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48-571: The franchise has always been based in Reading and maintained its original name "Reading Phillies" from its establishment in 1967 through 2012. The Reading Fightin Phils are the oldest team in the Eastern League to play in their original and current city with the most seasons under their original name (Reading Phillies). The Fightin Phils' stadium, FirstEnergy Stadium which was built in 1951 and

96-580: A .458 slugging average and 514 walks for a .355 on-base percentage . As an outfielder, he had 3,322 putouts , 151 assists, 34 double plays and 74 errors for 3,547 total chances and a .979 fielding percentage . If he had one more hit in his career, he would have statistically had a .300 batting average. Furillo played in seven World Series with the Dodgers, six of them against the New York Yankees , winning in 1955 and in 1959 against

144-608: A deli in Flushing, Queens . Furillo later worked as a night watchman. It was later reported by former teammates that Furillo overcame his bitterness towards baseball and became a regular attender of fantasy baseball camps at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida towards the end of his life. Furillo developed leukemia , and died in Stony Creek Mills, Pennsylvania at 66 years of age of an apparent heart attack . He

192-466: A groundout in the fourth inning, with Campanella later scoring, and was walked intentionally with one out and runners on second and third in the sixth, with another run following on a sacrifice fly by Hodges. The two runs held up for a 2–0 victory, and Brooklyn earned the only World Series title in franchise history. In his 15-year career, Furillo batted .299 with 192 home runs, 1,910 hits, 1,058 RBI, 895 runs, 324 doubles, 56 triples, 48 stolen bases ,

240-554: A member of the Interstate Association , one of the two original minor leagues. The Actives went 33–35 in 1883 against teams from Brooklyn , Harrisburg, Pennsylvania , Trenton, New Jersey , Wilmington, Delaware , Pottsville, Pennsylvania , and Camden, New Jersey (which disbanded that July), finishing in third place before the league folded after the season. In 1884 the Active Club became founding members of

288-446: A mustard bottle to form a mustard circle inside the surrounding sky blue circle. Inside the mustard circle but surrounding Bunbino, are the words "READING" and "PENNSYLVANIA" as in the ostrich alternate logo, but in a different yellow font, separated by a mustard stain. The caps are sky blue with Bunbino from the aforementioned logo. Like the home white jersey, the road gray jersey is given a faux-flannel effect; it carries blue piping on

336-400: A red feathered "R", or the aforementioned ostrich logo without the wordmarks. The home jerseys are cream and have traditional red pinstripes, but are given a faux-flannel look to the design. In the center is the red "Fightin Phils" wordmark with the player's number in red right below it. On the left sleeve is the aforementioned circular alternate logo, with the parent Phillies' red "P" logo on

384-523: A seven-game loss; he had two RBI and scored a run in a 9–8 Game 3 victory, and scored the run which gave Brooklyn the lead for good in an 8–6 win in Game 6. He preserved a 6–5 victory in Game 5 of the 1952 World Series when he made a spectacular catch over the fence of an apparent home run by Johnny Mize – who had already homered three times in the Series – with one out in the eleventh inning. In

432-754: A statistical list of the century's top teams. Weiss and Wright further took into account intangibles such as winning a pennant, significant achievements, or reputation in creating their final list. Of the 69 franchises to make the list, 14 appeared more than once. The Baltimore Orioles took 6 places on the list, the most of any team, followed by the Ft. Worth Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs (5), Newark Bears and San Francisco Seals (4); Kansas City Blues , Los Angeles Angels , and St. Paul Saints (3); and Charlotte Hornets , Columbus Senators/Red Birds , Houston Buffaloes , Indianapolis Indians , Memphis Chicks , and Milwaukee Brewers (2). Thirty leagues are represented on

480-530: A white and gray ostrich outlined in blue with flesh-colored beak and legs putting up his fists in a fighting stance, with the red block "READING" and blue script "Fightin Phils" wordmark right above it. There is also an alternate logo with said ostrich's upper body in a blue circle outlined in red, surrounded by a red burst and "READING" and "PENNSYLVANIA" tilted near the top and bottom, respectively. The Fightin Phils' home uniforms resemble those of their Philadelphia parent. The caps are navy blue, and feature either

528-652: The 100 greatest minor league teams of all time . Reading's first official baseball team, the Reading Athletic Club , formed in November 1858 and, for the next 15 years, played other local teams for unofficial championships and bragging rights. The Reading Actives date their existence to 1874. After the National Agreement of 1883, which organized major and minor leagues, the Actives became

