The Bluefield Blue–Grays were a minor league baseball team based in the neighboring border cities of Bluefield, Virginia, and Bluefield, West Virginia, USA.
The Bluefield Blue–Grays played as members of the Class D level Mountain State League from 1937 to 1942, when the league folded due to World War II. Following the War, the Blue–Grays resumed play as members of the Class D level Appalachian League from 1946 to 1955. The Blue–Grays won league championships in 1939, 1949 and 1954 and captured the Appalachian League pennant in 1950.
The Blue–Grays played as a minor league affiliate of the Boston Braves (1946–1951), Washington Senators (1953) and Boston Red Sox (1954–1955).
The Bluefield Blue–Grays hosted minor league games in both of the Bluefield cities. In 1939 the team began play in Bluefield, Virginia at the newly built Bowen Field, continuing play at the ballpark through 1955. The ballpark is still in use today within the Peters Park, which physically encompasses both states. Prior to Bowen Field, the Blue–Grays hosted home games during their first two seasons at Cain Field located in Bluefield, West Virginia. The Cain Field ballpark was also nicknamed Blue–Gray Field.
Baseball Hall of Fame member Travis Jackson was the manager of the Bluefield Blue–Grays during the 1951 season.
History Early Bluefield teams
Bluefield, Virginia first hosted minor league baseball in 1912, although for a very brief duration. There was a team placed in Bluefield for three days and two total games. During the season, on June 10, 1912, the Danville Red Sox, a member of the eight-team, Class C level Virginia League moved its franchise to Bluefield.
Prior to the move to Bluefield, the Danville, Virginia based Danville franchise also explored moving to Suffolk, Virginia. They moved to Bluefield, Virginia after a "guarantee" from the city that the team would not lose money. The guarantee sealed the approval for the move to Bluefield. However, other of the Virginia League members had immediate concerns that Bluefield was too far to travel for the league teams.
On June 13, 1912, the Bluefield team moved back to Danville, Virginia after a compiling a 1–1 record while briefly based in Bluefield. Shortly after their return to Danville, the Danville/Bluefield team folded for the season on June 15, 1912. The team had compiled a 16–29 overall record under manager Dave Gaston at the time that they folded. Neither Danville or Bluefield were members of the 1913 Virginia League, as the league reduced to six teams. The Lynchburg Shoemakers also did not return to the Virginia League in 1913.
In 1924, a Bluefield semi-professional baseball team called the "Blue–Grays" began play as a member of the Coalfield Baseball League. 1924 was also an historical year for the two cities, as the city of Bluefield, West Virginia was first named.
The direct foundation of the "Blue–Gray" nickname usage by the baseball team is unknown. It corresponds to a "blue grey" horse, referring to a Blue Roan horse or an aging Grey horse. The nickname also corresponds to a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, a type of songbird native to the region. Historically, "Blue and Gray" is terminology used to distinguish between Union (blue) and Confederate (gray) armies during the American Civil War.
The Bluefield region was first settled in 1777, before the Civil War separated the two states. Two local families, the Davidsons and Baileys, sold a portion of their land for the development of the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1882 and the city became the headquarters of the railway.
The city of Bluefield, West Virginia and their bordering neighbor, Bluefield, Virginia began sharing the same name in 1924. That year, the city of Graham, Virginia changed its name to Bluefield to match its neighboring city. A referendum was approved on June 10, 1924, for the name change from Graham to Bluefield by a vote of 287 to 223. The 2,700 resident city became Bluefield, Virginia and matched its larger neighbor (15,500) West Virginia city."Graham and Bluefield To Combine, Name Changed", Roanoke (VA) Times, June 11, 1924, p. 2 After the referendum vote was officially passed, a mock wedding between residents of both cities was held as a sign of unity, with city officials from both cities present for the ceremony.
1937: Mountain State League charter member
Bluefield was without minor league baseball until 1937, when the Bluefield Blue–Grays were founded, becoming the first minor league team fully established in Bluefield. The Blue–Grays became charter members of the newly formed, six-team, Class D level Mountain State League. As the league was formed, all charter league member teams were based in the state of West Virginia. Bluefield joined with the Beckley Bengals (Detroit Tigers affiliate), Huntington Boosters, Logan Indians, Welch Miners and Williamson Colts as the first members of the Mountain State League. Besides Beckley, all the other league teams were unaffiliated. The Mountain State League's first regular season schedule began with opening day games held on May 13, 1937."1937 Mountain State League". Stats Crew. Ray Ryan served as the first league president and remained in the position until 1942.
Ernest Powell was named the manager of the Blue–Grays in their first season, his only season in professional baseball. The Bluefield Blue–Grays began play at Cain Field. In the two seasons that the Blue–Grays played at Cain Field, the ballpark was also nicknamed Blue–Gray Field when minor league baseball games were played there. Located in Bluefield, West Virginia, the team played at the park through the beginning of the 1939 season.
