This is the complete, year-by-year, team-by-team statistical history of the Eastern League, giving a unique view of this minor baseball league from its inception to its current status. The book traces how one league evolved through more than 80 years of history. Through the window of one league, one can also see how the game itself evolved from the early part of the 20th century unto the present.

Award-winning author Marshall D. Wright is a sports statistician and archivist. He lives in Quincy, Massachusetts and is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and Society International of Hockey Research.

Marshall D. Wright
Format: softcover (7 x 10 in 2 vols.)
Pages: 817
Bibliographic Info: tables, appendix, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2007
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2794-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1195-2
Imprint: McFarland

• Volume 1 •

Acknowledgments       vi

Introduction      1

Prelude—Eastern 4.0      3

1923—Original Six      4

1924—Williamsport Grays      9

1925—Joe Munson      16

1926—Lefty George      24

1927—Class B Championship      32

1928—The Storied Stars Return      40

1929—John H. Farrell      46

1930—Ken Strong      53

1931—A Journey Begins      60

1932—Red Bird Family      67

1933—Class A Race      75

1934—Divided in Half      82

1935—Percentage Leader      89

1936—Rabbit’s Last Run      97

1937—Elmira Colonels      105

1938—Expanding Borders      113

1939—Bold Promise      122

1940—Back-to-Back      130

1941—Young Slugger      138

1942—Firing Blanks      146

1943—Pitching and Defense      154

1944—Laurels      162

1945—Cuban Connection      172

1946—Scranton Red Sox      181

1947—Senators and Blue Sox      191

1948—Free Pass      198

1949—Player-of-the-Year      205

1950—Wilkes-Barre Barons      211

1951—Sweep      218

1952—The Brothers Charnofsky      225

1953—Expanded Schedule      234

1954—Pitcher’s Duel      244

1955—Infield Shift      253

1956—The Whole Story      263

1957—Reduction      272

1958—War of the Roses      279

1959—Power Surge      288

1960—Co-Champions      298

1961—Father and Son      305

1962—The Fastest      312

1963—Reclassification      319

1964—Tools of Ignorance      326

1965—Pitching Feats      333

1966—One Good Team      340

1967—Hard Luck      347

1968—Qualifying Leader      357

1969—York Pirates      364

1970—All the Marbles      371

1971—Help from Quebec      377

1972—Revolving Door      386

• Volume 2 •

1973—Highest and Lowest      395

1974—Relaxed Requirements      403

1975—Wild Card Pinch Hitter      412

1976—Last of a Breed      420

1977—Return to Roosevelt      427

1978—Subsistence      435

1979—Career Minor Leaguer      440

1980—Major League Suburb      446

1981—Small Town Sluggers      454

1982—Uneven Field      461

1983—Reading Phillies      469

1984—Game Winning RBI      477

1985—Unexpected Glory      485

1986—Future Stars      493

1987—Tater      502

1988—Returning the Favor      511

1989—Albany-Colonie Yankees      520

1990—Shared Franchise      528

1991—Double A All-Star Game      536

1992—Return of an Original      545

1993—Harrisburg Senators      553

1994—New Blood      562

1995—Hardware City      574

1996—Top Prospect      586

1997—One Dimensional      598

1998—Closer      610

1999—Four-Peat      622

2000—Binghamton Mets      637

2001—New Britain Rock Cats      651

2002—Entertainment Package      667

2003—League of 10,000 Whiffs      682

2004—Official Statistician      696

2005—Boomtime      712

Postlude—Yesterday and Today      727

Appendix      729

Bibliography      733

Index      735