The Newport Colts were a minor league baseball team based in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

from 1897 and to 1899. The Newport Colts teams played as members of the

New England League The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played intermittently in five of the six New England states (Vermont excepted) between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League B ...

, winning the league championship in 1897 and a spilt–season pennant in 1899. The Newport Ponies succeeded the Colts in minor league play, becoming members of the short–lived 1908

Atlantic Association The Atlantic Association was a minor league baseball organization that operated between 1889 and 1890 and again in 1908 in the Northeastern United States. History First Demise In each of the two seasons 4 or more teams failed to finish the season a ...

. Newport teams played home minor league games at

Cardines Field Cardines Field is a baseball stadium located at 20 America’s Cup Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. It is believed to be one of the oldest ballparks in the United States and has been called "a small urban gem of a ballpark". The field serves as a ...

, then called Basin Field, built in 1893 and still in use today.

History

In 1897, the Newport Colts began minor league play, when the team became members of the six–team Class B level

. The

Brockton Shoemakers Brockton may refer to: Canada * Brockton (electoral district), Canada * Brockton, Ontario, Canada * Brockton Point, a point and attached peninsula in Vancouver * Brockton Point Lighthouse, in Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia * Brockto ...

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Pawtucket Phenoms Pawtucket may refer to: * Pawtucket, Rhode Island * Pawtucket Falls (Massachusetts), Lowell, Massachusetts * Pawtucket tribe * 2 ships named USS Pawtucket * Pawtucket Brewery, fictional brewery on the television series ''Family Guy ''Famil ...

and Taunton Herrings joined Newport in 1897 New England League play. After beginning play on May 1, 1897, the Newport Colts won the New England League championship in their first season of play. The Colts had a record of 70–37 record, playing under manager Mickey Finn and finished in a tie, as the Brockton Shoemakers finished with the same record. They were followed by the Pawtucket Phenoms (54–51), Fall River Indians (47–59), Taunton Herrings (40–68) and New Bedford Whalers (38–67) in the New England League final standings. Pitcher Marvin Hawley of Newport led the league with 24 wins. Continuing play in the 1898 six–team Class B level New England League, the Newport Colts placed fourth in the final standings, as the league folded during the season. The league stopped play on July 5, 1898. The Colts ended the season with a record of 26–28, playing under returning manager Mickey Finn and Mike Kelley. Newport finished 9.0 games behind the first place Brockton Shoemakers in the final standings. Player/manager Mike Kelley led the league with 56 runs scored and teammate John Gilbert stole 36 bases to lead the league. The 1899 New England League expanded to eight teams, but four folded during the season. With a 52–46 final record, the Newport Colts placed third among the four remaining teams in the overall standings. Playing again under manager Mickey Finn, the Colts finished 8.0 games behind the first place Portland Phenoms. The New England League did not return to play in the 1900 season. John Gilbert again led the league with 53 stolen bases and Newport pitcher Gussie Gannon led the league with a .739 win percentage, compiling a record of 17–6. It was reported that the Newport Colts won the second–half of the 1899 New England League season under dubious circumstances. Allegedly, the Portland Phenoms and Manchester, not wanting Newport to win the second half of the season, expanded the schedule on the final day from a doubleheader to play six games in one day, beginning at 9:00 AM. Manchester won all six games, to move ahead of Newport in the standings, but the league allowed only two of the wins. In was noted that Portland subsequently refused to play Newport in the finals. Newport was without a minor league team until 1908, when the city hosted their final minor league team to date. The Newport Ponies played briefly as members of the

, which folded during the season. After beginning league play on May 2, 1908, the Ponies had a record of 5–5 record under managers Ben Anthony and George Reed. The Atlantic Association disbanded on May 21, 1908, with Newport in fourth place, 2.5 games behind the 1st place Portland Blue Sox. Newport, Rhode Island has not hosted another minor league team.

The ballpark

Newport minor league teams reportedly hosted home games at

. The ballpark was originally called "Basin Field" and built in 1893 on railroad land, with the backstop added in 1908. The ballpark is still in use today. The

Newport Gulls The Newport Gulls are a wooden-bat, collegiate summer baseball team based in Newport, Rhode Island. The Newport Gulls Baseball Club is a member of both the New England Collegiate Baseball League and the NECBL's Coastal Division. Since 2001, the Gu ...

of the

New England Collegiate Baseball League The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is a 13-team collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 44-game schedule during June ...

continue play at Cardines Field. The location is America's Cup Avenue and West Marlborough Street, Newport, Rhode Island.

Timeline

Year-by-year records

Notable alumni

Joe Bean Joseph William Bean (March 18, 1874 – February 15, 1961) was a shortstop in Major League Baseball. He played for the New York Giants in 1902.

(1897–1898) *

Kitty Bransfield William Edward "Kitty" Bransfield (January 7, 1875 – May 1, 1947) was an American professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1898 to 1911 for the Boston Beaneaters, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phil ...

(1898) *

Frank Corridon Frank Joseph Corridon 'Fiddler''(November 25, 1880 – February 21, 1941) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three teams between the and seasons. Listed at 170 lb., Corridon was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. H ...

(1899) *

Pat Crisham Patrick J. Crisham (born June 4, 1877 in Amesbury, Massachusetts – June 12, 1915 in Syracuse, New York) was an American baseball player who played infielder in Major League Baseball in 1899. He played for the Baltimore Orioles The Balt ...

(1897) *

Joe Delahanty Joseph Nicholas Delahanty (October 18, 1875 in Cleveland, Ohio – January 29, 1936 in Cleveland, Ohio), was a professional baseball player who played outfielder in the major leagues from 1907 to 1909. He was one of five Delahanty brothers to p ...

(1897) * Ben Ellis (1897) * Tom Fleming (1899) * William Gallagher (1898) * Gussie Gannon (1898–1899) *

Jack Gilbert Jack Gilbert (February 18, 1925 – November 13, 2012) was an American poet. Gilbert was acquainted with Jack Spicer and Allen Ginsberg, both prominent figureheads of the Beat Movement, but is not considered a Beat Poet; he described himself as ...

(1897–1899) *

Marvin Hawley Marvin Hiram Hawley (June 1875 – April 28, 1904) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Boston Beaneaters of the National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National L ...

(1897) *

Mike Hickey Michael Francis Hickey (December 25, 1871 – June 11, 1918) was a second baseman in Major League Baseball. He played in one game for the Boston Beaneaters of the National League on September 14, 1899. He played college ball at the College of t ...

(1898) * Mike Kelley (1897), (1898, MGR) * Jim McCormick (1898–1899) * Frank Morrissey (1899) *

Dave Pickett David Pickett (May 26, 1874 – April 22, 1950) was an American outfielder 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 com ...

(1897–1898) *

Danny Shay Daniel Charles Shay (born Daniel Shea,After Shay's death, several sources reported that he changed the spelling of his name from ''Shea'' to ''Shay'' after retiring from baseball, but newspaper accounts throughout his career indicate that he sp ...

(1899) * Tom Smith (1899) *

Dummy Stephenson Reuben Crandol "Dummy" Stephenson (September 22, 1869 – December 1, 1924) was an American professional baseball first baseman and centerfielder of the late 19th century. He played in eight games as an outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies of ...

(1897)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Newport - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Defunct baseball teams in Rhode Island Baseball teams established in 1897 New England League teams Baseball teams disestablished in 1899 Newport, Rhode Island