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100-609: The Colonial teams of the era hosted minor league home games at the Dexter Street Grounds, with select Sunday games played at Crescent Park . Pawtucket next hosted minor league baseball in 1946, when the Pawtucket Slaters resumed play in the New England League, after a thirty-season gap between Pawtucket minor league teams. Pawtucket hosted minor league play for the first time in 1892, when

200-505: A 55–54 record, playing its first season under manager Phenomenal Smith. The league championship was won again by the Fall River Indians, who finished 14.0 games ahead of fifth place Pawtucket in the final standings, as the league held no playoffs. The Maroons' Irv Waldron led the New England League with both 137 runs and 182 total hits. Pawtucket catcher George Yeager led the league with 25 home runs before he advanced to catch for

300-471: A 6–3 record under manager Bill Conners. Two days later, the six-team Atlantic Association league folded. The Atlantic Association never reformed as a minor league. The league restructured with new teams and played the rest of the 1908 season without affiliation with National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues . In 1914, the Pawtucket "Tigers" resumed minor league play and became charter members of

400-454: A big crowd. Pawtucket second Joseph Callahan was appointed as interim manager to replace Pfeffer, who never returned to organized baseball following the incident. The 1914 Pawtucket Tigers ended their first Colonial League season in fifth place in the final standings of the newly formed league, which held no playoffs. With a record of 46–56 the Tigers placed fifth in the six-team league. Playing

500-446: A double and two home runs in the contest. On June 8, 1895, he hit a grand slam. On June 19, 1895, Yeager was ejected from a game for throwing a broom at the umpire. On July 8, 1895, Yeager was fined $ 10 by a different umpire "for insolent language and threatening with the bat." On July 11, 1895, Yeager went 5-for-5 at the plate in a home game. The Pawtucket Maroons continued membership in the 1895 Class B level New England League and began

600-477: A game in New York and kicked Hayden in the face, knocking out some of Hayden's teeth. Both players were arrested, but neither pressed charges. Ban Johnson suspended Ferris for the remainder of the season. The Pawtucket "Colts" continued play as the New England League resumed play in 1899 after folding during the previous season. The league expanded from six teams to eight teams to begin the 1899 season, but four of

700-612: A large exhibition hall (326'x 122'x 49') was built on the midway and was used by The New England Association for Arts and Crafts for their annual exposition. The hall was subsequently turned into the Alhambra Ballroom. In 1905, Charles I. D. Looff moved his carousel factory from Brooklyn to Crescent Park, where he designed and built carousels for parks in New England and around the United States. He began to use

800-487: A major league career that saw him win 373 games for the Giants. Continuing play in the 1898 six–team Class B level New England League, the Pawtucket "Tigers" played a shortened season. On July 5, 1898, the New England League stopped play. The Pawtucket Tigers ended the season with a record of 26–23 and were in second place under new manager Hobe Whiting when the New England League folded. Pawtucket finished 6.5 games behind of

900-551: A one-team town with the New York Yankees until 1962, when former Giants minority owner Joan Whitney Payson founded the New York Mets and brought National League baseball back to the city (as part of MLB's first wave of expansion). Mets chairman M. Donald Grant had represented Payson on the Giants board, and as such had been the only board member to vote against the Giants' move to California. The "NY" script on

1000-531: A real estate developer with ties to the Tammany Hall , the political machine of the Democratic Party that ran New York City. Freedman was one of the most detested owners in baseball history, getting into heated disputes with other owners, writers and his own players, most famously with star pitcher Amos Rusie , author of the first Giants no-hitter. When Freedman offered Rusie only $ 2,500 for 1896,

1100-553: A record of 46–52, playing the season under managers Frank Leonard and Royal Perrin. The Fall River Indians were the league champions for the second consecutive season, finishing 16.5 games ahead of Pawtucket. Tom Bannon of Pawtucket led the New England League with both 101 stolen bases and 137 runs scored. As the Pawtucket Maroons continued New England League play in 1895, catcher George Yeager continued to make news with Pawtucket. On May 4, 1895, Yeager had five hits, with

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1200-479: A short-lived league. The Colts began the season playing as members of the Class D level Atlantic Association . The Attleboro Angels , Lewiston , Newport Ponies , Portland Blue Sox and Woonsocket Trotters teams joined with Pawtucket in forming the league, which folded after playing less than three weeks. The Atlantic Association began minor league league play on May 2, 1908. On May 19, 1908, Pawtucket folded with

1300-561: A spectacular German band organ built by A. Ruth & Sohn. This carousel has been renovated and restored and is running to this day. He also built the park's first roller coaster, called the Toboggan Racer. A large shore dinner hall was built on the bluff overlooking the Bay. The Riverside area had become well known for its many hotels, campsites, and clam bake sites. This is a view across Bullock's Point Avenue, around 1905, looking at

