Evansville Triplets

The Evansville Triplets were a Minor League Baseball team of the Triple-A American Association (AA) from 1970 to 1984. They were located in Evansville, Indiana, and played their home games at Bosse Field. The Triplets served as a farm club for three major league franchises: the Minnesota Twins (1970), Milwaukee Brewers (1971–1973), and Detroit Tigers (1974–1984).

Evansville Triplets
Team logo Cap insignia
Minor league affiliations
ClassTriple-A (1970–1984)
LeagueAmerican Association (1970–1984)
Major league affiliations
Team
Minor league titles
Class titles (1)1975
League titles (3)
  • 1972
  • 1975
  • 1979
Division titles (4)
  • 1972
  • 1975
  • 1979
  • 1981
Team data
NameEvansville Triplets (1970–1984)
BallparkBosse Field (1970–1984)

The Triplets were established in 1970 as an expansion team in conjunction with the 1969 Major League Baseball expansion. In 1984, the team was sold to Larry Schmittou and other owners of the Nashville Sounds of the Double-A Southern League, who relocated the team to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1985.

Over 15 seasons of play, Evansville played in 2,061 regular season games and compiled a win–loss record of 1,032–1,026–3 (.501). They reached the postseason on four occasions. They won the American Association championship in 1972 as the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They later won two additional American Association titles with the Detroit Tigers (1975 and 1979). The 1975 club also won the Junior World Series. The Triplets had an overall postseason record of 16–8 (.667).

History

Due to the 1969 Major League Baseball expansion, there was a need for two additional Triple-A teams in the American Association for the 1970 season.[1] One went to Wichita, Kansas, the other to Evansville, Indiana, which had previously hosted Minor League Baseball teams but never above the Double-A classification. A contest was held to select a name for the new franchise. "Evansville Triplets" was selected from over 3,000 entries. The fitting name refers to the team playing at the Triple-A level and that the team would represent not just Indiana, but the entire tri-state area, including Kentucky and Illinois. It was also a word play on the Minnesota Twins, Evansville's first major league affiliate. The new team would play at Bosse Field, which opened in 1915.

After spending their inaugural 1970 season affiliated with the Minnesota Twins, Evansville then spent the next three seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers. In 1972, the Triplets won their first American Association championship against their expansion partner, the Wichita Aeros, 3–0.[2] Lloyd Gladden won the 1972 American Association Most Valuable Pitcher Award having pitched to a 15–9 record with a 2.71 earned run average and 141 strikeouts.[3][4]

The Triplets enjoyed their greatest success as the top minor league affiliate of the Detroit Tigers from 1974 to 1984. The team won their second AA title in 1975 by defeating the Denver Bears, 4–2.[2] They went on to win the Junior World Series, 4–1, against the Tidewater Tides.[5] Manager Fred Hatfield won the 1975 American Association Manager of the Year Award.[3] Les Moss won the same award in 1978).[3] Under Manager of the Year Jim Leyland,[3] the 1979 club won a third AA championship, 4–2, over the Oklahoma City 89ers.[2] Billy Gardner was selected as the AA's 1980 Manager of the Year.[3]

In July 1984, the team's owners arrived at terms to sell the Triplets for a reported sum of US$780,000 to the owners of the Nashville Sounds, a Double-A club of the Southern League, who intended to move the franchise to Nashville, Tennessee, for the 1985 season.[6] The Southern League wanted team president Larry Schmittou to surrender his franchise to the league, but he wanted to send Nashville's existing Southern League franchise to Evansville to continue as the Triplets at Double-A. However, a combination of the league's disapproval of the move and the City of Evansville being unwilling to upgrade Bosse Field meant the end of affiliated baseball in Evansville. The Triplets' legacy was retired, and the Triple-A Sounds carried on the history of the preceding Double-A team.[7]

Season-by-season results
Season Regular season Postseason MLB affiliate Ref.
Record Win % League Division GB Record Win % Result
1970 67–71.4867th4th6———Minnesota Twins[8]
1971 60–78–2.4358th4th23+1⁄2———Milwaukee Brewers[9]
1972 83–57.5932nd1st—3–01.000Won AA championship vs Wichita Aeros, 3–0[2]Milwaukee Brewers[10]
1973 66–70.4855th3rd17———Milwaukee Brewers[11]
1974 68–67.5044th3rd10———Detroit Tigers[12]
1975 77–59–1.5662nd1st—8–3.727Won AA championship vs Denver Bears, 4–2[2]
Won Junior World Series vs Tidewater Tides, 4–1[5]		Detroit Tigers[13]
1976 55–81.4048th4th23———Detroit Tigers[14]
1977 65–68.4896th3rd10———Detroit Tigers[15]
1978 78–58.5742nd2nd1⁄2———Detroit Tigers[16]
1979 78–58.5741st1st—4–2.667Won AA championship vs Oklahoma City 89ers, 4–2[2]Detroit Tigers[17]
1980 61–74.4525th (tie)2nd13+1⁄2———Detroit Tigers[18]
1981 73–63.5373rd1st—1–3.250Lost semi-finals vs Denver Bears, 3–1[19]Detroit Tigers[20]
1982 68–65.5115th (tie)4th5+1⁄2———Detroit Tigers[21]
1983 61–75.4498th4th17+1⁄2———Detroit Tigers[22]
1984 72–82.4686th6th19———Detroit Tigers[23]
Totals 1,032–1,026–3 .501 — — — 16–8 .667 1 Class title, 3 League titles — —

Notable alumni

See also

References
Specific
  1. O'Neal 1991, p. 140.
  2. "American Association Playoff Results". Triple-A Baseball. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  3. "American Association Special Award Winners". Triple-A Baseball. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  4. "Lloyd Gladden Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  5. "Triple-A Baseball Interleague Post-Season Play Results". Triple-A Baseball. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  6. Bibb, John (July 12, 1984). "Big Leagues Next: Schmittou". The Tennessean. Nashville. p. 1-F. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  7. Woody, Larry (1996). Schmittou: A Grand Slam in Baseball, Business, and Life. Nashville: Eggmann Publishing Company. pp. 101–102. ISBN 1-886371-33-4.
  8. "1970 American Association". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  9. "1971 American Association". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  10. "1972 American Association". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  11. "1973 American Association". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  12. "1974 American Association". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  13. "1975 American Association". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  14. "1976 American Association". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  15. "1977 American Association". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  16. "1978 American Association". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  17. "1979 American Association". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  18. "1980 American Association". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  19. O'Neal 1991, p. 362.
  20. "1981 American Association". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  21. "1982 American Association". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  22. "1983 American Association". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  23. "1984 American Association". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
General
  • O'Neal, Bill (1991). The American Association: A Baseball History, 1902–1991. Eakin Press. ISBN 0-89015-812-6.
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