Portsmouth Cubs

Baseball Hall of Fame members Tony Lazzeri (1942) and Jimmie Foxx (1944) managed the Portsmouth Cubs, both leading their teams to the league Finals.

The Asheville Tourists, Charlotte Hornets, Norfolk Tars, Richmond Colts and Wilmington Pirates teams joined with the Portsmouth "Truckers" in beginning league play on April 25, 1935.

[8] In 1936, Portsmouth continued play as a Chicago Cubs affiliate in the six-team Class B level Piedmont League and became known by a new nickname.

[20] At age 22, Nicholson batted .310 with 20 home runs and 92 RBI and a .909 OPS in 121 games for Portsmouth after having played with Philadelphia during spring training.

[24] Following his major league playing career, Stanky managed the St. Louis Cardinals (1952–1955), Chicago White Sox (1966–1968) and Texas Rangers (1977).

[25] Ace Parker was a Portsmouth, Virginia native who won 16 varsity letters at Woodrow Wilson High School participating in football, basketball, baseball, track and field and golf.

[28] In the fall of 1938, Parker also led the National Football League with 865 passing yards while playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL) team, finishing ahead of Sammy Baugh.

[49] Lazzeri was the second baseman for the New York Yankees from 1926 to 1937, playing alongside Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Lefty Gomez and Joe DiMaggio and winning five world series championships, while accumulating seven seasons with over 100 RBI.

The two teams finished 5.5 games ahead of the third place Richmond Colts after their virtual tie, The Portsmouth Cubs played the season Baseball Hall of Fame member Tony Lazzeri.

Playing the season under manager Milt Stock, Portsmouth finished 17.5 games ahead of the second place Richmond Colts in the final standings.

In the first round of the playoffs, Portsmouth defeated the Roanoke Red Sox, managed by Baseball Hall of Fame member Heinie Manush, 4 games to 1.

[58] Portsmouth Cubs team owner Frank Lawerence was named as the "Minor League Executive of the Year" by The Sporting News in 1943.

[60][60] In 1958, Steineke was the manager of the McCook Braves of the Nebraska State League, and was a key character in Pat Jordan's memoir, A False Spring.

[64] With another future hall of fame member joining the team their manager during the season, Portsmouth advanced to the Piedmont League finals in 1944.

Led by Steinke, the team had compiled a record of 64–56 when he was replaced as manager by Baseball Hall of Fame member Jimmie Foxx.

Foxx then returned to play a handful of games as a player-coach for the Chicago Cubs (he had 20 at bats) before becoming the interim manager of Portsmouth to finish out the season.

With a final record of 67–69, the Cubs played the season under manager Ival Goodman and finished 14.0 gamed behind the first place Norfolk Tars.

His time with Portsmouth was interrupted by military service, as Burgess enlisted in the U.S. Army at Fort Bragg at the end of May 1945 and missed the remainder of the 1945 season.

The Cubs finished 6.0 games behind the first place Roanoke Red Sox in the regular season standings and qualified for the four-team playoffs.

The Cubs lost in first round of the playoffs, being swept by the eventual champion Newport News Dodgers team in four games in the best of seven series.

The Cubs had a 69–71 regular season record, playing under retuning manager Gene Hasson, and finished 21.5 games behind the first place Roanoke Red Sox, who won their second consecutive league pennant.

[8] Baseball Hall of Fame member Buck Leonard played for the 1953 Portsmouth Merrimacs in his final professional season after a career in the Negro Leagues.

[114] Following his military discharge, Peete signed with the Portsmouth Merrimacs, becoming the first African-American to play in the Piedmont League following the 1946 breaking of the baseball color line.

Led by Martin at the end of the season, Portsmouth finished 16.0 games behind the first place Norfolk Tars, who won their fourth consecutive Piedmont League pennant.

[123] In 1949, Martin was managing the Miami Sun Sox of the Florida International League when he was fined and suspended for the remainder of the season for choking an umpire.

With Ken Guettler serving as Portsmouth's player/manager, the Merrimacs ended the season 13.5 games behind the first place Newport News Dodgers and qualified for the playoffs.

In the first round of the four-team playoffs, Portsmouth upset the pennant winning Newport News, defeating the Dodgers 3 games to 1 to advance.

[13] In 1933, the ballpark hosted the Portsmouth Revels of the Negro Leagues with Baseball Hall of fame member Buck Leonard on the roster.

Lewis would organize exhibitions with Negro league teams such as the Indianapolis Clowns, Kansas City Monarchs and the Homestead Grays, with Hall of Famer Josh Gibson to play at the ballpark.

Josh Gibson reportedly hit a home run at Lawrence Stadium that cleared the football press box and landed on Glasgow Street, traveling an estimated 585 feet.

(1933) Baseball Hall of Fame member Tony Lazzeri , New York Yankees . Goudey baseball card. Lazzeri was the player/manager for Portsmouth in 1942, leading the team to the league pennant.
(1937) Baseball Hall of Fame member Jimmy Foxx , Boston Red Sox . Foxx managed the 1944 Portsmouth Cubs for the end of the season, leading the team to the playoff finals. Foxx also pitched a complete game victory for the team in an emergency situation.
(1953) Smoky Burgess , Philadelphia Athletics . Burgess played for the 1945 Portsmouth Cubs until May 1945, when he enlisted for military service during World War II .
(1936) Ace Parker . A Portsmouth native, Parker was a player/manager for the Cubs in 1946 and 1948, while also playing in the National Football League . Parked played for Portsmouth in 6 different seasons beginning in 1937 and won the 1946 Piedmont League batting title. Parker was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972.
(1963) Reggie Otero , third base coach Cincinnati Reds . Otero played for Portsmouth from 1948 to 1952 and served as player/manager in 1951 and 1952.
(1947) Baseball Hall of Fame member Buck Leonard , Homestead Grays . At age 45, Leonard played for the 1953 Portsmouth Merrimacs, hitting .333 in 10 games.
(1946) Pepper Martin , player-manager , San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League . Martin managed the Portsmouth Merrimacs in 1954, leading the team to the Piedmont League finals.