Charlotte Hornets (baseball)

The Charlotte Hornets was an American minor league baseball franchise based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The club was founded in 1901, and lasted in some form until 1973, capturing 11 league titles during its history. From 1937 to 1942 and 1946 to 1972, the Hornets were a farm system affiliate of the original Washington Senators franchise and its post-1960 successor, the Minnesota Twins.

The earliest "Hornet" team was apparently in 1892, according to Minor League Baseball records. The team played in the 19th century South Atlantic League for one season. Later in 1900, the Charlotte "Presbyterians" played a 27-game season in the North Carolina Association. Under the name Hornets, a professional baseball team played in 1901 and 1902 in the Virginia–North Carolina League and the North Carolina League respectively, both Class C leagues. In 1905 the Hornets again played in the Virginia–North Carolina League (then a Class D operation).

In 1908, the Hornets were a founding member of the Carolina Association (Class D) through 1913, when they moved to the North Carolina State League, another Class D League. The team remained with the North Carolina State League until 1917 when the team folded because of World War I. In 1919, the Hornets moved to the South Atlantic League (Class C 1919–1920, Class B after 1921) where they remained through the 1930 season. From 1931–1942, with the exception of 1936, when it was a member of the independent Carolina League the team operated in the Piedmont League, a Class B league, except for 1931 when it was Class C.

The team was purchased by the Washington Senators in 1937. The club would remain affiliated with the Senators/Twins franchise for 35 years. In 1938 the team was managed by Calvin Griffith, the adopted son of Senators owner Clark Griffith. In 1940, Calvin Griffith built a 3,200-seat park in Charlotte's Dilworth neighborhood on Magnolia Avenue and named it Clark Griffith Park. It would be the home of Charlotte baseball for nearly a half-century.

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