Bremerton Bluejackets

{{Infobox Minor League Baseball

| name =Bremerton Bluejackets

| firstseason =1946

| lastseason =1949

| allyears =

| city =Bremerton, Washington

| logo =

| uniformlogo =

| class level =Class B (1946–1949)

| league =Western International League (1946–1949)

| majorleague =None

| nickname =Bremerton Bluejackets (1946–1949)

| ballpark =Roosevelt Field (1946–1949)

| classnum =

| classchamps =

| leaguenum =0

| leaguechamps =None

| confnum =

| conferencechamps =

| divnum =

| divisionchamps =

| wildcardnum =

| wildcardberths =

}}

The Bremerton Bluejackets were a minor league baseball team based in Bremerton, Washington. From 1946 to 1949, the "Bluejackets" played as members of the Class B level Western International League.

The Bremerton Bluejackets teams hosted home minor league games at Roosevelt Field, which was torn down in 1992. In 1946, the Spokane Indians team was involved in a tragic accident while traveling to play a game in Bremerton at Roosevelt Field.

History

In 1946, the Bluejackets were the first minor league baseball team in Bremerton, Washington, playing the season as members of the eight-team Class B level Northwestern League, as the league resumed play following World War II.{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball |editor-first1=Lloyd |editor-last1=Johnson |editor-first2=Miles |editor-last2=Wolff |edition=Third |publisher=Baseball America |date=2007 |isbn=978-1932391176}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?code=WINT&class=B|title=Western International League (B) Encyclopedia and History|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} The Salem Senators, Spokane Indians, Tacoma Tigers, Vancouver Capilanos, Victoria Athletics, Wenatchee Chiefs and Yakima Stars teams joined Bremerton in beginning league play on April 26, 1946.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/l-NORW/y-1946|title=1946 Western International League (WIL) Minor League Baseball on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}

In their first season of play, the Bremerton Bluejackets placed third in Western International League standings, as the league held no playoffs. The Bluejackets ended the 1946 season with a record of 73–63, as Sam Gibson served as manager.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=1946 Bremerton Bluejackets Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} Bremerton finished 12.0 games behind the first place Wenatchee Chiefs in the final standings.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/roster/t-bb10559/y-1946|title=1946 Bremerton Bluejackets minor league baseball Roster on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}} Warren Barisoff of Bremerton led the league with both 40 home runs and 155 RBI, while Bremerton pitcher Clarence Federmeyer led the league with 21 wins.

On June 24, 1946, the Spokane Indians team was involved in a tragic accident en route to play at Bremerton. The Spokane team bus was traveling west toward Bremerton, Washington. While the bus was crossing the Cascade Mountains on the wet Snoqualmie Pass Highway (then U.S. Route 10), the bus driver swerved to avoid an oncoming car. The Indians' bus veered off the road, down an embankment, crashing and catching fire.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dgwSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uvIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5574%2C291053 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |last=Price |first=Jim |title=Beginnings and sad endings |date=June 21, 2003 |page=H4}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9tpXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gfUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6050%2C4953252| newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle|location=Washington|title=8 Spokane baseball players dead in crash of their bus |date=June 25, 1946|page=1}}

Nine people were killed in the accident. Six were killed instantly, three died later and seven were injured. The dead were catcher/manager Mel Cole (age 32), players Bob Kinnaman (28), George Lyden (23), Chris Hartje (31),{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=99pXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gfUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4516,5245121|newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle|location=Washington|title=Hartje, driver still in danger|date=June 26, 1946|page=1}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RIIRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MOkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4827%2C5572135|newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard|location=Oregon|title=WIL resumes play, Tigers move up|date=June 27, 1946|page=12 }} Fred Martinez (24), Vic Picetti (18), George Risk (25), Bob James (25) and Bob Paterson (23). With a severe head wound, player Ben Geraghty was able to navigate the mountainside to reach the road and signal for help. The injured survivors included players Pete Barisoff, Gus Hallbourg, Dick Powers, Irv Konopka, Levi McCormack, and the bus driver Glen Berg.J. G. Taylor Spink, ed., 1947 Baseball Guide and Record Book. St. Louis, Missouri: The Sporting News, 1947, p. 207

