| Springfield Ponies | |
| Allyears: | 1893–1900, 1902–1932, 1934, 1939–1943 |
| City: | Springfield, Massachusetts |
| Class Level: | A (1893–1900, 1919–1932, 1939–1943) B (1902–1914, 1916–1918, 1934) Independent (1915) |
| Majorleague: | New York Giants (1943) Washington Nationals (1939) New York Yankees (1932) |
| Ballpark: | Hampden Park |
| Leaguenum: | 2 |
| Leaguechamps: | 1895, 1927 |
| Pennum: | 4 |
| Pennants: | 1895, 1908, 1911, 1932 |
Springfield Ponies was the primary name of minor league baseball teams based in Springfield, Massachusetts that played between 1893 and 1943. The team competed as the Ponies through its history except for single seasons as the Maroons (1895), Tips (1915), and Green Sox (1917); and three seasons each as the Rifles (1932, 1942–1943) and Nationals (1939–1941). The team played its home games at Pynchon Park (also known as Hampden Park).
The team was a member of several baseball leagues, including three that were known as the Eastern League. The team's longest tenure was in the second Eastern League, in which it played from 1916 to 1932. During most of its history, the team had no farm-team arrangement with a Major League Baseball team, as much of its history predated formal affiliations. When operating as the Rifles, the team was affiliated for one season with the New York Yankees (1932) and for one season with the New York Giants (1943). When operating as the Nationals, it was affiliated with the Washington Nationals for the 1939 season.
The team finished atop league standings three times at the end of a full regular season (1895, 1908, 1911) and once at the end of a truncated regular season (1932). The team won playoff series twice (1895 and 1927), although it played mostly in leagues without postseasons.
Three of the team's managers were later inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in recognition of their major-league playing careers: Roger Connor (manager in 1902–1903), Billy Hamilton (manager in 1914), and Rabbit Maranville (manager in 1941). Two fellow inductees played for Springfield late in their careers: Dan Brouthers (1896–1899) and Jim O'Rourke (1903, 1907).[1] Brouthers had a .415 batting average in 126 games for the Ponies in 1897.[2]
Prior to 1893, teams from Springfield competed in six minor league seasons, each in a different league:
These early teams were simply known as Springfield or the Springfields. The teams of 1879, 1885 and 1887 failed to complete their seasons.
The following table lists each season between 1893 and 1943, when teams from Springfield competed primarily as the Ponies.
| Year | League | Class | Record | Finish | Manager | Postseason (games) | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1893 | A | 2nd of 8 | none held | ||||||
| 1894 | Eastern League | A | 4th of 8 | Thomas E. Burns | none held | ||||
| 1895 | Eastern League | A | bgcolor=gold | 1st of 8 | Thomas E. Burns | bgcolor=gold | defeated Providence Grays (4–2) | ||
| 1896 | Eastern League | A | 6th of 8 | Thomas E. Burns | did not qualify | ||||
| 1897 | Eastern League | A | 4th of 8 | Thomas E. Burns | did not qualify | ||||
| 1898 | Eastern League | A | 7th of 8 | none held | |||||
| 1899 | Eastern League | A | 5th of 8 | none held | |||||
| 1900 | Eastern League | A | 5th of 8 | Thomas E. Burns | none held | ||||
| 1901 | no team | ||||||||
| 1902 | B | 2nd of 8 | none held | ||||||
| 1903 | Connecticut State League | B | 7th of 8 | Roger Connor | none held | ||||
| 1904 | Connecticut State League | B | 2nd of 8 | Daniel O'Neill | none held | ||||
| 1905 | Connecticut State League | B | 2nd of 8 | Daniel O'Neill | none held | ||||
| 1906 | Connecticut State League | B | 2nd of 8 | Daniel O'Neill | none held | ||||
| 1907 | Connecticut State League | B | 3rd of 8 | Daniel O'Neill | none held | ||||
| 1908 | Connecticut State League | B | bgcolor=gold | 1st of 8 | Daniel O'Neill | none held | |||
| 1909 | Connecticut State League | B | 5th of 8 | John Zeller | none held | ||||
| 1910 | Connecticut State League | B | 6th of 8 | John Zeller | none held | ||||
| 1911 | Connecticut State League | B | bgcolor=gold | 1st of 8 | John Zeller | none held | |||
| 1912 | Connecticut State League | B | 5th of 6 | John Zeller | none held | ||||
| 1913 | B | 6th of 8 | Frank Corridon / Jack O'Hara | none held | |||||
| 1914 | Eastern Association | B | 5th of 8 | Billy Hamilton / Simon McDonald | none held | ||||
| 1915 | Ind. | 5th of 8 | Henry Ramsey | none held | |||||
| 1916 | B | 3rd of 10 | none held | ||||||
| 1917 | Eastern League | B | 7th of 8 | William Carey / John O'Hara | none held | ||||
| 1918 | Eastern League | B | 6th of 8 | league suspended July 22 | |||||
| 1919 | Eastern League | A | 5th of 8 | Ed Holly / Jack O'Hara | none held | ||||
| 1920 | Eastern League | A | 2nd of 8 | John Flynn | none held | ||||
| 1921 | Eastern League | A | 6th of 8 | John Flynn | none held | ||||
| 1922 | Eastern League | A | 5th of 8 | none held | |||||
| 1923 | Eastern League | A | 4th of 8 | none held | |||||
| 1924 | Eastern League | A | 2nd of 8 | Eugene McCann | none held | ||||
| 1925 | Eastern League | A | 5th of 8 | Eugene McCann | none held | ||||
| 1926 | Eastern League | A | 4th of 8 | Eugene McCann | none held | ||||
| 1927 | Eastern League | A | 2nd of 8 | bgcolor=gold | defeated Albany Senators (3–0) | ||||
| 1928 | Eastern League | A | 6th of 8 | Joe Benes | none held | ||||
| 1929 | Eastern League | A | 6th of 8 | none held | |||||
| 1930 | Eastern League | A | 3rd of 8 | did not qualify | |||||
| 1931 | Eastern League | A | 3rd of 8 | Frank "Bud" Stapleton | none held | ||||
| 1932 | Eastern League | A | bgcolor=gold | 1st of 8 | league disbanded July 17 | ||||
| 1933 | no team | ||||||||
| 1934 | B | 6th of 8 | did not qualify | [3] | |||||
| 1935– 1938 | no team | ||||||||
| 1939 | A | 3rd of 8 | lost in first round | ||||||
| 1940 | Eastern League | A | 5th of 8 | Spencer Abbott | did not qualify | ||||
| 1941 | Eastern League | A | 8th of 8 | did not qualify | |||||
| 1942 | Eastern League | A | 8th of 8 | did not qualify | |||||
| 1943 | Eastern League | A | 7th of 8 | Spencer Abbott | did not qualify |