The Zanesville Dodgers were a minor league baseball team based in Zanesville, Ohio. The Dodgers were a minor league affiliate of the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

and played as members of the Class D level Ohio State League from 1944 to 1947, before the league changed names in 1948 to become the Class D level

Ohio–Indiana League The Ohio–Indiana League was a Class D level minor league baseball league that operated from 1948 to 1951. The league was composed of six teams from Ohio and two teams from Indiana. There was also a six–team Ohio–Indiana League in 1907, wi ...

. The Dodgers won four consecutive league championships from 1945 to 1948. Zanesville hosted minor league home games at Gant Park Municipal Stadium.

History

Ohio State League 1944 to 1947

After minor league baseball in Zanesville began with the 1887 Zanesville Kickapoos, who played the season as charter members of the Ohio State League, the 1944 Zanesville Dodgers were immediately preceded in minor league play by the 1942

Zanesville Cubs Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Columbus and had a population of 24,765 as of the 2020 census, down from 25,487 as of the 2010 census. Historically the state capital ...

of the Class C level Middle Atlantic League. After a one season hiatus during World War II, Zanesville resumed minor league baseball play in 1944, when the Dodgers became members of the six–team Class D level Ohio State League, which resumed play following World War II. The

Lima Red Birds Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of th ...

Marion Diggers The Marion Diggers were a minor league baseball team based in Marion, Ohio and Marion County, Ohio. From 1908 to 1912, the Diggers played as members of the Class D level Ohio State League, hosting home minor league games at Webb Park. Despite no ...

, Middletown Red Sox,

Newark Moundsmen Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-t ...

, Richmond Roses and Springfield Giants joined Zanesville in beginning league play on May 2, 1944. The Zanesville "Dodgers" were a minor league affiliate of the

, adopting the team's nickname. In their first season of play, the Dodgers placed fifth in the Ohio State League standings. Zanesville ended the Ohio State League season with a record of 58–71, finishing 17.5 games behind the first place Springfield Giants, as Jack Knight served as manager. Zanesville did not qualify for the four-team playoffs, won by the Middletown Red Sox. The Dodgers won their first of four consecutive league championships in the 1945 Ohio State League. With a record of 74–66, Zanesville placed second in the six–team league regular season, playing the season under managers Jack Knight, Ray Hayworth, Eric McNair, Maurice Mikesell and

Clay Bryant Claiborne Henry Bryant (November 16, 1911 – April 9, 1999) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1935 through 1940 for the Chicago Cubs. Listed at , , Bryant batted and threw right handed. He was born in Madison Heights, Virgi ...

. The Dodgers and finishing 15.5 games behind the first place

Middletown Rockets The Middletown Rockets were a Minor League Baseball club based in Middletown, Ohio. The Rockets joined the Ohio State League as a replacement for the Middletown Red Sox, playing from 1945 to 1946, while serving as an affiliate team for the Cincinnat ...

. In the playoffs, Zanesville defeated the Lima Red Birds four games to two in the first round. Zanesville won the championship in defeating Middleton three games to two. The Dodgers defended their league championship as the 1946 Ohio State League expanded from six teams to eight teams. The Dodgers ended the regular season with a record of 78–60 to place second in the Ohio State League regular season, finishing 3.5 games behind the first place Springfield Giants. Clay Bryant returned as manager. In the playoffs, Zanesville swept the Richmond Roses in four games and advanced. In the finals, the Dodgers defeated the Springfield Giants four games to two to win their second consecutive league title. Maynard DeWitt of Zanesville won the league batting title, hitting .351. Continuing play in the final of the Ohio State League, the Dodgers won the pennant and their third consecutive championship. With Clay Bryant continuing as manager, Zanesville ended the 1947 regular season with a record of 89–50, finishing 10.0 games ahead of the second place

Marion Cubs The Marion Cubs were an Ohio State League (1947) and Ohio–Indiana League (1948) baseball team based in Marion, Ohio, USA. They were affiliated with the Chicago Cubs and played their home games at Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake ...

. In the first round of the playoffs, the Dodgers defeated the Springfield Giants four games to two. In the Finals, Zanesville won the championship in defeating Marion four games to two. Zanesville drew 102,000 fans for the season. Zanesville pitcher

Clayton Lambert Clayton Benjamin Lambert (born 10 February 1962) is a former Guyanese-American cricketer, who later played for United States as well. Career Lambert made his debut for Guyana at the Regional Under 19 level in 1979, and captained the Berbice tea ...

led the Ohio State League with both 23 wins and 232 strikeouts.