1400-613: A tie with the Chicago Cubs due to a late-season home tie game with the Cubs resulting from the Fred Merkle baserunning "boner" . They lost the postseason replay of the tie game (ordered by NL president Harry Pulliam ) to the Cubs (after disgruntled Giants fans had set fire to the stands the morning of the game), who would go on to win their second (consecutive, and their last for the next 108 years) World Series. That post-season game

1500-699: A victory over the St. Louis Browns in an early incarnation of the pre-modern-era World Series . They repeated as champions the next year with a pennant and world championship victory over Brooklyn . The Giants' original home stadium, the Polo Grounds , also dates from this early era. It had been built in 1876 as a pitch for playing polo, and was located north of Central Park adjacent to Fifth and Sixth Avenues and 110th and 112th Streets, in Harlem in upper Manhattan . After their eviction from that first incarnation of

1600-531: The 1889 World Series , the ancestor of the Subway Series, and both played in separate, neighboring cities (New York and Brooklyn were separate cities until 1898, when they became neighboring boroughs of the newly expanded New York City). When both franchises moved to California after the 1957 season, the rivalry was easily transplanted, as the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles have long been economic, political, and cultural rivals, representative of

1700-473: The Baltimore Orioles (1901–1902) of the fledgling American League and bring with him several of his teammates. McGraw went on to manage the Giants for three decades until 1932, one of the longest and most successful tenures in professional sports. Hiring "Mr. McGraw", as his players referred to him, was one of Freedman's last significant moves as owner of the Giants, since after that 1902 season he

1800-612: The Baltimore Orioles on October 3, 1885, facing the minimum of 27 batters in the game. George Yeager played his final season with Pawtucket in 1896. On May 20, 1896, Yeager and manager Joe Smith were both ejected from a game. On June 5, 1895, Yeager homered twice in an 11-inning game won by Pawtucket. In August Yeager was fined $ 25 "for giving unsolicited advice to his manager," as the Boston Herald reported. Later in August while catching, he became angry at Pawtucket’s pitcher and he

1900-961: The Brooklyn Dodgers , facing the Yankees in six World Series and playing the league rival Dodgers multiple times per season. Games between any two of these three teams were known collectively as the Subway Series . The New York Giants of the National Football League were named after the team; to distinguish the two clubs, the football team was legally incorporated as the New York Football Giants , which remains its corporate name to this day. The New York Giants had an overall win–loss record of 6,067–4,898–157 (.553) during their 54 years in New York. Nineteen former New York Giants players were elected to

2000-631: The National Baseball Hall of Fame . The Giants began as the second baseball club founded by millionaire tobacconist John B. Day and veteran amateur baseball player Jim Mutrie . The Gothams , as the Giants were originally known, entered the National League seven years after its 1876 formation, in 1883 , while their other club, the Metropolitans played in the rival American Association (1882–1891). Nearly half of

2100-562: The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum played for the New York Giants, including Christy Mathewson (a member of the Hall of Fame's inaugural class), John McGraw , Mel Ott , Bill Terry , Willie Mays , Monte Irvin , Frankie Frisch , Ross Youngs and Travis Jackson . During the club's tenure in New York, it won five of the franchise's eight World Series championships and 17 of its 23 National League pennants. Famous moments in

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2200-593: The Philadelphia Phillies , Mutrie (who was also the team's manager) stormed into the dressing room and exclaimed, "My big fellows! My giants!" From then on ( 1885 ), the club was known as the Giants. However, more recent research has suggested that the New York World was already widely using the Giants nickname throughout the 1885 season, before the legendary game was played. The team won its first National League pennant in 1888 , as well as

2300-777: The San Francisco Giants . The team moved west at the same time as its longtime rival, the Brooklyn Dodgers , also in the National League, moved to Los Angeles in southern California as the Los Angeles Dodgers , continuing the National League, same- state rivalry . During most of their 75 seasons in New York City , the Giants played home games at various incarnations of the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan . Numerous inductees of

2400-641: The 1880s and 1890s, such as "Smiling" Mickey Welch , Roger Connor , Tim Keefe , Jim O'Rourke , and John Montgomery Ward , the player-lawyer who formed the renegade Players' League in 1890 to protest unfair player contracts. McGraw, a veteran of the infamous 1890s Baltimore Orioles , in his three decades managing the Giants, McGraw managed star players including Christy Mathewson , "Iron Man" Joe McGinnity , Jim Thorpe , Red Ames , Casey Stengel , Art Nehf , Edd Roush , Rogers Hornsby , Bill Terry and Mel Ott . The Giants under McGraw famously snubbed their first modern World Series chance in 1904 by refusing

2500-599: The 1904 AL pennant. The ensuing criticism resulted in Brush's taking the lead to formalize the rules and format of the World Series. The Giants won the 1905 World Series over Connie Mack 's Philadelphia Athletics , with Christy Mathewson nearly winning the series single-handedly with a still-standing record three complete-game shutouts and 27 consecutive scoreless innings in that one World Series. The Giants then had several frustrating years. In 1908, they finished in

