The Slatington Dukes were a minor league baseball team based in

Slatington, Pennsylvania Slatington is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 4,232. Slatington is located northwest of Allentown and Bethlehem. Slatington is part of the Lehigh Valley metropolitan area, which had a popul ...

. In 1932, the Dukes played a partial season as members of the Class D level

Interstate League The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952. Early leagues Earlier versions of the Interstate League, with years active: *1896–1901: an unclassifie ...

, joining the league when the Tamaqua Dukes team relocated from Tamaqua to Slatington during the season, only to have the league fold less than two weeks later. Slatington hosted Dukes' home minor league games at Victory Park.

History

During the 1932 season, the Tamaqua Dukes of the Class D level

moved to Slatington on June 7, 1932. The "Slatington Dukes" then began play, inheriting an 8–12 record. The Interstate League began the season with the Lancaster Red Sox, Norristown Saints, Pottstown Legionaires,

Stroudsburg Poconos The Stroudsburg Poconos, located in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, were a minor league baseball team that played in the Interstate League in 1932 and in the North Atlantic League from 1946 to 1950. They were affiliated with the New York Yankees in 1947 ...

, Tamaqua Dukes, and

Washington Potomacs The Washington Potomacs were a Negro league baseball team in the Eastern Colored League, based in Washington, D.C., in 1924. They also operated as an independent team in 1923. In 1925 the Potomacs moved to Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Lenape ...

teams beginning league play on May 20, 1932. On June 20, 1932, the Interstate League folded. The Norristown Saints team had relocated to St. Clair on May 27, 1932, only to have the franchise fold on June 12, 1932, leaving the league with five remaining teams. After compiling a 2–4 record while based in Slatington, the Dukes ended their season with an overall record of 10–16 to finish in fourth place. Managed by Lee Strait, the Dukes finished 9.0 games behind the first place

in the final standings. Pottstown (18–8) and Norristown/St Clair (11–10) finished in second and third place, while the Washington Potomacs (9–17) and Lancaster Red Sox (7–16) finished behind Slatington in fifth and sixth place. Future major league player

Bob Barr Robert Laurence Barr Jr. (born November 5, 1948) is an American attorney and politician. He served as a federal prosecutor and as a Congressman. He represented Georgia's 7th congressional district as a Republican from 1995 to 2003. Barr atta ...

played for the Slatington Dukes. After folding in 1932, the Interstate League returned to play in 1939, when it reformed without a franchise in Slatington.

has not since hosted another minor league team, though the

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are named in reference to pig iron, used in th ...

, the Triple-A affiliate of the

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

, are based in nearby Allentown, Pennsylvania.

The ballpark

The Slatington Dukes hosted home minor league games at Victory Park. Still in use today as a public park with a swimming pool, amphitheater and pavilion, Victory Park is located at Main and Grove Streets in

. The borough celebrated the 100 year anniversary of Victory Park on July 24, 2021.

Year–by–year record

Notable alumni

(1932)

References

{{reflist

External links