{{Infobox Minor League Baseball , name = Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings , firstseason = 1947 , lastseason = 2003 , allyears = 1947–1958, 2003 , city = Bisbee, Arizona , logo = , caplogo = , past class level = Class C (1947–1958) , league =

Arizona–Mexico League The Arizona–Mexico League was a Minor League Baseball league in the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico, that operated as an affiliated Class C league that existed from 1955–58, and then again in 2003 as an independent baseball league ...

(1955–1958, 2003) , conference = , division = , past league = {{plainlist, *

Arizona–Texas League The Arizona–Texas League was a Class D level American minor league baseball league that existed for nine seasons, from 1931–32, 1937–41, 1947–50 and 1952-54. In 1951, the Arizona-Texas loop merged with the Sunset League (based primarily ...

(1952–1954) *

Southwest International League The Southwest International League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1951 through 1952. The league was formed through the merger of the Sunset League and Arizona–Texas League in 1951. The league hosted franchises based in ...

(1951) *

(1947–1950) , pastmajorleague = {{plainlist, *

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

(1956–1958) *

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

(1950–1951) *

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

(1947–1948) , pastnames = {{plainlist, *Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings (2003) *Douglas Copper Kings (1956–1958) *Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings (1949–1955) *Bisbee-Douglas Miners (1948) *Bisbee-Yanks (1947) , pastparks = {{plainlist, *Copper King Stadium *

Warren Ballpark Warren Ballpark is a baseball stadium located in Bisbee, Arizona. The ballpark was recently home to the Tucson Saguaros of the Pecos League and the Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings of the independent Arizona–Mexico League The Stadium was built in ...

, classchamps = , leaguechamps = 1 (1958) , conferencechamps = , divisionchamps = The Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings was a primary moniker of the minor league baseball teams based in

Bisbee, Arizona Bisbee is a city in and the county seat of Cochise County in southeastern Arizona, United States. It is southeast of Tucson and north of the Mexican border. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town was 4,923, down from 5,575 i ...

and

Douglas, Arizona Douglas is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States that lies in the north-west to south-east running Sulpher Springs Valley. Douglas has a border crossing with Mexico at Agua Prieta and a history of mining. The population was 16,531 in ...

between 1947 and 2003. They played as members of the

from 1947 to 1948,

in 1951 and

from 1955 to 1958. The Bisbee-Douglas teams were an affiliate of the

from 1947 to1948,

from 1950 to 1951 and

from 1956 to 1958.

History

The Arizona–Mexico League was active from 1955–58 and was the successor of the

. Following the 1955 season the team moved to Douglas for the 1956, 1957 and 1958 seasons. The original Arizona–Mexico League team featured future major leaguers

Clint Courtney Clinton Dawson Courtney (March 16, 1927 – June 16, 1975), nicknamed Scrap Iron, was an American professional baseball catcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1951), St. Louis Browns / Baltimore Orioles (1952 ...

Johnny Keane John Joseph Keane (November 3, 1911 – January 6, 1967) was an American professional baseball manager and coach. He managed in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four complete seasons and parts of two others. Keane is perhaps best remembered for ...

Jim Tobin James Anthony Tobin (December 27, 1912 – May 19, 1969), known as "Abba Dabba", was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Bees/ Braves and Detroit Tigers from 1937 to 1945. With the Boston Brav ...

and Earl Wilson. In 1958 the Copper Kings did something no other professional team has done. All 9 players of the starting line–up hit a home run in the same game. See the external link below. In 2003, the Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings were briefly reconstituted in an independent professional league, also known as the Arizona–Mexico League, which suspended operations three weeks into the season. The 2003 Copper Kings resumed minor league play under manager Butch Hammett. Their general manager was John Guy. Local baseball historian David Skinner was minority owner. The Copper Kings ended with a final record of 9–7, tied for second place. The 2003 Copper Kings gained national attention with their colorful promotions including

Ted Williams Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 ...

Night in which they gave away free popsicles to their fans in relation to Ted Williams being cryogenically frozen in Scottsdale, Arizona. The 2003 club also made news with the signing of former National League base-stealing champion Chuck Carr, who played center field for the abbreviated season. Former

Richmond Braves The Richmond Braves were an American minor league baseball club based in Richmond, Virginia, the Triple-A International League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves from 1966 to 2008. Owned by the parent Atlanta club and colloquially referred to as the ...

shortstop Jose Mateo also played with the Copper Kings.

The ballpark

The team played home games in both Bisbee and Douglas. In Bisbee they played their home games at

, the oldest ballpark in the United States, constructed in 1909. Games in Douglas were played at Copper King Stadium. Warren Ballpark, built with adobe and steel, still stands in a suburb of Bisbee as does Copper King Stadium in Douglas.

References

* This article includes material from th
article
at Baseball-Reference.com Bullpen. The Bullpen is a wiki, and its content is available under the

GNU Free Documentation License The GNU Free Documentation License (GNU FDL or simply GFDL) is a copyleft license for free documentation, designed by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) for the GNU Project. It is similar to the GNU General Public License, giving readers the r ...

External links

Baseball Reference

Main website
of the newest iteration of the team (2007–present)
1958 Douglas Copper Kings Baseball record
Defunct Arizona-Texas League teams Defunct Southwest International League teams Defunct Arizona-Mexico League teams Brooklyn Dodgers minor league affiliates Pittsburgh Pirates minor league affiliates New York Yankees minor league affiliates Professional baseball teams in Arizona Defunct independent baseball league teams Bisbee, Arizona Defunct baseball teams in Arizona Baseball teams disestablished in 1958 Baseball teams disestablished in 2003 Baseball teams established in 1956 Baseball teams established in 2003