The Ashland–Catlettsburg Twins were a minor league baseball team based in the partnering cities of

Ashland, Kentucky Ashland is a home rule-class city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States. The largest city in Boyd County, Ashland is located upon a southern bank of the Ohio River at the state border with Ohio and near West Virginia. The population was 21,6 ...

and

Catlettsburg, Kentucky Catlettsburg is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Boyd County, Kentucky, United States. The city population was 1,856 at the 2010 census. Catlettsburg is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

from 1910 to 1912. The Twins played as members of the Class D level Virginia Valley League in 1910 and Mountain States League from 1911 to 1912.

History

The Ashland–Catlettsburg Twins first played minor league baseball in 1910. The Twins began play as charter members of the six–team, Class Dlevel Virginia Valley League. The

Charleston Senators The Charleston Senators were an American minor league baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They were the first professional baseball team to play in Charleston, beginning play in 1910. The team was inactive during a few periods, playin ...

, Huntington,

Montgomery Miners The Montgomery Miners were a minor league baseball team based in Montgomery, West Virginia. From 1910 to 1912, the Miners played as members of the 1910 Virginia Valley League and Mountain States League in 1911 and 1912. The Miners won a controv ...

, Parkersburg Parkers and Point Pleasant-Gallipolis teams joined the Twins in beginning league play on May 5, 1910. In their first season of play, the Twins ended the season fourth place, with a 52–55 record. Playing under manager

Zeke Wilson Frank Ealton "Zeke" Wilson (December 24, 1869 – April 26, 1928) was a professional baseball pitcher. He played five seasons in Major League Baseball from 1895 to 1899, for the Boston Beaneaters, Cleveland Spiders and St. Louis Perfectos ST, St ...

, Ashland–Catlettsburg finished games 11.0 games behind the 1st place Huntington team. After the 1910 season, the Virginia Valley League permanently folded, as the league essentially changed names for the 1911 season, with five members continuing play in a new league. The Ashland–Catlettsburg Twins resumed minor league baseball play in 1911, becoming charter members of the six–team, Class D level Mountain States League. The Charleston Senators, Huntington Blue Sox,

Ironton Nailers The Ironton Nailers were a minor league baseball team based in Ironton, Ohio. In 1884 and from 1911 to 1915, Ironton teams played as members of the 1884 Ohio State League, the Mountain States League (1911–12), Mountain States League from 1911 to ...

, Montgomery Miners and Point Pleasant & Gallipolis teams joined the Twins as charter members, as the league play began on May 12, 1911. The 1911 Ashland-Catlettsburg Twins and the other Mountain States League teams were involved in a controversial 1911 season, which was ended early. The Twins ended the season with a record of 63–55, placing third overall in the regular season standings, with James Kitler serving as manager. The Mountain States League played a split–season schedule, with Huntington winning the first–half standings and Point Pleasant-Gallipolis/Middleport-Pomeroy winning the second–half standings. However, Montgomery had the best overall record, and no playoffs were held after a governing body ruling. In the 1911 overall standings, the Montgomery Miners finished in first place with a 67–43 overall record, followed by the second place Huntington Blue Sox (63–50), Ashland-Catlettsburg Twins (63–55), Charleston Senators (57–58), Point Pleasant-Gallipolis/Middleport-Pomeroy (59–60) and Ironton Nailers (44–77) in the overall standings. The season was ended September 12, 1911, when the National Association governing body ordered the league not to hold playoffs, after a National Association investigation following the regular season found two cases of improper conduct in late season games that prevented Middleport-Pomeroy from winning the second half title, with games eventually deducted from the standings at a later date. In 1912, the Ashland–Catlettsburg Twins folded during their final season, forcing the Mountain States League to fold. On July 8, 1912, playing under returning manager James Kitler, the Twins were in second place with a 26–19 record, when the franchise disbanded. As the Huntington Blue Sox folded simultaneously, the entire Mountain States League folded on July 8, 1912. The area next hosted minor league baseball when the 1939 Ashland Colonels began play as members of the Class D Mountain State League.

The ballpark

The name and location of the Ashland–Catlettsburg Twins' minor league ballpark is unknown.

Media

The Ashland–Catlettsburg Twins' are a subject in the documentary "Ashland’s Field of Dreams." The documentary was produced by Ashland native David Carter. The documentary has a focus on Ray Shook and his time playing with the 1911 Twins. The 2009 documentary is narrated by

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

announcer Marty Brenneman.

Timeline

Year–by–year record

Notable alumni

* Ray Shook (1911) *

(1910, MGR)

References

{{reflist

External links

Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Professional baseball teams in Kentucky Defunct baseball teams in Kentucky Baseball teams established in 1910 Baseball teams disestablished in 1912 1910 establishments in Kentucky 1912 disestablishments in Kentucky Mountain States League teams Virginia Valley League teams Catlettsburg, Kentucky Ashland, Kentucky