Classification |
Class A Class B Class D |
---|---|
Sport | Minor League Baseball |
First season | 1885 |
Ceased | 1958 |
President |
|
Country | United States |
The Western League was the name of several American sports leagues in Minor League Baseball. This article concentrates on the Western Leagues that operated from 1900 to 1937 and from 1947 to 1958.
Its earliest progenitor, the Western League of 1885β1899, was the predecessor of the American League. Later, during the 20th century, there were four incarnations of the Western League, including the Western League of 1939β1941 (succeeding the Nebraska State League) that played at the Class D level, and an independent baseball league that operated as the Western Baseball League from 1995 to 2002.
The league's longest-serving franchise was located in Des Moines, Iowa, which joined the WL in 1900 and played continuously through 1937, when the league shut down during the Great Depression. Des Moines then rejoined the reborn Western circuit when Senator Edwin C. Johnson from Colorado founded it in 1947; this team, a Chicago Cubs affiliate called the Des Moines Bruins, then played for the final 12 years of the league's existence.
Minor league baseball went unclassified through 1901. From 1902 until 1911, Class A was the highest level in the minor leagues. In 1912, a new top tier, Class AA, was created; in 1936, a second tier, Class A1, came into being. One year later, the existing Western League disbanded after it ended the 1937 season with only five teams, the Rock Island Islanders, disbanded on July 7. Then, in 1946, the Class AA leagues were renamed AAA, and the A1 loops were renamed AA. Thus the Western League β whose clubs were located in the Great Plains, Rocky Mountain States, the Upper Midwest and the Upper Southwest β was a top-level minor league until 1911, then two levels below Major League Baseball through 1935, and three steps removed in 1936β37 and when it was revived in 1947 during the post-war minor league baseball boom. For several years in the 1910s, the Western League champion played a postseason series against the champion of the Class AA American Association for supremacy of the central states.
The Western League reformed in 1947 with six teams: Denver Bears, Des Moines Bruins, Lincoln A's, Omaha Cardinals, Pueblo Dodgers and Sioux City Soos. [1] All six clubs were affiliated with major league farm systems. The WL expanded to eight teams in 1950, adding the Colorado Springs Sky Sox and Wichita Indians, [2] but the encroachment of televised baseball and major league franchise shifts into former AAA cities hit the league hard. In 1955, the Western League's two strongest franchises, the Denver Bears and the Omaha Cardinals, were admitted to the AAA American Association.
The WL continued for four more seasons before folding in the autumn of 1958. Its last champion, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, attracted only 61,000 fans for the season. In addition to the founding clubs and the Sky Sox, the postwar WL had teams in Albuquerque, Amarillo, Topeka, and Wichita.
The new Western League formed as a Class B league in 1900. Charter teams were the Denver Grizzlies, Des Moines Hawkeyes, Omaha Omahogs, Pueblo Indians, Sioux City Cornhuskers and St. Joseph Saints. [3]
Team Name | Record |
Denver Grizzlies | 61β44 |
Des Moines Hawkeyes | 54β45 |
Sioux City Cornhuskers | 49β48 |
Omaha Omahogs | 51β53 |
St. Joseph Saints | 51β58 |
Pueblo Indians | 41β64 |
The teams in Pueblo and Sioux City folded. New teams in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and St. Paul, Minnesota, formed and joined the League. Teams from Kansas City, Missouri, and Minneapolis, Minnesota moved from the American League.
Team Name | Record |
Kansas City Blues | 79β44 |
St. Paul Saints | 69β54 |
St. Joseph Saints | 69β58 |
Denver Grizzlies | 60β59 |
Omaha Omahogs | 61β62 |
Minneapolis Millers | 56β62 |
Des Moines Hawkeyes | 48β75 |
Colorado Springs Millionaires | 45β73 |
The Minneapolis and St. Paul teams joined the American Association. New teams in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Peoria, Illinois, formed and joined the League.
Team Name | Record |
Kansas City Blue Stockings | 82β54 |
Omaha Indians | 84β56 |
Milwaukee Creams | 80β54 |
Denver Grizzlies | 81β57 |
St. Joseph Saints | 71β68 |
Colorado Springs Millionaires | 63β75 |
Des Moines Midgets | 54β83 |
Peoria Distillers | 35β103 |
Team Name | Record |
Milwaukee Creams | 83β43 |
Colorado Springs Millionaires | 76β52 |
Kansas City Blue Stockings | 65β61 |
St. Joseph Saints | 62β59 |
Denver Grizzlies | 61β70 |
Peoria Distillers | 57β69 |
Des Moines Undertakers | 55β76 |
Omaha Indians | 49β78 |
The teams in Milwaukee, Kansas City, and Peoria folded. the Sioux City, Iowa team from the IowaβSouth Dakota League joined the League.
Team Name | Record |
Omaha Packers | 90β60 |
Colorado Springs Millionaires | 85β58 |
Denver Grizzlies | 87β61 |
Des Moines Prohibitionists | 76β69 |
St. Joseph Saints | 53β93 |
Sioux City Soos | 45β98 |
The Colorado Springs team, with a record of 22β48, moved to Pueblo, Colorado on July 15, where they had a record of 30β44.
Team Name | Record |
Des Moines Underwriters | 95β54 |
Denver Grizzlies | 92β58 |
Omaha Rourkes | 87β62 |
Sioux City Packers | 80β68 |
Colorado Springs Millionaires/ Pueblo Indians | 52β92 |
St. Joseph Saints | 37β109 |
The St. Joseph team moved to the Western Association. A new team in Lincoln, Nebraska, formed and joined the League.
Team Name | Record |
Des Moines Champions | 97β50 |
Lincoln Ducklings | 75β74 |
Omaha Rourkes | 73β74 |
Sioux City Packers | 69β81 |
Denver Grizzlies | 68β81 |
Pueblo Indians | 63β85 |
Team Name | Record |
Omaha Rourkes | 84β63 |
Lincoln Treeplanters | 79β63 |
Des Moines Champs | 76β63 |
Denver Grizzlies | 67β75 |
Pueblo Indians | 65β73 |
Sioux City Packers | 56β90 |
Team Name | Record |
Sioux City Soos | 88β57 |
Omaha Rourkes | 86β59 |
Lincoln Greenbackers | 74β73 |
Denver Grizzlies | 71β75 |
Pueblo Indians | 63β78 |
Des Moines Boosters | 54β94 |
Teams from Topeka, Kansas, and Wichita, Kansas, joined from the Western Association.
Team Name | Record |
Des Moines Boosters | 93β59 |
Sioux City Soos | 94β60 |
Omaha Rourkes | 84β68 |
Topeka Jayhawks | 76β73 |
Wichita Jobbers | 71-82 |
Denver Grizzlies | 69β82 |
Lincoln Greenbackers | 61β89 |
Pueblo Indians | 58β93 |
The Pueblo team folded. A new team in St. Joseph, Missouri, formed and joined the League.
Team Name | Record |
Sioux City Packers | 108β60 |
Denver Grizzlies | 102β65 |
Lincoln Railsplitters | 95β71 |
Wichita Jobbers | 89β78 |
Omaha Rourkes | 84β82 |
St. Joseph Drummers | 76β91 |
Des Moines Boosters | 72β96 |
Topeka Jayhawks | 42β125 |
The Wichita team, with a record of 15β9, moved to Pueblo, Colorado on May 22, Their record there was 77β66.
Team Name | Record |
Denver Grizzlies | 111β54 |
St. Joseph Drummers | 93β72 |
Wichita Jobbers/ Pueblo Indians | 92β75 |
Omaha Rourkes | 85β80 |
Sioux City Packers | 85β80 |
Lincoln Railsplitters | 84β81 |
Topeka Kaws | 60β104 |
Des Moines Boosters | 49β113 |
The Pueblo team moved back to Wichita, Kansas.
Team Name | Record |
Denver Grizzlies | 99β63 |
St. Joseph Drummers | 94β72 |
Omaha Rourkes | 92β71 |
Des Moines Boosters | 82β80 |
Lincoln Railsplitters | 83β81 |
Sioux City Packers | 74β85 |
Wichita Jobbers | 75β89 |
Topeka Jayhawks | 51β109 |
Denver defeated the Minneapolis team of the American Association 4 games to 1.
Team Name | Record |
Denver Bears | 104β62 |
Des Moines Boosters | 93β72 |
St. Joseph Drummers | 89β78 |
Lincoln Greenbackers | 87β80 |
Omaha Rourkes | 79β86 |
Sioux City Packers | 73β92 |
Topeka Jayhawks | 73β92 |
Wichita Jobbers | 65β101 |
Milwaukee of the American Association defeated Denver 4 games to 2.
Wichita Jobbers renamed Wichita Wolves.
Team Name | Record |
Sioux City Indians | 105β60 |
Denver Bears | 96β72 |
St. Joseph Drummers | 89β75 |
Des Moines Boosters | 82β81 |
Lincoln Tigers | 81β87 |
Omaha Rourkes | 77β87 |
Topeka Jayhawks | 68β97 |
Wichita Wolves | 63β102 |
Indianapolis of the American Association defeated Denver 4 games to 2.
Team Name | Record |
Des Moines Boosters | 87β53 |
Denver Bears | 82β55 |
Topeka Jayhawks | 75β63 |
Omaha Rourkes | 71β69 |
Lincoln Tigers | 70β69 |
Sioux City Packers | 66β68 |
Wichita Wolves | 57β80 |
St. Joseph Drummers | 43β94 |
The Wichita team, with a record of 58β84, moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado on September 10. Their record there was 2β10.
Team Name | Record |
Omaha Rourkes | 92β57 |
Lincoln Tigers | 87β63 |
Sioux City Indians | 79β71 |
Denver Bears | 78β75 |
Des Moines Boosters | 75β75 |
Topeka Savages | 67β86 |
Wichita Wolves/ Colorado Springs Millionaires | 57β94 |
Louisville of the American Association defeated Omaha 4 games to 1.
The Topeka team folded. A new team in Joplin, Missouri formed and joined the League. Colorado Springs moved back to Wichita. St. Joseph, with a record of 34β56, moved to Hutchinson, where their record was 32β24, on July 24. Sioux City moved to St. Joseph on August 5.
Team Name | Record |
Des Moines Boosters | 84β62 (1st half winner) |
Lincoln Links | 83β64 |
Sioux City Indians/ St. Joseph Drummers | 80β66 |
Joplin Miners | 79β68 |
Omaha Rourkes | 73β75 |
St. Joseph Drummers/Hutchinson Wheatshockers | 66β80 |
Denver Bears | 62β86 |
Wichita Wolves | 61β87 |
Hutchinson defeated Joplin 3 games to none for the second half title. Des Moines defeated Hutchinson 4 games to 2 for the championship.
