Rock Hill Chiefs

The Rock Hill Chiefs was a primary name of the minor league baseball teams that were based in Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA. Rock Hill minor league teams played as members of the South Carolina League (1908), Tri-State League (1947–1955) and Western Carolinas League (1963–1968).

Rock Hill Chiefs
1908–1968
(1908, 1947–1955, 1963–1968)
Rock Hill, South Carolina
Minor league affiliations
Previous classes
  • Class A (1963–1968)
  • Class B (1947–1955)
  • Class D (1908)
LeagueWestern Carolinas League (1963–1968)
Previous leagues
Major league affiliations
Previous teamsChicago Cubs (1950–1951)
Washington Senators (1954)
St. Louis Cardinals (1963–1966)
Cleveland Indians (1967–1968)
Minor league titles
League titles 2 1950, 1965
Team data
Previous names
Rock Hill Indians (1967–1968)
Rock Hill Cardinals (1964–1966)
Rock Hill Wrens (1963)
Rock Hill Chiefs(1947–1955)
Rock Hill Catawabas (1908)
Previous parks
Municipal Stadium (1947–1968)

Rock Hill was an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs (1950–1951), Washington Senators (1954), St. Louis Cardinals (1963–1966) and Cleveland Indians (1967–1968)

Baseball Hall of Fame members Sparky Anderson (1965, MGR) and Steve Carlton (1964) are Rock Hill alumni.

History

Rock Hill played as members of the Western Carolinas League (1963–1968), the Tri-State League (1947–1955) and the South Carolina League (1908). Rock Hill won the 1950 Tri-State League Championship, after finishing 4th in the regular season standings with a 73–69 record, 13.5 games behind the 1st place Knoxville Smokies. In the playoffs, Rock Hill swept Knoxville in three games. In the Finals, Rock Hill defeated the Asheville Tourists 4 games to 3 to capture the 1950 championship under manager Dick Bouknight.[1][2][3]

Led by manager Sparky Anderson, Rock Hill captured the 1965 Western Carolinas League Championship. After finishing 5th in the regular season overall standings with a 59–63, Rock Hill defeated the Salisbury Astros 2 games to 0 in the Finals to capture the championship.[4][5][6][7]

Rock Hill teams were an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians (1967–1968), St. Louis Cardinals (1963–1966), Washington Senators (1954) and Chicago Cubs (1950–1951). The team permanetnly folded after the 1968 season. Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Sparky Anderson and Steve Carlton were Rock Hill alumni. Carlton pitched to a 10–1 record with a 1.03 ERA for the 1964 Rock Hill Cardinals at age 19. Anderson managed the team to the 1965 championship.[8][7]

The ballpark

Rock Hill teams played at American Legion Municipal Stadium. The ballpark was located at the corner of York Avenue and Cherry Road. American Legion Municipal Stadium had a capacity of 6,800 (1949) and 8,000 (1963) with dimensions of 301–406–330. Municipal Stadium was demolished in 1984.[9][10][11][12]

Notable Rock Hill alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame alumni

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Tri-State League (NC-SC-TN) - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  2. "1950 Rock Hill Chiefs Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  3. "1950 Rock Hill Chiefs Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  4. "1965 Rock Hill Cardinals Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  5. "Western Carolinas League - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  6. "Rock Hill Cardinals - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  7. "1965 Rock Hill Cardinals Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  8. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Rock Hill&state=SC&country=US
  9. "Municipal Stadium (Rock Hill, SC) - SABR Encyclopedia". encyclopedia.sabr.org.
  10. Wilmer, Jerry (March 6, 2011). "At the Ballpark – Winthrop Ballpark, Rock Hill, SC".
  11. http://nationalregister.sc.gov/SurveyReports/rockhill.pdf
  12. "Municipal Stadium in Rock Hill, SC history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
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