Overview
The Morristown Red Sox were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Class D/Class C Mountain States League (MSL) from 1948 to 1954. They were located in Morristown, Tennessee, and played their home games at Sherwood Park. They won the inaugural MSL championship in 1948. Over seven years of competition, their all-time regular season win–loss record was 416–331 (.557).
History
Professional baseball in Morristown, Tennessee, began in 1910 when the Morristown Jobbers became charter members of the Southeastern League. The Jobbers continued in the Appalachian League in 1911 and, with the exception of a brief absence in the first month of the 1913 campaign, played each season through 1914. From 1923 to 1925, the city's entry in the league was called the Morristown Roosters. The Red Sox completed their inaugural season with a league-best 70–46 (.603) record. They defeated Newport, 3–2, in the opening round of the playoffs to advance to the finals. The team finished the season in second place, 11 games out of first, at 72–52 (.581). They opened the playoffs with a 3–2 semifinal win over the Jenkins Cavaliers, but were defeated in the finals by the first-place Harlan Smokies, 3–2. of the 1953 and 1954 teams went on to be selected as an MLB All-Star in 1959.
An improved 1951 season saw Morristown qualify for the playoffs with an 86–39 (.688) mark, games behind the Hazard Bombers. They moved past the Middlesboro Athletics, 3–1, in the semifinals before being swept by Hazard in the championship finals, 3–0. After defeating the Big Stone Gap Rebels, 3–2, in the semifinals, they were winless for the second-straight year in the finals, as they were bested by the Harlan Smokies, 3–0. On May 19, 1954, the Morristown Red Sox withdrew from the Mountain States League, citing high expenses and low revenues due in part to the league operating with seven teams instead of an even number. They lost their final two games, 11–8 and 2–1, played as a doubleheader against the Kingsport Cherokees on May 15 at home. Over seven seasons in the MSL, Morristown had accumulated an all-time record of 416–331 (.557).
A separate MSL franchise was subsequently placed in Morristown on June 20. This came about when the owners of the Maryville-Alcoa Twins surrendered their franchise to the league on June 19 due to financial problems of its own. Like the Red Sox, the Reds withdrew from the league on July 1 due to a lack of good players and financial losses. The city went without another team for five years until the Morristown Cubs joined the Appalachian League in 1959.
Notable players
Three Red Sox also played in at least one game in Major League Baseball during their careers. These players and their seasons with Morristown were: *Tony Ordeñana (1954) *Pedro Ramos (1953–1954) *Nap Reyes (1953–1954)
External links
*Statistics from Baseball-Reference *Statistics from Stats Crew