The Denver and Lincoln teams folded. New teams in Sioux City, Iowa, and Topeka, Kansas, formed and joined the League. Hutchinson, with a record of 14β19, moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on June 2, where they compiled a record of 19β18. Topeka, with a record of 19β13, moved to Hutchinson, Kansas, where they compiled a record of 18β18, on June 2. The League suspended operations on July 7 due to World War I.
Team Name | Record |
Wichita Jobbers | 41β24 |
Topeka Kaw-nees / Hutchinson Salt Packers |
37β31 |
Des Moines Boosters | 36β31 |
Joplin Miners | 34β31 |
Omaha Rourkes | 33β32 |
Hutchinson Salt Packers / Oklahoma City Oklahomans |
|
St. Joseph Saints | 30β38 |
Sioux City Indians | 22β42 |
The Hutchinson team folded. A new team was formed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and joined the League.
Team Name | Record |
St. Joseph Saints | 78β57 |
Tulsa Oilers | 77β63 |
Wichita Jobbers | 75β65 |
Des Moines Boosters | 71β67 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 69β69 |
Sioux City Indians | 68β72 |
Joplin Miners | 57β78 |
Omaha Rourkes | 56β80 |
Tulsa lead St. Joseph 3 games to 1 in the championship series when the series was cancelled due to bad weather.
Wichita's Joe Wilhoit had a 69-game hitting streak, which remains the professional baseball record.
Team Name | Record |
Tulsa Oilers | 92β61 |
Wichita Jobbers | 92β62 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 82β68 |
Omaha Rourkes | 76β77 |
St. Joseph Saints | 74β80 |
Joplin Miners | 73β81 |
Sioux City Packers | 63β88 |
Des Moines Boosters | 58β93 |
Team Name | Record |
Wichita Witches | 106β61 |
Omaha Buffaloes | 95β73 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 93β75 |
Sioux City Packers | 81β83 |
St. Joseph Saints | 79β88 |
Joplin Miners | 76β91 |
Des Moines Boosters | 71β92 |
Tulsa Oilers | 65β103 |
Joplin moved to the Western Association. A new team formed in Denver, Colorado, and joined the League.
Team Name | Record |
Tulsa Oilers | 103β64 |
St. Joseph Saints | 98β70 |
Wichita Wolves | 94β73 |
Omaha Buffaloes | 91β77 |
Sioux City Packers | 86β79 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 73β94 |
Denver Bears | 63β105 |
Des Moines Boosters | 61β107 |
Tulsa beat Mobile of the Southern Association 4 games to 1, with 1 tie
Team Name | Record |
Oklahoma City Indians | 102β64 |
Tulsa Oilers | 101β67 |
Wichita Izzies | 100β68 |
Omaha Buffaloes | 92β74 |
Des Moines Boosters | 87β79 |
St. Joseph Saints | 65β101 |
Sioux City Packers | 59β105 |
Denver Bears | 59β107 |
Sioux City moved to the Tri-State League. Lincoln joined from the Nebraska State League.
Team Name | Record |
Omaha Buffaloes | 103β61 |
Denver Bears | 100β67 |
Tulsa Oilers | 98β69 |
St. Joseph Saints | 86β79 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 82β86 |
Wichita Izzies | 79β88 |
Des Moines Boosters | 59β106 |
Lincoln Links | 57β108 |
Team Name | Record |
Des Moines Demons | 98β70 |
Denver Bears | 97β71 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 88β76 |
Wichita Izzies | 80β84 |
St. Joseph Saints | 77β87 |
Omaha Buffaloes | 74β89 |
Tulsa Oilers | 75β91 |
Lincoln Links | 70β91 |
Team Name | Record |
Des Moines Demons | 99β64 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 100β66 |
St. Joseph Saints | 89β75 |
Tulsa Oilers | 86β78 |
Denver Bears | 88β80 |
Omaha Buffaloes | 77β89 |
Lincoln Links | 64β101 |
Wichita Izzies | 58β108 |
Springfield of the Three-I League led Des Moines 3 games to 1 when the series was cancelled due to bad weather.
St. Joseph moved to the Western Association. A new team in Amarillo, Texas formed and joined.
Team Name | Record |
Tulsa Oilers | 101β53 |
Wichita Larks | 91β63 |
Des Moines Demons | 82β72 |
Denver Bears | 77β75 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 68β86 |
Amarillo Texans | 66β87 |
Omaha Buffaloes | 66β88 |
Lincoln Links | 63β90 |
Waco of the Texas League beat Tulsa 3 games to 2, with 1 tie.
Lincoln moved to the Nebraska State League. A new team in Pueblo, Colorado, formed and joined the League.
Team Name | Record |
Oklahoma City Indians | 95β67 (1st half winner) |
Tulsa Oilers | 96β69 (2nd half winner) |
Wichita Larks | 94β70 |
Pueblo Steelworkers | 85β78 |
Denver Bears | 81β84 |
Omaha Crickets | 71-86 |
Amarillo Texans | 60β93 |
Des Moines Demons | 63β98 |
Tulsa beat Oklahoma City 4 games to 1, with 1 tie, for the championship.
Amarillo folded. The Topeka, Kansas team from the Western Association joined.
Team Name | Record |
Tulsa Oilers | 95β66 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 85β68 |
Omaha Crickets | 81β75 |
Wichita Aviators | 77β79 |
Denver Bears | 73β81 |
Topeka Jayhawks | 75β85 |
Des Moines Demons | 72β86 |
Pueblo Steelworkers | 69β90 |
The Tulsa team folded. A new team formed in St. Joseph, Missouri and joined the League.
Team Name | Record |
Wichita Aviators | 89β56 |
Omaha Packers | 76β66 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 79β71 |
Des Moines Demons | 77β71 |
Pueblo Braves | 75β75 |
Denver Bears | 74β74 |
Topeka Senators | 66β84 |
St. Joseph Saints | 53β92 |
Team Name | Record |
Des Moines Demons | 94β51 (2nd half winner) |
Wichita Aviators | 92β58 (1st half winner) |
St. Joseph Saints | 79β64 |
Pueblo Braves | 76β69 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 70β80 |
Denver Bears | 64β77 |
Topeka Senators | 58β86 |
Omaha Packers | 49β97 |
Des Moines Demons beat Wichita 4 games to 2 for the championship.
Topeka moved to the Western Association. The Tulsa team joined.
Team Name | Affiliation | Record |
Tulsa Oilers | Pittsburgh Pirates | 98β48 (1st half winner) |
Denver Bears | St. Louis Cardinals | 83β64 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 83β67 (2nd half winner) | |
Des Moines Demons | 71β72 | |
St. Joseph Saints | 72β75 | |
Wichita Aviators | Chicago Cubs | 63β86 |
Pueblo Braves | 62β90 | |
Omaha Packers | 58β88 |
Oklahoma City beat Tulsa 2 games to 1 for the second half title. Tulsa beat Oklahoma City 4 games to none for the championship.
Denver & Pueblo folded. Oklahoma City and Tulsa moved to the Texas League. The teams from Hutchinson, Kansas and Springfield, Missouri joined from the American Association. New teams in Joplin, Missouri, and Topeka, Kansas, formed and joined the League. Wichita, with a record of 6β13, moved to Muskogee on June 6, keeping the Oilers name, where they had a record of 20β82. Hutchinson, with a record of 25β32, moved on July 7 to Bartlesville, where they had a record of 26β38.
Team Name | Affiliation | Record |
Des Moines Demons | 81β47 | |
St. Joseph Saints | 77β47 (1st half winner) | |
Springfield Cardinals | St. Louis Cardinals | 73β50 |
Topeka Senators | Cincinnati Reds | 68β55 (2nd half winner) |
Omaha Packers | 63β61 | |
Joplin Miners | St. Louis Browns | 55β69 |
Hutchinson Wheatshockers / Bartlesville Broncs |
Detroit Tigers | 51β70 |
Wichita Oilers/ Muskogee Oilers | 26β95 |
St. Joseph beat Topeka 4 games to 1. St. Joseph lost to the Davenport Blue Sox from the Mississippi Valley League 4 games to 2.
Bartlesville, Joplin, Muskogee, and Springfield moved to the Western Association. The teams from Davenport Blue Sox, and Rock Island Islanders joined from the Mississippi Valley League. New teams in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Sioux City, Iowa formed and joined the League.
Team Name | Affiliation | Record |
Sioux City Cowboys | 74β50 (1st half title tie) | |
Davenport Blue Sox | 70β53 (2nd half winner) | |
Des Moines Demons | 68β56 (1st half title tie) | |
St. Joseph Saints | 65β56 (1st half title tie) | |
Topeka Senators | Cincinnati Reds | 59β64 |
Rock Island Islanders | 58β65 | |
Omaha Packers | 49β73 | |
Cedar Rapids Raiders | 47β73 |
St. Joseph beat Sioux City 3 games to 1 in the first round of playoffs. Davenport beat Des Moines by the same number. In the championship, St. Joseph beat Davenport 4 games to 3.
Topeka folded. A new team in Keokuk, Iowa formed and joined the League. Omaha, with a record of 22β15, moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa on June 25, where they had a record of 33β31. Rock Island folded July 17. Council Bluffs folded August 27.
Team Name | Affiliation | Record |
Davenport Blue Sox | 70β46 | |
St. Joseph Saints | 58β48 | |
Des Moines Demons | 58β55 | |
Sioux City Cowboys | 54β52 | |
Cedar Rapids Raiders | 53β57 | |
Keokuk Indians | 49β66 | |
Omaha Packers / Council Bluffs Rails |
55β46 | |
Rock Island Islanders | 19β46 |
Sioux City beat Davenport 3 games to none, and St. Joseph beat Des Moines 3 games to none, in the first round of the playoffs. St. Joseph beat Sioux City 4 games to 3 for the championship.
Keokuk and St. Joseph folded. New teams formed in Omaha, Nebraska, and Waterloo, Iowa, and joined the League. Omaha moved to Rock Island on August 18.
Team Name | Affiliation | Record |
Davenport Blue Sox | Brooklyn Dodgers | 74β52 (1st & 2nd half winner) |
Cedar Rapids Raiders | St. Louis Cardinals | 70β58 |
Des Moines Raiders (Iowans) | 64β64 | |
Omaha Robin Hoods / Rock Island Islanders |
62β64 | |
Sioux City Cowboys | 61β64 | |
Waterloo Hawks | 50β79 |
Rock Island folded July 7.
Team Name | Affiliation | Record |
Cedar Rapids Raiders | St. Louis Cardinals | 78β38 (1st & 2nd half winner) |
Waterloo Reds | 61β55 | |
Davenport Blue Sox | Brooklyn Dodgers | 57β59 |
Des Moines Iowans | St. Louis Browns | 57β62 |
Sioux City Cowboys | Detroit Tigers | 50β63 |
Rock Island Islanders | 20β46 |
Cedar Rapids and Waterloo moved to the Three-I League. Sioux City moved to the Nebraska State League. Davenport, Des Moines, and the League itself folded.
