Johnson City Cardinals

History

1910: Johnson City Soldiers / Southeastern League

Johnson City first hosted minor league baseball in 1910, when the Johnson City "Soldiers" became members of the Class D level Southeastern League, which had reformed for the 1910 season.

The Asheville Moonshiners, Gadsden Steel Makers, Knoxville Appalachians, Morristown Jobbers and Rome Romans teams joined with Johnson City in beginning the Southeastern League schedule with opening day games on June 18, 1910.

The Johnson City team being known by the "Soldiers" nickname corresponds to local history and military service facilities. In the era, the city became home to the Mountain Branch, National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, which opened in 1904. Today, the facility is still in use and is a National Historic Landmark District. Johnson City is also home to the Mountain Home National Cemetery, established in 1903.

The Soldiers ended their first season with a 45–39 record in Southeastern League play. Their record earned a third-place finish as the team played the season under managers Nathaniel Taylor and Ed Gardner. Neither manager appeared in a game as a player. No playoffs were held as Johnson City finished 7.0 games behind the first place Knoxville Appalachians in the final league standings. With no playoffs being held, the final season standings determined the league champion.

The Southeastern League continued play in 1911 without Johnson City as a member. Johnson City and three other Southeastern League teams left the Southeastern League and joined a newly created league for the 1911 season. Only the Gadsden Steel Makers and Rome Hillies teams continued membership in the 1911 Southeastern League, which added teams to remain a six-team league. The league added the Anniston Models, Decatur Twins, Huntsville Westerns and Selma Centralites teams to replace the four departed members.

1911 & 1912: Appalachian League charter members / champions

The Appalachian League was formed in 1911 and played its first season. Johnson City left the Southeastern League and became charter members of the six-team Class D level league. The Appalachian League was formed when four of the 1910 Southeastern League member teams changed leagues. The Jonhson City Soldiers, Asheville Moonshiners, Knoxville Appalachians and Morristown Jobbers teams continued play in the new league and joined with the Bristol Boosters and Cleveland Counts teams as the Appalachian League charter members. The Appalachian League began its first season of play with opening day games held May 22, 1911.

The Johnson City Soldiers were victorious in their first Appalachian League game on May 22, 1911, winning the season opener on the road. The Soldiers won in a 6–1 victory over the Cleveland Counts, before an estimated crowd of 500 at the Cleveland ballpark.

Pitcher Walt Herrell played for the Soldiers in 1911 at age 22. During the season Herrell was purchased by the Washington Senators and pitched briefly for the Senators in June, 1911 and then returned to Johnson City. Overall, Herrell compiled a 10–5 record pitching in 17 games for Johnson City.

The Johnson City Soldiers won first Appalachian League championship. In the league's first season, Johnson City ended the 1911 season in first place in the final standings. The league held no playoffs and with their first place regular season pennant, the Soldiers won the first Appalachian League championship. Johnson City ended the season with a 61–38 record playing under returning manager Ed Gardner. The first place Soldiers finished 1½ games ahead of the second place Knoxville Appalachians and 26.0 games ahead of the sixth place Briston Boosters in the final standings.

Johnson City outfielder B.M. Scurry led the Appalachian League with 11 triples on the season and fellow outfielder Pop Shaw had 165 total bases to lead the league. Shaw batted .340 on the season with 5 home runs in 109 games. Soldier pitchers Herb Kelly and A.J. Lee tied for the lead league with 17 victories. Both had 17–10 records. Kelly later appeared in 10 total major league games with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1914 and 1915 seasons.

1913: Appalachian League controversial championship

For the second time in the first three seasons of the league, the Johnson City Soldiers won the championship in the 1913 six-team Class D level Appalachian League. The league had a playoff for the first time and Jonson City won a contentious championship. Legs Martin became the new Johnson City player/manager and proceeded to lead the Soldiers to a successful season. Martin had been a player on the 1912 Soldiers team. The Soldiers ended the season with a 66–38 record, ending the regular season in first place under manager Legs Martin. Jonnson City was 1½ games ahead of the second place Knoxville Reds in the overall standings. With the league adopting a split season schedule, Johnston City won the first half and Knoxville won the second half pennant.

