The Laurel Blue Hens were a minor league baseball team based in Laurel, Delaware. In 1922 and 1923, the Blue Hens teams played exclusively as members of the Class D level Eastern Shore League. Laurel hosted home minor league games at League Park.

History

Minor league baseball began in Laurel, Delaware with the 1922 "Laurel Blue Hens." Laurel became charter members of the six–team Class D level Eastern Shore League. The

Cambridge Canners Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge became ...

, Crisfield Crabbers,

Parksley Spuds The Parksley Spuds was a Class D minor league baseball team based in Parksley, Virginia, which had a population of just over 600 people at the 1920 United States Census. They played in the Eastern Shore League between 1922 and 1928, the entire ru ...

, Pocomoke City Salamanders and Salisbury Indians teams joined the Laurel Blue Hens as Eastern Shore League charter members. The use of the "Blue Hens" nickname corresponds to regional history. A company of soldiers from

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, known for their courage, who acquired the nickname of "The Blue Hen's Chickens" or "Sons of the Blue Hen." The

Blue Hen Chicken The Delaware Blue Hen is a blue strain of American gamecock. It was adopted on April 14, 1939, as the state bird of Delaware. It is one of three U.S. state birds that is not a species native to the United States. History The Blue Hen is not ...

became the official state bird of the state of Delaware. Relatedly, beginning in 1911, the athletic teams at the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...

became known as the Blue Hens, a moniker that continues to be used by the university today, updated to the

Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens The Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens are the college athletics, athletic teams of the University of Delaware of Newark, Delaware, Newark, Delaware, in the United States. The Blue Hens compete in the Division I-AA#Football Championship Subdivision, Foo ...

. The Laurel Blue Hens began play when the Eastern Shore League schedule started on June 12, 1922, with the team hosting home games at League Park. Laurel ended the 1922 season with a record of 34–34, placing fourth in the six–team league, finishing 8.5 games behind the first place

, who finished with a record of 42–25. The Crisfield Crabbers (36–32) and Cambridge Canners (37–32) finished ahead of the Laurel Blue Hens, who were followed by the Pocomoke City Salamanders (29–41) and Salisbury Indians (27–41) in the final league standings. Laurel was managed by Sam Frock and briefly, Ducky Davis. The Laurel Blue Hens continued play in the 1923 Eastern Shore League, in what would be their final season. The Blue Hens placed third in the eight–team league with a 42–30 record. The Laurel Blue Hens finished 7.0 games behind the first place

Dover Senators Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

while playing under manager John Whalen. Two other league teams folded during the season, as the Milford Sandpipers team withdrew on July 14, 1923 rather than forfeit all of its games due to an ineligible player and the Pocomoke City Salamanders disbanded on August 21, 1923. On July 19, 1923, in front of a crowd of 4,000, major league baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis threw out the first pitch at a game in Salisbury while wearing a Laurel Blue Hens cap to mark the occasion. After the 1923 season, the Eastern Shore League remained at six teams for the 1924 season. Laurel did not return to play in the 1924 league as the newly formed

Easton Farmers Easton may refer to: Places Canada * Easton, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Easton, Bristol * Easton, Cambridgeshire * Easton, Dorset *Great Easton, Essex and Little Easton, Essex * Easton, Hampshire **Crux Easton, Hampshire * Easton, Isle of Wight ...

franchise replaced Laurel and joined the five returning members. Laurel, Delaware has not hosted another minor league team.

The ballpark

The Laurel Blue Hens teams were noted to have played home minor league games at League Park. The ballpark reportedly no longer exists, with the site becoming residential. It was reported that the Laurel High School band played at home games. The ballpark was located on West Street, between 7th Street and 8th Street in Laurel, Delaware.

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

Eddie Bacon Edgar Suter Bacon (April 8, 1895 – October 2, 1963) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to ...

(1923) * Sam Frock (1922, MGR) * Laurel Blue Hens players

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

Laurel - Baseball ReferenceTeam photo
Defunct baseball teams in Delaware Defunct Eastern Shore League teams Baseball teams established in 1922 Baseball teams disestablished in 1923 Laurel, Delaware 1922 establishments in Delaware 1923 disestablishments in Delaware