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576-505: The 1947 NL pennant winners, finishing the year ninth in the league with 88 runs batted in . Furillo was one of the key members on the Dodgers' 1949 champions, hitting .322 (4th in the NL) with 18 home runs , and placing among the league's top ten players in RBI (106), slugging average (.506), hits (177), runs (95), triples (10) and total bases (278); he finished sixth in the voting for

624-480: The 1953 World Series he hit .333, and drove in the tying run in the seventh inning of Game 1, though Brooklyn went on to lose; in the final Game 6, his 2-run homer with one out in the ninth tied the game 3–3, but New York scored in the bottom of the inning to win the game and the Series. In the victorious 1955 Series he started the scoring with a solo home run in his first at bat of Game 1, which New York won 6–5. In Game 7, he advanced Roy Campanella to third base on

672-573: The 1955 champions he was seventh in the league with a .314 average, along with 95 RBI and a career high of 26 homers. With the 1956 team which repeated as NL champions, earning the team's seventh pennant in ten years, he slipped to a .289 average but maintained solid power totals with 21 homers, 83 RBI and 30 doubles. He hit .306 in the Dodgers' last season in Brooklyn in 1957, and batted .290 in their first year in Los Angeles, finishing eighth in

720-508: The Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers , primarily as a right fielder . A member of seven National League (NL) champion teams between 1947 and 1959 , Furillo batted over .300 five times, winning the 1953 batting title, with a .344 average—then the highest by a right-handed hitting Dodger since 1900. Noted for his strong and accurate throwing arm, he recorded ten or more assists in nine consecutive seasons, leading

768-541: The Charleston Indians , Reading was without professional baseball for that year. For the 1962 season, the Williamsport Grays moved to Reading and became the second Reading Red Sox team, serving as a Boston Red Sox affiliate for two years, owned by Joe Buzas . The new Reading Red Sox relocated to Pittsfield, Massachusetts , and were renamed Pittsfield Red Sox (this Eastern League franchise

816-564: The Chicago White Sox . In 40 World Series games, he batted .266 (34-for-128) with 13 runs, 9 doubles, 2 home runs, 13 RBI and 13 walks. After retiring as a player, Furillo left the sport for good. While writing his 1972 book The Boys of Summer about the 1952 and 1953 pennant-winning teams, author Roger Kahn located Furillo installing elevators at the World Trade Center . During the mid-1960s, he owned and operated

864-627: The Eastern League of Professional Base Ball Clubs . The Actives played sporadically for the next 12 years. The Reading Coal Heavers played in the Atlantic League from 1897 until the league disbanded in mid-June 1900. During this time, Lizzie Arlington became the first woman to play for a professional men's baseball team when she pitched the final inning of a game for the Coal Heavers. Baseball returned to Reading in 1907 when

912-575: The MVP Award. In 1950 he batted .305 (7th in the league) with 18 home runs, 106 RBI, and a career-high 99 runs. He achieved a personal best with 197 hits, finishing third in the NL for the second year in a row, for the 1951 team which lost a legendary pennant playoff to the New York Giants ; he also batted .295 (9th in the NL) with 91 RBI and 93 runs. He became skilled at negotiating balls hit off

960-669: The United States Army and served for three years. He served in combat in the Pacific Theater , receiving three battle stars and the Purple Heart for being wounded in action. Upon returning from the army, Furillo reported to the Dodgers camp in Sanford, Florida for "advanced training" which had been designed for returning servicemen. He made the major leagues in 1946 . The following season, he batted .295 for

1008-680: The York White Roses of the Class-B Tri-State League relocated and became the Reading Pretzels . In 1911, the Pretzels finished with the best record in the league, but lost a best-of-seven postseason series to the team from Trenton. On June 14 of that season, George "Jake" Northrop pitched the only perfect nine-inning game in Reading baseball history. The Tri-State League folded after the 1914 season, but

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1056-595: The centennial celebration of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues , Minor League Baseball tasked baseball historians Bill Weiss and Marshall Wright to develop a list of the top 100 best minor league baseball teams of the century. Their list includes 69 distinct franchises from across the United States and in Canada and Mexico. There are representatives from every decade of

1104-707: The '41 season, and Reading was without a team for 10 years. In 1952, the Wilkes-Barre Indians , an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians relocated to Reading to become the Reading Indians . The Reading Indians played at Municipal Memorial Stadium for the next decade, capturing the league title in 1957. Several Indians went on to successful major-league careers, including Rocky Colavito and Roger Maris . The Reading Indians franchise relocated to Charleston, West Virginia in 1961 to become

1152-534: The 1920s, the most of any decade, followed by the 1940s (16); 1930s (13); 1900s and 1950s (10); 1910s and 1980s (6); 1970s (5); 1990s (4); and 1960s (3). Carl Furillo Carl Anthony Furillo (March 8, 1922 – January 21, 1989), nicknamed " the Reading Rifle " and " Skoonj ", was an American baseball player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB), spending his entire career with

