Bristol Twins

Bristol Twins
Minor league affiliations
ClassClass-D
Previous leagues
Appalachian League
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles 2 (1942, 1950)
Team data
BallparkShaw Stadium

The Bristol Twins were a Minor League Baseball team located in Bristol, Virginia, that operated in the Class D Appalachian League between the 1940 and 1955 seasons.[1]

During their history, Twins were an affiliate team of the New York Giants (1942–1951), Pittsburgh Pirates (1952–1953) and New York Yankees (1954–1955). The team played their home games at Shaw Stadium.[2]

In its sixteen seasons of existence, the Bristol Twins advanced to the playoffs series at total of fourteen times, winning the championship in 1942 and 1950.

The Ballpark

The Twins played at Shaw Stadium, located at 1501 Euclid Street, on Gate City Highway. The ballpark had a capacity of 3,500. The site is now a factory.[3]

Notable alumni

Seasons

Year Affiliate Record Finish Manager Playoffs
1940 n/a 54-60 4th Larry Merville
Tim Murchison
Lance Richbourg		 Lost in First Round
1941 n/a 72-45 2nd George Hackett
Lee Sherrill		 Lost in First Round
1942 n/a 71-36 1st Hal Gruber Championship title
1943 NYG 74-35 1st Hal Gruber Lost Final Series
1944 NYG 54-53 2nd Hal Gruber Lost Final Series
1945 NYG 64-45 1st Hal Gruber Lost Final Series
1946 NYG 72-51 2nd Don Cross Lost in First Round
1947 NYG 64-62 4th Charlie Fox Lost in First Round
1948 NYG 49-72 6th Rufus Jackson
Dale Alexander
1949 NYG 76-41 3rd Ben Geraghty Lost Final Series
1950 NYG 74-47 2nd Ben Geraghty Championship title
1951 NYG 56-73 5th Russ Wein
1952 PIT 60-57 2nd George DeTore Lost in First Round
1953 PIT 54-72 4th George DeTore
1954 NYY 65-51 3rd Walter Lance Lost in First Round
1955 NYY 63-61 3rd Dave Madison Lost in First Round

Fact

  • Ron Necciai pitched for Bristol before joining the Pittsburgh Pirates. On May 13, 1952 Necciai struck out 27 batters while throwing a 7–0 no-hitter against the Welch Miners. Four of the Welch hitters did reach base, including one runner each via a walk, an error, a hit batsman and a passed ball charged to Twins' catcher Harry Dunlop on a swinging third strike. This resulted in a four-strikeout ninth inning. In his next start Necciai threw a 24-strikeout two-hitter, posting a 4-0 record with a 0.42 earned run average and 109 strikeouts in 43 innings of work.[4]

Sources

  1. ^ Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles (1993). Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. Baseball America. p. 420. ISBN 0-9637189-1-6.
  2. ^ "Shaw Stadium in Bristol, Virginia". Digital-Ballparks.com. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  3. ^ "Minor league baseball at Shaw Stadium in Bristol, VA on StatsCrew.com".
  4. ^ Jordan, Pat (1987-06-01). "In 1952, Ron Necciai, 19, struck out 27 batters in nine - 06.01.87 - SI Vault". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-05.