Johnson City became the league champions amidst controversy. Knoxville was leading the championship series 2 games to 1 when they forfeited rather than play in Johnson City. The forfeit occurred due to alleged physical threats by Johnson City players and fans and Knoxville refused to play. Johnson City was supported and declared the league champions.

Johnson City pitchers Sam Hall and Sam Lanford both had identical 19–8 records for the Soldiers. Their 19 wins were the second most victories in the league behind Elmer Lawrence of Knoxville who finished 24–7. Playing the outfield in 104 games, Legs Martin batted .236 with 0 home runs and 5 triples in his dual role. In his second season with Johnson City at age 23, third baseman Barney Cleveland had a strong season for the Soldiers, batting .338 with 25 doubles, 11 triples and 1 home run in 107 games.

Pitcher Sam Lanford had returned to baseball with Johnson City in 1913 after a layoff from baseball due to rheumatism that greatly affected his right foot. Lanford had pitched briefly in the major leagues for the 1907 Washington Senators, appearing in 2 games. Following his season with Johnson City, Lanford played the 1914 season with the Miami Seminoles of the Florida East Coast League, his final season as a professional player at age 28. In 1915, Lanford married, became a prominent farmer in Greenville, South Carolina and played local semiprofessional baseball for many years. In 1926, Legs Martin had been incarcerated on drug charges when Lanford wrote him a compassionate letter and visited him in prison.

1921: Appalachian League reforms / championship

After a six-season hiatus, the Appalachian League reformed for the 1921 season, with the Johnson City Soldiers returning to league membership. The Appalachian League reformed as a six-team Class D level league. W.T. Ellison was the league president as the Appalachian League's efforts to reform were successful. The Bristol State Liners, Cleveland Manufacturers, Greeneville Burley Cubs, Kingsport Indians and Knoxville Pioneers teams joined with Johnson City in the resuming league play. Opening day games were held on May 21. 1921.

The Soldiers began their 1921 season with a 2–1 loss to the Greeneville Burley Cubs on May 12, 1921, playing the season opener at home.

Greeneville won the first half of the league's split season on the way to compiling a full season record of 58–48. In the regular season, Johnson City won the second half pennant in the six team Class D level league by a ruling of the league president. Finishing in first place in the overall standings with a 63–44 overall record, Johnson City won the league pennant under player/manager Dave Taylor, finishing 2½ games ahead of the second place Kingsport Indians. With a playoff run, Johnson city became league champions. In the postseason championship playoff, the Soldiers defeated Greenville, 5 games to 1.

Outfielder Joe Price win the Appalachian League batting title in 1921, batting .363 with a league leading 18 home runs in 87 games for the Soldiers. The next best player in the Appalachian League hit 9 home runs. Johnson City outfielder H.A. Ringel had a league leading 18 triples on the season, while batting .294. The 1921 championship winning season was the final season in professional baseball for player/manager Dave Taylor and his only season as a manager. A catcher, Taylor batted .255 with 2 home runs while playing in 86 games for the Soldiers.

1922 to 1924: Appalachian League

The 1922 Appalachian League continued play as a six-team Class D level league with games beginning on April 27, 1922. The Soldiers' new manager was Bill Schumacher, who had previously been the player/manager of the Winston-Salem Twins of the Piedmont League. Johnson City was the defending league champions and ended the season in fourth place. The Soldiers had a 60–61 record playing under manager Bill Schumaker. Johnson City finished 7½ games behind first place Briston State Liners in the final Appalachian League final standings. No playoffs were held A first baseman, manager Bill Schumacher did not appear in a game for Johnson City as a player in 1922.

