Morristown Red Sox

The Morristown Red Sox were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Class D/Class C Mountain States League (MSL) from 1948 to 1954. They were located in Morristown, Tennessee, and played their home games at Sherwood Park. They won the inaugural MSL championship in 1948. Over seven years of competition, their all-time regular season win–loss record was 416–331 (.557).

Morristown Red Sox
1948–1954
Morristown, Tennessee
Minor league affiliations
Class
LeagueMountain States League (1948–1954)
Major league affiliations
TeamUnaffiliated (1948–1954)
Minor league titles
League titles (1)1948
Team data
NameMorristown Red Sox (1948–1954)
BallparkSherwood Park (1948–1954)

History

Professional baseball in Morristown, Tennessee, began in 1910 when the Morristown Jobbers became charter members of the Southeastern League.[1] The Jobbers continued in the Appalachian League in 1911 and, with the exception of a brief absence in the first month of the 1913 campaign, played each season through 1914.[2] From 1923 to 1925, the city's entry in the league was called the Morristown Roosters.[1]

Twenty-three years later, the Morristown Red Sox became charter members of the Mountain States League (MSL).[1] They opened the season at home with a 6–4 win over the Newport Canners on May 1 at Sherwood Park.[3] The Red Sox completed their inaugural season with a league-best 70–46 (.603) record.[4] They defeated Newport, 3–2, in the opening round of the playoffs to advance to the finals.[4] There, Morristown won the first MSL championship over the Hazard Bombers, 3–2.[4]

On June 17, 1949, Charles Coburn pitched seven-inning no-hitter in the first game of a doubleheader against the Pennington Gap Miners, an 8–0 road win.[5] The team finished the season in second place, 11 games out of first, at 72–52 (.581).[6] They opened the playoffs with a 3–2 semifinal win over the Jenkins Cavaliers, but were defeated in the finals by the first-place Harlan Smokies, 3–2.[6] A sixth-place finish in 1950 at 56–67 (.455) kept the Red Sox from a return to the postseason.[7]

Pedro Ramos of the 1953 and 1954 teams went on to be selected as an MLB All-Star in 1959.[8]

An improved 1951 season saw Morristown qualify for the playoffs with an 86–39 (.688) mark, ​6 1⁄2 games behind the Hazard Bombers.[9] They moved past the Middlesboro Athletics, 3–1, in the semifinals before being swept by Hazard in the championship finals, 3–0.[9] Morristown again qualified for the postseason with a third-place 61–58 (.513) record in 1952.[10] After defeating the Big Stone Gap Rebels, 3–2, in the semifinals, they were winless for the second-straight year in the finals, as they were bested by the Harlan Smokies, 3–0.[10] The 1953 Red Sox finished fourth at 64–62 (.508), but were eliminated in the playoff semifinals by the Knoxville Smokies, 3–1.[11]

On May 19, 1954, the Morristown Red Sox withdrew from the Mountain States League, citing high expenses and low revenues due in part to the league operating with seven teams instead of an even number.[12][13] They lost their final two games, 11–8 and 2–1, played as a doubleheader against the Kingsport Cherokees on May 15 at home.[14] Over seven seasons in the MSL, Morristown had accumulated an all-time record of 416–331 (.557).

A separate MSL franchise was subsequently placed in Morristown on June 20.[15] This came about when the owners of the Maryville-Alcoa Twins surrendered their franchise to the league on June 19 due to financial problems of its own.[15] They became known as the Morristown Reds.[16] Like the Red Sox, the Reds withdrew from the league on July 1 due to a lack of good players and financial losses.[17] The city went without another team for five years until the Morristown Cubs joined the Appalachian League in 1959.[1]

Season-by-season results
Season Regular season Postseason Ref.
Record Win % Finish GB Record Win % Result
1948 70–46 .603 1st — 6–4 .600 Won semifinals vs. Newport Canners, 3–2
Won MSL championship vs. Hazard Bombers, 3–2		 [4]
1949 72–52 .581 2nd 11 5–5 .500 Won semifinals vs. Jenkins Cavaliers, 3–2
Lost MSL championship vs. Harlan Smokies, 3–2		 [6]
1950 56–67 .455 6th 24 — — — [7]
1951 86–39 .688 2nd ​6 1⁄2 3–4 .429 Won semifinals vs. Middlesboro Athletics, 3–1
Lost MSL championship vs. Hazard Bombers, 3–0		 [9]
1952 61–58 .513 3rd 26 3–4 .429 Won semifinals vs. Hazard Bombers, 3–1
Lost MSL championship vs. Harlan Smokies, 3–0		 [10]
1953 64–62 .508 4th 15 1–3 .250 Lost semifinals vs. Knoxville Smokies, 3–1 [11]
1954 7–7 .500 DNF DNF — — — [12]
Totals 416–331 .557 — — 18–20 .474 — —

Notable players

Three Red Sox also played in at least one game in Major League Baseball during their careers. These players and their seasons with Morristown were:

References
  1. "Morristown, Tennessee Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  2. "Sports in Morristown, Tennessee". Stats Crew. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  3. "Morristown Winner, 6-4". The Knoxville Journal. Knoxville. May 2, 1948. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "1948 Mountain States League Standings". Stats Crew. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  5. "Coburn Hurls No-Hitter for Morristown". The Bristol Herald Courier. Bristol. June 18, 1949. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "1949 Mountain States League Standings". Stats Crew. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  7. "1950 Mountain States League Standings". Stats Crew. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  8. "Pedro Ramos Stats". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  9. "1951 Mountain States League Standings". Stats Crew. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  10. "1952 Mountain States League Standings". Stats Crew. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  11. "1953 Mountain States League Standings". Stats Crew. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  12. "1954 Mountain States League Standings". Stats Crew. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  13. "Sox Officially Out of MSL". Morristown Sun. Morristown. May 19, 1954. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Kingsport Wins Pair". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Knoxville. May 16, 1954. p. 27 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. Pitner, Julian (June 20, 1954). "Morristown Replaces M-A in MSL". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Knoxville. p. B-4 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. Hodges, Bill (June 20, 1954). "Morristown Back in MSL League". Morristown Gazette Mail. Morristown. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. Hodges, Bill (July 1, 1954). "Morristown Withdraws From MSL; Giles Terms This Action 'Permanent'". Morristown Gazette Mail. Morristown. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. "Tony Ordenana Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  19. "Pedro Ramos Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  20. "Nap Reyes Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
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