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34-625: An Independent minor league named the "Southern Illinois League" played in the 1895 and 1896 seasons. The teams and statistics from the 1895 and 1896 seasons are unknown. The Southern Illinois League was formed for the 1910 season as a five–team Class D level minor league under the direction of league president C.C. Wright. The Southern Illinois League began play on May 30, 1910, with the Eldorado, Illinois team, Harrisburg Merchants , Herrin, Illinois team, McLeansboro Merchants and Mount Vernon Merchants as charter members. After beginning play,

68-467: A 4.31 ERA. Following the Twins' Game 7 series–clinching win—a game which Viola won 4–2—he was named the 1987 World Series Most Valuable Player . Most baseball enthusiasts agree that Viola's best year was 1988 , his last full year with the Twins. That year, he threw his signature circle change with skill, compiling an impressive 24–7 record with 7 complete games and 2 shutouts in 255 innings pitched with

102-527: A career-low ERA of 2.64. He also gave up only 20 home runs and 54 walks . Viola led the league in wins and would go on to win the AL Cy Young Award in a landslide, finishing with 27 of the 28 first-place votes and beating out second-place Dennis Eckersley by 86 total votes. At the trade deadline in July 1989 —two years after Viola had led the Twins to a World Series title—the Twins traded him to

136-828: A time in Orlando, Florida . He also coached with the Florida College Summer League's Leesburg Lightning. In 2009, Viola assisted the Cleveland Indians as a coach in spring training. Frank was also a part-time, substitute game broadcast announcer for NESN , network of the Boston Red Sox. On January 26, 2011, Viola was hired as pitching coach of the Brooklyn Cyclones , the Mets' Single-A (Short Season) team. Viola spent 2012–2013 as

170-619: Is a professional baseball league in the United States or Canada that is not overseen by Major League Baseball or its affiliated Minor League Baseball system (historically referred to as organized baseball ). Independent leagues have flourished in northeastern states, where dense populations can often support multiple franchises . Because they are not subject to the territorial limitations imposed on affiliated minor-league teams, independent clubs can relocate as close to affiliated teams (and one another) as they choose to. For example,

204-765: The Carolina League and the Quebec -based Provincial League . The Carolina League, based in the North Carolina Piedmont region, gained a reputation as a notorious "outlaw league" during its existence from 1936 to 1938. The Provincial League fielded six teams across Quebec and was independent from 1948 to 1949. Similarly to early 20th-century independent leagues, it joined the National Association in 1950, playing for six more years. Independent leagues saw new growth after 1992, after

238-472: The Minnesota Twins after the team drafted him in the second round of the 1981 Major League Baseball draft . After spending less than a full season in the minor leagues, Viola made his major league debut on June 6, 1982. Although his statistics were fairly disappointing—he finished 11–25 with a 5.37 ERA in the 1982 and 1983 seasons—Viola became a permanent fixture of the Twins' starting staff for

272-569: The New York Mets for four pitchers and a player to be named later. Viola was not having a strong year and was 8–12 when he was traded, but he managed a 5–5 record with the Mets and finished the year at 13–17. Meanwhile, two of the pitchers the Twins acquired in the deal went on to become key members of the team: Kevin Tapani was one of the front-line starters for the Twins in their 1991 World Series run, while Rick Aguilera eventually became

306-798: The Red Sox in January 1992 . In a spring training game on April 2, 1993 , Viola and Cory Bailey combined on a no-hitter as the Red Sox defeated the Phillies 10–0 at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium in Clearwater, Florida . He was injured while with the Red Sox and underwent Tommy John surgery . He finished his career with the Reds and Blue Jays , ending his career on May 28, 1996. He finished his career with 1844 strikeouts . He only got one chance in

340-689: The postseason , and he certainly made the most of it when his Twins faced the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series . After getting past the Detroit Tigers in the 1987 American League Championship Series , Viola and the Twins had to face the favored Cardinals. Viola pitched Game 1 and led the Twins to a 10–1 rout of the Cards. Viola's second start came in Game 4, and the Twins went on to lose 7–2. After

374-545: The 2024 season, there are seven active leagues, with four of them acting as MLB Partner Leagues . Additionally, Major League Baseball co-operatively operates the MLB Draft League , which operates as an amateur collegiate summer baseball league in the first half of each season and a professional league outside of the structure of Minor League Baseball for the remainder. Independent baseball leagues and teams exist outside of North America, though rarer. In Japan,

