Interstate League

The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952.

For the football league, see Seaboard Football League.

Early leagues

Earlier versions of the Interstate League, with years active:

  • 1896–1901: an unclassified loop with teams in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, and West Virginia.
  • 1905-08; 1914-16: a Class D league with clubs in Pennsylvania and New York.
  • 1913: a Class C league operating in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
  • 1932: a Class D circuit based in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

In addition, a Class C Interstate Association existed for one season, 1906, in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.

1939–1952
Interstate League
SportBaseball
Founded1939
Inaugural season1939
Ceased1952
No. of teams4 (1939)
8 (1940–1941) (1946–1952)
6 (1942–1945)
Country United States
Last
champion(s)		Hagerstown Braves
Most titlesWilmington Blue Rocks (4)
Lancaster Red Roses (4)
Official websiteNone

The longest tenured version of the Interstate League was the last incarnation, which played in the Middle Atlantic States from 1939 through 1952, and was one of the few mid-level minor leagues to operate continuously during the World War II period.

This circuit, which began as Class C and was upgraded to Class B in 1940, typically had teams in Allentown, Harrisburg, Lancaster and Sunbury, all in Pennsylvania; Hagerstown, Maryland; Trenton, New Jersey; and Wilmington, Delaware. Its final champion was the Hagerstown Braves, a Boston Braves affiliate. That season, the York White Roses led the league in attendance, attracting over 78,000 fans.

Cities/Teams/Years
Cities representedTeamsMajor League AffiliateYear(s)
Allentown, PennsylvaniaAllentown DukesBoston Braves1939
Allentown FleetwingsSt. Louis Cardinals1940
Allentown WingsPhiladelphia Phillies (1941)
St. Louis Cardinals (1942–43)		1941–43
Allentown CardinalsSt. Louis Cardinals1944–52
Bridgeport, ConnecticutBridgeport BeesBoston Braves1941
Hagerstown, MarylandHagerstown OwlsDetroit Tigers (1941–44) (1947–48)
Chicago Cubs (1945–46)
Washington Senators (1949)		1941–49
Hagerstown BravesBoston Braves1950–52
Harrisburg, PennsylvaniaHarrisburg SenatorsPittsburgh Pirates (1941–42)
Cleveland Indians (1946–51)
Philadelphia Athletics (1952)		1940–42, 1946–52
Hazleton, PennsylvaniaHazleton MountaineersUnaffiliated1939–40
Lancaster, PennsylvaniaLancaster Red RosesPhiladelphia Athletics (1944–47)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1948–52)		1940–52
Reading, PennsylvaniaReading ChicksUnaffiliated1940
Reading BrooksBrooklyn Dodgers1941
Salisbury, MarylandSalisbury AthleticsPhiladelphia Athletics1951
Salisbury RedsCincinnati Reds1952
Sunbury, PennsylvaniaSunbury SenatorsUnaffiliated1939
Sunbury IndiansUnaffiliated1940
Sunbury Yankees[1]New York Yankees1946–47
Sunbury RedsCincinnati Reds1948–49
Sunbury AthleticsPhiladelphia Athletics1950
Sunbury GiantsNew York Giants1951–52
Trenton, New JerseyTrenton SenatorsUnaffiliated1939–41
Trenton PackersPhiladelphia Phillies (1942–43)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1944)		1942–44
Trenton SpartansBrooklyn Dodgers1945
Trenton GiantsNew York Giants1946–50
Wilmington, DelawareWilmington Blue RocksPhiladelphia Athletics (1940–43)
Philadelphia Phillies (1944–52)		1940–52
York, PennsylvaniaYork BeesBoston Braves1940
York White RosesPittsburgh Pirates (1943–50)
St. Louis Browns (1952)		1943–52

League champions
Season Interstate League champion Interstate League runner-up Other postseason participants
1939 Allentown Dukes Sunbury Senators Trenton Senators
1940 Lancaster Red Roses Reading Chicks Trenton Senators; Wilmington Blue Rocks
1941 Harrisburg Senators Trenton Senators Hagerstown Owls; Reading Brooks
1942 Wilmington Blue Rocks Hagerstown Owls Harrisburg Senators; Allentown Wings
1943 Lancaster Red Roses York White Roses Hagerstown Owls; Wilmington Blue Rocks
1944 Lancaster Red Roses Allentown Cardinals Wilmington Blue Rocks; York White Roses
1945 Lancaster Red Roses Allentown Cardinals Trenton Spartans; Wilmington Blue Rocks
1946 Harrisburg Senators Wilmington Blue Rocks Hagerstown Owls; Allentown Cardinals
1947 Wilmington Blue Rocks Allentown Cardinals Trenton Giants; Harrisburg Senators
1948 Trenton Giants York White Roses Wilmington Blue Rocks, Sunbury Reds
1949 Trenton Giants Harrisburg Senators Allentown Cardinals; Wilmington Blue Rocks
1950 Wilmington Blue Rocks Hagerstown Braves Harrisburg Senators; Trenton Giants
1951 Wilmington Blue Rocks Sunbury Giants Hagerstown Braves; Allentown Cardinals
1952 Hagerstown Braves Lancaster Red Roses York White Roses, Allentown Cardinals

