The Manchester Yankees was the name of two distinct American minor league baseball franchises representing Manchester, New Hampshire, in the Class B New England League (1948 through July 5, 1949) and the Double-A Eastern League (1969–71). Each franchise played at Gill Stadium and each was affiliated with Major League Baseball's New York Yankees.
The Manchester Yankees continued Manchester's long history of membership in the New England League that began in 1887. The Yankees were preceded in New England League play by the Manchester Farmers (1887), Manchester Maroons (1888), Manchester Amoskeags (1891), Manchester (1892–1893), Manchester Manchesters (1899), Manchester (1901–1905), Manchester Textiles (1906, 1914–1915) and Manchester Blue Sox (1926–1930). The Manchester Indians played in the 1934 Northeastern League. The New England League Manchester teams were preceded by the Manchester Reds, who were the first minor league baseball team in Manchester, beginning play as members of the 1877 New England Association.[1]
When the New England League (NEL) was revived after World War II, Manchester was a charter member as an affiliate and namesake of the New York Giants. The 1946–47 Manchester Giants each finished in third place during the regular season and qualified for the playoffs, but they were eliminated in the 1946 semi-finals by the Lynn Red Sox and in the 1947 finals by the Nashua Dodgers.
The New York Yankees then replaced the New York Giants as the team's affiliate for the 1948 season. However, the 1948 Manchester Yankees finished four games out of the playoffs and drew the third-smallest attendance in the league. The 1949 edition compiled a record of only 28–44, and dropped out of the league on July 5 — one of four franchises to fold during the NEL's final season.[2]
| Year | Record | Finish Full Season | Attendance | Manager | Postseason | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75–45 | Third | n/a | Lost to Lynn in semifinals | |||
| 74–50 | Third | 48,877 | Lost to Nashua in finals | |||
| 58–68 | Fifth | 50,664 | ||||
| 28–44 | DNF | 30,391 | Disbanded, July 5 |
After the 1968 season, Boston businessman John Alevizos acquired the Yankees' Eastern League affiliate, the Binghamton Triplets, and moved it to Gill Stadium as the Manchester Yankees. In 1969, the franchise led the league in attendance, drawing over 91,000 fans despite finishing in next-to-last place. The 1970 team again finished next to last but plunged to the bottom of the league in attendance. The final, 1971 edition of the Manchester Yankees finished last in its division, and reached a new low in attendance, with just less than 29,000 fans passing through the turnstiles. The team then relocated to Connecticut under new ownership as the West Haven Yankees — winning an Eastern League championship in its maiden season.[3]
Manchester did not receive another Eastern League franchise until 2004, when the New Haven Ravens transferred to Gill Stadium as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
| Year | Record | Finish Full Season | Attendance | Manager | Postseason | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64–75 | Fifth | 91,165 | ||||
| 66–73 | Fifth | 36,928 | ||||
| 61–75 | Fourth (American Div.) | 28,981 |