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408-721: The 51s. He continued as the pitching coach for the 51s through the 2017 season. For the 2018 season, Frank served as the pitching coach for the Mets Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies . He joined the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball as the pitching coach in 2019, a position he continues to hold in 2024. At that time, he was living in Mooresville, North Carolina . Daughter Brittany

442-608: The Commissioner of Baseball. Independent baseball existed in the early 20th century and has become prominent again since 1993. Leagues operated mostly autonomously before 1902, when the majority joined the NAPBL. From then until 1915, a total of eight new and existing leagues remained independent. Most joined the National Association after one season of independence. Notable exceptions were the California League , which

476-608: The Japan Independent Baseball League Organization, which consists of the Shikoku Island League Plus and Baseball Challenge League , operates independently from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Japan also has a variety of independent semi-professional leagues consisting of industrial teams , where the players are regular employees of the company that own the team and are additionally paid to play baseball for

510-745: The Mount Vernon Merchants (8–11) and Harrisburg Merchants (6–17). After the Southern Illinois League folded, two of its members, McLeansboro and Harrisburg, joined the Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League (KITTY League) in the middle of the 1910 season. Mt. Vernon disbanded June 30. The league folded June 30. Harrisburg and McLeansboro joined the Kitty League July 24. Independent baseball league An independent baseball league

544-768: The Single-A Affiliate Savannah Sand Gnats pitching coach, winning Coach of the Year in 2013. Following the season, Viola was named the pitching coach for the Las Vegas 51s (now the Las Vegas Aviators), the Mets' Triple-A affiliate in the Pacific Coast League . During a 2014 spring training physical, Viola was diagnosed with a heart condition that required open-heart surgery on April 2. After surgery he signed with

578-547: The Southern Illinois League lost a team when the Mount Vernon Merchants disbanded on June 30, 1910. After continuing play, the Southern Illinois League permanently folded on July 11, 1910. The McLeansboro Merchants were in first place when the league shut down. In the final 1910 standings, the McLeansboro Merchants had a record of 20–5 when the league folded to finish in first place. McLeansboro finished 6.5 games ahead of Eldorado (14–12), followed by Herrin (8–11),

612-480: The Twins tied the series in Game 6 with an 11–5 win thanks to a Kent Hrbek grand slam, it was up to Viola in Game 7. He pitched a gem, shutting the Cardinals out after giving up two runs in the second inning. Jeff Reardon pitched the ninth inning, and the Twins won 4–2 on the way to a 4–3 series win. Viola was named World Series MVP. In retirement, Viola coached baseball for Lake Highland Preparatory School for

646-470: The best in college baseball history, saw Darling pitch 11 innings of no-hit ball before surrendering his only hit, a leadoff single in the 12th, leading to the game's only run. Viola himself threw 11 innings of shutout ball. Viola was drafted following his senior year in the 16th round of the 1979 Major League Baseball draft by the Kansas City Royals , but he did not sign. Viola signed with

680-838: The city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania , cannot have an affiliated team because of its proximity to the Harrisburg Senators and Reading Fightin Phils , leaving the Atlantic League to place a team—the Lancaster Barnstormers —to fill the void. Another example is the greater New York City metropolitan area, where there are many independent teams: the Long Island Ducks , Staten Island FerryHawks , New Jersey Jackals , New York Boulders , and Sussex County Miners . The Atlantic League considered as

714-742: The company on the side. South Korea also has series of small independent leagues. Additionally, as of 2024, two Japanese teams without affiliation to NPB teams play within NPB's minor leagues (the Eastern League and the Western League ). Similarly, within KBO Futures League , the minor league of Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), there is an unaffiliated team that consists only of South Korean military personnel . A select number of Japanese independent teams also participate in

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748-554: The fact that his last name is also a name of a musical instrument , although pronounced differently. A fan began displaying a banner bearing the phrase in the outfield's upper deck whenever Viola pitched. Twins fans considered the banner to be a good luck charm. The banner is now the property of the Minnesota Historical Society. It was again displayed when Viola was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame. He

782-493: The first half of the season. However, as the Mets collapsed in the second half of the year to finish with a 78–84 record, Viola collapsed with them and went 2–10 in his final 12 decisions. His last win came in his second-to-last start with the Mets on September 29 at Shea Stadium against the Philadelphia Phillies . He became a free agent after the 1991 season when the Mets opted not to resign Viola. He signed with

