Elmira Pioneers
Encyclopedia
The Elmira Pioneers are an amateur baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 team based in Elmira, New York
Elmira, New York
Elmira is a city in Chemung County, New York, USA. It is the principal city of the 'Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses Chemung County, New York. The population was 29,200 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chemung County.The City of Elmira is located in...

. They currently compete in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League
Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League
The Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League is an 8-team collegiate summer baseball league founded in 2010. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. Players are not paid so as to maintain their college eligibility...

, a wood bat collegiate summer baseball league. Prior to the 2006 baseball season, the team was a professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...

 ballclub with a rich history of league championships and future major league stars, including some Baseball Hall of Fame inductees. They play their home games at Dunn Field
Dunn Field (Elmira)
Dunn Field is a stadium in Elmira, New York primarily used for baseball. Located on the banks of the Chemung River at the end of Luce St, it has been the home of various incarnations of the Elmira Pioneers since its opening in 1939.-History:...

.

History

While the Pioneers now play in an unaffiliated amateur league, Elmira has a long history of hosting Major League
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

-affiliated
Farm team
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team or nursery club, is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher level at a given point...

 professional teams. Most of those teams also were known as the Pioneers.

1885–1931: The Early Years

The Elmira Colonels played in the New York State League in 1885 and again in 1889. Two years later, the Elmira Gladiators were one of six teams in the original New York-Penn League. That league failed, but in 1892, the Gladiators were one of the original teams in the original Eastern League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...

 but only lasted one year in the league.

The Pioneers name first appeared in 1900, when the team joined a new New York State League that was founded a year earlier.

The Elmira Red Jackets, presumably named after the Seneca
Seneca nation
The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. They were the nation located farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois League in New York before the American Revolution. While exact population figures are unknown, approximately 15,000 to 25,000 Seneca live in...

 chief
Red Jacket
Red Jacket was a Native American Seneca orator and chief of the Wolf clan...

, were charter members of the new New York-Penn League
Eastern League (U.S. baseball)
The Eastern League is a minor league baseball league which operates primarily in the northeastern United States, although it has had a team in Ohio since 1989. The Eastern League has played at the AA level since 1963. The league was founded in 1923 as the New York-Pennsylvania League...

 in 1923. They changed their name to the Elmira Colonels from 1924–31 and remained unaffiliated through those years.

1932–1972: Becoming A Farm Team

The Colonels signed on with the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

 and changed their name to the Red Wings for the 1932–34 seasons. They resurrected the Pioneers name for their unaffiliated 1935 and '36 seasons. After winning the league championship that year, they signed on with the Brooklyn Dodgers and re-established the Colonels name for the 1937 season, in which they repeated as champions. The league became the Eastern League
Eastern League (U.S. baseball)
The Eastern League is a minor league baseball league which operates primarily in the northeastern United States, although it has had a team in Ohio since 1989. The Eastern League has played at the AA level since 1963. The league was founded in 1923 as the New York-Pennsylvania League...

 in 1938 and Elmira managed to pull off a three-peat
Three-peat
Three-peat is a contraction of the words three and repeat, which has been trademarked for commercial use by retired basketball coach Pat Riley; the active trademarks in force are registered under numbers 1552980, 1878690, and 1886018...

 that year. Elmira maintained their affiliation with the Dodgers, known as the Pioneers, through 1940. This, despite losing its home stadium, to fire in 1938. On June 12, 1939, the Pioneers played their first night game in Elmira, which was a novel concept for fans at the time.

The Pioneers then became an affiliate of the Tigers for a couple seasons and then the St Louis Browns before re-establishing ties with the Dodgers from 1950 to 1955. During the 1951 season then player Don Zimmer married his wife at a ceremony at home plate.

Elmira did not field a team in 1956, but joined the Class-A short-season New York-Penn League in 1957 as a Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

 affiliate. The Pioneers switched affiliation to the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

 for the 1959–61 seasons. Two highlights of their time with the Phillies, were Jim Gunn's 33 game hitting streak in 1959, and Vern Kemp striking out 21 batters in a single-game during 1961. Both were team records.

