The Sherbrooke Pirates (
French: ''les Pirates de Sherbrooke'') was the name of a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
minor league baseball franchise in the Double-A
Eastern League representing
Sherbrooke
Sherbrooke ( ; ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional cou ...
,
Québec, that existed from 1972–73. Affiliated with the namesake
Pittsburgh Pirates of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
, the Sherbrooke club played at
le Stade Amedée-Roy.
On-field success during two-year stay
The Eastern League's expansion into Québec in 1971, with the
Trois-Rivières Aigles
The Aigles de Trois-Rivières (English: ''Three Rivers Eagles'') were a Canadian Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds from 1971 to 1977. They were located in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, ...
and the
Québec Carnavals
The Québec Carnavals were a Minor League Baseball team located in Quebec City that served as the Montreal Expos' Double-A Eastern League affiliate from 1971 to 1977. They became known as the Québec Metros for the 1976 and 1977 seasons. Followin ...
, was initially very successful. The 1971
Waterbury Pirates had drawn more than 64,000 fans — fifth in the eight-team league — and moved to Sherbrooke for 1972. Although the 1972 Pirates posted a winning record in their maiden year in Sherbrooke, they did not make the playoffs and attendance lagged far behind that of the other two Québec teams at 66,100. The following season brought another winning (but non-playoff) team and a six percent increase in attendance,
[Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, eds., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition.'' Durham, NC: Baseball America, 2007, pp. 554, 558, 562] but at season's end the Pirates moved to
Thetford Mines
Thetford Mines (Canada 2021 Census population 26,072) is a city in south-central Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of Les Appalaches Regional County Municipality.
The city is located in the Appalachian Mountains, 141 miles northeast of Montreal and ...
, located 104 km (65 miles) to the north.
Notable alumni
*
Tony Armas
Antonio Rafael Armas Machado (born July 2, 1953) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1976 to 1989. He is the father of pitcher Tony Armas Jr. and the older brother o ...
*
Ken Macha
Kenneth Edward Macha (; born September 29, 1950) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and manager. He managed the Oakland Athletics from 2003–2006, including American League Western Division championships in both his first and final s ...
*
Mario Mendoza
Mario Mendoza Aizpuru (born December 26, 1950) is a Mexican former professional baseball infielder. Mendoza, a lifetime .215 hitter, is best known for being the source of the name for the threshold for batting ineptitude, the " Mendoza Line", ...
*
Kent Tekulve
Kenton Charles Tekulve ( ; born March 5, 1947), nicknamed "Teke", is an American former professional baseball right-handed relief pitcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He also played f ...
Season-by-season
See also
*
Amedée Roy Stadium
References
External links
Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada Baseball Reference
Baseball-Reference is a website providing baseball statistics for every player in Major League Baseball history. The site is often used by major media organizations and baseball broadcasters as a source for statistics. It offers a variety of advan ...
Baseball teams in Quebec
Defunct baseball teams in Canada
Defunct Eastern League (1938–present) teams
Pittsburgh Pirates minor league affiliates
Sport in Sherbrooke
1972 establishments in Quebec
Baseball teams established in 1972
1973 disestablishments in Quebec
Baseball teams disestablished in 1973
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