Lancaster Red Roses

The Lancaster Red Roses baseball team, originally known as the Maroons, changed its name at the start of the 1906 season during a bitter match with the York, Pennsylvania-based White Roses. Some sources indicate that the rival teams were named for the opposing factions in England's historic Wars of the Roses. The Lancaster Red Roses played at Stumpf Field, which is still used today by local baseball and softball leagues.

Lancaster Red Roses
18841961
(1884–1886, 1889–1890, 1894–1902, 1905–1914, 1932, 1940–1961)
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Team logoCap insignia
Minor league affiliations
Previous classes
  • Class-A (1958–1961)
  • Class-B (1940–1955)
  • Class D (1932)
  • Class B (1907–1912, 1914)
  • Class D (1901–1902)
  • Class A (1899)
  • Class B (1897–1898)
  • Class A (1896)
  • Class B (1895–1896)
LeagueEastern League (1958–1961)
Previous leagues
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles 6 (1909),(1940),(1943),(1944),(1945),(1955)
Team data
Previous names
  • Lancaster Red Roses (1940–1961)
  • Lancaster Red Sox (1932)
  • Lancaster Red Roses (1914)
  • Lancaster Lanks (1912)
  • Lancaster Red Roses (1905–1911)
  • Lancaster (1901–1902)
  • Lancaster Maroons (1896–1899)
  • Lancaster Chicks (1894–1895)
  • Lancaster (1889–1890)
  • Lancaster Ironsides (1886)
  • Lancaster Red Stockings (1885)
  • Lancaster Ironsides (1884–1885)
  • Lancaster (1884)
Previous parks
Stumpf Field

Early baseball in Lancaster

Organized baseball first came to Lancaster in 1884 when Lancaster had two teams for a brief period of time. The Lancaster Red Stockings played 19 games as a member of the short-lived Keystone Association before the league broke up in June 1884. The Lancaster Ironsides played in the Eastern League beginning in 1884. The team remained in Lancaster for the 1885 season under a new name, the Lancaster Lancasters.[1] Baseball returned for Lancaster in the 1894 season when the Pennsylvania State League Altoona, Pennsylvania franchise moved to Lancaster for most of the 1894 season and the 1895 season.

In 1896, the Atlantic League Lancaster Maroons began play when the New Haven, Connecticut team moved to Lancaster. The Maroons became very popular and became one of the powerhouse teams in the Atlantic League. On field successes didn't save the franchise, due to player salaries being higher than the team income.[2] The team folded at the end of the 1899 season. In 1904 a local businessman built a new ballpark and began an independent team to test the local demand for baseball. After a success with local fans and businesses the team joined the Tri-State League for the 1905 season as the Lancaster Maroons. The Franchise became the Red Roses in 1906.

The first era

1906, the original Lancaster Red Roses

The year 1906 brought the Lancaster Red Roses, who changed their name from the Maroons. The new name was unveiled to the public a few days before the season and drew heavy criticism from the rival York White Roses from nearby York. The White Roses manager predicted, in spite, that the Red Roses would be at the bottom of the standings column. The Red Roses went on to win the first game, 9-4, and an even heavier rivalry began.[3] Some sources indicate that the rival teams were named for the opposing factions in England's historic Wars of the Roses.

In 1909, the team secured its first championship in the Tri-State League, under the leadership of ex-outfielder Marty Hogan.[4] That same year, the Red Roses signed on future Hall of Fame pitcher Stan Coveleski.[5]

The second era

1909, Stan Coveleski standing fourth from left

In 1932, a new team by the name of the Lancaster Red Sox, an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, played in the city but the economic problems related to the Great Depression lead to the team folding on June 17, 1932 after only 23 games in the 1932 season. The league disbanded a few days later on the 20th. The league returned in 1939 with only 4 teams and the Lancaster Red Roses followed in 1940 entering the league with four other teams doubling the league. The team returned to its original name of Red Roses in 1940.[6] The Lancaster Red Roses played in the Interstate League from 1940 to 1952, and were affiliated with the Philadelphia Athletics from 1944 to 1947 and the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1948 to 1952. The Red Roses joined the Piedmont League in 1954, and were affiliated with the Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics from 1954–1955 season. They became members of the Eastern League in 1958, and were affiliated with the Detroit Tigers for the 1958–1959 season, the Chicago Cubs from 1959 to 1961, and spent their last season ever in 1961 as an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Uniforms

The Lancaster Maroons unveiled new uniforms with new colors, this was soon followed by a name change to the Lancaster Red Roses original Uniforms included white shirt and pants, dark blue stockings, and dark blue cap with a white "L" embroidered across the front.[7]

Year-by-year record

Tri-State League (1906–1912, 1914) records

YearRecordFinishManagerPlayoffsNotes
190670-573rdFred Croliusnone
190773-533rdPop Fosternone
190872-553rdPop Fosternone
190975-391stMarty Hogannone League Champs
191063-472ndMarty Hogannone
191154-544thMarty Hogan
191215-19 (59-92 overall)--John CastlenoneLancaster moved to Atlantic City June 18
191410-46 (26-83 overall)6thGeorge Heckert / Eddie HoopernoneYork (16-37) moved to Lancaster July 8

Interstate League (1940–1952)

YearRecordFinishManagerPlayoffsNotes
194043-39 (62-56 overall)4thCy PerkinsLeague ChampsHazleton (19-17) moved to Lancaster June 12
194143-838thBilly Rogell / Jimmy Archer
194259-785thTom Oliver
194383-551stElwood WheatonLeague Champs
194466-724thLena BlackburneLeague Champs
194587-521stLena BlackburneLeague Champs
194655-838thTom Oliver
194764-736thCharlie English / Clayton Sheedy
194850-898thDib Williams / Jack Knight (interim, 5/29-?)
194971-685thAl Campanis
195056-827thEd Head
195171-675thEd Head
195275-654thJames BivinLost League Finals

Piedmont League (1954–1955)

YearRecordFinishManagerPlayoffsNotes
195462-787thKemp Wicker / Lena Blackburne / Buddy Walker
195572-542ndHank BiasattiLeague Champs

Eastern League (1958–1961)

195875-571stJohnny PeskyLost League Finals
195957-837thNick Cullop
196066-736thPhil Cavarretta
196160-805thChase Riddlenone

Notable Red Roses

See also

References

    • The International League: Year-by-year Statistics, 1884–1953 (ISBN 0-7864-2267-X)
  1. 1896-1905: Maroon-ed in the Economy of Baseball Archived 2006-05-03 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Lancaster's Roses Bloom and Wither". Lancaster County Historical Society. Archived from the original on May 3, 2006. Retrieved May 6, 2006.
  3. Spalding's Official Athletic Library Baseball Guide (New York: American Sports Publishing Co., 1910), p. 181.
  4. "Three Coveleski Boys Sign". The Ogden (Utah) Standard. February 8, 1909. p. 5.
  5. "Rose Seeds Resown". Lancaster County Historical Society. Archived from the original on May 3, 2006. Retrieved May 6, 2006.
  6. 1932 - 1961: The Red Roses and the Nation
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