History of professional baseball in Allentown, Pennsylvania

The history of professional baseball in Allentown, Pennsylvania dates back 138 years, starting with the formation of the Allentown Dukes in 1884 and continuing through the present with its hosting of the Allentown-based Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Triple-A Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball, who play at Coca-Cola Park on the city's East Side.

Late in the season, Kelly moved the Eastern League's Binghamton Bingoes here as the Allentown Buffalos.

Kelly, the era's most flamboyant figure, died of pneumonia that fall at age 35, and the Buffalos were dissolved.

Then, in the 1920s, the name the Allentown Dukes was revived for a semi-professional team that played four seasons (1923–26) at Edgemont Field, a new ballfield at Second and Susquehanna Streets.

In the ninth, Babe Ruth struck out with the bases loaded, and the Dukes scored in the bottom of the inning to win 8–7.

[6] In 1935, the city landed its first Major League farm team, when the Brooklyn Dodgers moved their Reading Brooks franchise here just six games into the season.

Breadon Field, a steel and concrete stadium that seated 5,000 fans, was located just north of the city in Whitehall Township.

In 1997, professional baseball returned to the city with the startup of the Allentown Ambassadors, an independent team that played in the Northeast and Northern leagues.

[10] The stadium was constructed on Allentown's east side to serve as the home field for the Philadelphia Phillies' AAA-level Minor League baseball team, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.