Albuquerque Cardinals

Minor league baseball first began in Albuquerque in 1915, when the Albuquerque Dukes played one season in the Rio Grande Association.[1]

The Albuquerque Dons returned minor league baseball to the city, joining the 1932 Class D level Arizona-Texas League[2][3][4]

In 1932, Albuquerque Dons had a record of 57–42 and were in 1st place under Manager Bobby Coltrin when the five–team league disbanded on July 24, 1932. The Arizona-Texas League did not play for the next four seasons.[5][2]

In 1937, the Albuquerque Cardinals joined the reformed Class D level four–team Arizona-Texas League and won the league championship. The 1937 regular season standings were led by the El Paso Texans with a 73–49 record, followed by the Albuquerque Cardinals (56–59), followed by the Bisbee Bees (51–71), and Tucson Cowboys (57–58).[6][3]

The Albuquerque Cardinals were an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1937, the first of a five–year partnership. The Cardinals finished 3rd at 56–59 under manager Bill DeLancey in the regular season. In the 1937 Arizona-Texas League playoffs, the Albuquerque Cardinals defeated the El Paso Texans in a one-game playoff for second half championship. In the 1937 Finals, the Albuquerque Cardinals defeated the El Paso Texans a 4 games to 3 to capture the 1937 championship. Season attendance for the Cardinals totaled 30,110.[7][8]

The 1938 Albuquerque Cardinals placed 3rd in the Arizona-Texas League regular season. The Cardinals ended the season with a 67–65 record, playing under returning manager Bill DeLancey and did not qualify for the playoffs. Albuquerque had season home attendance of 60,000, an average of 909 per home game.[9][3]

The 1939 Albuquerque Cardinals won their second Arizona-Texas League Championship. The Cardinals finished the regular season with a record of 70–60, placing 2nd in the overall standings under manager Bill DeLancey, but winning the second half standings of a split–season schedule. In the playoff Final, the Albuquerque Cardinals defeated the Bisbee-Douglas Bees 4 games to 2 to claim the 1939 championship. Season attendance was 100,000 fans.[10][11][3]

The 1940 four-team Arizona-Texas League became a Class C level league. The Albuquerque Cardinals finished with a record of60–64, placing 3rd in the league under manager Jack Farmer. The Cardinals did not play in the post season.[3][12]

1941 was the last season for the Albuquerque Cardinals. The Arizona-Texas League continued as a Class C level league and the 1941 Cardinals manager was Jimmy Zinn. Under Zinn, the Cardinals finished 63–65, placing 2nd in the league and finishing 21.0 games behind the 1st place Tucson Cowboys (86–46). No playoffs were held. The Arizona-Texas League folded after the 1941 season.[3][13]

In 1942, Albuquerque continued play as the Albuquerque Dukes, joining the West Texas-New Mexico League. Today, Albuquerque is home to the Class AAA Albuquerque Isotopes.[1][14]

The Albuquerque Dons and Albuquerque Cardinals were noted to have played minor league home games at Tingley Field. Also called "Apprentice Field," the stadium was upgraded in 1937 with a $10,900 Works Progress Administration grant. The ballpark officially opened April 6, 1932. Tingley Field, was named for Mayor Clyde Tingley. St. Louis Cardinals general manager Branch Rickey was present for first game in 1937 and called Tingley Field "one of the finest minor league parks in America". Tingley Field was demolished in 1969. Today, the old ticket booth remains and the site is called Tingley Park, a public park with baseball and softball fields.[15][16][17][18][19]

Albuquerque Cardinals players

(from Baseball Reference)

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