1939 Western League
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Norfolk Elks | 75 | 44 | .630 | - | Doc Bennett |
Sioux Falls Canaries | 66 | 52 | .559 | 8.5 | Ralph Brandon |
Sioux City Soos | 63 | 52 | .548 | 10.0 | Pete Monahan |
Lincoln Links | 64 | 55 | .538 | 11.0 | Pug Griffin |
Mitchell Kernels | 49 | 69 | .415 | 25.5 | Red Davis (8/1) / Charles Moglia |
Worthington Cardinals | 36 | 81 | .308 | 38.5 | Joe McDermott |
Playoffs: Sioux City 3 games, Norfolk 2; Lincoln 3 games, Sioux Falls 2
Finals: Sioux City 4 games, Lincoln 2.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Howard Conners | Sioux Falls | BA | .365 | Ox Miller | Lincoln | W | 21 | |
Wendell Finders | Norfolk | Hits | 167 | Ox Miller | Lincoln | SO | 208 | |
Bob Dillinger | Lincoln | Runs | 139 | Lawrence Kempe | Sioux Falls | ERA | 3.02 | |
Ted Kakaloris | Lincoln | RBI | 114 | Leonard Bobeck | Norfolk | PCT | .864 19-3 | |
William Morgan | Norfolk | HR | 17 |
1940 Western League
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Norfolk Yankees | 73 | 39 | .652 | - | Doc Bennett |
Sioux Falls Canaries | 59 | 58 | .504 | 16.5 | Robert Fenner |
Worthington Cardinals | 50 | 59 | .459 | 21.5 | Ray Martin / George Payne |
Sioux City Soos / Mitchell Kernels |
44 | 70 | .386 | 30.0 | Jimmy Zinn / Ed Grayston |
Sioux City moved to Mitchell July 24.
The league played four quarters. Norfolk won the first, second and fourth quarters, while Sioux Falls won the third quarter.
Playoff: Sioux Falls 4 games, Norfolk 2.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Johnny Lucas | Worthington | BA | .356 | Frank Wagner | Sioux Falls | W | 17 | |
Leo Bohanan | Sioux Falls | Hits | 158 | Frank Wagner | Sioux Falls | SO | 193 | |
Robert Duby | Norfolk | Runs | 112 | Fred Whalen | Norfolk | ERA | 1.36 | |
Fred Schenk | Norfolk | RBI | 97 | Fred Whalen | Norfolk | PCT | .786 11-3 | |
Russell Burns | Norfolk | HR | 17 |
1941 Western League
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Norfolk Yankees | 64 | 44 | .593 | - | Ray Powell |
Cheyenne Indians | 59 | 44 | .573 | 2.5 | John Kerr |
Sioux City Cowboys | 54 | 56 | .491 | 11.0 | Richard Tichacek |
Pueblo Rollers | 52 | 54 | .491 | 11.0 | Pug Griffin |
Sioux Falls Canaries | 51 | 56 | .477 | 12.5 | Robert Fenner / Tony Koenig |
Denver Bears | 42 | 68 | .382 | 23.0 | Cobe Jones |
Playoffs: Norfolk 3 games, Sioux City 2; Pueblo 3 games, Cheyenne 1
Finals: Pueblo 3 games, Norfolk 2.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bernard Steele | Pueblo | BA | .383 | George Milstead | Cheyenne | W | 19 | |
Bernard Steele | Pueblo | Hits | 158 | Robert Bergen | Pueblo | SO | 183 | |
Bernard Steele | Pueblo | Runs | 88 | [Frank Wagner | Sioux Falls | ERA | 2.15 | |
Frank Bocek | Norfolk | RBI | 92 | George Milstead | Cheyenne | PCT | .792 19-5 | |
Mel Bergman | Cheyenne | HR | 10 |
The League did not operate from 1942 - 1946. It returned in 1947 and regained its Class A Status. [4]
1947 Western League
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sioux City Soos | 81 | 49 | .623 | - | 113,036 | Joe Becker |
Des Moines Bruins | 72 | 52 | .591 | .5- | 152,027 | Jim Keesey |
Pueblo Dodgers | 70 | 58 | .547 | 10.0 | 80,163 | Walter Alston |
Omaha Cardinals | 67 | 62 | .519 | 13.5 | 138,308 | Ollie Vanek |
Denver Bears | 54 | 75 | .419 | 26.5 | 124,923 | Marty McManus |
Lincoln Athletics | 38 | 89 | .299 | 41.5 | 43,464 | Ham Schulte / Tom Oliver |
Playoffs: Sioux City 3 games, Omaha 1; Pueblo 3 games, Des Moines 1
Finals: Pueblo 4 games, Sioux City 1.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Edmund Lewinski | Omaha | BA | .346 | Red Webb | Sioux City | W | 19-7 | |
Michael Conroy | Omaha | Hits | 190 | Charlie Bishop | Omaha | SO | 133 | |
Preston Ward | Pueblo | Runs | 120 | Herb Chmiel | Des Moines | ERA | 2.23 | |
Preston Ward | Pueblo | RBI | 121 | Herb Chmiel | Des Moines | PCT | .778 14-4 | |
Tony Jaros | Sioux City | HR | 24 |
1948 Western League
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Des Moines Bruins | 76 | 64 | .543 | - | 232,038 | Stan Hack |
Denver Bears | 70 | 67 | .511 | 4.5 | 283,377 | Mike Gazella |
Lincoln Athletics | 69 | 68 | .504 | 5.5 | 127,462 | Jimmie DeShong |
Sioux City Soos | 69 | 68 | .504 | 5.5 | 112,381 | Joe Becker |
Pueblo Dodgers | 69 | 70 | .496 | 6.5 | 116,304 | John Fitzpatrick |
Omaha Cardinals | 62 | 78 | .443 | 14.0 | 147,130 | Ollie Vanek |
Playoffs: Lincoln 3 games, Des Moines 2; Sioux City 3 games, Denver 2. Lincoln defeated Sioux City 6-0 for third place.
Finals: Sioux City 4 games, Lincoln 2.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Red Treadway | Des Moines | BA | .352 | Bobby Shantz | Lincoln | W | 18-7 | |
George Genovese | Denver | Runs | 119 | Bobby Shantz | Lincoln | SO | 212 | |
Nellie Fox | Lincoln | Hits | 179 | Tony Jacobs | Des Moines | ERA | 2.72 | |
Tookie Gilbert | Sioux City | RBI | 114 | Turk Lown | Pueblo | PCT | .739 17-6 | |
Carl Sawatski | Des Moines | HR | 29 |
1949 Western League
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lincoln Athletics | 74 | 64 | .536 | - | 149,159 | Jimmie DeShong |
Denver Bears | 71 | 68 | .511 | 3.5 | 463,039 |
Mike Gazella / Bill DeCarlo / Earle Browne |
Pueblo Dodgers | 71 | 68 | .511 | 3.5 | 138,726 | Ray Hathaway |
Des Moines Bruins | 70 | 70 | .500 | 5.5 | 210,204 | Stan Hack |
Omaha Cardinals | 68 | 71 | .489 | 6.5 | 277,370 | Cedric Durst |
Sioux City Soos | 63 | 76 | .453 | 11.5 | 125,356 | Don Ramsay |
Playoffs: Denver defeated Pueblo 5-3 for second place. Des Moines 3 games, Lincoln 1; Pueblo 3 games, Denver 1
Finals: Pueblo 4 games, Des Moines 3.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor Marasco | Pueblo | BA | .330 | Earl Stabelfeld | Des Moines | W | 17 | |
Jim Williams | Pueblo | Runs | 126 | Lynn Lovenguth | Des Moines | W | 17 | |
Fred Richards | Des Moines | Hits | 178 | Walter Cox | Sioux City | W | 17 | |
Lou Limmer | Lincoln | HR | 29 | George Uhle | Denver | ERA | 2.25 |
1950 Western League
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Omaha Cardinals | 96 | 58 | .623 | - | 218,393 | Al Hollingsworth |
Sioux City Soos | 89 | 65 | .578 | 3.5 | 463,039 | Hugh Poland |
Des Moines Bruins | 84 | 70 | .545 | 12.0 | 147,549 | Charlie Root |
Wichita Indians | 77 | 77 | .500 | 19.0 | 126,729 | Joe Schultz |
Denver Bears | 75 | 79 | .487 | 21.0 | 379,180 | Earl Browne |
Colorado Springs Sky Sox | 72 | 82 | .468 | 24.0 | 107,264 | Buddy Hassett |
Lincoln Athletics | 69 | 85 | .448 | 27.0 | 68,884 | Jimmie DeShong |
Pueblo Dodgers | 54 | 100 | .351 | 42.0 | 91,299 | Ray Hathaway |
Playoffs: Wichita 3 games, Omaha 0; Sioux City 3 games, Des Moines 2
Finals: Sioux City 3 games, Wichita 1.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bill Taylor | Sioux City | BA | .346 | Bob Mahoney | Omaha | W | 20 | |
Danny Holden | Denver | Runs | 131 | Bob Mahoney | Omaha | SO | 162 | |
Chuck Tanner | Denver | Hits | 195 | Vern Fear | Des Moines | ERA | 2.83 | |
Pete Whisenant | Denver | RBI | 119 | Vern Fear | Des Moines | PCT | .750 15-5 | |
Pat Seerey | Colorado Springs | HR | 44 |
1951 Western League'
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Omaha Cardinals | 90 | 64 | .584 | - | 162,247 | George Kissell | |
Denver Bears | 88 | 66 | .571 | 2.0 | 424,065 | Andy Cohen | |
Wichita Indians | 84 | 68 | .553 | 5.0 | 122,060 | [[Joe Schultz Jr. | Joe Schultz]] |
Sioux City Soos | 77 | 71 | .520 | 10.0 | 104,247 | Frank Genovese | |
Des Moines Bruins | 73 | 78 | .483 | 15.5 | 94,137 | Al Todd | |
Pueblo Dodgers | 74 | 80 | .481 | 16.5 | 104,254 | Jim Biven | |
Colorado Springs Sky Sox | 64 | 87 | .424 | 24.5 | 107,320 | Skeeter Webb / Otto Denning | |
Lincoln Athletics | 57 | 93 | .380 | 31.5 | 37,123 | Frank Skaff |
Playoffs: Sioux City 3 games, Omaha 1; Denver 3 games, Wichita 1
Finals: Sioux City 3 games, Denver 1.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
George Freese | Pueblo | BA | .338 | Elroy Face | Pueblo | W | 23 | |
Ron Samford | Sioux | Runs | 108 | Willard Schmidt | Omaha | SO | 202 | |
George Freese | Pueblo | Hits | 183 | Willard Schmidt | Omaha | ERA | 2.11 | |
George Freese | Pueblo | RBI | 106 | Ray Peters | Wichita | PCT | .800 12-3 | |
Howie Boles | Des Moines / Denver | HR | 32 |
1952 Western League'
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Denver Bears | 88 | 66 | .571 | - | 461,419 | Andy Cohen |
Colorado Springs Sky Sox | 87 | 67 | .565 | 1.0 | 170,041 | Don Gutteridge |
