Paris Orioles

The Paris Orioles were a minor league baseball team based in Paris, Texas. From 1955 to 1957, the Orioles played as members of the Class D level Sooner State League League as a minor league affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Hosting home games at the City Ball Park, the Orioles qualified for the playoffs in all three seasons of play, winning the 1957 pennant. The Orioles were the final minor league team based in Paris. There were numerous prior Paris minor league teams, after Paris first hosted a minor league baseball in 1896.

Paris Orioles
Minor league affiliations
ClassClass D (1955–1957)
LeagueSooner State League (1955–1957)
Major league affiliations
TeamBaltimore Orioles (1955–1957)
Minor league titles
Conference titles (1)
  • 1957
Wild card berths (2)
  • 1955
  • 1956
Team data
NameParis Orioles (1955–1957)
BallparkCity Ball Park (1955–1957)

History

Minor League baseball began in Paris, Texas with the 1896 Paris Midlands of the Texas Association.[1][2]

The Orioles were immediately preceded by the Paris Indians, who played in 1952 and 1953, as members of the Class D level Big State League.[3][2]

The Paris Orioles were members of the eight-team Class D level Sooner State League from 1955 to 1957. After making the playoffs with 4th place finishes in their first two seasons, the Orioles captured the 1957 Sooner State League pennant.[2] Paris joined the Ardmore Cardinals, Gainesville Owls, Lawton Braves, McAlester Rockets, Muskogee Giants, Seminole Oilers and Shawnee Hawks in beginning league play on April 19, 1955.[4]

In 1955, the Orioles placed 4th in the Sooner State League regular season with a record of 68–69 and finished 26.0 games behind the pennant winning Lawton Braves. In the first round of the four–team playoffs, Paris was eliminated by the eventual champion Lawton Braves 3 games to 1.[5] Paris was managed by Jimmy Adair.[6][2]

Continuing Sooner State League play in 1956, the Orioles again finished the regular season in 4th place in the Sooner State League regular season standings, playing under returning manager Jimmy Adair and Barney Lutz.[7] Paris ended the regular season with a 72–67 record and finished 11.0 games behind the pennant winning Ardmore Cardinals. In the playoffs, the Ardmore Cardinals defeated Paris 3 games to 2 in the 1st round.[8][2]

In their final season of play, the 1957 Paris Orioles won the Sooner State League pennant and advanced to the league Finals. After a 74–51 1957 regular season record, under returning manager Barney Lutz and Billy Capps, the Paris Orioles finished 0.5 games ahead of the Ardmore Cardinals. In the playoffs, the Orioles defeated the Shawnee Hawks 3 games to 1 in their first round playoff series. The Orioles were swept by Ardmore 4 games to 0 in the championship series in the final games of the franchise.[9][10][2][11]

The Sooner State League permanently folded following the completion of the 1957 season.[2] Paris, Texas has not hosted another minor league team.[3]

The ballpark

From 1946 to 1957, the Orioles and their predecessor Paris Red Peppers (1946–1947), Paris Rockets (1948), Paris Panthers (1949–1950), and Paris Indians (1952–1953) teams hosted home minor league games at City Ball Park. The ballpark had a noted capacity of 4,000.[12][13]

Timeline
Year(s)# Yrs.TeamLevelLeagueAffiliateBallpark
1955–19573Paris OriolesClass DSooner State LeagueBaltimore OriolesCity Ball Park

Season–by–season
Year Record Manager Finish Playoffs/Notes
195568–69Jimmy Adair4thLost 1st round
195672–67Jimmy Adair / Barney Lutz4thLost 1st round
195774–51Barney Lutz / Billy Capps1stLeague pennant
Lost in Finals

Notable alumni

See also

Paris Orioles players

References
  1. "1896 Texas Association". Baseball-Reference.com.
  2. The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. Lloyd Johnson & Miles Wolff, editors (Third ed.). Baseball America. 2007. ISBN 978-1932391176.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. "Paris, Texas Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
  4. "1955 Sooner State League (SSL) Minor League Baseball on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  5. "1955 Sooner State League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  6. "1955 Paris Orioles Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  7. "1956 Paris Orioles Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  8. "1956 Sooner State League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  9. "1957 Sooner State League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  10. "1957 Paris Orioles Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  11. "1957 Paris Orioles Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  12. "City Ball Park in Paris, TX history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  13. "470527 Paris [TX] News p9 Upton Williams". May 27, 1947. p. 9 – via newspapers.com.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.