Wellsville Red Sox
The Wellsville Red Sox were a minor league baseball team, based in Wellsville, New York. The team played in the Pennsylvania–Ontario–New York League, which is still in existence as the New York–Penn League. The team began as the Wellsville Yankees, a class C affiliate of the New York Yankees from 1942 through 1946. In 1943, the team won its first league title. After the 1946 season the Yankees ended their affiliation and were replaced by the Boston Red Sox and the team was renamed the Wellsville Nitros. The Nitros were kept their affiliation with Boston until 1949. However, for the 1949 season, the club continued to play as the Nitros.
| Wellsville Red Sox 1942–1965 Wellsville, New York | |
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| League titles | 4 (1943, 1956, 1959, 1960) |
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Previous names |
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Previous parks | Tullar Field |
In 1950 the Nitros changed their name to the Wellsville Senators when they became a farm team of the Charlotte Hornets in the Washington Senators' farm system. The team became the independent Wellsville Rockets in 1951 when their one-year affiliation with the Senators ended. In 1952, the Rockets were affiliated with the St. Louis Browns, before becoming the Wellsville Braves, an affiliate of the Milwaukee Braves. During their time as the Braves the team, won 3 league titles; in 1956, 1959 and 1960. In 1963 the team once again became an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and took up the Wellsville Red Sox name. In 1966, the Red Sox moved the team from Wellsville to Oneonta, New York, under the ownership of Sam Nader the team became the Oneonta Red Sox. The club played in Oneonta until 2010, when they were relocated to Norwich, Connecticut, and continue to play as the Connecticut Tigers.
Year-by-year record
(from Baseball Reference Bullpen)
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | 65-60 | T4th | Walt VanGrofski | Lost 1 game playoff for 4th place |
| 1943 | 58-51 | 3rd | Herb Brett & Sol Mishkin | League champs |
| 1944 | 51-73 | 7th | Sol Mishkin | |
| 1945 | 57-68 | 5th | Bob Crow & Sol Mishkin | |
| 1946 | 52-72 | 6th | Joe Abreu | |
| 1947 | 64-59 | 4th | Tom Carey | Lost in 1st round |
| 1948 | 60-64 | 6th | Tom Carey | |
| 1949 | 45-81 | 7th | Tom Kister & Jimmy Wasdell | |
| 1950 | 50-75 | 7th | Jimmy Wasdell & Bill Mongiello | |
| 1951 | 53-73 | 6th | Walt VanGrofski | |
| 1952 | 36-89 | 8th | Gene Crumling & Rocco Sgro | |
| 1953 | 59-67 | 6th | Ted Sepkowski | |
| 1954 | 69-56 | 3rd | Ted Sepkowski | Lost in 1st round |
| 1955 | 68-58 | 4th | Alex Monchak | Lost in 1st round |
| 1956 | 74-46 | 1st | Alex Monchak | League Champs |
| 1957 | 74-43 | 1st | Alex Monchak | Lost in 1st round |
| 1958 | 70-56 | 1st | Harry Minor | Lost League Finals |
| 1959 | 80-46 | 1st | Harry Minor | League Champs |
| 1960 | 69-60 | 2nd | Harry Minor | League Champs |
| 1961 | 55-71 | 7th | Bill Steinecke | |
| 1963 | 73-57 | 2nd | Bill Slack & Matt Sczesny | Lost in 1st round |
| 1964 | 70-60 | 3rd | Larry Thomas | |
| 1965 | 62-64 | 4th | Matt Sczesny |
Notable alumni
Hall of Fame alumni
- Phil Niekro (1959) Inducted, 1997
Notable alumni
- Jerry Coleman (1942) MLB All-Star
- Tony Conigliaro (1963) MLB All-Star
- Elrod Hendricks (1960)
- Dick Littlefield (1947)
- Charlie Maxwell (1947) 2 x MLB All-Star
- Don McMahon (1950) MLB All-Star
- Don Nottebart (1954)
- Bill Robinson (1961)
- George Scott (1963) 8 X Gold Glove; 3 x MLB All-Star
- Jimmy Wasdell (1949-1950)