History
Professional baseball in Morristown, Tennessee, began in 1910 when the Morristown Jobbers became charter members of the Southeastern League.[1] The Jobbers continued in the Appalachian League in 1911 and, with the exception of a brief absence in the first month of the 1913 campaign, played each season through 1914.[2] From 1923 to 1925, the city's entry in the league was called the Morristown Roosters.[1]
Twenty-three years later, the Morristown Red Sox became charter members of the Mountain States League (MSL).[1] They opened the season at home with a 6–4 win over the Newport Canners on May 1 at Sherwood Park.[3] The Red Sox completed their inaugural season with a league-best 70–46 (.603) record.[4] They defeated Newport, 3–2, in the opening round of the playoffs to advance to the finals.[4] There, Morristown won the first MSL championship over the Hazard Bombers, 3–2.[4]
On June 17, 1949, Charles Coburn pitched seven-inning no-hitter in the first game of a doubleheader against the Pennington Gap Miners, an 8–0 road win.[5] The team finished the season in second place, 11 games out of first, at 72–52 (.581).[6] They opened the playoffs with a 3–2 semifinal win over the Jenkins Cavaliers, but were defeated in the finals by the first-place Harlan Smokies, 3–2.[6] A sixth-place finish in 1950 at 56–67 (.455) kept the Red Sox from a return to the postseason.[7]
An improved 1951 season saw Morristown qualify for the playoffs with an 86–39 (.688) mark, 6+1⁄2 games behind the Hazard Bombers.[9] They moved past the Middlesboro Athletics, 3–1, in the semifinals before being swept by Hazard in the championship finals, 3–0.[9] Morristown again qualified for the postseason with a third-place 61–58 (.513) record in 1952.[10] After defeating the Big Stone Gap Rebels, 3–2, in the semifinals, they were winless for the second-straight year in the finals, as they were bested by the Harlan Smokies, 3–0.[10] The 1953 Red Sox finished fourth at 64–62 (.508), but were eliminated in the playoff semifinals by the Knoxville Smokies, 3–1.[11]
On May 19, 1954, the Morristown Red Sox withdrew from the Mountain States League, citing high expenses and low revenues due in part to the league operating with seven teams instead of an even number.[12][13] They lost their final two games, 11–8 and 2–1, played as a doubleheader against the Kingsport Cherokees on May 15 at home.[14] Over seven seasons in the MSL, Morristown had accumulated an all-time record of 416–331 (.557).
A separate MSL franchise was subsequently placed in Morristown on June 20.[15] This came about when the owners of the Maryville-Alcoa Twins surrendered their franchise to the league on June 19 due to financial problems of its own.[15] They became known as the Morristown Reds.[16] Like the Red Sox, the Reds withdrew from the league on July 1 due to a lack of good players and financial losses.[17] The city went without another team for five years until the Morristown Cubs joined the Appalachian League in 1959.[1]