The Pioneers returned to the Eastern League for the 1962 season, this time affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

 through 1968. Their manager from 1962 to 1965 was Earl Weaver
Earl Weaver
Earl Sidney Weaver is a former Major League Baseball manager. He spent his entire 17-year managerial career with the Baltimore Orioles . Weaver was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.-Playing career:After playing for Beaumont High School in St...

. Elmira was filled with talent during the Oriole years. They won the championship in 1962. In 1965 there were three no-hitters pitched and Lou Pinella hit three home runs in a single game. They also played a 27 inning game, which at the time was the longest professionally played game. The following year, 1966, they won the Pennant by 20.5 games!

The 1960s ended with the Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...

 and Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...

 sharing the Pioneers for a year. The next two years, the team was exclusively affiliated with the Royals and actually known as the Royals in 1971 while winning another championship. The Royals didn't want to keep Elmira as part of their farm system, and the team signed on with the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...

 for 1972. Unfortunately, that summer would find the city of Elmira deep in a flood that ruined the season. The Indians didn't stick with the team.

1973–1992: The Red Sox Years

The New York-Penn League affiliate of 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"...

 moved from Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Williamsport is a city in and the county seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. In 2009, the population was estimated at 29,304...

 to Elmira for the 1973 season. The Red Sox remained in Elmira through 1992. The 1973 team was known as the Pioneers, but the team was called the Elmira Red Sox from 1974 to 1976 and the Elmira Pioneer-Red Sox in 1977 and '78. They won the NY Penn League Championship in 1976. The Pioneers name returned for the 1979 season, though the team actually wore "Red Sox" uniforms.

In 1983, Clyde Smoll bought the team and changed its name to the Elmira Suns to match other teams he owned. The name proved unpopular in Elmira and the Pioneers name soon returned complete with uniforms featuring a stagecoach logo. The uniforms were mocked throughout the league as resembling softball uniforms and the team returned to the Red Sox uniforms after a couple of years.

Coincidentally, the former Elmira team now located in Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...

 is known as the Suns
Jacksonville Suns
The Jacksonville Suns are a minor league baseball team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The team is currently a member of the Southern League and is the class Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins Major League Baseball team...

.

1993–2005: Post-Red Sox Years

The Pioneers were affiliated with the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...

 from 1993 to 1995, after which Smoll moved the team to Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...

 and reaffiliated with the Red Sox as the Lowell Spinners
Lowell Spinners
The Lowell Spinners are a Short-Season A minor league baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.-History:Founded in 1996 after Clyde Smoll moved the Elmira Pioneers to Lowell, Massachusetts, the Spinners play in the New York - Penn League, which has a Short-Season A classification with 76 games a...

.

After some significant scrambling, an ownership group anchored by an Elmira native living in Maryland, John Ervin, got a team into the independent Northeast League before the 1996 season began. In 1997 the Pioneers started the season 24–18. They'd end it by beating the defending champion Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs
Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs
The Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs were a minor league baseball team based in Albany, New York from 1995 to 2002. The team played at Heritage Park in Colonie. The Diamond Dogs competed in the Northeast League from 1995-98 and then in the Northern League when the two leagues merged prior to the 1999...

 2 games to 0, to win their first championship in 21 years. In 2001, the team played for the championship again. This time they faced the New Jersey Jackals
New Jersey Jackals
The New Jersey Jackals are a professional baseball team based in Little Falls, New Jersey, in the United States. The Jackals are a member of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...

, but lost a tough series 3 games to 2.

One other bright spot for the team in these years was pitcher Greg Keagle
Greg Keagle
Gregory Charles Keagle is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers from to...

, who threw a no-hitter in the summer of 2000. A couple years later, he struck out 119 batters. Keagle was a very popular player due to his talent and being an Elmira area native. For a while, he was a player-coach, coaching the pitching staff.

2006–Present: Amateur Years

After the 2005 baseball season, the Pioneers changed leagues. They became part of the New York Collegiate Baseball League
New York Collegiate Baseball League
The New York Collegiate Baseball League is a 12-team collegiate summer baseball league founded in 1978 and sanctioned by the NACSB and Major League Baseball. Each NYCBL team plays an eight-week, 44-game schedule from June to July with a playoff in early August...

