The Rock Hill Chiefs was a primary name of the minor league baseball teams based in Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA between 1908 and 1968. Rock Hill teams played as members of the South Carolina League (1908), Tri-State League (1947–1955) and Western Carolinas League (1963–1968). Rock Hill was a minor league affiliate of 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 ...

(1950–1951), Washington Senators (1954), St. Louis Cardinals (1963–1966) and

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 ...

(1967–1968)

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

members Sparky Anderson (1965, MGR) and

Steve Carlton Steven Norman Carlton (born December 22, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher for six different teams from 1965 to 1988, most notably as a member of the Philadelphi ...

(1964) are Rock Hill Cardinals alumni.

History

The Rock Hill Catawabas played as members of the Class D level South Carolina League in 1908. The Rock Hill Chiefs then played as members of the Class B level Tri-State League from 1947 to 1955. The Rock Hill Wrens (1963), Rock Hill Cardinals (1964–1966) and Rock Hill Indians (1967–1968) played as members of the Class A level Tri-State League. Rock Hill teams were an affiliate of the

in 950 and 1951, Washington Senators in 1954, St. Louis Cardinals from 1963 to 1966 and

from 1967 to 1968. The Rock Hill Chiefs won the 1950 Tri-State League Championship, playing as an affiliate of the

. After placing fourth in the regular season standings with a 73–69 record, 13.5 games behind the first place

Knoxville Smokies Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's ...

, the Chiefs qualified for the playoffs. In the playoffs, Rock Hill swept Knoxville in three games. In the Finals, Rock Hill defeated the Asheville Tourists 4 games to 3 to capture the 1950 championship, playing the season under manager Dick Bouknight.

inductee

pitched for the 1964 Rock Hill Cardinals at age 19. Carlton compiled a 10–1 record with a 1.03 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 78 innings. With Carlton on the roster, the 1964 Rock Hill Cardinals finished 2nd in the eight-team Western Carolinas League. Led by manager Hal Smith, the Cardinals placed second in the regular season standings with a 76–51 record, 0.5 games behind the first place Salisbury Dodgers (77–51) and won the first–half standings, while Salisbury won the second–half standings in the split–season format. In the playoff Final, the Salisbury Dodgers defeated Rock Hill 2 games to 1. Led by

member Sparky Anderson as manager, the Rock Hill Cardinals captured the 1965 Western Carolinas League Championship. Anderson had been fired after managing the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

of the Class AAA

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

in 1964, before the Cardinals organization hired him to manage Rock Hill just before the 1965 season. After finishing fifth in the regular season overall standings with a 59–63 record, Rock Hill qualified for the playoffs by having the best second–half record, as the league had a split–season format. In the 1965 Western Carolinas League playoffs, Rock Hill defeated the

Salisbury Astros Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wi ...

2 games to 0 in the Finals to capture the championship. The Rock Hill team folded after the 1968 season and minor league baseball has not returned to Rock Hill, South Carolina.

The ballpark

Rock Hill teams were noted to have played at American Legion Municipal Stadium. American Legion Municipal Stadium had a capacity of 6,800 in 1949 and 8,000 in 1963, with dimensions of 301–406–330. Municipal Stadium was demolished in 1984. The ballpark was located at the corner of York Avenue & Cherry Road, Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Timeline

Notable alumni

* Sparky Anderson (1965, MGR) Inducted

, 2000 *

(1964) Inducted Baseball Hall of Fame, 1994 *

Jack Brohamer John Anthony Brohamer (born February 26, 1950) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) player. A second baseman (though he also played some third base), he played with the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, and Boston Red Sox from to . Care ...

(1968) *

Vic Correll Victor Crosby Correll (born February 5, 1946) is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds in all or parts of eight seasons spanning 1972–1980. Listed at 5' 10", 185 lb., Corr ...

(1967–1968) *

Jake Early Jacob Willard Early (May 19, 1915 – May 31, 1985) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Washington Senators and the St. Louis Browns. Early was a left-hand-hitting batter and was ...

(1954) MLB All-Star *

Wes Ferrell Wesley Cheek Ferrell (February 2, 1908 – December 9, 1976) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball from 1927 through 1941. Primarily a starting pitcher, Ferrell played for the Cleveland Indians (192 ...

(1963, MGR) 2x MLB All-Star; 1935 AL Wins Leader;

Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame This is a list of award winners and league leaders for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball. Awards Most Valuable Player *George Burns (1926) * Lou Boudreau (1948) *Al Rosen (1953) Cy Young *Gaylord Perry (1972) *CC Sabathia (2007 ...

;

Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame The Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame was instituted in 1995 to recognize the careers of selected former Boston Red Sox players, coaches and managers, and non-uniformed personnel. A 15-member selection committee of Red Sox broadcasters and executives, p ...

Kirby Higbe Walter Kirby Higbe (April 8, 1915 – May 6, 1985) was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1937 to 1950. Best known for his time with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he was a two-time National League (NL) All-S ...

(1953) 2x MLB All-Star * William D. Mullins (1954), member of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

Dusty Rhodes Virgil Riley Runnels Jr. (October 11, 1945 – June 11, 2015), better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, was an American professional wrestler, booker, and trainer who most notably worked for the National Wrestling Alliance, Jim Crocket ...

(1950–1951) * Hal Smith (1964, MGR) 3x MLB All-Star * Dick Tidrow (1967) *

Mike Torrez Michael Augustine Torrez (born August 28, 1946) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) starting pitcher. In an 18-season career, he pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals (1967–1971), Montreal Expos (1971–1974), Baltimore Orioles (19 ...

(1966)

References

{{Reflist, 2 Defunct minor league baseball teams Rock Hill, South Carolina Defunct Tri-State League teams Professional baseball teams in South Carolina Baseball teams established in 1947 Baseball teams disestablished in 1955 Defunct baseball teams in South Carolina Washington Senators minor league affiliates Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates

History

The ballpark

Timeline

Notable alumni

See also

References