The Lima Phillies 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

Lima, Ohio Lima ( ) is a city in Allen County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 35,579. It is located in northwest Ohio along Interstate 75 in Ohio, Interstate 75, appr ...

. The Lima "Phillies" were a minor league affiliate of the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

, playing as members of the Class D level Ohio-Indiana League in 1950 and 1951. The Phillies were preceded in Ohio–Indiana League play by the 1948 Lima Terriers, who were a minor league affiliate of the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

and the 1949 Lima Chiefs. Failing to qualify for the playoffs in each season, the Lima Ohio–Indiana League teams hosted minor league home games at Allen County Park.

History

The 1948 Lima "Terriers" continued play in a newly named league after the Terriers had played the 1947 season as a member of the Class D level

Ohio State League The Ohio State League was a minor league baseball league that operated in numerous seasons between 1887 and 1947, predominantly as a Class D (baseball), Class D level league. League franchises were based in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wes ...

, which changed names for the 1948 season. In 1948, the Ohio State League expanded beyond the state of Ohio and changed names to become the Class D level

Ohio–Indiana League The Ohio–Indiana League was a Class D level minor league baseball league that operated from 1948 to 1951. The league was composed of six teams from Ohio and two teams from Indiana. The Marion Red Sox won three consecutive league championship ...

. The

Muncie Reds The Muncie Reds were an Ohio State League (1947) and Ohio–Indiana League (1948–1950) baseball team based in Muncie, Indiana, USA. They were affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team ...

joined seven returning Ohio State League teams in beginning league play on May 2, 1948.< The Lima franchise continued play in 1948, when the Ohio State League changed names. The Lima Terriers were an affiliate of the

in 1948. The

Marion Cubs The Marion Cubs were an Ohio State League (1947) and Ohio–Indiana League (1948) baseball team based in Marion, Ohio, USA. They were affiliated with the Chicago Cubs and played their home games at Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lak ...

, Muncie Reds,

Newark Yankees The Newark Yankees were a minor league baseball team based in Newark, Ohio. From 1948 to 1951, the "Yankees" played as members of the Class D level Ohio-Indiana League as an affiliate of the New York Yankees. Before the league changed names, t ...

Portsmouth A's The Portsmouth A's were a minor league baseball team based in Portsmouth, Ohio. From 1948 to 1950, the A's played as exclusively as members of the Class D level Ohio-Indiana League and were a minor league affiliate of the Philadelphia Athletics. ...

Richmond Roses Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

Springfield Giants From 1957 through 1965, the Springfield Giants were the Single-A and Double-A baseball team affiliate of the New York/San Francisco Giants in the Eastern League. The team played at Pynchon Park in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Springfield Gi ...

and Zanesville Dodgers joined Lima in league beginning Ohio–Indiana League play on May 2, 1948. The Terriers finished in last place in the final regular season standings of the new league. With a record of 57–83, Lima ended the 1948 Ohio–Indiana League regular season in eighth place. Managed by Charlie Engle, the Terriers finished 25.5 games behind the first place Zanesville Dodgers and did not qualify for the four–team playoffs, won by Zanesville. Lima's Joe Frisina won the league batting championship, hitting .332. Continuing Ohio–Indiana League play, the 1949 Lima team again finished in last place under a new nickname. The Lima "Chiefs" played without a major league affiliate. Managed by

Grover Hartley Grover Allen Hartley (July 2, 1888 – October 19, 1964) was a backup catcher in Major League Baseball. From 1911 through 1934, he played for the New York Giants (1911–13, 1924–26), St. Louis Terriers (1914–15), St. Louis Browns (1916–17 ...

and George Kinnamon, the Chiefs had a regular season record of 46–91 to finish in eighth place. Lima finished 34.0 games behind the first place Portsmouth A's and did not qualify for the playoffs, won by the Marion Red Sox. Lima became a minor league affiliate of the

in 1950, and began play as the Lima "Phillies," missing the Ohio–Indiana League playoffs. With an 52–85 record, the Phillies placed sixth in the eight team league, playing the season under manager

Frank McCormick Frank Andrew McCormick (June 9, 1911 – November 21, 1982) was an American baseball first baseman who played fifteen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "Buck" in honor of Frank Buck, he played for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelp ...

