The Pittsfield Red Sox was the name of an American minor league baseball franchise based in

Pittsfield, Massachusetts Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield� ...

, from 1965 through 1969. It was the Double-A Eastern League affiliate in the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

farm system In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

and produced future

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), ...

players such as George Scott,

Sparky Lyle Albert Walter "Sparky" Lyle (born July 22, 1944) is an American former left-handed relief pitcher who spent sixteen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1967 through 1982. He was a relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, ...

Reggie Smith Carl Reginald Smith (born April 2, 1945) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and afterwards served as a coach and front office executive. He also played in the Nippon Profe ...

and

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Carlton Fisk Carlton Ernest Fisk (born December 26, 1947), nicknamed "Pudge" and "The Commander", is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1969 to 1993 for the Boston Red Sox (1969, 1971–1980) a ...

. The team played at

Wahconah Park Wahconah Park is a city-owned baseball park located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and nestled in a working-class neighborhood. One of the last remaining ballparks in the United States with a wooden grandstand, it was constructed in 1919 and seats ...

Professional baseball in Pittsfield before 1965

The

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

city fielded its first team in Organized Baseball in 1894 when the ''Pittsfield Colts'' debuted in the

New York State League The New York State League was an independent baseball league that played six seasons between 2007 and 2012 in New York State and the New York City metro area. Over 500 NYSL players have been signed by professional teams. Players from forty-eight ...

, but the Colts folded after 30 games.Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball'', 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina:

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

, 2007 After the Pittsfield Electrics played two seasons (1913–1914) in the Class B Eastern Association, which folded after the 1914 campaign, Pittsfield was first represented in the Eastern League (then Class A) in 1919–1920 as the ''Hillies'', and won the 1919 EL pennant. Pittsfield then fielded a team in the Class C

Canadian–American League The Canadian–American League, nicknamed the Can-Am League, was a class C level minor league baseball circuit which ran from 1936 through 1951, with a three-year break during World War II. Teams *Amsterdam Rugmakers, 1938–1942, 1946–19 ...

from 1941 through 1951 (although the league suspended operations for 1943–1945 due to World War II). This club, initially nicknamed the ''Electrics'', was affiliated with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

(1942),

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

(1946–1950) and

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

(1951). After 1948, it dropped the ''Electrics'' identity and was named after its parent club.

The Pittsfield Red Sox

The Can-Am League folded after the 1951 campaign, and Pittsfield was without representation in organized ball for the next 13 years. But after the 1964 season,

Joe Buzas Joseph John Buzas (October 2, 1918 – March 19, 2003)Reading Red Sox The Reading Red Sox were a minor league baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox Major League Baseball, baseball franchise. History The team was based in Reading, Pennsylvania, and played in the Class A New York–Pennsylvania League (1923–37), N ...

, Boston's Double-A farm team, announced plans to move his franchise to Pittsfield. The 1965 Pittsfield club, managed by Eddie Popowski, proved to be a powerhouse. Led by Scott, who won the league's

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

, and left-handed pitcher Billy MacLeod, a

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...

, native who had a perfect 18–0 season, the Red Sox won 85 of 140 games and nipped the

Elmira Pioneers The Elmira Pioneers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Elmira, New York. They have been affiliated with many major league teams throughout their history. The current Elmira Pioneers play as members of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseb ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

farm team managed by

Earl Weaver Earl Sidney Weaver (August 14, 1930 – January 19, 2013) was an American professional baseball manager, author, and television broadcaster. After playing in minor league baseball, he retired without playing in Major League Baseball (MLB). He be ...

) by a game for the EL pennant and league championship. Pittsfield also led the league in home attendance that season. Three years later, Pittsfield enjoyed another banner season when the 1968 Red Sox, managed by

Billy Gardner William Frederick Gardner (born July 19, 1927) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and manager. During his ten-season active career in the major leagues, Gardner was a scrappy, light-hitting second baseman for the New Yo ...

