The Pennington Gap Miners was the final moniker of minor league baseball teams representing

Pennington Gap, Virginia Pennington Gap is the most populous town in Lee County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,781 at the 2010 census. The Lee Regional Medical Center was in Pennington Gap until it closed in October 2013, and the United States Penitentiar ...

. Between 1937 and 1951, Pennington Gap teams played as members of the Class D level

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 ...

from 1937 to 1940 and the Mountain States League from 1948 to 1951, winning the 1937 league championship. The team was initially called the "Bears." Pennington Gap was a minor league affiliate of the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

from 1938 to 1940. Pennington Gap teams played home minor league games at Leeman Field.

History

Minor league baseball began in Pennington Gap, Virginia, when the 1937 Pennington Gap Lee Bears joined the four–team

, which was reformed after a 12–year hiatus. The 1937 Pennington Gap Lee Bears finished the regular season with a 49–55 record, placing 3rd in the standings with league members

Elizabethton Betsy Red Sox Elizabethton is a city in, and the county seat of Carter County, Tennessee, United States. Elizabethton is the historical site of the first independent American government (known as the Watauga Association, created in 1772) located west of both th ...

(57–45), Johnson City Soldiers (52–51) and Newport Canners (49–56). The Pennington Gap Lee Bears won the 1937 Appalachian League Championship. In the 1937 playoffs, the Pennington Gap Lee Bears defeated the Elizabethton Betsy Red Sox 3 games to 2 to capture the championship. Playing as an affiliate of the

, the 1938 Pennington Gap Lee Bears placed 4th in the six–team league. The Bears finished with a 46–60 record in the regular season standings and qualified for the playoffs, as the Appalachian League expanded to six teams. In the playoffs, 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 ...

defeated the Pennington Gap Lee Bears 2 games to 0. The 1939 Pennington Gap Bears remained as a St. Louis Browns affiliate. The team finished the regular season with a record of 52–66, placing 5th in the Appalachian League regular season standings, missing the playoffs. In 1940, the renamed Pennington Gap Miners finished 7th in the league standings. With a 50–64 record, the Miners missed the playoffs, playing as an affiliate of the St. Louis Browns. The team drew 22,330, an average of 392. Pennington Gap folded following the 1940 season. In 1948, the Mountain States League reformed, having last played in 1912. The Pennington Gap Miners joined the league. The 1948 Miners finished 59–54 (3rd) in the Mountain States League regular season, with the

Harlan Smokies Harlan Smokies was the primary name of a minor league baseball team based in Harlan, Kentucky. The team complete for a total of 11 seasons during 1948–1965, first in the Mountain States League and later in the Appalachian League. The team was ...

(56–63),

Jenkins Cavaliers The Jenkins Cavaliers were a minor league baseball team based in Jenkins, Kentucky. From 1948 to 1951, Jenkins played exclusively as members of the Class D level Mountain States League. The Cavaliers hosted home minor league games at the Jenkins ...

(35–78), Morristown Red Sox (70–46), Newport Canners (58–59) and

Oak Ridge Bombers The Oak Ridge Bombers were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Class D Mountain States League in 1948. The Bombers were located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and were named for the city's association with the Manhattan Project and the dev ...

(65–43). In the 1948 playoffs, the

Hazard Bombers The Hazard Bombers were a minor league baseball team that played in the Mountain States League between 1948 and 1952. History The team began in 1948 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, as the Oak Ridge Bombers but quickly moved to Hazard, Kentucky, and to ...

defeated the Pennington Gap Miners 3 games to 0. Pennington Gap's season attendance was 14,988, an average of 265, last in the league. The Pennington Gap Miners finished 62–63, placing 5th in 1949 and 44–82 to finish 8th and last in 1950, missing the playoffs in both seasons. The 1950 team finished last in attendance, with 11,164. The 1951 season was the last for the Pennington Gap Miners. The Miners finished 54–71 to place 5th in the regular season and did not qualify for the playoffs. Their season attendance at Leeman Field was 14,994. The Pennington Gap Miners folded from the Mountain States League after the 1951 season, as did the

. Pennington Gap has not hosted another minor league team.

The ballpark

Pennington Gap teams played minor league home games at Leeman Field. The ballpark site today is called "Leeman Field Park" and still contains baseball fields. The address is 605 Old Zion Road, Pennington Gap, Virginia, 24277.

Timeline

Notable alumni

Lew Flick Lewis Miller Flick (February 18, 1915 – December 7, 1990) was a Major League Baseball outfielder and pinch hitter. He debuted late in the season, playing right fielder, right field for the Philadelphia Athletics on September 28. His game was qu ...

(1949-1950, MGR) *

Arthur Hauger John Arthur Hauger (November 18, 1893 – August 2, 1944) was a major league baseball player and scout and minor league manager. Hauger was an outfielder for the Cleveland Naps. He played in fifteen games and only managed one hit (a single) ...

(1939-1940, MGR) *

Charlie Metro Charlie Metro (born Charles Moreskonich; April 18, 1918 – March 18, 2011) was an American professional baseball player, manager, coach and scout. Notably, he was an outfielder for the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Athletics as well as ...

(1938)

References

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External links