The Bismarck-Mandan Pards were a

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

team based in

Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck (; from 1872 to 1873: Edwinton) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat, seat of Burleigh County, North Dakota, Burleigh County. It is the state's List of cities i ...

in partnership with neighboring

Mandan, North Dakota Mandan is a city on the eastern border of Morton County, North Dakota, Morton County and the List of cities in North Dakota, eighth-most populous city in North Dakota. Founded in 1879 on the west side of the upper Missouri River, it was designat ...

. The Bismarck–Mandan Pards played as members of the Northern League from 1962 to 1964 and in 1966. Previous Bismarck minor league teams played as members of the 1922 Dakota League, 1923

North Dakota League The North Dakota League was a Minor League Baseball league which operated in five North Dakota cities in . The Class D level league had four teams at the start of its season, with one team relocating in July. The league evolved from the South Da ...

and the Manitoba-Dakota League from 1955 to 1957. The Bismarck–Mandan Pards were a minor league affiliate of the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

from 1962 to 1964 and

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

in 1966. Bismarck hosted home minor league games at the Bismarck Municipal Ballpark

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 a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...

member

Ray Dandridge Raymond Emmitt Dandridge (August 31, 1913 – February 12, 1994), nicknamed "Hooks" and "Squat", was an American third baseman in baseball's Negro leagues. Dandridge excelled as a third baseman and he hit for a high batting average. By the time th ...

played for the 1955 Bismarck Barons and led the league in hits at age 41.

History

Bismarck hosted numerous semi-pro and local teams, beginning in the late 1800's and continuing through the 1930's. The Bismarck teams had much success and integrated rosters that included

member,

Satchel Paige Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige (July 7, 1906 – June 8, 1982) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB). His career spanned five decades and culminated with his induction in ...

Dakota League (1922)

Minor league baseball began in Bismarck, North Dakota in 1922. The Valley City Hi–Liners of the Class D level Dakota League moved to Bismarck on August 3, 1922 with a 25–46 record. Playing the remainder of the season as the Bismarck Capitals at Bismarck Municipal Ballpark, the Valley City/Bismarck team ended the Dakota League season with an overall record of 30–64, placing eighth in the Dakota League.

Charlie Boardman Charles Louis Boardman (March 27, 1893 – August 10, 1968) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Philadelphia Athletics during the and seasons and the St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American ...

, Ernie Menne, J. H. Sampson and Lou Bachant were the managers of the team. J.H. Sampson was the team president. Sampson first hired Charlie Boardman as player/manager of the team. But, shortly after the 1922 season began, Boardman was picked up by the Kansas City Blues, and first–baseman Ernie Menne briefly became manager. Sampson himself was serving as the manager at the time of the move from Valley City, with Bachant, the team's catcher becoming the manager after the franchise moved to Bismarck.

North Dakota League (1923)

The 1923 Bismarck Capitals continued play as members of the Class D level

. The Bismarck Capitals resigned Charlie Boardman early in the 1923 season. Boardman was ejected from the game in the seventh inning of his first start for Bismarck, the first game of a doubleheader. Ejected in the seventh inning for talking back to the umpire, Boardman was also fined $10.00. Bismarck officials immediately paid the fine. Boardman then started the second game of the doubleheader and pitched a shut out of the Jamestown Jimkotans. Later in the 1923 season, Boardman had a 9–4 pitching record and league-leading .364 batting average when Bismarck suspended him without pay for “indifferent playing in the field.” Bismarck then traded Boardman to the new Valley City franchise. The Bismarck Capitals completed the 1923 season with a record of 26–42, placing fourth in the North Dakota League, playing the season under managers Tom Shanley and Maurice McKnight. The four–team North Dakota League permanently folded after the 1923 season. After semi–professional baseball was first played in Bismarck in 1889, various teams of semi–pro and amateur status continued play in the city. In the 1930's,

members

and

Hilton Smith Hilton Lee Smith (February 27, 1907 – November 18, 1983) was an American right-handed pitcher in Negro league baseball. He pitched alongside Satchel Paige for the Kansas City Monarchs and Bismarck Churchills between 1932 and 1948. He was induc ...

played for the

Bismarck Churchills The Bismarck team was a racially integrated semi-professional baseball team based in Bismarck, North Dakota, in the 1930s. The team played independently of any league because its mixed-race roster was a problem in a period of segregation, and bec ...

semi-pro team. Satchel Paige was a pitcher for Bismarck in both 1933 and 1935. Smith played for the 1935 team. The 1935 Bismarck won the National Semi-Professional Baseball Championship Tournament. Other players included Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe,

Quincy Trouppe Quincy Thomas Trouppe (December 25, 1912 – August 10, 1993) was an American professional baseball player and an amateur boxing champion. He was a catcher in the Negro leagues from 1930 to 1949. He was a native of Dublin, Georgia. Early life ...