, won 84 of 139 games and the regular-season title before falling to the

Reading Phillies Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

in the finals of the playoffs. That club was paced by future MLB

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

Luis Alvarado Luis César Alvarado Martínez (January 15, 1949 – March 20, 2001), born in Lajas, Puerto Rico was an infielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). From 1968 through 1977, he played for the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, ...

and

Carmen Fanzone Carmen Ronald Fanzone (born August 30, 1941) is a former utility man who played between 1970 and 1974 in Major League Baseball. Listed at , , he batted and threw right-handed. Fanzone was a versatile and effective utility man who was able to play ...

and included future MLB outfielder

Billy Conigliaro William Michael Conigliaro (August 15, 1947 – February 10, 2021) was an American baseball outfielder who played five seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and Oakland Athletics from 1969 ...

. Attendance rose to a peak of 79,000 fans in 1969, but Buzas and the Red Sox decided to locate their Eastern League franchise closer to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, and moved the club to

Pawtucket, Rhode Island Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence and East Providence to the south, Central Falls ...

, and

McCoy Stadium McCoy Stadium is a former baseball stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1970 through 2020, it served as home field of the Pawtucket Red Sox (PawSox), a Minor League Baseball farm team, affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Completed in 1942, the st ...

in 1970.

Later Eastern League franchises

The Washington Senators moved quickly and replaced the Red Sox in 1970, and the

Pittsfield Senators The Pittsfield Senators were a minor league baseball team that played from 1970 to 1975 in the Washington Senators minor league system. In 1972 when the Senators moved to Texas and became the Texas Rangers, Pittsfield changed its name to the Pitts ...

(later ''Rangers'' when the parent team moved to Dallas-Fort Worth) remained through 1975. The

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

replaced the Rangers in 1976, and the team played a season as the

Berkshire Brewers The Berkshire Brewers were a minor league baseball team that operated in 1976. They played in the Eastern League. They were affiliated with the Milwaukee Brewers. Future Major League Berkshire Brewers * Dick Davis * Greg Erardi *Gary Holle * ...

. With fan support at a new low — only 23,500 fans came through the turnstiles all season — the franchise moved to

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfield ...

, as the

Holyoke Millers The Holyoke Millers were a minor league baseball team located in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The team played in the Eastern League. Their home stadium was Mackenzie Stadium. The Millers played from 1977 to 1982 and was a farm team of the Milwauke ...

, and Pittsfield was again left without baseball, this time for eight seasons. But in 1985, the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

moved up from the EL to the Triple-A

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

, creating a need for an eighth Eastern League franchise, and the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

placed their Double-A affiliate in Wahconah Park. The

Pittsfield Cubs The Pittsfield Cubs, located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, were a minor league baseball team that played in the Eastern League (1938–2020), Eastern League from 1985 to 1988. They played their home games at Wahconah Park and were affiliated with ...

played through 1988, fielding such players as

Rafael Palmeiro Rafael Palmeiro Corrales (born September 24, 1964) is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball first baseman and left fielder. Palmeiro was an All-American at Mississippi State University before being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1985. H ...

and

Mark Grace Mark Eugene Grace (born June 28, 1964) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman who spent 12 seasons with the Chicago Cubs and three seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks of the National League (NL). He was a member of the 2001 Worl ...

, and winning the 1987 regular season title. But the Cubs' attendance was mired at the bottom of the league. After 1988, the Eastern League reorganized, replacing Pittsfield and other under-performing markets with new cities. However, Pittsfield continued to participate in professional baseball at a lower classification, in the Short Season Class A

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

(1989–2001) and in various

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

baseball leagues since 2002. The

Pittsfield Mets The Pittsfield Mets were a minor league baseball based in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and played their home games Wahconah Park. The team previously played as the Little Falls Mets from Little Falls, New York before an investment group organized by ...

of the New York–Penn League would shatter the attendance marks of the higher-classification Eastern League teams, despite playing in a short-season league with fewer than 40 home games each season.

Future Major League Pittsfield Red Sox

Chris Coletta Christopher Michael Coletta (born August 2, 1944) is a retired professional baseball player (corner outfielder) who played one season for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California Angels of Major League Baseball. Coletta was also with the Bo ...

(1965–1969) * Pete Magrini (1965) * Al Montreuil (1965–1968) *

Jerry Moses Gerald Braheen Moses (August 9, 1946 – March 27, 2018) was an American professional baseball player. A catcher, he signed a bonus contract with the Boston Red Sox in and spent his early Major League Baseball career with the Bosox, but over the ...

