Allentown Red Sox

The Allentown Red Sox (A-Sox) were a minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Boston Red Sox and based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, that played from 1958 through 1960 in the Eastern League. At that time, the Eastern League was officially Class A, but, prior to the minor-league classification realignment that took place in 1963, that level was almost equivalent to Double-A.

Allentown Red Sox
1958–1960
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Minor league affiliations
Previous classesClass A (1958–1960)
LeagueEastern League
Major league affiliations
Previous teamsBoston Red Sox (1958–1960)
Team data
Previous parks
Max Hess Stadium
40°37′47″N 075°29′00″W

History

From 1939 through 1952, Allentown had hosted a Class B Interstate League franchise, the Cardinals—also the Dukes, FleetWings and Wings—and for much of that period, it was an affiliate of the namesake St. Louis Cardinals. When the Interstate loop folded, the Cardinals returned to Allentown in 1954 as a member of the Eastern League for three seasons, through 1956.

The Allentown Red Sox franchise dates to 1933 as the Reading Phillies. It became a farm team for the Red Sox in 1938 as the Hazelton (PA) Red Sox.[1] In 1957, the Red Sox purchased the former Detroit Tigers Eastern League team, the Syracuse Chiefs, and moved the club to Allentown mid-season, being operated as an unaffiliated team for the balance of the season. The Red Sox ended their affiliation with their Eastern League team in Albany, New York after the season and reassigned it to Allentown for the 1958 season.

1960 Allentown Red Sox game at Max Hess Stadium

Owned by Joe Buzas, the team played for three seasons at Max Hess Stadium (formerly Breadon Field), owned by Max Hess, Jr., owner of the Allentown Hess Brothers department store. Former Allentown player Tracy Stallard is remembered as the pitcher who served up Roger Maris' 61st home run in 1961 while playing for Boston. Another player who appeared at the stadium was Curt Simmons, a native of Egypt, Pennsylvania, who pitched at Max Hess Stadium in a rehab assignment for the Asheville (NC) Tourists, a farm team of the Philadelphia Phillies. The presence of Curt Simmons filled up the stands. For the 1960 season, Bob Heffner, who graduated from Allentown High School as a two-sport letterman in 1957 played for the A-Sox. He had the best pitching record on the club at 16-9. Heffner later played in the majors for the Red Sox, Cleveland Indians and California Angels in 1968.

The A-Sox's best season was 1960. On September 3, 1960, the Red Sox kept its Eastern League playoff hopes alive with a 7-6, 3-2 sweep of Williamsport at Hess Stadium, the second of four straight doubleheaders the A-Sox played to close out the season. Two days later, Allentown's playoff bid ended in a 5-4, 11-inning defeat at Springfield in the first game of a Labor Day doubleheader. The holiday crowd of 1,297 at Hess Stadium witnessed the last professional baseball game in Allentown for 37 years.[2]

Legacy

After the 1960 season, the team was relocated due to a lack of attendance (average of 650 fans per game in 1960),[3] the team moved to Johnstown, Pennsylvania on December 5, 1960, for the 1961 season played as the Johnstown Red Sox at Point Stadium.[1] Over subsequent seasons, the club has remained in the Eastern League under different names in various cities:

The Red Sox parted company with the franchise in 1995, signing a player development contract with the Trenton Thunder. Since 2003, the Portland Sea Dogs have been Boston's affiliate in the Eastern League.

Seasons
  • 1958 Season
Won: 51 Lost: 83 Pct: .381 4th Place Eastern Division, 24 GB
Manager: Eddie Popowski
Pos Player Avg Pos Player W-L ERA
1B Matthew Daskalakis .273 SP Albert Antinelli 7-10 4.04
2B Douglas Hubacek .305 SP Walt Payne 8-9 4.11
SS Al Moran .206 SP John Issac 10-9 4.01
3B Ed Lavene .249 SP Leverette Spencer 4-8 3.33
C Don Gile .274 SP Ronald Jirsa 2-12 4.02
OF Jerry Mallett .233 SP Edwin Binder 3-5 3.14
OF Jim Tolleson .226 RP Larry Kendig 4-4 3.73
OF John Siegert .245 RP Jack Thomas 3-4 6.29

