For the Prairie League team also known as the Aberdeen Pheasants, see Aberdeen Pheasants (Prairie League).
Aberdeen Pheasants
Firstseason1946
Lastseason1971
CityAberdeen, South Dakota
Class level
League
Majorleague
BallparkMunicipal Stadium
MascotPhilbert the Pheasant
Leaguechamps1949 · 1961 · 1964
Leaguenum3

The Aberdeen Pheasants were a minor league baseball team based in Aberdeen, South Dakota that played in the Northern League from 1946 until 1971. For their entire existence, the Pheasants were an affiliate of the St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles franchise. They played their home games at Municipal Stadium.

At the time of the Pheasants' dissolution, their working agreement was the longest ever between a major and minor league baseball team. Aberdeen won the Northern League championship in 1949, 1961, and 1964.

History

In 1946, the Northern League, which had been on hiatus since 1942 due to World War II, restarted and invited Aberdeen to bring the circuit up to eight teams.[1]. The name "Pheasants" was chosen for the club through a local contest.[2] The team was community-owned, which was unusual for the time.[3]

The first Opening Day for the Pheasants drew a crowd of over two thousand people.[2] After missing the postseason in their first year, the Pheasants would go on to play in the league finals three straight years from 1947 to 1949. Aberdeen won the Northern League championship in 1949, defeating the Eau Claire Bears.

1964 exhibition vs. Baltimore

On 8 June, 1964, the Pheasants' parent club, the Baltimore Orioles, came to Aberdeen to play an exhibition game. Aberdeen, which featured future major leaguers such as Mark Belanger, Jim Palmer, and Lou Piniella, came into the game leading the Northern League with a 31–9 record, while the Orioles were 31–17 and ½ game behind the White Sox for the American League lead.[4]

The Orioles, arriving on a charter plane from Minneapolis, had to bring a ladder along to disembark, as Aberdeen's airport had no portable stairs.[5] Pheasants players were quoted as saying, "We're gonna beat 'em and climb onto that big plane. They can stay here and finish the Northern League schedule."[6][4] Official attendance for the game was 5,130 — one-fifth of Aberdeen's entire population — but local news estimated that another thousand people watched from vantage points outside the ballpark.[5] The Orioles won the game, 6–3.

Demise

After the 1971 season, the Northern League only had two teams remaining: the Pheasants and the St. Cloud Rox. Unable to find any other teams, the Northern League closed down.[7]. Aberdeen's working agreement with the Orioles franchise had been the longest-running working agreement in baseball, lasting the entirety of the Pheasants' existence.[4]

Aberdeen would be without professional baseball until the Aberdeen Pheasants of the Prairie League began play in 1995.[8]

Mascot

The team's mascot was a cartoon pheasant named Philbert, drawn by local cartoonist Gordon Haug. Philbert would appear on the front page of the newspaper to comment on the previous day's game.[9][2]

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame Alumni[10]

Notable alumni[10]

