Ohio State League 1944 to 1947, championship Minor league baseball began in Newark, Ohio with a team in the 1889
Ohio State League and continued to 1915 when the
Newark New Socks played as members of the
Class D level
Buckeye League. Newark returned to minor league play in 1944, when the
Newark Moundsmen became members of the Class D level
Ohio State League and won the Ohio State League Championship. The Moundsmen began play as an affiliate of the
St. Louis Browns and played four seasons in the Ohio State League. The 1944 Ohio State League reformed as a six–team league in 1944 after a hiatus due to
World War II. Playing with league members
Lima Red Birds,
Marion Diggers,
Middletown Red Sox,
Springfield Giants and
Zanesville Dodgers, the Moundsmen finished second in the standings. baseball card. Garver lead the Moundsmen to the 1944 Ohio State League championship, with 21 wins in the regular season and 3 in the playoff finals. With a regular season record of 71–59, Newark ended the 1944 Ohio State regular season in second place and qualified for the playoffs. The Moundsmen finished 4.5 games behind the first place
Springfield Giants, playing the season under manager
Clay Bryant. In the first round of the 1944 playoffs the Newark Moundsmen defeated the Lima Red Birds 3 games to 1 and advanced. In the finals, Newark defeated the Middletown Red Sox 4 games to 2 to claim the championship. In the finals, Newark pitcher
Ned Garver defeated the Middletown Red Sox three times, helping the Moundsmen win the championship. Ned Garver led the Ohio State league with 21 wins, 221 strikeouts and a 1.21 ERA. He also hit .407 in his pitching at bats. Teammate Luke Majorki won the league batting title, hitting .355. The fans were generous to the low-paid players, sometimes collecting $16 to $18 for Garver following a win. When someone stole his glove during the season, the fans raised him enough money to buy a new one. Local restaurants would give the pitchers free meals for winning games. With a 1945 regular season record of 57–82, the Moundsmen finished in sixth place in the six-team league. Playing the season under manager Mickey O'Neill, Newark finished 32.0 games behind the first place
Middletown Rockets in the regular season standings and did not qualify for the playoffs won by Zanesville over Middleton. Newark's Albert Kaiser won the league batting championship, hitting .368 and his 12 home runs also led the league. Newark qualified for the playoffs after the Moundsmen ended the regular season with a record of 74–65 under manager
Bob Boken, finishing 8.0 games behind the Springfield Giants. In the first round of the playoffs, Newark lost to the Springfield Giants four games to two. On June 28, 1946, Newark pitcher Carl Schulte threw a
no-hitter in a 7–0 victory over the Richmond Roses. In 1947, the Ohio State League played its final season, before changing its name. The Newark Moundsmen had a 64–76 regular season record and finished in seventh place, playing the season under manager Ed Dancisak. The Moundsmen finished the season 25.5 games behind the first place Zanesville Dodgers in the eight–team league. Ed Fowler of Newark led the Ohio State League with 119 RBI. The
Lima Terriers,
Marion Cubs,
Muncie Reds,
Portsmouth A's,
Richmond Roses,
Springfield Giants and
Zanesville Dodgers teams joined the Newark Yankees in league play. Managed by Bobby Dill and Solly Mishkin, Newark finished 17.0 games behind the first place Zanesville Dodgers. With their fifth-place finish, Newark did not qualify for the four-team playoffs won by Zanesville. Continuing Ohio–Indiana League play, the 1949 Newark Yankees had a regular season record of 65–72. The Yankees placed sixth and were managed by
Jim McLeod. Newark finished 15.0 games behind the first place Portsmouth A's and did not qualify for the playoffs. The league playoffs were won by the
Marion Red Sox. Yankee pitcher George Vinston threw a no–hitter on July 22, 1949, in a 3–0 victory over the
Marion Red Sox. The 1950 Newark Yankees reached the Ohio–Indiana League finals. With an 89–49 record, Newark placed second under manager
Billy Holm. Newark finished 1.0 games behind the first place
Marion Red Sox in the regular season standings of the eight-team league. In the first round of the playoffs, the Newark Yankees beat the Richmond Tigers 3 games to 2. In the finals, the Marion Red Sox beat the Newark Yankees 4 games to 0. In their final season of play, the Newark Yankees won the first half standings in the Ohio–Indiana League, before folding during the season. The 1951 Yankees were managed by Malcolm Mickthen. Newark won the first half of the season by 2.5 games over the Marion Red Sox in the six-team league. On July 17, 1951, the Yankees had an overall record of 49–31 when the team folded. The Ohio–Indiana League permanently folded after the 1951 season was concluded. Newark, Ohio did not resume minor league baseball play for over fourth years, until the 1994
Newark Buffalos began play as members of the
Independent level
Frontier League. ==The ballparks==