In Johnson City, Jack Ryan became the Soldiers' player/manager for the 1923 season at age 39. Ryan had his first managerial position the season prior, with the 1922 Pocomoke City Salamanders of the Eastern Shore League. Ryan had previously pitched in the major leagues with the Cleveland Naps (1908), Boston Red Sox (1909) and Brooklyn Dodgers (1911), winning 4 games in 24 total major league appearances. In February 1909, Cleveland traded Ryan to Boston in exchange for the legendary pitcher Cy Young.

The 1923 Appalachian League continued play as a six team Class D level league. The Johnson City Soldiers ended the season with a 47–57 record to finish in fifth place, playing the entire season under manager Jack Ryan. Johnson City finished 19.0 games behind the first place Knoxville Pioneers in the final standings as no playoffs were held. Jack Ryan had a perfect 9-0 record pitching in 9 games covering 74 innings for the Soldiers. Johnson City outfielder Joe Price led the Appalachian League with 15 home runs on the season. Price batted .311 on the season in 104 games at age 26. Price later played briefly for the New York Giants in 1928.

After the conclusion of the Johnson City 1923 season, manager Jack Ryan ended the season serving as the pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox, the beginning of a five-year tenure in the role.

For its 1924 season, the Appalachian League adopted a split-season schedule. Johnson City did not qualify for the playoff in the new format. The Soldiers ended the regular season with an overall record of 51–57, to finish in fifth place, ending the season 13.0 games behind first place Knoxville Pioneers. The Jonnson City manager in 1924 was Sam Hall In the league split season, Knoxville won the first half title and the Bristol State Liners won the second half pennant. The teams then met in the final, where Knoxville won the series in seven games over Bristol. 1924 was the only known season in professional baseball for Johnson City manager Samuel Hall.

1937 & 1938: Soldiers rejoin Appalachian League

For the 1937 season, the Johnson City minor league franchise reformed and the team rejoined the Appalachian League. The Soldiers became members as the Appalachian League again was reformed after folding following the 1925 season. The league reformed as a four-team Class D level league. The 1937 Appalachian League consisted of the Elizabethton Betsy Red Sox (Boston Red Sox affiliate), Newport Canners and Pennington Gap Lee Bears joining with Johnson City in the league. The season schedule began on May 21, 1937.

In their return to minor league baseball, Johnson City ended the 1937 season as the runner-up in the reformed Appalachian League overall standings. The Soldiers compiled an overall record of 52–51 to finish in second place, playing the season under manager Bill Dubbs. As a player, Dubbs had played for the Soldiers from 1910 to 1913 and was a well-known baseball leader in Johnson City. Dubbs brought in numerous players for tryouts before the season began and began compiling the team roster.

With their second place finish, Johnson City did not qualify for the playoffs as the Soldiers finished 5½ games behind the first place Elizabethton Betsy Red Sox (57–45) in the overall standings. The Appalachian League employed a split season schedule for the 1937 season, with Elizabethton winning the first half pennant Pennington Gap Lee winning the second half pennant. Pennington Gap Lee finished in third place in the overall standings. In the playoff, the Pennington Gap Lee Bears defeated Elizabethton 3 games to 2. Johnson City pitcher Lynn Luntsford led the Appalachian League with 144 strikeouts. Soldiers pitcher Robert Stanton had 20 hit by pitch batters to lead the league in the dubious category.

Johnson City became a minor league affiliate for the first time in 1938, with the franchise becoming a St. Louis Cardinals affiliate and beginning a lengthy partnership. The 1938 Appalachian League expanded to become a six-team league, adding the Kingsport Cherokees and Greeneville Burley Cubs (Chicago Cubs affiliate) teams to the league. With the expansion, the league incorporated post season playoffs. 1938 was the final season for Johnson City playing as the "Soldiers." The Soldiers were led during the season by player/ managers Joseph Sims and Phil Clark. After beginning the season with Johnson City, Sims was sent by the St. Louis Cardinals to pitch for the Mobile Shippers after pitching in 10 games for Johnson City with a 3–4 record. At age 24, Outfielder Phil Clark joined Johnson City as player/manager to replace Sims, coming over from the Springfield Cardinals of the Western Association. Clark batted .271 in 57 games with Johnson City in his dual role.

