| Dubuque Baseball Club | |
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| League titles | 7 (1895, 1905, 1923, 1927, 1929, 1955, 1962) |
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Previous names |
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Previous parks | John Petrakis Field,Municipal Stadium (1915-1976) |
Minor league baseball teams have operated in the city ofDubuque, Iowa under a variety of names in various leagues, playing in 52 seasons between 1879 and 1976. Dubuque teams were an affiliate of theHouston Astros (1975–1976),Kansas City Royals (1968),Los Angeles Dodgers (1962*, 1967),Cleveland Indians (1961–1966),Pittsburgh Pirates (1959–1960) andChicago White Sox (1954–1958).[1]
TheMidwest Dodgers (1962), who briefly gave Dubuque a second team in 1962, evolved into today'sFort Wayne TinCaps of theMidwest League.
Dubuque debuted playing as members in theNorthwestern League in 1870.[2]
TheDubuque Red Stockings played in theNorthwestern League in 1879. Dubuque played in theCentral Interstate League in 1888,Illinois–Iowa League in 1890,Eastern Iowa League in 1895 and theWestern Association from 1895–1899.[2]
TheDubuque Shamrocks played in theIllinois–Indiana–Iowa League from 1903–1905. During their inaugural season, the club was managed by futureWorld Series-winning skipperClarence "Pants" Rowland. The Shamrocks won the 1905 Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League Championship.[2]
TheDubuque Dubs played in theThree-I League from 1906–1915. The franchise moved toFreeport, Illinois and became theFreeport Comeons on July 14, 1915.Baseball Hall of Fame pitcherRed Faber played for the Dubs in 1909–1910.[2]
The Dubs returned in 1917 playing in theCentral Association. The Dubs again moved mid-season, toCharles City, Iowa, where they became theCharles City Tractorites.[3][4]
TheDubuque Climbers played in theMississippi Valley League in 1922 and 1923.Baseball Hall of Fame inducteeJoe McGinnity played for Dubuque both years, managing the 1923 team. McGinnity was 5–8 in 19 games in 1922. He was 15–12 with a 3.93 ERA in 42 games in 1923, at the age of 53. He led the squad to a first-place finish and the Mississippi Valley League Championship 1923.[5]
After returning to the Dubs name for the 1924 season, the team became theDubuque Ironmen for 1925. Hall of Fame baseball playerIron Joe McGinnity played for the team.[6]
The name was theDubuque Speasmen during the 1926 season and was managed byBill Speas, after whom the team was nicknamed. The team featured multiple players who played or who would go on to play in themajor leagues:Estel Crabtree,Luther Harvel,Al Platte andWebb Schultz.[7]
They were once again the Dubs from 1924–1928. In 1927, still under manager Speas, they were Mississippi Valley League champions, finishing first in the standings.[2]
They were theDubuque Tigers from 1929 to 1932 and won a league championship in 1929. Numerous future and former major league players played for the team, includingOtto Bluege,Paul Speraw andBiggs Wehde in 1929,[8]Johnny Dickshot,Wally Millies and Wehde in 1930,[9]George Caithamer,Red Lutz,Hal Trosky andPhil Weintraub in 1931,[10] andMaurice Archdeacon,Red Evans and Wehde in 1932.[11] Following the 1932 season, the Tigers folded.[1]
TheDubuque Packers were in theMississippi–Ohio Valley League from 1954–55. The Packers remained after that league evolved into theMidwest League in 1955. The Packers played in the Midwest League from 1956–1968, before returning to play from 1974–1976. The Packers wonMidwest League Championships in both 1955 and 1962.[2]
In 1962, theKeokuk Dodgers franchise was moved by the Midwest League fromKeokuk, Iowa to Dubuque on August 2, 1962, to finish the season as theMidwest Dodgers. The team was an affiliate of theLos Angeles Dodgers. This move briefly gave Dubuque two teams. After the season, the Midwest Dodgers franchise moved and became theWisconsin Rapids Twins. This franchise evolved into today'sFort Wayne TinCaps of theMidwest League.[12][2]
After the Packers folded, following the 1968 season, Dubuque was without a team until the Midwest LeagueQuincy Gems franchise moved to Dubuque in 1974. The Packers played in the Midwest League from 1974–1976. TheDanville Dodgers and Dubuque Packers franchises both folded from the Midwest League after the 1976 season.[13][12][2]
From 1915 to 1976, Dubuque teams played atMemorial Stadium /John Petrakis Park. Built in 1914, Memorial Stadium was renamed after the president and GM of the franchise in 1967. Its dimensions were (LF-CF-RF): 340-400-340. The park was prone to flooding. The stadium was located at the 4th Street Extension, before East Dubuque Bridge in Dubuque, Iowa.[14][15]
The Dubuque Packers were the subject of the documentaryA Pitch in Time: The Story of the Dubuque Packers (2013). The documentary was produced and directed by journalist Katlyn Gerken.[14]
Nicknamed "Iron Man", Hall of FamerJoe McGinnity was a player/manager for three seasons (1922–23, 1925) in Dubuque, beginning at age 51. In his career, McGinnity won 246 Major League games and 231 Minor League games. Spanning 26 seasons, McGinnity threw 7,210 Innings in winning 485 games.[5] He went 5-8 in 1922, 15-12 in 1923. He then went 6-6 in 1925, his final season to pitch, at age 54.[5]
The namesake of the ballpark,John Petrakis served as the President and GM of the franchise. Petrakis was a longtime baseball supporter in Dubuque and was instrumental in youth baseball and minor league baseball. Petrakis was recognized on a National level. In 1956, Petrakis was featured in theSaturday Evening Post and received the "Executive of the Year for minor leagues" bythe Sporting News. After the demise of the original ballpark, a new field, within the Gerald McAleece Park & Recreation Complex, was named "John Petrakis Field" and dedicated on May 4, 1986.[16][17]
Bob Cluck. Manager 1975-76. Major League Pitching Coach, A’s, Astros, and Tigers. 52 years in Professional Baseball.