The Wichita Indians were a Class A level minor league baseball franchise based in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...

. The Wichita Indians played as members of the Western League from 1950 to 1955. Wichita won the 1955 Western League Championship. The Wichita Indians were an affiliate of the 1950

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 ...

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 ...

from 1951 to 1952, 1953

and

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 ...

in 1954 and 1955. In 1956, the Indians were succeeded by the Class AAA level

Wichita Braves The Wichita Braves were an American Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A minor league baseball franchise based in Wichita, Kansas, that played in the American Association (1902–1997), American Association from 1956 to 1958 as the top affiliate of the M ...

, when the Wichita franchise became a member of the

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 ...

History

The Wichita Indians were preceded in the Western League by the

Wichita Aviators The Wichita Aviators were a professional indoor football team that played in the American Professional Football League (APFL). The Aviators played their home games in Britt Brown Arena at the Kansas Coliseum during the team's first season (20 ...

(1929–1933), Wichita Larks (1927–1928), Wichita Izzies (1923–1926), Wichita Witches (sometimes called the Wichita Wolves) (1917–1922) and Wichita Jobbers (1905–1920). Wichita hosted teams in various other leagues, with professional baseball having started in Wichita with the Wichita Eagles of the

Kansas State League The Kansas State League was a minor league baseball sports league, league in the United States that operated in the state of Kansas in the late 19th century and into the early 20th century. History The Kansas State League was first established ...

in 1898. The Wichita Indians joined the Western League in 1950 as an affiliate of the

. The Western League had reformed in 1947 with six teams:

Denver Bears Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

Des Moines Bruins Des Moines Bruins were a minor league baseball based in Des Moines, Iowa. The team played in the Western League from 1947 to 1958. Their home ballpark was Pioneer Memorial Stadium, and they were affiliated with the Chicago Cubs (1947–1957) and ...

, Lincoln A's,

Omaha Cardinals The Omaha Cardinals were a minor league baseball team based in Omaha, Nebraska, from 1947 through 1959. They played in the Class A Western League through 1954 and in the Triple-A American Association from 1955 to 1959 as an affiliate of their m ...

Pueblo Dodgers The Pueblo Dodgers were a Class A minor league baseball team that was located in Pueblo, Colorado and played in the Western League from 1947 to 1958. History An affiliate of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers (1947-1957 and the Chicago Cubs (195 ...

and Sioux City Soos. All six clubs remained in 1950, when the league expanded to eight teams, adding the

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado Rockie ...

and Wichita Indians. The 1950 Indians ended the season with a 77–77 record, placing 4th in the Western League regular season standings, playing under manager

Joe Schultz Joseph Charles Schultz Jr. (August 29, 1918 – January 10, 1996) was an American Major League Baseball catcher, coach, and manager. Schultz was the first and only manager for the Seattle Pilots franchise during their lone season before they beca ...

. In the playoffs, Wichita defeated the first–place

3 games to 0 in the semifinals. In the league Finals, Wichita lost 3 games to 1 to the Sioux City Soos. The Indians drew 126,729 fans, ranking 5th in the league. In 1951, Wichita became an affiliate of the

and finished 84–68, placing 3rd in the standings. In the Western League playoffs, Wichita was defeated by the

3 games to 1 as Joe Schultz returned as manager. The 1952 Indians finished in a tie for 6th place with the Lincoln A's in the eight–team Western League with an 67–87 record. Wichita finished 22.0 games behind the Denver Bears in the final regular season standings and did not quality for the playoffs. Ralph Winegarner was the manager. Becoming a

affiliate, the Wichita Indians finished in last place in 1953, playing under managers

George Hausmann George John Hausmann (February 11, 1916 – June 16, 2004) was a second baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for the New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan a ...

, George Kovach and

Mark Christman Marquette Joseph "Mark" Christman (October 21, 1913 – October 9, 1976) was an American professional baseball third baseman and shortstop who appeared in 911 games in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Browns and Washi ...

. The ended the season with a record of 58–96 and finished 37.0 games behind the

in the eight–team Western League standings. Wichita had attendance of 68,683 fans, 7th best in the Western League. In 1954, the Indians became affiliates of the

after the St. Louis Browns relocated. The team ended the season with a 76–77 record, and in 6th place in the regular season standings. playing under managers Herb Brett and Les Layton, Wichita did not qualify for the Western League playoffs, finishing 19.0 games behind the 1st place Denver Bears. The 1954 home season attendance was 87,854, 4th in the league.> Wichita won the 1955 Western League Championship. In the regular season, the 1955 Indians finished in a tie for 3rd place at 78–73 and began a Western League Championship run, playing under manager Bud Bates. First, the Indians defeated the

in a 3rd place tie–breaker game. In the playoffs, the Indians beat the

3 games to 1 in the semifinals. Advancing to the Finals, Wichita beat the Des Moines Bruins three games to one to claim the 1955 Western League Championship. Bob Harrison pitched a no–hitter for Wichita in the Finals. After their 1955 Western League Championship, Wichita had a team in new league in 1956. The

member

Toledo Sox The Toledo Sox were a minor league baseball team based in Toledo, Ohio. They played in the American Association from 1953 to 1955 at the Triple-A level as an affiliate of the Milwaukee Braves. History Entering the 1952 season, Toledo, Ohio, ...

relocated to Wichita and the

became the Triple-A affiliate of the

Milwaukee Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bost ...