, which is an amateur league. They went 19–24, which was good enough for a second place finish in the West Division, but lost in the first round to the Allegany County Nitros.
In 2007 the Pioneers won the New York Collegiate Baseball League Championship with a sweep of Glen Falls, finishing the season 32–16. Currently 3 players from the Pioneers are playing in Minor League baseball. (Shane Wolf '06–'07 [Astros A], Jack Cawley '06 [Cardinals rookie ball] and Cody Eppley '06 [Pirates A].)
In June of 2011 the Pioneers will play their first game in the newly formed Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League [PGCBL]. Six former teams from the New York Collegiate Baseball League including the Pioneers will make up the League, as well as a new franchise located in Newark, NY [Pilots].

Championships

The Pioneers have won 12 titles. The most recent was in 2007. Other championships were won in 1914, 1937, 1938, 1941, 1943, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1971, 1976, and 1997.

Notable Pioneers

  • Rabbit Maranville
    Rabbit Maranville
    Walter James Vincent Maranville , better known as Rabbit Maranville due to his speed and small stature , was a Major League Baseball shortstop. At the time of his retirement in 1935, he had played in a record 23 seasons in the National League, a mark which wasn't broken until 1986 by Pete Rose...

     (1936; as manager)
  • Bill Sharman
    Bill Sharman
    William Walton "Bill" Sharman is a former professional basketball player and coach. Sharman completed high school in the rural city of Porterville, California and is mostly known for his time with the Boston Celtics in the 1950s, partnering with Bob Cousy in what some consider the greatest...

     (1950)
  • Don Zimmer
    Don Zimmer
    Donald William "Popeye" Zimmer is a former infielder, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball, currently serving as a senior advisor to the Tampa Bay Rays baseball organization...

     (1951)
  • Tommy Holmes
    Tommy Holmes
    Thomas Francis Holmes was an American right and center fielder and manager in Major League Baseball who played nearly his entire career for the Boston Braves...

     (1954; as manager)
  • Earl Weaver
    Earl Weaver
    Earl Sidney Weaver is a former Major League Baseball manager. He spent his entire 17-year managerial career with the Baltimore Orioles . Weaver was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.-Playing career:After playing for Beaumont High School in St...

     (1962–1965; as manager)
  • Steve Dalkowski
    Steve Dalkowski
    Steven Louis "Dalko" Dalkowski is a retired left-handed pitcher in minor league baseball. He is sometimes called the fastest pitcher in baseball history and had a fastball that probably exceeded . Some experts believed it went as fast as , others that his pitches traveled at or less...

     (1962–1964)
  • Davey Johnson
    Davey Johnson
    David Allen "Davey" Johnson is an American Major League Baseball player and current manager of the Washington Nationals. He was the starting second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles when they won four American League pennants and two World Series championships between 1965 and 1972...

     (1963)
  • Lou Piniella
    Lou Piniella
    Louis Victor Piniella is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He has been nicknamed "Sweet Lou," both for his swing as a major league hitter and, facetiously, to describe his demeanor as a player and manager...

     (1965)
  • Mark Belanger
    Mark Belanger
    Mark Henry Belanger was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played almost his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles...

     (1965)
  • Eddie Watt
    Eddie Watt
    Eddie Dean Watt is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. The 5'10", 197 lb. right-hander was signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent on September 5, 1961...

     (1965)
  • Jim Hardin
    Jim Hardin
    James Warren Hardin was a professional baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, and Atlanta Braves from 1967 through 1973 and was a member of one of the best pitching staffs of the 1960s and 1970s that included Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Tom Phoebus, and Mike Cuellar...

     (1966)
  • Cal Ripken Sr (1968; as manager)
  • Don Baylor
    Don Baylor
    Donald Edward Baylor is a Major League Baseball coach currently the hitting coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and a former player and manager. During his 19-year playing career, he was a power hitter who played as a first baseman, outfielder, and designated hitter...

     (1968)
  • John Candelaria
    John Candelaria
    John Robert Candelaria . He attended The Caton School P.S. 249. Nicknamed "The Candy Man," is a former professional left-handed pitcher who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, California Angels, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, and Los Angeles...

     (1968)
  • Jim Palmer
    Jim Palmer
    James Alvin "Jim" Palmer , nicknamed "Cakes", is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire 20-year baseball career for the Baltimore Orioles . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in .As of 2008, Palmer and his wife Susan have homes in Palm Beach, Florida, and...

