Wichita Indians (baseball)

The Wichita Indians were a Class A level minor league baseball franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wichita Indians played as members of the Western League from 1950 to 1955. Wichita won the 1955 Western League Championship.

Wichita Indians
(1950 – 1955)
Wichita, Kansas
Minor league affiliations
Previous classesClass A (1950–1955)
Previous leagues
Western League (1950–1955)
Major league affiliations
Previous teamsSt. Louis Browns (1950)
Cleveland Indians (1951–1952)
St. Louis Browns (1953)
Baltimore Orioles (1954–1955)
Minor league titles
League titles 1955
Team data
Previous names
Wichita Indians (1950–1955)
Previous parks
Lawrence-Dumont Stadium (1950–1955)
McDonald Stadium (1950–1955)

The Wichita Indians were an affiliate of the St. Louis Browns (1950), Cleveland Indians (1951–1952), St. Louis Browns (1953) and Baltimore Orioles (1954–1955).

In 1956, the Indians were succeeded by the Class AAA Wichita Braves, when the Wichita franchise became a member of the American Association.

History

The Wichita Indians were preceded in the Western League by the Wichita Aviators (1929–1933), Wichita Larks (1927–1928), Wichita Izzies (1923–1926), Wichita Witches (sometimes called the Wichita Wolves) (1917–1922) and Wichita Jobbers (1905–1920). Wichita hosted teams in various other leagues, with professional baseball having started in Wichita with the Wichita Eagles of the Kansas State League in 1898.[1][2][3]

The Wichita Indians joined the Western League in 1950 as an affiliate of the St. Louis Browns. The Western League had reformed in 1947 with six teams: Denver Bears, Des Moines Bruins, Lincoln A's, Omaha Cardinals, Pueblo Dodgers and Sioux City Soos. All six clubs remained in 1950, when the league expanded to eight teams, adding the Colorado Springs Sky Sox and Wichita Indians.[4]

The 1950 Indians were 77–77, finishing 4th in the Western League regular season standings. In the playoffs, Wichita defeated the first–place Omaha Cardinals 3 games to 0 in the semifinals. In the league Finals, Wichita lost 3 games to 1 to the Sioux City Soos. The Indians drew 126,729 fans, ranking 5th in the league.[5][6][7][8]

In 1951, Wichita became an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians and finished 84–68, placing 3rd in the standings. In the Western League playoffs, Wichita was defeated by the Denver Bears 3 games to 1.[5][9]

The 1952 Indians finished in a tie for 6th place in the Western League at 67–87. The team did not quality for the playoffs.[5][10]

Becoming a St. Louis Browns affiliate, the Wichita Indians finished in last place at 58–96 in 1953. The team drew 68,683 fans, 7th best in the Western League.[5][11]

In 1954, the Indians became affiliates of the Baltimore Orioles after the St. Louis Browns relocated. The team finished 76–77, and in 6th place in the regular season standings. Wichita did not qualify for the Western League playoffs. The 1954 home season attendance was 87,854, 4th in the league.[5][12]

Wichita won the 1955 Western League Championship. In the regular season, the 1955 Indians finished in a tie for 3rd place at 78–73 and began a Western League Championship run. First, the Indians defeated the Des Moines Bruins in a 3rd place tie-breaker game. In the playoffs, the Indians beat the Pueblo Dodgers 3 games to 1 in the semifinals. Advancing to the Finals, Wichita beat the Des Moines Bruins three games to one to claim the 1955 Western League Championship. Bob Harrison pitched a no–hitter for Wichita in the Finals.[5][13]

After their 1955 Western League Championship, Wichita had a team in new league in 1956. The American Association member Toledo Sox relocated to Wichita and the Wichita Braves became the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Braves in 1956. The Western League folded after the 1958 season.[1][14]

The ballparks

The Wichita Indians played at historic Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. The ballpark was built in 1934 and was demolished in 2019. Lawrence-Dumont Stadium was replaced on the site by Riverfront Stadium in 2020.[15][16][17][18]

The Indians played some games at Central Park Stadium in El Dorado, Kansas during the July and August months. Today, the stadium is called McDonald Stadium.[19][20]

Timeline
Year(s)# Yrs.TeamLevelLeagueAffiliate
19501Wichita IndiansClass AWestern LeagueSt. Louis Browns
1951–19522Cleveland Indians
19531St. Louis Browns
1954–19552Baltimore Orioles

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Wichita, Kansas sports teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  2. "Baseball in Kansas, 1867-1940 - Kansas Historical Society". www.kshs.org.
  3. "Wichita plays ball!". F5paper.com. November 13, 2014.
  4. "Western League - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  5. "Wichita Indians - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  6. "1950 Wichita Indians Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  7. "1947 Western League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  8. "1950 Western League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  9. "1951 Wichita Indians Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  10. "1952 Wichita Indians Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  11. "1953 Wichita Indians Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  12. "1954 Wichita Indians Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  13. "1955 Wichita Indians Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  14. "Western League (A) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  15. "Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in Wichita, KS history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  16. Spedden, Zach (February 13, 2019). "New Wichita Ballpark Breaks Ground".
  17. https://www.kansas.com/sports/other-sports/nbc-baseball/article216537945.html
  18. "Historical Baseball Sites in Kansas - Fort Hays State University". www.fhsu.edu.
  19. "Historical Baseball Sites in Kansas - Fort Hays State University". www.fhsu.edu.
  20. "Stadium History". El Dorado Broncos.

External Reference

Baseball Reference

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