The Provincial League , sometimes known as the Quebec Provincial League , was a minor league baseball league based in the Canadian province of Quebec . It went through a number of incarnations during the 20th century, spending time as both an independent baseball league (1922–23, 1935–1939, 1948–49, and 1958–1971) and as a member of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (1924, 1940, and 1950–1955). It is notable as a successful independent league at a time when few existed, and was a haven for black and indigenous players excluded from organized baseball.
7-632: The Drummondville professional baseball team was a member of the now extinct Quebec Provincial League and operated in Drummondville , in the Centre-du-Québec region of Quebec . The team went through many incarnations over the years. They debuted as the Drummondville Tigers in 1940, but disbanded on July 6 of that year after posting a poor record. Professional baseball would come back to Quebec after World War II, when
14-524: A time when very few such leagues existed. Especially in the late 1930s, it was known as safe haven for black and indigenous players who were excluded from the organized leagues. During this time, the opportunities it offered drew black players from across North America, and it even once included a team representing the Caughnawaga Mohawk reservation. Other notable players included Maurice Richard , Pete Gray , Adrián Zabala , Roland Gladu , and
21-482: The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues , the governing body of minor league baseball, in its last season. Like later incarnations of the league, it was the product of Canadian Pacific Railway sports promoter Joseph Page and retired Major League Baseball pitcher Jean Dubuc , who laboured extensively to set up teams in towns with Canadian Pacific stops. The Provincial League concept
28-652: The Philadelphia Athletics would come to town and make Drummondville their Class C home. The team then was renamed as the Drummondville A's , during what turned out to be their final season in the league. Provincial League (baseball) The Provincial League was part of a long history of Quebec-based minor leagues. The first iterations played in 1894 and 1900. Later, the Ontario–Quebec–Vermont League played from 1922 to 1924, spending two years as an independent league before joining
35-801: The Provincial League began operations. The league was rated as Class C, and the Drummondville Cubs would play as an unaffiliated team from 1948 to 1951. Then in 1952, the Cubs signed an agreement with the Washington Senators , and officially became the Senators Class C franchise. They would change their name to the Drummondville Royals in 1953 and again operate as a co-operative franchise. In 1954
42-535: The purview of the NAPBL. In 1950 it rejoined the NAPBL as a Class C circuit, following a similar pattern to earlier successful independent organizations. It lasted until 1955 before folding. In 1958 the final iteration of the Provincial League launched; it lasted until 1971 as an independent organization. The Provincial League has drawn some scholarly attention as a professional independent circuit during
49-443: Was relaunched in 1935. The league spent five seasons as an independent circuit before joining the NAPBL as a Class B league in 1940. Throughout this time, the most successful clubs were Quebec City and Trois-Rivières . The Provincial League took a hiatus during World War II , and returned afterward as an independent league with inconsistent levels of success. By 1948 it was again a fully professional six-team league, though outside
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