Youngstown Gremlins
Encyclopedia
The Youngstown Gremlins were a minor league club affiliated with the Mid-Atlantic League. The club made its debut in 1946, the sixth consecutive season in which the National Amateur Baseball Federation tournament was hosted by Youngstown, Ohio
.
The team went 67-62, good for third place in the six-team Mid-Atlantic League. They lost in the first round of the playoffs, three games to one, to the Erie
Sailors. The owners acknowledged that the team had been a losing venture at the close of the 1946 season but indicated to Frank Ward, sports editor of The Youngstown Daily Vindicator
, that they would continue to sponsor the club in 1947.
, who would eventually move on to the major leagues. As a pitcher for the Gremlins, Kucab posted a 13-1 record, followed up by 12-4. He had the best winning percentage and pitched four shutouts in his 15 starts, tying him for second in the Mid-Atlantic League in whitewashes. Kucab was brought up by the Philadelphia Athletics in 1951.
The team was renamed as the Youngstown Colts in 1947. The Gremlins' brief run coincided with the 33rd NABF sandlot "world series", which won recognition for Youngstown among national observers. A local newspaper editorial stated: "If any other city has comparable equipment, it is not generally known. Baseball Commissioner Chandler exclaimed in surprise that our sandlot fields are better than the parks of many professional teams".
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
.
Record
The Gremlins were owned by Pittsburgh sportsmen Bill Koval and Nick Andolina, who "bankrolled" the reorganization of the Mid-Atlantic League in 1946. Upon taking ownership of the club, Koval and Andolina changed the Youngstown club's name from the A's to the Gremlins. (The Youngstown A's enjoyed a working relationship with the Philadelphia Athletics.)The team went 67-62, good for third place in the six-team Mid-Atlantic League. They lost in the first round of the playoffs, three games to one, to the Erie
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
Sailors. The owners acknowledged that the team had been a losing venture at the close of the 1946 season but indicated to Frank Ward, sports editor of The Youngstown Daily Vindicator
The Vindicator
The Vindicator, also known at times as The Youngstown Vindicator, is a daily newspaper serving Youngstown, Ohio and the Mahoning County Region as well as southern Trumbull County and northern Columbiana County. Founded in 1869, the newspaper currently has a circulation of 62,100 daily and 87,000...
, that they would continue to sponsor the club in 1947.
Legacy
Youngstown's star performer was Johnny KucabJohnny Kucab
John Albert Kucab was a standout pitcher in major and minor league baseball who is best known for pitching the Philadelphia Athletics to victory in Connie Mack's last game as a major league manager.- Early years :...
, who would eventually move on to the major leagues. As a pitcher for the Gremlins, Kucab posted a 13-1 record, followed up by 12-4. He had the best winning percentage and pitched four shutouts in his 15 starts, tying him for second in the Mid-Atlantic League in whitewashes. Kucab was brought up by the Philadelphia Athletics in 1951.
The team was renamed as the Youngstown Colts in 1947. The Gremlins' brief run coincided with the 33rd NABF sandlot "world series", which won recognition for Youngstown among national observers. A local newspaper editorial stated: "If any other city has comparable equipment, it is not generally known. Baseball Commissioner Chandler exclaimed in surprise that our sandlot fields are better than the parks of many professional teams".