The Gastonia Cardinals were a minor league baseball team based in

Gastonia, North Carolina Gastonia is the largest city in and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest satellite city of the Charlotte area, behind Concord. The population was 80,411 at the 2020 census, up from 71,741 in 2010 ...

on two separate occasions, playing as a minor league affiliate 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 ...

in both instances. The first Gastonia Cardinals team played as members of the Class D level

North Carolina State League The North Carolina State League was a "Class D" league in Minor League Baseball. The original version of the league existed from 1913–1917 as the successor to the Carolina Association. The second version of the league was established in 1937 i ...

in 1938 and the

Tar Heel League The Tar Heel League was a mid-20th century Class D level professional minor baseball league, based in North Carolina in the United States. It operated during the full seasons of , and , and from the opening of the season through June 21, . The ...

in 1939 and 1940, winning the 1939 league championship. Three decades later, the second Cardinals team played from 1977 to 1982 as members of the Class A level

Western Carolinas League file:John Henry Moss.png, Portion of plaque displaying likeness of John Henry Moss at Municipal Stadium, Hagerstown, Maryland The Western Carolinas League was a Class D (1948–52; 1960–62) and a low Class A (1963–79) full-season league in Am ...

(winning the 1977 league championship) and its 1980 successor, the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

. The Cardinals teams hosted home games from 1938 to 1940 at the

Gastonia High School Gastonia High School is a historic high school building located at Gastonia, Gaston County, North Carolina. It was designed by Hugh Edward White and built in 1922–1924. It is a five-story, heavily ornamented E-shaped Tudor Revival style red ...

Stadium and subsequently at

Sims Legion Park Sims Legion Park is a 3,000-seat baseball park in Gastonia, North Carolina that is the home field for Gaston College baseball. It has hosted the Gastonia Grizzlies of the Coastal Plain League, as well as American Legion Baseball, American Legion b ...

, which is still in use today.

History

1938 to 1940 North Carolina State League / Tar Heel League

Gastonia first hosted minor league baseball in 1923, when the Gastonia Comers played a partial season as members of the Class B level

. The first Gastonia Cardinals team was immediately preceded in minor league play by the 1938 Gastonia Spinners, who played a portion of the season as members of the

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

level

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

in the final season of the league. After the Gastonia Spinners relocated during the 1938 North Carolina League season, the Gastonia "Cardinals" began play. On July 22, 1938, the Shelby Cardinals franchise of the eight-team, Class D level

relocated to Gastonia. Shelby had a record of 47-23 at the time of the move and were a minor league affiliate of the

. The Shelby/Gastonia team ended the regular season in second place with a record of 66–45, playing under manager George Silvey. Gastonia finished 9.0 games behind the

Thomasville Tommies Thomasville may refer to: *Thomasville, Alabama * Thomasville, Georgia *Thomasville, Iowa *Thomasville, Missouri *Thomasville, North Carolina *Thomasville, Pennsylvania Other uses *Thomasville Furniture Industries Thomasville Furniture Industries ...

in the final regular season standings and qualified for the playoffs, where they were swept by the eventual champion

Mooresville Moors The Mooresville Moors were a minor league baseball team based in Mooresville, North Carolina. Between 1936 and 1953, the Mooresville Moors teams played as members of the 1936 Carolina League, the North Carolina State League from 1937 to 1942 and ...

in three games. Gastonia's Gene Nafie led the North Carolina State League with 27 home runs and 120 runs scored, while player/manager George Silvey topped the league with 80 stolen bases. In 1939, Gastonia continued play as a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, while joining a newly formed league. The 1939 Gastionia Cardinals became charter members of the six-team, Class D level Tar Heel League. The

Hickory Rebels The Hickory Rebels were a Class D minor league baseball team based in Hickory, North Carolina, that played from 1939–1940, 1940, 1945–1954, 1960. The Rebels were the predecessor of the current Hickory Crawdads in the South Atlantic League. His ...

, Lenoir Indians, Newton-Conover Twins, Shelby Nationals and Statesville Owls joined Gastonia in beginning league play. In their first season of league play, the Gastonia Cardinals won the 1939 Tar Heel League pennant and championship. The Cardinals ended the Tar Heel League regular season with a record of 72-36, placing first in the standings, finishing 10.5 games ahead of the second place Lenoir Indians.

