The Bloomington Bloomers were a

minor League Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

baseball franchise based in

Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city and the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, United States. It is adjacent to the town of Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area. Bloomington ...

that played between 1889 and 1939. They were affiliates of the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

(1935),

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

(1938) and

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

(1939). They played primarily in the Illinois-Iowa-Indiana League during their existence. Their home park was Fans Field.

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 ...

Inductees

Burleigh Grimes Burleigh Arland Grimes (August 18, 1893 – December 6, 1985) was an American professional baseball player and manager, and the last pitcher officially permitted to throw the spitball. Grimes made the most of this advantage, as well as his unshav ...

and

Clark Griffith Clark Calvin Griffith (November 20, 1869 – October 27, 1955), nicknamed "The Old Fox", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, manager and team owner. He began his MLB playing career with the St. Louis Browns (1891), Boston Reds ...

played for Bloomington.

League championships

In 1903, they won the league championship under manager William Connors. They won back-to-back league championships in 1919 and 1920 under the guidance of Joe Dunn. Their final league championship came in 1935, under manager and future Hall of Famer

The ballpark

In the seasons of play from 1901-1939, Bloomington played at Fans Field, located at 109 E. Lafayette Street. Today, the site still has baseball fields as part of the City of Bloomington Park and Recreation system. It is now known as RT Dunn Fields. Clark Griffith 1903

Notable alumni

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 ...
alumni

(1888) Inducted, 1946 *

(1935) Inducted, 1964

Notable alumni

* Hal Peck (1939) *

Johnny Schmitz John Albert Schmitz (November 27, 1920 – October 1, 2011) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who worked in 366 games over 13 seasons as a member of the Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Se ...

(1939) 2 X MLB All-Star; 1946 NL Strikeout Leader * Jack Hallett (1938) *

Blix Donnelly Sylvester Urban "Blix" Donnelly (January 21, 1914 – June 20, 1976) was an American professional baseball pitcher. A right-hander, Donnelly appeared in 190 Major League Baseball (MLB) games between and for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphi ...

(1937) *

Xavier Rescigno Xavier Frederick Rescigno (October 13, 1912 – December 24, 2005) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1943 to 1945. The , right-hander was a native of New York, ...

(1937) * Bill Cox (1935) *

Howie Krist Howard Wilbur Krist (February 28, 1916 – April 23, 1989) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1937 to 1946. "Spud" (a nickname that described his humble beginnings on a New York potato farm) played his entire career for the St. Louis Car ...

(1935) *

Max Macon Max Cullen Macon (October 14, 1915 – August 5, 1989) was an American Major League Baseball player, a minor league player-manager and pitching coach, and a professional baseball scout. Born in Pensacola, Florida, he threw and batted left-h ...

(1935) *

Hersh Martin Hershel Ray Martin (September 19, 1909 – November 17, 1980) was an American professional baseball player and scout. An outfielder born in Birmingham, Alabama, and raised in Ponca City, Oklahoma, Martin played for 23 seasons, mostly in minor l ...

(1935) MLB All-Star * Howard Maple (1930–31) Played in

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

and MLB *

Hy Vandenberg Harold Harris "Hy" Vandenberg (March 17, 1906 – July 31, 1994) born in Abilene, Kansas, was a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox (1935), New York Giants (1937–40) and Chicago Cubs (1944–45). Vandenberg helped the Giants win the 1937 National ...

(1930–31) *

Bruce Campbell (baseball) Bruce Campbell (October 20, 1909 – June 17, 1995) was an American professional baseball right fielder from 1930 to 1942. Campbell began his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an Americ ...

(1930) *

Jack Tobin John Thomas Tobin (May 4, 1892 – December 10, 1969) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball. He played in the Federal League (FL) for the St. Louis Terriers (1914–1915), and for the St. Louis Browns (1916, 1918–1925), Washi ...

(1930) *

Tommy Thompson Tommy George Thompson (born November 19, 1941) is an American Republican politician who most recently served as interim president of the University of Wisconsin System from 2020 to 2022. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served ...

(1929) *

Boom-Boom Beck Walter William "Boom-Boom" Beck (October 16, 1904 – May 7, 1987) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played 12 seasons in the Major Leagues with the St. Louis Browns, Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Detro ...

(1925) *

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...

