The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

league that operated in the

northeastern United States The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. Located on the East Coast of the United States, ...

from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed their amateur draft picks to professional contracts, and ended in early September. In 2019, its last season of operation, the NYPL had 14 teams from eight different states. In addition to New York and

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, from which the league drew its name, the NYPL also had clubs in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, and

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. The Brooklyn Cyclones were the last NYPL champions, defeating the

Lowell Spinners The Lowell Spinners were a baseball team based in Lowell, Massachusetts. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. With Major Leagu ...

, two games to one, in 2019. The Oneonta Yankees/Tigers won 12 championships, the most among all teams in the league, followed by the Auburn Mets/Twins/Phillies/Doubledays (8) and Jamestown Falcons/Expos (7).

History

The New York–Penn League was founded in 1939 as the Pennsylvania–Ontario–New York League, generally shortened to PONY League, in a hotel in

Batavia, New York Batavia is a city in and the county seat of Genesee County, New York, United States. It is located near the center of the county, surrounded by the Town of Batavia, which is a separate municipality. Batavia's population, as of the 2020 census, ...

. The original teams included the Batavia Clippers, Bradford Bees, Hamilton Red Wings, Jamestown Jaguars, Niagara Falls Rainbows, and Olean Oilers; all were based in or near

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all so ...

. The Oilers, a

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 ...

affiliate, won both the regular season and playoff championships. Batavia was the last remaining charter city in the league when it ceased operations after the 2020 season. The Hamilton Red Wings folded early in the 1956 season, and with no more teams in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, the circuit became the New York–Penn League in 1957. The league crossed back into Canada with the formation of the St. Catharines Blue Jays in 1986. They were joined by the Hamilton Redbirds in 1987 and the Welland Pirates in 1989, but all three clubs had moved back to the United States by 2000. The New York–Penn circuit was originally a Class D league (the minors' lowest classification through 1962). It was a full-season Class A league from 1963 through 1966, and became a short-season Class A league in 1967. The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

before being cancelled on June 30.

In popular media

''Good Enough to Dream'' is a memoir by renowned baseball writer

Roger Kahn Roger Kahn (October 31, 1927 – February 6, 2020) was an American journalist and author, best known for his 1972 baseball book '' The Boys of Summer''. Biography Roger Kahn was born in Brooklyn, New York, on October 31, 1927, to Olga (''née ...

, published in 1985. The book chronicles Kahn's experience as the owner of the Utica Blue Sox during the 1983 season. ''Good Enough to Dream'' was the recipient of the Casey Award in 1985. '' Clubbie'' is a 2021 memoir by Greg Larson that recounts his experiences as a clubhouse attendant (or "clubbie") for the Aberdeen IronBirds during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The book's depiction of players' financial struggles is widely credited with inspiring changes to long-standing minor league compensation structures.

Disbanding

On December 9, 2020,

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 ...

(MLB) announced its list of 120 teams invited to be a part of the minors after restructuring for the 2021 season. As first reported in 2019, the NYPL ceased operations. The Aberdeen IronBirds, Brooklyn Cyclones, and Hudson Valley Renegades joined the new High-A East, becoming the new High-A affiliates of the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) 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 America ...

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

, and

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

respectively. The Mahoning Valley Scrappers, State College Spikes, West Virginia Black Bears, and Williamsport Crosscutters moved to the new MLB Draft League for players wishing to showcase themselves to MLB teams in advance of the annual draft. The

Tri-City ValleyCats The Tri-City ValleyCats are a professional baseball team based in Albany, New York. The ValleyCats compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the North Division in the Atlantic Conference. The team was established in 2002, along with the ...

moved to the independent

Frontier League The Frontier League (FL; French: ''Ligue Frontière'', LF) is a professional baseball league in North America composed of 18 teams – 15 in the United States and 3 in Canada. The FL is one of the eight independent baseball leagues in North Ame ...

, while the Batavia Muckdogs and Auburn Doubledays joined the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League. On February 25, 2021, the

Vermont Lake Monsters The Vermont Lake Monsters are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Burlington, Vermont, United States, who were founded in 1994 as the Vermont Expos. They were members of Minor League Baseball, in the New York–Penn League (NYPL), ...

announced that they would join the

Futures Collegiate Baseball League The Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) is a collegiate summer baseball league that began play in 2011. Entering the 2025 season, the league has two active franchises in Massachusetts, two in Connecticut, and one each in New Hampshire and ...

(FCBL) under new ownership, and the Norwich Sea Unicorns joined the FCBL in late April. The Staten Island Yankees folded, while the

were left without future plans and eventually folded.

Final franchises

Champions

League champions were determined by different means during the New York–Penn League's 82-year run from 1939 to 2020. For a few seasons in the 1960s and 1970s, no playoffs were held and the league champions were simply the regular season pennant winners. Most seasons, however, ended with playoffs to determine a league champion. The

Oneonta Tigers The Oneonta Tigers were a minor league baseball team located in Oneonta, New York. They were members of the New York–Penn League. The Tigers were the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, and played their home games ...

won 12 championships, the most among all teams in the league, followed by the Auburn Mets/Twins/Phillies/Doubledays (8) and Jamestown Falcons/Expos (7).

Teams

* Aberdeen IronBirds * Auburn Americans * Auburn Astros * Auburn Doubledays * Auburn Mets * Auburn Phillies * Auburn Red Stars * Auburn Sunsets * Auburn Twins * Auburn Yankees * Batavia Clippers * Batavia Indians * Batavia Muckdogs * Batavia Pirates * Batavia Trojans *

Binghamton Triplets The Binghamton Triplets were a minor league baseball team based in Binghamton, New York between 1923 and 1963. The franchise played as members of the New York–Penn League (1923–1937), Eastern League (1938–1963), New York–Penn League ( ...