Al Unser Alfred Unser (May 29, 1939 – December 9, 2021) was an American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser Jr. He was the second of four men ( A. J. Foyt, himself, Rick ...

served as the Gastonia manager. In the first round of the four-team playoffs, Gastonia defeated the Shelby Nationals three games to one to advance. In the Finals, Gastonia defeated the Statesville Owls in seven games to win the championship. Hooper Triplett of Gastonia won the league triple crown, hitting .391 with 27 home runs and 115 RCI. Teammate Miles Gardner had 17 wins to lead the Tar Heel league in that category. The Cardinals continued play as the 1940 Tar Heel League remained with the original six teams, in what proved to be the final season of the first Gastonia Cardinals team. Gastonia finished second in the regular season standing and qualified for the playoffs. The Cardinals ended the regular season with a 64–44 record, playing under manager Milt Bocek, while finishing 8.0 games behind the first place Statesville Owls. In the playoffs, the Cardinals were swept in three games by the Hickory Rebels. Player/manager Mile Bocek led the Tar Heel League with both a .367 average and 109 RBI. Gastonia folded and did not return to play in the 1941 Tar Heel League, as the league expanded to eight teams without the Gastonia franchise.

1977 to 1979 Western Carolinas League

The 1977 Gastonia Cardinals were reformed as a minor league affiliate of the

, playing as members of the six-team, Class A level

, as the league expanded from four teams to six, adding Gastonia and the

Shelby Reds The Shelby Reds, was the primary name of a minor league baseball team that played in Shelby, North Carolina, between 1937 and 1982. The Reds were a member of the Western Carolinas League, before transferring with the league to the South Atlantic L ...

franchises. The Cardinals were preceded in Western Carolinas League play by the 1974

Gastonia Rangers The Gastonia Rangers were a class A minor league baseball team located in Gastonia, North Carolina. The team played first as the Rangers in the Western Carolinas League (1973–1974). In 1983 and 1984, they played as the Gastonia Expos, as an affil ...

. The Cardinals were joined in the 1977 Western Carolinas League by the

Asheville Tourists The Asheville Tourists are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville teams have played under the Tourists moniker in differen ...

, Charleston Patriots,

Greenwood Braves The Greenwood Braves were a single-A minor league baseball team located in Greenwood, South Carolina that existed from 1968 to 1979. History Affiliated with the Atlanta Braves, the Braves were members of the Western Carolinas League. The Braves ...

, Shelby Reds and

Spartanburg Phillies Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat, seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest c ...

. On April 16, 1977, the Gastonia Cardinals won their first game, a 12-4 victory, playing at the Spartanburg Phillies. The 1977 Gastonia Cardinals won the Western Carolinas League championship, playing he season under manager

Hal Lanier HAL may refer to: Aviation * Halali Airport (IATA airport code: HAL) Halali, Oshikoto, Namibia * Hawaiian Airlines (ICAO airline code: HAL) * HAL Airport, Bangalore, India * Hindustan Aeronautics Limited an Indian aerospace manufacturer of fight ...

. With a record of 82-57, the Cardinals captured the league pennant, finishing 1.0 game ahead of the second place Ashville Tourists in the overall standings. Gastionia was the second half winner of the split-season schedule and played the first half winner, the Greenwood Braves in the playoff. Gastonia defeated the Braves three games to one in the Final to capture the league championship. In 1978, the Cardinals placed fifth in the six team Western Carolinas League. Gastonia ended the season with a 69-71 record, finishing 13.5 games behind the first place Greenwood Braves in the final standings. Buzzy Keller was the Gastonia manager. No playoffs were held as Greenwood won both halves of the split season schedule. The Western Carolinas League played its final season in 1979. The Cardinals again placed fifth in the final standings of the six-team league. Playing the season under manager Johnny Lewis, Gastonia compiled a record of 65-74, finishing 13.5 games behind the first place Greenwood Braves. Gastonia did not qualify for the playoffs, won by Greenwood. Cardinal pitcher Jerry Johnson led the league with a 2.65 ERA.