(1924) * Mack Allison (1922) *

Bob Fothergill Robert Roy Fothergill (August 16, 1897 – March 20, 1938), often referred to by the nicknames "Fats" and "Fatty", and "the People's Choice", was an American baseball player. He played professional baseball, principally as a left fielder, for 1 ...

(1920) *

Paul Zahniser Paul Vernon Zahniser (September 6, 1896 – September 26, 1964) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played for three different teams over his five-season Major League Baseball career, which spanned from 1923 to 1929. Career Born in ...

(1920) *

Butch Henline Walter John "Butch" Henline (December 20, 1894 – October 9, 1957) was an American catcher and umpire in Major League Baseball who played from 1921 to 1931 for the New York Giants, Brooklyn Robins, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox. ...

(1919) MLB Player; MLB Umpire 1945-1948 * Heinie Sand (1919) *

Don Marion Don Marion Davis (October 9, 1917 – December 10, 2020), professionally known as John Henry Jr. and Don Marion, was an American child actor of the silent film era, who during a brief career in show business appeared in several feature roles an ...

(1916–17) *

Elam Vangilder Elam Russell Vangilder (April 23, 1896 – April 30, 1977) was an American professional baseball pitcher in the Major Leagues from -. He played for the St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers. An effective pitcher despite his high walk rate, Vangil ...

(1917) *

Jim Bluejacket Jim Bluejacket (born William Lincoln Smith July 8, 1887 – March 26, 1947) was a Major League Baseball, major league pitcher in the early 20th century. Bluejacket played for the Brooklyn Tip-Tops (–) and Cincinnati Reds (). Personal life Whe ...

(1912–14, 1916) * Ray Schmandt (1915–16) *

Harry Bay Harry Elbert "Deerfoot" Bay (January 17, 1878 – March 19, 1952) was a professional baseball player who played outfield in the major leagues from 1901 to 1908. Bay played for the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Bronchos/Naps. Early life He atte ...

(1912) 2× AL Stolen Base Leader (1903, 1904) * Les Nunamaker (1910) *

George Cutshaw George William Cutshaw (July 29, 1886 – August 22, 1973), nicknamed "Clancy", was an American professional baseball second baseman. He played twelve seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1912 to 1923 for the Brooklyn Dodgers/Robins, Pit ...

(1908–09) *

Bill Steen William John Steen (November 11, 1887 – March 13, 1979) was an American baseball player. He played professional baseball as a right-handed pitcher for 12 years from 1907 to 1917 and 1919, including four years in Major League Baseball with the ...

(1909) *

Art Wilson Arthur Earl "Dutch" Wilson (December 11, 1885 – June 12, 1960) was an American professional baseball player. He played all or part of fourteen seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily as a catcher. Wilson spent most of his career as a backu ...

(1906–08) *

George Moriarty George Joseph Moriarty (July 7, 1884 – April 8, 1964) was an American third baseman, umpire and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1903 to 1940. He played for the Chicago Cubs, New York Highlanders, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago Wh ...

(1902) MLB MGR; MLB Umpire 1917-1940 *

George Keefe George Washington Keefe (January 7, 1867 – August 24, 1935) was an American professional baseball left-handed starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Buffalo Bisons, and Washington Statesmen ...

(1900) *

Pop Dillon Frank Edward Dillon (October 17, 1873 – September 12, 1931), known in later years as Pop Dillon, was an American baseball player and manager. He played 22 seasons in professional baseball from 1894 to 1915, including five years in Major League ...

(1895) *

Alfred Lawson Alfred William Lawson (March 24, 1869 – November 29, 1954) was an English born professional baseball player, aviator and utopian philosopher. He was a baseball player, manager, and league promoter from 1887 through 1916 and went on to play a ...

(1889) Aviation Pioneer *

Joe Farrell Joseph Carl Firrantello (December 16, 1937 – January 10, 1986), known as Joe Farrell, was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who primarily performed as a saxophonist and flutist. He is best known for a series of albums under his own name o ...

(1888)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Bloomington Bloomers - Pantagraph
Defunct minor league baseball teams Defunct baseball teams in Illinois Sports teams in Bloomington–Normal Professional baseball teams in Illinois St. Louis Cardinals minor league affiliates Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League teams Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates Cleveland Guardians minor league affiliates Baseball teams established in 1888 Baseball teams disestablished in 1939 1888 establishments in Illinois 1939 disestablishments in Illinois

League championships

The ballpark

Notable alumni

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 ... alumni

Notable alumni

References

External links

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 ...
alumni