The Elmira Pioneers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Elmira, New York . They have been affiliated with many major league teams throughout their history. Currently, Elmira Pioneers play as members of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL). They play their home games at Dunn Field .
18-606: The Elmira Colonels played in the New York State League in 1885 and again in 1889. Two years later, the Elmira Gladiators were one of six teams in the original New York–Penn League . That league failed, but in 1892, the Gladiators were one of the original teams in the original Eastern League but only lasted one year in the league. The Pioneers name first appeared in 1900, when the team joined
36-737: A three-peat that year. Elmira maintained their affiliation with the Dodgers, known as the Pioneers, through 1940 despite losing the home stadium to fire in 1938. On June 12, 1939, the Pioneers played their first night game in Elmira. The Pioneers then became an affiliate of the Tigers and later the St Louis Browns before re-establishing ties with the Dodgers from 1950 to 1955. During the 1951 season, then-player Don Zimmer married his wife at
54-544: A 5.37 ERA. In 109 innings, he allowed 145 hits and 36 walks while striking out 31 batters. He played his final big league game on September 12. Smoll also spent 10 seasons pitching in the minor leagues, going 79–94 in 337 games. He pitched in the minors until 1946. He managed in the minor leagues from 1948 to 1950, skippering the Rome Colonels the first two years and the West Palm Beach Indians in
72-657: A ceremony at home plate. Elmira did not field a team in 1956, but joined the Class-A short-season New York–Penn League in 1957 as a Washington Senators affiliate. The Pioneers switched affiliation to the Philadelphia Phillies for the 1959–61 seasons. Two highlights of their time with the Phillies were Jim Guinn's 33-game hitting streak in 1959, and Vern Kemp striking out 21 batters in a single game during 1961. Both were team records. The Pioneers returned to
90-567: A new New York State League that was founded a year earlier. The Elmira Red Jackets , presumably named after the Seneca chief , were charter members of the new New York–Penn League in 1923. Armando Marsans , one of the first two Cubans to play Major League Baseball , served as their manager in 1923. They changed their name to the Elmira Colonels from 1924–31 and remained unaffiliated through those years. The Colonels signed on with
108-686: The Boston Red Sox moved from Williamsport, Pennsylvania , to Elmira for the 1973 season, and remained there through 1992. The 1973 team was known as the Pioneers, but the team was called the Elmira Red Sox for four seasons (1974–1976, 1978) and Elmira Pioneer-Red Sox in 1977. They won the New York-Penn League Championship in 1976. The Pioneers name returned for the 1979 season, though the team actually wore "Red Sox" uniforms. In 1981, Lou Eliopulos bought
126-480: The International League used before settling on its longterm moniker. The second New York State League was a six team league for one season in 1889. Oneida was expelled from the league on July 12, and Seneca Falls disbanded August 19. The third and longest running New York State League was a solid league that lasted from 1899 through 1917. The league was classified as a Class B league in 1902 when
144-563: The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues was formed. The loop, which also had teams in Pennsylvania, was also remarkably stable in terms of membership for any minor league of that era. Binghamton and Utica lasted the whole 19-year run. Baseball Hall of Fame members Grover Cleveland Alexander (1910 Syracuse Stars), Johnny Evers (1902 Troy Trojans) and Bucky Harris (1917 Reading Pretzels) played in
162-782: The St. Louis Cardinals and changed their name to the Red Wings for the 1932–34 seasons. They resurrected the Pioneers name for their unaffiliated 1935 and '36 seasons. After winning the league championship that year, they signed on with the Brooklyn Dodgers and re-established the Colonels name for the 1937 season, in which they repeated as champions. The league became the Eastern League in 1938 and Elmira managed to pull off
180-642: The 1996 season began. The following year, the Pioneers defeated the defending champion Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs two games to none to win their first championship in 21 years. Pitcher Greg Keagle threw the first no-hitter in team history the summer of 2000. He became a player-coach in 2001 and 2002. In 2001, the team played for the championship again. This time they faced the New Jersey Jackals , losing three games to two. The Pioneers have won 13 titles in various leagues: New York State League (1885%E2%80%931917) The New York State League
