The Middle Atlantic League (or Mid-Atlantic League) was a lower-level circuit in American minor league baseball that played during the second quarter of the 20th century.

History

The Middle Atlantic League played from

1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Itali ...

through

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

, with the exception of three seasons (1943–45) when the loop suspended operations during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The league primarily featured clubs based in the U.S. states of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

and

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

, although it had a team in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and, in its final season, one in New York. Its longest-tenured team, in

Johnstown, Pennsylvania Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 census. Located east of Pittsburgh, Johnstown is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, whi ...

- the Johnnies - existed for 19 seasons. Its final champion was the 1951 Niagara Falls Citizens. Throughout its 24-year history, the Middle Atlantic League was a Class-C level, one rung up from the lowest classification, Class-D. Elmer M. Daily was president of the league through 23 years of its existence.

List of teams

Akron, OH Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city pr ...

: Akron Yankees 1935–1941 *

Altoona, PA Altoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the Altoona Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The population was 43,963 at the time of the 2020 Census, making it the eighteenth most populous city in Pennsylvania. ...

: Altoona Engineers 1931 *

Beaver Falls, PA Beaver Falls is a city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 9,005 at the 2020 census. Located 31 miles (50 km) northwest of Pittsburgh, the city lies along the Beaver River, six miles (9 km) north of its c ...

: Beaver Falls Beavers 1931 *

Beckley, WV Beckley is a city in and the county seat of Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. It was founded on April 4, 1838. This city is the home of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology or West Virginia University, Beckley Campus. ...

: Beckley Black Knights 1931–1934;

Beckley Miners Beckley may refer to: Places ;United Kingdom * Beckley, East Sussex, England * Beckley, Hampshire, England * Beckley, Oxfordshire, England ** Beckley Park, a stately home ;United States * Beckley, Louisville, Kentucky *Beckley, West Virginia Bec ...

1935 * Butler, PA: Butler Yankees 1946–1947; Butler Tigers 1948–1951 * Canton, OH:

Canton Terriers The Canton Terriers was the name of a minor league baseball team from Canton, Ohio that played between 1928 and 1942. The team was formed in 1928 as a member of the Central League and played there until 1932. In 1936 a new Terriers team was for ...

1936–1942 * Charleroi, PA: Charleroi Babes 1927–1928; Charleroi Governors 1929–1931 *

Charleston, WV Charleston is the capital and most populous city of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha rivers, the city had a population of 48,864 at the 2020 census and an estimated population of 48,018 in 2021. The Charlesto ...

Charleston Senators The Charleston Senators were an American minor league baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They were the first professional baseball team to play in Charleston, beginning play in 1910. The team was inactive during a few periods, playi ...

1931–1942 * Clarksburg, WV: Clarksburg Generals 1925–1932 *

Cumberland, MD Cumberland is a U.S. city in and the county seat of Allegany County, Maryland. It is the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 19,076. Located on the Potomac River, ...

: Cumberland Colts 1925–1932, 1941–1942 *

Dayton, OH Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

Dayton Ducks The Dayton Ducks were a minor league baseball team that played in the Central League in 1932 and then the Middle Atlantic League from 1933–1942. The team took its name from their owner and field manager, former St. Louis Cardinals player Ducky Ho ...

1933–1938; Dayton Wings 1939–1940 *

Erie, PA Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

Erie Sailors The Erie Sailors was the primary name of several minor league baseball teams that played in Erie, Pennsylvania between 1906 and 1994. Pre-1930s Several unrelated teams used the Erie Sailors name in the Interstate League (1906–1907, 1913, 19 ...

1938–1939, 1941–1942,1946–1951 *

Fairmont, WV Fairmont is a city in and county seat of Marion County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 18,313 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Fairmont Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Marion County, a ...

: Fairmont Maroons 1925; Fairmont Black Diamonds 1926–1931 *

Hagerstown, MD Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States and the county seat of Washington County. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census was 43,527, and the population of the Hagerstow ...

: Hagerstown Hubs 1931 *

Huntington, WV Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Cabell County, and the largest city in the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as the Tri-State Area. A ...

: Huntington Boosters 1931–1933; Huntington Red Birds 1934–1936 *

Jeannette, PA Jeannette is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Jeannette was founded in 1888. The city got its name from one of the original city fathers, who wished to honor his wife, Jeannette McLaughlin, by giving the new town her fi ...

