Aberdeen Pheasants

Minor league baseball team From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Aberdeen Pheasants were a minor league baseball team based in Aberdeen, South Dakota that played in the Northern League from 1946 until 1971. For their entire existence, the Pheasants were an affiliate of the St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles franchise. They played their home games at Municipal Stadium.

Class
League
Team
League titles (3)
  • 1949
  • 1961
  • 1964
Quick facts Minor league affiliations, Class ...
Aberdeen Pheasants
Minor league affiliations
Class
League
Major league affiliations
Team
Minor league titles
League titles (3)
  • 1949
  • 1961
  • 1964
Team data
Name
  • Aberdeen Pheasants (1946–1971)
MascotPhilbert the Pheasant
BallparkMunicipal Stadium
Close

At the time of the Pheasants' dissolution, their working agreement was the longest ever between a major and minor league baseball team. Aberdeen won the Northern League championship in 1949, 1961, and 1964.

History

In 1946, the Northern League, which had been on hiatus since 1942 due to World War II, restarted and invited Aberdeen to bring the circuit up to eight teams.[1]. The name "Pheasants" was chosen for the club through a local contest.[2] The team was community-owned, which was unusual for the time.[3]

The first Opening Day for the Pheasants drew a crowd of over two thousand people.[2] After missing the postseason in their first year, the Pheasants would go on to play in the league finals three straight years from 1947 to 1949. Aberdeen won the Northern League championship in 1949, defeating the Eau Claire Bears.

1964 exhibition vs. Baltimore

On 8 June, 1964, the Pheasants' parent club, the Baltimore Orioles, came to Aberdeen to play an exhibition game. Aberdeen, which featured future major leaguers such as Mark Belanger, Jim Palmer, and Lou Piniella, came into the game leading the Northern League with a 31–9 record, while the Orioles were 31–17 and ½ game behind the White Sox for the American League lead.[4]

The Orioles, arriving on a charter plane from Minneapolis, had to bring a ladder along to disembark, as Aberdeen's airport had no portable stairs.[5] Pheasants players were quoted as saying, "We're gonna beat 'em and climb onto that big plane. They can stay here and finish the Northern League schedule."[6][4] Official attendance for the game was 5,130 — one-fifth of Aberdeen's entire population — but local news estimated that another thousand people watched from vantage points outside the ballpark.[5] The Orioles won the game, 6–3.

Demise

After the 1971 season, the Northern League only had two teams remaining: the Pheasants and the St. Cloud Rox. Unable to find any other teams, the Northern League closed down.[7]. Aberdeen's working agreement with the Orioles franchise had been the longest-running working agreement in baseball, lasting the entirety of the Pheasants' existence.[4]

Aberdeen would be without professional baseball until the Aberdeen Pheasants of the Prairie League began play in 1995.[8]

Mascot

The team's mascot was a cartoon pheasant named Philbert, drawn by local cartoonist Gordon Haug. Philbert would appear on the front page of the newspaper to comment on the previous day's game.[9][2]

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame Alumni[10]

Notable alumni[10]

Year-by-year record

More information Year, Parent club ...
YearParent clubLeagueW–LWin%PlaceManagerPostseasonAttendanceRef
Aberdeen Pheasants
1946SLBNOR57–53.5185thGus Albright[11]-57,008[12][13][14]
1947SLBNOR82–36.6951stDon HeffnerWon 1st round 3–2 vs. Fargo–Moorhead
Lost finals 2–4 vs. Sioux Falls		90,156[15]
1948SLBNOR64–59.5204thJames CrandallWon 1st round 3–0 vs. Eau Claire
Lost finals 0–4 vs. Grand Forks		85,942[16]
1949SLBNOR71–54.5682ndIrvin HallWon 1st round 3–1 vs. Superior
Won finals 4–1 vs. Eau Claire		85,624[17]
1950s
1950SLBNOR62–57.5215thIrvin Hall–61,208[18]
1951SLBNOR61–60.5045thJoe King
Jim Post
Bruce Ogrodowski		–62,203[19]
1952SLBNOR63–62.5045thBruce Ogrodowski–87,879[20]
1953SLBNOR60–63.4884thBarney LutzLost 1st round 0–2 vs. Duluth54,532[21]
1954BALNOR60–75.4447thBarney Lutz–62,503[22]
1955BALNOR70–56.5564thBill KruegerLost 1st round 1–2 vs. Eau Claire75,401[23]
1956BALNOR64–61.5124thGeorge StallerWon 1st round 1–0 vs. Winnipeg
Lost finals 2–0 vs. Duluth–Superior		60,673[24]
1957BALNOR51–70.4217thBill Capps
Barney Lutz		–47,312[25]
1958BALNOR39–86.3128thBarney Lutz
Billy DeMars		–36,599[26]
1959BALNOR69–55.5562ndEarl WeaverWon 1st round 1–0 vs. Minot
Lost finals 1–2 vs. Winnipeg		63,111[27]
1960s
1960BALNOR63–61.5083rdLou FitzgeraldLost 1st round 0–1 vs. Winnipeg45,321[28]
1961BALNOR74–54.5782ndLou FitzgeraldWon 1st round 1–0 vs. Grand Forks
Won finals 2–0 vs. St. Cloud		34,136[29]
1962BALNOR64–60.5164thBilly DeMarsWon 1st round 1–0 vs. Duluth–Superior
Lost finals 0–2 vs. Eau Claire		39,101[30]
1963BALNOR65–55.5422ndCal Ripken Sr.3rd in Baukol Playoffs[a]39,949[31]
1964BALNOR80–37.6841stCal Ripken Sr.1st in Baukol Playoffs[a]46,397[32]
1965BALNOR27–39.4094thRay Rippelmeyer–23,525[33]
1966BALNOR47–22.6812ndCal Ripken Sr.–24,767[34]
1967BALNOR34–36.4864thOwen Friend–18,555[35]
1968BALNOR26–44.3716thBill Werle–15,517[36]
1969BALNOR28–42.4005thKen Rowe–15,546[37]
1970s
1970BALNOR36–33.5223rdKen Rowe–20,880[38]
1971BALNOR35–36.4932ndKen Rowe–17,467[39]
Totals1452–1366.5151,271,312
Close

Footnotes

  1. [a]
    In the Baukol Playoffs, a team's record over the final 30 games of their season was used to determine their playoff finish.

References

External links

Related Articles

Wikiwand AI