The Allentown Chiefs were a minor league baseball

Minor league baseball

Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 team. They played in the Class A Eastern League, and started the 1957 season in Syracuse, New York

Syracuse, New York

Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...

. The team was purchased by the Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

 and was moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania

Allentown, Pennsylvania

Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...

 mid-season on July 13, 1957, and finished the season playing at Breadon Field

Breadon Field

Breadon Field was a minor league ballpark in Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, located on the east side of MacArthur Road, about 0.5 mile north of the U.S. Route 22 interchange. It was named for St. Louis Cardinals owner Sam Breadon, who built the ballfield in 1948. In 1958, it was purchased by...

 in Whitehall Township, just north of Allentown.

The 1957 team was not affiliated with any major league team, however the Chiefs were a longtime affiliate of the Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

 prior to the 1957 season. After finishing the season in Allentown, the team was redesignated as the Allentown Red Sox

Allentown Red Sox

The Allentown Red Sox were a minor league baseball team affiliated with the Boston Red Sox. They played in the Class A Eastern League and were based in Allentown, Pennsylvania....

, with Boston moving their Eastern League Class A team from Albany, New York

Albany, New York

Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...

 to Allentown for the 1958 season.

A new Detroit-affiliated team in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...

 began operations for the 1958 Eastern League season.

Team

• 1957 Season (Combined Syracuse/Allentown)

Won: 56 Lost: 84 Pct: .400 5th Place Eastern Division, 19 GB

Manager: Frank Calo

Pos	Player	Avg	Pos	Player	W-L	ERA
1B	Edward Kneuper	.263	SP	Leverette Spencer	16-14	2.90
2B	Clell Hobson	.230	SP	John Isaac	9-10	5.05
SS	Julio Palazzini	.279	SP	George Aitken	9-13	4.97
3B	Tom Sarna	.253	SP	John Wall	7-10	4.50
C	Jim Tolleson	.249	SP	Cliff Ross	3-15	5.32
OF	Jerry Elder	.223	SP	Marv Rotblatt	8-5	4.01
OF	Andrew Rellick	.248	SP	Ralph Birkofer	2-8	4.90
OF	Jim Kirby	.267	RP	Larry Kendig	2-6	3.36

1957 Complete Team Statistics

Major league players

• Jim Kirby
  Jim Kirby (baseball)
  James Herschel Kirby was a pinch-hitter in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs during the season. Listed at 5' 11", 175 lb., Kirby batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee....
  
  

Chicago Cubs, NL, 1949

• Bob Moorhead
  Bob Moorhead
  Charles Robert Moorhead was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Mets in 1962 and 1965....
  
  

New York Mets, NL, 1962, 1965

• John Romonosky

Chicago White Sox, AL, 1948, 1950, 1951

• Cliff Ross

Cincinnati Reds, NL, 1954

• Marv Rotblatt

Chicago White Sox, AL, 1948, 1950, 1951

See also

• Sports in Allentown, Pennsylvania
  Sports in Allentown, Pennsylvania
  While most of the Allentown, Pennsylvania area supports professional sports teams in New York City or Philadelphia, Allentown itself is home to a Triple-A-level baseball team, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball, and other professional...
  
  
• History of baseball in Allentown, Pennsylvania
  History of baseball in Allentown, Pennsylvania
  Allentown's association with the national pastime spans nearly 125 years, from the formation of the Allentown Dukes in the late 19th century to the startup of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in the early 21st century.-Late 19th century:...