Bloomington Bloomers

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

Johnny Schmitz, 1952

Bloomington Bloomers 1888–1939 (1937-1939, 1935, 1919-1931, 1912-1917, 1899–1910, 1895, 1888-1889) Bloomington, Illinois
Class-level
Previous	Class B (1937-1939, 1935, 1919-1931, 1912-1917, 1902–1910) Class D (1901)
Minor league affiliations
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	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

The Bloomington Bloomers were a minor League baseball franchise based in Bloomington, Illinois that played between 1889 to 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

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.^[2]

The Ballparks

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.^[3]

Notable Alumni

There were many Bloomington alumni, some of note include:^[4]

• Hal Peck (1939)1948 WS Champion
• Johnny Schmitz (1939) 2 X MLB AS; 1946 NL Strikeout Leader
• Jack Hallett (1938)
• Blix Donnelly (1937) (Winning pitcher- Game #2 1944 WS)
• Xavier Rescigno (1937)
• Bill Cox (1935)
• Burleigh Grimes (1935, MGR/Player) MLB MGR; 2 × NL Wins Leader (1921, 1928); 1921 NL Strikeout Leader; Baseball Hall of Fame (1964)
• Howie Krist (1935) 1942, 1946 WS Champion
• Max Macon (1935)
• Hersh Martin (1935) MLB AS
• Howard Maple (1930–31) Played in National Football League and MLB
• Hy Vandenberg (1930–31)
• Bruce Campbell (baseball) (1930)
• Jack Tobin (1930, MGR/Player) .309 Lifetime BA
• Tommy Thompson (1929)
• Boom-Boom Beck (1925)
• Phil Collins (1924)
• Mack Allison (1922)
• Bob Fothergill (1920) .325 Lifetime BA; 1926, hit .367
• Paul Zahniser (1920)
• Butch Henline (1919) MLB Player; MLB Umpire 1945-1948
• 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) 1912, 1920 WS Champion
• George Cutshaw (1908–09) 1,487 hits
• Bill Steen (1909)
• Art Wilson (1906–08) 14 MLB Seasons
• George Moriarty (1902) MLB MGR; MLB Umpire 1917-1940
• George Keefe (1900)
• Pop Dillon (1895)
• Alfred Lawson (1889) Aviation Pioneer
• Joe Farrell (1888)
• Clark Griffith (1888) MLB Player/MGR/Owner; 237 Lifetime Wins; 1898 MLB ERA Leader; Owner: Washington Senators 1920-1955; Baseball Hall of Fame (1946)

References

1. Bloomington, IL BR page
2. Baseball Reference Bullpen
3. http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/built-for-professional-baseball-fans-field-ended-as-county-fairground/article_e2aef134-e8d6-11e1-add1-0019bb2963f4.html
4. http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Bloomington&state=IL&country=US

External links

• Bloomington Bloomers - Pantagraph