Columbia Comers

(Redirected from Gastonia Comers)

The Columbia Comers were a minor league baseball team, based in Columbia, South Carolina and played in the South Atlantic League.

Columbia Comers
Minor league affiliations
Previous classes
  • Class B (1921-1930)
  • Class C (1904-1920)
Previous leagues
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles 4 (1917, 1919, 1920, 1921)
Team data
Previous names
  • Columbia Commies (1911)
  • Columbia Comers (1912)
  • Gastonia Combers (1923) (second half of season)
  • Columbia Blues (1910)
  • Columbia Palmettos (1909)
  • Columbia Chicks (1908)
  • Columbia Gamecocks (1904-1907)
  • Columbia Skyscrapers (1903-1904)
  • Columbia Senators (1892)

Columbia's first professional team was known as the Senators and played in the short-lived first South Atlantic League season in 1892. The city did not have a professional baseball team again until 1903 when the Columbia Skyscrapers played a non-league season. In 1904, the Skyscrapers joined the new South Atlantic League and changed their name to the Columbia Gamecocks midway through the season, playing under that moniker for three and a half years. The team played as the Columbia Chicks in 1908, the Columbia Palmettos in 1909, and the Columbia Blues in 1910. In 1911, the club was finally named the Columbia Comers which was short for Commissioners. During their first year with the new name, the Comers won the second half of the South Atlantic League season before losing to the Columbus Foxes in the league championship playoff series.

In 1911, the club was finally named the Comers, and would eventually win four league titles. They briefly played part of their 1923 season in Gastonia, North Carolina as the Gastonia Combers. From 1927 until 1930, the team was an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Season-by-season

edit
Year Record Finish Manager Playoffs
1892 12-11 - A. D. Palmer
1903 35-16 - W. E. Law
1904 47-62 5th John Grim / William Engle
1905 52-75 6th Billy Earle / Robert Wallace / Charlie Dexter
1906 52-59 4th Ed Granville
1907 36-87 6th Jay Kanzler / Bill Hallman / Edward Ransick
1908 46-58 4th Win Clark
1909 41-78 8th Arthur Granville
1910 46-72 6th William Breitenstein / Dred Cavender
1911 87-49 1st Dred Cavender / Langdon 'Bill' Clark Lost League Finals to Columbus Foxes four games to two.
1912 41-75 6th Langdon 'Bill' Clark / Ted McGrew / Herman 'Humpty' Badel
1914 60-66 4th Doug Harbison / Champ Osteen
1915 44-42 4th Connie Lewis / Doug Harbison
1916 72-50 1st Doug Harbison Lost League Finals to the Augusta Tourists, four games to none.
1917 40-28 2nd Jack Corbett League Champs
No playoffs
1919 55-39 1st Tom Clarke League Champs
No playoffs
1920 76-44 1st Zinn Beck League Champs
No playoffs
1921 95-53 1st Zinn Beck League Champs
No playoffs
1922 72-59 3rd Zinn Beck
1923 44-96 6th Scotty Alcock / Roxy Middleton The Columbia Baseball Association folded mid-season in 1923 and forfeited its franchise rights. The team was taken over by the league on July 1 and played the remaining home games of the season in Gastonia, NC.
1925 47-82 7th Olin Perrin / Babe Ganzel / Herbert Brenner
1926 40-106 8th Herbert Brenner / Billy Purtell
1927 65-81 7th Gabby Street
1928 67-78 6th Joe Kelly
1929 68-79 7th Joe Kelly
1930 39-101 6th Marty Fielder / Lee Stebbins