Scranton Red Sox
From SoSH
- Red Sox Affiliate: 1939-1951
- League: Eastern League
- Stadium: Athletic Park (1939-1940), Scranton-Dunmore Stadium (1940-1951)
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Red Sox and Scranton
The Red Sox moved their Eastern League affiliate from Hazleton, Pennsylvania to Scranton for the 1939 season. The team, coming off two consecutive playoff teams in Hazleton, continued its success, winning the pennant and going on to win the playoffs, defeating Springfield and Albany. They won the regular season title again in 1940, but lost to Hartford in the first round of the playoffs. Scranton also made the playoffs in 1941, but lost in the first round to Williamsport.
Scranton won its second championship in 1942, as the Red Sox defeated Wilkes-Barre and Binghamton in the playoffs. The third regular season championship came in 1943, the fifth consecutive playoff appearance for the Sox. Chet Covington won the pitching triple crown, going 21-7 with a 1.51 ERA and 167 strikeouts. Scranton missed the playoffs the next two years, as World War II took precedence over all else.
As the war ended, Scranton was again the place to be. The Sox made four consecutive Eastern League playoffs, starting with the record-setting 1946 team. Minor League Baseball.com would name the 1946 team as the 90th best minor league team ever. The team led the league in batting average, walks, runs, hits and triples. The Sox won the league by 18 1/2 games and swept through the playoffs, defeating Wilkes-Barre in four straight and then defeating Hartford for the championship, four games to one. Mel Parnell, who was with Scranton for only part of the season, led the league in ERA with a mark yet to be eclipsed, 1.30.
The Sox returned to the playoffs in 1947, losing in the first round. Scranton won their fifth regular season title in 1948 and went on to win their fourth Eastern League championship, defeating Utica and Albany. Another playoff appearance came in 1949, in which the Sox were swept out of the first round by Albany. The team missed the playoffs entirely in 1950, but would return in 1951, winning their fifth Eastern League Championship, sweeping Hartford and Elmira. It would be the end of the relationship, however, as the Sox moved to Albany, New York the following season.
Teams and Records
- 1939 80-60
- 1940 79-60
- 1941
- 1942
- 1943 87-51
- 1944 Manager: Heinie Manush
- 1945
- 1946 96-43 Manager: Elmer Yoter
- 1947 Manager: Eddie Popowski
- 1948 96-43
- 1949
- 1950
- 1951
League Awards
Regular Season Titles 1939, 1940, 1943, 1946, 1948
Eastern League Champions 1939, 1942, 1946, 1948, 1951
Manager of the Year
- 1946 - Elmer Yoter
Most Valuable Player
- 1946 - Tom Fine
Batting Average
- 1946 - Sam Mele - .342
Triples
- 1946 - Sam Mele - 18
Hits
- 1946 - Sam Mele - 154
RBI
- 1948 - Jim Piersall - 92
ERA
- 1940 - Mickey Harris - 2.25
- 1943 - Chet Covington - 1.51
- 1946 - Mel Parnell - 1.30
- 1947 - Bill Kennedy - 2.62
Strikeouts
- 1939 - Mickey Harris - 148
- 1943 - Chet Covington - 187
- 1947 - Mickey McDermott - 136
Wins
- 1943 - Chet Covington - 21
- 1946 - Tom Fine - 23
Complete Games
- 1946 - Tom Fine - 21
Shutouts
- 1946 - Tom Fine - 6
All Stars
- 1946 Al Kozar, Sam Mele, Tom Fine, Tex Aulds, Len Kensecke
No Hitters
- 1946 - Mickey McDermott (17 years, 11 months)
- 1948 - Mickey McDermott [Playoffs]
Scranton to the Majors
- Jim Piersall
- Mel Parnell
- Tex Aulds
- Chet Covington
- Mickey McDermott
- Tom Fine
- Bill Kennedy
- Mickey Harris
- Al Kozar
- Sam Dente
- Merrill Combs
- Walt Dixon
- Tony Lupien
Trivia
- Nicknamed the Miners in 1944, 1945, 1950. Oddly, the only three seasons in which the Scranton teams did not make the playoffs as an affiliate of the Red Sox.
- The current Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons name comes from mixing the names of two previous minor league teams: the Scranton Red Sox and the Wilkes-Barre Barons.
