The Erwin Cubs were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Class D

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wood bats, its season runs from ...

from 1943 to 1944. They were located in

Erwin, Tennessee Erwin is a town in and the county seat of Unicoi County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,097 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Johnson City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City– Kingspo ...

, and played their home games at Gentry Stadium. Known as the Erwin Aces in 1943, they became the Erwin Cubs in 1944 borrowing the moniker from the

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 ...

, with whom they were affiliated in both seasons. The Aces won the 1943 Appalachian League playoff championship.

History

Erwin had previously been home to the Appalachian League's

Erwin Mountaineers The Erwin Mountaineers were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Class D Appalachian League in 1940. They were located in Erwin, Tennessee, and played their home games at Gentry Stadium. The Mountaineers were managed by Tilly Walker ...

in 1940. The Erwin Aces began play in 1943 as the Class D affiliate of the

. They were managed by Jim Poole, a former

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

who served as a

player-manager A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...

. The Aces opened the season at home with a 27–11 loss to the Johnson City Cardinals on May 4 at Gentry Stadium. Erwin finished the season with an even 53–53 (.500) record, placing third. All four of the circuit's teams participated in the playoffs. The Aces advanced to the finals by beating Johnson City, three games to one, in the semifinals. They then defeated the Bristol Twins, 4–3, in a best-of-seven series to win the Appalachian League playoff championship. In 1944, the team borrowed the nickname of their

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

affiliate by becoming the Erwin Cubs. Under Poole, Erwin finished the season with a 45–63 (.417) last-place record. Again, all four teams participated in the playoffs, but the Aces lost their semifinal series to Bristol, three games to one. They lost their final game, 3–2, at Bristol on September 3. Across both seasons of play, Erwin accumulated a regular season record of 98–116 (.458).

Season-by-season results

Notable players

Five Aces/Cubs also played in at least one game in

during their careers. These players and their seasons with Erwin were: * Herman Fink (1943) * Jim Poole (1943–1944) *

Dick Sipek Richard Francis Sipek (January 16, 1923 – July 17, 2005) was an American Major League Baseball outfielder, and the only deaf person to play in the majors between Herbert Murphy in and Curtis Pride in . He played in 82 games for the Cincinnati ...

(1943) * Jim Pearce (1944) *

Rube Walker Albert Bluford "Rube" Walker (May 16, 1926 – December 12, 1992) was an American Major League Baseball catcher and longtime pitching coach. Career A native of Lenoir, North Carolina, Walker batted left-handed, threw right-handed and was li ...

(1944)

References

{{reflist

External links

Statistics from ''Baseball-Reference''Statistics from ''Stats Crew''
1943 establishments in Tennessee 1944 disestablishments in Tennessee Baseball teams established in 1943 Baseball teams disestablished in 1944 Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates Defunct Appalachian League teams Defunct baseball teams in Tennessee Professional baseball teams in Tennessee