Missoula Timberjacks
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| Missoula Timberjacks | |
|---|---|
| |
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Previous classes | Class B (1892) Class C (1956–1960) Class D 1911–1914) Independent (1900, 1905) |
Previous leagues | Montana State League (1892, 1905, 1925) Union Association (1911–1913) Pioneer League (1956–1960) |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Previous teams | Washington Senators (1957–1959) Cincinnati Reds (1960) |
| Minor league titles | |
| League titles | 1 1912 |
| Division titles | 1892 |
| Team data | |
Previous names | Missoula (1892, 1905, 1911–1913, 1925) Missoula Timberjacks (1956–1960) |
Previous parks | Campbell Field |
The Missoula Timberjacks represented Missoula, Montana, in the Class C level Pioneer League from 1956 to 1960. Previously, Missoula played as members of the Montana State League (1892, 1905, 1925) and Union Association (1911–1913). Their best season was 1958 when they went 70–59 under manager Jack McKeon and had Jim Kaat on the roster.
The Missoula Timberjacks were an affiliate of the Washington Senators (1957–1959) and Cincinnati Reds (1960).[1]
Baseball Hall of Fame members Clark Griffith and Jim Kaat played for Missoula.
History
[edit]The Timberjacks were preceded by Missoula teams in the Montana State League (1892, 1905, 1925) and Union Association (1911–1913).[1]
Missoula first began minor league play as charter members of the 1892 Montana State League. The 1892 Montana State League was six–team Class B league. The league played a split season. The Bozeman and Great Falls franchises disbanded on July 23, 1892, after the conclusion of the first half. The overall standings were Helena (29–21), Butte (26–22), Missoula (18–29) and Philipsburg (22–23). Bozeman had a record of 10–8 and the Great Falls Smelter Cities 6–10 when they folded. Butte won the first half championship and Missoula won the second half title. Butte won the overall championship. Helena allegedly forfeited over complaints regarding money and umpiring. Baseball Hall of Fame member Clark Griffith played for Missoula in 1892. It was reported Griffith pitched so well in one game that Missoula fans showered him with gold coins after the game. Griffith later bought property and built a home in Montana.The league did not return to play in 1893.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
The Montana State League played a season in 1905. Butte, Great Falls, Helena and Missoula composed the league. No league standings or records are available.[9]
Missoula captured the Union Association championship in 1912.[1]
In 1925, the Montana State League played a final season as a four–team Independent minor league. Butte, Great Falls, Helena and Missoula played in the league, which has no official results.[10]
The Timberjacks resumed play as members of the 1956 Class C Pioneer League.[11]
Country singer Charley Pride played for the Timberjacks briefly in 1960.[12]
Today, Missoula continues to host minor league baseball as home to the Missoula PaddleHeads, members of the Rookie level Pioneer League.[1]
The ballpark
[edit]The Timberjacks played at Campbell Field for the duration of their existence. Built in 1947, the original ballpark burned in 1969 and was rebuilt. Campbell Field is still in use today on the campus of the University of Montana.[13][14]
Timeline
[edit]| Year(s) | # Yrs. | Team | Level | League | Ballpark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1892 | 1 | Missoula | Class B | Montana State League | Unknown |
| 1905 | 1 | Independent | |||
| 1911–1913 | 4 | Class D | Union Association | ||
| 1925 | 1 | Independent | Montana State League | ||
| 1956–1960 | 5 | Missoula Timberjacks | Class D | Pioneer League | Campbell Field |
Year-by-year records
[edit]| Year | League | Affiliation | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs/notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1892 | Montana State League | none | 18–29 | 4th | Ed Cartwright / George McVey Johnny Morin | Won 2nd half title |
| 1911 | Union Association | none | 42–98 | 6th | William Joyce / Charles McCafferty | No playoffs held |
| 1912 | Union Association | none | 83–51 | 1st | Cliff Blankenship | League champions |
| 1913 | Union Association | none | 54–68 | 4th | Cliff Blankenship / Nig Perrine | No playoffs held |
| 1956 | Pioneer League | none | 61–71 | 7th | Jack McKeon | No playoffs held |
| 1957 | Pioneer League | Washington Senators | 62–64 | 4th | Jack McKeon | No playoffs held |
| 1958 | Pioneer League | Washington Senators | 70–59 | 2nd | Jack McKeon | No playoffs held |
| 1959 | Pioneer League | Washington Senators | 56–73 | 6th | Ralph Rowe | No playoffs held |
| 1960 | Pioneer League | Cincinnati Reds | 58–71 | 4th | Rocky Tedesco | No playoffs held |
Notable alumni
[edit]- Clark Griffith (1892) Inducted Baseball Hall of Fame, 1946
- Jim Kaat (1958) Inducted Baseball Hall of Fame, 2022
- Cliff Blankenship (1912–1913, MGR)
- Pat Bohen (1913)
- Bullet Joe Bush (1912)
- Bobby Cargo (1892)
- Ed Cartwright (1892, MGR)
- Lem Cross (1892)
- Bert Cueto (1958)
- Rex Dawson (1913)
- Larry Foss (1957)
- Gus Gil (1960)
- Bill Goodenough (1892)
- Chuck Lauer (1892)
- Sheldon Lejeune (1905)
- Hap Morse (1913)
- Jack McKeon (1956–1958, MGR) Manager: 2003 World Series Champion – Florida Marlins
- George McVey (1892, MGR)
- Minnie Mendoza (1958–1959)
- Ollie O'Mara (1911)
- Nig Perrine (1912), (1913, MGR)
- Charley Pride (1960)
- Skipper Roberts (1912–1913)
- Phil Routcliffe (1892)
- César Tovar (1960)
- Harry Trekell (1913)
- Art Twineham (1892)
- Sandy Valdespino (1958, 1960)
- Jay Ward (1958)
- George Whiteman (1911)
- Carl Zamloch (1912)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
- ^ "1892 Missoula Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Montana State League". Baseball History Daily.
- ^ "1892 Montana State League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ Standard, RICHARD I. GIBSON for The Montana. "Mining City History: Baseball in Butte started in the 1890s". Montana Standard.
- ^ History, SKYLAR BROWNING & JEREMY WATTERSON Montana Baseball. "From Brownie to the Black Sox: Montana baseball history's 10 gee-whiz moments". 406 MT SPORTS.
- ^ "1892 Montana State League (MSL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1892 Montana State League (MSL) Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1905 Montana State League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1925 Montana State League (MSL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1956 Pioneer League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ Ratliff, Jason (February 23, 2006). "Baseball set stage for country legend". MLB. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
- ^ "Campbell Field in Missoula, MT history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ Herman, excerpted from a 1999 Missoulian article by Jeff. "The Timberjacks: Missoula's second baseball team had movie roots". Missoula.com.
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