Omaha Cardinals | 86 | 68 | .558 | 2.0 | 137,378 | George Kissell |
Sioux City Soos | 83 | 71 | .539 | 5.0 | 103,004 | Ray Mueller |
Pueblo Dodgers | 81 | 73 | .526 | 7.0 | 122,746 | Bill McCahan |
Wichita Indians | 67 | 87 | .435 | 21.0 | 116,703 | Ralph Winegarner |
Lincoln Athletics | 67 | 87 | .435 | 21.0 | 61,483 | Les Bell |
Des Moines Bruins | 57 | 97 | .370 | 31.0 | 62,597 | Harry Strohm |
Playoffs: Denver 3 games, Sioux City 1; Omaha 3 games, Colorado Springs 1
Finals: Denver 3 games, Omaha 0.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ed Phillips | Omaha | BA | .320 | Alberto Osorio | Denver | W | 20 | |
Ken Landenberger | Colorado Springs | Runs | 112 | Connie Johnson | Colorado Springs | SO | 233 | |
Ken Landenberger | Colorado Springs | Hits | 183 | Jim Singleton | Sioux City | ERA | 2.73 | |
Ken Landenberger | Colorado Springs | RBI | 133 | Lou Ciola | Omaha | PCT | .938 15-1 | |
Bill Pinckard | Denver | HR | 35 |
1953 Western League'
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colorado Springs Sky Sox | 95 | 69 | .617 | - | 141,117 | Don Gutteridge |
Denver Bears | 94 | 60 | .610 | 1.0 | 322,128 | Andy Cohen |
Pueblo Dodgers | 78 | 77 | .503 | 17.5 | 103,878 | George Pfister |
Des Moines Bruins | 77 | 78 | 497 | 18.5 | 98,972 | Kemp Wicker / Bruce Edwards |
Omaha Cardinals | 74 | 80 | .481 | 21.0 | 115,512 | George Kissell |
Lincoln Chiefs | 71 | 83 | .461 | 24.0 | 87,615 | Lou Finney / Walt Linden |
Sioux City Soos | 70 | 84 | .455 | 25.0 | 45,412 | Ray Mueller |
Wichita Indians | 58 | 96 | .377 | 37.0 | 68,683 | George Hausmann / Mark Christman |
Playoffs: Des Moines 3 games, Colorado Springs 1; Denver 3 games, Pueblo 0
Finals: Des Moines 3 games, Denver 1.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kent Pflasterer | Pueblo | BA | .350 | Norman Brown | Lincoln | W | 21 | |
Len Johnston | Colorado Springs | Runs | 133 | Karl Spooner | Pueblo | SO | 198 | |
Glen Gorbous | Pueblo | Hits | 204 | Walt Montgomery | Omaha | ERA | 2.43 | |
Jerry Crosby | Colorado Springs | RBI | 115 | Jake Thies | Denver | ERA | 2.43 | |
Jim Gentile | Pueblo | HR | 34 | Nellie King | Denver | PCT | .833 15-3 |
1954 Western League'
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Denver Bears | 94 | 56 | .627 | - | 232,686 | Andy Cohen |
Des Moines Bruins | 88 | 66 | .571 | 8.0 | 113,691 | Les Peden |
Omaha Cardinals | 83 | 68 | .550 | 11.5 | 150,131 | Ferrell Anderson |
Pueblo Dodgers | 79 | 74 | .516 | 16.5 | 80,768 | Goldie Holt |
Sioux City Soos | 78 | 75 | .510 | 17.5 | 69,333 | Dave Garcia |
Wichita Indians | 76 | 77 | .497 | 19.5 | 87,854 | Herb Brett / Les Layton |
Lincoln Chiefs | 62 | 88 | .413 | 32.0 | 80,660 | Whitey Wietelmann / Glenn McQuillen |
Colorado Springs | 48 | 104 | .316 | 47.0 | 59,606 |
Mickey Livingston / Bud Stewart / Al Jacinto |
Playoffs: Denver 3 games, Pueblo 1; Des Moines 3 games, Omaha 1
Finals: Des Moines 3 games, Denver 1.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Joe Kirrene | Colorado Springs | BA | .343 | Bob Clear | Omaha | W | 20-11 | |
Bobby Prescott | Denver | Runs | 137 | Bob Garber | Denver | SO | 173 | |
Reno DeBenedetti | Denver | Hits | 183 | Hy Cohen | Des Moines | ERA | 1.88 | |
Bill White | Sioux City | Hits | 183 | Clarence Churn | Denver | PCT | .786 11-3 | |
Rocco Ippolito | Denver | RBI | 131 | |||||
Bill White | Sioux City | HR | 30 | |||||
Bill White | Sioux City | SB | 40 |
1955 Western League'
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colorado Springs Sky Sox | 81 | 69 | .540 | - | 87,527 | Jack Conway |
Pueblo Dodgers | 79 | 71 | .527 | 2.0 | 73,941 | Goldie Holt |
Wichita Indians | 78 | 73 | .517 | 3.5 | 94,862 | Bud Bates |
Des Moines Bruins | 77 | 74 | .510 | 4.5 | 88,181 | Les Peden / Pepper Martin |
Sioux City Soos | 69 | 81 | .460 | 12.0 | 62,902 | John Davenport |
Lincoln Chiefs | 67 | 83 | .447 | 14.0 | 90,024 | Bill Burwell |
Playoffs: Des Moines 3 games, Colorado Springs 1; Wichita 3 games, Pueblo 2. Wichita defeated Des Moines in a one-game playoff for third place.
Finals: Wichita 3 games, Des Moines 0.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sammy Hairston | Colorado Springs | BA | .350 | Joe Stanka | Des Moines | W | 17 | |
Willie Kirkland | Sioux City | Runs | 117 | Bob Harrison | Wichita | SO | 270 | |
Clarence Moore | Pueblo | Hits | 194 | Dick Hall | Lincoln | ERA | 2.24 | |
Ron Cooper | Colorado Springs | RBI | 117 | Dick Hall | Lincoln | PCT | .706 12-5 | |
Willie Kirkland | Sioux City | HR | 40 |
1956 Western League
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amarillo Gold Sox | 87 | 52 | .626 | - | 77,628 | Chuck Stevens |
Lincoln Chiefs | 84 | 54 | .609 | 2.5 | 92,554 | Larry Shepard |
Des Moines Bruins | 72 | 67 | .518 | 15.0 | 67,973 | Lou Klein |
Topeka Hawks | 70 | 68 | .507 | 16.5 | 103,938 | Bud Bates |
Pueblo Dodgers | 68 | 70 | .493 | 18.5 | 51,496 | Ray Hathaway |
Colorado Springs Sky Sox | 66 | 72 | .478 | 20.5 | 59,282 | Jack Conway |
Albuquerque Dukes | 59 | 81 | .421 | 28.5 | 94,176 | Bob Swift |
Sioux City Soos | 49 | 91 | .350 | 38.5 | 40,734 | Hal Olt / Bob Clear |
Playoff: Lincoln 4 games, Amarillo 1.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Art Cuitti | Amarillo | BA | .364 | Marshall Bridges | Topeka | W | 18 | |
Art Cuitti | Amarillo | Runs | 132 | Marshall Bridges | Topeka | SO | 213 | |
Lynn Van de Hey | Albuquerque | Hits | 197 | John O'Donnell (minors04) | Topeka | ERA | 3.32 | |
Dick Stuart | Lincoln | RBI | 158 | Bennie Daniels | Lincoln | PCT | .833 15-3 | |
Dick Stuart | Lincoln | HR | 66 |
1957 Western League
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lincoln Chiefs | 98 | 56 | .636 | - | 100,190 | Larry Shepard |
Amarillo Gold Sox | 97 | 57 | .630 | 1.0 | 102,210 | Eddie Bockman |
Topeka Hawks | 87 | 64 | .576 | 9.5 | 88, 014 | Red Smith / Bill Dossey |
Sioux City Soos | 71 | 82 | .464 | 26.5 | 46,851 | Ken Landenberger |
Colorado Springs Sky Sox | 68 | 86 | .442 | 30.5 | 45,184 | Ira Hutchinson |
Albuquerque Dukes | 66 | 88 | .429 | 32.0 | 92,236 | Nick Cullop / Hal Toso |
Pueblo Dodgers | 66 | 88 | .429 | 32.0 | 40,887 | Ray Hathaway |
Des Moines Demons | 60 | 92 | .395 | 37.0 | 79,965 | Lou Stringer / Hersh Martin |
No Playoffs held.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sammy Miley | Lincoln | BA | .374 | John Stadnicki | Topeka | W | 23 | |
Ray Webster | Amarillo | Runs | 136 | Dave Stenhouse | Des Moines | SO | 184 | |
Chuck Coles | Albuquerque | Hits | 208 | Hugh Blanton | Amarillo | ERA | 2.86 | |
Al Pinkston | Amarillo | RBI | 133 | John Stadnicki | Topeka | PCT | .793 23-6 | |
Leonard Williams | Topeka | HR | 43 |
1958 Western League
Teamstandings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colorado Springs Sky Sox | 87 | 60 | .592 | - | 61,091 | Skeeter Scalzi |
Amarillo Gold Sox | 84 | 63 | .571 | 3.0 | 85,931 | Eddie Bockman / Gale Pringle |
Lincoln Chiefs | 75 | 71 | .514 | 11.5 | 67,604 | Monty Basgall |
Pueblo Dodgers | 73 | 74 | .497 | 14.0 | 39,179 | Ray Mueller |
Albuquerque Dukes | 71 | 75 | .486 | 15.5 | 81,702 | Jimmy Brown |
Sioux City Soos | 69 | 77 | .473 | 17.5 | 55,921 | Rocky Tedesco / Ted Shandor |
Topeka Hawks | 65 | 82 | .442 | 22.0 | 43,686 | George McQuinn |
Des Moines Bruins | 61 | 83 | .424 | 24.5 | 35,039 | Roy Hartsfield |
No Playoffs held.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jim McAnany | Colorado Springs | BA | .400 | Hugh Blanton | Amarillo | W | 20 | |
Stan Johnson | Colorado Springs | Runs | 120 | Pedro Carrillo | Albuquerque | SO | 177 | |
Stan Johnson | Colorado Springs | Hits | 204 | Hal DeMars | Topeka | SO | 177 | |
Al Pinkston | Amarillo | Hits | 204 | Al Jackson | Lincoln | ERA | 2.07 | |
Al Pinkston | Amarillo | RBI | 126 | Gale Pringle | Amarillo | PCT | .824 14-3 | |
Daniel Lynk | Sioux City | HR | 37 |
The Western League was the topic of the book The Western League: A Baseball History, 1885 through 1999 (2002, McFarland Publishing) by W. C. Madden & Patrick J. Stewart. The ISBN 0786410035. [5]
{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (
link)
Classification |
Class A Class B Class D |
---|---|
Sport | Minor League Baseball |
First season | 1885 |
Ceased | 1958 |
President |
|
Country | United States |
The Western League was the name of several American sports leagues in Minor League Baseball. This article concentrates on the Western Leagues that operated from 1900 to 1937 and from 1947 to 1958.