1200-735: The Dodgers were sufficiently impressed by his ability that they purchased the entire minor league franchise to acquire him. Following the 1941 season with the Reading Brooks (renamed after being acquired by the Dodgers), he was assigned to the Montreal Royals of the International League where he batted .281 in 129 games. Furillo's career was interrupted by the Second World War . In 1942, he enlisted in

1248-508: The NL). His .344 average was the highest by a right-handed Dodgers hitter since Oyster Burns hit .354 in 1894 ; Tommy Davis bettered him with a .346 mark in 1962. He was again named an All-Star, ending the year fifth in the league in slugging (.580), and finished ninth in the MVP balloting. Furillo's season ended on September 6 against the Giants – he was batting against Rubén Gómez in

1296-809: The Pretzels were resurrected when the Albany Senators of the New York State League relocated to Reading in August 1916. That league folded at the end of 1917 due to the first World War. Beginning in 1919, Reading played in the Class-AAA International League with the Reading Coal Barons . Several future major leaguers played for the Reading team, owned by the Chicago Cubs from May 1927 until

1344-408: The best players in the game," calling his style one of "close mechanical perfection." Furillo batted only .247 for the 1952 pennant winners, though he was selected to his first All-Star team. Diagnosed with cataracts , he had surgery in the offseason and returned with perhaps his best season, winning the batting title and collecting 21 home runs and 92 RBI with a career-best 38 doubles (3rd in

1392-556: The century. Weiss and Wright developed a statistical formula to evaluate teams. First, a rating was given to each league. They assigned 100 points for Triple-A leagues down to 20 points for Class D leagues. The equivalent classifications of each league were used to adjust for changes in the minor league structure since 1900. Next, individual teams were graded based on winning percentage and total wins in order to assess each team's strength against its league and its season-long performance. The combination of these three metrics resulted in

1440-490: The chest and sleeves with a mustard script "Baseballtown" wordmark outlined in sky blue and black, with the player's number in sky blue right below it. On the left sleeve is the aforementioned Bunbino primary logo, with the Phillies' "P" on the right sleeve again. The Fightin Phils have two alternate uniforms, one home and one away. The home alternate cap is navy blue with a white feathered "F" with an ostrich fist serving as

1488-596: The end of 1930, including shortstop Bill Jurges and pitcher Lon Warneke . In August 1929, George Quellich set a professional baseball record that still stands today by collecting 15 hits in 15 consecutive at-bats. Reading became home to the Class-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox in the New York–Penn League (now the Eastern League ) in 1933. The Reading Red Sox had a successful two-year run before

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1536-498: The high right-field wall at Ebbets Field , and after he led the NL in assists in both 1950 (18) and 1951 (24), opposing runners were increasingly reluctant to challenge his arm. On August 27, 1951, he threw out Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Mel Queen by two feet at first base after Queen had apparently singled into right field. During spring training of 1952, the New York Journal-American called Furillo "one of

1584-473: The league twice, and retired with the fifth-most games in right field (1,408) in NL history. Furillo was born in Stony Creek Mills , Pennsylvania . He was born from Italian immigrants from Campania . His father was from the province of Caserta and his mother was from the province of Benevento . He was affectionately called "Skoonj", a nickname derived from the Italian word scungilli ("snail"), which

1632-540: The league with 83 RBI. With the 1959 pennant team, his playing time was reduced to only 50 games, with just 25 of them in the outfield. But he had one last highlight in the playoff series against the Milwaukee Braves when he beat out a ground ball in the 12th inning of the second and final game, with Gil Hodges scoring from second base to win the NL pennant. The Dodgers released Furillo in May 1960 while he

1680-874: The left sleeve, and the Phillies "P" on the right. When this jersey is worn on the road, the Fightin Phils will wear a black cap with Bunbino; when at home they will wear a sky blue cap with the mustard "B". Pitchers Catchers Infielders Outfielders Manager Coaches [REDACTED] 7-day injured list * On Philadelphia Phillies 40-man roster ~ Development list # Rehab assignment ∞ Reserve list ‡ Restricted list § Suspended list † Temporarily inactive list Roster updated November 19, 2024 Transactions → More rosters: MiLB  •  Eastern League → Philadelphia Phillies minor league players The National Baseball Association%27s top 100 minor league teams In 2001, during

1728-679: The list. The league with the most entrants is the International League with 17. The other top leagues are the American Association (13); Pacific Coast League (10); Eastern League and Texas League (8); California League , Western Association , and Western League (4). Thirty-one teams competed at the Double-A classification level, the most of any class, followed by Class A (24); Class C (12); Class B (11); Triple-A (10); Class D (7); Class A1 and independent (2); and Class A-Advanced (1). Twenty-seven teams competed in