The Bluefield Blue–Grays ended their first season in 1937 with a regular season fourth place finish. Bluefield had a final regular season record of 49–46, while playing the season under manager Ernie Powell. In the final Mountain State regular season standings, the Blue–Grays finished 14½ games behind the first place Beckley Bengals. During the season the Huntington Boosters had folded on August 1, 1937, and five teams completed the regular season. Bluefield qualified for the unique five-team round robin playoffs, with Beckley receiving a bye. The Blue–Grays lost in the round 2 games to 0 to the second place Welch Miners. Beckley eventually defeated Williamson in the finals 2 games to 0 to win the first Mountain States League championship.
Bluefield shortstop Carlos Ratliff batted .340 with 3 home runs and 30 doubles in 89 games. It was his first professional season at age 26. Following the conclusion of his playing career, Ratliff served as a collegiate coach and Athletic Director at his alma mater, Glenville State College from 1945 until his death in 1961.
A native of Canton, Ohio, Lefty Garner was a left-handed pitcher in his first professional season at age 21. He had an 11–2 record with a 2.94 ERA pitching in 14 games for the Blue–Grays. He also played 22 games in the outfield and batted .427 with 3 home runs, 10 doubles and 7 triples in 109 at bats for Bluefield.
1938 to 1941: Mountain State League
Bluefield continued Mountain State League play in 1938 and former major league player "Sheriff" Earl Smith became the manager of the Blue–Grays at age 47. An outfielder as a player, Earl Smith had played in the major leagues with the Chicago Cubs (1916), St. Louis Browns (1917–1921) and Washington Senators (1921–1922), batting .272 with 9 career home runs and 186 RBIs in 495 career games. He was an umpire in the Middle Atlantic League in 1937.
The 1938 Mountain State League continued league play as a six-team, Class D level league and the Huntington Bees franchise rejoined the league after not completing the prior season. Bluefield finished the regular season with a losing record, as the team compiled a 55–64 record under manager Earl Smith. The Blue–Grays ended the regular season in fifth place. 17½ games behind the first place Logan Indians. With their fifth-place finish, Bluefield did not qualify for the four-team post season playoffs. The Beckley Bengals defeated the Logan Indians in the finals to win their second consecutive league title. The 1938 season was the only season as a manager for Earl Smith and marked the end of his career in the dugout.
In 1939, Bluefield outfielder Lewis D'Antoni batted .369 with 11 home runs and 65 RBIs, adding a .469 OBP and 1,062 OPS in 102 games for the Blue–Grays. Left-handed hitting second baseman Gar Ganoe had 13 triples to lead the Mountain State League. Overall, Ganoe batted .326 with 30 doubles, 9 home runs, 26 stolen bases and 107 RBIs in 120 games.
At age 17, future legendary Baseball Hall of Fame member Stan Musial played against Bluefield in the Mountain State League with the third place Williamson Colts in 1938. A pitcher in his first season, Musial compiled a 6-6 record in 20 games as a pitcher while batting .258 with 1 home run.
Veteran hurler Vic Sorrell pitched for Bluefield in 1938 at age 37 and had an impressive season with the Blue–Grays, one season removed from pitching in the major leagues with the Detroit Tigers, his final season in a 10-year major league career. Sorrell pitched in 13 games for Bluefield, with 11 complete games, garnering a 9–3 record with a 1.38 ERA in 98 innings. Sorrell joined Bluefield during the 1938 season, which he spent pitching in the minor leagues with 3 games for the Class AA level Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association and the Baltimore Orioles of the International League prior to joining Bluefield. Sorrell's 1.38 ERA led the Mountain State League.
1939: League title
Replacing Earl Smith, the Bluefield player-manager in 1939 was Vic Sorrell, who remained with the Blue–Grays following his successful pitching stint with the team the season prior. Sorrell was a long-time major league pitcher with the Detroit Tigers (1928–1937), compiling a 92–101 record with a 4.43 career ERA and 11 saves in 280 career games, all with Detroit.
Playing under Vic Sorrell, the 1939 Bluefield Blue–Grays became the Mountain State League champions. Despite their consecutive championships, the Beckley Bengals team folded and the Ashland Colonels replaced the Beckley, West Virginia based team in the six-team, 1939 Mountain State League.
Early in the 1939 season, the Bluefield Blue–Grays began play at the newly built Bowen Field in Bluefield, West Virginia, hosting their first home game at the new ballpark on May 11, 1939. Bluefield finished the regular season with a fourth-place finish, ending the season 12.0 games behind the first place Williamson Red Birds (a St. Louis Cardinals affiliate) in the final Mountain State League regular season standings. The Blue–Grays had 65–64 record under manager Vic Sorrell and qualified for the four-team playoffs. In the playoffs, Bluefield first defeated the Welch Miners 2 games to 0 in the first round to advance. The Blue–Grays became Mountain State League champions for the first time in defeating Williamson 3 games to 1 in the finals.
At age 18, Stan Musial returned to the league with Williamson in 1939 and became a primary outfielder after his pitching continued to pale in comparison to his hitting. Musial batted .352 and had a 9-2 record with a 4.30 ERA as a pitcher as his Williamson team made the finals against Bluefield. Following his two seasons in the league with Williamson, Musial continued to advance and made his major league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1941, embarking on his Hall of Fame career.
Pitching on his 1939 championship team, player/manager Vic Sorrell had a 12-6 record with a 3.43 ERA while pitching in 21 games in his dual role.