontown Coal Barons 1947–1949
- Vandergrift, PA: Vandergrift Pioneers 1947–1950
- Wheeling, WV: Wheeling Stogies 1925–1931, 1933–1934
- Youngstown, OH: Youngstown Tubers 1931; Youngstown Browns 1939–1941; Youngstown Gremlins 1946; Youngstown Colts 1947–1948; Youngstown Athletics 1949–1951
- Zanesville, OH: Zanesville Grays 1933–1937; Zanesville Cubs 1941–1942
League champions
edit- 1925 - Johnstown Johnnies
- 1926 - Johnstown Johnnies -2
- 1927 - Cumberland Colts
- 1928 - Fairmont Black Diamonds
- 1929 - Charleroi Governors
- 1930 - Johnstown Johnnies -3
- 1931 - Cumberland Colts -2
- 1932 - Charleston Senators -2
- 1933 - Zanesville Grays
- 1934 - Zanesville Grays - 2
- 1935 - Huntington Red Birds
- 1936 - Zanesville Grays - 3
- 1937 - Canton Terriers
- 1938 - Portsmouth Red Birds
- 1939 - Canton Terriers -2
- 1940 - Akron Yankees
- 1941 - Erie Sailors
- 1942 - Erie Sailors -2
- 1943 - League shutdown due to World War II
- 1944 - League shutdown due to World War II
- 1945 - League shutdown due to World War II
- 1946 - Erie Sailors -3
- 1947 - Vandergrift Pioneers
- 1948 - Erie Sailors -4
- 1949 - Erie Sailors -5
- 1950 - Butler Tigers
- 1951 - Niagara Falls Citizens
Baseball Hall of Fame alumni
edit- Chief Bender, 1927 Johnstown Johnnies
- Joe Cronin, 1925 Johnstown Johnnies
- Whitey Ford, 1947 Butler Yankees
- Bob Lemon, 1938–1939 Springfield Indians
- Joe Medwick, 1930 Scottdale Scotties
References
edit- Johnson, Lloyd and Wolff, Miles, editors: The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. Durham, N.C.: Baseball America, 1997.
- ^ Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.