Independence Yankees

The Independence Yankees was the primary nickname of the minor league baseball teams in Independence, Kansas between 1896 and 1952. Independence was the site of the first night game in organized baseball on April 28, 1930. Independence played as an affiliate of the New York Yankees (1947-50) and St. Louis Browns (1952).

Independence Yankees
1896–1952
(1896, 1906–1908, 1911, 1921–1925, 1928–1932, 1947–1950, 1952)
Independence, Kansas
Minor league affiliations
Previous classes
Class D (1906–1908, 1924, 1947–1950, 1952)
Class C (1922–1923, 1925, 1928–1932)
Previous leagues
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles 1906, 1921, 1930, 1948, 1949
Team data
Previous names
Previous parks
Shulthis Stadium

The 1921 Independence Producers were ranked #77 on The National Baseball Association's top 100 minor league teams.

Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee Mickey Mantle played for Independence in 1949, his first professional season. Fellow Hall of Famer Burleigh Grimes was the Manager in 1948.

History

Baseball in Independence started with a team in the Kansas State League in 1896. From 1906 to 1911 Independence teams played in four leagues with four different nicknames. Then from 1921–1932, the Independence Producers played in the Southwestern League (1921–1924) and the Western Association (1925–1932). The 1921 Producers finished with a record of 100–38.[1]

On August 9, 1908 Gene Packard pitched a perfect game for Independence against the Bartlesville Boosters, with 10 strikeouts.[2]

On July 2, 1930, Independence pitcher Colonel Bob House had nineteen strikeouts against Springfield, Missouri, which was a league record for strikeouts in a single game. Four days later the Producers had eight home runs in a game against Muskogee, Oklahoma, setting a league record.[3][4]

The Independence Yankees were formed in 1947 as an expansion team in the Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League. The team remained in the league as an affiliate of the New York Yankees (1947–1950) and St. Louis Browns (1952). The team did not play in 1951, and took the name Browns in 1952. The league and its teams folded after the 1952 season.[5][6]

Championship teams

In 20 seasons of minor league play, Independence had successes on the field. The 1906 Independence Coyotes won the Kansas State League championship with a 69–record. They changed leagues when the KSL folded, but changed their name to Champs for 1907.[7]

The 1921 Independence Producers finished with a record of 100–38 in taking the Southwestern League Championship. The team is ranked #77 on The National Baseball Association's top 100 minor league teams by MiLB.com and Baseball Historians Bill Weiss and Marshall Wright.[8]

The 1930 Producers were the Western Association Champions, defeating Joplin, Missouri in the championship series. It was the first time the series had been played at night.[9]

The 1948 and 1949 Independence Yankees won the Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League Championship in back-to-back seasons. They finished 74–46 in 1948 under Hall of Fame member Burleigh Grimes and 71–53 under Harry Craft in 1949. The 1949 Independence Yankees featured a 17-year old Mickey Mantle playing shortstop.[10]

Mickey Mantle 1949

In 1949, Mickey Mantle began his professional career with Independence as a 17-year-old. Mantle hit .313 with 7 home runs for the Independence Yankees, as the team finished with 71–53 record and the league championship.[11][12]

The ballpark

Beginning in 1921, Independence teams played at Riverside Stadium, located on East Oak Street. The stadium was later named Producers Park and Shulthis Stadium. Built in 1918 by A.W. Shulthis, the stadium reportedly hosted the first night game in organized baseball, on April 28, 1930. Now part of the athletic field for Unified School District 446, the original grandstand remained as part of a new multipurpose complex until it was demolished in 2015.[13][14][15][16]

Notable Independence alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame alumni

Notable alumni

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References
  1. "Independence, Kansas Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
  2. "Packard Breaks World's Record". Independence Daily Reporter. August 10, 1908.
  3. "Bob House". Independence Daily Reporter. July 3, 1930.
  4. "Producers Set League Record with 8 Homers". Independence Daily Reporter. July 7, 1930.
  5. "Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League". Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  6. "1952 Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League". Baseball-reference.com\accessdate=2016-04-03.
  7. "1906 Independence Coyotes Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  8. "Top 100 Teams | MiLB.com History | The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com.
  9. "Producers Win Two Games and the Pennant". Independence Daily Reporter. September 11, 1930.
  10. "Independence Yankees - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  11. "Mickey Mantle Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  12. "Independence Yankees - BR Bullpen". Baseball-reference.com. 2008-05-29. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  13. "Riverside Stadium Minor League History". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-16. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  14. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-04-17. Retrieved 2016-04-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. "Shultis Stadium / Riverside Stadium - Independence Kansas - Former home of the Independence Yankees / Browns". Digitalballparks.com. 2001-08-11. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  16. Richard Clark. "Historic Grandstand Torn Down In Independence, Kansas". NewsOn6.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.

External References

Shulthis Stadium photos Shulthis Stadium / Shultis Stadium / Riverside Stadium / Emmot Field - Independence Kansas - Independence Yankees and Mickey Mantle

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