Time Period - 1939 to 1941
Venues : see below
Cities : Mayodin, NC & Martinsville, VA
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Franchise Histories :
The Bi-State League that the Phillies participated in formed in 1934 with teams in Virginia and North Carolina. The league played for nine seasons before disbanding.
Mayodan Millers :
The franchise existed from 1938 to 1941. They didn’t complete their last season, play was suspended in July by ownership due to lack of attendance and financial hardship. Hopes that year were to move to Reidsville, NC but when plans fell thru the club folded on July 5th.
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Martinsville Manufacturers :
The franchise existed from 1934 to 1941. They were affiliated with the Cardinals from 1936 to 1939 and the Phillies from 1940 to 1941. Similar to most of the other clubs in the league the team discontinued operations due to financial issues. The Phillies would return to Martinsville in 1988 for a much more successful 11 year term in the Appalachian League ... I’ll detail that period in a separate posting.
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The Stadiums the Phillies teams played in :
Mayo Park - Mayodin, NC :
Location: S. 5th & S. 6th Avenues between Main & Adams Streets.
Capacity: 1,800 (1939)
Dimensions (Left, Center, Right): 288-415-318
The site is now occupied by the Mayodan United Methodist Church.
Doug English Field - Martinsville, VA :
Also Known As: Hooker Field
Location: Commonwealth Boulevard E. & Chatham Heights Road.
Capacity: 4,000 (1936); 3,500 (1939); 3,200 (1995)
Dimensions (Left, Center, Right): 425-480-480 (1939); 320-370-320 (1988); 330-360-330 (1995)
In the 1930’s Jim English built English Field, which hosted professional and amateur baseball in Martinsville for several decades. With financial help from Hooker Furniture, whose main plant is just down the hill from the ball park, English Field was renovated and renamed Hooker Field where it hosted the Martinsville Phillies from 1988-1998. The Astros had an affiliate club play there from 1999 to 2003. Hooker Field has been the home of the Martinsville Mustangs, a collegiate summer team since 2005.
Wikipedia
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The Seasons :
1939 - Mayodin Millers :
Bi-State League ( D ) ... Managers : Harry Daughtry, Ramon Couto & Chink Outen ... 58-57 , 5th place ... Attendance : ?
18 year old RHP Paul Busby went 13-2 in 21 games ( 126 IP ) with a 3.86 ERA in his first year of pro baseball. He would pitch in 3 major league games with the Phillies ( 10 IP ) in 1941 & 1942 ... the extent of his big league time - he was out of baseball from 1943 to 1945 due to the War ... returned in 1946 but only played that season before leaving pro baseball
1940 - Martinsville Manufacturers :
Bi-State League ( D ) ... Manager : Harry Daughtry ... 68-49 , 2nd place ... Attendance : ? League Champions : Defeated Danville-Schoolfield Leafs 4 games to 2 in playoffs ... defeated Bassett Furniture Makers 4 games to 3 in Championship Series
25 year old First Baseman Cecil Washington “Turkey” Tyson was third in the league in batting average with a .380 batting average in 358 AB’s ... he appeared in only one major league game - with the 1944 Phillies but played 15 seasons in the minor leagues and had a career .309 batting average in 6,271 AB’s ... I just liked his nick name ... was also referred to as “Slim” 🤓
1941 - Martinsville Manufacturers :
Bi-State League ( D ) ... Manager : George Ferrell ... 63-49 , 2nd place ... Attendance : ? Lost to the Sanford Spinners 4 games to 3 in playoffs
24 year old First Baseman Thomas Burnette led the league in home runs ( 29 ) and Total Bases ( 278 ) ... he played a portion of the 1942 season before serving in the War effort ... missed the 1943 to 1945 seasons .... returned to Martinsville in 1946 as a member of the Martinsville A’s ( Philadelphia A’s Carolina League affiliate ) and posted a .318 batting average that season ... he was out of pro baseball the following year
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
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