The Richmond Virginians was the name of a
minor league baseball franchise that played in
Richmond, Virginia, from 1954 through 1964. The team competed at the
Triple-A level as members of the
International League, and 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 ...
for nine of their 11 seasons.
History
The minor-league Virginians were the transplanted version of the International League edition of the
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) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
, who were uprooted from their Maryland home when 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 p ...
of
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), ...
transferred there for the 1954 season. (The 1954 transfer was the second time the Orioles had moved to the Virginia capital. The Orioles played there during 1915–1917 when the
Federal League
The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "third major league", in competition with the e ...
, the outlaw "third major league", chased them temporarily from Baltimore.)
The Virginians were unaffiliated with a major league
farm system during 1954 and 1955, and—despite being
managed by a
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 ...
,
Luke Appling
Lucius Benjamin "Luke" Appling (April 2, 1907 – January 3, 1991), nicknamed "Old Aches and Pains" was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Chicago White Sox (1930–1950). He was elected to the Base ...
—they wallowed at the bottom of league standings. The team's fortunes improved in 1956, when it 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 ...
. The Virginians, the Yankees' sole Triple-A farm club after 1958, sent several key players (including
Tom Tresh
Thomas Michael Tresh (September 20, 1938 – October 15, 2008) was a professional baseball infielder and outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (–) and Detroit Tigers (). Tresh was a switch-hitter and thre ...
,
Al Downing and
Joe Pepitone
Joseph Anthony Pepitone (born October 9, 1940) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder who played the bulk of his career for the New York Yankees. He also played several seasons with the Chicago Cubs and had short stints wi ...
) to the major league team, but the club's attendance figures were usually in the bottom tier of the league.
At one point, the Virginians were the only minor league affiliate of the Yankees allowed to keep their nickname instead of adopting the Yankees name. For instance, the
Columbus Confederate Yankees, based in
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...
, were forced to adopt the "Yankees" name, but made use of the
Confederate flag
The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...
on its uniforms.
After the 1964 season, the Virginians were transferred to
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...
, and were renamed as the
Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...
.
Richmond was without baseball in 1965, but gained its longtime IL franchise, the
Richmond Braves, when the
Atlanta Crackers
The Atlanta Crackers were Minor League Baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia, between 1901 and 1965. The Crackers were Atlanta's home team until the Atlanta Braves moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1966.
History
Atlanta played its first ...
transferred there the following season. After 43 seasons in Richmond, the club moved to
Gwinnett County, Georgia
Gwinnett County ( ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It forms part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. In 2020, the population was 957,062, making it the second-most populous county in Georgia (after Fulto ...
, for the 2009 campaign. In 2010, Virginia's capital joined the
Double-A Eastern League with the creation of the
Richmond Flying Squirrels
The Richmond Flying Squirrels are a Minor League Baseball team based in Richmond, Virginia. The team, which is a part of the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club, and plays at The Diamond. The ...
—formerly the
Connecticut Defenders
The Connecticut Defenders were a Minor League Baseball team based in Norwich, Connecticut. The team, which played in the Eastern League, was the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major-league club from 2003 until following the 2009 ...
of
Norwich, Connecticut—an affiliate of the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
.
References
{{Reflist
Further reading
*Lloyd Johnson and Miles Wolff, editors. ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball'', 1997 edition. Durham, North Carolina:
Baseball America.
Baseball teams established in 1954
Sports clubs disestablished in 1964
Defunct International League teams
Sports in Richmond, Virginia
Defunct baseball teams in Virginia
New York Yankees minor league affiliates
1954 establishments in Virginia
1964 disestablishments in Virginia