Its earliest progenitor, the Western League of 1885β1899, was the predecessor of the American League. Later, during the 20th century, there were four incarnations of the Western League, including the Western League of 1939β1941 (succeeding the Nebraska State League) that played at the Class D level, and an independent baseball league that operated as the Western Baseball League from 1995 to 2002.
The league's longest-serving franchise was located in Des Moines, Iowa, which joined the WL in 1900 and played continuously through 1937, when the league shut down during the Great Depression. Des Moines then rejoined the reborn Western circuit when Senator Edwin C. Johnson from Colorado founded it in 1947; this team, a Chicago Cubs affiliate called the Des Moines Bruins, then played for the final 12 years of the league's existence.
Minor league baseball went unclassified through 1901. From 1902 until 1911, Class A was the highest level in the minor leagues. In 1912, a new top tier, Class AA, was created; in 1936, a second tier, Class A1, came into being. One year later, the existing Western League disbanded after it ended the 1937 season with only five teams, the Rock Island Islanders, disbanded on July 7. Then, in 1946, the Class AA leagues were renamed AAA, and the A1 loops were renamed AA. Thus the Western League β whose clubs were located in the Great Plains, Rocky Mountain States, the Upper Midwest and the Upper Southwest β was a top-level minor league until 1911, then two levels below Major League Baseball through 1935, and three steps removed in 1936β37 and when it was revived in 1947 during the post-war minor league baseball boom. For several years in the 1910s, the Western League champion played a postseason series against the champion of the Class AA American Association for supremacy of the central states.
The Western League reformed in 1947 with six teams: Denver Bears, Des Moines Bruins, Lincoln A's, Omaha Cardinals, Pueblo Dodgers and Sioux City Soos. [1] All six clubs were affiliated with major league farm systems. The WL expanded to eight teams in 1950, adding the Colorado Springs Sky Sox and Wichita Indians, [2] but the encroachment of televised baseball and major league franchise shifts into former AAA cities hit the league hard. In 1955, the Western League's two strongest franchises, the Denver Bears and the Omaha Cardinals, were admitted to the AAA American Association.
The WL continued for four more seasons before folding in the autumn of 1958. Its last champion, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, attracted only 61,000 fans for the season. In addition to the founding clubs and the Sky Sox, the postwar WL had teams in Albuquerque, Amarillo, Topeka, and Wichita.
The new Western League formed as a Class B league in 1900. Charter teams were the Denver Grizzlies, Des Moines Hawkeyes, Omaha Omahogs, Pueblo Indians, Sioux City Cornhuskers and St. Joseph Saints. [3]
Team Name | Record |
Denver Grizzlies | 61β44 |
Des Moines Hawkeyes | 54β45 |
Sioux City Cornhuskers | 49β48 |
Omaha Omahogs | 51β53 |
St. Joseph Saints | 51β58 |
Pueblo Indians | 41β64 |
The teams in Pueblo and Sioux City folded. New teams in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and St. Paul, Minnesota, formed and joined the League. Teams from Kansas City, Missouri, and Minneapolis, Minnesota moved from the American League.
Team Name | Record |
Kansas City Blues | 79β44 |
St. Paul Saints | 69β54 |
St. Joseph Saints | 69β58 |
Denver Grizzlies | 60β59 |
Omaha Omahogs | 61β62 |
Minneapolis Millers | 56β62 |
Des Moines Hawkeyes | 48β75 |
Colorado Springs Millionaires | 45β73 |
The Minneapolis and St. Paul teams joined the American Association. New teams in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Peoria, Illinois, formed and joined the League.
Team Name | Record |
Kansas City Blue Stockings | 82β54 |
Omaha Indians | 84β56 |
Milwaukee Creams | 80β54 |
Denver Grizzlies | 81β57 |
St. Joseph Saints | 71β68 |
Colorado Springs Millionaires | 63β75 |
Des Moines Midgets | 54β83 |
Peoria Distillers | 35β103 |
Team Name | Record |
Milwaukee Creams | 83β43 |
Colorado Springs Millionaires | 76β52 |
Kansas City Blue Stockings | 65β61 |
St. Joseph Saints | 62β59 |
Denver Grizzlies | 61β70 |
Peoria Distillers | 57β69 |
Des Moines Undertakers | 55β76 |
Omaha Indians | 49β78 |
The teams in Milwaukee, Kansas City, and Peoria folded. the Sioux City, Iowa team from the IowaβSouth Dakota League joined the League.
Team Name | Record |
Omaha Packers | 90β60 |
Colorado Springs Millionaires | 85β58 |
Denver Grizzlies | 87β61 |
Des Moines Prohibitionists | 76β69 |
St. Joseph Saints | 53β93 |
Sioux City Soos | 45β98 |
The Colorado Springs team, with a record of 22β48, moved to Pueblo, Colorado on July 15, where they had a record of 30β44.
Team Name | Record |
Des Moines Underwriters | 95β54 |
Denver Grizzlies | 92β58 |
Omaha Rourkes | 87β62 |
Sioux City Packers | 80β68 |
Colorado Springs Millionaires/ Pueblo Indians | 52β92 |
St. Joseph Saints | 37β109 |
The St. Joseph team moved to the Western Association. A new team in Lincoln, Nebraska, formed and joined the League.
Team Name | Record |
Des Moines Champions | 97β50 |
Lincoln Ducklings | 75β74 |
Omaha Rourkes | 73β74 |
Sioux City Packers | 69β81 |
Denver Grizzlies | 68β81 |
Pueblo Indians | 63β85 |
Team Name | Record |
Omaha Rourkes | 84β63 |
Lincoln Treeplanters | 79β63 |
Des Moines Champs | 76β63 |
Denver Grizzlies | 67β75 |
Pueblo Indians | 65β73 |
Sioux City Packers | 56β90 |
Team Name | Record |
Sioux City Soos | 88β57 |
Omaha Rourkes | 86β59 |
Lincoln Greenbackers | 74β73 |
Denver Grizzlies | 71β75 |
Pueblo Indians | 63β78 |
Des Moines Boosters | 54β94 |
Teams from Topeka, Kansas, and Wichita, Kansas, joined from the Western Association.
Team Name | Record |
Des Moines Boosters | 93β59 |
Sioux City Soos | 94β60 |
Omaha Rourkes | 84β68 |
Topeka Jayhawks | 76β73 |
Wichita Jobbers | 71-82 |
Denver Grizzlies | 69β82 |
Lincoln Greenbackers | 61β89 |
Pueblo Indians | 58β93 |
The Pueblo team folded. A new team in St. Joseph, Missouri, formed and joined the League.
Team Name | Record |
Sioux City Packers | 108β60 |
Denver Grizzlies | 102β65 |
Lincoln Railsplitters | 95β71 |
Wichita Jobbers | 89β78 |
Omaha Rourkes | 84β82 |
St. Joseph Drummers | 76β91 |
Des Moines Boosters | 72β96 |
Topeka Jayhawks | 42β125 |
The Wichita team, with a record of 15β9, moved to Pueblo, Colorado on May 22, Their record there was 77β66.
Team Name | Record |
Denver Grizzlies | 111β54 |
St. Joseph Drummers | 93β72 |
Wichita Jobbers/ Pueblo Indians | 92β75 |
Omaha Rourkes | 85β80 |
Sioux City Packers | 85β80 |
Lincoln Railsplitters | 84β81 |
Topeka Kaws | 60β104 |
Des Moines Boosters | 49β113 |
The Pueblo team moved back to Wichita, Kansas.
Team Name | Record |
Denver Grizzlies | 99β63 |
St. Joseph Drummers | 94β72 |
Omaha Rourkes | 92β71 |
Des Moines Boosters | 82β80 |
Lincoln Railsplitters | 83β81 |
Sioux City Packers | 74β85 |
Wichita Jobbers | 75β89 |
Topeka Jayhawks | 51β109 |
Denver defeated the Minneapolis team of the American Association 4 games to 1.
Team Name | Record |
Denver Bears | 104β62 |
Des Moines Boosters | 93β72 |
St. Joseph Drummers | 89β78 |
Lincoln Greenbackers | 87β80 |
Omaha Rourkes | 79β86 |
Sioux City Packers | 73β92 |
Topeka Jayhawks | 73β92 |
Wichita Jobbers | 65β101 |
Milwaukee of the American Association defeated Denver 4 games to 2.
Wichita Jobbers renamed Wichita Wolves.
Team Name | Record |
Sioux City Indians | 105β60 |
Denver Bears | 96β72 |
St. Joseph Drummers | 89β75 |
Des Moines Boosters | 82β81 |
Lincoln Tigers | 81β87 |
Omaha Rourkes | 77β87 |
Topeka Jayhawks | 68β97 |
Wichita Wolves | 63β102 |
Indianapolis of the American Association defeated Denver 4 games to 2.
Team Name | Record |
Des Moines Boosters | 87β53 |
Denver Bears | 82β55 |
Topeka Jayhawks | 75β63 |
Omaha Rourkes | 71β69 |
Lincoln Tigers | 70β69 |
Sioux City Packers | 66β68 |
Wichita Wolves | 57β80 |
St. Joseph Drummers | 43β94 |
The Wichita team, with a record of 58β84, moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado on September 10. Their record there was 2β10.
Team Name | Record |
Omaha Rourkes | 92β57 |
Lincoln Tigers | 87β63 |
Sioux City Indians | 79β71 |
Denver Bears | 78β75 |
Des Moines Boosters | 75β75 |
Topeka Savages | 67β86 |
Wichita Wolves/ Colorado Springs Millionaires | 57β94 |
Louisville of the American Association defeated Omaha 4 games to 1.
The Topeka team folded. A new team in Joplin, Missouri formed and joined the League. Colorado Springs moved back to Wichita. St. Joseph, with a record of 34β56, moved to Hutchinson, where their record was 32β24, on July 24. Sioux City moved to St. Joseph on August 5.
Team Name | Record |
Des Moines Boosters | 84β62 (1st half winner) |
Lincoln Links | 83β64 |
Sioux City Indians/ St. Joseph Drummers | 80β66 |
Joplin Miners | 79β68 |
Omaha Rourkes | 73β75 |
St. Joseph Drummers/Hutchinson Wheatshockers | 66β80 |
Denver Bears | 62β86 |
Wichita Wolves | 61β87 |
Hutchinson defeated Joplin 3 games to none for the second half title. Des Moines defeated Hutchinson 4 games to 2 for the championship.