2600-493: The 1940s, and any renovations would have been hindered by the fact that the Giants did not own the parcel of land on which it stood. The Polo Grounds had almost no parking, and the neighborhood around it had become less desirable. While seeking a new stadium to replace the crumbling Polo Grounds, the Giants began to contemplate a move from New York, initially considering Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota , which

2700-757: The 1954 NL batting championship (won by Willie Mays) Don Mueller , Hall of Fame knuckleball relief pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm , starting pitchers Larry Jansen , Sal Maglie , Jim Hearn , Marv Grissom , Dave Koslo , Don Liddle , Max Lanier , Rubén Gómez , Al Worthington , and Johnny Antonelli , catcher Wes Westrum , catchers Ray Katt and Sal Yvars , shortstop Alvin Dark , third baseman Hank Thompson , first baseman Whitey Lockman , second basemen Davey Williams and Eddie Stanky , outfielder-pitcher Clint Hartung and utility men Johnny Mize , Bill Rigney , Daryl Spencer , Bobby Hofman , Joey Amalfitano , Tookie Gilbert , and 1954 Series hero Dusty Rhodes , among others. In

2800-736: The 1977 season. In 1979, the Crescent Park property and rides, except the carousel, were sold at auction. Part of the midway was destroyed by a fire in March 1980. In 1982, the Kelly & Picerne real estate firm purchased the park property from the City of East Providence for $ 825,000 for residential development. However, they agreed to preserve the carousel and beach. The shore dining hall burned down in another fire in July 1984. The renovated carousel

2900-597: The A's, Red Sox and A's again (two seasons later, both the Giants and the A's, decimated by the short-lived rival third loop, the Federal League of 1914–1915, with the "jumping ship" signings of many of their stars, finished in last place). After losing the 1917 Series to the Chicago White Sox (the last World Series win for the White Sox until 2005), the Giants played in four straight World Series in

3000-535: The Boston Beaneaters at the end of the season. In 1897, the Pawtucket team was called the "Phenoms" as the team was managed again by their new namesake, Phenomenal Smith. The New England League reduced teams and played as six–team Class B level league The Brockton Shoemakers , Fall River Indians , New Bedford Whalers , Newport Colts and Taunton Herrings teams joined Pawtucket in 1897 New England League play. After beginning league play on May 1, 1897,

3100-682: The Colonial League's treasurer. Wishing to expand the Colonial League into Springfield, Massachusetts , Hartford, Connecticut and New Haven, Connecticut , whose regions belonged to the Eastern Association , the Colonial League expanded by two teams as it reorganized itself as the farm system for the Federal League. and withdrew itself from the structure of the National Association. Continuing play in

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3200-405: The Crescent Park carousel as a showcase for his business. During this time, Looff built a tunnel-of-love ride called The Rivers of Venice. In 1910, Looff moved to Long Beach, California , and established a second factory there. His son Charles Jr. and daughter Helen managed the company's Crescent Park operations after their father left. Charles Looff Jr. oversaw renovations to the park, including

3300-536: The Dexter Street grounds in the Pawtucket. The grounds also hosted soccer games in the era, beginning in 1887. The ballpark site was located at the corner of Barton Street and Dexter Street in Pawtucket. Today, the ballpark site is commercial property. In the era, Pawtucket teams hosted Sunday minor league games at Crescent Park . Crescent Park was located in neighboring East Providence, Rhode Island . The site also hosted major league teams playing exhibitions in

3400-417: The Federal League was forced to fold following the 1915 season, leaving the Colonial League unable to continue following the 1915 league season. The Colonial League's financial struggles were directed at Pawtucket's Alexander Bannwart and numerous league policies he championed. The salary maximums set by Bannwart and approved by the league were cited for the poor quality of play and subsequent low fan interest in

3500-478: The Giants to San Francisco in 1958; he did not play in most of 1952 and all of 1953 due to his service in the Korean War . Mathewson and McGraw are honored by the Giants, but played in an era before uniform numbers became standard in baseball. John McGraw (3B, 1902–06; manager, 1902–32) and Christy Mathewson (P, 1900–16), who were members of the New York Giants before the introduction of uniform numbers, have

3600-504: The Giants' New York history include the 1922 World Series , in which the Giants swept the Yankees in four games, Bobby Thomson 's 1951 home run known as the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" , and the defensive feat by Willie Mays during the first game of the 1954 World Series known as "the Catch" . The Giants had intense rivalries with their fellow New York teams the New York Yankees and

3700-494: The Giants' New York tenure. Of the New York Giants whose numbers have been retired, all have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1944, Carl Hubbell (#11) became the first National Leaguer to have his number retired by his team. Bill Terry (#3), Mel Ott (#4), and Hubbell played or managed their entire careers for the New York Giants. Willie Mays (#24) began his career in New York, moving with

