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76-585: The Cocoa Indians teams hosted home minor league games at Provost Park in Cocoa. The park is still in use today. Cocoa first hosted minor league baseball in the 1942 season when the Cocoa Fliers began play as charter members of the Class D level Florida East Coast League , finishing in last place. After completing their first season, Cocoa returned to the league for the 1942 season. After briefly beginning play,

152-716: A Toronto Blue Jays and Pittsburgh Pirates spring training game held at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. In August 2017, a baseball field was dedicated to Ray Daviault in Pointe-aux-Trembles . The ballpark is home to the Montreal Brewers of the Ligue de Baseball Majeur du Québec . The Florida State League reduced to six-teams for the 1954 season, as the Leesburg and Palaka teams did not return. Cocoa compiled

228-579: A 26–9 record, throwing 292 innings with 21 complete games and 5 shutouts on the season. In subsequent seasons, Guerra never matched his success of 1957 and pitched his final minor league season in 1963. Walt Bond made his professional debut with Cocoa in 1957 after attending Lane College . Playing for the Indians at age 19, Bond hit .328 with 11 home runs and 80 RBI with 17 stolen bases for Cocoa in 111 games. The 6'7" Bond later player played six Major League Baseball seasons between 1960 and 1967, playing for

304-654: A few games with Lake Charles before all five black players in the Evangeline League were transferred to other leagues on May 6, 1956. Lake Charles was at first forced by the league to forfeit the games in which Alou played, an action that was later rescinded. Alou then was assigned by the Giants to the Cocoa Indians, riding a Greyhound bus for three days to reach Cocoa from Lake Charles, Louisiana. Of his time in Cocoa, Alou said, "Because I could hit right away as

380-548: A lengthy minor league career as a manager and as a player. As a player he appeared in 1,907 minor league games over 21 seasons, batting .297 with 57 home runs and 855 RBI in the minors. From 1946 to 1964 he served as a minor league manager. After managing Cocoa, Steineke joined the Milwaukee Braves ' farm system in 1955 and continued with the Braves minor league teams through the 1964 season. While serving as manager of

456-560: A minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians in 1957. The Indians defended their Florida State League title with a sixth-place finish in the Class D level eight-team league. The Indians ended the season with an overall record of 62–76 in the final overall standings. Cocoa finished in sixth place, playing under managers Hank Majeski (43–61) and Jim Gruzdis (19–15). In the overall league standings, Cocoa finished 22.0 games behind

532-695: A monogram-style device to their front. They only managed one winning season from 1900 to 1913, and lost 100 or more games six times. In 1907 , the renamed Doves (temporarily) eliminated the red from their stockings because their manager thought the red dye could cause wounds to become infected (as noted in The Sporting News Baseball Guide during the 1940s when each team's entry had a history of its nickname(s). See details in History of baseball team nicknames ). The American League club's owner, Charles Taylor, changed his team's name to

608-514: A professional player, I felt mostly accepted by my teammates. And Cocoa turned out to be a paradise for me. The fishing, the weather, the vegetation, it reminded me of home." He said of his manager Buddy Kerr, "There were times when what kept me going was Buddy Kerr’s kindness. He would pull me aside and tell me I had what it took to make it, to not give up, to not let the racial slurs and slights defeat me. And those times when pitchers would throw at me, Kerr never hesitated to defend me, often doing so on

684-490: A record of 60–76 to end the Florida State League regular season in fifth place in the overall standings. The Indians were led by returning manager Bama Rowell (41–57), Clyde Stevens (1–3) and Bill Steinecke (18–16) during the season. In the overall regular season standings the Indians finished 17.0 games behind the first place Orlando C.B.'s . Orlando did not qualify for the playoff as the league continued with

760-719: A season in which the Braves were in last place as late as July 15—a turnaround that led to the nickname "Miracle Braves". In 1948 , the Braves reached the World Series largely as a result of their two dominant pitchers, Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain , who inspired the Boston Post slogan "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain." The Braves posted a losing record in all but 12 of the 38 seasons after their World Series win. The franchise relocated to Milwaukee in 1953. The Boston franchise played at South End Grounds from 1871 to 1914 and at Braves Field from 1915 to 1952. Braves Field

