User:Mrflaggerflash/Peninsula Grays

The Peninsula Grays were a minor league baseball team who competed in the Carolina League during the 1960's. Their home field was the Peninsula War Memorial Stadium Stadium in Hampton, Virginia, and they represented both Hampton and Newport News, Virginia.

History
Starting in the early 1960's a series of class A Minor League baseball teams called Hampton, Virginia home. Although there were five different teams during this period with four different names, these teams are sometimes grouped together and called the Peninsula Grays. While there is no documented reason for this, it may be that it is the most convenient name to give that era of baseball in Hampton. Furthermore, the Peninsula Grays was used as a name by teams in the area for more than half of the period.

Washington Senators
After seven years without a team in the area the Washington Senators brought their farm team to Hampton and joined the class A Carolina League. They called this team the Peninsula Senators and brought in former Major Leaguer and International League MVP, Archie Wilson to manage the team. The roster that year would feature a number future major league players, including, among others, Brant Alyea, Casey Cox, and most notably, Lou Piniella. That year, under Wilson, the team went 62-82 ending the season on tenth place. At the end of the season the Senators pulled out of Hampton.

Cincinnati Reds
In 1964 the Cincinnati Reds placed their class A affiliate in Hampton and called them the Peninsula Grays. This was the first year that the name was used and it would continue to be used until 1969, when the Houston Astros would bring their farm team to town.

During the Reds time in Hampton, the team was first managed, by Jack Cassini, a former Pittsburgh Pirates pinch runner during the 1949 season. Under him their record was 85-97.

A third of the way through the 1965 season Cassini was replaced by Pinky May who was brought in from the Tampa Tarpons, another Reds farm team. Several Tarpons players also came over to the Grays that year including Steve Mingori who went on to pitch in the majors for nine years.

That year they ended the season with a record of 86-58 putting them in first place in their division. They were defeated in the first round of the playoffs, however, by the Greensboro Yankees.

Pinky May continued to manage the team during the 1966 season. During that year there was another influx of Tarpon players. Among them were future Major Leaguers Bernie Carbo, Hal McRae, and future Hall of Famer, Johnny Bench.

1966 was also the year that Satchel Paige pitched two innings for the Grays.

Kansas City A's/Oakland Athletics
In 1967 the Reds left town and the Kansas City A's took over as the Grays Major League affiliate. With this change in affiliates came a complete change in the lineup bringing such stars to Hampton as Dwain Anderson, Darrell Evans, and Gene Tenace as well as many other future Major Leaguers. In fact, 1967 would see more players who would eventually end up playing in the majors than any other year in the teams history. The manager that year was Gus Niarhos who, himself had spent nine years in the majors, including playing in the 1949 World Series for the New York Yankees. At the time he had been managing in the minor league for three years and took the Grays to a 74-64 second place finish.

In 1968 the A's moved to Oakland California and became the Oakland Athletics but remained the Major League affiliate of the Grays. 1968 saw the arrival of pitchers Dave Hamilton[[, and [[Skip Lockwood and John Strohmayer. There was also a change in management that year. Gus Niarhos was out and Jimmy Williams, a twenty one year veteran of the minors, was in. Williams lead the team to a second place finish with a record of 75-65.

Houston Astros
In 1969 the Grays again switched affiliates, this time to the Houston Astros. This meant a new name, the Peninsula Astros. And, as usual, it also meant new players and new management. The manager was Tony Pacheco, a long time player and manager in the minor league. The roster that year featured thirteen players who year would eventually be called up to the majors. The only year that the team had seen more future Major Leaguers was in 1967 when there were 15. The total number of seasons played by these players was 69 with an average of 4.6 seasons per player whereas the total number of seasons played by the players from the 1969 Astros was 76 for an average of 5.84 seasons per player.

This team also featured Larry Yount and Otis Thornton who had two of the stranger careers in the Major League. Larry Yount appeared as a pitcher in one game for the Astros but faced no batters and Otis Thornton's entire career, a doubleheader against the Montreal Expos, took place outside of the United States.

In 1969 the Astros finished the season with a record of 67-76 and coming in eighth. They made it to the playoffs but lost in the second round. This was the farthest they had gotten in post season so far.

Philadelphia Phillies
After only one year the Astros left town and the Philadelphia Phillies took over the roll of Major League affiliate. The Phillies brought in Nolan Campbell to manage the team that first year. Campbell, a veteran with twelve years playing experience and three years managerial experience at the time, lead the team to a first half finish of 41-29 and a first place tie with the Winston-Salem Red Sox. They lost the tie breaker, however, putting them in second place for the first half of the season. The teams record for the second half of the season was 26-43 putting them in fifth place.