Year-by-year record

YearParent clubLeagueW–LWin%PlaceManagerPostseasonAttendanceRef
Aberdeen Pheasants
1946SLBNOR57–535thGus Albright[11]-57,008[12][13][14]
1947SLBNOR82–361stDon HeffnerWon 1st round 3–2 vs. Fargo–Moorhead
Lost finals 2–4 vs. Sioux Falls		90,156[15]
1948SLBNOR64–594thJames CrandallWon 1st round 3–0 vs. Eau Claire
Lost finals 0–4 vs. Grand Forks		85,942[16]
1949SLBNOR71–542ndIrvin HallWon 1st round 3–1 vs. Superior
Won finals 4–1 vs. Eau Claire		85,624[17]
1950s
1950SLBNOR62–575thIrvin Hall–61,208[18]
1951SLBNOR61–605thJoe King
Jim Post
Bruce Ogrodowski		–62,203[19]
1952SLBNOR63–625thBruce Ogrodowski–87,879[20]
1953SLBNOR60–634thBarney LutzLost 1st round 0–2 vs. Duluth54,532[21]
1954BALNOR60–757thBarney Lutz–62,503[22]
1955BALNOR70–564thBill KruegerLost 1st round 1–2 vs. Eau Claire75,401[23]
1956BALNOR64–614thGeorge StallerWon 1st round 1–0 vs. Winnipeg
Lost finals 2–0 vs. Duluth–Superior		60,673[24]
1957BALNOR51–707thBill Capps
Barney Lutz		–47,312[25]
1958BALNOR39–868thBarney Lutz
Billy DeMars		–36,599[26]
1959BALNOR69–552ndEarl WeaverWon 1st round 1–0 vs. Minot
Lost finals 1–2 vs. Winnipeg		63,111[27]
1960s
1960BALNOR63–613rdLou FitzgeraldLost 1st round 0–1 vs. Winnipeg45,321[28]
1961BALNOR74–542ndLou FitzgeraldWon 1st round 1–0 vs. Grand Forks
Won finals 2–0 vs. St. Cloud		34,136[29]
1962BALNOR64–604thBilly DeMarsWon 1st round 1–0 vs. Duluth–Superior
Lost finals 0–2 vs. Eau Claire		39,101[30]
1963BALNOR65–552ndCal Ripken Sr.3rd in Baukol Playoffs[a]39,949[31]
1964BALNOR80–371stCal Ripken Sr.1st in Baukol Playoffs[a]46,397[32]
1965BALNOR27–394thRay Rippelmeyer–23,525[33]
1966BALNOR47–222ndCal Ripken Sr.–24,767[34]
1967BALNOR34–364thOwen Friend–18,555[35]
1968BALNOR26–446thBill Werle–15,517[36]
1969BALNOR28–425thKen Rowe–15,546[37]
1970s
1970BALNOR36–333rdKen Rowe–20,880[38]
1971BALNOR35–362ndKen Rowe–17,467[39]
Totals1452–13661,271,312

Footnotes

  1. ^ In the Baukol Playoffs, a team's record over the final 30 games of their season was used to determine their playoff finish.

References

  1. ^ Webb 2016, p. 144.
  2. ^ Gallagher, Patrick. "Aberdeen Pheasants: Minor League Baseball in the Hub City". Aberdeen Magazine. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  3. ^ Webb 2016, p. 145.
  4. ^ Blumenau, Kurt. "June 8, 1964: Orioles go down on the farm in Aberdeen". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  5. ^ Gallagher, Patrick. "For The Birds: Baltimore Orioles Vs. Aberdeen Pheasants, 60 Years Later". Aberdeen Magazine. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  6. ^ Webb 2016, p. 141.
  7. ^ Webb 2016, p. 164.
  8. ^ Gallagher, Patrick. "Fantastic Voyage: The 1990s Aberdeen Pheasants, Part II". aberdeenmag.com. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  9. ^ Webb 2016, p. 157.
  10. ^ "Aberdeen Pheasants Baseball". Dacotah Prairie Museumn. Archived October 6, 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  11. ^ "1946 Aberdeen Pheasants Roster". statscrew.com. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  12. ^ Webb, Daryl (June 15, 2016). "“Keep Pro Baseball” The Aberdeen Pheasants Baseball Team, 1946–1971". South Dakota History. 46 (2): 146. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  13. ^ "Northern League Attendance Totals 478,253 for '46". St. Cloud Times. 3 October 1946. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  14. ^ The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. 1st ed. Baseball America, Inc. 1993. p. 221. ISBN 9780963718907.
  15. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 227.
  16. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 234.
  17. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 242.
  18. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 250.
  19. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 257.
  20. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 266.
  21. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 272.
  22. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 278.
  23. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 283.
  24. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 288.
  25. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 291.
  26. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 295.
  27. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 298.
  28. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 301.
  29. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 304.
  30. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 307.
  31. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 311.
  32. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 314.
  33. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 317.
  34. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 320.
  35. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 323.
  36. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 326.
  37. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 329.
  38. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 332.
  39. ^ Baseball America 1993, p. 335.