Southern League (1972-1975) Born: January 1972 – Re-branded from Asheville Tourists Moved: November 1975 (Charlotte Orioles) First Game: April 12, 1972 (L 3-2 vs. Charlotte Hornets) Last
This ball club was but one of many iterations of the Knoxville Smokies, a traditional name for the Marble City’s various minor league baseball teams dating back to the mid-1920’s. The glory years came from 1959 to 1964 when the Detroit Tigers stocked Knoxville with a procession of top flight prospects, many of whom became key contributors to Detroit’s 1968 World Series championship team.
Southern League (1972-1979) Born: 1972 Affiliation Change: September 18, 1979 (Knoxville Blue Jays) First Game: Last Game: Southern League Champions: 1974 & 1978 Bill Meyer Stadium (8,000) Owner: Neal
This long-time Class AA farm club of the Atlanta Braves played in the small South Carolina city of Greenville from 1984 through 2004. Atlanta’s farm system was an embarrassment of riches for much of the Braves era in Greenville. Local fans watched a procession of future Major League stars come through Municipal Stadium during the 1980’s and 1990’s, including future Hall of Famers Tom Glavine and Chipper Jones. The Atlanta Braves moved the team to Pearl, Mississippi, where local officials dangled a $28 million ballpark, following the 2004 season. Greenville immediately obtained a Class A franchise in the South Atlantic League to replace the departing Braves in 2005.
From 1962 until 2016, Jacksonville’s minor league baseball clubs were known as the Suns, except for 1969 when Wolfson Park sat empty for a summer and this stretch from 1985 to 1990 when the city’s Southern League ball club adopted the identity of their Major League parent club, the Montreal Expos.
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