| Jamestown Expos | |
|---|---|
| |
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Previous classes |
|
| League | New York–Penn League (1957–1993) |
Previous leagues | Pennsylvania–Ontario–New York League (1939–1956) |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Previous teams |
|
| Minor league titles | |
| League titles | 7 (1942, 1944, 1947, 1952, 1953, 1989, 1991) |
| Team data | |
Previous names |
|
| Mascot | Yuppi (1989–1993) Yippee (1983–1988) |
Previous parks |
|
TheJamestown Expos were aminor league baseball franchise located inJamestown, New York. The team existed under various names from 1939 through 1993 and played in theNew York–Penn League and its predecessor, thePennsylvania–Ontario–New York League.
The first team, in 1939, was known as theJamestown Jaguars, aPittsburgh Pirates affiliate, but it folded after only one year. On July 13, 1940, theNiagara Falls Rainbows moved to Jamestown and became theJamestown Falcons.
The Falcons played from 1939 to 1957. They played in thePennsylvania–Ontario–New York League (PONY League) from 1940 to 1956, and in theNew York–Penn League in 1957. They were affiliated with theDetroit Tigers from 1941 to 1942 and from 1944 to 1956. In 1943, they were affiliated with theSt. Louis Cardinals. They were affiliated with thePittsburgh Pirates in 1957. The team reformed in 1961 after a 3-year absence. They were called theJamestown Tigers from 1961 to 1965, theJamestown Dodgers in 1966 and theJamestown Braves in 1967 (reflecting their affiliations with the Tigers,Los Angeles Dodgers andAtlanta Braves respectively) before returning to the Falcons name from 1968 to 1972.
Ollie Carnegie was the team's manager during the 1944 season.
From 1941 onward, they played their home games at Jamestown Municipal Stadium, now known asRussell Dietrick Park.[1]
The team was known as theJamestown Expos from 1977 to 1993, although Jamestown was affiliated with Montreal in 1970 and 1971, at the time the team was called the Falcons. Major League pitcherRandy Johnson began his career with the Expos in 1985.
In 1990, the television showCandid Camera planned to do a segment of minor league baseball. After consulting the front office in Montreal, Candid Camera came to Jamestown to do a prank on pitcher Bob Baxter. Only the visiting team manager, the catcher for the Expos and the other umpires knew about the prank. HostPeter Funt played as the umpire, as the catcher gave fake signals to pitcher Baxter.
The Expos were relocated to Vermont after the 1993 season, eventually becoming theVermont Lake Monsters. However, the New York–Penn League maintained a presence in Jamestown, immediately relocating theNiagara Falls Rapids to Jamestown in 1994 and naming that team theJamestown Jammers. The Jammers would last in Jamestown until the end of the 2014 season, at which point the New York–Penn League left Jamestown permanently.