The Bloomington Bloomers were a minor League baseball franchise based in Bloomington, Illinois that played between 1889 and 1939. They were affiliates of the St. Louis Cardinals (1935), Cleveland Indians (1938) and Chicago Cubs (1939). They played primarily in the Illinois-Iowa-Indiana League during their existence. Their home park was Fans Field.[1] Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees Burleigh Grimes and Clark Griffith played for Bloomington.
| Bloomington Bloomers | |
|---|---|
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| Minor league affiliations | |
| Previous classes |
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Previous leagues |
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| Major league affiliations | |
| Previous teams |
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| Minor league titles | |
| League titles | 4 (1903, 1919-1920, 1935) |
| Team data | |
Previous names | Bloomington Bloomers (1938-1939, 1935, 1919-1929, 1903-1917) Bloomington Bengals (1937) Bloomington Cubs (1930-1931) Bloomington Blues (1899-1902) Bloomington Reds (1888-1889) |
Previous parks | Fans Field (1901-1939) |
League championships edit
In 1903, they won the league championship under manager William Connors. They won back-to-back league championships in 1919 and 1920 under the guidance of Joe Dunn. Their final league championship came in 1935, under manager and future Hall of Famer Burleigh Grimes.[citation needed]
The ballpark edit
In the seasons of play from 1901-1939, Bloomington played at Fans Field, located at 109 E. Lafayette Street. Today, the site still has baseball fields as part of the City of Bloomington Park and Recreation system. It is now known as RT Dunn Fields.[2]
Notable alumni edit
Baseball Hall of Fame alumni edit
- Clark Griffith (1888) Inducted, 1946
- Burleigh Grimes (1935, MGR) Inducted, 1964
Notable alumni edit
- Hal Peck (1939)
- Johnny Schmitz (1939) 2x MLB All-Star
- Jack Hallett (1938)
- Blix Donnelly (1937)
- Xavier Rescigno (1937)
- Bill Cox (1935)
- Howie Krist (1935)
- Max Macon (1935)
- Hersh Martin (1935) MLB All-Star
- Howard Maple (1930–31)
- Hy Vandenberg (1930–31)
- Bruce Campbell (baseball) (1930)
- Jack Tobin (1930)
- Tommy Thompson (1929)
- Boom-Boom Beck (1925)
- Phil Collins (1924)
- Mack Allison (1922)
- Bob Fothergill (1920)
- Paul Zahniser (1920)
- Butch Henline (1919)
- Heinie Sand (1919)
- Don Marion (1916–17)
- Elam Vangilder (1917)
- Jim Bluejacket (1912–14, 1916)
- Ray Schmandt (1915–16)
- Harry Bay (1912) 2× AL Stolen Base Leader (1903, 1904)
- Les Nunamaker (1910)
- George Cutshaw (1908–09)
- Bill Steen (1909)
- Art Wilson (1906–08)
- George Moriarty (1902)
- George Keefe (1900)
- Pop Dillon (1895)
- Alfred Lawson (1889) Aviation Pioneer
- Joe Farrell (1888)
References edit
- ^ a b "Bloomington, Illinois Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ History, Bill Kemp | Archivist/historian McLean County Museum of (19 August 2012). "Built for professional baseball, Fans' Field ended as county fairground". pantagraph.com.
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