The Flint Arrows was the primary name of the

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 in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Flint River (Michigan), Flint River northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the Central Michigan, Mid Michigan region. Flin ...

from 1940 to 1941 and 1948 to 1951. Flint was a member of the

Michigan State League The Michigan State League was a minor league baseball league that operated in various seasons between 1889 and 1941. The league franchises were based exclusively in Michigan, with the league forming on six different occasions. Twenty two different ...

(1940–1941) and

Central League The or , also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League i ...

(1948–1950), playing their home games at

Atwood Stadium Atwood Stadium is an 11,000-seat stadium owned by Kettering University. It is located in the historic Carriage Town district area of downtown Flint, Michigan. In 2019 it became the home field for the Flint City Bucks, a soccer club that competes ...

. Flint was an affiliate of the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

(1948–1950) and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

(1940–1941).

History

The Flint 1940 to 1951 teams were immediately preceded by the

Flint Vehicles The Flint Vehicles were a professional baseball team in Flint, Michigan from 1921 to 1926. They were a part of the Michigan–Ontario League and were preceded in the league by the Flint Halligens in 1919 and 1920. In 1921, future Pittsburgh Steel ...

, who played in the

and other minor leagues from 1906 to 1926. The Flint Gems began play as members of the 1940 Class C level

as an affiliate of the

. Flint won the 1940 Michigan State League Pennant and the 1941 Michigan State League Championship. The Flint Gems won the 1940 Michigan State League pennant. With a regular season of 67–41, the Gems finished first in the Michigan State League regular season. The Gems were managed by Jack Knight. In the 1940 Playoffs, the St. Joseph Autos defeated the Flint Gems 3 games to 2. In 1941, the Flint Indians won the Michigan State League championship in the final year of the Class C league. Flint finished 70–38, to finish first in the Michigan State League regular season standings, finishing 9.0 games ahead of the second place St. Joseph Autos. The Flint Indians manager was Jack Knight. There were no playoffs in 1941. The 1948 to 1951 Flint Arrows were a member of the

. Their overall record was 169–102. The Arrows won the Central League Championship in 1950 and the league Pennant in 1948. With the 1951 riots in Baltimore creating tension, Flint was noted by the ''Sporting News'' as being one of five ball teams that had games with single digit attendance. When the Arrows started playing in Flint in as a

minor league affiliate in the Central League, their manager was Jack Tighe. The league scheduled a 140–game season in 1948. The August 26, 1949 home game with Grand Rapids had a fight break out with catcher Frank House being suspended indefinitely. The Flint Arrows captured the Central League pennant in 1948. With a record of 89–49, Flint finished first in the Central League Standings under manager Jack Tighe. In the Playoffs, the Fort Wayne Generals defeated the Flint Arrows 3 games to 2. Flint had 1948 season attendance of 120,573, an average of 1,747 per game. In 1950, Flint won the Central League championship. The Arrows finished 80–53 and placed first in the Central League regular season standings under manager Gene Desautels. In the 1950 Playoffs, the Flint Arrows defeated the Grand Rapids Jets 3 games to 1 to advance. In the Central League Finals, Flint defeated the

Muskegon Clippers Muskegon ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Muskegon County, Michigan, United States. Situated around a harbor of Lake Michigan, Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, and boating. It is the most populous city along Lake Michigan' ...

4 games to 1 to claim the championship. The Arrows' 1950 season attendance was 67,954, an average of 1,022 per game. The Arrows lost their Tiger affiliation after the end of the season despite winning the league championship. The team's home run leader for 1950 was Edwin Little with 17. On , the Arrows had a single digit attendance with two fans watching their game according to the 1952 ''Sporting News Baseball Guide''. In the Final season of the Central League, the 1951 Flint Arrows finished last in the six–team league. The Arrows were 38–98 under manager Stephen Bysco. Their total season home attendance was 25,900, an average of 381 per game. The

Flint Journal ''The Flint Journal'' is a quad-weekly newspaper based in Flint, Michigan, owned by Booth Newspapers, a subsidiary of Advance Publications. Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, it serves Genesee County, Michigan, Genesee, Lapeer ...

reported that the team suffered from lower attendance in 1951 and struggled financially. The Arrows ended operations, along with the entire Central League, after the 1951 season. The Arrows were the last minor league baseball team based in Flint.

The ballpark

The Flint teams between 1940 and 1951 played minor league home games at

. Atwood Stadium is still in use today. It is owned by

Kettering University Kettering University is a private university in Flint, Michigan. It offers Bachelor of Science, bachelor of science and master's degree, master’s degrees in Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM (science, technology, engineer ...

, was renovated in 2015, and serves as home of Kittering athletic teams and the

Flint City Bucks Flint City Bucks is an American soccer team based in Flint, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1995, the team plays in USL League Two. The club was founded in 1995 as the Mid-Michigan Bucks, playing in Saginaw, and began playing in 1996. In 2 ...

minor league soccer franchise. The address is 701 west 3rd Avenue, Flint, Michigan.

Notable alumni

* Red Embree (1940) *

Steve Gromek Stephen Joseph Gromek (January 15, 1920 – March 12, 2002) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for 17 seasons in the American League with the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers. In 447 career games, Gromek ...

(1941) MLB All-Star * Frank House (1949) *

Cliff Mapes Clifford Franklin Mapes (March 13, 1922 – December 5, 1996) was a professional baseball player. He played five seasons of Major League Baseball as an outfielder for the New York Yankees, St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers. Professional career ...

(1941) *

Dick Marlowe Richard Burton Marlowe (June 27, 1929 – December 30, 1968) was an American professional baseball pitcher who appeared in 98 games in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox from 1951 to 1956. Born in Hickory, North Ca ...

(1948) * Jack Tighe (1948, MGR) *

Bubba Phillips John Melvin "Bubba" Phillips (February 24, 1928 – June 22, 1993) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman from Macon, Mississippi. He played for ten seasons on the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, and Cleveland Indians, fro ...

(1950) *

Gene Woodling Eugene Richard Woodling (August 16, 1922 – June 2, 2001) was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder between and , most prominently as a member of the New York Yankees dyn ...

(1941) MLB All-Star

References

{{Reflist Sports in Flint, Michigan Defunct baseball teams in Michigan Central League teams Cleveland Guardians minor league affiliates Detroit Tigers minor league affiliates Baseball teams established in 1941 Michigan State League teams Baseball teams disestablished in 1951