Allentown Red Sox

Allentown Red Sox
1958–1960 Allentown, Pennsylvania
Minor league affiliations
Previous classes	Class A (1958–1960)
League	Eastern League
Major league affiliations
Previous teams	Boston Red Sox (1958–1960)
Team data
Previous parks	Max Hess Stadium 40°37′47″N 075°29′00″W

The Allentown Red Sox (A-Sox) were a minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Boston Red Sox and based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, that played from 1958 through 1960 in the Eastern League. At that time, the Eastern League was officially Class A, but, prior to the minor-league classification realignment that took place in 1963, that level was almost equivalent to Double-A.

History

From 1939 through 1952, Allentown had hosted a Class B Interstate League franchise, the Cardinals—also the Dukes, FleetWings and Wings—and for much of that period, it was an affiliate of the namesake St. Louis Cardinals. When the Interstate loop folded, the Cardinals returned to Allentown in 1954 as a member of the Eastern League for three seasons, through 1956.

The Allentown Red Sox franchise dates to 1933 as the Reading Phillies. It became a farm team for the Red Sox in 1938 as the Hazelton (PA) Red Sox. In 1957, the Red Sox purchased the former Detroit Tigers Eastern League team, the Syracuse Chiefs, and moved the club to Allentown mid-season, being operated as an unaffiliated team for the balance of the season. The Red Sox ended their affiliation with their Eastern League team in Albany, New York after the season and reassigned it to Allentown for the 1958 season.

1960 Allentown Red Sox game at Max Hess Stadium

Owned by Joe Buzas, the team played for three seasons at Max Hess Stadium (formerly Breadon Field), owned by Max Hess, Jr., owner of the Allentown Hess Brothers department store. Former Allentown player Tracy Stallard is remembered as the pitcher who served up Roger Maris' 61st home run in 1961 while playing for Boston. Another player who appeared at the stadium was Curt Simmons, a native of Egypt, Pennsylvania, who pitched at Max Hess Stadium in a rehab assignment for the Asheville (NC) Tourists, a farm team of the Philadelphia Phillies. The presence of Curt Simmons filled up the stands. For the 1960 season, Bob Heffner, who graduated from Allentown High School as a two-sport letterman in 1957 played for the A-Sox. He had the best pitching record on the club at 16-9. Heffner later played in the majors for the Red Sox, Cleveland Indians and California Angels in 1968.

The A-Sox's best season was 1960. On September 3, 1960, the Red Sox kept its Eastern League playoff hopes alive with a 7-6, 3-2 sweep of Williamsport at Hess Stadium, the second of four straight doubleheaders the A-Sox played to close out the season. Two days later, Allentown's playoff bid ended in a 5-4, 11-inning defeat at Springfield in the first game of a Labor Day doubleheader. The holiday crowd of 1,297 at Hess Stadium witnessed the last professional baseball game in Allentown for 37 years.

Legacy

After the 1960 season, the team was relocated due to a lack of attendance (average of 650 fans per game in 1960), the team moved to Johnstown, Pennsylvania on December 5, 1960, for the 1961 season played as the Johnstown Red Sox at Point Stadium. Over subsequent seasons, the club has remained in the Eastern League under different names in various cities:

• 1962             York White Roses, York, Pennsylvania (Class A)
• 1963–1964   Reading Red Sox, Reading, Pennsylvania (Double-A hereafter)
• 1965–1969   Pittsfield Red Sox, Pittsfield, Massachusetts
• 1970–1972   Pawtucket Red Sox, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
• 1973–1982   Bristol Red Sox, Bristol, Connecticut
• 1983–1994   New Britain Red Sox, New Britain, Connecticut
• 1995–2015   Hardware City/New Britain Rock Cats, New Britain, Connecticut (affiliated with Minnesota Twins, then Colorado Rockies)
• 2016–           Hartford Yard Goats, Hartford, Connecticut (Colorado Rockies)

The Red Sox parted company with the franchise in 1995, signing a player development contract with the Trenton Thunder. Since 2003, the Portland Sea Dogs have been Boston's affiliate in the Eastern League.