3800-637: The Giants' caps and the orange trim on their uniforms, along with the blue background used by the Dodgers, would be adopted by the Mets, honoring their New York NL forebears with a blend of Giants orange and Dodgers blue. The historic and heated rivalry between the Giants and the Dodgers is more than a century old. It began when the Giants and Brooklyn Bridegrooms (later known as the Dodgers) faced each other in

3900-592: The Giants' stars jumped to the upstart newly organized rival loop, the Players' League , whose New York franchise was also named the Giants , in 1890. The new team even built a stadium next door to the NL Polo Grounds. With a decimated roster, the NL Giants finished a distant sixth. Attendance took a nosedive, and the financial strain affected Day's tobacco business as well. The Players' League dissolved after

4000-497: The Giants, not without controversy. Not only was such a midseason managerial switch unprecedented, but Durocher had been accused of gambling in 1947 and subsequently suspended for that whole season by Baseball Commissioner Albert "Happy" Chandler . Durocher's ensuing eight full seasons managing the Giants proved some of the most memorable for their fans, particularly because of the arrival of five-tool superstar Willie Mays , their two pennants in 1951 and 1954, their unexpected sweep of

4100-478: The Hall of Fame played or managed for the Giants, but either played for the Giants and were inducted as a manager having never managed the Giants, or managed the Giants and were inducted as a player having never played for the Giants: The Giants have retired 11 numbers in the history of the franchise. 7 of these were members of the franchise while in New York, 2 of which had their numbers retired during

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4200-580: The Indians' American League 111–43 regular season. The 1954 World Series title would be their last appearance in the World Series as the New York Giants , with the team moving to San Francisco to start the 1958 season. In addition to Bobby Thomson and Willie Mays , other memorable New York Giants of the 1950s include Hall of Fame manager Leo Durocher , coach Herman Franks , Hall of Fame outfielder Monte Irvin , outfielder and runner-up for

4300-579: The Pawtucket Phenoms (54–51), Fall River Indians (47–59), Taunton Herrings (40–68) and New Bedford Whalers (38–67). Tom News of Pawtucket hit 17 home runs to lead the New England League. In 1898, Phenomenal Smith left Pawtucket and became manager of the Fall River Indians, replaced as manager in Pawtucket by Hobe Whiting, who had played with Pawtucket since 1895. In 1900, while manager of the Norfolk Phenoms , Phenomenal Smith resurrected

4400-408: The Pawtucket Phenoms ended the New England League season in third place. The Phenoms ended the season with a 70–37 record, playing under returning manager Phenomenal Smith. Brockton and Newport finished in a first-place tie, as they ended the New England League season identical records and no playoff was held between the two teams. Brockton and Newport were followed in the New England League standings by

4500-486: The Pawtucket and Haverhill teams as members to the league. Haverhill and Pawtucket joined the Bangor Millionaires , Brockton Shoemakers , Fall River Indians, Lewiston , Portland and Worcester teams in beginning league play on April 28, 1894. On July 30, 1894, Buck Freeman , playing for Haverhill at home against Pawtucket Maroons, hit four home runs in the game. Freeman went 5-5 with four homers (one

4600-421: The Pawtucket franchise joined the eight-team, Class B level New England League . The Pawtucket "Secrets" played a partial season in the 1892 New England League. Pawtucket disbanded on July 26, 1892, with a 17–43 record in the eight–team New England League, which lost two other teams during the season. Pawtucket finished behind first place Woonsocket team in the final standings, as the New England League ended

4700-578: The Polo Grounds after the 1888 season, they moved further uptown to various fields which they also named the "Polo Grounds" located between 155th and 159th Streets in Harlem and Washington Heights , playing at the famous Washington Heights location at the foot of Coogan's Bluff until the end of the 1957 season, when they moved to San Francisco . The Giants were a powerhouse in the late 1880s, winning their first two National League Pennants and World Championships in 1888 and 1889 . But nearly all of

4800-404: The bases. Grissom then struck out Dave Pope looking and got Jim Hegan to fly out to left fielder Monte Irvin to end the inning. Grissom got out of another jam in the ninth when 1953 AL MVP Al Rosen flew out to Irvin with two outs and two on. In the tenth, Grissom faced more trouble, but got Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Lemon to line out with runners on the corners and 2 outs, preserving

4900-968: The broader Northern / Southern California divide. Dave Bancroft Jake Beckley Roger Bresnahan * Dan Brouthers Jesse Burkett Roger Connor * George Davis * Leo Durocher Buck Ewing * Frankie Frisch Burleigh Grimes Gabby Hartnett Rogers Hornsby Waite Hoyt Carl Hubbell * Monte Irvin Travis Jackson * Tim Keefe * Willie Keeler George Kelly * King Kelly Tony Lazzeri Freddie Lindstrom * Ernie Lombardi Rube Marquard * Christy Mathewson * Joe McGinnity * John McGraw * Joe Medwick Johnny Mize Hank O'Day Jim O'Rourke * Mel Ott * Edd Roush Amos Rusie * Ray Schalk Red Schoendienst Bill Terry * John Montgomery Ward * Mickey Welch * Hoyt Wilhelm Hack Wilson Ross Youngs * The following inducted members of

