Bisbee–Douglas Copper Kings

Lore & Background

The Bisbee–Douglas Copper Kings originated in 1947 as an affiliate of the New York Yankees in the Arizona–Texas League. After the 1955 season, the team moved to Douglas for the 1956, 1957, and 1958 seasons. The original Arizona–Mexico League team featured future major leaguers Clint Courtney and Johnny Keane, who managed the club in 1955. On August 19, 1958, the Copper Kings set a baseball record when all nine players in their starting lineup hit a home run in the same game.

In 2003, the Copper Kings were briefly reconstituted in an independent professional league also called the Arizona–Mexico League, which suspended operations three weeks into the season. The 2003 team played under manager Butch Hammett, with general manager John Guy and local baseball historian David Skinner as minority owner. They ended with a final record of 9–7, tied for second place. The 2003 club gained national attention for colorful promotions, including Ted Williams Night, where they gave away free popsicles in relation to Ted Williams being cryogenically frozen.

Reader's Guide

The Bisbee–Douglas Copper Kings represent a notable chapter in minor league baseball history, particularly for their unique record of all nine starters hitting a home run in a single game on August 19, 1958. This feat remains a rare achievement in professional baseball. The team's history spans multiple leagues and affiliations with three major league clubs, reflecting the shifting landscape of minor league baseball in the American Southwest. The 2003 revival, though short-lived, demonstrated the enduring local interest in the franchise, with colorful promotions and the signing of former major leaguers. The team's home ballparks—Warren Ballpark in Bisbee (built in 1909, the oldest ballpark in the United States) and Copper King Stadium in Douglas—are historic venues that still stand. The Copper Kings' legacy is preserved through local baseball historians and the continued existence of these ballparks, serving as a reminder of the region's baseball heritage.

Did You Know?

• On August 19, 1958, all nine starting players for the Copper Kings hit a home run in the same game, a baseball record.
• The 2003 Copper Kings held Ted Williams Night, giving away free popsicles in reference to Williams being cryogenically frozen in Scottsdale, Arizona.
• Warren Ballpark in Bisbee, built in 1909, is the oldest ballpark in the United States.
• The 2003 Copper Kings signed former National League base-stealing champion Chuck Carr.

A Nomadic Identity Across Leagues and Affiliations

For over five decades, the Copper Kings carried a dual-city identity that mirrored the shifting geography of minor league baseball in southern Arizona. The franchise first appeared in 1947 within the Arizona–Texas League, serving as a farm club for the New York Yankees. After a brief spell in the Southwest International League in 1951 under a Brooklyn Dodgers affiliation, the team settled into the Arizona–Mexico League from 1955 through 1958, this time developing talent for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Arizona–Mexico circuit was the direct successor to the earlier Arizona–Texas league, meaning the Copper Kings were essentially competing in the same regional ecosystem under a refreshed banner. The original 1955 roster featured several players who would go on to major league careers, including Clint Courtney, Johnny Keane, Jim Tobin, and Earl Wilson. After the 1955 season, the club shifted its home base from Bisbee to Douglas for the final three years of that league's run, cementing the hyphenated name that would define the franchise for decades to come.

Nine Home Runs in One Night

On August 19, 1958, the Bisbee–Douglas Copper Kings accomplished something so improbable that it still echoes through baseball lore: every single player in their starting lineup connected for a home run during the same game. Nine batters, nine shots over the fence, all in one contest. The feat set a baseball record that stands as a testament to the extraordinary offensive explosion of that particular evening. For a small-market club playing in the Arizona–Mexico League, the achievement elevated a minor league night in the Arizona desert into a moment of lasting significance. The Copper Kings were in their third season in Douglas, having relocated from Bisbee after 1955, and they were in the final year of their Pittsburgh Pirates affiliation. That the record was set in the twilight of the franchise's original run gave it a bittersweet quality—a capstone of dominance in a league that would not survive much longer. The night remains the single most celebrated event in the Copper Kings' long and winding history.

The 2003 Flash in the Pan

In 2003, the Copper Kings name was resurrected for a brief, chaotic spell in an independent professional league that also went by the Arizona–Mexico League name. Under manager Butch Hammett, with John Guy serving as general manager and local baseball historian David Skinner holding a minority ownership stake, the team resumed minor league play. The league itself collapsed just three weeks into the season, leaving the Copper Kings to finish an abbreviated schedule. They closed out with a 9–7 record, good enough to tie for second place. Despite the league's implosion, the 2003 club captured national attention through inventive promotions. Ted Williams Night saw the team distribute free popsicles to fans, a playful nod to the legendary slugger's cryogenic preservation in nearby Scottsdale, Arizona. The roster also drew headlines when the club signed Chuck Carr, a former National League base-stealing champion who took center field, alongside former Richmond Braves shortstop Jose Mateo. For a few short weeks, the Copper Kings were a story the whole baseball world was watching.

Two Ballparks, One Living Legacy

The Copper Kings were unusual among minor league franchises in that they split their home schedule across two separate Arizona towns, giving fans in both Bisbee and Douglas a genuine local team. In Bisbee, the club called Warren Ballpark home, a structure so historic that it holds the distinction of being the oldest ballpark still in existence in the United States. Constructed in 1909, Warren Ballpark was built using a combination of adobe and steel, materials that speak to the era and the mining-community character of the town. The park still stands today in a suburb of Bisbee, a physical reminder of the franchise's roots. Across the border in Douglas, the Copper Kings played at Copper King Stadium, which also remains standing in the community. Together, these two venues represented the geographic and cultural heart of the franchise for decades. The fact that both ballparks survived into the modern era means that the physical spaces where the Copper Kings played their ball—whether in the 1940s, the 1950s, or the brief 2003 revival—still exist for fans to visit and remember.

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