836-536: A split season format. The Jacksonville Beach Seabirds won the first half title and the Lakeland Pilots won the second half title. Lakeland then won the title, defeating Jacksonville Beach in the final series. After leaving Cocoa during the season, Bama Rowell stayed in the Florida State League and became the manager of the DeLand Red Hats, his final minor league managing position. Bill Steinecke had

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912-567: A winner, but the damage from the years prior to his arrival took some time to overcome. The Braves finally managed to compete in 1933 and 1934 under manager Bill McKechnie , but Fuchs' revenue was severely depleted due to the Great Depression . Looking for a way to get more supporters and more money, Fuchs worked out a deal with the New York Yankees to acquire Babe Ruth , who had, coincidentally, started his career with

988-421: A year earlier, his conditioning rapidly declined in the first month of 1935. While he was still able to hit at first, he could do little else. He could no longer run, and his fielding was so terrible that three of the Braves' pitchers threatened to go on strike if Ruth were in the lineup. Ruth soon discovered that he was vice president and assistant manager in name only, and Fuchs' promise of a share of team profits

1064-571: Is now Nickerson Field of Boston University . The franchise, from Boston to Milwaukee to Atlanta, is the oldest continuously operating professional baseball franchise. The Boston Braves had an overall win–loss record of 5,118–5,598–138 (.478) during their 77-year major-league tenure in Boston. Six former Boston Braves players were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame . The Cincinnati Red Stockings , established in 1869 as

1140-565: Is still in use as a public park, hosting softball, rugby and soccer. Provost Park received upgrades to its sports facilities in 2024. The park is located at 400 Varr Avenue in Cocoa, Florida. Cocoa Fliers The Cocoa Fliers were a professional minor league baseball team based in Fort Pierce, Florida from 1941 until 1942. The clubs played in the Class-D Florida East Coast League . The team and

1216-499: The Boston Braves (1939–1941, 1946–1947) and Philadelphia Phillies (1948) as a second baseman and outfielder . Coming from a family with 10 children, Rowell had played both football and baseball while attending Louisiana State University . His major league baseball career was interrupted by World War II . Rowell was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1941 and served in a chemical warfare training battalion, eventually achieving

1292-464: The Boston Red Sox . Fuchs named Ruth vice president and assistant manager of the Braves, and promised him a share of team profits. He was also to be consulted on all player transactions. Fuchs even suggested that Ruth, who had long had his heart set on managing, could take over as manager once McKechnie stepped down—perhaps as early as 1936. At first, it looked like Ruth was the final piece

1368-596: The Brooklyn Dodgers , on April 18, 1950, Sam "Jet" Jethroe was added to the Boston Braves roster. The Dodgers had another young CF in Duke Snider rising in their system, resulting in the trade to the Braves. Going on to be named National League Rookie of the Year at age 32, Jethroe broke the color barrier with Boston. In 1950, Jethroe hit .273 with 100 runs, 18 home runs and 58 RBI. His 35 stolen bases led

1444-666: The Cleveland Indians , Houston Colt .45s/Astros and Minnesota Twins . Bond played the last five seasons baseball career after being diagnosed with leukemia while serving in the United States Army . On September 14, 1962, at age 29, Bond died of the leukemia after he made the Minnesta Twins opening day roster and began the season with the Twins. Bond was interred at Houston National Cemetery on September 18, 1967. Chuck Hiller also played for Cocoa in 1957. Hiller

1520-615: The Jacksonville Beach Sea Birds and St. Augustine Saints as expansion teams. However, the Gainsville G-Men and St. Augustine Saints teams both folded on June 2, 1952, and the league completed the season with eight teams. Cocoa again finished in last place in the final league standings. The Indians ended the season with a final record of 40–93 to finish the season in eighth place and Cocoa was led by managers James Balogh and Pep Rambert . The Indians ended

1596-685: The Los Angeles Dodgers in a game in which Dodgers Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax threw first career no-hitter. When the Montreal Expos were formed, Daviault often threw batting practice at Jarry Park . On April 15, 1977, Daviault threw out a ceremonial first pitch before the Montreal Expos first game at the Olympic Stadium (Montreal) . In 2017, Daviault was recognized along with Russell Martin and Eric Gagne as Canadian-born Major League players in ceremonies before