Barney Morris Barney Morris (June 3, 1910 – May 24, 1962) was an American baseball player in the Negro leagues. A skillful pitcher, he played for the Monroe Monarchs, the Bismarck Churchills, the Pittsburgh Crawfords, and the New York Cubans The New York ...

, and

Chet Brewer Chester Arthur Brewer (January 14, 1907 – March 26, 1990) was an American right-handed pitcher in baseball's Negro leagues. Born in Leavenworth, Kansas, he played for the Kansas City Monarchs, and from 1957 to 1974 he scouted for the Pittsburgh ...

. In 1936, without Paige, Radcliffe, and Brewer, Bismarck returned to the national championships. Smith won four games, but Bismarck failed to repeat as champions.

Manitoba-Dakota League (1955 to 1957)

In 1955, the Bismarck Barons began play as members of the Independent Manitoba-Dakota League. In their three seasons, the Barons won both a pennant and a league championship. The 1955 Barons finished 47–41, to win the Manitoba–Dakota League regular season pennant, 3.0 games ahead of the second place

Williston Oilers The Williston Oilers were a minor league baseball team based in Williston, North Dakota. The "Oilers" played as members of the Independent level Manitoba-Dakota League from 1954 to 1957, winning the 1956 league championship. The league folded fo ...

. In the Playoffs, the

Dickinson Packers The Dickinson Packers were a minor league baseball team based in Dickinson, North Dakota. The Packers played as members of the Independent level Manitoba-Dakota League in 1955 and 1956, reaching the league finals in 1955. Dickinson hosted home ...

defeated Bismarck 4 games to 1. The team was Managed by

Al Cihocki Albert Joseph Cihocki (May 7, 1924 – March 27, 2014) was an American Major League Baseball infielder who played for one season. He played for the Cleveland Indians from April 17, 1945, to September 22, 1945. Cihocki was born in Nanticoke, ...

. Baseball Hall of Fame member

played for the Bismarck Barons in 1955, hitting .360 in 328 at–bats and leading the league with 118 hits at age 41. The Bismarck Barons finished in second place in 1956, with a 47–41 record, playing again under Manager Al Cihocki. Bismarck finished 1.0 games behind the Williston Oilers in the regular season standings and were defeated in the Manitoba–Dakota League playoffs by the

Minot Mallards The Minot Mallards were a minor league baseball team based in Minot, North Dakota. Earlier Minot teams preceded the Mallards and played as members of the 1917 Northern League and 1923 North Dakota League. Beginning play in 1950, the Mallards p ...

4 games to 2. In 1957, the Bismarck Barons finished first in the regular season with a 38–33 record to win a second Manitoba–Dakota League pennant. The 1957 Manager was Bill Hockenbury. Bismarck finished 1.0 games ahead of the second place Minot Minors in the regular season. Bismarck then defeated Minot in a weather affected playoffs to claim the championship. In the 1957 playoff Finals, the Bismarck Barons led the Minot Mallards 2 games to 1, when Minot forfeited after rain cancelled two games. The Manitoba-Dakota League permanently folded after the 1957 season. Bismarck attempted to join the Northern League in 1958, along with the Minot Mallards. The league was considering expanding to ten teams. But the eight–team league wasn't able to successfully create a nine–team schedule when the Wausau franchise folded, so Bismarck did not gain the franchise.

Northern League (1962 to 1964, 1966)

Minor league baseball returned to Bismarck, when the 1962 Bismarck–Mandan Pards franchise, in partnership with neighboring Mandan, North Dakota, finally became members of the Class C level Northern League as an affiliate of the

and playing at Bismarck Municipal Ballpark in Bismarck. Jack Hoeven, the father of the current North Dakota governor, was named team president. The Pards ended the 1962 season with a record of 60–62, placing sixth in the six–team Northern League, playing the season under Manager Vern Morgan, who began the first of his three-year tenure. The Pards had season home attendance of 37,786, an average of 619 per contest. The Bismarck–Mandan Pards continued play in the 1963 Northern League, which was now designated as a Class A league. Jack Hoeven was replaced as team president by Roger Higgins, a radio and television sports director, who had played for the Bismarck Barons. The Pards finished with a 1963 regular season record of 56–63, placing third in the Northern League, with Vern Morgan continuing as manager. Season attendance at Bismarck Municipal Ballpark was 31,769, an average of 534 per game. Playing their third season under Vern Morgan, the Bismarck–Mandan Pards of the Northern League finished the 1964 season with a record of 39–80. The team finished last in the six–team Northern League. The Pards drew a season attendance of 19,332. The franchise did not return to the Northern League in 1965, as the league reduced to four teams for the 1965 season. The Bismarck–Mandan Pards returned to the Northern League in 1966 and played their final season. Bismarck-Mandan finished with a record of 16–47, placing sixth in the Northern League standings. Tony Pacheco was the 1966 manager. The final home season attendance at Bismarck Municipal Ballpark was 6,988, an average of 222 per contest. The Bismarck–Mandan Pards franchise folded after the season.

