The Kinston Eagles were a Minor League Baseball team of the Coastal Plain League. They were located in Kinston, North Carolina. The team played its home games at Grainger Stadium, which opened in 1949 and holds 4,100 fans. Prior to that they played in Grainger Park.
The Eagles won the CPL Championship in 1947 as an affiliate of the Atlanta Crackers.
History
Coastal Plain League
The Great Depression took a great toll on the minor leagues, with only thirteen teams operating across the U.S. at a 1933 low point. Like most, Kinston sat out the first few years of the Great Depression but reentered play for the season in the semi-professional Coastal Plain League. By the circuit had become a fully professional, Class D league as ranked by the National Association. The city remained in the Coastal Plain League continuously until it was disbanded after . As a member of this affiliation, Kinston saw many playoff appearances and won league championships in and . Among the superior talent during this period was a young player named Charlie "King Kong" Keller who is listed as among the top forty major league players of all-time in terms of on-base percentage (.410).
Grainger Stadium
From 1949 on, the Kinston Eagles played their home games at Grainger Stadium located at 400 East Grainger Avenue in Kinston. The original structure was built by architect John J. Rowland in 1949 at a cost of $170,000 inclusive of everything except the land. $150,000 of the money was raised by bond issue. A dedicatory plaque identifies the structure as "Municipal Stadium", but it has been called Grainger Stadium since it was first built.
Season-by-season results
Year Name League Level Affiliation Record Manager Playoffs Eagles Coastal Plain semipro 36–24 Bunn Hearn Lost League Finals Eagles Coastal Plain semipro 41–26 Bunn Hearn League Champs Eagles Coastal Plain semipro 40–32 Herschel Caldwell Lost League Finals Eagles Coastal Plain D St. Louis Cardinals 32–65 Bess/Taylor Eagles Coastal Plain D St. Louis Cardinals 60–50 Tommy West Lost in 1st round Eagles Coastal Plain D St. Louis Cardinals 65–59 Henry/Lucas/Herring Lost League Finals Eagles Coastal Plain D 63–60 Sothern/Aerette Lost League Finals Eagles Coastal Plain D 42–77 McHenry/DeMasi Eagles Coastal Plain D 67–56 Frank Rodgers Lost League Finals Eagles Coastal Plain D Atlanta Crackers 74–65 Steve Collins League Champs Eagles Coastal Plain D 80–59 Steve Collins Lost League Finals Eagles Coastal Plain D 74–64 Steve Collins Lost League Finals Eagles Coastal Plain D Boston Red Sox 70–68 Wally Millies Lost League Finals Eagles Coastal Plain D 79–47 Wes Livengood Lost in 1st round Eagles Coastal Plain D Detroit Tigers 76–47 Wayne Blackburn Lost in 1st round
TABLE NOTES: The record for the 1938 team above were the actual wins and losses for that team. An ineligible player scandal caused the league office to award or take away wins and losses from teams based on their violations of the rules. The "official" adjusted record at the end of the season was 64–45.
No Hitters
Eddie Nowak (7/31/1939) vs the New Bern Bears
League histories
Newspapers – Issues for all seasons are available on microfilm at Lenoir Community College.
Footnotes