Lafayette Red Sox
The Lafayette Red Sox were a minor league baseball team based in Lafayette, Indiana from 1955–1957. Lafayette was known as the Lafayette Chiefs, playing in the 1955 Mississippi–Ohio Valley League. The Lafayette Red Sox played in the Midwest League (1956–1957).
| Lafayette Red Sox 1955–1957 Lafayette, Indiana | |
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Previous parks | Loeb Stadium (1955–1957) |
Lafayette was an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians (1955) and Boston Red Sox (1956–1957).
History
The Lafayette Red Sox were a charter member of the Midwest League in 1956, after playing in the predecessor Mississippi–Ohio Valley League in 1955 as the Lafayette Chiefs.[1]
In 1955, the Lafayette Chiefs joined the Class D level Mississippi Valley League, playing with members Clinton Pirates, Decatur Commodores, Dubuque Packers, Hannibal Citizens, Kokomo Giants, Mattoon Indians and Paris Lakers. Playing as an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians in 1955, the Lafayette Chiefs finished 63–63 (5th place), drawing 61,287 for the season.[2][3]
In 1956, Lafayette remained a member as the Mississippi Valley League changed the league name to the Midwest League, which has remained, evolving to the Class A league that it is today. The Clinton Pirates, Decatur Commodores, Dubuque Packers, Kokomo Dodgers, Mattoon Phillies, Michigan City White Caps and Paris Lakers were the other charter members in 1956. Lafayette became an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox in 1956, adopting the Lafayette Red Sox moniker. The Lafayette Red Sox finished 2nd in the Midwest League with a 69–56 record. In the playoffs, the Red Sox were defeated by the eventual champion Paris Lakers 2 games to 0. Lafayette had total season attendance of 42,821.[4][5]
The Lafayette Red Sox finished with a 55–67 record, placing 6th in 1957, missing the Midwest League playoffs. The franchise drew 32,667 for the season.[6]
The franchise moved to Waterloo, Iowa and became the Waterloo Hawks in 1958. The franchise eventually evolved into today's Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League.[7]
The ballpark
Lafayette teams played at Loeb Stadium. The ballpark was known as "Colombian Park" until 1971. Built in 1937, the ballpark had a capacity of 5,000 (1955) and 3,200 (1997), with dimensions (Left, Center, Right) of 322-415-333. The stadium was demolished in 2019, with a new ballpark expected to be completed on the site by 2021.[8][9][10]
From 1943 until 1945, Colombian Park was the Spring Training site of the Cleveland Indians. In this era, teams held spring training at cities in their region because of restrictions in place due to World War II.[11][12]
Notable alumni
- Russ Gibson (1957)
- Carl Mathias (1955)
- Len Okrie (1957, MGR)
- Jay Ritchie (1956)
- Tracy Stallard (1956–57) Surrendered Roger Maris' #61 Home Run, 1961
References
- "Lafayette, Indiana Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
- "1955 Lafayette Chiefs Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- "1955 Mississippi-Ohio Valley League (MOVL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- "1956 Lafayette Red Sox Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- "1956 Midwest League (MWL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- "1957 Lafayette Red Sox Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- "Baseball in Lafayette, Indiana". Retrieved July 3, 2018.
- "Columbian Park in Lafayette, IN history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- "Loeb Stadium - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
- "Lafayette Aviators to play at Purdue's Alexander Field in 2020". Journal & Courier.
- "Cleveland Indians Spring Training". Spring Training Online. August Publications. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
Lafayette, Ind. (1943-1945)
- "Old Lafayette: Spring training in Lafayette". Journal & Courier. Lafayette, Indiana. February 5, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
External links
See also
Lafayette Red Sox players