The Denver and Lincoln teams folded. New teams in Sioux City, Iowa, and Topeka, Kansas, formed and joined the League. Hutchinson, with a record of 14β19, moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on June 2, where they compiled a record of 19β18. Topeka, with a record of 19β13, moved to Hutchinson, Kansas, where they compiled a record of 18β18, on June 2. The League suspended operations on July 7 due to World War I.
Team Name | Record |
Wichita Jobbers | 41β24 |
Topeka Kaw-nees / Hutchinson Salt Packers |
37β31 |
Des Moines Boosters | 36β31 |
Joplin Miners | 34β31 |
Omaha Rourkes | 33β32 |
Hutchinson Salt Packers / Oklahoma City Oklahomans |
|
St. Joseph Saints | 30β38 |
Sioux City Indians | 22β42 |
The Hutchinson team folded. A new team was formed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and joined the League.
Team Name | Record |
St. Joseph Saints | 78β57 |
Tulsa Oilers | 77β63 |
Wichita Jobbers | 75β65 |
Des Moines Boosters | 71β67 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 69β69 |
Sioux City Indians | 68β72 |
Joplin Miners | 57β78 |
Omaha Rourkes | 56β80 |
Tulsa lead St. Joseph 3 games to 1 in the championship series when the series was cancelled due to bad weather.
Wichita's Joe Wilhoit had a 69-game hitting streak, which remains the professional baseball record.
Team Name | Record |
Tulsa Oilers | 92β61 |
Wichita Jobbers | 92β62 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 82β68 |
Omaha Rourkes | 76β77 |
St. Joseph Saints | 74β80 |
Joplin Miners | 73β81 |
Sioux City Packers | 63β88 |
Des Moines Boosters | 58β93 |
Team Name | Record |
Wichita Witches | 106β61 |
Omaha Buffaloes | 95β73 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 93β75 |
Sioux City Packers | 81β83 |
St. Joseph Saints | 79β88 |
Joplin Miners | 76β91 |
Des Moines Boosters | 71β92 |
Tulsa Oilers | 65β103 |
Joplin moved to the Western Association. A new team formed in Denver, Colorado, and joined the League.
Team Name | Record |
Tulsa Oilers | 103β64 |
St. Joseph Saints | 98β70 |
Wichita Wolves | 94β73 |
Omaha Buffaloes | 91β77 |
Sioux City Packers | 86β79 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 73β94 |
Denver Bears | 63β105 |
Des Moines Boosters | 61β107 |
Tulsa beat Mobile of the Southern Association 4 games to 1, with 1 tie
Team Name | Record |
Oklahoma City Indians | 102β64 |
Tulsa Oilers | 101β67 |
Wichita Izzies | 100β68 |
Omaha Buffaloes | 92β74 |
Des Moines Boosters | 87β79 |
St. Joseph Saints | 65β101 |
Sioux City Packers | 59β105 |
Denver Bears | 59β107 |
Sioux City moved to the Tri-State League. Lincoln joined from the Nebraska State League.
Team Name | Record |
Omaha Buffaloes | 103β61 |
Denver Bears | 100β67 |
Tulsa Oilers | 98β69 |
St. Joseph Saints | 86β79 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 82β86 |
Wichita Izzies | 79β88 |
Des Moines Boosters | 59β106 |
Lincoln Links | 57β108 |
Team Name | Record |
Des Moines Demons | 98β70 |
Denver Bears | 97β71 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 88β76 |
Wichita Izzies | 80β84 |
St. Joseph Saints | 77β87 |
Omaha Buffaloes | 74β89 |
Tulsa Oilers | 75β91 |
Lincoln Links | 70β91 |
Team Name | Record |
Des Moines Demons | 99β64 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 100β66 |
St. Joseph Saints | 89β75 |
Tulsa Oilers | 86β78 |
Denver Bears | 88β80 |
Omaha Buffaloes | 77β89 |
Lincoln Links | 64β101 |
Wichita Izzies | 58β108 |
Springfield of the Three-I League led Des Moines 3 games to 1 when the series was cancelled due to bad weather.
St. Joseph moved to the Western Association. A new team in Amarillo, Texas formed and joined.
Team Name | Record |
Tulsa Oilers | 101β53 |
Wichita Larks | 91β63 |
Des Moines Demons | 82β72 |
Denver Bears | 77β75 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 68β86 |
Amarillo Texans | 66β87 |
Omaha Buffaloes | 66β88 |
Lincoln Links | 63β90 |
Waco of the Texas League beat Tulsa 3 games to 2, with 1 tie.
Lincoln moved to the Nebraska State League. A new team in Pueblo, Colorado, formed and joined the League.
Team Name | Record |
Oklahoma City Indians | 95β67 (1st half winner) |
Tulsa Oilers | 96β69 (2nd half winner) |
Wichita Larks | 94β70 |
Pueblo Steelworkers | 85β78 |
Denver Bears | 81β84 |
Omaha Crickets | 71-86 |
Amarillo Texans | 60β93 |
Des Moines Demons | 63β98 |
Tulsa beat Oklahoma City 4 games to 1, with 1 tie, for the championship.
Amarillo folded. The Topeka, Kansas team from the Western Association joined.
Team Name | Record |
Tulsa Oilers | 95β66 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 85β68 |
Omaha Crickets | 81β75 |
Wichita Aviators | 77β79 |
Denver Bears | 73β81 |
Topeka Jayhawks | 75β85 |
Des Moines Demons | 72β86 |
Pueblo Steelworkers | 69β90 |
The Tulsa team folded. A new team formed in St. Joseph, Missouri and joined the League.
Team Name | Record |
Wichita Aviators | 89β56 |
Omaha Packers | 76β66 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 79β71 |
Des Moines Demons | 77β71 |
Pueblo Braves | 75β75 |
Denver Bears | 74β74 |
Topeka Senators | 66β84 |
St. Joseph Saints | 53β92 |
Team Name | Record |
Des Moines Demons | 94β51 (2nd half winner) |
Wichita Aviators | 92β58 (1st half winner) |
St. Joseph Saints | 79β64 |
Pueblo Braves | 76β69 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 70β80 |
Denver Bears | 64β77 |
Topeka Senators | 58β86 |
Omaha Packers | 49β97 |
Des Moines Demons beat Wichita 4 games to 2 for the championship.
Topeka moved to the Western Association. The Tulsa team joined.
Team Name | Affiliation | Record |
Tulsa Oilers | Pittsburgh Pirates | 98β48 (1st half winner) |
Denver Bears | St. Louis Cardinals | 83β64 |
Oklahoma City Indians | 83β67 (2nd half winner) | |
Des Moines Demons | 71β72 | |
St. Joseph Saints | 72β75 | |
Wichita Aviators | Chicago Cubs | 63β86 |
Pueblo Braves | 62β90 | |
Omaha Packers | 58β88 |
Oklahoma City beat Tulsa 2 games to 1 for the second half title. Tulsa beat Oklahoma City 4 games to none for the championship.
Denver & Pueblo folded. Oklahoma City and Tulsa moved to the Texas League. The teams from Hutchinson, Kansas and Springfield, Missouri joined from the American Association. New teams in Joplin, Missouri, and Topeka, Kansas, formed and joined the League. Wichita, with a record of 6β13, moved to Muskogee on June 6, keeping the Oilers name, where they had a record of 20β82. Hutchinson, with a record of 25β32, moved on July 7 to Bartlesville, where they had a record of 26β38.
Team Name | Affiliation | Record |
Des Moines Demons | 81β47 | |
St. Joseph Saints | 77β47 (1st half winner) | |
Springfield Cardinals | St. Louis Cardinals | 73β50 |
Topeka Senators | Cincinnati Reds | 68β55 (2nd half winner) |
Omaha Packers | 63β61 | |
Joplin Miners | St. Louis Browns | 55β69 |
Hutchinson Wheatshockers / Bartlesville Broncs |
Detroit Tigers | 51β70 |
Wichita Oilers/ Muskogee Oilers | 26β95 |
St. Joseph beat Topeka 4 games to 1. St. Joseph lost to the Davenport Blue Sox from the Mississippi Valley League 4 games to 2.
Bartlesville, Joplin, Muskogee, and Springfield moved to the Western Association. The teams from Davenport Blue Sox, and Rock Island Islanders joined from the Mississippi Valley League. New teams in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Sioux City, Iowa formed and joined the League.
Team Name | Affiliation | Record |
Sioux City Cowboys | 74β50 (1st half title tie) | |
Davenport Blue Sox | 70β53 (2nd half winner) | |
Des Moines Demons | 68β56 (1st half title tie) | |
St. Joseph Saints | 65β56 (1st half title tie) | |
Topeka Senators | Cincinnati Reds | 59β64 |
Rock Island Islanders | 58β65 | |
Omaha Packers | 49β73 | |
Cedar Rapids Raiders | 47β73 |
St. Joseph beat Sioux City 3 games to 1 in the first round of playoffs. Davenport beat Des Moines by the same number. In the championship, St. Joseph beat Davenport 4 games to 3.
Topeka folded. A new team in Keokuk, Iowa formed and joined the League. Omaha, with a record of 22β15, moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa on June 25, where they had a record of 33β31. Rock Island folded July 17. Council Bluffs folded August 27.
Team Name | Affiliation | Record |
Davenport Blue Sox | 70β46 | |
St. Joseph Saints | 58β48 | |
Des Moines Demons | 58β55 | |
Sioux City Cowboys | 54β52 | |
Cedar Rapids Raiders | 53β57 | |
Keokuk Indians | 49β66 | |
Omaha Packers / Council Bluffs Rails |
55β46 | |
Rock Island Islanders | 19β46 |
Sioux City beat Davenport 3 games to none, and St. Joseph beat Des Moines 3 games to none, in the first round of the playoffs. St. Joseph beat Sioux City 4 games to 3 for the championship.
Keokuk and St. Joseph folded. New teams formed in Omaha, Nebraska, and Waterloo, Iowa, and joined the League. Omaha moved to Rock Island on August 18.
Team Name | Affiliation | Record |
Davenport Blue Sox | Brooklyn Dodgers | 74β52 (1st & 2nd half winner) |
Cedar Rapids Raiders | St. Louis Cardinals | 70β58 |
Des Moines Raiders (Iowans) | 64β64 | |
Omaha Robin Hoods / Rock Island Islanders |
62β64 | |
Sioux City Cowboys | 61β64 | |
Waterloo Hawks | 50β79 |
Rock Island folded July 7.
Team Name | Affiliation | Record |
Cedar Rapids Raiders | St. Louis Cardinals | 78β38 (1st & 2nd half winner) |
Waterloo Reds | 61β55 | |
Davenport Blue Sox | Brooklyn Dodgers | 57β59 |
Des Moines Iowans | St. Louis Browns | 57β62 |
Sioux City Cowboys | Detroit Tigers | 50β63 |
Rock Island Islanders | 20β46 |
Cedar Rapids and Waterloo moved to the Three-I League. Sioux City moved to the Nebraska State League. Davenport, Des Moines, and the League itself folded.
