The Ottawa Athletics (also known as the Ottawa A's) were a

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...

minor-league baseball team based in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada, that operated from 1952 to 1954. The team played at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa and was a member of the Triple-A

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

History

Triple-A baseball and the International League first came to Ottawa in , when the former Jersey City Giants (1937–50) relocated to Canada's capital because of poor attendance. Ottawa had most recently hosted the ''Nationals'' and the ''Senators'' of the Class C Border League from 1947 to 1950, leading that league in attendance for three of its four seasons and making the playoffs each year. In 1951, 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 ...

of the National League operated two Triple-A affiliates, the

Ottawa Giants The Ottawa Giants were a professional minor-league baseball team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada that operated in 1951 after the relocation of an existing Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A team, the Jersey City Giants. It played at Lansdowne Park in O ...

and the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association. But after the 1951 campaign, the parent Giants decided to field only one top-level minor-league team in —the Millers—and they abandoned Ottawa. The

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, they became the Oakland ...

of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

, who had no Triple-A affiliate in 1951, replaced the Giants and the Ottawa team was renamed. The season saw Ottawa's attendance (over 153,000 fans) increase by 31 percent over the 1951 Giants', but the A's finished in seventh place in the eight-team IL. Attendance held steady in for a sixth-place team, but when the Ottawa A's plunged into the league's basement, attendance also plummeted to a league-worst 94,000 fans. The Athletics' record over their three years in Ottawa was a poor 194–264 (.424). The Ottawa A's then relocated in 1955 to

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, which had just lost its longtime American Association franchise to

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

. The Ottawa Athletics were renamed the Columbus Jets, and the Jets and the International League remained in

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 ...

's capital city until , when a deteriorating home stadium led the Jets to move to

Charleston, West Virginia Charleston () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in West Virginia, most populous city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Kanawha County, West Virginia, Kanawha County and ...

, as the Charleston Charlies.

Notable players

* Charlie Bishop * Moe Burtschy * Bob Cain * Joe Coleman * Art Ditmar * Luke Easter * Hank Foiles * Marion Fricano * Lou Limmer * Jack Littrell * Héctor López * Jean-Pierre Roy * Bob Trice * Coaker Triplett * Taft Wright

References

{{reflist Baseball teams established in 1952 Baseball teams disestablished in 1954 Defunct International League teams Ath Philadelphia Athletics minor league affiliates Defunct baseball teams in Canada 1952 establishments in Ontario 1954 disestablishments in Ontario

History

Notable players

See also

References