Bloomington Bloomers

Bloomington Bloomers
Bloomington Bloomers
1888–1939; (1937-1939, 1935, 1919-1931, 1912-1917, 1899–1910, 1895, 1888-1889); Bloomington, Illinois ;
Minor league affiliations
Previous classes	Class B (1937-1939, 1935, 1919-1931, 1912-1917, 1902–1910); Class D (1901);
Previous leagues	Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League (1937-1939, 1935, 1919-1931, 1912-1917, 1901–1910); Central League (1900); Western Association (1899); Western Interstate League (1895); Indiana-Illinois League (1889); Central Interstate League (1888);
Major league affiliations
Previous teams	Chicago Cubs (1939); Cleveland Indians (1938); St. Louis Cardinals (1935);
Minor league titles
League titles	4 (1903, 1919-1920, 1935)
Team data
Previous names	Bloomington Bloomers (1938-1939, 1935, 1919-1929, 1903-1917); Bloomington Bengals (1937); Bloomington Cubs (1930-1931); Bloomington Blues (1899-1902); Bloomington Reds (1888-1889)
Previous parks	Fans Field (1901-1939)

The Bloomington Bloomers were a minor League baseball franchise based in Bloomington, Illinois that played between 1889 and 1939. They were affiliates of the St. Louis Cardinals (1935), Cleveland Indians (1938) and Chicago Cubs (1939). They played primarily in the Illinois-Iowa-Indiana League during their existence. Their home park was Fans Field.^[1] Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees Burleigh Grimes and Clark Griffith played for Bloomington.

League championships

In 1903, they won the league championship under manager William Connors. They won back-to-back league championships in 1919 and 1920 under the guidance of Joe Dunn. Their final league championship came in 1935, under manager and future Hall of Famer Burleigh Grimes.^[2]

The ballpark

In the seasons of play from 1901-1939, Bloomington played at Fans Field, located at 109 E. Lafayette Street. Today, the site still has baseball fields as part of the City of Bloomington Park and Recreation system. It is now known as RT Dunn Fields.^[3]

Clark Griffith, 1903. Major League Baseball pitcher (1891 - 1914), manager (1901 - 1920) and team owner (1920 - 1955). Hall of Fame

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame alumni

Clark Griffith (1888) Inducted, 1946
Burleigh Grimes (1935) Inducted, 1964

Notable alumni

^[1]

Hal Peck (1939)
Johnny Schmitz (1939) 2 X MLB All-Star; 1946 NL Strikeout Leader
Jack Hallett (1938)
Blix Donnelly (1937)
Xavier Rescigno (1937)
Bill Cox (1935)
Howie Krist (1935)
Max Macon (1935)
Hersh Martin (1935) MLB All-Star
Howard Maple (1930–31) Played in National Football League and MLB
Hy Vandenberg (1930–31)
Bruce Campbell (baseball) (1930)
Jack Tobin (1930)
Tommy Thompson (1929)
Boom-Boom Beck (1925)
Phil Collins (1924)
Mack Allison (1922)
Bob Fothergill (1920)
Paul Zahniser (1920)
Butch Henline (1919) MLB Player; MLB Umpire 1945-1948
Heinie Sand (1919)
Don Marion (1916–17)
Elam Vangilder (1917)
Jim Bluejacket (1912–14, 1916)
Ray Schmandt (1915–16)
Harry Bay (1912) 2× AL Stolen Base Leader (1903, 1904)
Les Nunamaker (1910)
George Cutshaw (1908–09)
Bill Steen (1909)
Art Wilson (1906–08)
George Moriarty (1902) MLB MGR; MLB Umpire 1917-1940
George Keefe (1900)
Pop Dillon (1895)
Alfred Lawson (1889) Aviation Pioneer
Joe Farrell (1888)

References

^ ^a ^b "Bloomington, Illinois Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
^ "Bloomington Bloomers - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
^ History, Bill Kemp | Archivist/historian McLean County Museum of. "Built for professional baseball, Fans' Field ended as county fairground". pantagraph.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

External links

Bloomington Bloomers - Pantagraph

[auto-1] "Bloomington, Illinois Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.

[2] "Bloomington Bloomers - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.

[3] History, Bill Kemp | Archivist/historian McLean County Museum of. "Built for professional baseball, Fans' Field ended as county fairground". pantagraph.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

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