Individual records

Hitting
  • Games: 142, Steve Flipowicz, Sunbury (1947)
  • Batting Average: .428, Woody Wheaton, Hazelton (1939)
  • At Bats: 593, Robert Mays, Hagerstown (1943)
  • Runs: 128, Nellie Fox, Lancaster (1945)
    128, Richard Burgett, Allentown (1946)
  • Hits: 220, George Kell, Lancaster (1943)
  • Runs Batted In: 144, Edward Sanicki, Wilmington (1946)
  • Doubles: 52, Bob Maier, Hagerstown (1943)
  • Triples: 24, Harold Bamberger, Trenton (1947)
    24, Charley Neal, Lancaster (1951)
  • Home Runs: 37, Edward Sanicki, Wilmington (1947)
  • Extra Base Hits: 73, John Capra, Allentown (1944)
  • Total Bases: 320, Del Ennis, Trenton (1943)
  • Consecutive Game Hitting Streak: 22, Harold Nerino, Sunbury (1940)
    22, Bill Cox, Harrisburg (1941)
    22, Edward Nowak, Hagerstown (1945)
  • Sacrifices: 24, Harvey Johnson, Harrisburg (1941)
  • Stolen Bases: 47, Joseph Schmidt, Wilmington (1946)
  • Walks: 130, Guy Glaser, Wilmington (1945)
  • Hit By Pitch: 23, Nellie Fox, Lancaster (1945)
  • Struck Out: 123, Peyton Rambin, Trenton (1949)

Pitching
  • Games: 49, George Eyrich, Wilmington (1948)
  • Complete Games: 29, Charles Bowles, Lancaster (1943)
    29, Norman Shope, York (1944)
  • Wins: 24, Daniel Lewandowski, Allentown (1951)
  • Losses: 21, Wilson Emmerick, Allentown (1943)
  • Best Percentage: .880 (22-3), Anderson Bush, Hagerstown (1951)
  • Earned Run Average: 1.44, Royce Lint, Harrisburg (1942)
  • Innings Pitched: 260, Charles Miller, Hagerstown (1943)
  • Win Streak: 13, Woody Wheaton, Lancaster (1943)
  • Shutouts: 7, John Burrows, Wilmington (1942),
  • Strikeouts: 278, Andy Tomasic, Trenton (1947)
  • Bases on Balls: 165, Dick Libby, Sunbury (1948)
  • Wild Pitches: 19, Joseph Slotter, Hagerstown (1944)

No-hitters
YearDatePitcherTeamOppositionScoreNotes
1940July 2Don KeplerSunburyYork6-07 innings
1942August 24Jack CaseyTrentonHagerstown2-3lost game
1943July 1Steve GerkinLancasterTrenton4-07 innings
1944June 25Hal KelleherTrentonYork6-07 innings
1946June 10Whitey KonikowskiTrentonHarrisburg4-07 innings
1949May 7Tony WestTrentonWestbury11-0
1950June 11Joe MiccicheTrentonHarrisburg9-0
1950August 25Tony SegzdaYorkSunbury6-0
1951April 28Keith KelleyLancasterWilmington10-0
1951June 14William MintonSalisburyHarrisburg0-2lost game
1951July 18Tom CasagrandeWilimingtonYork0-111 innings; lost game
1951July 28Ernest NicholsLancasterSalisbury6-2
1951August 20Tom CasagrandeWilmingtonHarrisburg4-07 innings
1952June 5Bob BerresfordHarrisburgWilmington1-0
1952August 6Doug GostlinLancasterSunbury1-0

References
  1. "Ed Baker presents Mike Daddario's Sunbury Memorial Field – Sunbury Pennsylvania – Former Home of the Sunbury Reds".

Further reading
  • Johnson, Lloyd and Wolff, Miles, editors: Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. Durham, North Carolina Publisher: Baseball America, 2007. Format: Hardback, 767 pp. ISBN 978-1-932391-17-6
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