Worthington Cardinals

The Worthington Cardinals were a minor league baseball team based in Worthington, Minnesota. In 1939 and 1940, Worthington played as a member of the Class D level Western League. The Worthington Cardinals were a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals and hosted home games at Fairgrounds Park.

Worthington Cardinals
Minor league affiliations
ClassClass D (1939–1940)
LeagueWestern League (1939–1940)
Major league affiliations
TeamSt. Louis Cardinals (1939–1940)
Minor league titles
League titles (0)None
Team data
NameWorthington Cardinals (1939–1940)
BallparkFairgrounds Park (1939–1940)

History

The year before gaining a minor league franchise, Baseball Hall of Fame member Ted Williams played in an exhibition game in Worthington, hitting a long home run in front of a capacity crowd.[1]

Minor league baseball began in Worthington, Minnesota when the 1939 Worthington Cardinals joined the six–team 1939 Class D level Western League as an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Western League reformed after not playing in 1938.[2][3][4] The Lincoln Links, Mitchell Kernels, Norfolk Elks, Sioux City Cowboys and Sioux Falls Canaries joined Worthington in 1939 league play.[5]

In their first season of play, the 1939 Worthington Cardinals finished last.[6] With a regular season record of 36–81, Worthington placed 6th in the six–team Western League regular season standings, playing under managers Joe McDermott, George Stine and Gerald Burmeister. Worthington finished 38.0 games behind the 1st place Norfolk Elks in the final standings and did not qualify for the four–team playoffs, won by the Sioux City Soos.[7][4][3]

In 1940, the Worthington Cardinals played their final minor league season as the Western League reduced to four teams.[8] The Cardinals ended the regular season with a 50–59 record, placing 3rd in the four–team Western League final standings. The 1940 managers were Ray W. Martin and George Payne, as Worthington finished 21.0 games behind the 1st place Norfolk Yankees. In the Finals, the Sioux Falls Canaries defeated Norfolk. Worthington's John A. Lucas led the Western League, with a batting average of.356. Joining Lucas as league All-Stars were teammates Al Dudas, Dale Hackett and Ralph Scheef.[9][10][4]

Baseball Hall of Fame member Branch Rickey was the General Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals and had created their extensive system of "farm teams." Rickey visited Worthington games on multiple occasions, scouting and greeting fans.[11]

The Worthington Cardinals franchise permanently folded after the 1940 season, as only the Norfolk franchise returned to the 1941 Western League.[4] Worthington, Minnesota has not hosted another minor league team.[12]

The ballpark

The Worthington Cardinals played home games at Fairgrounds Park. The ballpark at Fairgrounds Park had a capacity of 2,000 and dimensions of (Left, Center, Right) 340–400–340 in 1939. The Nobles County Fairgrounds are still in use today. The fairgrounds are located on Stower Drive, Worthington, Minnesota.[13][14][15]

(2007) Worthington, Minnesota

Timeline
Year(s)# Yrs.TeamLevelLeagueAffiliate
1938–19402Worthington CardinalsClass DWestern LeagueSt. Louis Cardinals

Season–by–season
Year Record Manager Finish Playoffs/Notes
193936–81Joe McDermott /
George Stine / Gerald Burmeister		6thDid not qualify
194050–59Ray Martin / George Payne3rdDid not qualify

[4]

Notable alumni

See also

Worthington Cardinals players

References
  1. "ESPN.com: MLB - Teammates remember young, crazy Williams". www.espn.com.
  2. "Western League (D) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  3. "1939 Western League (WL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  4. 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)
  5. "1939 Western League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  6. "1939 Worthington Cardinals Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  7. "1939 Worthington Cardinals Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  8. "1940 Worthington Cardinals Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  9. "1940 Worthington Cardinals Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  10. "1940 Western League (WL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  11. Apr 6th 2018 - 10pm, Ray Crippen. "Column: Worthington and Lismore had brushes with Hall of Fame". The Globe.
  12. "Worthington, Minnesota Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
  13. "Fairgrounds Park in Worthington, MN history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  14. "Nobles County Fairgrounds – Nobles County Minnesota". www.co.nobles.mn.us.
  15. "St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Stadium History - Major & Minor League Baseball Parks for the St. Louis Cardinals and their Minor League teams and franchises". digitalballparks.com.

External references
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