The Middle Atlantic League (or Mid-Atlantic League) was a lower-level circuit in American

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 ...

that played during the second quarter of the 20th century.

History

The Middle Atlantic League played from

1925 Events January * January 1 – The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini m ...

through

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

, except for three seasons (1943–45) when the loop suspended operations during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The league primarily featured clubs based in the U.S. states of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, and

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, although it had a team in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

and, in its final season, one in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Its longest-tenured team, the Johnstown Johnnies from

Johnstown, Pennsylvania Johnstown is the largest city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located east of Pittsburgh, it is the principal city of the Metropolitan statistical area ...

, played for 19 seasons. The final champions were the 1951 Niagara Falls Citizens. Throughout its 24-year history, the Middle Atlantic League was a Class C level, one rung up from the lowest classification, Class D. Elmer M. Daily was president of the league through 23 years of its existence.

List of teams

* Akron, OH: Akron Yankees 1935–1941 * Altoona, PA: Altoona Engineers 1931 * Beaver Falls, PA: Beaver Falls Beavers 1931 * Beckley, WV: Beckley Black Knights 1931–1934; Beckley Miners 1935 * Butler, PA: Butler Yankees 1946–1947; Butler Tigers 1948–1951 * Canton, OH: Canton Terriers 1936–1942 * Charleroi, PA: Charleroi Babes 1927–1928; Charleroi Governors 1929–1931 * Charleston, WV: Charleston Senators 1931–1942 * Clarksburg, WV: Clarksburg Generals 1925–1932 *

Cumberland, MD Cumberland is a city in Allegany County, Maryland, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 19,075. Located on the Potomac River, Cumberland is a regional business and comm ...

: Cumberland Colts 1925–1932, 1941–1942 *

Dayton, OH Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

: Dayton Ducks 1933–1938; Dayton Wings 1939–1940 * Erie, PA: Erie Sailors 1938–1939, 1941–1942,1946–1951 * Fairmont, WV: Fairmont Maroons 1925; Fairmont Black Diamonds 1926–1931 * Hagerstown, MD: Hagerstown Hubs 1931 * Huntington, WV: Huntington Boosters 1931–1933; Huntington Red Birds 1934–1936 * Jeannette, PA: Jeannette Jays 1926–1931 *

Johnstown, PA Johnstown is the largest city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 census. Located east of Pittsburgh, it is the principal city of the Johnstown metropolitan area and had 133,472 residents ...

: Johnstown Johnnies 1925–1938, 1946–1950 * Lockport, NY: Lockport Locks 1951 * New Castle, PA: New Castle Chiefs 1948; New Castle Nats 1949–1950; New Castle Indians 1951 * Niagara Falls, NY: Niagara Falls Frontiers 1946–1947; Niagara Falls Citizens 1950–1951 * Oil City, PA: Oil City Oilers 1946; Oil City Refiners 1947–1950; Oil City A's 1951 * Parkersburg, WV: Parkersburg Parkers 1931 * Portsmouth, OH: Portsmouth Pirates 1935–1936; Portsmouth Red Birds 1937–1940 * Scottdale, PA: Scottdale Scotties 1925–1930; Scottdale Cardinals 1931 * Springfield, OH: Springfield Chicks 1933; Springfield Pirates 1934;

Springfield Indians The Springfield Indians were two separate minor professional ice hockey franchises, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The original Indians were founding members of the American Hockey Leagu ...

1937–1939; Springfield Cardinals 1941–1942 *

Uniontown, PA Uniontown is the largest city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 9,984 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, southeast of Pittsburgh. History southeast of ...

: Uniontown Cokers 1926; Uniontown Coal Barons 1947–1949 * Vandergrift, PA: Vandergrift Pioneers 1947–1950 * Wheeling, WV: Wheeling Stogies 1925–1931, 1933–1934 * Youngstown, OH: Youngstown Tubers 1931; Youngstown Browns 1939–1941; Youngstown Gremlins 1946; Youngstown Colts 1947–1948; Youngstown Athletics 1949–1951 * Zanesville, OH: Zanesville Grays 1933–1937; Zanesville Cubs 1941–1942

League champions

*1925 - Johnstown Johnnies *1926 - Johnstown Johnnies -2 *1927 - Cumberland Colts *1928 - Fairmont Black Diamonds *1929 - Charleroi Governors *1930 - Johnstown Johnnies -3 *1931 - Cumberland Colts -2 *1932 - Charleston Senators -2 *1933 - Zanesville Grays *1934 - Zanesville Grays - 2 *1935 - Huntington Red Birds *1936 - Zanesville Grays - 3 *1937 - Canton Terriers *1938 - Portsmouth Red Birds *1939 - Canton Terriers -2 *1940 - Akron Yankees *1941 - Erie Sailors *1942 - Erie Sailors -2 *1943 - ''League shutdown due to

'' *1944 - ''League shutdown due to World War II'' *1945 - ''League shutdown due to World War II'' *1946 - Erie Sailors -3 *1947 - Vandergrift Pioneers *1948 - Erie Sailors -4 *1949 - Erie Sailors -5 *1950 - Butler Tigers *1951 - Niagara Falls Citizens

Baseball Hall of Fame alumni

* Chief Bender, 1927 Johnstown Johnnies *

Joe Cronin Joseph Edward Cronin (October 12, 1906 – September 7, 1984) was an American professional baseball player, Manager (baseball), manager and executive. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop, most notably as a member of the Bost ...

, 1925 Johnstown Johnnies *

Whitey Ford Edward Charles "Whitey" Ford (October 21, 1928 – October 8, 2020), nicknamed "the Chairman of the Board", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played his entire 16-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Yankees. ...

, 1947 Butler Yankees *

Bob Lemon Robert Granville Lemon (September 22, 1920 – January 11, 2000) was an American right-handed pitcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Lemon was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976. Lemon was raised in California, ...

, 1938–1939

* Joe Medwick, 1930 Scottdale Scotties

References

External links

Baseball Reference
*Johnson, Lloyd and Wolff, Miles, editors: ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball.'' Durham, N.C.:

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

, 1997. {{Authority control

Middle Atlantic League The Middle Atlantic League (or Mid-Atlantic League) was a lower-level circuit in United States, American minor league baseball that played during the second quarter of the 20th century. History The Middle Atlantic League played from 1925 in base ...

Baseball leagues in Ohio Baseball leagues in Pennsylvania Baseball leagues in New York (state) Baseball leagues in West Virginia Baseball leagues in Maryland Sports leagues established in 1925 Sports leagues disestablished in 1951