Charlotte Knights
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Charlotte Knights Founded in 1976 Charlotte, North Carolina |
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| Class-level | |||||
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| Current | Triple-A (1993–present) | ||||
| Previous | Double-A (1976–1992) | ||||
| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| League | International League | ||||
| Division | South Division | ||||
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Previous leagues
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Southern League (1976–1992) | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Current | Chicago White Sox (1999–present) | ||||
| Previous |
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| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles (4) |
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| Division titles (3) |
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| Team data | |||||
| Nickname | Charlotte Knights (1989–present) | ||||
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Previous names
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Charlotte Orioles (1976–1988) | ||||
| Colors | Black, Gold, Silver, White |
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| Ballpark | BB&T Ballpark (2014–present) | ||||
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Previous parks
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Owner(s)/
Operator(s) |
Don Beaver | ||||
| Manager | Mark Grudzielanek | ||||
| General Manager | Rob Egan | ||||
The Charlotte Knights are a minor league baseball team in Charlotte, North Carolina. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox of the American League. The Knights play at BB&T Ballpark located in Uptown Charlotte.
Professional baseball in Charlotte dates to 1901, with the formation of the Charlotte Hornets. They were an independent team until 1937, when the Washington Senators, now the Minnesota Twins, purchased the team. The Hornets would remain affiliated with the Senators/Twins for 35 years. In 1940, Calvin Griffith, the son of Senators owner Clark Griffith and future owner of the Senators/Twins, built a 3,200-seat park in Charlotte's Dilworth neighborhood, Calvin Griffith Park. It would be the home of Charlotte baseball for the next half-century.
After several years on the lower rungs of the minor league totem pole, the Hornets joined the Class A South Atlantic League in 1954. They had previously been members of the South Atlantic League in the 1920s while they were still independent. The South Atlantic League became a AA league in 1963 and renamed itself the Southern League in 1964. In 1972, the team renamed itself the Charlotte Twins. Minnesota dropped its affiliation after the 1972 season. Unable to link up with a new team, the Twins disbanded. There was talk of another team going to be called the "Charlotte Pines", though the idea never came to life.
The current incarnation of Charlotte baseball began in 1976, when wrestling promoter Jim Crockett, Jr. bought the Asheville Orioles, the AA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and renamed them the Charlotte Orioles. Griffith Park was fixed up and renamed Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Park (popularly known as Crockett Park). The team, popularly known as the O's, won Southern League titles in 1980 and 1984. Eventual major-league superstars Eddie Murray (the O's original first baseman in 1976) and Cal Ripken (1980) played for the O's.
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