The Johnson City Cardinals were a minor league baseball team based in Johnson City, Tennessee. The early Johnson City Cardinals teams had a 27-season tenure as members of the Class D level Appalachian League between 1939 and 1955, playing a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Cardinals were preceded in Appalachian League membership by the Jonson City Soldiers, who began play as charter members in the league in 1911 and played exclusively in the Appalachian League through 1938. In the era, the Johnson City teams won Appalachian League championships in 1911, 1913, 1921, 1940 and 1955.
Beginning with their first season in 1910, Johnson City teams hosted minor league games at Keystone Field, which was constructed in 1908. Johnson City minor league teams played at Keystone Field through 1955. A new ballpark was built at the Keystone Field site in 1956 and is still in use today as TVA Credit Union Ballpark.
History 1910: Johnson City Soldiers / Southeastern League Johnson City first hosted minor league baseball in 1910, when the Johnson City "Soldiers" became members of the Class D level Southeastern League, which had reformed for the 1910 season.
The Asheville Moonshiners, Gadsden Steel Makers, Knoxville Appalachians, Morristown Jobbers and Rome Romans teams joined with Johnson City in beginning the Southeastern League schedule with opening day games on June 18, 1910.
The Johnson City team being known by the "Soldiers" nickname corresponds to local history and military service facilities. In the era, the city became home to the Mountain Branch, National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, which opened in 1904. Today, the facility is still in use and is a National Historic Landmark District. Johnson City is also home to the Mountain Home National Cemetery, established in 1903.
The Soldiers ended their first season with a 45–39 record in Southeastern League play. Their record earned a third-place finish as the team played the season under managers Nathaniel Taylor and Ed Gardner. Neither manager appeared in a game as a player. No playoffs were held as Johnson City finished 7.0 games behind the first place Knoxville Appalachians in the final league standings. With no playoffs being held, the final season standings determined the league champion.
The Southeastern League continued play in 1911 without Johnson City as a member. Johnson City and three other Southeastern League teams left the Southeastern League and joined a newly created league for the 1911 season. Only the Gadsden Steel Makers and Rome Hillies teams continued membership in the 1911 Southeastern League, which added teams to remain a six-team league. The league added the Anniston Models, Decatur Twins, Huntsville Westerns and Selma Centralites teams to replace the four departed members.
1911 & 1912: Appalachian League charter members / champions
The Appalachian League was formed in 1911 and played its first season. Johnson City left the Southeastern League and became charter members of the six-team Class D level league. The Appalachian League was formed when four of the 1910 Southeastern League member teams changed leagues. The Jonhson City Soldiers, Asheville Moonshiners, Knoxville Appalachians and Morristown Jobbers teams continued play in the new league and joined with the Bristol Boosters and Cleveland Counts teams as the Appalachian League charter members. The Appalachian League began its first season of play with opening day games held May 22, 1911.
The Johnson City Soldiers were victorious in their first Appalachian League game on May 22, 1911, winning the season opener on the road. The Soldiers won in a 6–1 victory over the Cleveland Counts, before an estimated crowd of 500 at the Cleveland ballpark.
Pitcher Walt Herrell played for the Soldiers in 1911 at age 22. During the season Herrell was purchased by the Washington Senators and pitched briefly for the Senators in June, 1911 and then returned to Johnson City. Overall, Herrell compiled a 10–5 record pitching in 17 games for Johnson City.
The Johnson City Soldiers won first Appalachian League championship. In the league's first season, Johnson City ended the 1911 season in first place in the final standings. The league held no playoffs and with their first place regular season pennant, the Soldiers won the first Appalachian League championship. Johnson City ended the season with a 61–38 record playing under returning manager Ed Gardner. The first place Soldiers finished 1½ games ahead of the second place Knoxville Appalachians and 26.0 games ahead of the sixth place Briston Boosters in the final standings.
Johnson City outfielder B.M. Scurry led the Appalachian League with 11 triples on the season and fellow outfielder Pop Shaw had 165 total bases to lead the league. Shaw batted .340 on the season with 5 home runs in 109 games. Soldier pitchers Herb Kelly and A.J. Lee tied for the lead league with 17 victories. Both had 17–10 records. Kelly later appeared in 10 total major league games with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1914 and 1915 seasons.
In 1912, the Johnson City Soldiers were the Appalachian League defending champions and played the season with a new manager. On August 21, 1912, Cleveland Counts pitcher James Gudger pitched a 2–0 no-hitter against Johnson City.
The Soldiers ended their second season of Appalachian League play with a record of 54–48, finishing in third place under manager James Duffy. Johnson City was close to defending their first-place finish in the season prior, ending the 1912 season 4.0 games behind the first place Bristol Twins in the final standings. No Appalachian League playoffs were held. Returning outfielder Pop Shaw won the Appalachian League batting title, hitting .401 for the Soldiers in 76 games. Johnson City player/manager James Duffy played 45 games at second base and batted .181 for the Soldiers, appearing in 45 games.