816-410: The league. The Atlantic League has had many notable managers and coaches, including Wally Backman , Frank Viola , Tommy John , Sparky Lyle , and Bud Harrelson . The Northern League alumni include Leon "Bull" Durham , J. D. Drew , and Darryl Strawberry . Independent leagues are those professional leagues in the United States and Canada not under the purview of organized Minor League Baseball and

850-585: The new Professional Baseball Agreement in organized baseball instituted more stringent revenue and stadium requirements on members. The Northern League and Frontier League both started play in 1993, and the Northern League's success paved the way for other independent leagues like the Texas-Louisiana League and Northeast League . Over the next eight years, at least 16 independent leagues formed, of which six existed in 2002. As of

884-402: The next 7 seasons, picking up 112 of his 176 career wins. Viola helped pitch the Twins to their second World Series appearance and first World Series win in 1987; he finished the season with a 17–10 record, a 2.90 ERA, and 197 strikeouts in 251 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings. Viola would then sparkle in the post-season, going a combined 3–1 with 25 strikeouts in 31 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings despite

918-496: The off-season Miyazaki Phoenix League alongside Japanese and Korean minor league teams. Frank Viola Frank John Viola Jr. (born April 19, 1960) is an American former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Minnesota Twins (1982–1989), New York Mets (1989–1991), Boston Red Sox (1992–1994), Cincinnati Reds (1995), and Toronto Blue Jays (1996). A three-time All-Star , he

952-622: The team's closer and one of the best relievers in the major leagues. Viola had a much better year in 1990, winning 20 games for the second time in his career. He would finish third in the Cy Young Award voting behind Pittsburgh's Doug Drabek and Los Angeles' Ramón Martínez , and he was named to the National League's All-Star Team. In 1991 , Viola made the All-Star Game for a third time after posting an 11–5 record in

986-587: The top level of competition among the independent leagues, and has had more marquee players than any other independent league, including Jose Canseco , Mat Latos , Steve Lombardozzi Jr. , Francisco Rodríguez , Chien-Ming Wang , Roger Clemens , Rich Hill , Scott Kazmir , Juan González , John Rocker , and Dontrelle Willis . Two former Atlantic League players are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum , Tim Raines and Rickey Henderson . Gary Carter , another Hall of Famer, managed in

1020-566: Was a diver at the University of Miami , becoming the 2008 and 2011 platform diving NCAA National Champion. Brittany narrowly missed making the 2004 United States Olympic diving team, but later competed at the 2012 London Olympics . Brittany made Viola a grandfather in August 2014. Daughter Kaley played volleyball at Winthrop University and is now an assistant coach at Davidson College . Son Frank III attended Florida College and

1054-725: Was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 29th round of the 2004 MLB draft . Frank III struggled with injuries (including needing Tommy John surgery ) and only pitched in 24 games at rookie level Bristol White Sox before being released following the 2007 season. In 2010, he pitched for the independent league St. Paul Saints and was 1–2 with a 4.58 ERA in 21 games before retiring from professional baseball. He now serves as analyst for Bright House Sports Network on their studio show and for their Florida State League broadcasts. Starting in 2012, Frank III has worked with R. A. Dickey and Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro on developing

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1088-494: Was honored as a member of the Twins' "All Dome" team in 2009. Viola was born and grew up in East Meadow, New York , with his brother John and sister Nancy, and he went on to attend and play baseball for East Meadow High School before playing at the collegiate level for St. John's University . On May 21, 1981, Viola faced future Mets teammate Ron Darling , then playing for Yale University . The game, often considered to be

1122-641: Was independent in 1902 and from 1907 to 1909; the United States Baseball League , which folded during its independent 1912 season; and the Colonial League, a National Association Member that went independent in 1915 and then folded. Another independent league, the Federal League , played at a level considered major league from 1914 to 1915. Few independent leagues existed between 1915 and 1993. Major exceptions included

1156-525: Was named World Series MVP with the Twins in 1987 and won the AL Cy Young Award in 1988. He is the pitching coach of the High Point Rockers . He batted and threw left-handed, and he was nicknamed " Sweet Music " – a nickname he picked up after a Minnesota sports writer declared that when Viola pitched, there was "Sweet Music" in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome . The nickname was a play on

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