Neosho Yankees

The Neosho Yankees was the primary moniker of the minor league baseball teams based in Neosho, Missouri from 1937 to 1940. Playing as a member of the Class D Arkansas–Missouri League from 1937–1940, Neosho was an affiliate of the New York Yankees (1938–1940). Neosho teams played at High School Stadium.

Neosho Yankees 1937–1940 Neosho, Missouri
Minor league affiliations
Previous classes	Class D (1937–1940)
League	Arkansas–Missouri League (1937–1940)
Major league affiliations
Previous teams	New York Yankees (1938–1940)
Minor league titles
League titles	None
Conference titles	1938
Team data
Previous names	Neosho Night Hawks (1937) Neosho Yankees (1938–1940)
Previous parks	High School Stadium (1937–1940)

History

Neosho first had a minor league team, when the Neosho Night Hawks became a member of the five–team Arkansas–Missouri League in 1937, playing at High School Stadium. The Night Hawks finished the 1937 Arkansas–Missouri League in 4th place with a 52–71 record, 25.0 games behind the 1st place Rogers Lions. Playing under Manager Dennis Burns, Neosho lost to Rogers 3 games to 1 in the Playoffs.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Neosho won the 1938 Arkansas–Missouri League Pennant, as Neosho became an affiliate of the New York Yankees. The newly named Neosho Yankees finished the regular season with a record of 73–42 under Manager Dennis Burns. Neosho finished 5.5 games ahead of the 2nd place Carthage Pirates, who had just joined the six–team league. In the 1938 Playoffs, Neosho swept the Rogers Reds in three games to advance to the Finals. In the Arkansas–Missouri League Finals, the Carthage Pirates defeated Neosho 4 games to 1.[7][2][8][9][10][11][5][12]

The Arkansas–Missouri League played with four teams in 1939. In the regular season, the Neosho Yankees finished 65–61, for 3rd place under Manager Dennis Burns, 16.5 games behind the 1st place Fayetteville Angels. Nesho did not qualify for the 1939 playoffs. Ralph Houk played for Neosho in 1939, his first professional season. With a salary of $70.00 a month, Houk played well enough (.286) that Neosho hosted a Ralph Houk day at the ballpark.[7][2][13][14][15][5][16]

In 1940, the four–team Arkansas–Missouri League permanently folded during the season. The league folding became unavoidable after the Fayetteville Angels franchise folded due to poor attendance. On July 1, 1940 the league folded after hosting an All-Star game. At the time, the Neosho Yankees were in 2nd place with a 27–29 record under Manager Ed Grayston, 10.5 games behind the Carthage Pirates. Neosho has not hosted another team after the Neosho Yankees.[7][2][17][18][10][5][19][20]

The ballpark

Neosho teams played at High School Stadium. High School Stadium had a capacity of 1,000 (1939), with dimensions of (Left, Center, Right) 310–340–310 (1939). The ballpark location was noted as near South Neosho Boulevard & Stadium Drive. Today, the Neosho High School stadium is named Bob Anderson Stadium. The present address is 511 South Neosho Boulevard Neosho, Missouri, 64850.[21][22][23]

Year-by-year record

(from Baseball Reference Bullpen)

Year	Record	Finish	Manager	Playoffs
1937	52–71	4th	Dennis Burns	Lost in playoffs
1938	37–42	1st	Dennis Burns	Lost in League Finals
1939	65–61	3rd	Dennis Burns	none
1940	27–29	2nd	Ed Grayston	League disbanded July 1st

Notable alumni

• Dennis Burns (1937–1939, MGR)
• Ralph Houk (1939) Manager: 2x World Series Champion - New York Yankees (1960–1961)

References

1. "Neosho Night Hawks - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
2. "Arkansas-Missouri League - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
3. "1937 Neosho Night Hawks Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
4. "1937 Arkansas-Missouri League (AAL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
5. "Arkansas-Missouri League (D) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
6. "1937 Neosho Night Hawks Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
7. https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Neosho_Yankeess
8. "Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew". www.statscrew.com.
9. "1938 Arkansas-Missouri League (AAL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
10. "Minor League History: Arkansas-Missouri League". November 21, 2015.
11. "Clipped From The Neosho Times". June 16, 1938. p. 4 – via newspapers.com.
12. "1938 Neosho Yankees Statistics | Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
13. "Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew". www.statscrew.com.
14. "1939 Arkansas-Missouri League (AAL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
15. https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/ralph-houk/
16. "1939 Neosho Yankees Statistics | Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
17. "Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew". www.statscrew.com.
18. "1940 Arkansas-Missouri League (AAL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
19. "1940 Arkansas-Missouri League". Baseball-Reference.com.
20. "1940 Neosho Yankees Statistics | Baseball-Reference.com".
21. "Football / Directions to Facility" Check |url= value (help). http.
22. "High School Stadium in Neosho, MO history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
23. "New York Yankees Baseball Stadium Minor League Affiliations and Yankees Baseball Parks". digitalballparks.com.

External links

Baseball Reference Bullpen
Baseball Reference