1776-403: The middle stem. The home alternate jersey is navy blue with white undersleeves, carrying the white "Fightins" feathered script and the player's number in white below it; the ostrich is on the left sleeve and the Phillies "P" on the right. The alternate jersey for road and select home games is black with sky blue undersleeves, with the aforementioned "Baseballtown" wordmark on the chest, Bunbino on

1824-417: The right sleeve. The Fightin Phils' road uniforms, on the other hand, carry an almost completely different visual identity. That identity's primary logo (officially an alternate for the team) consists of a hot dog named "Bunbino" inside a bun with muscular arms and wearing a blue baseball cap, a white jersey with pinstripes, yellow wristbands, and a mustard "B" on the chest. In his right arm, Bunbino squeezes

1872-431: The second inning, and opposing manager Leo Durocher was yelling for Gomez to "stick it in his ear"; Furillo was hit on the wrist by a pitch, and proceeded to first base, but with a 3–2 count on the next batter, Durocher and Furillo charged towards each other. Furillo got Durocher in a headlock, and in the ensuing brawl, Monte Irvin of the Giants stepped on Furillo's hand, fracturing a knuckle on his little finger. For

1920-707: The team announced that its new name would be the Reading Fightin Phils. In conjunction with Major League Baseball 's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the team was organized into the Double-A Northeast . In 2022, the Double-A Northeast became known as the Eastern League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization. The team colors of the Reading Fightin Phils are Phillies red, nighttime navy, cream, and white. Their logo consists of

1968-779: The team moved to Allentown (this franchise is now defunct). Five years later, Reading got another baseball franchise—this time, an unaffiliated team in the Class-B Interstate League called the Reading Chicks , which lost the league title series to the Lancaster Red Roses . In 1941, the Chicks affiliated with the Brooklyn Dodgers as the Reading Brooks , featuring future Dodger outfielder Carl Furillo . The franchise folded after

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2016-843: The then "Reading Phillies" in 2008. With the end of the 53-year relationship between the Baltimore Orioles and their rookie-league team in Bluefield, West Virginia , after the 2010 season, the Reading/Philadelphia partnership became the longest current affiliation in Minor League Baseball (tied with the Lakeland /Detroit affiliation). On November 4, 2012, news broke that the Reading Phillies would be changing their name. On November 17, 2012,

2064-536: Was established in Reading in 1967 which became known as the Reading Phillies. The Reading Phillies debuted at Municipal Stadium on April 22, 1967, against the York White Roses . The Fightin Phils' affiliation with the Big Phils has lasted unbroken since 1967. The Reading Fightin Phils' relationship with the Philadelphia Phillies was solidified even further when the Philadelphia Phillies purchased

2112-532: Was his favorite dish. Furillo dropped out of school in the eighth grade and began working in various jobs, including apple-picking and work in a woolen mill . He continued to play baseball in his spare time. After the death of his mother, when he was eighteen, he decided to pursue baseball professionally. In 1940, Furillo signed with the Reading Chicks of the Interstate League , earning one of his nicknames with his powerful arm: "the Reading Rifle";

2160-399: Was injured with a torn calf muscle; he sued the team, claiming they released him to avoid both the higher pension due a 15-year player and medical expenses, eventually collecting $ 21,000. He later maintained he was blackballed as a result and was unable to find a job within the sport – a charge denied by Commissioner Ford Frick . Furillo had an excellent 1947 World Series , batting .353 in

2208-743: Was later the New Britain Rock Cats and is now the Hartford Yard Goats ). The Cleveland Indians relocated the Charleston Indians back to Reading after the Reading Red Sox relocated to Pittsfield, the Charleston Indians was once again known as the Reading Indians for one more year before relocating again. Reading was without a baseball team in 1966 before a new Eastern League expansion franchise

2256-410: Was previously known as Reading Municipal Memorial Stadium, has been home to the Reading Fightin Phils since their establishment in 1967. The stadium seats 10,000 fans, and on July 3, 2007, the stadium celebrated their ten-millionth fan to attend a game. The Fightin Phils won the Eastern League championship in 1968, 1973, and 1995, and were co-champions in 2001. The 1983 Phillies were recognized as one of

2304-462: Was survived by his wife Fern ( née Reichart), his two sisters, his sons, and five grandchildren. He is interred at Forest Hills Memorial Park in Reiffton, Pennsylvania . Although Furillo felt that baseball completely forgot about him and his accomplishments, his funeral was attended by a number of his former Dodger teammates, including Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax who was once Furillo's roommate as

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