Pennington Gap Miners

The Pennington Gap Miners was the final moniker of minor league baseball teams representing Pennington Gap, Virginia. Between 1937 and 1951, Pennington Gap teams played as members of the Class D level Appalachian League from 1937 to 1940 and the Mountain States League from 1948 to 1951, winning the 1937 league championship. The team was initially called the "Bears." Pennington Gap was a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Browns from 1938 to 1940. Pennington Gap teams played home minor league games at Leeman Field.

Pennington Gap Miners
Minor league affiliations
ClassClass D (1937–1940, 1948–1951)
LeagueAppalachian League (1937–1940)
Mountain States League (1948–1951)
Major league affiliations
TeamSt. Louis Browns (1938–1940)
Minor league titles
League titles (1)1937
Wild card berths (3)
  • 1937
  • 1938
  • 1948
Team data
NamePennington Gap Lee Bears (1937–1938)
Pennington Gap Bears (1939)
Pennington Gap Miners (1940, 1948–1951)
BallparkLeeman Field (1937–1940, 1948–1951)

History

Minor league baseball began in Pennington Gap, Virginia, when the 1937 Pennington Gap Lee Bears joined the four–team Appalachian League, which was reformed after a 12–year hiatus. The 1937 Pennington Gap Lee Bears finished the regular season with a 49–55 record, placing third in the standings with league members Elizabethton Betsy Red Sox (57–45), Johnson City Soldiers (52–51) and Newport Canners (49–56).[1][2]

The Pennington Gap Lee Bears won the 1937 Appalachian League Championship. In the 1937 playoffs, the Pennington Gap Lee Bears defeated the Elizabethton Betsy Red Sox 3 games to 2 to capture the championship.[1][3][4]

Playing as an affiliate of the St. Louis Browns, the 1938 Pennington Gap Lee Bears placed fourth in the six–team league.[4] The Bears finished with a 46–60 record in the regular season standings and qualified for the playoffs, as the Appalachian League expanded to six teams. In the playoffs, the Kingsport Cherokees defeated the Pennington Gap Lee Bears 2 games to 0.[5][6]

The 1939 Pennington Gap Bears remained as a St. Louis Browns affiliate. The team finished the regular season with a record of 52–66, placing fifth in the Appalachian League regular season standings, missing the playoffs.[7][4]

In 1940, the renamed Pennington Gap Miners finished seventh in the league standings. With a 50–64 record, the Miners missed the playoffs, playing as an affiliate of the St. Louis Browns. The team drew 22,330, an average of 392. Pennington Gap folded following the 1940 season.[8][4]

In 1948, the Mountain States League reformed, having last played in 1912. The Pennington Gap Miners joined the league. The 1948 Miners finished 59–54 (third) in the Mountain States League regular season, with the Harlan Smokies (56–63), Jenkins Cavaliers (35–78), Morristown Red Sox (70–46), Newport Canners (58–59) and Oak Ridge Bombers (65–43). In the 1948 playoffs, the Hazard Bombers defeated the Pennington Gap Miners 3 games to 0. Pennington Gap's season attendance was 14,988, an average of 265, last in the league.[9][4][10]

The Pennington Gap Miners finished 62–63, placing 5th in 1949 and 44–82 to place eighth and last in 1950, missing the playoffs in both seasons. The 1950 team finished last in attendance, with 11,164.[11][12][4]

The 1951 season was the last for the Pennington Gap Miners. The Miners finished 54–71 to place fifth in the regular season and did not qualify for the playoffs. Their season attendance at Leeman Field was 14,994.[13][4]

The Pennington Gap Miners folded from the Mountain States League after the 1951 season, as did the Jenkins Cavaliers.[4] Pennington Gap has not hosted another minor league team.[14]

The ballpark

Pennington Gap teams played minor league home games at Leeman Field. The ballpark site today is called "Leeman Field Park" and still contains baseball fields. The ballpark is located at 605 Old Zion Road in Pennington Gap, Virginia.[15][16]

Timeline
Year(s)# Yrs.TeamLevelLeagueAffiliateBallpark
19371Pennington Gap Lee BearsClass DAppalachian LeagueNoneLeeman Field
19381St. Louis Browns
19391Pennington Gap Bears
19401Pennington Gap Miners
1948–19514Mountain States LeagueNone

Notable alumni

See also

Pennington Gap Miners players

References
  1. "1937 Appalachian League (AL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  2. "1937 Pennington Gap Lee Bears Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  3. "1937 Pennington Gap Lee Bears Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  4. Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
  5. "1938 Pennington Gap Lee Bears Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  6. "1938 Appalachian League (AL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  7. "1939 Pennington Gap Bears Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  8. "1940 Pennington Gap Miners Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  9. "1948 Mountain States League (MSL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  10. "1948 Pennington Gap Miners Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  11. "1949 Pennington Gap Miners Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  12. "1950 Pennington Gap Miners Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  13. "1951 Pennington Gap Miners Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  14. "Pennington Gap, Virginia Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
  15. "Leeman Field in Pennington Gap, VA history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  16. "Leeman Field Park - Virginia Is For Lovers". www.virginia.org.
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