{{Infobox Minor League Baseball | name =Torrington Braves | firstseason =1950 | lastseason = | allyears = | city =Torrington, Connecticut | logo = | uniformlogo = | class level =Class B (1950) | league =Colonial League (1950) | majorleague =None | nickname ='''Torrington Braves''' (1950) | ballpark =Fuessenich Park (1950) | classnum = | classchamps = | leaguenum =0 | leaguechamps =None | confnum = | conferencechamps = | divnum = | divisionchamps = | wildcardnum = | wildcardberths = }} The '''Torrington Braves''' were a short lived minor league baseball team based in Torrington, Connecticut. In 1950, the Braves played as members of the Class B level 1950 Colonial League, which permanently folded during the 1950 season with the Braves in fourth place.

The Torrington Braves hosted their home minor league games at Fuessenich Park, which is still in use today.

==History== Minor league baseball began in Torrington, Connecticut in 1896, when the Torrington Tornadoes became members of the Naugatuck Valley League.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=1272a715|title=1896 Naugatuck Valley League|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref> The 1897 Torrington Demons played the next season as members of the Connecticut League and preceded the Braves in minor league play.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=1897 Torrington Demons Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref>

After a five decade absence, minor league baseball returned to Torrington in 1950 for a partial season, when the Stamford Pioneers franchise of the Colonial League was replaced in the league by the new Torrington franchise.<ref name="encyc">{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball |editor-first1=Lloyd |editor-last1=Johnson |editor-first2=Miles |editor-last2=Wolff |edition=Third |publisher=Baseball America |date=2007 |isbn=978-1932391176}}</ref>

The Torrington "Braves" became members of the six–team Class B level Colonial League.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=1950 Torrington Braves Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref> The Braves joined the Bridgeport Bees, Bristol Owls, Kingston Colonials, Poughkeepsie Chiefs and Waterbury Timers teams in beginning Colonial League play on May 2, 1950.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/l-COLL2/y-1950|title=1950 Colonial League (CL) Minor League Baseball on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}</ref>

On July 16, 1950, the Braves were in fourth place when the Colonial League folded. Torrington had a record of 33–32 when the league folded, while playing the season under manager Merle Strachan.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/roster/t-tb15014/y-1950|title=1950 Torrington Braves minor league baseball Roster on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}</ref> The Braves scored 303 total runs, last in the league, and surrendered 304 runs.<ref name="auto1"/> Torrington finished 8.0 games behind the first place Poughkeepsie Chiefs in the final standings.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=e08c6f7c|title=1950 Colonial League|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref><ref name="encyc"/>

The Colonial League permanently folded after the 1950 season.<ref name="encyc"/> Torrington, Connecticut has not hosted another minor league team.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=Torrington, Connecticut Encyclopedia|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref> thumb|(1945) Main Street. Torrington, Connecticut ==The ballpark== {{Main|Fuessenich Park|l1=Fuessenich Park}} The 1950 Torrington Braves played home minor league games at Fuessenich Park.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/venues/v-2728|title=Fuessnich Park in Torrington, CT minor league baseball history and teams on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}</ref> The ballpark was previously called "League Park" and was said to have been "the first place in Torrington where baseball was played," having been in use as a public park beginning in 1838. Frederick F. Fuessenich purchased League Park in 1912 and donated it to the city in 1918. The ballpark was named for his wife, Elizabeth Blake Fuessenich, who died in 1914.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1998-06-21-9806190137-story.html|title=THE LONG HISTORY OF AN OLD BALLPARK|website=Hartford Courant}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://digitalballparks.com/NECBL/Torrington.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060217085348/http://www.digitalballparks.com/NECBL/Torrington.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=February 17, 2006|title=Fuessenich Park - Torrington Connecticut - Home of the Torrington Twisters / Braves|website=digitalballparks.com}}</ref> Still in use as a ballpark today, Fuessnich Park is located at 33 Coe Place in Torrington, Connecticut.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://torringtonct.myrec.com/info/facilities/details.aspx?FacilityID=14738|title=Torrington Parks and Recreation Department: Facility Details|website=torringtonct.myrec.com}}</ref>

==Year–by–year record== {| class="wikitable" |- style="background: #F2F2F2;" ! Year !! Record !! Finish !! Manager !! Playoffs/notes |- align=center | 1950 || 33–32 || 4th || Merle Strachan || League folded July 16 |- align=center |}

==Notable alumni== No Torrington Braves alumni appeared in the major leagues.<ref name="auto1"/> Ed Musial, younger brother of Baseball Hall of Fame member Stan Musial played for the Braves, hitting .288 in his final professional season.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/stan-musial/|title=Stan Musial – Society for American Baseball Research}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/stats/p-156b8a27|title=Edward Musial minor league baseball Statistics on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}</ref>

==References==

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==External links== *[https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Torrington&state=CT&country=US Torrington - Baseball Reference] *{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060217085348/http://www.digitalballparks.com/NECBL/Torrington.html Fuessenich Park photos]}}

Category:Defunct baseball teams in Connecticut Category:Colonial League teams Category:Baseball teams established in 1950 Category:Baseball teams disestablished in 1950 Category:Torrington, Connecticut