The Aberdeen Pheasants were a minor league baseball team based in Aberdeen, South Dakota that played in the Northern League from 1946 until 1971. For their entire existence, the Pheasants were an affiliate of the St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles franchise. They played their home games at Municipal Stadium.

At the time of the Pheasants' dissolution, their working agreement was the longest ever between a major and minor league baseball team. Aberdeen won the Northern League championship in 1949, 1961, and 1964.

History In 1946, the Northern League, which had been on hiatus since 1942 due to World War II, restarted and invited Aberdeen to bring the circuit up to eight teams. The name "Pheasants" was chosen for the club through a local contest. The team was community-owned, which was unusual for the time.

The first Opening Day for the Pheasants drew a crowd of over two thousand people. After missing the postseason in their first year, the Pheasants would go on to play in the league finals three straight years from 1947 to 1949. Aberdeen won the Northern League championship in 1949, defeating the Eau Claire Bears.

1964 exhibition vs. Baltimore

On 8 June, 1964, the Pheasants' parent club, the Baltimore Orioles, came to Aberdeen to play an exhibition game. Aberdeen, which featured future major leaguers such as Mark Belanger, Jim Palmer, and Lou Piniella, came into the game leading the Northern League with a 31–9 record, while the Orioles were 31–17 and ½ game behind the White Sox for the American League lead.

The Orioles, arriving on a charter plane from Minneapolis, had to bring a ladder along to disembark, as Aberdeen's airport had no portable stairs. Pheasants players were quoted as saying, "We're gonna beat 'em and climb onto that big plane. They can stay here and finish the Northern League schedule." Official attendance for the game was 5,130 — one-fifth of Aberdeen's entire population — but local news estimated that another thousand people watched from vantage points outside the ballpark. The Orioles won the game, 6–3.

Demise After the 1971 season, the Northern League only had two teams remaining: the Pheasants and the St. Cloud Rox. Unable to find any other teams, the Northern League closed down. Aberdeen's working agreement with the Orioles franchise had been the longest-running working agreement in baseball, lasting the entirety of the Pheasants' existence.

Aberdeen would be without professional baseball until the Aberdeen Pheasants of the Prairie League began play in 1995.

Mascot The team's mascot was a cartoon pheasant named Philbert, drawn by local cartoonist Gordon Haug. Philbert would appear on the front page of the newspaper to comment on the previous day's game.

Notable alumni

Year-by-year record

Year Parent club League W–L Win% Place Manager Postseason Attendance RefAberdeen Pheasants1946 SLB NOR 57–53 5th Gus Albright - 57,008 1947 SLB NOR 82–36 1st Don Heffner Won 1st round 3–2 vs. Fargo–MoorheadLost finals 2–4 vs. Sioux Falls 90,156 1948 SLB NOR 64–59 4th James Crandall Won 1st round 3–0 vs. Eau ClaireLost finals 0–4 vs. Grand Forks 85,942 1949 SLB NOR 71–54 2nd Irvin Hall Won 1st round 3–1 vs. SuperiorWon finals 4–1 vs. Eau Claire 85,624 1950s1950 SLB NOR 62–57 5th Irvin Hall – 61,208 1951 SLB NOR 61–60 5th Joe KingJim PostBruce Ogrodowski – 62,203 1952 SLB NOR 63–62 5th Bruce Ogrodowski – 87,879 1953 SLB NOR 60–63 4th Barney Lutz Lost 1st round 0–2 vs. Duluth 54,532 1954 BAL NOR 60–75 7th Barney Lutz – 62,503 1955 BAL NOR 70–56 4th Bill Krueger Lost 1st round 1–2 vs. Eau Claire 75,401 1956 BAL NOR 64–61 4th George Staller Won 1st round 1–0 vs. WinnipegLost finals 2–0 vs. Duluth–Superior 60,673 1957 BAL NOR 51–70 7th Bill CappsBarney Lutz – 47,312 1958 BAL NOR 39–86 8th Barney LutzBilly DeMars – 36,599 1959 BAL NOR 69–55 2nd Earl Weaver Won 1st round 1–0 vs. MinotLost finals 1–2 vs. Winnipeg 63,111 1960s1960 BAL NOR 63–61 3rd Lou Fitzgerald Lost 1st round 0–1 vs. Winnipeg 45,321 1961 BAL NOR 74–54 2nd Lou Fitzgerald Won 1st round 1–0 vs. Grand ForksWon finals 2–0 vs. St. Cloud 34,136 1962 BAL NOR 64–60 4th Billy DeMars Won 1st round 1–0 vs. Duluth–SuperiorLost finals 0–2 vs. Eau Claire 39,101 1963 BAL NOR 65–55 2nd Cal Ripken Sr. 3rd in Baukol Playoffs 39,949 1964 BAL NOR 80–37 1st Cal Ripken Sr. 1st in Baukol Playoffs 46,397 1965 BAL NOR 27–39 4th Ray Rippelmeyer – 23,525 1966 BAL NOR 47–22 2nd Cal Ripken Sr. – 24,767 1967 BAL NOR 34–36 4th Owen Friend – 18,555 1968 BAL NOR 26–44 6th Bill Werle – 15,517 1969 BAL NOR 28–42 5th Ken Rowe – 15,546 1970s1970 BAL NOR 36–33 3rd Ken Rowe – 20,880 1971 BAL NOR 35–36 2nd Ken Rowe – 17,467 Totals 1452–1366 1,271,312

Footnotes

References

External links Aberdeen, South Dakota at Baseball Reference