: Jeannette Jays 1926–1931 * Johnstown, PA: Johnstown Johnnies 1925–1938, 1946–1950 * Lockport, NY: Lockport Locks 1951 * New Castle, PA: New Castle Chiefs 1948; New Castle Nats 1949–1950; New Castle Indians 1951 * Niagara Falls, NY: Niagara Falls Frontiers 1946–1947; Niagara Falls Citizens 1950–1951 * Oil City, PA: Oil City Oilers 1946; Oil City Refiners 1947–1950; Oil City A's 1951 * Parkersburg, WV: Parkersburg Parkers 1931 * Portsmouth, OH: Portsmouth Pirates 1935–1936; Portsmouth Red Birds 1937–1940 * Scottdale, PA: Scottdale Scotties 1925–1930; Scottdale Cardinals 1931 * Springfield, OH: Springfield Chicks 1933;

Springfield Pirates Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queensl ...

1934;

Springfield Indians The Springfield Indians were a minor professional ice hockey franchise, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The Indians were founding members of the American Hockey League. They were in existe ...

1937–1939;

Springfield Cardinals The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They compete as a member of the Texas League's North Division. The Cardinals began play in 2005. The team is owned by the 11-time Major League Baseball ...

1941–1942 * Uniontown, PA: Uniontown Cokers 1926;

Uniontown Coal Barons The Uniontown Coal Barons were a Pennsylvania–Ohio–Maryland League (1906–1907), Pennsylvania–West Virginia League (1908–1909 and 1914) and Middle Atlantic League (1926, 1947–1949) baseball team based in Uniontown, Pennsylvani ...

1947–1949 * Vandergrift, PA:

Vandergrift Pioneers The Vandergrift Pioneers were a minor league baseball team based in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania from 1947 until 1950. The team played in the Middle Atlantic League and won the league title in 1947. The club was also a class-C affiliate of the Phi ...

1947–1950 *

Wheeling, WV Wheeling is a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and also contains a tiny portion extending ...

Wheeling Stogies The Wheeling Stogies was a minor league baseball team based in Wheeling, West Virginia, that played under several different names at various times between 1877 and 1934. They played mostly in the Central League (baseball), Central League and the Mi ...

1925–1931, 1933–1934 *

Youngstown, OH Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

: Youngstown Tubers 1931; Youngstown Browns 1939–1941; Youngstown Gremlins 1946; Youngstown Colts 1947–1948; Youngstown Athletics 1949–1951 * Zanesville, OH: Zanesville Grays 1933–1937; Zanesville Cubs 1941–1942

League champions

*1925 - Johnstown Johnnies *1926 - Johnstown Johnnies -2 *1927 - Cumberland Colts *1928 - Fairmont Black Diamonds *1929 - Charleroi Governors *1930 - Johnstown Johnnies -3 *1931 - Cumberland Colts -2 *1932 - Charleston Senators -2 *1933 - Zanesville Grays *1934 - Zanesville Grays - 2 *1935 - Huntington Red Birds *1936 - Zanesville Grays - 3 *1937 -

*1938 - Portsmouth Red Birds *1939 - Canton Terriers -2 *1940 - Akron Yankees *1941 -

*1942 - Erie Sailors -2 *1943 - ''League shutdown due to

'' *1944 - ''League shutdown due to World War II'' *1945 - ''League shutdown due to World War II'' *1946 - Erie Sailors -3 *1947 -

*1948 - Erie Sailors -4 *1949 - Erie Sailors -5 *1950 - Butler Tigers *1951 - Niagara Falls Citizens

Baseball Hall of Fame alumni

* Chief Bender, 1927 Johnstown Johnnies *

Joe Cronin Joseph Edward Cronin (October 12, 1906 – September 7, 1984) was an American professional baseball player, manager and executive. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop, most notably as a member of the Boston Red Sox. Cronin spe ...

, 1925 Johnstown Johnnies *

Whitey Ford Edward Charles "Whitey" Ford (October 21, 1928 – October 8, 2020), nicknamed "the Chairman of the Board", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played his entire 16-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Yankees ...

, 1947 Butler Yankees *

Bob Lemon Robert Granville Lemon (September 22, 1920 – January 11, 2000) was an American right-handed pitcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Lemon was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976. Lemon was raised in California ...

, 1938–1939

Joe Medwick Joseph Michael Medwick (November 24, 1911 – March 21, 1975), nicknamed "Ducky" and "Muscles", was an American Major League Baseball player. A left fielder with the St. Louis Cardinals during the " Gashouse Gang" era of the 1930s, he also pla ...

, 1930 Scottdale Scotties

References

*Johnson, Lloyd and Wolff, Miles, editors: ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball.'' Durham, N.C.: Baseball America, 1997.

External links

Baseball Reference
{{Authority control

Middle Atlantic League The Middle Atlantic League (or Mid-Atlantic League) was a lower-level circuit in United States, American minor league baseball that played during the second quarter of the 20th century. History The Middle Atlantic League played from 1925 in base ...

Baseball leagues in Ohio Baseball leagues in Pennsylvania Baseball leagues in New York (state) Baseball leagues in West Virginia Baseball leagues in Maryland Sports leagues established in 1925 Sports leagues disestablished in 1951