1980 to 1982 South Atlantic League

In 1980, the Western Carolinas League was renamed as the league evolved to become the eight-team Class A level

. The six Western Carolinas franchises remained, with the

Anderson Braves The Anderson Braves were a minor league baseball team located in Anderson, South Carolina. The team played in the South Atlantic League, and were affiliated with and owned by the Atlanta Braves. Their home stadium was the Anderson Memorial Stadi ...

and

Macon Peaches The Macon Peaches was the predominant name of the American minor league baseball franchise representing Macon, Georgia, during the 20th century. Although Macon did not field teams during and immediately after World War I, the height of the Great ...

joining the league, which was divided into two four-team divisions. In their first season of the new league, the Cardinals placed second in the North Division of the South Atlantic League and qualified for the 1980 league playoffs. Gastonia finished the season with a 64-66 record, playing under manager

Nick Leyva Nicholas Tomas Leyva (born August 16, 1953) is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. After his retirement as a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) player, Leyva moved into coaching. His Major League Baseball (MLB) coachi ...

. The Cardinals finished 8.5 games behind the division winner Greensboro Hornets. In the first round of the four-team playoffs, Gastonia lost to Greensboro two games to one. Ralph Citarella of Gastonia led South Atlantic League pitchers with a 1.64 ERA. The South Atlantic League expanded in 1982, becoming a ten-team league, as the

and

Florence Blue Jays The Florence Blue Jays Baseball Club was a minor league baseball team based in Florence, South Carolina. They began play in the South Atlantic League in 1981 where they eventually captured the league title in 1985. After the 1986 season the ...

became new members. The Gastonia Cardinals placed fourth in the five-team North Division in 1981, missing the South Atlantic League playoffs. Playing the season under manager Joe Rigoli, Gastonia ended the regular season with a 68-76 record to finish 31.5 games behind the division champion Greensboro Hornets. Greensboro was the eventual league champion. Gastonia played their final season as the "Cardinals" in 1982. Continuing play in the five-team North Division of the South Atlantic League, the Cardinals finished in fifth place. The Cardinals ended the season with a record of 54-89. Playing the season under manager

Lloyd Merritt Lloyd Wesley Merritt (born April 8, 1933) is a former professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher for one season (1957) with the St. Louis Cardinals. For his career, he compiled a 1–2 record, with a 3.31 earned run average, an ...

, Gastonia finished 43.0 games behind the first place and eventual league champion Greensboro Hornets in the North Division. The Gastonia Cardinals' final game was on August 31, 1982, an 8-7 loss against the Spartanburg Traders. In 1983, the Gastonia franchise continued play in the South Atlantic League, becoming the Gastonia Expos, as a minor league affiliate of the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

The ballparks

From 1938 to 1940, the Gastonia Cardinals of the

and

hosted home games at the

Stadium. The ballpark had a capacity of 3,000, with field dimensions of (Left-Center-Right): 340-415-355 in 1939 and 325-360-360 in 1940. The ballpark was located at

between west 7th Street and West 8th Street. The high school building still exists today, repurposed as a residential building and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. The 1977 to 1982 Gastonia Cardinals hosted minor league home games at

. The original Sims Legion Park was built in 1950. The ballpark was essentially reconstructed with a major renovation in 1977 and was greatly updated again in 2021. When the Cardinals began play at the ballpark in 1977, the renovation to Sims Legion Park was still ongoing, with the grandstands and locker rooms incomplete. For a time, the teams dressed at Wray Junior High School, which was three miles away from the ballpark. Still in use today, the ballpark is located at 1001 North Marietta Street.

Notable alumni

* Gibson Alba (1981) *

Bill Ayers William Charles Ayers (; born December 26, 1944) rose to prominence during the 1960s as a domestic terrorist. During the 1960s, Ayers was a leader of the Weather Underground militant group, described by the FBI as a terrorist group. In 196 ...

