The West Frankfort Cardinals were an American minor league baseball team based in

West Frankfort, Illinois West Frankfort is a city in Franklin County, Illinois. The population was 8,182 at the 2010 census. The city is well known for its rich history of coal. The city is part of the Metro Lakeland area. History Although one might associate the name " ...

. From 1947 to 1950, the West Frankfort Cardinals were charter members of the Illinois State League in 1947 to 1948 and the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League in 1949 and 1950. The two leagues were the direct predecessors to the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

. West Frankfort was a minor affiliate of the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

for their duration, while hosting home games at Memorial Stadium. Baseball Hall of Fame member

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 ...

played for the 1948 West Frankfort Cardinals.

History

The formation of the West Frankfort Cardinals was led by local businessmen Pete Mondino, Charlie Jacobs and Tony Finazzo. Through their efforts, the West Frankfort Baseball and Amusement Corporation was formed. In short order, a stadium was built, an affiliate secured and team was formed for West Frankfort in 1947. Mondino had been a minor league player and the manager of the Paducah Indians before returning to his hometown. The 1947 West Frankfort Cardinals became charter members of the six–team Class D level Illinois State League while Mondino served as the team's general manager. The

Belleville Stags The Belleville Stags were a minor league baseball team based in Belleville, Illinois from 1947 to 1949. The Belleville Stags were charter members of the Class D level Illinois State League and remained a franchise when the league changed names t ...

, Centralia Cubs, Marion Indians, Mattoon Indians and Mt. Vernon Braves joined the Cardinals in beginning Illinois State League play on May 4, 1947. On May 24, 1947, West Frankfort played their home opener at Memorial Stadium with 2,896 fans in attendance. In the pregame ceremony, Mayor Luther Burpo threw out the ceremonial first pitch. West Frankfort placed 4th in their first season of play and led the Illinois State League in home attendance. As an affiliate of the

, the West Frankfort Cardinals finished the 1947 with an overall record of 42–60, playing the season under manager Everett Johnston. West Frankfort finished 23.0 games behind the champion Belleville Stags, who placed 1st both half–season standings, negating the need for a playoff. Home attendance at Memorial Stadium was 43,004. The 1948 West Frankfort Cardinals won the Illinois State League championship and pennant. In the 1948 regular season, the Cardinals' 85–35 record placed 1st in the regular season standings. The Cardinals played the season under manager Harold Contini and finished 9.5 games ahead of the 2nd place Mattoon Indians. In the 1948 playoffs, West Frankfort defeated the Marion Indians 3 games to 1 to advance. In the Finals, the Cardinals swept the Mattoon Indians in 3 games to capture the championship. The Cardinals again led the league in home attendance with 36,656. At age 17, Baseball Hall of Fame member

played for the champion West Frankfort Cardinals in 1948 in his first professional season. Weaver, who had received a $1,500 signing bonus, hit .268 playing in 120 games. In 1949, the Cardinals became charter members of the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League. The Illinois State League changed names after the Belleville franchise was replaced in the six–team league by the Paducah Chiefs, based in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. The Cardinals remained an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals and finished the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League regular season with a 71–49 record and qualified for the playoffs. The Cardinals placed 2nd in the regular season standings under manager Robert Stanton, finishing 4.0 games behind the 1st place Centralia Cubs. In the first round of the playoffs, West Frankfort was defeated by eventual champion Paducah 3 games to 0. Season attendance in 1949 was 24,140. In their final season of play, the West Frankfort Cardinals again placed 2nd and qualified for the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League playoffs. As the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League expanded to an eight–team league, West Frankfort had a 72–47 record under manager Robert Stanton, finishing 9.0 games behind the 1st place Centralia Sterlings. West Frankfort played their final games in losing in the first round 3 games to 0 to the Paducah Chiefs. After season attendance of 20,910, 7th in the league, the franchise folded after the 1950 season. West Frankford was not replaced in the 1951 season, as the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League reduced to six teams. West Frankford has not hosted another minor league team. On August 30, 2008, the

Southern Illinois Miners The Southern Illinois Miners were a professional baseball team based in Marion, Illinois. The Miners were members of the West Division of the independent Frontier League. From 2007 to 2021, the Miners played their home games at Rent One Park. Th ...

of the independent

Frontier League The Frontier League is a professional independent baseball league with teams in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Eastern Canada. Formed in 1993, it is the oldest currently running independent league in the United States. The le ...

, based in nearby

Marion, Illinois Marion is a city in Williamson and Johnson Counties, Illinois, United States, and is the county seat of Williamson County. The population was 16,855 at the 2020 census. It is part of a dispersed urban area that developed out of the early 20th ...

, honored the West Frankfort Cardinals during their game.

The ballpark

The West Frankfort Cardinals were noted to have played minor league home games at Memorial Stadium. In 1947, owners of the new franchise purchased an 8.8-acre site, once used to store coal and dynamite from nearby mines, and construction began on the field and stadium. Memorial Stadium opened on May 24, 1957. It is believed the stadium name came to honor those killed in mine working. Memorial Stadium hosted the 1947 Illinois State League All-Star Game and the 1950 Mississippi–Ohio Valley League All-Star Game. The Illinois State League All-Star Game was played on August 11, 1947. The game pitted the

against an All-Star selected roster as Belleville had the best first-half record. The All-Stars defeated Belleville 5–1 in front of 2,134 fans. On July 13, 1950, West Frankfort hosted the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League All-Star Game at Memorial Stadium. In 1951, after the departure of the Cardinals, the stadium hosted an exhibition game featuring local semi-pro team, the Orient Miners of the Southern Illinois Semi-Pro League played a barnstorming professional team at the park. Baseball Hall of Fame inductee

Satchel Paige Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige (July 7, 1906 – June 8, 1982) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB). His career spanned five decades and culminated with his induction in ...

pitched for the barnstormers, who won 3–1.

Ned Garver Ned Franklin Garver (December 25, 1925 – February 26, 2017) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Browns (1948–1952), the Detroit Tigers (1952–1956), the Kansas City Athle ...

and future Hall of Famer

were also on the professional team. Memorial Stadium went largely unused after the Cardinals left following the 1950 season. In 1956, the ballpark and land was sold to the US Government and the National Guard Armory was built at the site. The Armory is located at 802 West Main Street, West Frankfort, Illinois. Franklin County Illinois Incorporated and Unincorporated areas West Frankfort Highlighted

Franklin County Illinois Incorporated and Unincorporated areas West Frankfort Highlighted

Media

The team is the subject of the book: ''Season of Change: Baseball, Coal Mining, and a Small Town's Struggle to Beat the Odds'' (2011) by author Toby J. Brooks.

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

(1948) Inducted to Baseball Hall of Fame, 1996 * Eddie Phillips (1950) * Johnny Reagan (1949) *

Rip Repulski Eldon John "Rip" Repulski (October 4, 1928 – February 10, 1993) was an American professional baseball player, an outfielder in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals (1953–56), Philadelphia Phillies (1957–58), Los Angeles Dodgers ...

(1947) MLB All-Star

References

External links

Baseball ReferenceWest Frankfort Cardinals photos & history
{{Midwest League Defunct Midwest League teams St. Louis Cardinals minor league affiliates Franklin County, Illinois 1947 establishments in Illinois 1950 disestablishments in Illinois Illinois State League Mississippi-Ohio Valley League Defunct baseball teams in Illinois Professional baseball teams in Illinois Baseball teams established in 1947 Baseball teams disestablished in 1950 Illinois State League teams