1958 Complete Team Statistics

  • 1959 Season
Won: 82 Lost: 59 Pct: .582 2nd Place, 3 GB
Manager: Sheriff Robinson
Attendance: 84,000
Pos Player Avg Pos Player W-L ERA
1B Daniel Lynk .299 SP Albert Antinelli 17-9 3.83
2B Marlan Coughtry .296 SP Ronald Cote 14-12 3.89
SS Andrew Madalone .276 SP Hal Kolstad 12-13 3.64
3B Matthew Sczesny .266 SP William Thom 5-3 4.11
C Bob Tillman .272 SP Tracy Stallard 9-4 1.68
OF Jerry Mallett .278 RP Jay Richie 9-5 1.90
OF Richard McCarthy .281 RP Ralph Birkofer 6-1 3.60
OF Ezell King .242 RP Arnold Early 2-5 2.86

1959 Complete Team Statistics

  • 1960 Season
Won: 67 Lost: 72 Pct: .482 5th Place, 9 GB
Manager: Sheriff Robinson
Attendance: 51,654
Pos Player Avg Pos Player W-L ERA
1B Joseph Pedrazzini .285 SP Bob Heffner 16-9 3.23
2B Marlan Coughtry .308 SP William Thom 14-7 4.47
SS John Jenson .275 SP Ben Tench 3-9 4.95
3B Ted Schreiber .257 SP Guido Grilli 9-5 3.31
C Robert Hoffer .225 SP Stan Willis 2-9 6.04
OF Robert Fidler .268 SP Tracy Stallard 4-5 4.82
OF Richard McCarthy .295 RP George Moton 8-7 3.13
OF Paul Jernigan .245 RP Ronald Cote 8-7 4.73

1960 Complete Team Statistics

Major league players
  • Joe Albanese, 1958
    Washington Senators, AL, 1958
  • Al Cihocki, 1958
    Cleveland Indians, AL, 1945
  • Galen Cisco, 1959
    Boston Red Sox, AL, 1961, 1967
    New York Mets, NL, 1963-1964
    Kansas City Royals, AL, 1969
  • Marlan Coughtry, 1959, 1960
    Boston Red Sox, AL, 1960
    Los Angeles Angels, AL, 1962
    Kansas City Athletics, AL, 1962
    Cleveland Indians, AL, 1962
  • Arnold Earley, 1959
    Boston Red Sox, AL, 1960-1965
    Chicago Cubs, NL, 1966
    Houston Astros, NL, 1967
  • Don Gile, 1958, 1959
    Boston Red Sox, AL, 1959-1962
  • Guido Grilli, 1960
    Boston Red Sox, AL, 1966
    Kansas City Athletics, AL, 1966
  • Bob Heffner, 1959, 1960
    Boston Red Sox, AL, 1963-1965
    Cleveland Indians, AL, 1966
  • Jim Kirby, 1958
    Chicago Cubs, NL, 1940
  • Hal Kolstad, 1959
    Boston Red Sox, AL, 1962-1963
  • Jerry Mallett, 1958, 1959, 1960
    Boston Red Sox, AL, 1959
  • Al Moran, 1958, 1959, 1960
    New York Mets, NL, 1963-1964
  • Jim Pagliaroni, 1958
    Boston Red Sox, AL, 1960-1962
    Pittsburgh Pirates, NL, 1963-1967
    Oakland Athletics, AL, 1967
    Seattle Pilots, AL, 1969
  • Bill Pleis, 1958
    Minnesota Twins, 1961-1966
  • Jay Ritchie, 1958, 1959
    Boston Red Sox, AL, 1964-1965
    Atlanta Braves, NL, 1966-1967
    Cincinnati Reds, NL, 1968
  • Ted Schreiber, 1959, 1960
    New York Mets, NL, 1963
  • Tracy Stallard, 1959, 1960
    Boston Red Sox, AL, 1960-1962
    New York Mets, NL, 1963-1964
    St. Louis Cardinals, NL, 1965-1966
  • Bob Tillman, 1959
    Boston Red Sox, AL, 1962-1967
    New York Yankees, AL, 1967
    Atlanta Braves, NL, 1968-1970

See also

Notes
  2. Allentown Red Sox
  3. Box Office Anemia, The Morning Call, March 30, 2008

References
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