Time Period - 1948 to 1950
Venue : Maple Leaf Stadium
City : Toronto, CA
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Franchise History :
The Toronto Maple Leafs pro baseball team existed from 1896 to 1967. The club primarily played in the International League at the following levels : Unclassified ( 1896-1901 ), A ( 1902-1911 ), AA ( 1912-1945 ) and AAA ( 1946-1967 ).
The team affiliated with the following big league teams :
1932-1933 : Detroit Tigers
1934-1935 : Cincinnati Reds
1940-1941 & 1945-1946 : Philadelphia A’s
1942-1944 : Pittsburgh Pirates
1947 & 1965-1967 : Boston Red Sox
1948-1950 : Philadelphia Phillies
1951-1952 : St Louis Browns
1960-1961 : Cleveland Indians
1962-1964 : Milwaukee Braves
1964 : Washington Senators
On October 17, 1967 the directors of the International League approved the transfer of the Maple Leafs franchise to Kentucky where the team competed as the Louisville Colonels starting in 1968. After five seasons, the club moved to Pawtucket, RI where it continues to operate as the Pawtucket Red Sox.
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The Stadiums the Phillies teams played in :
Maple Leaf Stadium :
Location: 555 Lakeshore Boulevard West, Stadium Road, W. Channel & Bathurst Streets.
Capacity: 18,145 (1936); 19,224 (1961)
Dimensions (Left, Center, Right): 311-425-310 (1939); 300-425-305 (1961)
Opening Day was April 29, 1926. Lights were installed in 1934. It was a jewel box-style baseball stadium and continued to be the home of the Leafs for 42 seasons until the team left town following the 1967 season. The stadium was demolished in 1968. Fans often referred to the stadium as the "Fleet Street Flats".
Today, apartment buildings and a park are in place of the stadium, two old landmarks remain nearby.
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The Seasons :
1948
International League ( AAA ) ... Managers : Eddie Sawyer & Dick Porter ... 78-76 , 5th place ... Attendance : 291,977
24 year old Outfielder Ed Sanicki led the league in RBIs ( 103 ) ... he’d play in parts of two seasons with the Phillies ( 1949 & 1951 ) appearing in 20 games
22 year old Third Baseman Ed Puddin Head Jones hit .275 in 443 AB’s ... 22 year old Catcher Stan Lopata hit .279 in 339 AB’s and 31 year old RHP Jim Konstanty went 10-10 in 46 games ( 161 IP ) ... all three would become key pieces of the 1950 NL Champion Whiz Kids
1949
International League ( AAA ) ... Manager : Del Bissonette ... 80-72 , 5th place ... Attendance : 364,962
Ed Sanicki returned and led the club in Home Runs ( 33 ) and RBIs ( 112 ) ... 24 year old RHP Bubba Church went 15-8 with a 2.35 ERA in 25 games ( 15 complete ) tossing 211 innings ... he would pitch for the 1950 Whiz Kids winning 8 games while posting a 2.73 ERA in 31 appearances ( 142 IP ) ... it was part of a 6 year stint in the show for Bubba with the Phillies, Reds, Cubs and Dodgers
1950
International League ( AAA ) ... Manager : Jack Sanford ... 60-90 , 7th place ... Attendance : 226,951
24 year old First Baseman Bill Glynn hit 25 home runs and drove in 88 runs after producing 23/98 the year before for the Maple Leafs ... he would play in parts of 4 big league seasons with the Phillies and Cleveland Indians ( 3 years ) appearing in 310 games
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
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