1939 Western League
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Norfolk Elks | 75 | 44 | .630 | - | Doc Bennett |
Sioux Falls Canaries | 66 | 52 | .559 | 8.5 | Ralph Brandon |
Sioux City Soos | 63 | 52 | .548 | 10.0 | Pete Monahan |
Lincoln Links | 64 | 55 | .538 | 11.0 | Pug Griffin |
Mitchell Kernels | 49 | 69 | .415 | 25.5 | Red Davis (8/1) / Charles Moglia |
Worthington Cardinals | 36 | 81 | .308 | 38.5 | Joe McDermott |
Playoffs: Sioux City 3 games, Norfolk 2; Lincoln 3 games, Sioux Falls 2
Finals: Sioux City 4 games, Lincoln 2.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Howard Conners | Sioux Falls | BA | .365 | Ox Miller | Lincoln | W | 21 | |
Wendell Finders | Norfolk | Hits | 167 | Ox Miller | Lincoln | SO | 208 | |
Bob Dillinger | Lincoln | Runs | 139 | Lawrence Kempe | Sioux Falls | ERA | 3.02 | |
Ted Kakaloris | Lincoln | RBI | 114 | Leonard Bobeck | Norfolk | PCT | .864 19-3 | |
William Morgan | Norfolk | HR | 17 |
1940 Western League
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Norfolk Yankees | 73 | 39 | .652 | - | Doc Bennett |
Sioux Falls Canaries | 59 | 58 | .504 | 16.5 | Robert Fenner |
Worthington Cardinals | 50 | 59 | .459 | 21.5 | Ray Martin / George Payne |
Sioux City Soos / Mitchell Kernels |
44 | 70 | .386 | 30.0 | Jimmy Zinn / Ed Grayston |
Sioux City moved to Mitchell July 24.
The league played four quarters. Norfolk won the first, second and fourth quarters, while Sioux Falls won the third quarter.
Playoff: Sioux Falls 4 games, Norfolk 2.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Johnny Lucas | Worthington | BA | .356 | Frank Wagner | Sioux Falls | W | 17 | |
Leo Bohanan | Sioux Falls | Hits | 158 | Frank Wagner | Sioux Falls | SO | 193 | |
Robert Duby | Norfolk | Runs | 112 | Fred Whalen | Norfolk | ERA | 1.36 | |
Fred Schenk | Norfolk | RBI | 97 | Fred Whalen | Norfolk | PCT | .786 11-3 | |
Russell Burns | Norfolk | HR | 17 |
1941 Western League
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Norfolk Yankees | 64 | 44 | .593 | - | Ray Powell |
Cheyenne Indians | 59 | 44 | .573 | 2.5 | John Kerr |
Sioux City Cowboys | 54 | 56 | .491 | 11.0 | Richard Tichacek |
Pueblo Rollers | 52 | 54 | .491 | 11.0 | Pug Griffin |
Sioux Falls Canaries | 51 | 56 | .477 | 12.5 | Robert Fenner / Tony Koenig |
Denver Bears | 42 | 68 | .382 | 23.0 | Cobe Jones |
Playoffs: Norfolk 3 games, Sioux City 2; Pueblo 3 games, Cheyenne 1
Finals: Pueblo 3 games, Norfolk 2.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bernard Steele | Pueblo | BA | .383 | George Milstead | Cheyenne | W | 19 | |
Bernard Steele | Pueblo | Hits | 158 | Robert Bergen | Pueblo | SO | 183 | |
Bernard Steele | Pueblo | Runs | 88 | [Frank Wagner | Sioux Falls | ERA | 2.15 | |
Frank Bocek | Norfolk | RBI | 92 | George Milstead | Cheyenne | PCT | .792 19-5 | |
Mel Bergman | Cheyenne | HR | 10 |
The League did not operate from 1942 - 1946. It returned in 1947 and regained its Class A Status. [4]
1947 Western League
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sioux City Soos | 81 | 49 | .623 | - | 113,036 | Joe Becker |
Des Moines Bruins | 72 | 52 | .591 | .5- | 152,027 | Jim Keesey |
Pueblo Dodgers | 70 | 58 | .547 | 10.0 | 80,163 | Walter Alston |
Omaha Cardinals | 67 | 62 | .519 | 13.5 | 138,308 | Ollie Vanek |
Denver Bears | 54 | 75 | .419 | 26.5 | 124,923 | Marty McManus |
Lincoln Athletics | 38 | 89 | .299 | 41.5 | 43,464 | Ham Schulte / Tom Oliver |
Playoffs: Sioux City 3 games, Omaha 1; Pueblo 3 games, Des Moines 1
Finals: Pueblo 4 games, Sioux City 1.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Edmund Lewinski | Omaha | BA | .346 | Red Webb | Sioux City | W | 19-7 | |
Michael Conroy | Omaha | Hits | 190 | Charlie Bishop | Omaha | SO | 133 | |
Preston Ward | Pueblo | Runs | 120 | Herb Chmiel | Des Moines | ERA | 2.23 | |
Preston Ward | Pueblo | RBI | 121 | Herb Chmiel | Des Moines | PCT | .778 14-4 | |
Tony Jaros | Sioux City | HR | 24 |
1948 Western League
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Des Moines Bruins | 76 | 64 | .543 | - | 232,038 | Stan Hack |
Denver Bears | 70 | 67 | .511 | 4.5 | 283,377 | Mike Gazella |
Lincoln Athletics | 69 | 68 | .504 | 5.5 | 127,462 | Jimmie DeShong |
Sioux City Soos | 69 | 68 | .504 | 5.5 | 112,381 | Joe Becker |
Pueblo Dodgers | 69 | 70 | .496 | 6.5 | 116,304 | John Fitzpatrick |
Omaha Cardinals | 62 | 78 | .443 | 14.0 | 147,130 | Ollie Vanek |
Playoffs: Lincoln 3 games, Des Moines 2; Sioux City 3 games, Denver 2. Lincoln defeated Sioux City 6-0 for third place.
Finals: Sioux City 4 games, Lincoln 2.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Red Treadway | Des Moines | BA | .352 | Bobby Shantz | Lincoln | W | 18-7 | |
George Genovese | Denver | Runs | 119 | Bobby Shantz | Lincoln | SO | 212 | |
Nellie Fox | Lincoln | Hits | 179 | Tony Jacobs | Des Moines | ERA | 2.72 | |
Tookie Gilbert | Sioux City | RBI | 114 | Turk Lown | Pueblo | PCT | .739 17-6 | |
Carl Sawatski | Des Moines | HR | 29 |
1949 Western League
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lincoln Athletics | 74 | 64 | .536 | - | 149,159 | Jimmie DeShong |
Denver Bears | 71 | 68 | .511 | 3.5 | 463,039 |
Mike Gazella / Bill DeCarlo / Earle Browne |
Pueblo Dodgers | 71 | 68 | .511 | 3.5 | 138,726 | Ray Hathaway |
Des Moines Bruins | 70 | 70 | .500 | 5.5 | 210,204 | Stan Hack |
Omaha Cardinals | 68 | 71 | .489 | 6.5 | 277,370 | Cedric Durst |
Sioux City Soos | 63 | 76 | .453 | 11.5 | 125,356 | Don Ramsay |
Playoffs: Denver defeated Pueblo 5-3 for second place. Des Moines 3 games, Lincoln 1; Pueblo 3 games, Denver 1
Finals: Pueblo 4 games, Des Moines 3.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor Marasco | Pueblo | BA | .330 | Earl Stabelfeld | Des Moines | W | 17 | |
Jim Williams | Pueblo | Runs | 126 | Lynn Lovenguth | Des Moines | W | 17 | |
Fred Richards | Des Moines | Hits | 178 | Walter Cox | Sioux City | W | 17 | |
Lou Limmer | Lincoln | HR | 29 | George Uhle | Denver | ERA | 2.25 |
1950 Western League
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Omaha Cardinals | 96 | 58 | .623 | - | 218,393 | Al Hollingsworth |
Sioux City Soos | 89 | 65 | .578 | 3.5 | 463,039 | Hugh Poland |
Des Moines Bruins | 84 | 70 | .545 | 12.0 | 147,549 | Charlie Root |
Wichita Indians | 77 | 77 | .500 | 19.0 | 126,729 | Joe Schultz |
Denver Bears | 75 | 79 | .487 | 21.0 | 379,180 | Earl Browne |
Colorado Springs Sky Sox | 72 | 82 | .468 | 24.0 | 107,264 | Buddy Hassett |
Lincoln Athletics | 69 | 85 | .448 | 27.0 | 68,884 | Jimmie DeShong |
Pueblo Dodgers | 54 | 100 | .351 | 42.0 | 91,299 | Ray Hathaway |
Playoffs: Wichita 3 games, Omaha 0; Sioux City 3 games, Des Moines 2
Finals: Sioux City 3 games, Wichita 1.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bill Taylor | Sioux City | BA | .346 | Bob Mahoney | Omaha | W | 20 | |
Danny Holden | Denver | Runs | 131 | Bob Mahoney | Omaha | SO | 162 | |
Chuck Tanner | Denver | Hits | 195 | Vern Fear | Des Moines | ERA | 2.83 | |
Pete Whisenant | Denver | RBI | 119 | Vern Fear | Des Moines | PCT | .750 15-5 | |
Pat Seerey | Colorado Springs | HR | 44 |
1951 Western League'
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Omaha Cardinals | 90 | 64 | .584 | - | 162,247 | George Kissell | |
Denver Bears | 88 | 66 | .571 | 2.0 | 424,065 | Andy Cohen | |
Wichita Indians | 84 | 68 | .553 | 5.0 | 122,060 | [[Joe Schultz Jr. | Joe Schultz]] |
Sioux City Soos | 77 | 71 | .520 | 10.0 | 104,247 | Frank Genovese | |
Des Moines Bruins | 73 | 78 | .483 | 15.5 | 94,137 | Al Todd | |
Pueblo Dodgers | 74 | 80 | .481 | 16.5 | 104,254 | Jim Biven | |
Colorado Springs Sky Sox | 64 | 87 | .424 | 24.5 | 107,320 | Skeeter Webb / Otto Denning | |
Lincoln Athletics | 57 | 93 | .380 | 31.5 | 37,123 | Frank Skaff |
Playoffs: Sioux City 3 games, Omaha 1; Denver 3 games, Wichita 1
Finals: Sioux City 3 games, Denver 1.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
George Freese | Pueblo | BA | .338 | Elroy Face | Pueblo | W | 23 | |
Ron Samford | Sioux | Runs | 108 | Willard Schmidt | Omaha | SO | 202 | |
George Freese | Pueblo | Hits | 183 | Willard Schmidt | Omaha | ERA | 2.11 | |
George Freese | Pueblo | RBI | 106 | Ray Peters | Wichita | PCT | .800 12-3 | |
Howie Boles | Des Moines / Denver | HR | 32 |
1952 Western League'
