Thomson Orioles
| Thomson Orioles 1956 Thomson, Georgia | |
| Minor league affiliations | |
|---|---|
| Class | Class D (1956) |
| League | Georgia State League (1956) |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Team | Baltimore Orioles (1956) |
| Minor league titles | |
| League titles (0) | None |
| Wild card berths (1) | 1956 |
| Team data | |
| Name | Thomson Orioles (1956) |
| Ballpark | The Brickyard (1956) |
The Thomson Orioles were a minor league baseball team based in Thomson, Georgia in 1956. The Thomson Orioles were members of the Class D level Georgia State League. The Thomson Orioles were a minor league affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.
History[]
The 1956 Thomson Orioles were the first minor league baseball team in based in Thomson, Georgia. Thomson played the 1956 season as members of the six–team the Class D level Georgia State League, which was the league's final season of play. The Thomson Orioles were an affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Thomson joined the Douglas Reds, Dublin Irish, Hazlehurst-Baxley Tigers, Sandersville Giants and Vidalia Indians in league play. Thompson replaced the Statesboro Pilots franchise, who had folded from the league in 1955.[1][2]
The 1956 Thomson Orioles placed 4th in the Georgia State League final standings and qualified for the playoffs. Thomson finished with a 61–59 record, playing under managers Enid Drake and Barney Lutz, finishing 16.0 games behind the 1st place Douglas Reds in the final regular season standings. In the 1956 playoffs, the Sandersville Giants defeated Thomson 3 games to 2 in the first–round series. The Thomson Orioles season home attendance at The Brickyard was 40,849, an average of 681 per game, leading the Georgia State League in attendance. The Georgia State League permanently folded after the 1956 season.[3][4][2]
Attendance issues were a factor in the Georgia State League folding following the 1956 season. Thomson drew more than 8,000 more fans than the 2nd ranked team in home attendance.[5]
Thomson, Georgia has not hosted another minor league team.[3][4]
The ballpark[]
The Thomson Orioles minor league team reportedly played home games at The Brickyard. Reportedly, the facility was built with remaining brick from the Thomson High School building, which was struck by lightning and destroyed in 1937. The original baseball grandstands have been removed. Today, the facility is still in use as home to Thomson High School athletic teams. The Brickyard stadium is located at 612 Main Street Thomson, Georgia.[6][7][5]
Timeline[]
| Year(s) | # Yrs. | Team | Level | League | Affiliate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | 1 | Thomson Orioles | Class D | Georgia State League | Baltimore Orioles |
Year–by–year records[]
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | 61–59 | 4th | Enid Drake / Barney Lutz | Lost in 1st round |
Notable alumni[]
- Lloyd Brown (1956)
- Fred Hofmann (1956)
- Roger Marquis (1956)
See also[]
Thomson Orioles players
References[]
- ^ "1956 Georgia State League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ a b "Georgia State League - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
- ^ a b "1956 Thomson Orioles Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
- ^ a b "1956 Thomson Orioles Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ a b "The Brickyard". www.visitthomsonga.com.
- ^ "The Brickyard (City Park) - Thomson Georgia - Former Home of the Thomson Orioles". digitalballparks.com. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
- ^ "Events | Thomson High School". ths.mcduffie.k12.ga.us. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
See also[]
Thomson Orioles players
- Baseball teams established in 1956
- Baseball teams disestablished in 1956
- Defunct Georgia State League teams
- Professional baseball teams in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Baltimore Orioles minor league affiliates
- 1955 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
- 1956 disestablishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Defunct minor league baseball teams
- Defunct baseball teams in Georgia
- McDuffie County, Georgia