(1965–1967) * George Scott (1965) *

(1965) *

Gary Waslewski Gary Lee Waslewski (born July 21, 1941) is a former American professional baseball player who played as a pitcher from 1967 to 1972. He accrued an 11–26 win–loss record, plus 5 saves in his career, with an ERA of 3.44. Career Waslewski made h ...

(1965) *

Fred Wenz Frederick Charles "Fireball" Wenz (August 26, 1941 – October 6, 2020) was a middle relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1968 through 1970 for the Boston Red Sox (1968–69) and Philadelphia Phillies (1970). Listed at , , h ...

(1965) *

(1966, 1968) *

(1966–1968) * Jerry Janeski (1966, 1968) *

(1966) *

Bobby Mitchell Robert Cornelius Mitchell (June 6, 1935 – April 5, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a halfback and flanker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns and the Washington Redskins. Mitchell becam ...

(1966–1967) * Bob Montgomery (1966) * Ken Wright (1966–1968) *

Ken Brett Kenneth Alven Brett (September 18, 1948 – November 18, 2003) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher and the second of four Brett brothers who played professional baseball, the most notable being the youngest, George Brett. Ken played for ...

(1967) *

Russ Gibson John Russell Gibson (May 6, 1939 – July 27, 2008) was an American professional baseball catcher who played for the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1967 and 1972. Listed at and , he batted and threw ...

(1967) *

Ron Klimkowski Ronald Bernard Klimkowski (March 1, 1944 – November 13, 2009) was a baseball player born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher and junkball specialist. He played for the New York Yankees (–, ) an ...

(1967) *

Ed Phillips Ed Phillips (born 6 July 1966) is an Australian television and radio presenter. Career Phillips began his career in 1988 with radio station Triple M, where he stayed until 1997. It was around this time that he acquired his on-air handle "Laugh ...

(1967) *

Ken Poulsen Ken Sterling Poulsen (August 4, 1947 – December 28, 2017) was a professional baseball utility player who played briefly for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB) during the 1967 season. Listed at and , he batted left-handed and th ...

(1967) *

(1968) * Dick Baney (1968) *

Mark Schaeffer Mark Philip Schaeffer (June 5, 1948 – June 1, 2022) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher for the San Diego Padres in . He batted and threw left-handed. Schaeffer was born in ...

(1968) *

(1969) * Buddy Hunter (1969) * Bill Lee (1969) * Rick Miller (1969) *

Dick Mills Dick Mills (born 1936) is a British sound engineer, specialising in electronic music, electronic sound effects which he produced at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Mills was one of the original staff at the Radiophonic Workshop, joining in 1958 ...

(1969) Source:

Pittsfield Red Sox with previous Major League Experience

Dave Gray David Alexander Gray (January 7, 1943 – July 29, 2020) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball who played briefly for the Boston Red Sox during the 1964 season. Listed at and , he batted and threw right-handed. Gray played baseball ...

(1965) * Billy MacLeod (1965) * Pete Smith (1965) * Ed Connolly (1966) * Bobby Guindon (1966–1968) * Pete Charton (1967) *

Galen Cisco Galen Bernard Cisco (born March 7, 1936) is an American former baseball player and coach. He was a pitcher in Major League Baseball for three different teams between 1961 and 1969. Listed at tall and , Cisco batted and threw right-handed. He was ...

(1967) *

(1967, 1969) * Bill Schlesinger (1967–1968) * Jose Tartabull (1967) *

(1968–1969) *

Russ Nixon Russell Eugene Nixon (February 19, 1935 – November 8, 2016) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1957 to 1969. A veteran of 55 years in professional basebal ...

(1968) *

(1969) * Tom Parsons (1969) Source:

References

* Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball'', 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007. {{s-end 1965 establishments in Massachusetts 1969 disestablishments in Massachusetts Baseball teams disestablished in 1969 Baseball teams established in 1965 Boston Red Sox minor league affiliates Defunct baseball teams in Massachusetts Defunct Eastern League (1938–present) teams Baseball teams in Pittsfield, Massachusetts Professional baseball teams in Massachusetts

Professional baseball in Pittsfield before 1965

The Pittsfield Red Sox

Later Eastern League franchises

Future Major League Pittsfield Red Sox

Pittsfield Red Sox with previous Major League Experience

See also

References