Corpus Christi Clippers

The Corpus Christi Clippers was the primary name of the minor league baseball franchise based in Corpus Christi, Texas from 1949–1957. Corpus Christi played as members of the Texas League (1958–1959, Big State League (1954–1957), Gulf Coast League (1951–1953) and Rio Grande Valley League (1949–1950). Corpus Christi was an affiliate of the Milwaukee Braves (1954–1956), Pittsburgh Pirates (1957) and San Francisco Giants (1958–1959). The Corpus Christi Clippers and Corpus Christi Aces preceded today's Corpus Christi Hooks.

Corpus Christi Clippers
1949–1959
(1949–1959)
Corpus Christi, Texas
Minor league affiliations
Previous classes
  • Class AA (1958–1959)
  • Class B (1951–1957)
  • Class D (1949–1950)
Previous leagues
    Major league affiliations
    Previous teams
    Minor league titles
    League titles 2 1955, 1958
    Team data
    Previous names
    • Corpus Christi Aces (1949–1953)
    • Corpus Christi Clippers (1954–1957)
    • Corpus Christi Giants (1958–1959)
    Previous parks
    		Schepps Palm Field (1949–1959)

    History

    The Clippers evolved from the Corpus Christi Aces who played in the Class D Rio Grande Valley League (1949–1950). The Aces joined the Class B Gulf Coast League (1951–1953), changing their name to Clippers for the 1954 season. Texas businessman, George Schepps, was the owner of both the Aces and Clippers.[1][2][3]

    The Clippers were affiliates of the Milwaukee Braves (1954–1956) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1957).[4]

    The Clippers finished 87–60, 93–48, 83–57 and 69–58 in their four seasons (1954–1957). The Clippers captured the Big State League championship in 1955 and made the finals the other three seasons. The Clippers drew 97,255; 102,788; 112,625 and 56,871 in their four seasons. The Big State League folded after the 1957 season.[5][4]

    In 1958, the Oklahoma City Indians of the Class AA Texas League moved to Corpus Christi, Texas. The franchise was an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants and began play as the Corpus Christi Giants.[6][7]

    The 1958 Corpus Christi Giants won the Texas League Championship. The Giants finished the regular season with a 77–75 record. They were 3rd in the Texas League under Manager Ray Murray. In the 1958 Texas League Playoffs, Corpus Christi defeated the Houston Buffalos 4 games to 1. In the Finals, the Corpus Christi Giants defeated the Austin Senators 4 games to 1 to capture the championship. Playing at Schepps Palms, Corpus Christi Had season attendance of 87,774, an average of 1,155 per game.[8][6][9][10]

    In 1959, the Corpus Christi Giants finished 66–79. They were 6th in the Texas League under Manager Ray Murray. Corpus Christi had season attendance of 61,501, an average of 848. After the season, Corpus Christi relocated to Harlingen, Texas and became the Rio Grande Valley Giants.[11][6]

    Baseball Hall of Fame member Gaylord Perry played for the 1959 Giants. Perry was 10–11 with a 4.05 ERA at age 20.[12][11]

    The ballpark

    Corpus Christi teams played at Schepps Palm Field from 1949–1959. Named after owner George Schepps, the ballpark was torn down in 1960 after the departure of the Corpus Christi Giants. Schepps Palm Field was located near Old Brownsville Road, Highway 44 and Baldwin Boulevard. The approximate address of the site today is 4242 Baldwin Boulevard, Corpus Christi, Texas 78405.[5][13][2]

    Notable alumni

    Baseball Hall of Fame alumni

    Notable alumni

    • Eddie Fisher (1958)
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    References
    1. "Corpus Christi, Texas Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
    2. "Schepps Palms in Corpus Christi, TX history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
    3. "UNCLE GEORGE".
    4. "Corpus Christi Clippers - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
    5. "Corpus Christi Clippers Statistics and Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
    6. "Corpus Christi Giants - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
    7. "Texas League - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
    8. "1958 Corpus Christi Giants Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
    9. "1958 Corpus Christi Giants Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
    10. "1958 Texas League (TL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
    11. "1959 Corpus Christi Giants Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
    12. "Gaylord Perry Stats". Baseball-Reference.com.
    13. "Horton Automatics Manufacturing Locations". www.hortondoors.com.

    Corpus Christi-Baseball Reference

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