Ohio–Indiana League 1948

In 1948, the Ohio State League expanded beyond the state of Ohio and changed names to become the Class D level

. The

Muncie Reds The Muncie Reds were an Ohio State League (1947) and Ohio–Indiana League (1948–1950) baseball team based in Muncie, Indiana, USA. They were affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team b ...

were the new Indiana based franchise, joined in league play the Marion Cubs,

Newark Yankees The Newark Yankees were a minor league baseball team based in Newark, Ohio. From 1948 to 1951, the "Yankees" played as members of the Class D level Ohio-Indiana League as an affiliate of the New York Yankees. Before the league changed names, t ...

Portsmouth A's The Portsmouth A's were a minor league baseball team based in Portsmouth, Ohio. From 1948 to 1950, the A's played as exclusively as members of the Class D level Ohio-Indiana League and were a minor league affiliate of the Philadelphia Athletics. ...

, Richmond Roses, Springfield Giants and Zanesville Dodgers teams in beginning league play on May 2, 1948. The 1948 Zanesville Dodgers continued as a minor league affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers and won their fourth consecutive championship in the newly named league. The Dodgers won the 1948 Ohio–Indiana League pennant, finishing the regular season in first place. The Dodgers ended the regular season record of 82–57, playing under managers

Ray Hathaway Ray Wilson Hathaway (October 13, 1916 – February 11, 2015) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who appeared in four games for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945. The 28-year-old rookie right-hander stood and weighed . Hathaway was born in Greenvil ...

and Pat McLaughlin, finishing just 0.5 game ahead of the

(82-58) in the regular season final standings. In the playoffs, Zanesville swept the Springfield Giants in four games in their first round series. The Dodgers won their fourth championship with a win in the Finals in six games over the Muncie Reds. Their victory was the final one for the Dodgers' teams in Zanesville. Player/manager

led the Ohio-Indiana League pitchers with a 23-7 record. Zanesville continued Ohio–Indiana League play in the 1949 season with a new affiliate. The franchise became a minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians and began play as the

Zanesville Indians The Zanesville Indians (a.k.a. Zanesville Dodgers, Zanesville Cubs and Zanesville Greys) were a Minor League Baseball Team located in Zanesville, Ohio. They played in the Ohio State League and Ohio–Indiana League from 1944 to 1950. The team had ...

, missing the playoffs, as Pat McLaughlin continued as the Zanesville manager. The Zanesville Indians folded following a last place finish in the 1950 season. and the league folded following the 1951 season.

The ballpark

The Zanesville Dodgers teams hosted home minor league home games at Gant Park Municipal Stadium. The ballpark had a capacity of 6,00 and field dimensions of (Left, Center, Right): 320-380-320. Called simply "Municipal Stadium" in the Dodgers era. In 1948, a box seat ticket price was $1.10, the grandstand $0.75 and the bleachers were $0.50. The facility was named for Nelson T. Gant who was the former owner of the property before donating it. Constructed in 1939, "Gant Stadium" is still in use today, with renovations done in 2021. Located on West Main Street, in 2021 Gant Stadium and the site received State Historic Designation, as a historic location.

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

(1945-1946 MGR) *

(1948, MGR) *

Chris Haughey Christopher Francis Haughey, nicknamed "Bud" (born October 3, 1925), is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who appeared in one game for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943. At 18 years of age, the , rookie was the second-youngest player to appear i ...

(1946) * Ray Hayworth (1945, MGR) * Jack Knight (1944, MGR) * Steve Lembo (1944) * Pat McLaughlin (1948, MGR) * Eric McNair (1945, MGR) *

Preston Ward Preston Meyer Ward (July 24, 1927 – June 2, 2013) was an American professional baseball first baseman who appeared in 744 games over nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1948 and 1959 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Pitts ...

(1944) *

Henry Welsch Henry John "Bruts" Welsch (July 3, 1921 – September 27, 1996) was an American football and baseball player and coach. He served as the head football (1944) and head baseball (1946) coach at Saint John's University St John's University may refe ...

(1945)

References

{{reflist

External links

Zanesville - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Professional baseball teams in Ohio Defunct baseball teams in Ohio Baseball teams established in 1944 Baseball teams disestablished in 1948 Brooklyn Dodgers minor league affiliates Ohio State League teams Ohio-Indiana League teams Sports in Zanesville, Ohio