The Montreal Royals were a

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

team in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the

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 (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

, the Royals were the top farm club ( Class AAA) of the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...

from 1939; pioneering

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

player

Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first Black American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the Baseball color line, ...

was a member for the 1946 season. The 1946 Royals were recognized as one of the 100 greatest minor league teams of all time.

History

In 1928,

George Stallings George Tweedy Stallings (November 17, 1867 – May 13, 1929) was an American professional baseball catcher and manager. He played in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms and Philadelphia Phillies in 1890 and 1897 to 1898 and mana ...

, a former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

executive and

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planter, formed a partnership with Montreal lawyer and politician Athanase David and businessman Ernest Savard to resurrect the Montreal Royals. Among the team's other local affluent notables were close friends Lucien Beauregard, Romeo Gauvreau, Hector H. Racine, and Charles E. Trudeau. Trudeau, businessman and father of the future 15th

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...

Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...

(and grandfather to the 23rd Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau), would remain on the Montreal Baseball Club Inc.

Board of Directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

until his death in 1935. Together these men financed and built Delorimier Stadium ''(also known as Montreal Stadium, Hector Racine Stadium and Delorimier Downs)'' at Delorimier Avenue and Ontario Street in east-end Montreal to serve as the team's home field. This version of the Montreal Royals enjoyed great success, particularly after it became the top farm team of the Dodgers in 1939. The Royals launched the baseball careers of Sparky Anderson, Gene Mauch,

Roberto Clemente Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (; August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, primarily as a right fielder. On December ...

and the man who broke

's color barrier with Montreal in 1946,

. Other Royals' players of note include Duke Snider, Don Drysdale, Chuck Connors, Walter Alston, Roy Campanella, Johnny Podres and the winningest pitcher in the history of the team, Tommy Lasorda. The team holds a unique place in baseball history for being the first major-league affiliate to break the so-called "baseball colour barrier". On October 23, 1945, two members of the Brooklyn National League Baseball Club Inc. Board of Directors, Montreal Royals owner and team president, Hector Racine, and Brooklyn Dodgers

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

, Branch Rickey, signed

, an

. Robinson played with the Royals during the 1946 season. John Wright and Roy Partlow, black pitchers, also played with the Royals that year. Jackie Robinson Montreal Royals jersey

During that season, Robinson faced the race-related resistance from his manager (a

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

an, Clay Hopper) and teammates but soon won them over with his masterful play (beginning with his spectacular debut in the opening game against the Jersey City Giants) and courage facing hostile crowds and opponents. As for his home city, he was welcomed immediately by the public, who followed his performance that season with intense adoration. For the rest of his life, Robinson remained grateful to the people of

for making the city a welcoming oasis for him and his wife during that difficult 1946 season. They lived in an apartment in a white neighbourhood of Montreal that summer. Robinson then left to play for the Dodgers the following year, but not before winning the Little World Series and being chased by exultant Montreal fans right to the train as he left. In Ken Burns' documentary film ''

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

'', the narrator quotes Sam Maltin, a sports journalist with the Montreal Herald'':'' "It was probably the only day in history that a black man ran from a white mob with love instead of lynching on its mind." The Royals continued through the 1960 season, two years after the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. On September 13, 1960, Dodgers President Walter O'Malley announced that due to weak attendance, the Dodgers were ending their 21-year affiliation with the team. While a new affiliation with the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

was arranged, efforts to keep the team in Montreal failed, and the franchise was relocated to

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

for 1961, and became the Syracuse Chiefs. Montreal would gain an

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

team, the Expos, in 1969; "Royals" was suggested as a nickname for that team but was taken instead by the new American League club in Kansas City.

Titles

The Royals won the Governors' Cup, the championship of the IL, 7 times, and played in the championship series 11 times. *1935 – Lost to Syracuse *1941 – Defeated Newark *1945 – Lost to Newark *1946 – Defeated Syracuse *1948 – Defeated Syracuse *1949 – Defeated Buffalo *1951 – Defeated Syracuse *1952 – Lost to Rochester *1953 – Defeated Rochester *1954 – Lost to Syracuse *1958 – Defeated

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Montreal Royals records

Place des Royaux Montreal Royals Jackie Robinson

Junior World Series appearances

Montreal Royals managers

Notable former players

* Sparky Anderson – Major League Hall of Famer *

Joe Altobelli Joseph Salvatore Altobelli (May 26, 1932 – March 3, 2021) was an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder who played for the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball. He was also a manager for the San F ...

– World Series-winning manager * Roy Campanella – Major League Baseball Hall of Famer * Al Campanis – Major League scout and general manager *

– Major League Hall of Famer * Chuck Connors – Major League first baseman and pinch-hitter * Tommy Davis – Major League outfielder and corner infielder * Don Drysdale – Major League Hall of Famer * Carl Erskine – Major League pitcher * George Gibson – Major League catcher and manager * Jim Gilliam – Major League infielder * Al Gionfriddo – Major League outfielder * Carl Furillo – Major League outfielder * Waite Hoyt – Major League Hall of Famer * Sam Jethroe – Negro league and Major League center fielder * Tommy Lasorda – Major League Hall of Famer * Van Lingle Mungo – Major League pitcher * Sam Nahem – Major League pitcher * Don Newcombe – Major League pitcher * Johnny Podres – Major League pitcher * Pete Reiser – Major League outfielder *

– Major League Hall of Famer * John Roseboro – Major League catcher * Goody Rosen – Major League All Star outfielder * Schoolboy Rowe – Major League All Star pitcher * Duke Snider – Major League Hall of Famer * George Shuba - Major League outfielder * Bucky Walters – Major League pitcher * Dick Williams – Major League outfielder-third baseman and World-Series-winning manager

Montreal Royals in the Major League
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 a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...

International League awards

Most Valuable Pitcher

First Awarded in 1953

Most Valuable Player

Rookie of the Year

First Awarded in 1950.

Triple Crown Winner

Given to the player who leads the league in Home Runs, Runs Batted In, and Batting Average

Notable media personnel

* Charles Mayer – French language radio broadcaster

Bibliography

* William Brown (foreword by

Ken Singleton Kenneth Wayne Singleton (born June 10, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder and designated hitter from to , most prominently as a member ...

): ''Baseball's Fabulous Montreal Royals'' (1996) Robert Davies Publishing, 1996 –

References

{{Authority control Baseball teams established in 1897 Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 1960 Defunct International League teams Brooklyn Dodgers minor league affiliates Los Angeles Dodgers minor league affiliates Philadelphia Athletics minor league affiliates Pittsburgh Pirates minor league affiliates Defunct baseball teams in Canada Roy Syracuse Mets 1897 establishments in Quebec 1917 disestablishments in Quebec 1928 establishments in Quebec 1960 disestablishments in Quebec Baseball teams disestablished in 1960 Ontario–Quebec–Vermont League teams