The York White Roses was the name of a minor league baseball team in the city of

York, Pennsylvania York (Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Yarrick''), known as the White Rose City (after the symbol of the House of York), is the county seat of York County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the south-central region of the state. The populatio ...

, US, that existed from 1894–1969.

History

Early years

The York White Roses began as members of the short-lived

Keystone Association The Keystone Association was a five–team Independent baseball league, independent level baseball Minor league baseball, minor league that played in the 1884 and 1885 seasons. The Keystone Association featured franchises based exclusively in Pen ...

in 1884. The league disbanded after only 20 games. The White Roses transferred to the Eastern League after the Harrisburg Olympics folded. The team remained in the Eastern League until the 1893 season when York joined the Pennsylvania State League.

Turn of the 20th century

York joined the

Tri-State League The Tri-State League was the name of six different circuits in American minor league baseball. History The first league of that name played for four years (1887–1890) and consisted of teams in Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia. The second leagu ...

as the York Penn Parks in 1904. York defeated Williamsport before 3,500 fans at the Phillies' ball park in Philadelphia for the new league's first championship. The name was quickly changed back to White Roses for the 1905 season. The 1906 season was full of controversy when the rival Lancaster Maroons changed their name to the Red Roses. George Heckert, White Roses manager, publicly denounced Lancaster's team and predicted that Lancaster would end the season in last place after it unveiled new jerseys and a new name days before the season opener against York. Yorkers viewed the change as a copycat maneuver since York had called itself the White Roses since 1884.York-area baseball through the years – The York Daily Record
/ref> The Red Roses went on to win the first game, 9–4, and an even heavier rivalry began. Some sources indicate that the rival teams were named for the opposing factions in England's

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...

. In 1907, the York franchise was moved to Reading, Pennsylvania, and became the Reading Pretzels for the 1908 season. In 1908 a York team played as members of the Pennsylvania-New Jersey League. The White Roses returned to York for the 1909 season. They made another move in 1914 when rival Lancaster Red Roses moved to Atlantic City. After a bad start to the season in York, the White Roses moved to Lancaster and became the Red Roses for the second half of the 1914 season. The franchise remained in Lancaster until The Tri State league broke up at the end of the 1914 season.

New era of White Roses

York is one of the six original teams of the

New York–Pennsylvania League New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

, joining for the inaugural season in 1923. The White Roses quickly became one of the powerhouse franchises in the League and won their first league championship on September 25, 1925, defeating the Williamsport Grays 5–3, in 11 innings in the fourth and final game of a best-of-five series. York first baseman Del Bissonette homered in the bottom of the 11th to clinch the title. The White Roses were unaffiliated until the 1933 season when they became part of the Brooklyn Dodgers minor league system. Financial hardships due to the Great Depression caused this version of the White Roses to fold after the 1933 season. The team came out of the dark in 1936 when the

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League, and the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who play their home games at FNB Field on City Island, which opened in 1987 a ...

were forced to relocate after the 1935 season. The stay in York was brief, as the franchise moved mid-season, becoming the

Trenton Senators Trenton may refer to: Places Canada *Trenton, Nova Scotia, a town *Trenton, Ontario, an unincorporated community *CFB Trenton, a Canadian Forces Base near Trenton, Ontario United States *Trenton, New Jersey, the capital of the state of New Jers ...

on July 2, 1936. The White Roses joined the

Interstate League The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952. Early leagues Earlier versions of the Interstate League, with years active: *1896–1901: an unclassified ...

in 1943, spending most of their seasons in this league (1943–1952) as an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates until 1950. From 1953 to 1955, the White Roses were members of the

Piedmont League The Piedmont League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1920 through 1955. The league operated principally in the Piedmont plateau region in the eastern United States. Teams The following teams were members of the Piedmont ...

, affiliated with 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 ...

from 1952 to 1953 and 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 ...

from 1954 to 1955. Hall of Fame player Brooks Robinson played his first professional season for the 1955 White Roses. The White Roses re-joined the Eastern League, affiliated with 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 ...

, in the 1958 season and played there until the end of the 1959 season. The York White Roses returned in 1962 as a member of the Eastern League, as the Johnstown Red Sox moved to York. 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 eigh ...

affiliation lasted only that season. They were affiliated with the Washington Senators from 1963 to 1967.

York Pirates

In 1968, the team was renamed as the York Pirates, affiliated once again with

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

. Sunday, April 21, 1968, marked a historic event in York baseball history when the York Pirates and

Reading Phillies Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...

played the first outdoor game on artificial turf at York's Memorial Stadium. York lost 5–3 but the 6,248 audience was also the largest crowd in York's minor-league history. The 1969 season was the last season of York minor-league baseball in the 20th century. After many dismal seasons in the 1960s the York Pirates made it to the Finals against the

Pittsfield Red Sox The Pittsfield Red Sox was the name of an American minor league baseball franchise based in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, from 1965 through 1969. It was the Double-A Eastern League affiliate in the Boston Red Sox farm system and produced future Majo ...

. Pittsfield won the first game of the series 7–4 but the remaining games of the Championship were rained out and York was named champions (York was in first place in the league that season).

Stadium

The White Roses had numerous ballparks during the first half of the 20th century. In 1947, York moved its minor-league team from Memorial Field in

West York, Pennsylvania West York is a borough, adjacent to the city of York, in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,094 at the 2020 census. History Formally known as the village of Eberton, the Borough of West York was founded in 1904. The ...

, to Memorial Stadium in York. York's minor-league clubs continued to play at Veterans Memorial Stadium/Bob Hoffman Stadium until the York Pirates folded at the end of the 1969 season.

Notable alumni

Hall of Fame alumni

* Brooks Robinson Inducted, 1983

Other notable alumni

Year-by-year record

Keystone Association (1884)

Eastern League (1884)

Pennsylvania State League (1893)

Tri-State League (1909–1914)

New York–Penn League (1923–1933, 1936)

Interstate League (1943–1952)

Piedmont League (1953–1955)

Eastern League (1958–1969)

* *1969– Playoffs Rained out, York Pirates named Eastern League Champions

References

{{Defunct Pennsylvania sports teams, state=collapsed Defunct minor league baseball teams Defunct Eastern League (1938–present) teams Defunct baseball teams in Pennsylvania Defunct sports teams in Pennsylvania Sports in York, Pennsylvania Baltimore Orioles minor league affiliates Brooklyn Dodgers minor league affiliates Pittsburgh Pirates minor league affiliates St. Louis Browns minor league affiliates St. Louis Cardinals minor league affiliates Boston Red Sox minor league affiliates Washington Senators (1961–1971) minor league affiliates 1969 disestablishments in Pennsylvania 1894 establishments in Pennsylvania Baseball teams established in 1894 Baseball teams disestablished in 1969 Defunct New York–Penn League teams Defunct Interstate League teams Defunct Tri-State League teams Piedmont League teams