1913: Appalachian League controversial championship
For the second time in the first three seasons of the league, the Johnson City Soldiers won the championship in the 1913 six-team Class D level Appalachian League. The league had a playoff for the first time and Jonson City won a contentious championship. Legs Martin became the new Johnson City player/manager and proceeded to lead the Soldiers to a successful season. Martin had been a player on the 1912 Soldiers team. The Soldiers ended the season with a 66–38 record, ending the regular season in first place under manager Legs Martin. Jonnson City was 1½ games ahead of the second place Knoxville Reds in the overall standings. With the league adopting a split season schedule, Johnston City won the first half and Knoxville won the second half pennant.
Johnson City became the league champions amidst controversy. Knoxville was leading the championship series 2 games to 1 when they forfeited rather than play in Johnson City. The forfeit occurred due to alleged physical threats by Johnson City players and fans and Knoxville refused to play. Johnson City was supported and declared the league champions.One by One Johnson City Players Depart,” Knoxville Sentinel, September 9, 1913: 16.
Johnson City pitchers Sam Hall and Sam Lanford both had identical 19–8 records for the Soldiers. Their 19 wins were the second most victories in the league behind Elmer Lawrence of Knoxville who finished 24–7. Playing the outfield in 104 games, Legs Martin batted .236 with 0 home runs and 5 triples in his dual role. In his second season with Johnson City at age 23, third baseman Barney Cleveland had a strong season for the Soldiers, batting .338 with 25 doubles, 11 triples and 1 home run in 107 games.
Pitcher Sam Lanford had returned to baseball with Johnson City in 1913 after a layoff from baseball due to rheumatism that greatly affected his right foot. Lanford had pitched briefly in the major leagues for the 1907 Washington Senators, appearing in 2 games. Following his season with Johnson City, Lanford played the 1914 season with the Miami Seminoles of the Florida East Coast League, his final season as a professional player at age 28. In 1915, Lanford married, became a prominent farmer in Greenville, South Carolina and played local semiprofessional baseball for many years. In 1926, Legs Martin had been incarcerated on drug charges when Lanford wrote him a compassionate letter and visited him in prison.
Despite winning the league championship the season prior, Johnson city did not return to play in the 1914 Appalachian League. The league reduced to a four-team league with only the Knoxville Reds, Middlesboro Colonels and Morristown Jobbers teams returning, joined by the Harriman Boosters. The Appalachian League subsequently folded during the 1914 season.
1921: Appalachian League reforms / championship
After a six-season hiatus, the Appalachian League reformed for the 1921 season, with the Johnson City Soldiers returning to league membership. The Appalachian League reformed as a six-team Class D level league. W.T. Ellison was the league president as the Appalachian League's efforts to reform were successful. The Bristol State Liners, Cleveland Manufacturers, Greeneville Burley Cubs, Kingsport Indians and Knoxville Pioneers teams joined with Johnson City in the resuming league play. Opening day games were held on May 21. 1921.
The Soldiers began their 1921 season with a 2–1 loss to the Greeneville Burley Cubs on May 12, 1921, playing the season opener at home.
Greeneville won the first half of the league's split season on the way to compiling a full season record of 58–48. In the regular season, Johnson City won the second half pennant in the six team Class D level league by a ruling of the league president. Finishing in first place in the overall standings with a 63–44 overall record, Johnson City won the league pennant under player/manager Dave Taylor, finishing 2½ games ahead of the second place Kingsport Indians. With a playoff run, Johnson city became league champions. In the postseason championship playoff, the Soldiers defeated Greenville, 5 games to 1.
Outfielder Joe Price win the Appalachian League batting title in 1921, batting .363 with a league leading 18 home runs in 87 games for the Soldiers. The next best player in the Appalachian League hit 9 home runs. Johnson City outfielder H.A. Ringel had a league leading 18 triples on the season, while batting .294. The 1921 championship winning season was the final season in professional baseball for player/manager Dave Taylor and his only season as a manager. A catcher, Taylor batted .255 with 2 home runs while playing in 86 games for the Soldiers.
1922 to 1924: Appalachian League
The 1922 Appalachian League continued play as a six-team Class D level league with games beginning on April 27, 1922. The Soldiers' new manager was Bill Schumacher, who had previously been the player/manager of the Winston-Salem Twins of the Piedmont League. Johnson City was the defending league champions and ended the season in fourth place. The Soldiers had a 60–61 record playing under manager Bill Schumaker. Johnson City finished 7½ games behind first place Briston State Liners in the final Appalachian League final standings. No playoffs were held A first baseman, manager Bill Schumacher did not appear in a game for Johnson City as a player in 1922.
In Johnson City, Jack Ryan became the Soldiers' player/manager for the 1923 season at age 39. Ryan had his first managerial position the season prior, with the 1922 Pocomoke City Salamanders of the Eastern Shore League. Ryan had previously pitched in the major leagues with the Cleveland Naps (1908), Boston Red Sox (1909) and Brooklyn Dodgers (1911), winning 4 games in 24 total major league appearances. In February 1909, Cleveland traded Ryan to Boston in exchange for the legendary pitcher Cy Young.