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1672-595: The Milwaukee Braves ). Then in 1966 they were relocated to Atlanta , where they were renamed the Atlanta Braves . During its 82-year stay in Massachusetts , the franchise was known by various nicknames, including the Red Stockings , Red Caps , Rustlers , Bees , and "Braves". While in Boston, the team won 10 National League pennants and a World Series championship in 1914 that came after

1748-401: The 1877 and 1878 pennants. The Red Caps/Beaneaters won eight pennants during the 19th century. Their manager was Frank Selee , the first manager not to double as a player as well. The 1898 team finished 102–47, a club record for wins that would stand for almost a century. In 1894 the Braves became the first major league baseball team to wear letterforms on their uniform caps when they added

1824-530: The 1958 Cocoa Indians continued play as a Cleveland Indians minor league affiliate. The Indians placed fifth overall in the Florida State League standings. The Florida State played the 1958 season with seven teams, after the Leesburg Braves franchise did not return to the league. In their final season as a Cleveland Indians minor league affiliate, Cocoa compiled a record of 64–78, playing the season under manager Paul O'Dea . Cocoa finished 36.5 games behind

1900-462: The 1984 movie The Natural . In 1987, Bulova presented Rowell with a wristwatch in honor of the event. Bulova had promoted a free watch to any player who hit the clock and Rowell received his watch 41 years later, on "Bama Rowell Day," held in his hometown of Citronelle, Alabama . Ray Daviault pitched for Cocoa in 1953 in his first professional season, compiling a 10–8 record with a 3.25 ERA in 19 games. A native of Montreal, Quebec, Canada , Daviault

1976-557: The Braves actually had a better record in games that Spahn and Sain did not start than in games they did. (Other sources include pitcher Vern Bickford in the verse.) The Braves lost the 1948 World Series in six games to the Cleveland Indians (who had beaten the Red Sox in a tie-breaker game to spoil an all-Boston World Series). This turned out to be the Braves' last hurrah in Boston. Acquired earlier by trade from

2052-468: The Braves put together one of the most memorable seasons in baseball history. After a dismal 4–18 start, the Braves seemed to be on pace for a last place finish. On July 4, 1914, the Braves lost both games of a doubleheader to the Brooklyn Dodgers . The consecutive losses put their record at 26–40 and the Braves were in last place, 15 games behind the league-leading New York Giants , who had won

2128-506: The Braves were 9–27, their season all but over. They ultimately finished 38–115, easily the worst season in franchise history. Their .248 winning percentage is tied for the seventh-worst in baseball history , and the sixth-worst in National League history. It is the second-worst in modern baseball history (behind only the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics ), and the worst in modern National League history. Insolvent like his team, Fuchs

2204-604: The Class D level McCook Braves in the Nebraska State League , he was featured in pitcher Pat Jordan 's novel, A False Spring . The 1955 Florida State League expanded to eight teams, adding the West Palm Beach Indians and St. Petersburg Saints teams. Bill Steineke left Cocoa and became the manager of the new West Palm beach team, who were a Milwaukee Braves affiliate. The Cocoa Indians continued league play as an unaffiliated team and ended

2280-480: The Cocoa team folded after four games on April 21, 1942, and the 1942 Florida East Coast League season was cancelled due to the beginning of World War II on May 14, 1942. The Cocoa Indians resumed minor league play in Cocoa in 1951. The franchise was formed as an unaffiliated team and the Cocoa "Indians" became members of the eight–team Class D level Florida State League . Cocoa replaced the St. Augustine Saints team in

2356-551: The Florida State League. At age 21, Rodriguez hit .319 with 111 RBI, 24 stolen bases and a .454 OBP for Cocoa in 127 games. He played in the minor leagues through 1959. At age 33, Buddy Kerr was hired to manage Cocoa in 1956 in his first managerial position. After growing up in New York city less than a mile from The Polo Grounds , Kerr had been a shortstop for the New York Giants for seven seasons during his career and

