Eastern Shore League
The Eastern Shore Baseball League was a class D minor league baseball league that operated on the Delmarva Peninsula for parts of three different decades. The league's first season was in 1922 and the last was in 1949, although the years were not consecutive, and featured teams from Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. The first incarnation lasted from 1922 to mid-1928 (disbanded in July), the second from 1937–41, and the third from 1946–49. Though the level of play was competitive and many future major leaguers gained experience in the ESBL, funding the league remained a constant problem for the rural franchises.
Future major leaguers who played in the ESBL include notables such as: Frank "Home Run" Baker, Mickey Cochrane, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Vernon, and Don Zimmer.
The Eastern Shore Baseball Hall of Fame at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, Maryland, pays homage to ESBL players and locals who made the major leagues. Perdue Stadium is the home of the class A Delmarva Shorebirds, an Orioles farm team.
Host cities, teams and years
| Cities represented | Teams | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Cambridge, Maryland | Cambridge Canners | 1922–1928, 1940–1941 |
| Cambridge Cardinals | 1937–1939 | |
| Cambridge Dodgers | 1946–1949 | |
| Centreville, Maryland | Centreville Colts | 1937–1939 |
| Centreville Red Sox | 1940–1941 | |
| Centreville Orioles | 1946 | |
| Crisfield, Maryland | Crisfield Crabbers | 1922–1928, 1937 |
| Dover, Delaware | Dover Senators | 1923–1924, 1926 |
| Dover Dobbins | 1925 | |
| Dover Orioles | 1937–1940 | |
| Dover Phillies | 1946–1948 | |
| Easton, Maryland | Easton Farmers | 1924–1928 |
| Easton Browns | 1937 | |
| Easton Cubs | 1938 | |
| Easton Yankees | 1939–1941, 1946–1949 | |
| Federalsburg, Maryland | Federalsburg Little A's | 1937–1941 |
| Federalsburg A's | 1946–1948 | |
| Federalsburg Feds | 1949 | |
| Laurel, Delaware | Laurel Blue Hens | 1922–1923 |
| Milford, Delaware | Milford Sandpipers | 1923 |
| Milford Giants | 1938–1941 | |
| Milford Red Sox | 1946–1948 | |
| Northampton, Virginia | Northampton Red Sox | 1927–1928 |
| Parksley, Virginia | Parksley Spuds | 1922–1928 |
| Pocomoke City, Maryland | Pocomoke City Salamanders | 1922–1923 |
| Pocomoke City Red Sox | 1937–1939 | |
| Pocomoke City Chicks | 1940 | |
| Rehoboth Beach, Delaware | Rehoboth Beach Pirates | 1947–1948 |
| Rehoboth Beach Sea Hawks | 1949 | |
| Salisbury, Maryland | Salisbury Indians | 1922–1928, 1937–1938 |
| Salisbury (MD) Senators | 1939 | |
| Salisbury Cardinals | 1940–1941, 1946–1949 | |
| Seaford, Delaware | Seaford Eagles | 1946–1949 |
Selected bibliography
- The Eastern Shore Baseball League by William Mowbray (1989) remains the most comprehensive source for ESBL history.
- Mike Lambert has published the Eastern Shore League with Arcadia Publishing in April 2010.