5000-554: The career of Baseball Hall of Fame member Christy Mathewson . Smith had signed Mathewson after his 2–13 season pitching for the Taunton Herrings in the 1899 New England League . Signed by Smith to a contract for $ 90.00 per month, Under Smith's tutelage, Mathewson went on to have an 18–2 season with the Phenoms, before being acquired by the New York Giants . Mathewson made his debut with New York on July 18, 1900, beginning

5100-475: The construction in 1914 of a new shore dinner hall on the banks of the Bay, capable of seating 2000 patrons. Looff Jr. then opened up the floor plan of the Alhambra Ballroom by installing massive beams in the roof and removing all the interior columns. In 1916, he built a 150' excursion boat named the Miss Looff after his younger sister who had been killed in a trolley accident in New York. In 1920, he purchased

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5200-602: The crescent shape of the beach. In 1892, carousel builder Charles I. D. Looff installed the park's first carousel. The ride's building was built on columns over the beach next to the 400' pier that was used by steamboats traveling up and down Narragansett Bay and the Providence River. In 1895, Looff built a second carousel for the park, now known as the Crescent Park Looff Carousel . The ride has 61 hand-carved horses, 1 camel, 4 chariots, and

5300-473: The disgruntled hurler sat out the entire season. Attendance fell off throughout the league without Rusie, prompting the other owners to chip in $ 50,000 to get him to return for 1897. Freedman even hired former owner Day as manager for part of the 1899 season. In 1902, after a series of disastrous moves that left the Giants 53 + 1 ⁄ 2 games behind the front-runner, Freedman signed John McGraw as player-manager, convincing him to jump in mid-season from

5400-648: The early 1900's. The amusement park operated from 1887 to 1979. Built in 1895, the Cresent Park Carousel survives and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Today, the historic carousel is located at 700 Bullocks Point Avenue in Riverside, Rhode Island. Crescent Park (defunct amusement park) Crescent Park was an amusement park in Riverside, East Providence, Rhode Island which ran from 1886 to 1979. The park

5500-672: The early 1920s, winning the first two over their Polo Grounds tenants, the Yankees , who had won the first two of their many pennants, led by their new young slugger Babe Ruth , then losing to the Yankees in 1923 after the original Yankee Stadium had opened that May. They also lost in 1924, when the Washington Senators won their only World Series while in D.C. From 1923 to 1927, the team held their spring training at Payne Park in Sarasota, Florida . McGraw handed over

5600-497: The eight-team 1915 Colonial League, the Pawtucket }Rovers" joined the Brockton Shoemakers, Fall River Spindles, Hartford Senators , New Bedford Whalers, New Haven White Wings , Springfield Tips and Taunton Herrings teams in Colonial League play. After their fifth place finish the previous season, the Pawtucket "Rovers" continued play in the 1915 Colonial League and ended the season in last place. Pawtucket finished

5700-493: The first place Brockton Shoemakers in the final standings. In the shortened season, Tom News of the Tigers won the New England league batting title, hitting .401, and added a league leading 9 home runs. Pawtucket pitcher Frank Todd led the New England League with a 13 wins. Infielder Hobe Ferris played for Pawtucket from 1897 to 1899. He played sparingly in 1897 and 1898 before playing regularly with Pawtucket in 1899 before

5800-473: The first two innings of the 1934 All-Star Game (played at the Polo Grounds) by striking out five future AL Hall of Famers in a row: Babe Ruth , Lou Gehrig , Jimmie Foxx , Al Simmons and Joe Cronin . Ott succeeded Terry as manager in 1942, but the war years proved to be difficult for the Giants. Midway during the 1948 season Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher left as Dodgers skipper to manage

5900-496: The following seasons. Known to be feisty, in 1902, Ferris was suspended for an altercation with umpire Jack Sheridan and received a three-day suspension from American League president Ban Johnson . "Ferris deserves his suspension, and while it will hurt Collins’ club, I am glad of it," wrote Peter Kelley of the Boston Journal , regarding the incident. On September 11, 1906, he fought with Boston teammate Jack Hayden during

6000-432: The invitation to play the reigning world champion Boston Americans ( Red Sox ) because McGraw considered the newly established American League of 1901, as little more than a minor league and disliked its firebrand president, Ban Johnson . He also resented his Giants' new intra-city rival New York Highlanders , who almost won the pennant but lost to Boston on the last day, and stuck by his refusal to play whoever won

6100-489: The late 1950s and after the move to San Francisco two Hall of Fame first basemen, Orlando Cepeda and Willie McCovey , joined the team. The Giants' final three years in New York City were unmemorable. They stumbled to third place the year after their World Series win, and attendance fell off precipitously. Even before then, the Polo Grounds had become an albatross around the team. It had not been well maintained since