1939: First "Cardinals" season

Johnson City had a new nickname other than "Soldiers" for the first time, as the team adopted the "Cardinals" nickname for the 1939 season. Johnson City continued Appalachian League membership while remaining a St. Louis Cardinals affiliate and adopting their parent club nickname. With the nickname change, Johnson City began a 27-season uninterrupted tenure of the Johnson City Cardinals playing exclusively in the Appalachian League.

With the affiliation in place, Ollie Vanek, a veteran manager in the St. Louis Cardinals' minor league system became the Johnson City manager in 1938. Two seasons prior, while managing the 1937 Monessen Cardinals in the Class D level Pennsylvania State Association, Vanek gave a notable tryout to a 16-year old player from the region. The young player was Stan Musial and after the tryout, Vanek recommended to the St. Louis Cardinals that they should sign Musial to a professional contract. Musial became a legendary Baseball Hall of Fame member player for the franchise.

Coming off their last place finish, Johnson City improved in 1939 under Vaned and qualified for the playoffs. The Cardinals ended the Appalachian League regular season with a 69–51 to finish in third place in the six-team league. Johnson City ended the season only 2½ games behind first place Elizabethton Betsy Red Sox in the Class D level league. In the four-team Appalachian League playoffs, Johnson City lost in the first round 2 games to 1 to the Kingsport Cherokees. The Elizabethton Betsy Red Sox won the final 3 games to 1 over Kingsport.

At age 22, Johnson City's left-handed first baseman Leo "Muscle" Shoals won the 1939 Appalachian League batting title, hitting .365. Shoals also led the Appalachian League in home runs, hitting 16 on the season in 106 games. Following his only season with Johnson City, Shoals continued a long minor league career, playing in every level of the minor leagues until age 38 and hitting 336 career minor league home runs. Cardinals' Pitcher Alphonse Bielan returned to Johnson City and again led the Appalachian League in walks with 98. His teammate Russell Jordan also returned to Johnson City and had 90 walks. Despite the high walk totals in the league, the two pitchers had a combined 29–20 record on the 1939 season.

1940: Appalachian League champions

The 1940 Johnson City Cardinals won the league championship as the Appalachian League expanded to become an eight-team team league that season. The Bristol Twins and Erwin Mountaineers teams became the new league members in 1940 as the Appalachain League remained as a Class D level league. The Appalachian League utilized a split season schedule in 1940. Johnson City manager Ollie Vanek returned to the team as manager to begin the season. The owner of the local Johnson City Press-Chronicle newspaper, Carl Jones Jr. became the Johnson City Cardinals' franchise president, beginning in 1940.

After Ollie Vanek returned as manager, he was replaced during the 1940 season by George Silvey, who the led the team to the league championship. Essentially, Vanek and Silvey traded positions within St. Louis Cardinals affiliate teams. Silvey joined Johnson City from the Springfield Cardinals of the Western Association and Vanek immediately replaced him as player/manager in Springfield. Playing under both managers, the team finished 50 games above .500, compiling a record of 84–34 during the season. Their overall record was good for second place, just ½ game ahead of the first place Elizabethton Betsy Red Sox (84–33) in the overall standings. With the Appalachian League utilizing a split season schedule, the Johnson City Cardinals won the first half pennant and Elizabethton won the second half pennant. The two pennant winning teams then in played a unique six-team league playoff structure. In the first round of the Appalachian League playoffs, Johnson City defeated the fifth place Bristol Twins 2 games to 0. In the next round the Cardinals defeated the fourth place Greenville Cubs 2 games to 1 and advanced to the Final In the playoff final, the Johnson City Cardinals swept Elizabethton in 3 games to win the 1940 Appalachian League championship.

