The Utah–Idaho League was a minor league baseball organization founded in 1926. Playing as a six–team, Class C level league for its duration, the Utah–Idaho League franchises were based exclusively in Idaho and Utah as the name indicates.
| Classification | Class C (1926–1928) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Minor League Baseball |
| First season | 1926 |
| Ceased | 1928 |
| President | Fred M. Nye (1926–1928) |
| No. of teams | 7 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Most titles | 2 Idaho Falls Spuds (1926–1927) |
| Related competitions | Pacific Coast League |
History
editFred M. Nye served as president of the Utah–Idaho League for its duration. The Pacific Coast League used the Utah-Idaho for player development. Travel costs in the mountainous territory plagued the league and it permanently folded following the 1928 season. Baseball Hall of Fame members Lefty Gomez, 1928 Salt Lake City Bees and Ernie Lombardi, 1927 Ogden Gunners played in the Utah–Idaho League.[1][2]
1926–1928 Utah–Idaho League teams
edit| Team name | City represented | Ballpark | Year(s) active |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boise Senators | Boise, Idaho | Public School Field[3] | 1928 |
| Idaho Falls Spuds | Idaho Falls, Idaho | Highland Park[4] | 1926 to 1928 |
| Logan Collegians | Logan, Utah | Crimson Field[5] | 1926 to 1927 |
| Ogden Gunners | Ogden, Utah | Lorin Farr Park[6] | 1926 to 1928 |
| Pocatello Bannocks | Pocatello, Idaho | Overland Park[7] | 1926 to 1928 |
| Salt Lake City Bees | Salt Lake City, Utah | Bonneville Park /Derks Field[7][8] | 1926 to 1928 |
| Twin Falls Bruins | Twin Falls, Idaho | Athletic Park[9] | 1926 to 1928 |
Standings & statistics
edit1926 Utah–Idaho League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho Falls Spuds | 75 | 39 | .658 | – | Bill Leard / Danny Collins |
| Twin Falls Bruins | 63 | 50 | .558 | 11.5 | Carl Zamlock |
| Pocatello Bannocks | 58 | 53 | .523 | 15.5 | Al Bonner / Bert McIvor / Doug Taitt |
| Logan Collegians | 48 | 65 | .425 | 26.5 | Harry Wolter / Nick Williams / Nate Shandling |
| Salt Lake City Bees | 52 | 70 | .426 | 27.0 | Bud Orr / Bert Whaling / Chet Chadbourne |
| Ogden Gunners | 46 | 65 | .414 | 27.5 | Ray Bates / Dad Gimlin / Guy Cooper |
No playoffs scheduled.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles King | Logan | BA | .402 | Robert Hurst | Idaho Falls | W | 22 | |
| Roy Johnson | Idaho Falls | Runs | 133 | Bruce Cunningham | Pocatello | SO | 140 | |
| Eddie Rose | Idaho Falls | Hits | 177 | Guy Morrison | Idaho Falls | ERA | 2.83 | |
| Larman Cox | Ogden | HR | 20 |
1927 Utah–Idaho League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ogden Gunners | 58 | 45 | .563 | – | Art Murphy / Del Baker |
| Salt Lake City Bees | 59 | 50 | .541 | 2.0 | Harry O'Neill |
| Idaho Falls Spuds | 52 | 47 | .525 | 4.0 | Dan O'Leary |
| Logan Collegians | 49 | 51 | .490 | 7.5 | Harry Wolter |
| Pocatello Bannocks | 48 | 50 | .490 | 7.5 | Ivy Olson |
| Twin Falls Bruins | 40 | 63 | .388 | 18.0 | Curly Gardiner / Bill Leard |
Playoff: Idaho Falls 4 games, Pocatello 3.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wally Berger | Pocatello | BA | .385 | George Hollerson | Salt Lake City | W | 18 | |
| John Schinski | Logan | Runs | 93 | Dave Salazar | Pocatello | SO | 129 | |
| R. Dennis Gearron | Logan | Runs | 93 | George Hollerson | Salt Lake City | ERA | 2.52 | |
| Ira Caffey | Salt Lake City | Hits | 152 | |||||
| Wally Berger | Pocatello | HR | 24 |
1928 Utah–Idaho League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City Bees | 68 | 49 | .581 | – | Bobby Coltrin |
| Boise Senators | 60 | 55 | .522 | 7.0 | Harry O'Neill |
| Pocatello Bannocks | 57 | 58 | .496 | 10.0 | Jack Roche |
| Ogden Gunners | 57 | 59 | .491 | 10.5 | Del Baker |
| Twin Falls Bruins | 29 | 29 | .500 | NA | Bill Leard |
| Idaho Falls Spuds | 17 | 38 | .309 | NA | Pete Maloney |
Twin Falls & Idaho Falls disbanded July 5
Playoff: Salt Lake City 4 games, Boise 1.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ed Coleman | Boise/Twin | BA | .385 | Val Glynn | Salt Lake City | W | 16 | |
| Arthur Parker | Pocatello | Runs | 111 | Curt Davis | Salt Lake City | W | 16 | |
| Ed Coleman | Boise/Twin | Hits | 167 | George Hollerson | Boise | W | 16 | |
| Ed Coleman | Boise/Twin | HR | 26 | Lefty Gomez | Salt Lake City | SO | 172 | |
| George Hollerson | Boise | ERA | 3.34 |
Sources
editThe Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, Second Edition.
References
edit- ^ a b Lloyd Johnson; Miles Wolff, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
- ^ "1926 Utah-Idaho League". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Public School Field in Boise, ID history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "Highland Park in Idaho Falls, ID history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "Crimson Field in Logan, UT history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "Lorin Farr Park in Ogden, UT history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ a b "Overland Park in Pocatello, ID history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "Derks Field in Salt Lake City, UT history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "Athletic Park in Twin Falls, ID history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.