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6200-601: The league voluntarily withdrew itself from the National Association structure and affiliation to align with the Federal League. At the April 1915 Colonial League meeting, Charles Coppen was re-elected as president and Pawtucket's Alexander Bannwart was elected as league secretary. Walter S. Ward, the treasurer of the Brooklyn Tip-Tops and the son of Brooklyn team owner George S. Ward , was elected as

6300-413: The league-leading Dodgers in August, but under Durocher's guidance and with a 16-game winning streak, got hot and caught the Dodgers to tie for the lead on the next-to-last day of the season. In Game 1 of the 1954 World Series at the Polo Grounds against the Cleveland Indians , Willie Mays made "The Catch," a dramatic over-the-shoulder catch of a fly ball by Vic Wertz after sprinting with his back to

6400-412: The league. After the 1895 season ended for Pawtucket, Harry Davis was signed by the New York Giants and made his major league debut in on September 27, 1895, getting three hits the game against the Boston Red Sox in his first game. Davis went on to play for the Philadelphia Athletics , leading the American League home runs in four consecutive seasons from 1904 to 1907. Davis would play 22 seasons in

6500-409: The league. In August 1915, Bannwart resigned from his Colonial League leadership role before the conclusion of the season. Following the demise of the 1915 Federal League, Pawtucket did not host another a minor league team until the 1946 season, when the Pawtucket Slaters resumed play as members of the reformed New England League . The Pawtucket teams played their regular minor league home games at

6600-462: The major leagues. After the 1895 New England season concluded, Pawtucket catcher George Yeager was recruited to play for a Fall River, Massachusetts team in an exhibition series featuring teams from Fall River, New Bedford, Massachusetts and Newport, Rhode Island . In the era of segregated baseball, the three teams joined by the trailblazing African-American Cuban Giants , which featured future Baseball Hall of Fame member Frank Grant . Each team

6700-424: The most damage. Both were subsequently rebuilt. In 1951, the park was purchased by a group of park concessionaires led by Arthur R. Simmons and Frederick McCusker for $ 329,390. Many improvements were made during the next 15 years. New rides, such as the Flying Fish (Wild Mouse), the Satellite (Roundup), a Turnpike Ride, an 1860s Train Ride, and a Sky Ride were added, food operations were improved, and free entertainment

6800-447: The newly formed Colonial League , a league that became mired in controversy, some of it surrounding the Pawtucket ownership. The Colonial League was formed for the 1914 season as a six–team Class C level minor league. The Brockton Shoemakers , Fall River Spindles , New Bedford Whalers , Pawtucket Tigers , Taunton Herrings and Woonsocket Speeders teams joined Pawtucket in the newly formed league. During their first 1914 season, it

6900-458: The original Gothams players were members of the disbanded Troy Trojans in upstate New York , whose place in the National League the Gothams inherited. While the Metropolitans were initially the more successful club, after they won the 1884 AA championship , Day and Mutrie began moving star players to the NL Gothams, whose fortunes improved while the Metropolitans' afterwards slumped. It is said that after one particularly satisfying victory over

7000-410: The park and operated the park during 1976 and 1977 until zoning could be changed and a buyer was located. Concern over the future of the park's carousel grew during rumors that the park would be closed and auctioned off. That year, the "Save Our Carousel Committee" was formed by several Riverside residents, who, after a long legal battle, successfully saved the carousel. The park closed permanently after

7100-404: The park from the Hope Land Company and operated it until his death in 1925. In 1922, Looff Jr. began to operate a radio station, WKAD, on the park grounds. Following his death three years later, Beacon Manufacturing Company purchased the park after his estate defaulted on mortgage payments. The park was damaged by the 1938 New England Hurricane , with the pier and Comet roller coaster sustaining

7200-410: The plate on a dead run to deepest center field. At the time the game was tied 2–2 in the eighth inning, with men on first and second and nobody out. Mays caught the ball 450 ft (140 m) from the plate, whirled and threw the ball to the infield, keeping the lead runner, Larry Doby , from scoring. Doby advanced to third on the play, and then new pitcher Marv Grissom walked Dale Mitchell to load

7300-500: The powerful (111–43) Cleveland Indians in the 1954 World Series and arguably the two most famous plays in Giants history. The "Shot Heard 'Round the World," or Bobby Thomson 's come-from-behind ninth-inning walk-off home run that won the National League pennant for the Giants over their bitter rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers , in the deciding game of a three-game playoff series ended one of baseball's most memorable pennant races. The Giants had been 13 + 1 ⁄ 2 games behind

7400-448: The same time the Dodgers' owner Walter O'Malley was courting the city of Los Angeles. O'Malley had been told that the Dodgers would not be allowed to move to Los Angeles unless a second team moved to California as well. He pushed Stoneham toward moving, and so in the summer of 1957 both the Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers announced their moves to California, ending the three-team golden age of baseball in New York City. New York would remain

