Denver Zephyrs
Triple-A baseball team based in Denver, Colorado, that played from 1955 to 1992.
via Wikipedia: Denver Zephyrs · see source
The Denver Zephyrs were a Triple-A Minor League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. They played in the American Association from 1955 to 1962, the Pacific Coast League from 1963 to 1968, and the American Association again from 1969 to 1992. Their home games were at Mile High Stadium. The team won the American Association championship seven times: 1957, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1983, and 1991. They also won the 1957 Junior World Series and the 1991 Triple-A Classic. Originally known as the Denver Bears from 1955 to 1983, the team was renamed the Denver Zephyrs in 1984 after the famous passenger train. After 39 seasons, the Zephyrs moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, after the 1992 season and continued as the New Orleans Zephyrs.
Quick Facts
- City
- Denver, Colorado
- Class level
- Triple-A (1955–1992)
- League
- American Association (1969–1992)
- Pacific Coast League (1963–1968)
- American Association (1955–1962)
- Nickname
- Denver Zephyrs (1984–1992); Denver Bears (1955–1983)
- Ballpark
- Mile High Stadium (1955–1992)
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- On June 3, 1987, Zephyrs player Joey Meyer hit the longest verified home run in American professional baseball history at 582 feet.
- The managing careers of both Billy Martin and Felipe Alou began with the Denver Bears.
- The 1980 Denver Bears were recognized as one of the 100 greatest minor league teams of all time.
History
Denver had hosted minor league baseball since 1885, with the Denver Bears of the Western League representing the city from 1901 to 1954. In 1955, the Class A Bears were replaced by a Triple-A team of the American Association after the Kansas City Blues moved when the Philadelphia Athletics relocated to Kansas City. They played at Bears Stadium, later known as Mile High Stadium, one of the largest venues in minor league history. The ballpark drew enormous crowds, especially on Independence Day; on July 4, 1982, the Bears set an all-time minor league record with 65,666 fans for a game against the Omaha Royals, surpassing their own record of 59,691 set the previous year. The Triple-A Bears began as an affiliate of the New York Yankees, managed by Ralph Houk, and won the American Association championship in 1957. League MVPs included Marv Throneberry in 1956 and Steve Boros in 1960. In 1963, the team moved to the Pacific Coast League, but Denver's eastern location proved inconvenient for a league otherwise confined to the Pacific Coast. The franchise returned to the American Association in 1969.
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