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2432-651: The Florida State with 24 wins, a 2.16 ERA and 216 strikeouts. A member of the Alou family , Felipe Alou was on the on Dominican Republic national track and field team. He attended the University of Santo Domingo in 1954 as a premedical student and played a season of baseball in college while practicing for the track events at the 1955 Pan American Games . On the eve of the Pan American Games, Alou

2508-535: The National League gave permission for the move. After a 3 1 ⁄ 2 -hour meeting at the Vinoy Park Hotel in St. Petersburg, Florida, league approval was granted after Perini promised not to sell the team. During a game against the New York Yankees on March 18, the sale was announced final and that the team would move to Milwaukee, immediately. The All-Star Game had been scheduled for Braves Field. It

2584-406: The National League to move the Braves to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After the franchise's long history in Boston, the day became known as "Black Friday" in the city as fans mourned the team's exit after eight decades. Perini, however, pointed to dwindling attendance as the main reason for the relocation. He also announced that he had recently bought out his original partners. He announced Milwaukee as that

2660-498: The National League, a feat he would duplicate in 1951. While in Boston, Jethroe was a roommate of Chuck Cooper , of the Boston Celtics who was the first African-American player drafted by an NBA team. A former Negro leagues star and military veteran, Jethroe remains the oldest player to have won Rookie of the Year honors. Amid four mediocre seasons after 1948, attendance steadily dwindled, even though Braves Field had

2736-631: The New York Giants affiliate Selma Cloverleafs of the Alabama-Florida League and Cocoa hired a new manager as the team did not remain as a New York Giants affiliate. After retiring as a player, Hank Majeski began managing in the minor leagues and led the 1956 the Daytona Beach Islanders to a fourth-place finish in the behind Cocoa in the Florida State League in his first season as a manager. Daytona Beach

2812-559: The New York Giants for $ 200 and played with the Cocoa Indians in his first professional season. Alou was first assigned by the New York Giants to the Lake Charles Giants of the Evangeline League . After a short time with Lake Charles, Alou was eventually reassigned to Cocoa due to segregation in the Evangeline League and laws that were put in place to ban black players from select league ballparks. Alou played in

2888-539: The Red Sox in place of the "Americans". When George and John Dovey acquired the club in 1907, the team was named the Doves ; when purchased by William Hepburn Russell in 1911 reporters tried out Rustlers. The team adopted an official name, the Braves , for the first time in 1912 . Their owner, James Gaffney , was a member of New York City's Tammany Hall , which used an Indian chief as their symbol. Two years later,

2964-663: The Wright brothers, Barnes, and Spalding , the Red Stockings won four of the National Association's five championships. The team became one of the National League's charter franchises in 1876, sometimes called the " Red Caps " (as a new Cincinnati Red Stockings club was another charter member). Boston came to be called the Beaneaters by sportswriters in 1883, while retaining red as the team color. Boston won

3040-406: The championship. Cocoa Indians player manager Carvell "Bama" Rowell scored 127 runs to lead the Florida State League. Playing at age 37, Rowell hit .345 for Cocoa with 12 home runs and 127 RBI with 42 stolen bases. Cocoa player/manager "Bama" Rowell was in his first season as a minor league manager in 1953. Before returning to the minor leagues, Rowell had played six seasons in the major leagues with

3116-419: The end of the 1923 season, it was obvious Mathewson could not continue even in a reduced role, and he would die two years later, with the result that Fuchs was permanently given the presidency. In 1928, the Braves traded for Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby who had a very productive year in his only season with Boston. He batted .387 to win his seventh and final batting championship. Fuchs was committed to building

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3192-535: The field, threatening opposing team and pitcher. What a man. I appreciate more today his courage and decency." In 2010, Felipe Alou was inducted into the Florida State League Hall of Fame after managing in the league for seven seasons as well as playing in the league for Cocoa. Alou had a 17-season major league career as a player and was a successful manager for the Montreal Expos and San Francisco Giants . In 1957, Buddy Kerr became manager of

3268-572: The first openly all-professional baseball team, voted to dissolve after the 1870 season. Player-manager Harry Wright then went to Boston, Massachusetts —at the invitation of Boston businessman Ivers Whitney Adams —with brother George Wright and two other Cincinnati players joined the Boston Red Stockings , a charter member of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players . This team and its successors are