7500-403: The season under managers Frank "Big Jeff" Pfeffer, Joseph Callahan and William Fortin, Pawtucket finished 18.0 games behind the first place Fall River Spindles in the final standings. John Gilmore of Pawtucket led the league with 9 home runs. Before the 1915 season, the Colonial League reorganized itself, officially becoming a farm system for the major league rival Federal League. As a result,

7600-566: The season with a 37–57 record as the Rovers finished 16.5 games behind the first place Hartford Senators, who had a 55–42 record. Jim Connor served as the Pawtucket manager, as Pawtucket ended the season in sixth place after the Fall River and Taunton teams folded and were unable to finish the season. The Federal League folded following the 1915 season, and the Colonial League followed suit. With legal disputes and financial challenges mounting,

7700-436: The season with five remaining teams. In 1893, Pawtucket did not continue play as the New England League reduced two teams and played the season as a six team, Class B level league. The Fall River Indians were the league champions, placing first in the league standing, as no playoffs were held. The Pawtucket "Maroons" resumed minor league play as the 1894 New England League expanded to again become an eight–team league, adding

7800-553: The season with the rest of the eight–team league. The Pawtucket Maroons finished in fourth place in the eight–team league. With a final record of 52–53, the Maroons ended the season 14.5 games behind the first place Fall River Indians in the final standings. Louis Bacon and Harry Davis managed Pawtucket during the 1895 season. Player/manager Harry Davis led the New England league with a .391 batting average and 16 home runs, as well as 189 total hits. Irv Waldron had 84 stolen bases to lead

7900-400: The single season, and Day sold a minority interest in his NL Giants to the defunct PL Giants' principal backer, Edward Talcott . As a condition of the sale, Day had to fire Mutrie as manager. Although the Giants rebounded to third place in 1891, Day was forced to sell a controlling interest to Talcott at the end of the '91 season. Four years later, Talcott sold the Giants to Andrew Freedman ,

8000-419: The standings, but the league allowed only two of the wins. In was noted that Portland subsequently refused to play Newport in the finals after their initial impropriety. After failing to complete the previous two seasons, the New England League did not return to play in the 1900 season. The league reformed in 1901 without Pawtucket as a member. The Pawtucket "Colts" reformed briefly in 1908, becoming members of

8100-607: The team folded. He played for the Norwich Witches in 1900 before making his major league debut with the Boston Americans of the newly formed American League in 1901 and committing 61 errors as a rookie, a record at the time. Ferris's error total remains the second-highest total ever for a second baseman in American League history. Ferris was previously a shortstop and his fielding improved greatly over

8200-547: The team to Bill Terry midway through the 1932 season. Terry served as manager for nine-and-a-half years, serving as player-manager until 1936. Under Terry, the Giants won three pennants, defeating the Senators in the 1933 World Series but swept by the Yankees in consecutive fall classics, 1936 and 1937 . Aside from Terry himself, the other stars of the era were slugger Mel Ott and southpaw hurler Carl Hubbell . Known as "King Carl" and "The Meal Ticket", Hubbell gained fame in

8300-439: The teams folded during the season, Pawtucket included. On August 8, 1899, with a 37–40 record, Pawtucket folded along with the Brockton Shoemakers, who were leading the league standings. Pawtucket played the shortened season under returning manager Hobe Whiting. The Portland Phenoms , led by manager Phenomenal Smith, were the eventual league champion in 1899, completing the season in first place, but not without controversy. There

8400-418: The tie game. In the bottom of the tenth, Willie Mays drew a 1 out walk and stole second base, thus prompting Lemon to intentionally walk Hank Thompson . And with runners on first and second with one out, pinch hitter Dusty Rhodes hit a walk off home run that just squeaked over the right field wall at an estimated 260 feet (79 m). The underdog Giants went on to sweep the series in four straight, despite

8500-768: The top of the midway with the 1895 Looff Carousel on the left, a scenic railway behind the carousel, and Looff's Toboggan Race on the right. In the background are the Alhambra Ballroom, the Bamboo Slide, and the Shoot-the-Chute In 1900, LaMarcus Thompson built a scenic railway next to the Looff carousel. In 1901, Boyden sold the park to the Dexter Brothers of the Hope Land Company, with Colonel R.A. Harrington acting as park manager. By 1902,

8600-554: Was an inside the park home run) with 13 RBIs. In the next game, Freeman hit 2 more home runs. Catcher George Yeager had a whirlwind season in 1894, ending up on the Pawtucket roster. Beginning the season with a semi-professional team in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania , Yeager was involved in a fight at a cigar shop where he fractured the skull of another man. Yeager faced a trial, but the other victim had fled to Illinois and had been arrested in another incident, escaped from jail and

8700-534: Was controversy surrounding the conclusion of the New England League season. The Newport Colts won the second half of the 1899 New England League season but did so under dubious circumstances. Allegedly, the Portland Phenoms and Manchester, not wanting Newport to win the second half of the season, expanded the schedule on the final day from a doubleheader to play six games in one day, beginning at 9:00 AM. Manchester won all six games, to move ahead of Newport in