Johnson City had a strong batting lineup during their 1940 championship season. In his second season with Johnson City at age 21, catcher Dick Bouknight won the Appalachian League batting title, hitting .376 in 118 games. He also hit 11 home runs, with 38 doubles and 11 triples. In less than a full season, first baseman Harold Bush batted .393 with 14 home runs while appearing in 67 games at age 25. Playing first base and the outfield, player/manager George Silvey batted .379 with 5 home runs in 45 games after joining the team from Springfield. Before his departure to the Springfield Cardinals, player/manager Ollie Vanek batted .366 with 9 home runs in 63 games.

1941 to 1943: Appalachian League

In 1941, Bing Devine became the business manager of the Johnson City Cardinals. Three years earlier, Devine had graduated in from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and had secured a job with the St. Louis Cardinals organization. While working in Johnson City, Devine met his future wife Mary while she was on a date with one of the Johnson City Cardinal players. Facing a roster emergency during the 1941 season, Devine, a former collegiate player activated himself as a second baseman for the team to fill the roster vacancy. Devine played in 27 games and batted .118 batting average for Johnson City in 1941, his only professional season as a player. After the 1941 season Devine began military service in U.S. Navy during World War II. Devine became a long time baseball executive serving as the St. Louis Cardinals General Manager (1957–1964), New York Mets President and General Manager (1966–1967), St. Louis Cardinals General Manager (1967–1978) and Vice President of player development for the Montreal Expos (1980 to 1981). Aside from baseball he served as the President of the St. Louis Football Cardinals (1981–1986). Devine returned to baseball, serving as a special scout and advisor for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1999 until his death in 2007.

For the 1941 season, the Appalachian League reduced two teams and again became a six-team league, as the Erwin Mountaineers and Pennington Gap Miners did not return to the league in 1941. As defending champions in the Class D level league, the Johnson City Cardinals reached the Appalachian League finals. The Cardinals played the season under player/managers Johnny Morrow and Harold Michel. During the season, the 26-year-old Morrow was promoted as a player to the New Orleans Pelicans in the Southern Association, where he batted .455 in 22 games after leaving Johnson City.

The Jonhson City Cardinals had a strong season in 1941 while advancing to the Appalachian League finals. The Cardinals ended the regular season with a 63–57 record. Johnson City finished in fourth place in the overall standings, ending the season 11.0 games behind first place Elizabethton Betsy Red Sox. The Appalachian League again had adopted the split season schedule with Johnson City winning the first half pennant and Elizabethton winning the second half pennant. The two teams met for a rematch in the final. In the final, Elizabethton Betsy swept the Cardinals in three games to win the championship.

Johnson City player/manager Harry Michel hit .390 with 16 home runs in 117 games at catcher in 1941. Before his promotion as a player, Johnny Morrow batted .363 with 3 home runs in 83 games at shortstop for the Cardinals. Johnson City first baseman Richard Connell led the Appalachian League in slugging, with a.606 mark, adding 35 doubles, a league leading 20 triples and 11 home runs while batting .382 in 114 games.

1944 to 1946: Appalachian League continues play during World War II

The Appalachian League continued play in 1944 as a four-team Class D level league during World War II. For the second consecutive season, only 10 total minor leagues were formed and played a season during the war. Overall, over 2,000 active minor league baseball players (and over 500 major league players) were called into military service during World War II.

The Jonhson City Cardinals player/manager during the 1944 season was George T. Smith. A pitcher, Smith became a first-time manager at ate 34. Smith was nicknamed "Pappy." The Cardinals ended the Appalachian League regular season with a record of 56–56, finishing the regular season in third place under player/manager Smith Johnson City ended the season 8½ games behind first place Kingsport Cherokees in the final standings. With their third place finish, Johnson City qualified for the four-team playoffs. The Cardinals lost in first round of the playoffs to Kingsport 3 games to 1. Kingsport advanced and beat the Bristol Twins in the final to win the league title. In his dual role, George Smith compiled a record of 5-0 with a 1.70 ERA while pitching in 8 games for Johnson City.

Geroge Smith remained in the St. Louis Cardinals organization in 1945 and left Johnson City to become the player/manager of the Winston-Salem Cardinals of the Class C level Carolina League. Longtime minor league manager and player Clifton "Runt" Marr became the Johnson City manager for the 1945 season at age 53. Marr had first managed in the 1922 minor league season and came to Johnson City having managed the Lima Red Birds of the Class D level Ohio State League in 1944.

The 1945 Appalachian League remained a four-team league during World War II. There were 12 total minor leagues that played in 1944 and the Appalachian League was one of four Class D level leagues. In the four-team league, the Cardinals had a final record of 40–65 and finished in third place. The managers Runt Marr and Fred Hawn. With a distant third place finish, Johnson City played 105 total games and ended the regular season 31.0 games behind the first place Kingsport Cherokees. In the four-team Appalachian League playoffs, the Cardinals lost in first round, being swept by Kingsport in three games. Kingsport then defeated the Bristol Twins in the final for the second consecutive season. At age 17, left handed first baseman Sid Langston batted .364 in 84 games to finish second in the Appalachian League in average. Johnson City pitcher James Pierre was second in the league with 177 strikeouts and he led the league in three dubious categories with 113 walks surrendered, 11 Hit Batters and 20 wild pitches in a 6-14 season.

1947 to 1950: Appalachian League

Ted Garbee remained in the St. Louis Cardinals organization and was promoted to become the player/manager of the Class B level Allentown Cardinals of the Interstate League for the 1947 season. Garbee was replaced as the Johnson City manager in 1947 by Bob Kline. Kline joined the Johnson City having managed the Marion Cardinals of the Ohio State League to a sixth place finish in 1946, their final season as a St. Louis Cardinals affiliate. A former major league player, Kline had pitched in the major leagues with the Boston Red Sox (1930–1933), Philadelphia Athletics (1934) and Washington Senators (1934), compiling 30–28 career record, with 6 saves in 148 career games. A knee injury suffered in 1941 shortened Kline's playing career.

Johnson City ended the 1947 Appalachian League regular season with a record of 54–70, finishing in seventh place under manager Bob Kline in the eight-team league. The Cardinals did not qualify for the four-team playoffs. Their seventh place season left the Cardinals 26.0 games behind the first place Pulaski Counts in the final standings. The New River Rebels won the Appalachian League championship in sweeping the playoffs, defeating Pulaski in the finals. At age 18, left-handed hitting outfielder Charlie Frey batted .365 with 23 doubles, 15 triples, 14 home runs and 82 RBIs in 122 games with Johnson City. The 5'6" Frey later returned to Johnson City to manage the 1961 team. Frey became a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals and signed Ray Washburn and Jim McAndrew among others.

At age 40, Jim Mooney returned to his hometown Johnson City team and won 13 games for the Cardinals in 1947.

Beginning his professional career, Herb Moford pitched with Mooney on the 1947 Johnson City staff. At Johnson City Moford complied a 1-4, with an 8.38 ERA to begin his career at age 18. Moford improved and later pitched in the major leagues for parts of four seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals (1955), Detroit Tigers (1958), Boston Red Sox (1959) and New York Mets (1962), compiling a 5–13 career record in 50 career appearances. On April 11, 1962, Moford had a notable appearance as he pitched for the expansion team in first New York Met game in franchise history. Moford was one of four New York pitchers to appear in the Mets' 11–4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The Met other pitchers who appeared in the game under by Mets' manager Casey Stengel were Roger Craig, Bob Moorhead and Clem Labine. Two days later, Moford pitched at the Polo Grounds in New York City in the Mets’ first home opener on April 13, 1962.