3344-466: The first place Tampa Tarpons . Tampa won the second half title of the split season schedule and the Palatka Redlegs won the first half title. Cocoa did not qualify for the final in which Tampa defeated Palaka for the championship. Cocoa pitcher Julio Guerra won 26 games with 308 strikeouts to lead the Florida State League in both categories. In his first professional season at age 20, Guerra had

3420-408: The first place Daytona Beach Islanders in the overall regular season standings. The league adopted a split season schedule, with Daytona Beach winning the first half title and the DeLand Red Hats winning the second half title. DeLand ended the regular season in second place in the overall standings, 2.0 games ahead of Cocoa. The two teams then had a playoff, where Daytona Beach defeated DeLand to capture

3496-707: The first place St. Petersburg Saints in the final standings. No Florida State League playoffs were held in 1958. The Cocoa franchise did not return to play in the 1959 Florida State League, as the league reduced to six teams with the Gainesville G-Men also folding from the league. Cocoa next hosted minor league baseball in 1964, when the Cocoa Colts resumed play as members of the Cocoa Rookie League . The Cocoa Rookie League permanently folded after one season of play. Continuing minor league play

3572-420: The first time, playing the season as an affiliate of the New York Giants while retaining their "Indians" nickname. The Indians ended the regular season with an overall record of 90–50, finishing in first place under manager Buddy Kerr . Cocoa ended the season 7.0 games ahead of the second place Gainsville G-Men and 34.0 games ahead of the eighth place Orlando Seratomas in the final overall standings. No playoff

3648-676: The league both shut their doors, along with many other minor leagues, a few months after the United States entered World War II, and, despite the postwar baseball boom, they were not revived. This article about a baseball team in Florida is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Boston Braves The Boston Braves were a Major League Baseball club that originated in Boston, Massachusetts , and played from 1871 to 1952. Afterwards they moved to Milwaukee (and became

3724-410: The league. The Daytona Beach Islanders ( Cleveland Indians affiliate), DeLand Red Hats , Gainesville G-Men , Leesburg Packers , Orlando Senators ( Washington Senators affiliate), Palatka Azaleas and Sanford Giants ( New York Giants affiliate) teams joined the Cocoa Indians in beginning Florida State League play on April 13, 1951. The Cocoa use of the "Indians" nickname occurred when Cocoa

3800-417: The name was rejected by the U. S. Postal Service because it was too long. The Indian River (Florida) and Indian River Lagoon are both in Cocoa and the region. In their first season of play, the newly formed Cocoa Indians ended the 1951 season in last place in the Florida State League final standings. Cocoa ended their first season with a final record of 49–91. The Indians finished in eighth place, playing

3876-483: The next 19 years in mediocrity, during which they posted only three winning seasons ( 1921 , 1933 , and 1934 ). The lone highlight of those years came when Giants' attorney Emil Fuchs bought the team in 1923 to bring his longtime friend, pitching great Christy Mathewson , back into the game. Although original plans called for Mathewson to be the principal owner, he had never recovered from tuberculosis that he had contracted after being gassed during World War I . By

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3952-581: The next season, Cocoa hosted the 1965 Cocoa Astros , who rejoined the Florida State League , which was a Class A level league. Beginning with their tenure in 1951, the Cocoa Indians teams hosted all home minor league games at Provost Park in Cocoa. The ballpark, which was within Provost Park was also referred to as "Indians Park." The ballpark had previously hosted the Cocoa Fliers minor league teams in 1940 and 1941. Today Provost Park

4028-644: The oldest continuously playing team in American professional sports. (The only other team that has been organized as long, the Chicago Cubs , did not play for the two years following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.) Two players hired from the Forest City club of Rockford, Illinois , were pitcher Al Spalding (founder of Spalding sporting goods) and second baseman Ross Barnes . Led by

4104-535: The only team to win a pennant after being in last place on the Fourth of July . They were in last place as late as July 18, but were close to the pack, moving into fourth on July 21 and second place on August 12. Despite their amazing comeback, the Braves entered the World Series as a heavy underdog to Connie Mack 's Philadelphia Athletics . Nevertheless, the Braves swept the Athletics—the first unqualified sweep in