Campbell is reported to have played all nine positions in one game for the second time in his career during the 1970 season.

Only three players from that season would ever make it to the Major League. And only one of those would, Andre Thornton, would achieve any great success.

In 1971 the Phillies brought in Howie Bedell to replace Nolan Campbell as manager. Bedell, who had just two years earlier broken Don Drysdale’s string of 58 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, lead the team to their first league championship, defeating the Kinston Eagles in two straight.

After the 1971 season the Phillies left town. The next year the Montreal Expos would place their triple A farm team Peninsula Whips in Hampton. It would not be until 1974 that class A baseball came back to town and still another two years before Hampton would get another Major League affiliate.

<!--

1963
The Peninsula Grays were a minor league baseball team in the Carolina League. They were formed in 1963 as a class A farm team for the Washington Senators, and, for that year only, they went by the name the Peninsula Senators. That year, under manager Archie Wilson, the team went 62-82 ending the season on tenth place. The Senators would feature a number future major league players, including, among others, Brant Alyea, Casey Cox, and most notably, Lou Piniella.

1964
In 1964 the team changed it's roster, it's affiliation, and it's name. The Peninsula Grays, as they were now called, were a part of the Cincinnati Reds farm system. During the Reds time in Hampton, the team was first managed, by Jack Cassini, a former Pittsburgh Pirates pinch runner during the 1949 season. Under him their record was 85-97.

1965
A third of the way through the 1965 season Cassini was replaced by Pinky May who was brought in from the Tampa Tarpons, another Reds farm team. Several Tarpons players also came over to the Grays that year including Steve Mingori who went on to pitch in the majors for nine years.

That year they ended the season with a record of 86-58 putting them in first place in their division. They were defeated in the first round of the playoffs, however, by the Greensboro Yankees.

1966
Pinky May continued to manage the team during the 1966 season. During that year there was another influx of Tarpon players. Among them were future Major Leaguers Bernie Carbo, Hal McRae, and future Hall of Famer, Johnny Bench. 1966 was also the year that Satchel Paige pitched two innings for them.

1967
In 1967 the Reds left town and the Kansas City A's took over as the Grays Major League affiliate. With this change in affiliates came a complete change in the lineup bringing such stars to Hampton as Dwain Anderson, Darrell Evans, and Gene Tenace as well as many other future Major Leaguers. The manager that year was Gus Niarhos who, himself had spent nine years in the majors, including playing in the 1949 World Series for the New York Yankees. At the time he had been managing in the minor league for three years and took the Grays to a 74-64 second place finish.

1968
In 1968 the A's moved to Oakland California and became the Oakland Athletics but remained the Major League affiliate of the Grays. 1968 saw the arrival of pitchers Dave Hamilton, and Skip Lockwood and John Strohmayer. There was also a change in management that year. Gus Niarhos was out and Jimmy Williams, a twenty one year veteran of the minors, was in. Williams lead the team to a second place finish with a record of 75-65.

1969
In 1969 the Grays again switched affiliates, this time to the Houston Astros. This meant a new name, the Peninsula Astros. It also meant new players and new management. The manager was Tony Pacheco, a long time player and manager in the minor league. The roster that year featured thirteen players who year would eventually be called up to the majors. The only year that the team had seen more future Major Leaguers was in 1967 when there were 15. The total number of seasons played by these players was 69 with an average of 4.6 seasons per player whereas the total number of seasons played by the players from the 1969 Astros was 76 for an average of 5.84 seasons per player. This team also featured two of the stranger careers in the Major League. Larry Yount appeared as a pitcher in one game for the Astros but faced no batters and Otis Thornton's entire career, a doubleheader against the Montreal Expos, took place outside of the United States.-->

Satchel Paige
Perhaps one of the most written about days in the history of the Grays is June 21, 1966. That was the day that Satchel Paige graced the mound at War Memorial Stadium. On that day Mr. Paige pitched two innings for the Grays against the Greensboro Yankees. This was a promotional stunt set up by the team's general manager, Marshall Fox, to boost attendance.

Like much of Paige's career, as well as his life, there are several versions of what took place that day. All versions agree, however, that he got the first two batters out. The third batter was Chet Trail, a second baseman for the Yankees. The first pitch that Paige delivered was a hesitation pitch. Trail was said to have swung so hard that he fell to the ground and his helmet flew off.

Trail managed to get a single off the next pitch, the first hit of five that Paige would allow that day. Paige's stats show that he also allowed two runs and no walks in those two innings and got no strikeouts. Although he played in exhibition game for several more years, this would be his last professional appearance. In 1971 he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.