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Denver Bears | 88 | 66 | .571 | - | 461,419 | Andy Cohen |
Colorado Springs Sky Sox | 87 | 67 | .565 | 1.0 | 170,041 | Don Gutteridge |
Omaha Cardinals | 86 | 68 | .558 | 2.0 | 137,378 | George Kissell |
Sioux City Soos | 83 | 71 | .539 | 5.0 | 103,004 | Ray Mueller |
Pueblo Dodgers | 81 | 73 | .526 | 7.0 | 122,746 | Bill McCahan |
Wichita Indians | 67 | 87 | .435 | 21.0 | 116,703 | Ralph Winegarner |
Lincoln Athletics | 67 | 87 | .435 | 21.0 | 61,483 | Les Bell |
Des Moines Bruins | 57 | 97 | .370 | 31.0 | 62,597 | Harry Strohm |
Playoffs: Denver 3 games, Sioux City 1; Omaha 3 games, Colorado Springs 1
Finals: Denver 3 games, Omaha 0.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ed Phillips | Omaha | BA | .320 | Alberto Osorio | Denver | W | 20 | |
Ken Landenberger | Colorado Springs | Runs | 112 | Connie Johnson | Colorado Springs | SO | 233 | |
Ken Landenberger | Colorado Springs | Hits | 183 | Jim Singleton | Sioux City | ERA | 2.73 | |
Ken Landenberger | Colorado Springs | RBI | 133 | Lou Ciola | Omaha | PCT | .938 15-1 | |
Bill Pinckard | Denver | HR | 35 |
1953 Western League'
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colorado Springs Sky Sox | 95 | 69 | .617 | - | 141,117 | Don Gutteridge |
Denver Bears | 94 | 60 | .610 | 1.0 | 322,128 | Andy Cohen |
Pueblo Dodgers | 78 | 77 | .503 | 17.5 | 103,878 | George Pfister |
Des Moines Bruins | 77 | 78 | 497 | 18.5 | 98,972 | Kemp Wicker / Bruce Edwards |
Omaha Cardinals | 74 | 80 | .481 | 21.0 | 115,512 | George Kissell |
Lincoln Chiefs | 71 | 83 | .461 | 24.0 | 87,615 | Lou Finney / Walt Linden |
Sioux City Soos | 70 | 84 | .455 | 25.0 | 45,412 | Ray Mueller |
Wichita Indians | 58 | 96 | .377 | 37.0 | 68,683 | George Hausmann / Mark Christman |
Playoffs: Des Moines 3 games, Colorado Springs 1; Denver 3 games, Pueblo 0
Finals: Des Moines 3 games, Denver 1.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kent Pflasterer | Pueblo | BA | .350 | Norman Brown | Lincoln | W | 21 | |
Len Johnston | Colorado Springs | Runs | 133 | Karl Spooner | Pueblo | SO | 198 | |
Glen Gorbous | Pueblo | Hits | 204 | Walt Montgomery | Omaha | ERA | 2.43 | |
Jerry Crosby | Colorado Springs | RBI | 115 | Jake Thies | Denver | ERA | 2.43 | |
Jim Gentile | Pueblo | HR | 34 | Nellie King | Denver | PCT | .833 15-3 |
1954 Western League'
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Denver Bears | 94 | 56 | .627 | - | 232,686 | Andy Cohen |
Des Moines Bruins | 88 | 66 | .571 | 8.0 | 113,691 | Les Peden |
Omaha Cardinals | 83 | 68 | .550 | 11.5 | 150,131 | Ferrell Anderson |
Pueblo Dodgers | 79 | 74 | .516 | 16.5 | 80,768 | Goldie Holt |
Sioux City Soos | 78 | 75 | .510 | 17.5 | 69,333 | Dave Garcia |
Wichita Indians | 76 | 77 | .497 | 19.5 | 87,854 | Herb Brett / Les Layton |
Lincoln Chiefs | 62 | 88 | .413 | 32.0 | 80,660 | Whitey Wietelmann / Glenn McQuillen |
Colorado Springs | 48 | 104 | .316 | 47.0 | 59,606 |
Mickey Livingston / Bud Stewart / Al Jacinto |
Playoffs: Denver 3 games, Pueblo 1; Des Moines 3 games, Omaha 1
Finals: Des Moines 3 games, Denver 1.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Joe Kirrene | Colorado Springs | BA | .343 | Bob Clear | Omaha | W | 20-11 | |
Bobby Prescott | Denver | Runs | 137 | Bob Garber | Denver | SO | 173 | |
Reno DeBenedetti | Denver | Hits | 183 | Hy Cohen | Des Moines | ERA | 1.88 | |
Bill White | Sioux City | Hits | 183 | Clarence Churn | Denver | PCT | .786 11-3 | |
Rocco Ippolito | Denver | RBI | 131 | |||||
Bill White | Sioux City | HR | 30 | |||||
Bill White | Sioux City | SB | 40 |
1955 Western League'
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colorado Springs Sky Sox | 81 | 69 | .540 | - | 87,527 | Jack Conway |
Pueblo Dodgers | 79 | 71 | .527 | 2.0 | 73,941 | Goldie Holt |
Wichita Indians | 78 | 73 | .517 | 3.5 | 94,862 | Bud Bates |
Des Moines Bruins | 77 | 74 | .510 | 4.5 | 88,181 | Les Peden / Pepper Martin |
Sioux City Soos | 69 | 81 | .460 | 12.0 | 62,902 | John Davenport |
Lincoln Chiefs | 67 | 83 | .447 | 14.0 | 90,024 | Bill Burwell |
Playoffs: Des Moines 3 games, Colorado Springs 1; Wichita 3 games, Pueblo 2. Wichita defeated Des Moines in a one-game playoff for third place.
Finals: Wichita 3 games, Des Moines 0.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sammy Hairston | Colorado Springs | BA | .350 | Joe Stanka | Des Moines | W | 17 | |
Willie Kirkland | Sioux City | Runs | 117 | Bob Harrison | Wichita | SO | 270 | |
Clarence Moore | Pueblo | Hits | 194 | Dick Hall | Lincoln | ERA | 2.24 | |
Ron Cooper | Colorado Springs | RBI | 117 | Dick Hall | Lincoln | PCT | .706 12-5 | |
Willie Kirkland | Sioux City | HR | 40 |
1956 Western League
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amarillo Gold Sox | 87 | 52 | .626 | - | 77,628 | Chuck Stevens |
Lincoln Chiefs | 84 | 54 | .609 | 2.5 | 92,554 | Larry Shepard |
Des Moines Bruins | 72 | 67 | .518 | 15.0 | 67,973 | Lou Klein |
Topeka Hawks | 70 | 68 | .507 | 16.5 | 103,938 | Bud Bates |
Pueblo Dodgers | 68 | 70 | .493 | 18.5 | 51,496 | Ray Hathaway |
Colorado Springs Sky Sox | 66 | 72 | .478 | 20.5 | 59,282 | Jack Conway |
Albuquerque Dukes | 59 | 81 | .421 | 28.5 | 94,176 | Bob Swift |
Sioux City Soos | 49 | 91 | .350 | 38.5 | 40,734 | Hal Olt / Bob Clear |
Playoff: Lincoln 4 games, Amarillo 1.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Art Cuitti | Amarillo | BA | .364 | Marshall Bridges | Topeka | W | 18 | |
Art Cuitti | Amarillo | Runs | 132 | Marshall Bridges | Topeka | SO | 213 | |
Lynn Van de Hey | Albuquerque | Hits | 197 | John O'Donnell (minors04) | Topeka | ERA | 3.32 | |
Dick Stuart | Lincoln | RBI | 158 | Bennie Daniels | Lincoln | PCT | .833 15-3 | |
Dick Stuart | Lincoln | HR | 66 |
1957 Western League
Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lincoln Chiefs | 98 | 56 | .636 | - | 100,190 | Larry Shepard |
Amarillo Gold Sox | 97 | 57 | .630 | 1.0 | 102,210 | Eddie Bockman |
Topeka Hawks | 87 | 64 | .576 | 9.5 | 88, 014 | Red Smith / Bill Dossey |
Sioux City Soos | 71 | 82 | .464 | 26.5 | 46,851 | Ken Landenberger |
Colorado Springs Sky Sox | 68 | 86 | .442 | 30.5 | 45,184 | Ira Hutchinson |
Albuquerque Dukes | 66 | 88 | .429 | 32.0 | 92,236 | Nick Cullop / Hal Toso |
Pueblo Dodgers | 66 | 88 | .429 | 32.0 | 40,887 | Ray Hathaway |
Des Moines Demons | 60 | 92 | .395 | 37.0 | 79,965 | Lou Stringer / Hersh Martin |
No Playoffs held.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sammy Miley | Lincoln | BA | .374 | John Stadnicki | Topeka | W | 23 | |
Ray Webster | Amarillo | Runs | 136 | Dave Stenhouse | Des Moines | SO | 184 | |
Chuck Coles | Albuquerque | Hits | 208 | Hugh Blanton | Amarillo | ERA | 2.86 | |
Al Pinkston | Amarillo | RBI | 133 | John Stadnicki | Topeka | PCT | .793 23-6 | |
Leonard Williams | Topeka | HR | 43 |
1958 Western League
Teamstandings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colorado Springs Sky Sox | 87 | 60 | .592 | - | 61,091 | Skeeter Scalzi |
Amarillo Gold Sox | 84 | 63 | .571 | 3.0 | 85,931 | Eddie Bockman / Gale Pringle |
Lincoln Chiefs | 75 | 71 | .514 | 11.5 | 67,604 | Monty Basgall |
Pueblo Dodgers | 73 | 74 | .497 | 14.0 | 39,179 | Ray Mueller |
Albuquerque Dukes | 71 | 75 | .486 | 15.5 | 81,702 | Jimmy Brown |
Sioux City Soos | 69 | 77 | .473 | 17.5 | 55,921 | Rocky Tedesco / Ted Shandor |
Topeka Hawks | 65 | 82 | .442 | 22.0 | 43,686 | George McQuinn |
Des Moines Bruins | 61 | 83 | .424 | 24.5 | 35,039 | Roy Hartsfield |
No Playoffs held.
Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jim McAnany | Colorado Springs | BA | .400 | Hugh Blanton | Amarillo | W | 20 | |
Stan Johnson | Colorado Springs | Runs | 120 | Pedro Carrillo | Albuquerque | SO | 177 | |
Stan Johnson | Colorado Springs | Hits | 204 | Hal DeMars | Topeka | SO | 177 | |
Al Pinkston | Amarillo | Hits | 204 | Al Jackson | Lincoln | ERA | 2.07 | |
Al Pinkston | Amarillo | RBI | 126 | Gale Pringle | Amarillo | PCT | .824 14-3 | |
Daniel Lynk | Sioux City | HR | 37 |
The Western League was the topic of the book The Western League: A Baseball History, 1885 through 1999 (2002, McFarland Publishing) by W. C. Madden & Patrick J. Stewart. The ISBN 0786410035. [5]
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