Fostoria Red Birds
| Fostoria Red Birds | |
|---|---|
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Previous classes | Class D (1904–1908) |
Previous leagues | Ohio State League (1936–1941) |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Previous teams | St. Louis Cardinals (1936–1941) |
| Minor league titles | |
| League titles | None |
| Conference titles | 1938 |
| Team data | |
Previous names | Fostoria Cardinals (1936) Fostoria Red Birds (1937–1941) |
Previous parks | Redbird Park (1936–1941) |
The Fostoria Red Birds was the final moniker of the minor league baseball team based in Fostoria, Ohio from 1936 to 1941. Fostoria played as members of the Class D level Ohio State League from 1936 to 1941 as an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.
History
The Fostoria Cardinals began minor league baseball play in 1936 as members of the six–team Class D level Ohio State League as an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The six–team Ohio State League members in 1936 were the Fostoria Cardinals, Fremont Reds, Mansfield Tigers, New Philadelphia Red Birds (also a St. Louis Cardinals affiliate), Sandusky Sailors and Tiffin Mud Hens. [1][2][3]
Beginning play in the 1936 Ohio State League, the Fostoria Cardinals placed 3rd with a 40–50 record under managers Harry Aldrick and George Silvey. On May 27, 1936, in a game at Redbird Park, the Fostoria Cardinals defeated the Fremont Reds by a score of 27–12. The Cardinals finished 15.0 games behind the 1st place Tiffin Mud Hens in the final Ohio State League regular season standings. Fostoria pitcher Steve Vargo led the 1936 Ohio State League with 156 strikeouts and Red Bird player Ed Zipay led the league in hitting with a .419 batting average.[4][5][1][6][6][7][3][8]
Continuing play in the 1937 Ohio State League season, the team became the "Fostoria Red Birds" while remaining as an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, a partnership that would continue for the duration of the franchise. The 1937 Red Birds finished a distant last in the six–team league. With a 20–68 record, Fostoria placed 6th under managers John Cavanaugh, Red Jenkins (twice), Rex Bowen and Harry Aldrick. The Red Birds finished 41.5 games behind the 1st place Mansfield Red Sox in the final standings.[4][9][10][11][12][13]
The 1938 Fostoria Red Birds won the Ohio State League pennant, as the Ohio State League played the 1938 season as a four–team league. With a regular season record of 55–41, Fostoria finished 1st in the standing, managed by Jack Farmer. The Red Birds finished 3.0 games ahead of the 2nd place Fremont Reds. In the Ohio State League final, Fostoria lost to Fremont 3 games to 0. Player/manager Jack Farmer led the Ohio State League with 164 strikeouts.[4][9][14][15][16][17]
As the Ohio State League returned to a six–team league 1939, Fostoria again qualified for the playoffs. The Red Birds placed 3rd in the regular season with a 66–63 record under returning player/manager Jack Farmer, finishing 1.5 games behind the 1st place Findlay Oilers. The Red Birds lost in first round of the playoffs to Findlay 2 games to 0. Fostoria pitcher Fred Berger led the Ohio State League with 231 strikeouts.[4][9][18][19][20][21]
The Fostoria Red Birds finished in 5th place in the 1940 Ohio State League. Managed by Bobby Jones, Fostoria ended the season with a 44–73 record, finishing 40.0 games behind the 1st place Lima Pandas.[4][9][22][23][24][25]
In their final season of play, the 1941 Fostoria Red Birds finished 4th in the six–team Ohio State League. With a record of 49–57 under managers Lee Ellison and Charles Cronin, Fostoria finished 21.5 games behind the 1st place Fremont Green Sox. After the 1941 season, the Ohio State League ceased play until 1944 due to World War II. Fosteria did not field a franchise when the Ohio State League returned to play, Fostoria has not hosted another minor league team since the 1941 Red Birds.[4][9][26][27][28][29][30]
Ballpark
The Fostoria teams played at Redbird Park. The ballpark had a capacity of 1,500 in 1939 and dimensions of (Left, Center, Right): 340–445–340 in 1939. Redbird Park was located at 201 South Main Street, Fostoria, Ohio.[31][32]
Timeline
| Year(s) | # Yrs. | Team | Level | League | Affiliate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | 1 | Fostoria Cardinals | Class D | Ohio State League | |
| 1937–1941 | 5 | Fostoria Red Birds |
Year-by-year record
(from BR Bullpen)
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | 40–50 | 3rd | Harry Aldrick / George Silvey | None |
| 1937 | 20–68 | 6th | John Cavanaugh / Red Jenkins / Rex Bowen/ Harry Aldrick | None |
| 1938 | 55–41 | 1st | Jack Farmer | Lost league finals |
| 1939 | 66–63 | 3rd | Jack Farmer | lost first round |
| 1940 | 44–73 | 5th | Bobby Jones | None |
| 1941 | 49–57 | 4th | Lee Ellison / Charles Cronin | None |
Notable alumni
- Pat Capri (1938–1939)
- Glenn Crawford (1939)
- Al LaMacchia (1939)
- Johnny Lucadello (1936)
See also
References
- ^ a b "1936 Fostoria Cardinals Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1936 Ohio State League (OSL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ a b "1936 Ohio State League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ a b c d e f "Ohio State League - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
- ^ "Fostoria Cardinals - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
- ^ a b "1936 Ohio State League (OSL) Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1936 Fostoria Cardinals Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Team Batting Records - Professional Sports History". sites.google.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Fostoria Red Birds - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
- ^ "1937 Ohio State League (OSL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1937 Ohio State League (OSL) Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1937 Ohio State League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1937 Fostoria Red Birds Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1938 Ohio State League (OSL) Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1938 Fostoria Red Birds Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1938 Ohio State League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1939 Ohio State League (OSL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1939 Ohio State League (OSL) Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1939 Ohio State League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1939 Fostoria Red Birds Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1940 Ohio State League (OSL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1940 Ohio State League (OSL) Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1940 Fostoria Red Birds Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1940 Ohio State League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1941 Ohio State League (OSL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1941 Ohio State League (OSL) Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "Ohio State League (D) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1941 Ohio State League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1941 Fostoria Red Birds Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Redbird Park in Fostoria, OH history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "Findlay Republican Courier Archives, Apr 29, 1939, p. 13". NewspaperArchive.com. April 29, 1939.