4180-553: The pair: First we'll use Spahn then we'll use Sain Then an off day followed by rain Back will come Spahn followed by Sain And followed we hope by two days of rain. The poem received such a wide audience that the sentiment, usually now paraphrased as "Spahn, Sain, then pray for rain" or "Spahn, Sain and two days of rain", entered the baseball vocabulary. Ironically, in the 1948 season,

4256-405: The previous three league pennants. After a day off, the Braves put together a hot streak, and from July 6 through September 5, the Braves won 41 games against only 12 losses. On September 7 and 8, the Braves took 2 of 3 from the New York Giants and moved into first place. The Braves tore through September and early October, closing with 25 wins against 6 losses, while the Giants went 16–16. They are

4332-576: The rank of sergeant. He returned to baseball following his military service. Playing for the Boston Braves on May 30, 1946, Rowell hit a notable ball at Ebbets Field in a game against the Brooklyn Dodgers that struck the Bulova clock that was atop the scoreboard. The ball bounded back onto the field and broken glass rained down on the Dodgers' outfielder Dixie Walker . The hit inspired a scene in

4408-498: The regular season 54.0 games behind the first place DeLand Red Hats. Cocoa did not qualify for the four-team playoffs won by the Palatka Azaleas. In 1953, The Florida State League played the season as an eight-team league and Cocoa improved in the Class D level league standings. Cocoa ended the season in third place, with an overall record of 75–59, playing the season under manager Bama Rowell Cocoa finished 9.0 games behind

4484-460: The regular season in third place. Cocoa ended the season with a record of 75–64, playing the season under managers Gaspar Del Monte (12–8) and Doug Williams (63–56). Cocoa finished 16.5 games behind the first place Orlando C.B.'s in the overall regular season standings. With the spilt season schedule remaining, no playoff was held, as Orlando finished in first place in both half-seasons of league play. Inocencio Rodriguez of Cocoa hit 20 home runs to lead

4560-425: The reputation of being more family friendly than Fenway. For a half century, the major leagues had not had a single franchise relocation. The Braves played their last home game in Boston on September 21, 1952 , losing to the Brooklyn Dodgers 8–2 before 8,822 at Braves Field; the home attendance for the 1952 season was under 282,000. On March 13, 1953, owner Lou Perini said that he would seek permission from

4636-400: The season managers Carl Kettles (12–33), Lee Hipp (5–10), Sam Demma (25–38) and Harry Murdock (7–10). Cocoa ended the Florida State League regular season 41.0 games behind the first place DeLand Red Hats. with their eighth-place finish, the Indians did not qualify for the four-team playoffs won by DeLand. In 1952, the Florida State League expanded to a 10-team league to begin the season, adding

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4712-482: The second–place St. Louis Cardinals . They also attracted 1,455,439 fans to Braves Field , the third-largest gate in the National League and a high-water mark for the team's stay in Boston. The pitching staff was anchored by Hall of Famer Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain , who won 39 games between them. The remainder of the rotation was so thin that in September, Boston Post writer Gerald Hern wrote this poem about

4788-486: The team needed in 1935 . On opening day , he had a hand in all of the Braves' runs in a 4–2 win over the Giants . However, this could not last. Opening Day proved to be the only time the Braves were over .500 all year. A 4–20 May ended any realistic chance of contention. At the same time, it became apparent that Ruth was finished even as a part-time player. While his high living of previous years had begun catching up with him

4864-406: The young history of the modern World Series (the 1907 World Series had one tied game)—to win the world championship. Meanwhile, former Chicago Cubs infielder Johnny Evers , in his second season with the Braves, won the Chalmers Award . The Braves played the World Series (as well as the last few weeks of the 1914 regular season) at Fenway Park , since their normal home, the South End Grounds ,

4940-409: Was a Cleveland Indians minor league affiliate. In 1957 Majeski replaced Buddy Kerr and was named manager of the Cocoa Indians. Majeski next managed the 1973 Oneonta Yankees . Majeski also served as a scout for several major league teams. He later was the baseball coach for Wagner College and, was a batting coach for the Houston Astros . Continuing play in the Florida State League, Cocoa became

