Tombstone
Born: November 15, 1967 – The Pawtucket Indians relocate to Waterbury, CT1ASSOCIATED PRESS. “Waterbury Gets Pawtucket Team”. The Star-Gazette (Elmira, NY). November 16, 1967
Affiliation Change: 1970 (Waterbury Pirates)
First Game: April 20, 1968 (L 6-2, L 6-1 vs. Pittsfield-Berkshire Red Sox)
Last Game: September 1, 1969 (L 4-1, W 7-4 vs. Manchester Yankees)
Eastern League Championships: None
Stadium
Ownership & Affiliation
Owners: Jerry Waring & George Cardono
Major League Affiliation:Cleveland Indians
Attendance
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Source: The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (1st ed.), Lloyd Johnson & Miles Wolff, 1993
Background
The original Waterbury Indians of 1968-1969 were a truly dreadful entry in the long history of Class AA Eastern League ball clubs in Connecticut’s Brass City. The Tribe finished last place in the 6-team Eastern League standings in both seasons of play and ranked last in the circuit’s attendance charts each summer as well.
Of course, winning games isn’t really what minor league baseball is all about. Farm teams exist to develop talent and the 1968 & 1968 Indians featured more than a dozen ballplayers who spent some time in the Major Leagues.
The most accomplished were pitcher Ed Farmer (Waterbury ’68-’69) and outfielder John Lowenstein (Waterbury ’68). Lowenstein would go on to win a World Series ring with the Baltimore Orioles in 1983 and he was the last active member of the Waterbury Indians at the time of his final Major League game in 1985.
Waterbury fielded teams in the Eastern League uninterrupted from 1966 until 1986, though no Major League parent club ever stayed longer than four years at a stretch. The Indians actually returned for a second tour of duty in the mid 1980’s. The Waterbury Indians of 1985-1986 were the city’s last affiliated minor league baseball team, leaving town for Williamsport, Pennsylvania in 1987.
Waterbury Indians Shop
In Memoriam
Outfielder Sam Parilla (Indians ’68) who made it to the Majors for 11 games with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1970, was murdered by a 15-year old teenager during a dispute over an automobile accident in Brooklyn, New York on February 9th, 1994. He was 50 years old.
Links
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2 Responses
I am trying to find a key west baseball my grandson plays and we are an original key west conch my great grandson parents were squatters to the keys name was Albury and Pinder’s please help me if you can .
Waterbury did not have a minor league franchise in 1972 – the only year from 1966-1986 it did not have one.