Manchester Yankees

The Manchester Yankees was the name of two distinct American minor league baseball franchises representing Manchester, New Hampshire, in the Class B New England League (1948 through July 5, 1949) and the Double-A Eastern League (1969–71). Each franchise played at Gill Stadium and each was affiliated with Major League Baseball's New York Yankees.

History

The Manchester Yankees continued Manchester's long history of membership in the New England League that began in 1887. The Yankees were preceded in New England League play by the Manchester Farmers (1887), Manchester Maroons (1888), Manchester Amoskeags (1891), Manchester (1892–1893), Manchester Manchesters (1899), Manchester (1901–1905), Manchester Textiles (1906, 1914–1915) and Manchester Blue Sox (1926–1930). The Manchester Indians played in the 1934 Northeastern League. The New England League Manchester teams were preceded by the Manchester Reds, who were the first minor league baseball team in Manchester, beginning play as members of the 1877 New England Association.[1]

Postwar Class B team

When the New England League (NEL) was revived after World War II, Manchester was a charter member as an affiliate and namesake of the New York Giants. The 1946–47 Manchester Giants each finished in third place during the regular season and qualified for the playoffs, but they were eliminated in the 1946 semi-finals by the Lynn Red Sox and in the 1947 finals by the Nashua Dodgers.

The Yankees then replaced the Giants as the team's parent for 1948. However, the 1948 Manchester Yankees finished four games out of the playoffs and drew the third-smallest attendance in the league. The 1949 edition compiled a record of only 28–44, and dropped out of the league on July 5 — one of four franchises to fold during the NEL's final season.[2]

Notable alumni (Manchester Giants)

Notable alumni (Manchester Yankees)
YearRecordFinish
Full Season		AttendanceManagerPostseason
194675–45Thirdn/aHal GruberLost to Lynn in semifinals
194774–50Third48,877Hal GruberLost to Nashua in finals
194858–68Fifth50,664Tom Padden
194928–44DNF30,391Wally BergerDisbanded, July 5

Double-A franchise

After the 1968 season, Boston businessman John Alevizos acquired the Yankees' Eastern League affiliate, the Binghamton Triplets, and moved it to Gill Stadium as the Manchester Yankees. In 1969, the franchise led the league in attendance, drawing over 91,000 fans despite finishing in next-to-last place. The 1970 team again finished next to last but plunged to the bottom of the league in attendance. The final, 1971 edition of the Manchester Yankees finished last in its division, and reached a new low in attendance, with just less than 29,000 fans passing through the turnstiles. The team then relocated to Connecticut under new ownership as the West Haven Yankees — winning an Eastern League championship in its maiden season.[3]

Manchester did not receive another Eastern League franchise until 2004, when the New Haven Ravens transferred to Gill Stadium as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

Notable alumni
YearRecordFinish
Full Season		AttendanceManagerPostseason
196964–75Fifth91,165Jerry Walker
197066–73Fifth36,928Gene Hassell
197161–75Fourth
(American Div.)		28,981Mickey Vernon

See also

References
  1. "Manchester, New Hampshire sports teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  2. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, eds., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd ed. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007, pp. 402, 410, 419, 429
  3. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, eds., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd ed. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007, pp. 546, 550, 554, 558
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