The Aberdeen Pheasants was the primary moniker minor league baseball teams located in

Aberdeen, South Dakota Aberdeen ( Lakota: ''Ablíla'') is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, United States, located approximately northeast of Pierre. The city population was 28,495 at the 2020 census, making it the third most populous cit ...

between 1920 and 1997. The Pheasants played in the

Northern League Northern League may refer to: Sport Baseball * Northern League (baseball, 1902–71), a name used by several minor leagues that operated in the upper midwestern U.S. and Manitoba from 1902 to 1971 * Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010), an indep ...

from 1946 until the league folded in 1971. Aberdeen was the Class C affiliate of the St. Louis Browns until 1953, continuing with the franchise when the Browns moved to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

in 1954, with the Pheasants remaining in the Oriole farm system. Abderdeen had a team in the Independent Prairie League from 1995 to 1997, also called the Pheasants.

Origins

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), ...

has always been a baseball town with organized teams playing semi-professional ball as far back as the 1890s. The Dakota League was organized after World War I and offered Aberdeen fans their first taste of professional baseball, as

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball ...

inductee

Al Simmons Aloysius Harry Simmons (May 22, 1902 – May 26, 1956), born Alois Szymanski, was an American professional baseball player. Nicknamed "Bucketfoot Al", he played for two decades in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and had his best year ...

played for Aberdeen in 1922. That league folded in 1922. After World War II another professional baseball team, the Aberdeen Pheasants, was organized in Aberdeen as part of the

and had their inaugural season in 1947. Ben Siebrecht, owner of Siebrecht Florist and Greenhouse, was the president of a five-member board charged with the duties of organizing and operating that early Pheasants team. The board raised $25,000 by selling stock to local investors and were able to establish a working agreement with the St. Louis Browns as a source for players. That agreement survived the Browns' move to

and became the longest working agreement between major and minor league teams in baseball history lasting 26 years. Many big name players wore the Aberdeen Pheasants uniform at some time in their careers. Pitcher

Don Larsen Don James Larsen (August 7, 1929 – January 1, 2020) was an American professional baseball pitcher. During a 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he pitched from 1953 to 1967 for seven different teams: the St. Louis Browns / Baltimore O ...

, famous for pitching a perfect game in the

1956 World Series The 1956 World Series of Major League Baseball was played between the New York Yankees of the American League and the defending champion Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League in October 1956. The series was a rematch of the 1955 World Series. ...

as a

New York Yankee The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...

, played for the Pheasants in 1947 and 1948. Bob Turley was a 1949 Pheasant prior to winning the

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Ha ...

in 1958 as a

. Tito Francona played on the 1953 Pheasants prior to playing on 8 different major league teams. He even married an Aberdeen girl, Roberta Jackson, at home plate prior to a home game.

Earl Weaver Earl Sidney Weaver (August 14, 1930 – January 19, 2013) was an American professional baseball manager, author, and television broadcaster. After playing in minor league baseball, he retired without playing in Major League Baseball (MLB). He be ...

managed the club for the 1959 season.

Jim Palmer James Alvin Palmer (born October 15, 1945) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1965–1967, 1969–1984). Palmer was the winningest MLB pitcher in the ...

pitched for the Pheasants during the 1964 season. Earl Weaver and Jim Palmer are the only former Pheasants to be named to the

baseball hall of fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball ...

. Dave Leonhard pitched for the 1963 and 1964 Pheasants and pitched for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

from 1967–1972.

Mark Belanger Mark Henry Belanger (June 8, 1944 – October 6, 1998), nicknamed "The Blade," was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball as a shortstop from through , most notably as a member of the Bal ...

was also on the 1964 Pheasants and was eventually named the American League all-star shortstop in 1976 as an Oriole. Lou Piniella played for the 1964 team prior to moving to the majors that same season. Cal Ripken, Sr. was a manager of the Pheasants for the 1963–1966 season. The minor league Pheasants met their demise when the Northern League folded after the 1971 season. The remaining teams, who all folded, were the Aberdeen Pheasants,

Sioux Falls Packers The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota language, Dakota: Help:IPA, /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribes and First Nations in Canada, First Nations peoples in North America. The ...

, St. Cloud Rox and Watertown Expos.

Ballparks

Games were played at the municipal ball field located on the campus of Northern State University. The original stadium burned down in 1952 and was quickly replaced. Eventually the replacement stadium was torn down to make room for the

Barnett Center Barnett is both a surname and a masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname Barnett is an Anglo-Saxon and Old French surname that came after the Norman Invasion.The original Anglo-Saxon spelling is baernet which means'the c ...

