The Bristol Twins were a Minor League Baseball team located in Bristol, Virginia, that operated in the Class D Appalachian League between the 1940 and 1955 seasons.
During their history, Twins were an affiliate team of the New York Giants (1942–1951), Pittsburgh Pirates (1952–1953) and New York Yankees (1954–1955). The team played their home games at Shaw Stadium.
In its sixteen seasons of existence, the Bristol Twins advanced to the playoffs series at total of fourteen times, winning the championship in 1942 and 1950.
The Ballpark
The Twins played at Shaw Stadium, located at 1501 Euclid Street, on Gate City Highway. The ballpark had a capacity of 3,500. The site is now a factory.
Notable alumni
Billy Gardner (1945) Art Fowler (1944) Charlie Fox (1942, 1947) Ron Necciai (1952) Bobby Thomson (1942) 3 x MLB All-Star
Seasons Year Affiliate Record Finish Manager Playoffs 1940 n/a 54-60 4th Larry MervilleTim MurchisonLance Richbourg Lost in First Round 1941 n/a 72-45 2nd George HackettLee Sherrill Lost in First Round 1942 n/a 71-36 1st Hal Gruber Championship title 1943 NYG 74-35 1st Hal Gruber Lost Final Series 1944 NYG 54-53 2nd Hal Gruber Lost Final Series 1945 NYG 64-45 1st Hal Gruber Lost Final Series 1946 NYG 72-51 2nd Don Cross Lost in First Round 1947 NYG 64-62 4th Charlie Fox Lost in First Round 1948 NYG 49-72 6th Rufus JacksonDale Alexander 1949 NYG 76-41 3rd Ben Geraghty Lost Final Series 1950 NYG 74-47 2nd Ben Geraghty Championship title 1951 NYG 56-73 5th Russ Wein 1952 PIT 60-57 2nd George DeTore Lost in First Round 1953 PIT 54-72 4th George DeTore 1954 NYY 65-51 3rd Walter Lance Lost in First Round 1955 NYY 63-61 3rd Dave Madison Lost in First Round
Fact Ron Necciai pitched for Bristol before joining the Pittsburgh Pirates. On May 13, 1952 Necciai struck out 27 batters while throwing a 7–0 no-hitter against the Welch Miners. Four of the Welch hitters did reach base, including one runner each via a walk, an error, a hit batsman and a passed ball charged to Twins' catcher Harry Dunlop on a swinging third strike. This resulted in a four-strikeout ninth inning. In his next start Necciai threw a 24-strikeout two-hitter, posting a 4-0 record with a 0.42 earned run average and 109 strikeouts in 43 innings of work.
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