Kinston Blue Jays

Did You Know?

• Future major league stars Pat Borders, Tony Fernández, Cecil Fielder, Nelson Liriano, Fred McGriff, and David Wells all played for the Kinston Blue Jays.
• The team was owned and operated by former airline pilot Ray Kuhlman and his wife Ruth, who introduced marketing innovations like fireworks displays and the Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame.

History

Kinston fielded numerous amateur teams starting in the late 1800s, but it could not keep a professional club going until the mid-1920s. Earlier efforts included a failed attempt in the Class D Eastern Carolina League and an "outlaw league" squad. That outlaw team was notable because it was managed by former major league pitcher George Suggs and College Football Hall of Famer Ira Rodgers. Thanks to the work of local business leaders, former local amateur star Elisha Lewis, and Suggs, Kinston finally landed a professional team in the Virginia League, called the Eagles.

The Great Depression hit the minors hard; by 1933 only thirteen teams were still playing across the country. Like most towns, Kinston sat out the early Depression years but returned in the semi-professional Coastal Plain League. That circuit later became a fully professional Class D league under the National Association. Kinston stayed in the Coastal Plain League until it folded.

During that time, the team made several playoff runs and won league championships. One standout player was Charlie "King Kong" Keller, who ranks among the top 40 major leaguers all-time in on-base percentage at .410. After the Coastal Plain League dissolved, Kinston went three years without a team. In 1956, the owner of the Burlington Bees of the Carolina League moved his club to Kinston.

The Carolina League was then a Class B circuit with teams in Virginia and North Carolina. The relocated team, again called the Kinston Eagles, became a Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate and brought the city its first African American ballplayers. During the early Civil Rights Movement, Black players in the Carolina League faced heavy verbal and psychological abuse from the mostly white Southern crowds. The first Black players were Frank Washington and Carl Long.

Long had a standout 1956 season, setting a Kinston single-season RBI record of 111 that no later hitter has matched. The racial integration succeeded, but the team struggled financially. The Eagles' owner was a poor businessman who nearly drove the club into bankruptcy before moving it forty miles to Wilson.

Annual Awards

Every year, typically around the final home stand, the Kinston Indians handed out awards to recognize standout players and contributors. The team’s MVP honor was called the “Cap’n Pat” Crawford Award. Crawford lived in Kinston for many years and played in the majors for the St. Louis Cardinals during their Gashouse Gang days. The Pitcher of the Year award was named for Steve Olin, a right-handed reliever who threw with a submarine motion.

Olin pitched for Kinston before moving up to the Cleveland Indians. He died in a boating accident during spring training in 1993 in Winter Haven, Florida. His boat hit a pier, killing him and fellow reliever Tim Crews and seriously injuring Bob Ojeda. Another award, given to the player who faced the most hardship in his career, was named for Tex Drake.

Drake started as a batboy for the Kinston Blue Jays. On the final day of that season, he learned he had Hodgkin’s Disease, which had spread to all four stages. Team president Gary Fitzpatrick helped arrange for Drake to serve as a batboy for the last three home games of the Toronto Blue Jays season. After returning to Kinston, Drake beat the cancer through chemotherapy and went back to his duties on the field.

The sportsmanship award was named for Steve Gaydek, a former member of the club’s Board of Directors who became a devoted fan of Kinston baseball. He drove more than thirty miles to attend every home game for over twenty years. Finally, the award for the person who did the most to “preserve and enhance” professional baseball in Kinston was named for Lewis B. “Mac” McAvery, the head groundskeeper from his start until his death. His dedication led the team to create an award in his name.

Local baseball personalities

Chris Hemeyer handled radio play-by-play for the Indians and hosted Tribe Talk, a weekly interview show that aired on local public access channels in southeastern North Carolina during the season. The program featured conversations with players and staff and also recapped recent Kinston games. Two local women, Anne "Mama" Robinson and Evelyn "Mama" Kornegay, opened their homes to players. Robinson housed players for the first eleven years of the current franchise, from 1987 to 1997, and Kornegay took over until her death in 2010.

Though only a few players lived in each house at a time, the homes became popular hangouts and a true home away from home for the team. Before this arrangement, players often struggled to find stable housing. In his autobiography, Ron Guidry recalled how his rented mobile home was sold while he was away on Reserve duty, and David Wells described being shuffled from place to place during his time in Kinston. Delmont Miller worked as the scoreboard operator for the Indians for more than twenty years, spanning multiple ownerships and affiliation changes.

His humorous first-inning banter and pregame shout-outs became a beloved tradition at Grainger Stadium. The front office recognized his popularity with fans and players, hosting special Delmont Miller Nights and building promotions around his personality. Before running the scoreboard, Miller had been the clubhouse assistant for the Kinston Blue Jays. His first name came from his father’s fondness for Del Monte peaches.

Miller died of a massive heart attack on October 25, 2008, at age 42. Robert Smeraldo and his son, Robert Smeraldo Jr., served as the team’s clubhouse managers for many years. The elder Smeraldo has since passed away, and his son no longer works for the organization.

Playoffs

The Kinston Blue Jays reached the postseason in 1981 but fell to Peninsula in a 1–0 semifinal. They returned in 1985, losing 2–0 to Winston-Salem in the semifinals. In 1987, they swept Winston-Salem 2–0 in the semifinals before losing the championship to Salem 3–1. The following year, they defeated Lynchburg 3–2 to claim the title.

After a 1990 championship loss to Frederick 3–2, they lost the 1993 semifinals to Winston-Salem 2–1. The team won the championship in 1995 by sweeping Wilmington 3–0. In 1996, they beat Durham 2–1 in the semifinals but lost the championship to Wilmington 3–1. A 1997 championship loss to Lynchburg 3–1 followed.

They lost the 1999 semifinals to Myrtle Beach 2–1 and the 2001 semifinals to Salem 2–1. In 2002, they swept Myrtle Beach in the semifinals but lost the championship to Lynchburg 3–1. After a 2003 semifinal loss to Winston-Salem 2–0, they won the 2004 championship by defeating Winston-Salem 2–1 in the semifinals and Wilmington 3–2 in the finals. In 2005, they swept Winston-Salem in the semifinals but lost the championship to Frederick 3–2.

The 2006 season saw them sweep Salem in the semifinals and Frederick 3–0 for the league championship. They lost the 2007 semifinals to Salem 2–1, the 2010 semifinals to Winston-Salem 3–0, and in 2011 they beat Myrtle Beach 3–1 in the semifinals before losing the championship to Frederick 3–1.