(1938) * George Bjorkman (1978) * Milt Bocek (1940, MGR) * Ralph Citarella (1980) * Terry Clark (1980-1981) *

Joe DeSa Joseph DeSa (July 27, 1959 – December 20, 1986) was a Major League Baseball first baseman. Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 3rd round of the 1977 MLB amateur draft, DeSa made his Major League Baseball debut with the St. Louis Cardinal ...

(1978) * Jeff Doyle (1979) *

Tom Dozier Thomas Dean Dozier (born September 5, 1961) is a former American Major League Baseball pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with th ...

(1981) *

Leon Durham Leon "Bull" Durham (born July 31, 1957) is an American former first baseman and outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for 10 seasons. Durham was a longtime minor league hitting coach, and most recently served as the assistant hitting coac ...

(1977) 2x MLB All-Star *

Neil Fiala Neil Stephen Fiala is a former Major League Baseball player. He played in five games in the majors in September , all as a pinch hitter. He pinch-hit three times for the St. Louis Cardinals without a hit, then was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on ...

(1977) *

Glenn Gardner Miles Glenn Gardner (January 25, 1916 – July 7, 1964) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1945. The 29-year-old rookie right-hander was a native of Burnsville, North Carolina. Gardner was one of many ...

(1938-1939) *

Jim Gott James William Gott (born August 3, 1959) is an American professional baseball pitcher and coach. Gott pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 14 years for the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Los Angeles Dodgers ...

(1978-1979) *

Kevin Hagen Kevin Hagen (April 3, 1928 – July 9, 2005) was an American actor best known for his role as Dr. Hiram Baker on NBC's ''Little House on the Prairie.'' Early life Hagen was born in Chicago, Illinois, to professional ballroom dancers, Haakon O ...

(1980) * Ricky Horton (1980) *

(1977, MGR) *

(1980, MGR) *

Bobby Meacham Robert Andrew Meacham (born August 25, 1960) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, who spent his entire six-year big league playing career with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). Since retiring from active play ...

(1981) *

(1982, MGR) *

Al Olmsted Alan Ray Olmsted (born March 18, 1957) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in 5 games for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1980. Pre-MLB baseball The Cardinals drafted Olmsted in the June 1975 amateur draft (13th round) out of ...

(1977-1978) *

Kelly Paris Kelly Jay Paris (October 17, 1957 – May 27, 2019) was a professional baseball player who played in the Major League Baseball, Major Leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, and the Chicago White Sox. He played as ...

(1978) * Joe Rigoli (1981, MGR) *

Andy Rincon Andrew John Rincon (March 5, 1959 - August 28, 2023) was a former Major League Baseball pitcher from Monterey Park, California. A multi-sport athlete in high school, Andy was a two-time All-CIF baseball player and was the 1977 CIF Southern Sectio ...

(1978) * Mark Riggins (1979) *

Gene Roof Eugene Lawrence Roof (born January 13, 1958) is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder. He played during three seasons at the Major League level for the St. Louis Cardinals and Montreal Expos. Playing career He was drafted by the Cardinals in ...

(1977) *

Mark Salas Mark Bruce Salas (born March 8, 1961) is a former professional catcher who played in Major League Baseball from -. Salas, who is of Mexican descent, also worked for the Chicago White Sox as a bullpen catcher. St. Louis Cardinals Salas was drafte ...

(1980) *

Ray Searage Raymond Mark Searage (born May 1, 1955) is an American professional baseball relief pitcher and coach. Searage played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets (1981), Milwaukee Brewers (1984–1986), Chicago White Sox (1986–1987), ...

(1978) *

(1939, MGR) *

Andy Van Slyke Andrew James Van Slyke (born December 21, 1960) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. Career Van Slyke earned All-American honors in baseball as a senior at New Hartford Central High school in New Hartford, New York. ...

(1980) 3x MLB All-Star

Timeline

Year–by–year records

References

{{reflist

External links

Gastonia - Baseball Reference
Baseball teams established in 1938 Baseball teams disestablished in 1940 Baseball teams established in 1977 Baseball teams disestablished in 1982 Defunct minor league baseball teams Gastonia, North Carolina Defunct baseball teams in North Carolina St. Louis Cardinals minor league affiliates Defunct Western Carolinas League teams Tar Heel League teams Defunct South Atlantic League teams