Evansville Triplets
Triple-A affiliate of three MLB clubs, three-time league champion.
via Wikipedia: Evansville Triplets · see source
The Evansville Triplets were a Minor League Baseball team of the Triple-A American Association from 1970 to 1984. They were located in Evansville, Indiana, and played their home games at Bosse Field. The Triplets served as a farm club for three major league franchises: the Minnesota Twins (1970), Milwaukee Brewers (1971–1973), and Detroit Tigers (1974–1984). Over 15 seasons, they compiled a regular season record of 1,032–1,026–3 (.501) and won three American Association championships.
Quick Facts
- City
- Evansville, Indiana
- Class level
- Triple-A (1970–1984)
- League
- American Association (1970–1984)
- Majorleague
- Detroit Tigers (1974–1984)
- Milwaukee Brewers (1971–1973)
- Minnesota Twins (1970)
- Nickname
- Evansville Triplets (1970–1984)
- Ballpark
- Bosse Field (1970–1984)
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- Lloyd Gladden won the 1972 American Association Most Valuable Pitcher Award with a 15–9 record, a 2.71 ERA, and 141 strikeouts.
- Jim Leyland, later a Major League manager, managed the Triplets from 1979 to 1981 and was named the league's Manager of the Year in 1979.
- The Triplets were sold in July 1984 for a reported US$780,000.
History
The 1969 Major League Baseball expansion forced the American Association to add two Triple-A teams for 1970. One landed in Wichita, Kansas, and the other in Evansville, Indiana, which had never hosted a team above Double-A before. A naming contest pulled in more than 3,000 suggestions, and "Evansville Triplets" won. The name played on the Triple-A level, the tri-state region covering Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois, and was a twist on the Minnesota Twins, the club's first big-league partner. The team played at Bosse Field, built in 1915.
After one season with the Twins, the Triplets spent three years with the Milwaukee Brewers. In 1972, they swept the Wichita Aeros 3–0 for their first American Association championship.
The franchise's best years came as the Detroit Tigers' top affiliate from 1974 to 1984. They won a second league title in 1975, beating the Denver Bears 4–2, and then took the Junior World Series 4–1 over the Tidewater Tides. Fred Hatfield was named the league's Manager of the Year in 1975. Les Moss earned the same award in 1978, and Billy Gardner got it in 1980.
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