Greenville Midlands

The Greenville Midlands were a minor league baseball team based in Greenville, Texas. In 1905, the Midlands became the first minor league team hosted in the city. Greenville played as members of the Class D level North Texas League, finishing in second place as the league folded during the season. The Midlands hosted minor league home games at Haines Park and Hunt County Fairground Field, which was used for Sunday games.

Greenville Midlands
Minor league affiliations
ClassClass D (1905)
LeagueNorth Texas League (1905)
Major league affiliations
TeamNone
Minor league titles
League titles (0)None
Team data
NameGreenville Midlands (1905)
BallparkHaines Park (1905)
Hunt County Fairground Field (1905)

History

The 1905 Greenville "Midlands" were the first minor league team hosted in Greenville.[1]

The "Midlands" nickname corresponds to Greenville's regional location and history. Located in central Texas, the region is referred to as the "Midlands."[2]

The Greenville Midlands were charter members of the four-team, Class D level North Texas League.[3] The Clarksville, Paris Parisites and Texarkana teams joined Greenville in beginning league play on April 27, 1905.[4]

On May 31, 1905, Greenville's Charles Yaeger pitched the North Texas League's first no-hitter. Yeager won the game over Clarksville by the score of 2-1.[5][6][7]

During the season, the three other league teams were unstable. The Paris Parasites franchise moved to Hope, Arkansas and Clarksville disbanded on July 21 with a record of 34–42. Then, Texarcana, with a 36–46 record, also disbanded.[8]

On August 2, 1905, Texarkana disbanded, causing the North Texas League to fold on August 6 with Greenville in second place.[9] Managed by William Owen, Richard Bendel and Cy Mulkey, Greenville ended the 1905 season with a record of 41–40, finishing 7.5 games behind the first place Paris/Hope team in the shortened season.[10][1] Charles Yaeger led the North Texas League with both 16 wins and 201 strikeouts. Teammate E.D. Stuttsman had 98 total hits to lead the league.[8]

After the folding of the North Texas League, Greenville continued minor league play the next season in a new league. The 1906 Greenville Hunters became members of the Class D level Texas League.[11] The North Texas League reformed for one season in 1907, with the Greenville Hunters rejoining the league.[12][8]

(2018) Majors Stadium Entryway and historical maker. Greenville, Texas.

The ballparks

The Greenville Midlands hosted minor league home games in two locations. The majority of 1905 home games were played at Haines Park. The Midlands hosted Sunday home games at the Hunt County Fairground Field.[13]

Haines Park was located on Lee Street in Greenville. The ballpark site lot was reportedly located near the eventual location of Majors Stadium.[14] Majors Stadium was constructed in 1929 and destroyed in 1964, having played host to the Greenville Majors minor league team. The original entrance gate and a Texas State Historical Marker are at the site today, located near Houston Street and Lee Street.[15][16][17]

Sunday home games were hosted by Greenville at the Hunt County Fairground Field.[18] The North Texas Fair was held at the fairgrounds beginning in 1904.[19] Today, the Hunt County Fair is still held annually at the fairgrounds, located at 9800 Jack Finney Boulevard in Greenville.[20]

Timeline
Year(s)# Yrs.TeamLevelLeagueBallparks
19051Greenville MidlandsClass DNorth Texas LeagueHaines Park / Hunt County Fairground Field

Year–by–year record
YearRecordFinishManagerPlayoffs/Notes
190541–402ndWilliam Owen
Richard Bendel / Cy Mulkey		League folded August 6

Notable alumni

See also
  • Greenville Midlands players

References
  1. "Greenville, Texas Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
  2. Worth, Richard (February 26, 2013). Baseball Team Names: A Worldwide Dictionary, 1869-2011. McFarland. ISBN 9780786468447 – via Google Books.
  3. "1905 North Texas League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  4. "1905 North Texas State League (NTSL) Minor League Baseball on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  5. "Individual Pitching Records - Professional Sports History". sites.google.com.
  6. "Searching for missing Minors no-hitters". MiLB.com.
  7. "Minor League No Hitters". Google Docs.
  8. Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
  9. "1905 Texarkana minor league baseball Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  10. "1905 North Texas State League (NTSL) Minor League Baseball Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  11. "1906 Greenville Hunters Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  12. "1907 North Texas League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  13. "1905 Greenville Midlands minor league baseball Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  14. "Haines Park in Greenville, TX minor league baseball history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  15. "Majors Stadium - Greenville, Texas". ballparkreviews.com.
  16. "Hunt County Historic Commission". huntcohc.org.
  17. "GeoHack - File:Majors Stadium Entryway Greenville Texas.jpg". geohack.toolforge.org.
  18. "Hunt County Fairground Field in Greenville, TX minor league baseball history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  19. W. Walworth, Harrison (2008). "The Fair". Greenville's History.
  20. "Hunt County Fair | Greenville, TX - Official Website". www.ci.greenville.tx.us.
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