Columbia Comers
The Columbia Comers were a minor league baseball team, based in Columbia, South Carolina and played in the South Atlantic League.
Columbia's first professional team was known as the Senators and played in the short-lived first South Atlantic League season in 1892. The city did not have a professional baseball team again until 1903 when the Columbia Skyscrapers played a non-league season. In 1904, the Skyscrapers joined the new South Atlantic League and changed their name to the Columbia Gamecocks midway through the season, playing under that moniker for three and a half years. The team played as the Columbia Chicks in 1908, the Columbia Palmettos in 1909, and the Columbia Blues in 1910. In 1911, the club was finally named the Columbia Comers which was short for Commissioners. During their first year with the new name, the Comers won the second half of the South Atlantic League season before losing to the Columbus Foxes in the league championship playoff series.
In 1911, the club was finally named the Comers, and would eventually win four league titles. They briefly played part of their 1923 season in Gastonia, North Carolina as the Gastonia Combers. From 1927 until 1930, the team was an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Season-by-season
Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs |
1892 | 12-11 | - | A. D. Palmer | |
1903 | 35-16 | - | W. E. Law | |
1904 | 47-62 | 5th | John Grim / William Engle | |
1905 | 52-75 | 6th | Billy Earle / Robert Wallace / Charlie Dexter | |
1906 | 52-59 | 4th | Ed Granville | |
1907 | 36-87 | 6th | Jay Kanzler / Bill Hallman / Edward Ransick | |
1908 | 46-58 | 4th | Win Clark | |
1909 | 41-78 | 8th | Arthur Granville | |
1910 | 46-72 | 6th | William Breitenstein / Dred Cavender | |
1911 | 87-49 | 1st | Dred Cavender / Langdon 'Bill' Clark | Lost League Finals to Columbus Foxes four games to two. |
1912 | 41-75 | 6th | Langdon 'Bill' Clark / Ted McGrew / Herman 'Humpty' Badel | |
- | - | - | - | |
1914 | 60-66 | 4th | Doug Harbison / Champ Osteen | |
1915 | 44-42 | 4th | Connie Lewis / Doug Harbison | |
1916 | 72-50 | 1st | Doug Harbison | Lost League Finals to the Augusta Tourists, four games to none. |
1917 | 40-28 | 2nd | Jack Corbett | League Champs No playoffs |
- | - | - | - | |
1919 | 55-39 | 1st | Tom Clarke | League Champs No playoffs |
1920 | 76-44 | 1st | Zinn Beck | League Champs No playoffs |
1921 | 95-53 | 1st | Zinn Beck | League Champs No playoffs |
1922 | 72-59 | 3rd | Zinn Beck | |
1923 | 44-96 | 6th | Scotty Alcock / Roxy Middleton | The Columbia Baseball Association folded mid-season in 1923 and forfeited its franchise rights. The team was taken over by the league on July 1 and played the remaining home games of the season in Gastonia, NC. |
- | - | - | - | |
1925 | 47-82 | 7th | Olin Perrin / Babe Ganzel / Herbert Brenner | |
1926 | 40-106 | 8th | Herbert Brenner / Billy Purtell | |
1927 | 65-81 | 7th | Gabby Street | |
1928 | 67-78 | 6th | Joe Kelly | |
1929 | 68-79 | 7th | Joe Kelly | |
1930 | 39-101 | 6th | Marty Fielder / Lee Stebbins |