The Flint Arrows was the primary name of the minor league baseball team in Flint, Michigan from 1940–1941 and 1948–1951. Flint was a member of the

Michigan State League The Michigan State League was a minor league baseball league that operated in various seasons between 1889 and 1941. The league franchises were based exclusively in Michigan, with the league forming on six different occasions. Twenty two different ...

(1940–1941) and

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consi ...

(1948–1950), playing their home games at

Atwood Stadium Atwood Stadium is an 11,000-seat stadium owned by Kettering University. It's located in the historic Carriage Town district area of downtown Flint, Michigan. In 2019 it became the home field for the Flint City Bucks, a soccer club that competes i ...

. Flint was an affiliate of the Detroit Tigers (1948–1950) and

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 Fi ...

(1940–1941).

History

The Flint 1940-1951 teams were immediately preceded by the

Flint Vehicles The Flint Vehicles were a professional baseball team in Flint, Michigan from 1921 to 1926. They were a part of the Michigan–Ontario League and were preceded in the league by the Flint Halligens in 1919 and 1920. In 1921, future Pittsburgh St ...

, who played in the

and other minor leagues from 1906 to 1926. The Flint Gems began play as members of the 1940 Class C level

as an affiliate of the

. Flint won the 1940 Michigan State League Pennant and the 1941 Michigan State League Championship. The Flint Gems won the 1940 Michigan State League Pennant. With a regular season of 67–41, the Gems finished first in the Michigan State League regular season. The Gems were managed by Jack Knight. In the 1940 Playoffs, the St. Joseph Autos defeated the Flint Gems 3 games to 2. In 1941, the Flint Indians won the Michigan State League championship in the final year of the Class C league. Flint finished 70-38, to finish first in the Michigan State League regular season standings, finishing 9.0 games ahead of the second place St. Joseph Autos. The Flint Indians manager was Jack Knight. There were no playoffs in 1941. The 1948–1951 Flint Arrows were a member of the

. Their overall record was 169–102. The Arrows won the Central League Championship in 1950 and the league Pennant in 1948. With the 1951 riots in Baltimore creating tension, Flint was noted by the ''Sporting News'' as being one of five ball teams that had games with single digit attendance. When the Arrows started playing in Flint in as a Detroit Tigers minor league affiliate in the Central League, their manager was

Jack Tighe John Thomas Tighe ( – ), pronounced "tie", was an American minor league baseball player and a coach, manager and scout for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. Biography Born in Kearny, New Jersey, Tighe joined the professional rank ...

. The league scheduled a 140–game season in 1948. The August 26, 1949 home game with Grand Rapids had a fight break out with catcher Frank House being suspended indefinitely. The Flint Arrows captured the Central League pennant in 1948. With a record of 89–49, Flint finished first in the Central League Standings under manager Jack Tighe. In the Playoffs, the Fort Wayne Generals defeated the Flint Arrows 3 games to 2. Flint had 1948 season attendance of 120,573, an average of 1,747 per game. In 1950, Flint won the Central League Championship. The Arrows finished 80–53 and placed first in the Central League regular season standings under manager Gene Desautels. In the 1950 Playoffs, the Flint Arrows defeated the Grand Rapids Jets 3 games to 1 to advance. In the Central League Finals, Flint defeated the

Muskegon Clippers Muskegon ( ') is a city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Muskegon County. Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, pleasure boating, and as a commercial and cruise ship port. It is a popular vacation destination because of the expa ...

4 games to 1 to claim the championship. The Arrows' 1950 season attendance was 67,954, an average of 1,022 per game. The Arrows lost their Tiger affiliation after the end of the season despite winning the league championship. The team's home run leader for 1950 was Edwin Little with 17. On , the Arrows had a single digit attendance with two fans watching their game according to the 1952 ''Sporting News Baseball Guide''. In the Final season of the Central League, the 1951 Flint Arrows finished last in the six–team league. The Arrows were 38–98 under manager Stephen Bysco. Their total season home attendance was 25,900, an average of 381 per game. The

Flint Journal ''The Flint Journal'' is a quad-weekly newspaper based in Flint, Michigan, owned by Booth Newspapers, a subsidiary of Advance Publications. Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, it serves Genesee, Lapeer and Shiawassee Countie ...

reported that the team suffered from lower attendance in 1951 and struggled financially. The Arrows ended operations, along with the entire Central League, after the 1951 season. The Arrows were the last minor league baseball team based in Flint.

The ballpark

The Flint teams between 1940 and 1951 played minor league home games at

. Atwood Stadium is still in use today. It is owned by

Kettering University Kettering University is a private university in Flint, Michigan. It offers Bachelor of Science, bachelor of science and master's degree, master’s degrees in Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM (science, technology, engineeri ...

, was renovated in 2015, and serves as home of Kittering athletic teams and the

Flint City Bucks Flint City Bucks is an American soccer team based in Flint, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1995, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The club was founded in 1995 as the Mid-Michigan Bucks, pla ...

minor league soccer franchise. The address is 701 west 3rd Avenue, Flint, Michigan.

Notable alumni

Red Embree Charles Willard Embree (August 30, 1917 – September 24, 1996) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. His key pitch was the curveball. Nicknamed Red, due to his red hair, Emree joined the Cleveland Indians in , and spent three seaso ...

(1940) *

Steve Gromek Stephen Joseph Gromek (January 15, 1920 – March 12, 2002) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for 17 seasons in the American League with the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers. In 447 career games, Gromek ...

(1941) MLB All-Star * Frank House (1949) *

Cliff Mapes Clifford Franklin Mapes (March 13, 1922 – December 5, 1996) was a professional baseball player. He played five seasons of Major League Baseball as an outfielder for the New York Yankees, St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers. Professional career ...

(1941) *

Dick Marlowe Richard Burton Marlowe (June 27, 1929 – December 30, 1968) was an American professional baseball pitcher who appeared in 98 games in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox from 1951 to 1956. Born in Hickory, North C ...

(1948) *

(1948, MGR) *

Bubba Phillips John Melvin "Bubba" Phillips (February 24, 1928 – June 22, 1993) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman from Macon, Mississippi. He played for ten seasons on the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, and Cleveland Indians, fro ...

(1950) *

Gene Woodling Eugene Richard Woodling (August 16, 1922 – June 2, 2001) was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder between and , most prominently as a member of the New York Yankees dynas ...

(1941) MLB All-Star

References

{{Reflist Sports in Flint, Michigan Defunct baseball teams in Michigan Central League teams Cleveland Guardians minor league affiliates Detroit Tigers minor league affiliates Baseball teams established in 1941 Michigan State League teams Baseball teams disestablished in 1951