Erie Sailors

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Erie Sailors
Minor league affiliations
Previous classes
  • Independent (1994)
  • Short-Season A (1964–1993)
  • Class A (1963)
  • Class D (1954–1962)
  • Class C (1946–1951)
  • Class D (1944–1945)
  • Class C (1938–1942)
  • Class B (1928–1932)
  • Class D (1916)
  • Class B (1912–1915)
  • Class C (1908–1911)
  • Class D (1905–1908)
LeagueFrontier League (1994)
Previous leagues
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles 8 (1906, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1957, 1994)
Team data
Previous names
  • Erie Sailors (1990–1994)
  • Erie Orioles (1988–1989)
  • Erie Cardinals (1981–1987)
  • Erie Tigers (1967)
  • Erie Sailors (1957–1963)
  • Erie Senators (1954–1956)
  • Erie Sailors (1916–1951)
  • Erie Yankees (1914)
  • Erie Sailors (1908–1913)
  • Erie Fishermen (1908)
  • Erie Sailors (1906–1907)
  • Erie Fishermen (1905)
MascotThe Sea Gull (1990-1994)
Previous parks
Ainsworth Field

The Erie Sailors was the primary name of several minor league baseball teams that played in Erie, Pennsylvania between 1906 and 1994.

Pre-1930s[edit]

Several unrelated teams used the Erie Sailors name in the Interstate League (1906–1907, 1913, 1916), the Ohio–Pennsylvania League (1908–1911), and the Central League (1912, 1915, 1928–30, 1932).

1938–1963[edit]

During these years, the Erie Sailors played in the Middle Atlantic League from 1938–1939, 1941–1942, and 1946–1951; the Pennsylvania–Ontario–New York League (PONY League) from 1944–1945 and 1954–1956; and the PONY's successor New York – Penn League from 1957–1963. Several times during this period, the team was also called the Erie Senators, after its major league affiliate, the Washington Senators. The Sailors won league championship in 1957. The Sailors won the regular season by nine games in 1951. They then lost the league championship series to the Niagara Falls Citizens, four games to two.

From 1948 onward, this team (and all subsequent Sailors teams) played at Ainsworth Field.

New York–Penn League – 1990s[edit]

In 1990, after the Baltimore Orioles ended their affiliation with the team (then known as the Erie Orioles), they reclaimed the Sailors name and operated as an unaffiliated minor league team for two years before becoming the Florida Marlins' first farm team in 1992 and a Texas Rangers affiliate in 1993. Because of the deteriorating condition of Ainsworth Field, the team moved after the 1993 season to Fishkill, New York and then became the Hudson Valley Renegades.

Frontier League[edit]

In 1994, the Sailors were a team in the independent Frontier League, winning the league championship in their only year of existence as a member of the Frontier League. In 1995, the Erie SeaWolves moved to town, displacing the Sailors, forcing the franchise to move to Johnstown, Pennsylvania as the Johnstown Steal/Johnnies and then to Florence, Kentucky as the Florence Y'alls.

Notable alumni[edit]

Hall of Fame Alumni[edit]

Other notable alumni[edit]

Year-by-year record[edit]

Year Record Finish Manager Playoffs
1905 58-39 2nd Daniel Koster, Bob McLaughlin & Jack Burke
1906 65-41 1st Tom O'Hara League Champs
1907 64-51 1st Thomas Reynolds
1908 4-12 6th Frank Baumeister League disbanded on June 5
1908 37-53 (42-79 overall) 8th Daniel Koster, Walter East & Richard Nallin Butler moved to Erie June 15
1909 48-69 6th Milt Montgomery, Red Davis & W. Broderick none
1910 55-69 8th Matthew Broderick none
1911 77-54 3rd William Gilbert none
1912 75-55 3rd William Gilbert none
1913 57-21 1st Larry Quinlan League disbanded July 21
1914 64-57 3rd Charles Smith & Frank Gygli
1915 64-58 5th Larry Quinlan none
1916 26-37 -- Bill Bradley Team disbanded August 9
1928 76-59 1st Henry Wetzel Lost League Finals
1929 78-61 2nd Jocko Munch none
1930 76-63 2nd Jocko Munch none
1932 85-56 1st Chief Bender & Bill McCorry
1938 52-75 7th Jocko Munch
1939 55-73 8th Jocko Munch
1941 75-51 2nd Kerby Farrell League Champs
1942 63-65 4th Kerby Farrell League Champs
1944 61-63 6th Bill Harris
1945 46-77 7th Bill Harris
1946 91-39 1st Steve Mizerak League Champs
1947 68-56 3rd Don Cross Lost in 1st round
1948 80-44 2nd Don Ramsay League Champs
1949 85-53 1st Pete Pavich League Champs
1950 63-52 3rd Pete Pavich Lost in 1st round
1951 85-40 1st Pete Appleton Lost League Finals
1954 45-81 8th Tom O'Connell, Nap Reyes, Thomas Milich,
Joe Consoli, & Thomas Milich
1955 66-60 5th Ted Sepkowski
1956 45-74 6th Johnny Welaj
1957 70-47 2nd Chuck Kress League Champs
1958 53-72 7th Steve Gromek
1959 49-76 8th Al Lakeman / Pat Mullin / Al Lakeman
1960 83-46 1st Harry Warner Lost League Finals
1961 68-57 2nd Harry Warner Lost in 1st round
1962 68-51 2nd Frank Franchi Lost in 1st round
1963 57-73 6th Frank Franchi
1967 26-51 6th Eddie Lyons
1981 44-30 4th Sonny Ruberto
1982 35-38 6th Joe Rigoli
1983 37-38 7th Joe Rigoli
1984 43-31 4th Rich Hacker
1985 44-34 5th Fred Koenig
1986 37-40 7th Joe Rigoli
1987 36-39 9th Joe Rigoli
1988 46-31 4th Bobby Tolan
1989 25-49 14th Bobby Tolan
1990 44-33 3rd Mal Fichman Lost League Finals
1991 37-41 8th Barry Moss Lost in 1st round
1992 40-37 4th Fredi González Lost League Finals
1993 36-41 10th Doug Sisson
1994 42-25 2nd Mal Fichman League Champs