Time Period - 1959 to 1961
Venues : Sec Taylor Stadium
City : Des Moines, IA
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Franchise History :
“The Des Moines Demons were a short-lived Class B farm club of the Philadelphia Phillies in the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League (typically known as the “Three-I League”) from 1959 to 1961.
The Phillies dropped their working agreement with Des Moines in September 1961. The Three-I League folded a few months later on January 7, 1962.”
FunWhileitlasted.com
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The Stadiums the Phillies teams played in :
Sec Taylor Stadium :
Also Known As: Pioneer Memorial Stadium 1949-1958; Riverside Park 1947-1948
Location: At the junction of the Raccoon & Des Moines Rivers, Elm Street, SW Second Street, & Riverside Park.
Capacity: 5,000 (1949); 6,000 (1950); 4,800 (1961); 7,500 (1983); 8,000 (1988)
Dimensions (Left, Center, Right): 335-385-335 (1951); 330-410-330 (1969); 335-355-400-355-335 (1990)
The stadium, was built in 1947. The park was renamed Sec Taylor Stadium in 1959, in honor of Garner W. "Sec" Taylor, who served as sports editor for the Des Moines Register and Tribune for fifty years. The Iowa State Capitol building was visible over the LF fence. The park was dismantled after the 1991 season and rebuilt.
On August 5, 2004, Sec Taylor Stadium was renamed Principal Park after the Principal Financial Group purchased the naming rights. The playing field is still known as Sec Taylor Field. Since 1969 it’s been home to AAA baseball - first the Iowa Oaks in the American Association and beginning in 1992 - the Iowa Cubs - the Pacific Coast League franchise of the Chicago Cubs.
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The Seasons :
1959
Illinois-Indiana- Iowa League ( B ) ... Manager : Chuck Kress ... 78-48 , 1st place ... Attendance: 86,923. Lost in Championship Series to Green Bay Blue Jays 3 games to 1.
22 year old First Baseman Cal Emery was named the league’s MVP ... he hit .323 and led the league in runs ( 107 ), Doubles ( 41 ), Home Runs ( 27 ), RBIs ( 129 ), OPS ( 1.094 ) and Total Bases ( 281 ) ... he would play in 16 big league games with the 1963 Phillies - the extent of his major league time ... he played 14 minor league seasons from 1958 to 1972 amassing 4,383 AB’s
23 year old Infielder Wayne Graham tied for the league batting title by hitting .330 in 416 AB’s ... he would play in 30 major league games with the 1962 Phillies and 1963 New York Mets and played 11 minor league seasons from 1957 to 1967
1960
Illinois-Indiana- Iowa League ( B ) ... Manager : Andy Seminick ... 64-74 , 8th place ... Attendance: 53,828.
22 year old First Baseman Jerry Reimer hit .331 ( 540 AB’s ) with 18 home runs and led the league with 179 hits and 294 total bases ... he would play in 11 minor league seasons from 1958 to 1968 but never reached the big leagues
21 year old RHP John Boozer went 15-9 with a 3.40 ERA in 28 games ( 27 starts - 13 complete games ) amassing 204 IP ... he would pitch in 7 major league seasons with the Phillies from 1962 to 1969 appearing in 171 games
20 year old RHP Jack Kerrigan threw two July no hitters ... on the 10th an 8-1 win over Cedar Rapids and on the 29th a 3-1 loss to Lincoln ... he played seven minor league seasons from 1958 to 1964 but never reached the show
1961
Illinois-Indiana- Iowa League ( B ) ... Manager : Chuck Kress ... 37-93 , 6th place ... Attendance: 33,337.
21 year old Third Baseman Dick Haines led the league with a .355 average ( 375 AB’s ) ... he would play six minor league seasons ( 1958 to 1963 ) finishing with a .302 career batting average in 1,701 AB’s ... didn’t get to the big leagues
20 year old Catcher Pat Corrales hit .309 in 333 AB’s ... he went on to play in 9 major league seasons from 1964 to 1973 with the Phillies, Cardinals, Reds and Padres
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
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