8800-443: Was forced to sell his interest in the club to John T. Brush . McGraw went on to manage the Giants to nine National League pennants (in 1904, 1905, and every year from 1911 to 1913) and three World Series championships (in 1905, 1921, and 1922), with a tenth pennant and fourth world championship as Giants owner in 1933 under his handpicked player-manager successor, Bill Terry . The Giants already had their share of stars beginning in

8900-533: Was founded in 1886 by George B. Boyden, who leased land on Narragansett Bay from John Davis, the owner of the Bullock's Point Hotel which sat above a bathing beach on the Bay. Several years later Boyden purchased the hotel and changed its name to the Crescent Park Hotel which continued to be operated until 1935, when it was razed to make room for a parking lot for the park. Boyden named the park after

9000-434: Was further darkened by a story that someone on the Giants had attempted to bribe umpire Bill Klem . This could have been a disastrous scandal for baseball, but because Klem was honest and the Giants lost the duel between Christy Mathewson and Mordecai "Three-Fingered" Brown 4–2, it faded over time. The Giants experienced a mixture of success and hard luck in the early 1910s, losing three straight World Series in 1911–1913 to

9100-748: Was home to their top farm team, the Minneapolis Millers . Under the rules of the time, the Giants' ownership of the Millers gave them priority rights to a major league team in the area (the Senators wound up there as the Minnesota Twins in 1961). At this time, the Giants were approached by San Francisco mayor George Christopher . Despite objections from shareholders such as Joan Whitney Payson , majority owner Horace Stoneham entered into negotiations with San Francisco officials around

9200-407: Was known for its Rhode Island Shore Dinners, the Alhambra Ballroom, and its midway. Declining attendance during the 1970s forced the park to close. The land was cleared for a housing development. The only remaining amusement ride is the completely restored 1895-vintage Crescent Park Looff Carousel , designed and built by Charles I.D. Looff as a showpiece for his carousel business. Crescent Park

9300-505: Was offered to the public. The park exchanged hands again in 1966, when it was bought by three Providence investors, Melvin Berry, Max Sugarman, and Joe Paolino Sr. Three years after the purchase, on September 2, 1969, the Alhambra Ballroom burned down. In 1975, the park's ownership group, Crescent Park Recreation Corporation, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. HNC Real Estate Investors, a REIT affiliated with The Hartford National Bank, took over

9400-496: Was ordered to switch positions with the Pawtucket right fielder. With Yeager’s performance getting notice from scouts (113 runs scored, 36 stolen bases, 25 home runs, a .345 batting average, and slugged .604) he was purchased by the Boston Beaneaters on September 5, 1895. Two days later, in his last game before joining Boston, Yeager hit a game winning grand slam. Pawtucket ended the 1896 New England League season with

9500-558: Was reopened on July 17, 1984. In 1985, it was named "The State Jewel of American Folk Art" by the Rhode Island General Assembly. It was named a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service in 1987. The carousel's foundation was rebuilt in 2000 following a $ 150,000 "Save America's Treasures" grant from The National Trust for Historic Preservation . The ring gear, original to the ride,

9600-475: Was replaced in 2010. New York Giants (baseball) The New York Giants were a Major League Baseball team in the National League that began play in the 1883 season as the New York Gothams and became known as the Giants in 1885 . They continued as the New York Giants until the team moved to San Francisco , California after the 1957 season , where the team continues its history as

9700-468: Was speculated that the Colonial League was being controlled by the major league rival Federal League , a claim which was denied by the league, but later proved to be accurate. In April 1914, Pawtucket team owner Alexander Bannwart drew attention in hiring Frank "Big Jeff" Pfeffer to manage the Pawtucket Tigers after a hiatus from baseball while running a hotel in nearby Providence. In May, it

9800-530: Was still a fugitive when Yeager's case went to trial. Charges were dismissed against Yeager. In July, Yeager was playing with the Brockton Shoemakers in the New England League. After the Brockton team folded on August 25, 1894, Yeager was signed by Pawtucket. Yeager would remain with Pawtucket for three seasons. Pawtucket ended the season in sixth place in the 1894 New England League season. With

9900-405: Was suspected that Bannwart was working as an "agent" of the Federal League, which Bannwart denied. On July 4, 1914, Pfeffer assaulted Bannwart in the stands at Woonsocket before the game that day and was suspended by the league president. Banwart stated to the press that he "handed Big Jeff a jolt on the jaw and stood him on his head like a baby" in the fracas, which spilled onto the field and drew

10000-564: Was to play at least 11 games. Yeager played in the game against the Cuban Giants was on September 13, 1895, in a game won 16-9 by the Fall River team. With Germany "Phenomenal" Smith beginning a tenure as manager, the 1896 Pawtucket Maroons finished in fifth place in the New England League season. Smith had reportedly received the nickname "Phenomenal" after pitching a no-hitter for the Philadelphia Athletics against

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