Mississippi–Ohio Valley League
The Mississippi–Ohio Valley League was an American minor league baseball league. It operated from 1949 through 1955.
1949
Teams from Belleville, Illinois, Centralia, Illinois, Marion, Illinois, Mattoon, Illinois, Mount Vernon, Illinois, and West Frankfort, Illinois moved from the Illinois State League and joined the league. Mount Vernon moved to Paducah, Kentucky.
| Team Name | Affiliation | Record |
| Centralia Cubs | 74-44 | |
| West Frankfort Cardinals | St. Louis Cardinals | 71-49 |
| Mattoon Indians | 62-56 | |
| Paducah Chiefs | 54-65 | |
| Mount Vernon Kings | 53-67 | |
| Belleville Stags | 43-76 |
Mattoon beat Centralia 3 games to none in the playoffs. Paducah beat West Frankfort by 3 games to none as well. Paducah beat Mattoon 4 games to 3 for the championship.
1950
Belleville folded. The team from Springfield, Illinois left the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League and joined. New teams in Paris, Illinois and Vincennes, Indiana formed and joined the league.
| Centralia Sterlings | 83-40 | |
| West Frankfort Cardinals | St. Louis Cardinals | 72-47 |
| Mattoon Indians | 71-47 | |
| Paducah Chiefs | 67-55 | |
| Springfield Giants | 60-59 | |
| Paris Lakers | 43-75 | |
| Vincennes Citizens | 43-76 | |
| Mount Vernon Kings | 37-77 |
Centralia beat Mattoon 3 games to 1, and Paducah beat West Frankfort 3 games to none, in the first round of the playoffs. The championship series was cancelled due to bad weather.
1951
Springfield and West Frankfort folded. Paducah left to join the Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League. Danville, Illinois joined the league after having left the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League. The best records for the first and second halves of the season were also recorded.
| Paris Lakers | 84-36 (1st half winner) (2nd half winner) | |
| Centralia Zeros | 69-51 | |
| Mount Vernon Kings | 60-59 | |
| Danville Dans | 51-67 | |
| Mattoon Indians | 49-69 | |
| Vincennes Velvets | 43-74 |
1952
New teams in Decatur, Illinois and Hannibal, Missouri formed. The team from Vincennes moved to Canton, Ohio.
| Danville Dans | Boston Braves | 87-40 (1st half winner) |
| Paris Lakers | 85-42 (2nd half winner) | |
| Decatur Commodores | 73-52 | |
| Hannibal Stags | 70-57 | |
| Mount Vernon Kings | 55-67 | |
| Vincennes Velvets/Canton Citizens | 54-70 | |
| Centralia Zeros | 41-83 | |
| Mattoon Indians | Cincinnati Reds | 35-89 |
Hannibal beat Danville 3 games to 1, and Decatur beat Paris 3 games to 2 in the first round of the playoffs. Decatur won the championship over Hannibal 3 games to 1.
1953
Canton and Centralia folded.
| Decatur Commodores | 68-50 | |
| Paris Lakers | 66-53 | |
| Mattoon Phillies | Philadelphia Phillies | 64-56 |
| Hannibal Cannibals | St. Louis Cardinals | 55-62 |
| Mount Vernon Kings | 55-64 | |
| Danville Dans | Chicago White Sox | 48-71 |
Decatur beat Hannibal 3 games to none, and Paris beat Mattoon 3 games to none, in the first round of the playoffs. Decatur won the championship over Paris 3 games to 2.
1954
New teams in Clinton, Iowa and Dubuque, Iowa formed and joined the league.
| Decatur Commodores | 74-52 | |
| Danville Dans | New York Giants | 66-59 |
| Clinton Pirates | 63-59 | |
| Dubuque Packers | Chicago White Sox | 62-61 |
| Mattoon Phillies | Philadelphia Phillies | 62-64 |
| Paris Lakers | 58-68 | |
| Hannibal Cannibals | St. Louis Cardinals | 58-68 |
| Mount Vernon Kings | 57-69 |
Clinton beat Decatur 2 games to none, and Danville beat Dubuque 2 games to 1, in the first round of the playoffs. Danville won the championship over Clinton 3 games to none.
1955
Danville and Mount Vernon folded. New teams in Kokomo, Indiana and Lafayette, Indiana formed and joined the league.
| Dubuque Packers | Chicago White Sox | 74-52 |
| Mattoon Phillies | Philadelphia Phillies | 68-57 |
| Clinton Pirates | Pittsburgh Pirates | 68-57 |
| Kokomo Giants | 64-62 | |
| Lafayette Chiefs | Cleveland Indians | 63-63 |
| Decatur Commodores | St. Louis Cardinals | 62-64 |
| Paris Lakers | Brooklyn Dodgers | 62-64 |
| Hannibal Citizens | 42-84 |
Dubuque beat Clinton 2 games to none, and Mattoon beat Kokomo 2 games to none, in the first round of the playoffs. Dubuque won the championship over Mattoon 3 games to none. The team from Hannibal folded. All other teams from the league became charter members of the new, Class D Midwest League, now a Low Class A circuit, and the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League folded.
References
- Sumner, Benjamin Barrett. Minor League Baseball Standings:All North American Leagues, Through 1999. Jefferson, N.C.:McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0781-6
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