Several minor league baseball teams have played in

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

from 1885 to the present day. The first professional team was the Bridgeport Giants who played in the Eastern League from 1885 through 1887. Bridgeport moved to the

Connecticut State League The Connecticut League, also known as the Connecticut State League, was a professional baseball association of teams in the state of Connecticut. The league began as offshoot of the original Connecticut State League, which dates back as far as 1884 ...

in 1888 and became the Bridgeport Victors for the 1895 and 1896 seasons. They were nicknamed the Orators in 1898 to coincide with the nickname of the team's owner and manager,

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

hall of famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Jim "The Orator" O'Rourke. In 1904, the team won a league record 71 games and went on to win the championship. Their home games were played at Newfield Park which was located on Newfield Ave. In 1913 they moved to the

Eastern Association The Eastern Association of counties was an administrative organisation set up by Parliament in the early years of the First English Civil War. Its main function was to finance and support an army which became a mainstay of the Parliamentarian mi ...

as the Bridgeport Crossmen and they moved again, to a new version of the Eastern League in 1916, where they would remain until the league folded in 1932. This version of the team was known as the Americans until 1923 and then the Bears. In 1941 they resurfaced as the Bees in the

Interstate League The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952. Early leagues Earlier versions of the Interstate League, with years active: *1896–1901: an unclassified ...

but were shut down again by the onset of World War II. The team returned in 1947 in the

Colonial League The Colonial League is an athletic conference consisting of 14 high schools mostly from the Lehigh Valley portion of eastern Pennsylvania. It is part of District XI of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. The Colonial League is ...

where they remained until they folded in 1950. No team played in Bridgeport until the

Bridgeport Bluefish The Bridgeport Bluefish were an American minor league baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The team was a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseba ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

started in 1998.

References

External links

Baseball-Reference
Professional baseball teams in Connecticut Defunct Eastern League (1938–present) teams Defunct Colonial League teams Defunct Interstate League teams Defunct Eastern Association teams Defunct Connecticut State League teams Defunct Connecticut League teams Defunct Naugatuck Valley League teams Defunct Southern New England League teams Sports in Bridgeport, Connecticut Baseball teams established in 1885 Baseball teams disestablished in 1950 Washington Senators minor league affiliates Boston Braves minor league affiliates New York Giants minor league affiliates 1885 establishments in Connecticut 1950 disestablishments in Connecticut Defunct baseball teams in Connecticut {{Connecticut-baseball-team-stub