5016-461: Was a favorite of Giants' owner Horace Stoneham . Kerr managed in the minor leagues for New York and San Francisco Giants affiliated teams through 1963. He then became scout for the San Francisco Giants in 1964 and signed John Montefusco among others. The Cocoa Indians became an affiliated team and won the 1956 Florida State League championship, as the league continued play as a Class D level league with eight teams. Cocoa became an affiliated team for

5092-409: Was a team without a minor league affiliation. The "Indians" nickname corresponds with regional history and geography. Numerous Indian tribes were native to the state of Florida and the Cocoa region. Native Indians had first inhabited the Brevard County region, which contains Cocoa and existed in the area for approximately 1,200 years. When founded, Cocoa was first called "Indian River City" in 1882, but

5168-438: Was forced to give up control of the Braves in August 1935, and new owner Bob Quinn tried to change the team's image by renaming it the Boston Bees . This did little to change the team's fortunes. After five uneven years, a new owner, construction magnate Lou Perini , changed the nickname back to the Braves. In 1948 , the team won the National League pennant by capturing 91 games to finish 6 1 ⁄ 2 places ahead of

5244-410: Was held, as the league continued with a split season schedule and Cocoa finished in first place in both half-seasons of league play, claiming the championship. In 1956, Cocoa's Felipe Alou won the Florida State League batting title, hitting .380 on the season, while his teammate Gene Cockrell hit 22 home runs to tie for the league lead. Cocoa pitcher Julio Navarro won the league triple crown, leading

5320-476: Was hot air. In fact, Ruth discovered that Fuchs expected him to invest some of his money in the team. Seeing a franchise in complete disarray, Ruth retired on June 1, only six days after he clouted what turned out to be the last three home runs of his career, in what remains one of the most memorable afternoons in baseball history. He had wanted to quit as early as May 12, but Fuchs wanted him to hang on so he could play in every National League park. By this time,

5396-432: Was moved to Crosley Field and hosted by the Cincinnati Reds . The Braves franchise moved their triple-A Brewers from Milwaukee to Toledo, Ohio. After the Braves moved to Milwaukee in 1953 , the Braves Field site was sold to Boston University and reconstructed as Nickerson Field , the home of many Boston University teams. The Braves Field scoreboard was sold to the Kansas City A's and used at Municipal Stadium ;

5472-514: Was signed by Al Campanis of the Los Angeles Dodgers and assigned to Cocoa by the Dodgers. Daviault struck out 15 hitters in one start for Cocoa. With a brief major league career, Daviault made his major league debut pitching for the expansion 1962 New York Mets and appearing in the Mets' first home game at the Polo Grounds. On June 30, 1962, Daviault had a career-high seven strikeouts against

5548-477: Was signed by Cleveland Indians scout Cy Slapnicka after a stellar career at the University of St. Thomas . As a major league scout, Slapnicka had signed Baseball Hall of Fame members Bob Feller and Lou Boudreau as well as Roger Maris . Slapnicka signed Hiller with a $ 300 per month monthly salary. Upon signing, Cleveland assigned Hiller to the Cocoa Indians. Hiller hit .293 with 11 home runs, 9 triples and 78 walks in 133 games for Cocoa. In their final season,

5624-595: Was switched from the track roster to the 1955 Pan American Games baseball roster representing the Dominican. The Dominican team won the Gold medal at the games. Alou had planned to resume his medical studies at the University of Santo Domingo, but he had attracted interest in baseball due to his university coach, who had served as a scout with the Giants. In November 1955, Alou signed a professional baseball contract with

5700-452: Was too small. However, the Braves' success inspired owner Gaffney to build a modern park, Braves Field , which opened in August 1915. It was the largest park in the majors at the time, with 40,000 seats and also a very spacious outfield. The park was novel for its time; public transportation brought fans right into the park. After contending for most of 1915 and 1916, the Braves spent much of

5776-487: Was where the Braves had their top farm club, the Brewers. Milwaukee had long been a possible target for relocation. Bill Veeck had tried to move his St. Louis Browns there earlier the same year (Milwaukee was the original home of that franchise), but his proposal had been voted down by the other American League owners. Going into spring training in 1953, it appeared that the Braves would play another year in Boston unless

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