     (1968)
  • Bo Diaz
    Bo Diaz
    Baudilio José Díaz Seijas was a Venezuelan professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies and the Cincinnati Reds between and...

     (1973)
  • Bob Stanley
    Bob Stanley
    Robert William "Bob" Stanley is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher who played with the Boston Red Sox.Over his 13-year career, Stanley played only for the Red Sox from 1977-89...

     (1974)
  • Wade Boggs
    Wade Boggs
    Wade Anthony Boggs is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He spent his 18-year baseball career primarily with the Boston Red Sox, but also played for the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays...

     (1976)
  • Glenn Hoffman
    Glenn Hoffman
    Glenn Edward Hoffman is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball and the current third base coach for the San Diego Padres...

     (1976)
  • Mike Ongarato (1976)
  • Bruce Hurst
    Bruce Hurst
    Bruce Vee Hurst is a former Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher. He is best remembered for his brilliant performance for the Boston Red Sox in the postseason. He was even named World Series M.V.P...

     (1976)
  • Bob Ojeda
    Bob Ojeda
    Robert Michael Ojeda is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. Ojeda is best remembered as an anchor in the 1986 World Series Champion New York Mets starting rotation , and for being the lone survivor of a March 22, boating accident that killed fellow Cleveland Indians pitchers...

     (1978)
  • Oil Can Boyd
    Oil Can Boyd
    Dennis Ray "Oil Can" Boyd is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Boyd played for the Boston Red Sox , Montreal Expos , and Texas Rangers .He batted and threw right-handed....

     (1980)
  • Sam Horn
    Sam Horn
    Samuel Lee Horn is a former baseball player who spent parts of 8 seasons in MLB and was an anchor for New England Sports Network, the flagship station of Boston sports teams.-Pro career:...

     (1982)
  • Mike Greenwell
    Mike Greenwell
    Michael Lewis Greenwell is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball who played his entire MLB career with the Boston Red Sox . He briefly played a few games for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan , before retiring. Greenwell was nicknamed "The Gator." He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...

     (1982)
  • Ellis Burks
    Ellis Burks
    Ellis Rena Burks is a former outfielder and designated hitter who played in Major League Baseball for 18 seasons...

     (1983)
  • Brady Anderson
    Brady Anderson
    Brady Kevin Anderson is an American former outfielder with the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball...

     (1985)
  • Curt Schilling
    Curt Schilling
    Curtis Montague "Curt" Schilling is a former American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series in and won World Series championships in with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in and with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling retired with a...

     (1986)
  • John Valentin
    John Valentin
    John William Valentin is a former shortstop and third baseman in Major League Baseball. He played most of his major league career with the Boston Red Sox, with his final season being for the New York Mets. He batted and threw right-handed...

     (1988)
  • Eric Wedge
    Eric Wedge
    Eric Michael Wedge is a Major League Baseball manager and former catcher, and is the current manager of the Seattle Mariners. As a player, Wedge attended Northrop High School in Fort Wayne and played on the school's state champion baseball team in 1983...

     (1989)
  • Cory Bailey
    Cory Bailey
    Phillip Cory Bailey is a former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball between and . He batted and threw right-handed....

     (1991)
  • Frank Rodriguez
    Frank Rodriguez
    Francisco Rodriguez is a former major league pitcher.-Amateur career:Rodriguez won the Dick Howser Trophy in 1991. At the time of the award, Rodriguez was playing for Howard Junior College in Big Spring, Texas...

     (1991)
  • Tony Rodríguez
    Tony Rodríguez (baseball)
    Luis Antonio Rodríguez is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played briefly for the Boston Red Sox during the season. Listed at 5' 11", 165 lb., Rodríguez batted and threw right-handed...

     (1991)
  • Joel Bennett
    Joel Bennett
    Joel Bennett is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He bats and throws right-handed.Bennett was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 21st round of the 1991 amateur draft...

     (1991)
  • Randy Winn
    Randy Winn
    Dwight Randolph Winn is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder. Winn was a switch hitter, and threw right-handed. He played college baseball at Santa Clara University and made his Major League debut in 1998 with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays...

     (1995)
  • Greg Keagle
    Greg Keagle
    Gregory Charles Keagle is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers from to...

     (2000–2002,2004–2005)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK