Columbus Confederate Yankees

{{Infobox Minor League Baseball

| name = Columbus Confederate Yankees

| firstseason = 1964

| lastseason = 1966

| city = Columbus, Georgia

| logo =

| uniformlogo = Columbus Confederate Yankees cap logo.png

| class level = Double-A (1964–1966)

| league = Southern League (1964–1966)

| majorleague = New York Yankees (1964–1966)

| nickname = Columbus Confederate Yankees (1964–1966)

| ballpark = Golden Park (1964–1966)

| leaguenum = 1

| leaguechamps = 1965

}}

File:Stan Bahnsen 1970.jpg (1965) won the 1968 American League Rookie of the Year Award.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bahnsst01.shtml|title=Stan Bahnsen Stats|website=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|accessdate=May 18, 2020}}]]

File:Roy White 1970.jpg (1964–1965) was a two-time MLB All-Star and member of the 1977 and 1978 World Series champion New York Yankees.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/whitero01.shtml|title=Roy White Stats|website=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|accessdate=May 18, 2020}}]]

The Columbus Confederate Yankees were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Double-A Southern League from 1964 to 1966. They were located in Columbus, Georgia, and played their home games at Golden Park. Their seemingly contradictory nickname came from Georgia's former membership in the Confederacy and for their Major League Baseball affiliate, the New York Yankees, as it was common for Yankees affiliates to share the big league club's moniker.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/affiliate.cgi?id=NYY|title=New York Yankees Minor League Affiliates|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=October 6, 2022|archive-date=August 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817121231/https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/affiliate.cgi?id=NYY|url-status=live}}

Over three seasons of competition, Columbus played in 415 regular season games and compiled a win–loss record of 206–209. They won the Southern League championship in 1965.

History

The Columbus Confederate Yankees were charter members of the Southern League, which began play in 1964.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?code=SOUL&class=AA|title=Southern League (AA) Encyclopedia and History|website=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|accessdate=May 17, 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Columbus&state=GA&country=US|title=Columbus, Georgia Register History|website=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|accessdate=May 18, 2020}} As the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, they were managed by former major league catcher Rube Walker.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=3a566ad0|title=1964 Columbus Confederate Yankees Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|accessdate=May 18, 2020}} The team finished its first year of play with a 64–74 record in seventh place.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=a446e5c8|title=1964 Southern League|website=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|accessdate=May 18, 2020}}

The 1965 club was managed by Loren Babe, an ex-Yankee third baseman.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=ea13a887|title=1965 Columbus Confederate Yankees Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|accessdate=May 18, 2020}} On July 19, the Confederate Yankees hosted the 1965 Southern League All-Star Game. With 4,091 people in attendance at Golden Park, they defeated a team of the league's All-Stars, 4–3.{{cite news|last=Holliman |first=Ray |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49211547/yanks-clip-stars-in-squeaker-4-3/ |via=Newspapers.com |title=Yanks Clip Stars in Squeaker, 4–3 |work=The Montgomery Advertiser |location=Montgomery |date=July 20, 1964 |page=11}} Two members of the Columbus pitching staff threw no-hitters that season. The first occurred on June 30 when Mike Jurewicz no-hit the Charlotte Hornets in the second game of a seven-inning doubleheader.{{cite web |url=https://www.milb.com/southern/history/no-hitter-list |title=Southern League No-Hit Games |website=Southern League |publisher=Minor League Baseball |accessdate=May 18, 2020}} The second happened on August 13 when Rich Beck pitched seven no-hit innings against the Lynchburg White Sox. The 1965 SL pennant race was a close one: going into the final weekend, the Asheville Tourists led Columbus by a single game, with a three-game series set for Golden Park to determine the title. After splitting the first two games, Columbus won the finale, 7–0, with Rich Beck tossing a two-hit shutout, handing Columbus the Southern League pennant with a 79–59 first-place finish; technically, the Yankees were in a virtual first-place tie with Asheville, but the Tourists (80–60) played two more games, and thus had a lower winning percentage.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=a8db377f|title=1965 Southern League|website=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|accessdate=May 18, 2020}}{{cite book |last1=Webb |first1=Lori M. |last2=Musterer |first2=Donna J. |url=https://img.mlbstatic.com/milb-images/image/upload/milb/g3apehlfpnsji55jxp3q.pdf |title=2020 Southern League Media Guide and Record Book |via=Minor League Baseball |date=2020 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519202920/https://img.mlbstatic.com/milb-images/image/upload/milb/g3apehlfpnsji55jxp3q.pdf |archive-date=May 19, 2021 |access-date=October 6, 2022|pages=130}} The pennant-winning season meant that the Confederate Yankees were the league champions, as there was no postseason in the Southern League at that time.