, a former major league All–Star player and 1940 Most Valuable Player. Lima finished 37.0 games behind the first place Marion Red Sox in the regular season standings. In their final season of play, the 1951 Ohio–Indiana League compacted to become a five–team league to begin the season. The Newark Yankees won the first–half title in a split–season schedule, with the first half-season schedule ending on June 18, 1951. Newark then folded on July 17, 1951, leaving four remaining teams, Lima included, completing the second half of the season. Lima finished fourth and last in the final regular season standings. At the conclusion of the season, the Phillies finished 49.5 games behind the Marion Red Sox in the overall standings with a 41–86 record, playing the season under returning manager Barney Lutz. After a playoff won by the Marion Red Sox, the Ohio–Indiana League permanently folded following the completion of the 1951 season. Lima, Ohio has not hosted another minor league team. In 2015, the Lima Locos began play as members of the

Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League The Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League (GLSCL) is a collegiate summer baseball league in the Great Lakes region of the United States. It is affiliated with the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball and comprises teams with college baseb ...

, a

summer collegiate baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

league.

The ballparks

In 1948 and 1949, the Lima Terriers and Chiefs played home minor league games at Halloran Park. The ballpark was destroyed by fire in 1949 and a new field was constructed to replace it. The ballpark was in a residential neighborhood on the north side of Lima. The ballpark hosted

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 ...

members

Josh Gibson Joshua Gibson (December 21, 1911 – January 20, 1947) was an American baseball catcher primarily in the Negro leagues. In 1972, he became the second Negro league player to be inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, National ...

Buck Leonard Walter Fenner "Buck" Leonard (September 8, 1907 – November 27, 1997) was an American first baseman in Negro league baseball and in the Mexican League. After growing up in North Carolina, he played for the Homestead Grays between 1934 and 1950, ...

Jud Wilson Ernest Judson Wilson (February 28, 1894 – June 24, 1963), nicknamed "Boojum", was an American third baseman, first baseman, and manager in Negro league baseball. He played for the Baltimore Black Sox, the Homestead Grays, and the Philadelphia ...

and Ray Brown and the

Homestead Grays The Homestead Grays (also known as Washington Grays or Washington Homestead Grays) were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro league baseball, Negro leagues in the United States. The team was formed in 1912 in sports, 1912 by Cum ...

in an exhibition game on August 28, 1942. Previously, Hall of famers

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional Baseball in the United States, baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nickna ...

and

Lou Gehrig Henry Louis Gehrig ( ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941), also known as Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig, was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was ...

made an appearance at the park in 1926. In 1949 and 1950, the Lima Phillies of the Ohio–Indiana League hosted home minor league games at Allen County Park after a new field was built to replace Halloran Park. With a capacity of 3,750, the ballpark was located at 1920 Slabtown Road and had field dimensions of (left–center–right) of 325–425–295. Today, the site houses facilities and acreage for the Allen County Educational Services organization, using the same address. The adjoining public park is called the Allen County Farm Park, with a location of 1582 Slabtown Road.

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

* Charlie Engle (1948, MGR) * Don Erickson (1951) *

(1949, MGR) * Barney Lutz (1951, MGR) *

(1950, MGR) 9x MLB All-Star; 1940 NL M.V.P. * Sonny Senerchia (1949) * Lima Terriers players * Lima Chiefs players * Lima Phillies players

References

{{reflist

External links

Lima - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Professional baseball teams in Ohio Defunct baseball teams in Ohio Baseball teams established in 1950 Baseball teams disestablished in 1951 Philadelphia Phillies minor league affiliates Ohio-Indiana League teams Lima, Ohio