The Crisfield Crabbers 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

Crisfield, Maryland Crisfield is a city in Somerset County, Maryland, United States, located on the Tangier Sound, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. The population was 2,515 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statis ...

. The Crisfield Crabbers teams played as exclusively as members of the Class D level

Eastern Shore League The Eastern Shore Baseball League was a class D minor league baseball league that operated on the Delmarva Peninsula for parts of three different decades. The league's first season was in 1922 and the last was in 1949, although the years were not ...

from 1922 to 1928 and in 1937, winning the 1926 league championship. Crisfield hosted home minor league games at the Crisfield Ball Park and their final season at Clarke Park. The 1937 Crisfield Crabbers were a minor league affiliate of the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

History

Eastern Shore League 1922–1928

Minor league baseball began in Crisfield, Maryland with the 1922 Crisfield Crabbers, who became charter members of the Class D level

, which began play as a six–team league. Crisfield joined fellow Eastern Shore League charter members

Cambridge Canners Cambridge ( ) is a city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of t ...

, Laurel Blue Hens,

Parksley Spuds The Parksley Spuds was a Class D minor league baseball team based in Parksley, Virginia, which had a population of just over 600 people at the 1920 United States Census. They played in the Eastern Shore League between 1922 and 1928, the entire run ...

, Pocomoke City Salamanders and

Salisbury Indians The Salisbury Indians were a United States minor league baseball team which played in Salisbury, Maryland. The team began operation in 1922 as a founding member of the Eastern Shore League, which operated out of cities on the Delmarva Peninsula. ...

in beginning league play on June 12, 1922. In their first season of play, the Crabbers ended the 1922 season with a record of 36–32, placing third, playing the season under manager Jack Ryan. The Crabbers finished 6.5 games behind the champion Parksley Spuds, as the league held no playoffs. Joe Tagg of Crisfield won the Eastern Shore League batting title, hitting .329. The "Crabbers" moniker was in reference to local industry, as today, Crisfield is still noted as the greatest crab shipping point in the United States. Crisfield Academy and High School continues to use the "Crabbers" moniker today. The city of Crisfield continues to host the annual Crab Derby. The 1923 Crisfield Crabbers finished last in the final Eastern Shore League standings. Crisfield ended the 1923 season with a record of 26–47, placing sixth as the Eastern Shore League expanded to eight teams to begin the season. However, the Milford Sandpipers withdrew from the league in a dispute over an ineligible player and the Pocomoke City Salamanders folded during the season. Jack Ryan again served as the Crisfield manager, as the Crabbers finished 24.0 games behind the first place Dover Senators. The Crisfield Crabbers of the 1924 Eastern Shore League ended the season in fourth place. The Crabbers finished with record of 41–39, as Joseph Riley served as manager. In the six–team league, Crisfield finished the season 5.0 games behind the champion

. Continuing Eastern Shore League play, the 1925 Crisfield Crabbers finished in fifth place. The Crabbers ended the 1925 season with a record of 42–48 to place fifth in the six–team Eastern Shore League. Martin Breslin and Herb Armstrong served as managers, as Crisfield finished 9.5 games behind the first place

. The 1926 Crisfield Crabbers won the Eastern Shore League championship in the six–team league. The Crisfield Crabbers ended the 1926 Eastern Shore League season with a record of 63–21, to place first in the final standings. With Mike Pasquella serving as manager, Crisfield finished 7.0 games ahead of the second place Salisbury Indians. In league play, the

Easton Yankees Easton may refer to: Places Canada * Easton, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Easton, Bristol * Easton, Cambridgeshire *Easton, Dorset * Great Easton, Essex and Little Easton, Essex *Easton, Hampshire **Crux Easton, Hampshire *Easton, Isle of Wight * ...

team was stripped of 34 wins due to roster violations and ended the 1926 season with an official overall record of 24–60. On August 27, 1926, pitcher William Everham of Crisfield threw a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

against the Salisbury Indians. Crisfield defeated Salisbury 5–0 in the game. After the conclusion of the 1926 Eastern Shore Season, Crisfield represented the Eastern Shore League in the Five State Championship against the Hagerstown Hubs, champions of the

Blue Ridge League The Blue Ridge League was the name of two minor league baseball organizations that operated in the first half of the twentieth century in the United States. History The first league operated for the better part of sixteen years, from 1915 throu ...

. Hagerstown defeated Crisfield 4 games to 2 in the series. The 1927 Crisfield Crabbers ended the Eastern Shore League regular season with a record of 44–43. The Crabbers placed third in the final standings under returning manager Mike Pasquella, finishing 15.5 games behind the first place

. Pitcher Cecil Rose of Crisfield led the Eastern Shore League with 17 wins. The 1928 Eastern Shore League folded during the season. On July 10, 1928, as the league folded, the Crisfield Crabbers had a record of 14–17 under manager Billy Lush. Crisfield was in third place in the standings when the league folded, 8.0 games behind the first place Northampton Red Sox.

Eastern Shore League 1937

The Crabbers returned to play for a final season in 1937. The Eastern Shore League resumed play in 1937 with the Crisfield Crabbers becoming a member once again, joining the eight–team league. Crisfield became an affiliate of the

. The Crabbers ended the 1937 season with a 40–57 record, placing seventh in the regular season, finishing 19.5 games behind the first place

, who had 21 wins taken away due to roster violations, but still won the pennant. The 1937 Crabbers were managed by Bob Clark and the returning Mike Pasquella in their final season. The Crisfield franchise folded from the Eastern Shore League following the 1937 season. Crisfield, Maryland has not hosted another minor league team.

The ballparks

Early Crisfield teams were noted to have played minor league home games at Crisfield Ball Park. The ballpark was located on Cove Street at 1st Street & 2nd Street, Crisfield, Maryland. In 1937, Crisfield played home minor league games at Clarke Park.

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

* Vince Barton (1928) * Alta Cohen (1928) * Bill Knowlton (1922) * Billy Lush (1928, MGR) *

Hal Marnie Harry Sylvester "Hal" Marnie (July 6, 1918 – January 7, 2002) was an American professional baseball player. Born in Philadelphia, he was a second baseman and shortstop who appeared in 96 games played, games in Major League Baseball over parts o ...

(1937) *

Ralph Mattis Ralph Mattis (August 24, 1890 – September 13, 1960), known also as Matty Mattis, was a professional baseball outfielder whose career spanned seven seasons, one of which was spent in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Pittsburgh Rebels (1914). ...

(1925) * John D. Naylor ( 1922–1923) * Mike Pasquella (1926–1927, 1936, MGR) * Paul Richards (1926–1927)

Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame The Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame is a team Hall of Fame dedicated to representing the most significant contributors to the history of the Baltimore Orioles professional baseball team since the first season of Baltimore baseball in 1954, which has ...

* Lerton Pinto (1924) *

Tony Rensa George Anthony Rensa (September 29, 1901 – January 4, 1987) was an American professional baseball player in Major League Baseball. Rensa played for the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago White Sox. He batted ...

(1925–1926) * Jack Ryan (1922–1923, MGR) *

Rusty Yarnall Waldo Ward "Rusty" Yarnall (October 22, 1902 – October 9, 1985) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He appeared in one game in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1926. He was a right-handed thrower and batter. ...

(1925)

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

Crisfield - Baseball Reference
Professional baseball teams in Maryland Defunct baseball teams in Maryland Baseball teams established in 1922 Baseball teams disestablished in 1937 New York Giants minor league affiliates Defunct Eastern Shore League teams Crisfield, Maryland Baseball teams disestablished in 1928 Baseball teams established in 1937