Seasons

• 1958 Season

Won: 51 Lost: 83 Pct: .381 4th Place Eastern Division, 24 GB

Manager: Eddie Popowski

Pos	Player	Avg	Pos	Player	W-L	ERA
1B	Matthew Daskalakis	.273	SP	Albert Antinelli	7-10	4.04
2B	Douglas Hubacek	.305	SP	Walt Payne	8-9	4.11
SS	Al Moran	.206	SP	John Issac	10-9	4.01
3B	Ed Lavene	.249	SP	Leverette Spencer	4-8	3.33
C	Don Gile	.274	SP	Ronald Jirsa	2-12	4.02
OF	Jerry Mallett	.233	SP	Edwin Binder	3-5	3.14
OF	Jim Tolleson	.226	RP	Larry Kendig	4-4	3.73
OF	John Siegert	.245	RP	Jack Thomas	3-4	6.29

1958 Complete Team Statistics

• 1959 Season

Won: 82 Lost: 59 Pct: .582 2nd Place, 3 GB

Manager: Sheriff Robinson

Attendance: 84,000

Pos	Player	Avg	Pos	Player	W-L	ERA
1B	Daniel Lynk	.299	SP	Albert Antinelli	17-9	3.83
2B	Marlan Coughtry	.296	SP	Ronald Cote	14-12	3.89
SS	Andrew Madalone	.276	SP	Hal Kolstad	12-13	3.64
3B	Matthew Sczesny	.266	SP	William Thom	5-3	4.11
C	Bob Tillman	.272	SP	Tracy Stallard	9-4	1.68
OF	Jerry Mallett	.278	RP	Jay Richie	9-5	1.90
OF	Richard McCarthy	.281	RP	Ralph Birkofer	6-1	3.60
OF	Ezell King	.242	RP	Arnold Early	2-5	2.86

1959 Complete Team Statistics

• 1960 Season

Won: 67 Lost: 72 Pct: .482 5th Place, 9 GB

Manager: Sheriff Robinson

Attendance: 51,654

Pos	Player	Avg	Pos	Player	W-L	ERA
1B	Joseph Pedrazzini	.285	SP	Bob Heffner	16-9	3.23
2B	Marlan Coughtry	.308	SP	William Thom	14-7	4.47
SS	John Jenson	.275	SP	Ben Tench	3-9	4.95
3B	Ted Schreiber	.257	SP	Guido Grilli	9-5	3.31
C	Robert Hoffer	.225	SP	Stan Willis	2-9	6.04
OF	Robert Fidler	.268	SP	Tracy Stallard	4-5	4.82
OF	Richard McCarthy	.295	RP	George Moton	8-7	3.13
OF	Paul Jernigan	.245	RP	Ronald Cote	8-7	4.73

1960 Complete Team Statistics

Major league players

• Joe Albanese, 1958

  Washington Senators, AL, 1958

• Al Cihocki, 1958

  Cleveland Indians, AL, 1945

• Galen Cisco, 1959

  Boston Red Sox, AL, 1961, 1967

  New York Mets, NL, 1963-1964

  Kansas City Royals, AL, 1969

• Marlan Coughtry, 1959, 1960

  Boston Red Sox, AL, 1960

  Los Angeles Angels, AL, 1962

  Kansas City Athletics, AL, 1962

  Cleveland Indians, AL, 1962

• Arnold Earley, 1959

  Boston Red Sox, AL, 1960-1965

  Chicago Cubs, NL, 1966

  Houston Astros, NL, 1967

• Don Gile, 1958, 1959

  Boston Red Sox, AL, 1959-1962

• Guido Grilli, 1960

  Boston Red Sox, AL, 1966

  Kansas City Athletics, AL, 1966

• Bob Heffner, 1959, 1960

  Boston Red Sox, AL, 1963-1965

  Cleveland Indians, AL, 1966

• Jim Kirby, 1958

  Chicago Cubs, NL, 1940

• Hal Kolstad, 1959

  Boston Red Sox, AL, 1962-1963

• Jerry Mallett, 1958, 1959, 1960

  Boston Red Sox, AL, 1959

• Al Moran, 1958, 1959, 1960

  New York Mets, NL, 1963-1964

• Jim Pagliaroni, 1958

  Boston Red Sox, AL, 1960-1962

  Pittsburgh Pirates, NL, 1963-1967

  Oakland Athletics, AL, 1967

  Seattle Pilots, AL, 1969

• Bill Pleis, 1958

  Minnesota Twins, 1961-1966

• Jay Ritchie, 1958, 1959

  Boston Red Sox, AL, 1964-1965

  Atlanta Braves, NL, 1966-1967

  Cincinnati Reds, NL, 1968

• Ted Schreiber, 1959, 1960

  New York Mets, NL, 1963

• Tracy Stallard, 1959, 1960

  Boston Red Sox, AL, 1960-1962

  New York Mets, NL, 1963-1964

  St. Louis Cardinals, NL, 1965-1966

• Bob Tillman, 1959

  Boston Red Sox, AL, 1962-1967

  New York Yankees, AL, 1967

  Atlanta Braves, NL, 1968-1970

See also

• Sports in Allentown, Pennsylvania
• History of baseball in Allentown, Pennsylvania

References

• Minor league park was a major hit, Allentown Morning Call, March 30, 2008
• baseball-reference.com (All team and player statistics and teams)
• Red Sox Double-A Affiliate History (Eastern League became AA in 1963)