Time Period - 1950 to 1951
Venue : Allen County Park
Cities : Lima, OH
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Franchise History :
The Lima Pandas franchise was born in 1939 as part of the Ohio State League.
With the onset of World War II the Ohio State League suspended operations after the 1941 season. It was revived in 1944, the Lima Redbirds were part of it.
The Ohio State League folded after the 1947 season, the Lima franchise joined the Ohio-Indiana League. In 1950 and 1951, the team was known as the Lima Phillies with a player development contract with the MLB Phillies. The Ohio-Indiana League faded away after the 1951 season, the victim of dwindling attendance.
MLB affiliations in Lima before the Phillies were with the Cardinals, Reds and White Sox.
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The Stadium the Phillies teams played in :
Allen County Park - Allen County Fairgrounds
Location: 1920 Slabtown Road, NE of Lima.
Capacity: 3,750
Dimensions (Left, Center, Right): 325-425-295
The intended home of the 1950 Lima Phillies was Halloran Park which opened in late 1914 and was the home field for Lima baseball clubs till 1949 when the park grandstand was destroyed by fire and the rest was razed.
The Phillies teams in 1950 and 1951 played instead on a makeshift field on the Allen County Fairgrounds. Today the site is part of a residential community.
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The Seasons :
1950 :
Ohio-Indiana League ( D ) ... Manager : Frank McCormick ... 52-85 , 6th place ... Attendance : 24,627
No player on the roster reached the major leagues ... 18 year old Outfielder Larry Novak hit .317 in 482 AB’s in his first pro season ... like many others during those years he missed the 1952 and 1953 seasons due to military service ... he returned to play in 1954 and would eventually reach the AAA level over a 10 season Minor League career
1951 :
Ohio-Indiana League ( D ) ... Manager : Barney Lutz ... 41-86 , 4th place ... Attendance : 33,440
19 year old RHP Don Erickson was the only player on the roster who would eventually play in the major leagues. He pitched in 33 games ( 186 IP ) for Lima in his first pro season ... the extent of his big league time was in 1958 when he pitched in nine games with the Phillies. He played 10 minor league seasons and was another young player who missed the entire 1952 and 1953 seasons due to military service.
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
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