1951 to 1955: Three Appalachian League pennants

In 1951 Ben Catchings managed his third and final season with Johnson City at age 39. The Class D level Appalachian League continued play, reducing to a six-team league with the New River Rebels and Pulaski Counts teams not returning to the league in 1951. The Johnson City Cardinals remained as a St. Louis Cardinals affiliate and joined with the Bluefield Blue-Grays (Boston Braves affiliate), Bristol Twins ( New York Giants), Elizabethton Phils (Philadelphia Phillies), Kingsport Cherokees and Welch Miners (Cincinnati Reds) teams in the 1951 league. Opening day games in the Appalachian League were held on April 29, 1951.

The Cardinals ended the 1951 Appalachian League regular season with 64–65 record. Johnson City finished in third place under manager Ben Catchings. In the final regular season Appalachian League standings, the Cardinals ended the schedule 21.0 games behind the first place Kingsport Cherokees in the six-team Class D level league. In the four team playoffs, Johnson City lost in the first round of the playoffs 2 games to 1 to the Bluefield Blue-Grays. Bluefield advance and lost to Kingsport in the final.

Johnson City pitcher Gary Blaylock compiled 23 wins in 1951 to lead the Appalachian League along with 248 strikeouts. Blaylock was the starting pitcher in the Appalachian League all-star game. Cardinal hurler Robert Donahue issued 141 walks most in the league and had a 1–11 overall record in 131 innings. Gary Blaylock was second in the league with 134 walks issued. Cardinal outfielder Sidney Hathaway and infielder Jack Siemer both had 12 triples to co-lead the league.

After his tenure with Johnson City, Gary Blaylock pitched briefly in the major leagues, appearing in 41 total games pitching for both the St. louis Cardinals and New York Yankees in the 1959 season. Blalock became a long-time major league coach. Notably, Blaylock was the pitching coach for the 1985 World Series champion Kansas City Royals.

Outfielder Sidney Hathaway had returned to the Johnson City Cardinals for a second season in 1951. He batted .362 with a .472 OBP for Johnson City, adding 12, triples, 6 home runs, 69 RBIs, 26 stolen bases and 103 runs scored in 118 games on the season. At age 22, the season was the last one for Hathaway as a player in professional baseball aside from 1 at bat in 1954 for the Lynchburg Cardinals. Born in the Appalachian area of Tennessee, Hathaway became a teacher and a coach in Elizabethton, Tennessee area following his playing career.

1956: Appalachian League folds

In 1956, the Appalachian League disbanded for one season. The Johnson City Cardinals and seven other league teams did not return to minor league play for the 1956 season.

After its one season hiatus, the Appalachian League reformed in 1957 with the Johnson City franchise rejoining the six-team league. No longer a St. Louis Cardinals affiliate, the Johnson City Phillies began another tenure of league play and the Phillies began play in the new Johnson City ballpark in 1957. The Johnson City franchise later became a St. Louis affiliate known as the "Cardinals" again for just the 1961 season and again from 1975 to 2019.

Today, the collegiate amateur Johnson City Doughboys play collegiate summer baseball as a member of the Appalachian League. The Doughboys team was founded in 2021. The team plays at the TVA Credit Union Ballpark, first constructed in 1956.

The ballpark

The Johnson City minor league teams of the era hosted home minor league games at Keystone Field in Johnson City. The Keystone Field ballpark was constructed in 1908. A new ballpark was built on the site in 1956. Keystone Field was also referred to as "Cardinal Field" while hosting the Johnson City Cardinals teams.

On Sunday, June 9, 1946, Keystone Field hosted an historic Negro Southern League double header between the Asheville Blues and Montgomery Dodgers. Asheville won the games decisively by scores of 24-0 and 22-0. Pitchers Frank Fleming and Vernon Phillips of Asheville both threw no-hitters against Montgomery in the doubleheader.

The ballpark constructed in 1956 has been renovated and upgraded several times and is still in use today, known as TVA Credit Union Ballpark. TVA Credit Union Ballpark is located at 111 Legion Street in Johnson City. Today, a new Keystone Park public park is adjacent to the TVA Credit Union Ballpark site at 601 Bert Street in Johnson City. The Keystone Park site contains youth ballfields.