The Lexington Bees, previously known as the Lexington Giants, were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Class D

Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League The Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League (or ''KITTY League'') was a Class D level minor league baseball circuit that went through six different periods of play between 1903 and 1955. The League hosted teams in 29 cities from the states of Ill ...

(KITTY League) from 1935 to 1938. They were located in Lexington, Tennessee, and played their home games at

Lexington Park Lexington Park was the name of a former minor league baseball park in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was the home of the St. Paul Saints from 1897 through 1956, when it was replaced by the first version of Midway Stadium. Lexington Park was commiss ...

. The team was known as the Giants from 1935 to 1937. They were renamed the Bees when they became an affiliate of the

Boston Bees The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During ...

in 1938.

History

The team began competition in 1935 as the Lexington Giants playing at

. They were managed by

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 s ...

John Antonelli. The Giants won their inaugural season opener on May 22 by defeating the

Jackson Generals The Jackson Generals were a professional baseball team located in Jackson, Tennessee. From 1998 to 2020, they were a part of Minor League Baseball's Southern League (SL) as the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs (1998–2006), Seattle Mari ...

, 10–7. On June 30, Lester Gray pitched a no-hitter against the Portageville Pirates in a 7–0 road win. The Giants won the first half of the KITTY League's split season, which qualified them for the postseason championship playoffs. Though Jackson and the

Union City Greyhounds Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

ended the second half in first and second place, respectively, the league refused to award either team the second half title because they exceeded the limit of veteran players on their rosters. The second half title was then awarded to third-place Portageville. Lexington refused to play Portageville for the KITTY League championship, believing they were not entitled to the second half title. As a result, no playoff games were held, and the league declared no champion. The Giants' season record was 43–46 (.483). The 1936 Giants, managed by Antonelli and Rip Fanning, compiled a 68–52 (.567) record, but did not win either half of the season. Fanning led the 1937 team to a record of 60–61 (.496), again not winning either half of the season. In 1938, the team changed its name to the Lexington Bees when they became a

farm club In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

. Fanning led the Bees to a 66–59 (.528) record and third-place finish, which qualified them for the playoffs. The were eliminated in the first round by the Jackson Generals, three games to zero. Their final game was a 9–0 road loss on September 19. Lexington did not field another team in 1939. Over four years of competition, their composite record was 237–218 (.521).

Season-by-season results

Notable players

Four Lexington players also played in

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), ...

during their careers. They, along with their seasons in Lexington, were: * John Antonelli (1935–1936) *

Johnny Beazley John Andrew Beazley (May 25, 1918 – April 21, 1990) was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Car ...

(1937) * Sol Carter (1937) * Al Javery (1938)

References

{{reflist

External links

Statistics from ''Baseball-Reference''Statistics from ''Stats Crew''
1935 establishments in Tennessee 1938 disestablishments in Tennessee Baseball teams established in 1935 Baseball teams disestablished in 1938 Boston Bees minor league affiliates Defunct baseball teams in Tennessee Defunct minor league baseball teams Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League Professional baseball teams in Tennessee Henderson County, Tennessee