* Bradford Beagles * Bradford Bees * Bradford Blue Wings * Bradford Phillies * Bradford Yankees * Brooklyn Cyclones * Connecticut Tigers * Corning Athletics * Corning Cor-Sox * Corning Independents * Corning Red Sox * Corning Royals *

Elmira Pioneers The Elmira Pioneers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Elmira, New York. They have been affiliated with many major league teams throughout their history. Currently, Elmira Pioneers play as members of the Perfect Game Collegiate Base ...

* Erie Cardinals * Erie Orioles * Erie Sailors * Erie Senators * Geneva Cubs * Geneva Pirates * Geneva Redlegs * Geneva Senators * Geneva Twins * Glens Falls Redbirds * Hamilton Cardinals * Hamilton Redbirds * Hamilton Red Wings * Hornell Dodgers * Hornell Maple Leafs * Hornell Maples * Hornell Redlegs * Hudson Valley Renegades * Jamestown Braves * Jamestown Dodgers * Jamestown Expos * Jamestown Falcons * Jamestown Jaguars * Jamestown Jammers * Jamestown Tigers * Little Falls Mets * Lockport Cubs * Lockport Reds * Lockport White Socks * Lockport White Sox * London Pirates *

* Mahoning Valley Scrappers * New Jersey Cardinals * Newark Co-Pilots * Newark Orioles * Niagara Falls Pirates * Niagara Falls Rainbows * Niagara Falls Rapids * Niagara Falls Sox * Olean A's * Olean Giants * Olean Oilers * Olean Red Sox * Olean Yankees * Oneonta Red Sox *

* Oneonta Yankees * Pittsfield Astros * Pittsfield Mets * Queens Kings * St. Catharines Blue Jays * St. Catharines Stompers * State College Spikes * Staten Island Yankees *

* Utica Blue Jays * Utica Blue Sox * Vermont Expos *

* Watertown Indians * Watertown Pirates * Welland Pirates * Wellsville Braves * Wellsville Nitros * Wellsville Red Sox * Wellsville Rockets * Wellsville Senators * Wellsville Yankees * West Virginia Black Bears * Williamsport Astros * Williamsport Crosscutters * Williamsport Cubs * Williamsport Red Sox * York White Roses

Cities represented

Connecticut *

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

: 2010–2020 (16 seasons) Maryland *

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

: 2002–2020 (19 seasons) Massachusetts * Lowell: 1996–2020 (25 seasons) * Pittsfield: 1989–2001 (13 seasons) New Jersey * Augusta: 1994–2005 (12 seasons) New York * Auburn: 1958–1980, 1982–2020 (62 seasons) * Batavia: 1939–1953, 1957–1959, 1961–2020 (78 seasons) * Binghamton: 1964–1966 (3 seasons) *

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

: 2001–2020 (20 seasons) * Corning: 1951–1960, 1968–1969 (12 seasons) * Elmira: 1957–1961, 1973–1995 (28 seasons) * Fishkill: 1994–2020 (26 seasons) *

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

: 1958–1973, 1977–1993 (33 seasons) * Glens Falls: 1993 (1 season) * Jamestown: 1939–1957, 1962–1973, 1977–2014 (67 seasons) * Hornell: 1942–1957 (16 seasons) * Little Falls: 1977–1988 (12 seasons) * Lockport: 1942–1950 (9 seasons) * Newark: 1968–1979, 1983–1987 (17 seasons) *

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...

: 1939–1940, 1970–1979, 1982–1985, 1989–1993 (21 seasons) * Olean: 1939–1959, 1961–1966 (27 seasons) * Oneonta: 1966–2009 (44 seasons) *

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

: 2000 (1 season) *

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

: 1999–2020 (22 seasons) *

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

: 2002–2020 (18 seasons) * Utica: 1977–2001 (25 seasons) * Watertown: 1983–1998 (16 seasons) * Wellsville: 1942–1961, 1963–1965 (23 seasons) Ohio *

Youngstown Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...

: 1999–2020 (22 seasons) Pennsylvania *

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

: 1939–1942, 1944–1957 (18 seasons) * Erie: 1954–1963, 1967, 1981–1993, 1995–1998 (28 seasons) * State College: 2006–2020 (15 seasons) * Williamsport: 1968–1972, 1994–2020 (32 seasons) *

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

: 1923–1933, 1936 (moved to Trenton July 2) (12 seasons) Vermont * Burlington: 1994–2020 (27 seasons) West Virginia * Morgantown: 2015–2020 (6 seasons) Ontario *

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

: 1939–1942, 1946–1956, 1988–1992 (20 seasons) *

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

: 1940–1942 (2 seasons) *

St. Catharines St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...

: 1986–1999 (14 seasons) *

Welland Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada. As of 2021, it had a population of 55,750. The city is in the centre of Niagara and located within a half-hour driving distance to Niagara Falls, Niagara-on ...

: 1989–1994 (5 seasons)

Hall of Fame

The New York–Penn League Hall of Fame was established in 2012 to honor league players, managers, and executives for their accomplishments or contributions to the league in playing or administrative roles. The Hall of Fame inducted its first class of seven men in 2012. New members were elected before the start of each season.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:New York-Penn League 1939 establishments in the United States 2020 disestablishments in the United States Baseball leagues in Connecticut Baseball leagues in Massachusetts Baseball leagues in New York (state) Baseball leagues in Ohio Baseball leagues in Pennsylvania Baseball leagues in Vermont Baseball leagues in West Virginia Defunct minor baseball leagues in the United States Sports leagues disestablished in 2020 Sports leagues established in 1939