Baseball in Dubuque, Iowa

known as Dubuque
hosted a team called the Midwest Dodgers

Overview

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

Dubuque hosted teams in our league for 18 summers; indeed, for part of 1962 they hosted two teams. Some of those teams were very successful, but they had enough terrible teams to drag the overall won/lost record to well below the .500 mark. Deacon Jones' terrific 1956 season has long been the first record listed in the MWL record book.

They played high-scoring games in Dubuque. The team still holds a bunch of records for such things; see the lists below.

Summary

• Midwest League seasons: 18
• Won/Lost overall: 1052/1154, .477
• Best season: 73/51, .589 (1957 - league's 3rd best record that summer)
• Championship Playoffs Won: 2
• Best MWL Won/Lost Record: 1 season

Dubuque first joined the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League, a Midwest League predecessor, in 1954 as an expansion team. This team left the MWL before the 1969 season and was not immediately replaced; the 1970 Danville team picked up the franchise.

From August 7, 1962 through the end of the season, Dubuque hosted the former Keokuk team, which was known as the Midwest Dodgers while it was in Dubuque. This franchise moved to Wisconsin Rapids in 1963. This is the current Fort Wayne franchise.

Before the 1974 season, the Quincy franchise moved to Dubuque. This team expired after the 1976 season and was not replaced.

Seasonal Results
Other Leagues

Team Names

• Dubuque Packers, 1954-67
• Midwest Dodgers, August 1962
• Dubuque Royals, 1968
• Dubuque Packers, 1974-76

Affiliations

• Chicago White Sox, 1954-58
• Pittsburgh Pirates, 1959-60
• Cleveland Indians, 1961-66
• Los Angeles Dodgers, 1967
• Kansas City Royals, 1968
• Cooperative, 1974
• Houston Astros, 1975-76

Officers, Managers, & Coaches

Ballpark

• Johnny Petrakis Field (built 1954?)
  • also known as Municipal Park, 1954-66

Attendance record

• 97,220 (1959)

Ballparks & Attendance

Best Seasons

• Hitter: Grover "Deacon" Jones (1956) .409, 26 HR, 120 RBI
• Pitcher: Tom Haake (1960) 19/3, 2.52

Best Big League Career

• Tommy John (1961)

Awards

• 1956 Deacon Jones (Most Valuable Player)
• 1960 Tom Haake (Player of the Year)
• 1961 Hector Cardenas (Player of the Year)

Dubuque Highlights

Team Records

Hitters

• Batting: Grover "Deacon" Jones (1956) .409
• Home Runs: Grover "Deacon" Jones (1956) & Arthur Blunt (1960) 26
• Runs Batted In: Jimmy Lynn (1955) 121

Seasonal Hitting Leaders

Pitchers

• Wins: Tom Haake (1960) 19
• Won/Lost (10 decisions): Tom Haake (1960) 19/3, .864
• Earned Run Average: David Aloi (1965) 1.69
• Strikeouts: Thomas Kelly (1963) 226

Seasonal Pitching Leaders

Notes

This summary originated as the November 13, 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.