The ballpark

Bismarck and Bismarck–Mandan minor league teams played home games at the Bismarck Municipal Ballpark. The ballpark reportedly had a capacity of 3,000 with dimensions (Left, Center, Right) of: 321–410–320. The ballpark was built in 1921. The original grandstand was reportedly destroyed by fire in 1971 and rebuilt. In 1992, Washington Street, which runs alongside the ballpark, was widened and as a result the ballfield was rotated, with a new concrete grandstand constructed. Still in use for baseball today by the Bismarck Larks, Bismarck Municipal Ballpark is located at 303 West Front Street, Bismarck, North Dakota.

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

(1955) Inducted

, 1971 *

(1922, MGR, 1923) * Dave Boswell (1964) *

Bill Cash Sir William Nigel Paul Cash (born 10 May 1940) is a British politician who served as a member of Parliament (MP) from 1984 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he was first elected for Stafford and then for Stone in Staffordshire in ...

(1955) *

(1955–1956, MGR) *

Jerry Crider Jerry Stephen Crider (September 2, 1941 – April 4, 2008) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Minnesota Twins () and Chicago White Sox (). Listed at , 180 lb., Crider batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Sioux ...

(1962) * Gary Gearhart (1955) *

Wally Gilbert Walter John "Wally" Gilbert (December 19, 1900 – September 7, 1958) was an American athlete who performed in professional baseball, American football, football and basketball. Over his career, Gilbert played in Major League Baseball from 19 ...

(1922) * Preston Gomez (1955) * Tom Griffin (1966) * Roric Harrison (1966) *

Ken Heintzelman Kenneth Alphonse Heintzelman (October 14, 1915 – August 14, 2000) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played all or part of 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1937–42 and 1946–47) and Philad ...

(1955) *

Andy Kosco Andrew John Kosco (born October 5, 1941) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, California Angels, Boston Red S ...

(1964) *

Fred Lasher Frederick Walter Lasher (August 19, 1941 – February 27, 2022) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who played six seasons with the Minnesota Twins (1963), Detroit Tigers (1967–1970), Cleveland Indians (1970), and California Angels ( ...

(1962, 1964) *

Rudy May Rudolph May Jr. (July 18, 1944 – October 19, 2024) was an American professional baseball left–handed pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1965 and from 1969 to 1983 for the Los Angeles / California Angels, New York Yankees, ...

(1963) 1980 AL ERA Leader * Walter McCoy (1955) *

John Michaelson John August Michaelson (born Johan Aukusti Mikkola; August 12, 1893 – April 16, 1968) was a professional baseball pitcher. He appeared in two games in Major League Baseball in 1921 for the Chicago White Sox. , he is the only major league pl ...

(1922) * Vern Morgan (1962–1964, MGR) * Jim Ollom (1964) *

Art Pennington Arthur David "Superman" Pennington (May 18, 1923 – January 4, 2017) was an American Negro league baseball all-star player in the 1940s. Pennington played for the Chicago American Giants (1941–1945, 1950), the Birmingham Black Barons (1945), a ...

(1955–1956) * Newt Randall (1923) *

Rich Reese Richard Benjamin Reese (born September 29, 1941) is an American former professional baseball player who played first base and outfield in the major leagues from through for the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers. Born in Leipsic, Ohio, Reese t ...

(1963) *

Scipio Spinks Scipio Ronald Spinks (born July 12, 1947) is an American former right handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1969 through 1973 for the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals. Life and sports Born in Chicago, Illinois, Spinks wa ...

(1966) * Fred Stanley (1966) * Otis Thornton (1966) *

Wayne Twitchell Wayne may refer to: People with the given name and surname * Wayne (given name) * Wayne (surname) Geographical Places with name ''Wayne'' may take their name from a person with that surname; the most famous such person was Gen. "Mad" Antho ...

(1966) * Fred Vaughn (1955) * Bob Watkins (1966) *

Roy Weatherly Cyril Roy Weatherly (February 25, 1915 – January 19, 1991), nicknamed "Stormy", was an American professional baseball player whose career extended for two decades (1934–1943; 1946–1954; 1958). The native of Tyler County, Texas, an outfielde ...

(1955)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Bismarck - Baseball Reference
Professional baseball teams in North Dakota Defunct baseball teams in North Dakota Baseball teams established in 1962 Baseball teams disestablished in 1966 Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates Sports in Bismarck, North Dakota Northern League (1902-71) baseball teams Mandan, North Dakota Houston Astros minor league affiliates 1962 establishments in North Dakota 1966 disestablishments in North Dakota Baseball teams disestablished in 1964 Baseball teams established in 1966