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

. The Western League folded after the 1958 season.

The ballparks

The Wichita Indians were noted to have played at historic Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. The ballpark was built in 1934 and was demolished in 2019. Lawrence-Dumont Stadium was replaced on the site by

Riverfront Stadium Riverfront Stadium, also known as Cinergy Field from 1996 to 2002, was a multi-purpose stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States that was the home of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball from 1970 through 2002 and the Cincinnati Bengals o ...

in 2020. The Indians were referenced to have played some games at Central Park Stadium in

El Dorado, Kansas El Dorado ( ) is city and county seat of Butler County, Kansas, United States. It is situated along the Walnut River in the central part of Butler County and located in south-central Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city ...

during the July and August months. Today, the stadium is called McDonald Stadium.

Timeline

Year–by–year record

Notable alumni

Bobby Balcena Robert Rudolph Balcena (August 1, 1925 – January 5, 1990) was an American professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Redlegs during the season. Listed at 5' 7", 160 lb., Balcena batted ...

(1950) * Bud Bates (1955, MGR) *

Jack Bruner Jack Raymond Bruner (July 1, 1924 – June 24, 2003) was a professional baseball pitcher. He played two seasons in Major League Baseball. Signed by the Chicago White Sox in 1949 as a bonus baby, he debuted in the major leagues three days after ...

(1952) *

Mike Blyzka Michael John Blyzka (December 25, 1928 – October 13, 2004) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Browns / Baltimore Orioles (–). Listed at , 190 lb., Blyzka batted and threw right-handed. He served in the ...

(1950) *

(1953, MGR) * Perry Currin (1950) * George Elder (1950) *

Johnny Goryl John Albert Goryl (born October 21, 1933) is an American former infielder, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. A right-handed batter and thrower who stood tall and weighed , Goryl apprenticed in the farm systems of the Boston / Milwa ...

(1955) *

Lenny Green Leonard Charles Green (January 6, 1933 – January 6, 2019) was an American professional baseball baseball player, player. The outfielder played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 12 seasons for the Baltimore Orioles (1957–59; 1964), Washington ...

(1955) * Bob Harrison (1955) *

(1953) * Mel Held (1950, 1953) *

Hal Hudson Hal Campbell Hudson (May 4, 1927 – July 8, 2016) was an American professional baseball player. A left-handed pitcher, he worked in six Major League games, all in relief, for the St. Louis Browns (1952) and Chicago White Sox (1952–53). Huds ...

(1955) *

Julián Ladera Julián Ladera (July 15, 1928 – September 14, 1973) was a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher. Listed at 5' 10" (1.82 m), 165 lb (65 kg), he batted and threw right-handed.Gutiérrez, Daniel; Alvarez, Efraim; Gutiérrez (h), Dani ...

(1953) *

Don Larsen Don James Larsen (August 7, 1929 – January 1, 2020) was an American professional baseball pitcher. During a 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he pitched from 1953 to 1967 for seven different teams: the St. Louis Browns / Baltimore O ...

(1950) 1956 World Series Most Valuable Player *

Garland Lawing Garland Frederick Lawing (August 29, 1918 – September 27, 1996) was an American professional baseball player. He appeared in Major League Baseball as an outfielder and pinch hitter in ten games during the season for the Cincinnati Reds and Ne ...

(1954) * Les Layton (1954) * Chuck Locke (1953) * Harry MacPherson (1951) * Don Minnick (1951) *

Don Mossi Donald Louis Mossi (January 11, 1929 – July 19, 2019) was an American major league pitcher from 1954 to 1965. He was a left-handed control pitcher whose strikeout-to-walk ratio was regularly among the league leaders (he led the league in 1961 ...

(1951) MLB All-Star *

Jim Pisoni James Peter Pisoni (August 14, 1929 – February 4, 2007) was an American professional baseball player, a backup outfielder in Major League Baseball. Pisoni played mainly as a center fielder for four teams between 1953 and 1960. Listed at , , he ...

(1953) *

Carl Powis Carl Edgar Powis (January 11, 1928 – May 10, 1999) was an American professional baseball player. Nicknamed "Jug," Powis played right field for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball during the first three weeks of the 1957 season. In 1 ...

(1950) *

(1950-1951, MGR) * Jim Snyder (1955) *

Bob Turley Robert Lee Turley (September 19, 1930 – March 30, 2013), known as Bullet Bob, was an American professional baseball player and financial planner. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a pitcher from 1951 through 1963. After his retir ...

(1950) 3x MLB All-Star; 1958 AL

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall ...

; 1958 World Series M.V.P. * Lefty Wallace (1952) *

Tommy Warren Thomas Gentry Warren (July 5, 1917 – January 2, 1968) was an Oklahoma Muscogee Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Warren is one of many ballplayers who only appeared in the Major League Baseball, majo ...

(1954-1955)

References

{{reflist

External Reference

Baseball Reference
Baseball teams established in 1950 Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 1955 1950 establishments in Kansas St. Louis Browns minor league affiliates Cleveland Guardians minor league affiliates Wichita, Kansas Baltimore Orioles minor league affiliates Defunct minor league baseball teams Defunct sports clubs and teams in Kansas Baseball teams disestablished in 1955 Defunct Western League teams Sedgwick County, Kansas