Baseball in Lafayette, Indiana

Overview

The record of the Midwest League franchise in Lafayette, Indiana.

Purdue's town spent three summers in our league. The first summer's team won half their games; the second contended for the league championship; the last finished low in the standings. Over the three years, the team won one more game than it lost.

Charles Smith had one of the best seasons in Midwest League history at Columbian Park in 1956.

This page is incomplete, and will likely remain so for some time. I work on this project as my schedule permits.

Summary

• Midwest League seasons: 3
• Won/Lost overall: 187/186, .501
• Best season: 69/56, .552 (1956--MWL's second best; didn't win either half)
• Championship Playoffs Won: none
• Best MWL Won/Lost Record: no seasons

Lafayette joined the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League (an MWL predecessor) in 1955. This new franchise was part of an expansion effort that didn't pan out. The franchise moved to Waterloo after the 1957 season, where the team remained for 36 years. The 1957 move was initially to Terre Haute, but that didn't work out.

The current Lansing franchise is this team's successor.

Seasonal Results
Other Leagues

Team Names

• Lafayette Chiefs, 1955
• Lafayette Red Sox, 1956-57

Affiliations

• Cleveland Indians, 1955
• Boston Red Sox, 1956-57

Officers, Managers, & Coaches

Ballpark

• Columbian Park Recreation Center (opened 1940; Loeb Stadium since 1971)

Attendance record

• 61,287 (1955)

Ballparks & Attendance

Best Seasons

• Hitter: Jon Theis (1956) .311, 12 HR, 89 RBI
• Pitcher: Charles Smith (1956) 2.90, 21 wins, 263 strikeouts

Best Big League Career

• Tracy Stallard (1956-57)

Awards

• 1956 Len Okrie (Manager of the Year)

Lafayette Highlights

Team Records

Hitters

• Batting: Nick Hopkins (1956) .323
• Home Runs: Bob Zuccarini (1955) 15
• Runs Batted In: Joe Theis (1956) 89

Seasonal Hitting Leaders

Pitchers

• Wins: Charles Smith (1956) 21
• Won/Lost (10 decisions): Charles Smith (1956) 21-4, .840
• Earned Run Average: Don Wegerek (1955) 2.59
• Strikeouts: Charles Smith (1956) 263

Seasonal Pitching Leaders

Notes

This summary originated as the October 15, 2000, 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)
• Pat Doyle, Professional Baseball Players Database
• Baseball America's Almanac (Durham: Baseball America, various years)
• News sources.