Continuing play in 1947, The Bremerton Bluejackets ended the Western International League season with a record of 86–68, placing third in the final standings.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=1947 Bremerton Bluejackets Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} Alan Strange served as manager, his first of three seasons leading the club. The Bluejackets finished just 1.0 game behind the first place Vancouver Capilanos in the standings.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/roster/t-bb10559/y-1947|title=1947 Bremerton Bluejackets minor league baseball Roster on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}} Pitcher Joe Sullivan of the Bluejackets led the league with a 2.68 ERA.

The Bremerton Bluejackets placed second in the 1948 eight-team Western International League. Bremerton ended the 1948 season with a record of 95–62.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=1948 Bremerton Bluejackets Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} Alan Strange returned as manager, as Bremerton finished the season 2.5 games behind the first place Spokane Indians in the final standings.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/roster/t-bb10559/y-1948|title=1948 Bremerton Bluejackets minor league baseball Roster on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}} Bremerton pitcher Lloyd Hittle led the league with both a 2.29 ERA and 201 strikeouts.

In 1948, Hub Kittle was completing his third season pitching for Bremerton, while also serving as a coach. The Western International League then ruled that players could not serve as coaches on league teams. Instead of taking the resulting $50.00 pay cut, Kittle returned to running his restaurant "Hub Kittle's Chili Parlor" in Yakima, Washington. Once there, the Yakima club owners, who frequented his restaurant, arranged for a trade from Bremerton.{{Cite web|url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/hub-kittle/|title=Hub Kittle – Society for American Baseball Research}}

In their final season of play, Bremerton finished in last place in the Western International League standings. The Bremerton Bluejackets of the ended the 1949 season with a record of 60-89 losses, placing eighth in the final standings.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=1949 Bremerton Bluejackets Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} Alan Strange served as manager, as the Bluejackets finished 38.5 games behind the first place Yakima Bears.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/roster/t-bb10559/y-1949|title=1949 Bremerton Bluejackets minor league baseball Roster on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}} John Marshall led the league with 22 wins.

The Bluejackets did not return to play in the 1950 Western International league. The 1950 Tri-City Braves franchise replaced Bremerton in league play. Bremerton has not hosted another minor league team.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=Bremerton, Washington Encyclopedia|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}

The ballpark

The Bremerton Bluejackets hosted home minor league games at Roosevelt Field.{{Cite web|url=https://digitalballparks.com/NWL.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101005130649/http://digitalballparks.com/NWL.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=October 5, 2010|title=NORTHWEST LEAGUE - Single-A Photographs of Northwest League Ballparks and Baseball Stadium Photos|website=digitalballparks.com}} The 4,500 seat ballpark was located at Warren Avenue & 16th Street.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/venues/v-323|title=Roosevelt Field in Bremerton, WA minor league baseball history and teams on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}} The ballpark was demolished in 1992, after the property was sold to Olympic College. Today, the ballpark site is a parking lot.{{Cite web|url=http://www.kitsapsun.com/sports/columnists/terry-mosher/terry-mosher-remembering-roosevelt-field-20-years-later-ep-417409461-356668791.html|title=TERRY MOSHER: Remembering Roosevelt Field 20 years later|website=www.kitsapsun.com}}

Timeline

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size: 95%;"

! Year(s) !! # Yrs. !! Team !! Level !! League!!Ballpark

1946–1949

Bremerton Bluejackets

Class B

Western International League

Roosevelt Field

Year–by–year records

Year	Record	Finish	Manager	Playoffs/Notes
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
align=center \| 1946	73–63	3rd	Sam Gibson	No playoffs held.
align=center \| 1947	86–68	3rd	Alan Strange	No playoffs held.
align=center \| 1948	95–62	2nd	Alan Strange	No playoffs held
align=center \| 1949	60–89	8th	Alan Strange	No playoffs held
align=center