198-561: The Eastern League for the 1962 season, affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles , with whom they stayed through 1968. Their manager from 1962 to 1965 was Earl Weaver . The team won the championship in 1962. In 1965 there were three no-hitters pitched and Lou Pinella hit three home runs in a single game. They also played a 27-inning game, which at the time was the longest professionally played game. The following year, they won
SECTION 10
#1732779839758216-646: The Red Sox uniforms. The Pioneers were affiliated with the Florida Marlins from 1993 to 1995, after which Smoll moved the team to Lowell, Massachusetts , and reaffiliated with the Red Sox as the Lowell Spinners . After some significant scrambling, an ownership group anchored by an Elmira native living in Maryland, John Ervin, got a new Pioneers team into the independent Northeast League before
234-1364: The league June 2; Batavia (11–33) transferred to Geneva July 25 1898 New York State League Palmyra (25–35) disbanded July 22, franchise to Johnstown (4–4) Aug 6, Johnstown disbanded August 16; Lyons disbanded August 12 1899 New York State League Auburn (27–43) moved to Troy August 1. 1900 New York State League Oswego (20–45) moved to Elmira July 30. 1901 New York State League Cortland (22–34) moved to Waverly July 11. 1902 New York State League 1903 New York State League 1904 New York State League Schenectady (20–39) moved to Scranton July 17. 1905 New York State League 1906 New York State League 1907 New York State League 1908 New York State League Amsterdam–Gloversville–Johnstown (1–8) reorganized and became 'Johnstown-Gloversville' (11–54) May 18, then moved to Elmira (24–42) July 22. 1909 New York State League 1910 New York State League 1911 New York State League 1912 New York State League 1913 New York State League 1914 New York State League 1915 New York State League 1916 New York State League Troy (8–27) moved to Harrisburg June 20; Albany (51–57) moved to Reading August 21. 1917 New York State League Harrisburg and Utica disbanded July 4. Clyde Smoll Clyde Hetrick "Lefty" Smoll (April 17, 1914 – August 31, 1985)
252-560: The league. 1885 New York State League Elmira entered the league July 10 and disbanded July 26; Albany disbanded July 27. 1889 New York State League Oneida was expelled July 12; Seneca Falls disbanded August 19. 1890 New York State League Oneonta disbanded September 3; Cobleskill disbanded September 20 1894 New York State League Albany and Pittsfield disbanded July 3 1895 New York State League Albany and Troy disbanded May 20; Gloversville and Johnstown disbanded July 4 1897 New York State League Cortland joined
270-660: The pennant with a 20.5 game lead over the second-place team. The 1960s ended with the Padres and Royals sharing the Pioneers for a year. The next two years, the team was exclusively affiliated with the Royals and was known as the Elmira Royals in 1971, when they won another championship. The team signed on with the Cleveland Indians for 1972, but a flood ruined the season. The New York–Penn League affiliate of
288-461: The team and changed its name to the Elmira Suns to match other teams he owned. The name proved unpopular in Elmira and the Pioneers name returned in 1984, complete with uniforms featuring a stagecoach logo and uniforms that were mocked throughout the league as resembling softball uniforms. Clyde Smoll Jr. (son of former major league pitcher Clyde Smoll ) bought the team in 1986 and brought back
306-458: Was a minor league baseball league that played between 1885 and 1917. The league began play as an Independent level league before playing from 1902 to 1917 as a Class B level league. League franchises were based in New York and Pennsylvania . John H. Farrell served as president of the league from 1897 to 1917. The first New York State League in 1885, was actually the second of the many names
324-502: Was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the 1940 Philadelphia Phillies . On April 26, 1940, Smoll made his major league debut, starting against the Brooklyn Dodgers , whose starting pitcher was Freddie Fitzsimmons . Smoll allowed four runs, two earned, in six innings of work, saddling him with the loss. Smoll made 33 appearances in 1940, starting nine games and going 2–8 with
#757242