The Maryville-Alcoa Twins were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Class D/ Class C Mountain States League (MSL) from 1953 to 1954. They played their home games at

Hunt Field Hunt Field is a city-owned, public-use airport located one nautical mile (2 km) south of the central business district of Lander, a city in Fremont County, Wyoming, United States. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated ...

Alcoa, Tennessee Alcoa is a city in Blount County, Tennessee, Blount County, Tennessee, United States, south of Knoxville, Tennessee, Knoxville. Its population was 10,978 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Knoxville, Tennessee Metropol ...

, but represented both Alcoa and nearby Maryville. Thus, the Twins were named for the

twin cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in statu ...

. They won the MSL pennant in 1953.

History

Maryville, Tennessee Maryville is a city in and the county seat of Blount County, Tennessee, and is a suburb of Knoxville. Its population was 31,907 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area and a short distance from popular tourist desti ...

, briefly hosted the relocated Newport Canners of the

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 ...

in 1940. Following a season of poor attendance in

Newport, Tennessee Newport is a city in and the county seat of Cocke County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,945 at the 2010 census, down from 7,242 at the 2000 census. The estimated population in 2018 was 6,801. It is located along the Pigeon Ri ...

, league directors voted on July 30 to transfer the franchise to Maryville for the remainder of the season. Their games were subsequently transferred back to Newport on the week of August 11. The Maryville-

Alcoa Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for Aluminum Company of America) is a Pittsburgh-based industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary ...

Twins began competition in 1953 as members of the Class D Mountain States League. The team was 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 ...

. Maryville-Alcoa won their season opener against the

Knoxville Smokies Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's ...

, 9–5, on April 25 before a home audience of around 1,000 people at

. They ended the season in first place with a 78–46 (.629) record, capturing the MSL pennant. They then won the first round of the playoffs by defeating the

Kingsport Cherokees Kingsport is a city in Sullivan and Hawkins counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, its population was 55,442. Lying along the Holston River, Kingsport is commonly included in what is known as the Mountain Empire, w ...

, three games to two, but lost the league championship to Knoxville, three games to one, in the finals. Maryville-Alcoa continued in the Mountain States League, which had been reclassified as a Class C loop, in 1954. The team gained a

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), ...

partner, as they became an affiliate of the

Cincinnati Redlegs Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. On June 19, the Twins' owners surrendered the franchise to the league due to financial problems. The league placed the team in

Morristown, Tennessee Morristown is a city in and the county seat of Hamblen County, Tennessee, United States. Morristown also extends into Jefferson County on the western and southern ends. The city's population was recorded to be 30,431 at the 2020 United States cen ...

, on June 20, where they became the

Morristown Reds The Morristown Reds were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Class C (baseball), Class C Mountain States League (1948–54), Mountain States League (MSL) in 1954 as an affiliate of the Cincinnati Redlegs. They were located in Morristown ...

. The Twins were in third place with a 26–27 (.491) record, just three games out of first place, at the time of the relocation. The Morristown team withdrew from the league on July 1 due to a lack of good players and financial losses. The league ceased operations on July 20. Across both cities, the Maryvale-Alcoa Twins/Morristown Reds accumulated a 29–36 (.446) record.

Season-by-season results

Notable players

The only Twin who also played in

during his career was

Willie Kirkland Willie Charles Kirkland (born February 17, 1934) is a retired American professional baseball player. A right fielder and a powerful left-handed hitter, Kirkland appeared in 1,149 games in Major League Baseball over nine seasons for the San Franci ...

of the 1953 team, who went on to play in the majors for nine seasons.

References

{{reflist

External links

Statistics from ''Baseball-Reference''Statistics from ''Stats Crew''
1953 establishments in Tennessee 1954 disestablishments in Tennessee Baseball teams established in 1953 Baseball teams disestablished in 1954 Cincinnati Reds minor league affiliates Defunct baseball teams in Tennessee Defunct Mountain States League (1948–1954) teams Professional baseball teams in Tennessee Maryville, Tennessee Alcoa, Tennessee