Baseball in Clinton, Iowa

Overview

The record of the Midwest League franchise in Clinton, Iowa.

Clinton's the League's oldest team. They've had a handful of excellent seasons, and several terrible squads. They've seen Denny McLain and Matt Williams; Orel Hershiser played here, and so did Ron LeFlore. Don Money was Clinton's shortstop when he was young. Jim Leyland managed the Pilots for three years; Jack Mull managed here for five.

Over the years, this team's had some fine hitting performances, but the season's story usually features the pitchers. Notice all the no hitters in the game highlights; especially notice the three no hitters thrown at the 1967 opposition.

And check out Mark Grant's terrific hot stretch in July and August of 1982.

Summary

• Midwest League seasons: 53
• Won/Lost overall: 3341/3621, .480
• Best season: 83/41, .669 (1963)
• Championship Playoffs Won: 1 (plus 1 non-playoff championship)
• Best MWL Won/Lost Record: 4 seasons

Clinton joined the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League, an MWL predecessor, in 1955 as an expansion team. Clinton is still represented in the Midwest League.

Seasonal Results
Other Leagues

Team Names

• Clinton Pirates, 1954-59
• Clinton C-Sox, 1960-65
• Clinton Pilots, 1966-76
• Clinton Dodgers, 1977-79
• Clinton Giants, 1980-93
• Clinton LumberKings, 1994-present

Affiliations

• Pittsburgh Pirates, 1954-58
• Chicago White Sox, 1959-65
• Pittsburgh Pirates, 1966-68
• Seattle Pilots, 1969
• Milwaukee Brewers, 1970
• Detroit Tigers, 1971-75
• Cooperative, 1976
• Los Angeles Dodgers, 1977-79
• San Francisco Giants, 1980-94
• San Diego Padres, 1995-98
• Cincinnati Reds, 1999-2000
• Montreal Expos, 2001-2002
• Texas Rangers, 2003-

Officers, Managers, & Coaches

Ballpark

• Alliant Energy Park (built 1937)
  • Originally Riverview Stadium; renamed in 2002.

Attendance record

• 127,251 (1988)

Ballparks & Attendance

Best Seasons

• Hitter: Bobby Lee Smith (1959) .307, 19 HR, 110 RBI or Stan Wentzel (1956) .300, 14 HR, 116 RBI
• Pitcher: Salomon Torres (1991) 16 wins, 214 strikeouts, 1.41 ERA

Best Big League Career

• Dave Stewart (1977)
  • There are other defensible candidates: Matt Williams (1986), Orel Hershiser (1979), & Denny McLain (1962)

Awards

• 1963 Don Bacon (Manager of the Year)
• 1982 Mark Grant (Prospect of the Year)
• 1991 Salomon Torres (Most Valuable Player)
• 1993 Jack Mull (Manager of the Year)

Clinton Highlights

Team Records

Hitters

• Batting: Thomas Huber (1956) .345
• Home Runs: Dick Kenworthy (1961) 22
• Runs Batted In: Stan Wentzel (1956) 116

Seasonal Hitting Leaders

Pitchers

• Wins: Arturo Miro (1956) 22
• Won/Lost (10 decisions): Bryan Hickerson (1987) 11/0, 1.000
• Earned Run Average: Salomon Torres (1991) 1.41
• Strikeouts: David Jimenez (1954) 249

Seasonal Pitching Leaders

Note

This summary originated as the July 10, 1999, Midwest League Tidbit on the Midwest League Mailing List.

Sources

These pages draw heavily on several sources:

• Lloyd Johnson & Miles Wolff, eds, The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Durham: Baseball America, 1997)
• Midwest League Media Guide and Record Book (Beloit: Midwest League, various years; title varies)
• Kevin Saldana, Today in Minor League Baseball History (???: SalFam Books, 1999)
• Baseball America's Almanac (Durham: Baseball America, various years)
• News sources.