The Palatka Azaleas were a minor league baseball team, based in

Palatka, Florida Palatka () is a city in northeastern Florida and it is the county seat of Putnam County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,558 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Putnam County. Palatka is the principal city of the Palatka Mi ...

, that existed from 1936 to 1939 and from 1946 to 1953. The Azaleas were members of the Florida State League. In 1936, they were affiliated with the Detroit Tigers, in 1937 they were affiliated with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

, and in 1949 they were affiliated with the

Tampa Smokers The Tampa Smokers was a name used between 1919 and 1954 by a series of minor league baseball teams based in Tampa, Florida. The nickname was a nod to the local cigar industry, which was the most important industry in Tampa during the years in wh ...

. In 1956, a Palatka team began play again and evolved into the

Palatka Redlegs The Palatka Redlegs were a minor league baseball team that existed from 1956 to 1962 as members of the Florida State League, as descendants from the Palatka Azaleas. The team began as an affiliate of the Detroit Tigers in 1956, as the Palatka Ti ...

The Ballpark

Palatka teams played at the Azalea Bowl in Forrester Field, which is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. The address is 1600 Twigg Street. The park, with the original grandstand demolished, is still in use today as home to the Palatka High School Panthers.

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

conducted clinics at the field in the late 1930s."

Notable alumni

* Myril Hoag (1946) MLB All-Star * Bernie Neis (1936) * Bob Swift (1936-1937) * Sam Zoldak (1938)

Year-by-year record

References

Defunct Florida State League teams Baseball teams established in 1936 Baseball teams disestablished in 1953 Detroit Tigers minor league affiliates New York Yankees minor league affiliates Defunct baseball teams in Florida 1936 establishments in Florida 1953 disestablishments in Florida Palatka, Florida {{Florida-baseball-team-stub