In 1966, their final season of play, the Confederate Yankees were managed by Jack Reed, an outfielder with the 1961 World Series champion Yankees.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=002ab397|title=1966 Columbus Confederate Yankees Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|accessdate=May 18, 2020}} They ended the season in seventh place at 63–76.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=63678f80|title=1966 Southern League|website=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|accessdate=May 18, 2020}} During the off-season, the Southern League contracted from eight teams to six and Columbus left the circuit; they would return in 1969 as a White Sox affiliate.

Season-by-season results

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;" !scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#020234 5px solid; border-bottom:#020234 5px solid; color:#020234"\|Season !scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#020234 5px solid; border-bottom:#020234 5px solid; color:#020234"\|Record !scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#020234 5px solid; border-bottom:#020234 5px solid; color:#020234"\|Win % !scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#020234 5px solid; border-bottom:#020234 5px solid; color:#020234"\|Finish !scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#020234 5px solid; border-bottom:#020234 5px solid; color:#020234"\|{{Abbr\|GB\|Games behind}} !scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#020234 5px solid; border-bottom:#020234 5px solid; color:#020234"\|Result !scope="col" class="unsortable" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#020234 5px solid; border-bottom:#020234 5px solid; color:#020234"\|{{Abbr\|Ref.\|Reference}}
scope="row" style="text-align:center"\| 1964 \| 64–74 \| .468 \| {{sort\|07.0\|7th}} \| {{sort\|15.5\|{{frac\|15\|1\|2}}}} \| — \|
scope="row" style="text-align:center"\| 1965 \| 79–59 \| .572 \| {{sort\|01.0\|1st}} \| {{sort\|00.0\|—}} \| Won SL championship \|
scope="row" style="text-align:center"\| 1966 \| 63–76 \| .453 \| {{sort\|07.0\|7th}} \| {{sort\|24.5\|{{frac\|24\|1\|2}}}} \| — \|
class="sortbottom" !scope="row" style="text-align:center"\|Totals ! 206–209 ! .496 ! — ! — ! — ! —

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

!scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#020234 5px solid; border-bottom:#020234 5px solid; color:#020234"|Season

!scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#020234 5px solid; border-bottom:#020234 5px solid; color:#020234"|Record

!scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#020234 5px solid; border-bottom:#020234 5px solid; color:#020234"|Win %

!scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#020234 5px solid; border-bottom:#020234 5px solid; color:#020234"|Finish

!scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#020234 5px solid; border-bottom:#020234 5px solid; color:#020234"|{{Abbr|GB|Games behind}}

!scope="col" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#020234 5px solid; border-bottom:#020234 5px solid; color:#020234"|Result

!scope="col" class="unsortable" style="background-color:#ffffff; border-top:#020234 5px solid; border-bottom:#020234 5px solid; color:#020234"|{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}

scope="row" style="text-align:center"| 1964

| 64–74

| .468

| {{sort|07.0|7th}}

| {{sort|15.5|{{frac|15|1|2}}}}

| —

scope="row" style="text-align:center"| 1965

| 79–59

| .572

| {{sort|01.0|1st}}

| {{sort|00.0|—}}

| Won SL championship

scope="row" style="text-align:center"| 1966

| 63–76

| .453

| {{sort|07.0|7th}}

| {{sort|24.5|{{frac|24|1|2}}}}

| —

class="sortbottom"

!scope="row" style="text-align:center"|Totals

! 206–209

! .496

! —

Players

Twenty-three Confederate Yankees also played in at least one game for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team during their careers. These players and their years with Columbus were:

Stan Bahnsen (1965)
Rich Barry (1964–1965)
Rich Beck (1965)
Bill Bethea (1965)
Gil Blanco (1966)
Jim Brenneman (1966)
Tom Dukes (1964)
Frank Fernández (1964–1965)
Mike Ferraro (1965)
Mike Hegan (1964–1965)
Bill Henry (1966)
Elvio Jiménez (1966)
Mike Jurewicz (1965–1966)
Jerry Kenney (1966)
Dave McDonald (1966)
John Miller (1965–1966)
Cecil Perkins (1965–1966)
Fritz Peterson (1965)
Roger Repoz (1964)
Ellie Rodríguez (1966)
Steve Whitaker (1965–1966)
Roy White (1964–1965)
Dooley Womack (1964)

References

External links

[https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Columbus&state=GA&country=US Statistics from Baseball-Reference]

{{succession box|title=New York Yankees
Double-A affiliate|before=Augusta Yankees|after=Binghamton Triplets|years=1964–1966}}

Category:1964 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)

Category:1966 disestablishments in Georgia (U.S. state)

Category:Baseball teams established in 1964

Category:Baseball teams disestablished in 1966

Category:Defunct Southern League (1964–present) teams

Category:New York Yankees minor league affiliates

Category:Sports in Columbus, Georgia

Category:Defunct baseball teams in Georgia (U.S. state)