Bloomington Bloomers

Bloomington Bloomers
Bloomington Bloomers
1888–1939; (1937-1939, 1935, 1919-1931, 1912-1917, 1899–1910, 1895, 1888-1889); Bloomington, Illinois ;
Minor league affiliations
Previous classes	Class B (1937-1939, 1935, 1919-1931, 1912-1917, 1902–1910); Class D (1901);
Previous leagues	Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League (1937-1939, 1935, 1919-1931, 1912-1917, 1901–1910); Central League (1900); Western Association (1899); Western Interstate League (1895); Indiana-Illinois League (1889); Central Interstate League (1888);
Major league affiliations
Previous teams	Chicago Cubs (1939); Cleveland Indians (1938); St. Louis Cardinals (1935);
Minor league titles
League titles	4 (1903, 1919-1920, 1935)
Team data
Previous names	Bloomington Bloomers (1938-1939, 1935, 1919-1929, 1903-1917); Bloomington Bengals (1937); Bloomington Cubs (1930-1931); Bloomington Blues (1899-1902); Bloomington Reds (1888-1889)
Previous parks	Fans Field (1901-1939)

The Bloomington Bloomers were a minor League baseball franchise based in Bloomington, Illinois that played between 1889 and 1939. They were affiliates of the St. Louis Cardinals (1935), Cleveland Indians (1938) and Chicago Cubs (1939). They played primarily in the Illinois-Iowa-Indiana League during their existence. Their home park was Fans Field.^[1] Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees Burleigh Grimes and Clark Griffith played for Bloomington.

League championships[edit]

In 1903, they won the league championship under manager William Connors. They won back-to-back league championships in 1919 and 1920 under the guidance of Joe Dunn. Their final league championship came in 1935, under manager and future Hall of Famer Burleigh Grimes.^{[citation needed]}

The ballpark[edit]

In the seasons of play from 1901-1939, Bloomington played at Fans Field, located at 109 E. Lafayette Street. Today, the site still has baseball fields as part of the City of Bloomington Park and Recreation system. It is now known as RT Dunn Fields.^[2]

Clark Griffith, 1903. Major League Baseball pitcher (1891 - 1914), manager (1901 - 1920) and team owner (1920 - 1955). Hall of Fame

Notable alumni[edit]

Baseball Hall of Fame alumni[edit]

Clark Griffith (1888) Inducted, 1946
Burleigh Grimes (1935, MGR) Inducted, 1964

Notable alumni[edit]

^[1]

Hal Peck (1939)
Johnny Schmitz (1939) 2x MLB All-Star
Jack Hallett (1938)
Blix Donnelly (1937)
Xavier Rescigno (1937)
Bill Cox (1935)
Howie Krist (1935)
Max Macon (1935)
Hersh Martin (1935) MLB All-Star
Howard Maple (1930–31)
Hy Vandenberg (1930–31)
Bruce Campbell (baseball) (1930)
Jack Tobin (1930)
Tommy Thompson (1929)
Boom-Boom Beck (1925)
Phil Collins (1924)
Mack Allison (1922)
Bob Fothergill (1920)
Paul Zahniser (1920)
Butch Henline (1919)
Heinie Sand (1919)
Don Marion (1916–17)
Elam Vangilder (1917)
Jim Bluejacket (1912–14, 1916)
Ray Schmandt (1915–16)
Harry Bay (1912) 2× AL Stolen Base Leader (1903, 1904)
Les Nunamaker (1910)
George Cutshaw (1908–09)
Bill Steen (1909)
Art Wilson (1906–08)
George Moriarty (1902)
George Keefe (1900)
Pop Dillon (1895)
Alfred Lawson (1889) Aviation Pioneer
Joe Farrell (1888)

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b "Bloomington, Illinois Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
^ History, Bill Kemp | Archivist/historian McLean County Museum of (19 August 2012). "Built for professional baseball, Fans' Field ended as county fairground". pantagraph.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

External links[edit]

Bloomington Bloomers - Pantagraph

[auto-1] "Bloomington, Illinois Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.

[2] History, Bill Kemp | Archivist/historian McLean County Museum of (19 August 2012). "Built for professional baseball, Fans' Field ended as county fairground". pantagraph.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

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