. Early games during the first season started at 5:30pm because the field wasn't lighted but later during that season, lights were added thanks to contributions from the enthusiastic fans. The Pheasants built a steady fan base drawing crowds of over 3000 by their second season.

Mascot

Not to be forgotten is "Philbert" the cartoon pheasant drawn by Gordon Haug, the advertising artist for Aberdeen's Olwin-Angell department store. Philbert appeared on the front page of the

Aberdeen American News ''The American News'' is a newspaper in Aberdeen, South Dakota, published by Gannett of McLean, Virginia. It is published four days a week, Tuesday through Friday. History The ''Aberdeen News'' was founded as a weekly in 1885 by C.W. Starli ...

the morning after each game with an appropriate comment about the game's outcome.

Significant Events

The biggest game in Pheasant history took place in 1964 when the parent team, the

, came to town to play their minor league cohorts. The Orioles posted a 6-3 win in front of a capacity crowd. The Pheasants' final season was 1971. In 1995, local baseball enthusiasts re-established the Aberdeen Pheasant team and gave

fans three seasons of baseball excitement prior to disbanding the organization at the end of the 1997 season. During the 1995 season, the Pheasants ran over their Prairie League competition, setting an all-time minor-league record for winning percentage by going 56-13 (.812) in the league's regular season. Historic information and photos provided by the

Dacotah Prairie Museum The Western Union Building, formerly known as the Hagerty Block and currently as the Dacotah Prairie Museum, is a historic bank building in Aberdeen, South Dakota. It is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a con ...

In 2010, the former Sioux Falls (South Dakota) Canaries team was renamed the Sioux Falls Fighting Pheasants, presumably to give new life to the Pheasants franchise. The move was not without controversy, as discussed in this editorial from the Aberdeen American Newshttp://www.aberdeennews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100223/OPINION03/2230306/-1/opinion

Notable alumni

Alumni *

(1964) inducted, 1990 *

(1922) inducted, 1953 *

Norm Stewart Norman Eugene Stewart (born January 20, 1935) is a retired American college basketball coach. He coached at the University of Northern Iowa (then known as State College of Iowa) from 1961 to 1967, but is best known for his career with the Univer ...

(1957)

National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hall of fame and museum dedicated to men's college basketball. The museum is an integral portion of the College Basketball Experience created by the Nation ...

, inducted 2007 *

(1959) inducted, 1996 Notable alumni * Bob Bailor (1971) * Steve Barber (1958) 2x MLB All-Star *

(1964) MLB All-Star; 8x Gold Glove shortstop *

Bo Belinsky Robert "Bo" Belinsky (December 7, 1936 – November 23, 2001) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played for the Los Angeles Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Cincinnati Reds of Major League Base ...

(1958-1959) *

Al Bumbry Alonza Benjamin Bumbry (born Alonza Benjamin Bumbrey; April 21, 1947) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder who played for the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres from 1972 through 1985. Bumbry was the 1973 American League Rookie ...

(1971) MLB All-Star; 1973 AL Rookie of the Year * Andy Etchebarren (1961, 1963) 2x MLB All-Star * Tito Francona (1953) MLB All-Star * Roger Freed (1967) * Don Heffner (1947) * Chuck Hinton (1959) MLB All-Star * Darold Knowles (1963) MLB All-Star *

(1947-1948) 1956 World Series Most Valuable Player * Lou Piniella (1964) MLB All-Star; 1969 AL Rookie of the Year; 3x MLB Manager of the Year * Cal Ripken Sr. (1963-1964) *

Wes Stock Wesley Gay Stock (born April 10, 1934) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher, pitching coach and television commentator. He appeared in 321 games pitched (all but three in relief) between 1959 and 1967 with the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas Ci ...

(1956) * Bob Turley (1949) 3x MLB All-Star; 1958 AL Cy Young Award; 1958 World Series Most Valuable Player *

Eddie Watt Eddie Dean Watt (born April 4, 1941) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed relief pitcher from through , most prominently as a member of the Baltimore Orioles dynasty that won th ...

(1963-1964)

Year-by-year record

* Baukol Playoffs based on last 30 days of the season

References

{{reflist

External links

Baseball Reference
Aberdeen, South Dakota Baltimore Orioles minor league affiliates St. Louis Browns minor league affiliates Defunct minor league baseball teams Sports clubs disestablished in 1997 Northern League (1902-71) baseball teams Defunct baseball teams in South Dakota Baseball teams established in 1920 Sports teams in Aberdeen, South Dakota