| St. Petersburg Saints | |
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| Minor league affiliations | |
| Previous classes |
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| League | Florida State League (1955–2000) |
Previous leagues | Florida International League (1947–1954)Florida State League (1920–1928) |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Previous teams |
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| Minor league titles | |
| League titles | 9 (1922, 1951, 1958, 1959, 1967, 1973, 1975, 1986, 1997) |
| Team data | |
Previous names |
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Previous parks |
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TheSt. Petersburg Saints were a minor leaguebaseball team that operated out ofSt. Petersburg, Florida. The team began as a semi-pro team and as early as October 1908, the semi-pro Saints played theCincinnati Reds in a post-season exhibition game.[1] By 1914, the Saints were receiving regular coverage in the local press.[2]
St. Petersburg teams played as members of theFlorida State League from 1920 to 1928 and then folded operations. A second team, also called the St. Petersburg Saints played in theFlorida International League from 1947 to 1954 and theFlorida State League from 1955 to 1965. The team won four championships and were owned by R. Vernon and Irene C. Eckert from 1951–1954.
Baseball Hall of Fame membersSparky Anderson (1966) andJimmie Foxx (1947) managed St. Petersburg minor league teams.
They were affiliated withCleveland in 1949, theNew York Yankees from 1956–1961, andLos Angeles Dodgers from 1962–1965. The team name was changed to theSt. Petersburg Cardinals upon their signing an affiliation deal with theSt. Louis Cardinals in 1966. They continued as the Cards through 1996, winning four more championships. The team was renamed once more in 1997 as theSt. Petersburg Devil Rays (an affiliation deal with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, now theTampa Bay Rays) and remained operation until folding for good after the 2000 season when the Devil Rays affiliated with the Advanced Single-ABakersfield Blaze for the 2001 season.
On June 23, 2007, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays wore 1955 St. Petersburg Saints uniforms in aturn back the clock game against the Dodgers. Rays coachDon Zimmer had played on the1955 World Series championBrooklyn Dodgers and the Rays honored the 1955 team and Zimmer.[3]