The Erie Sailors was the primary name of several minor league baseball teams that played in Erie, Pennsylvania between 1906 and 1994.
Pre-1930s
Several unrelated teams used the Erie Sailors name in the Interstate League (1906–1907, 1913, 1916), the Ohio–Pennsylvania League (1908–1911), and the Central League (1912, 1915, 1928–30, 1932).
1938–1963
During these years, the Erie Sailors played in the Middle Atlantic League from 1938–1939, 1941–1942, and 1946–1951; the Pennsylvania–Ontario–New York League (PONY League) from 1944–1945 and 1954–1956; and the PONY's successor New York – Penn League from 1957–1963. Several times during this period, the team was also called the Erie Senators, after its major league affiliate, the Washington Senators. The Sailors won league championship in 1957. The Sailors won the regular season by nine games in 1951. They then lost the league championship series to the Niagara Falls Citizens, four games to two.
From 1948 onward, this team (and all subsequent Sailors teams) played at Ainsworth Field.
New York–Penn League – 1990s
In 1990, after the Baltimore Orioles ended their affiliation with the team (then known as the Erie Orioles), they reclaimed the Sailors name and operated as an unaffiliated minor league team for two years before becoming the Florida Marlins' first farm team in 1992 and a Texas Rangers affiliate in 1993. Because of the deteriorating condition of Ainsworth Field, the team moved after the 1993 season to Fishkill, New York and then became the Hudson Valley Renegades.
Frontier League
In 1994, the Sailors were a team in the independent Frontier League, winning the league championship in their only year of existence as a member of the Frontier League. In 1995, the Erie SeaWolves moved to town, displacing the Sailors, forcing the franchise to move to Johnstown, Pennsylvania as the Johnstown Steal/Johnnies and then to Florence, Kentucky as the Florence Y'alls.
Notable alumni
Hall of Fame Alumni
Chief Bender (1932) Inducted, 1953
Other notable alumni
Vic Aldridge (1915) Luis Alicea (1986) Pete Appleton (1951) George Bamberger (1946) Joe Boever (1982) Billy Gilbert (1912) Frank Gilhooley (1912) Bernard Gilkey (1985) Fredi Gonzalez (1992) Lance Johnson (1984) MLB All-Star Pat Kelly (1962) MLB All-Star Paul LaPalme (1942) John Lynch (1992) NFL HOF and current 49ers GM Dick McAuliffe (1957) 3 x MLB All-Star Cliff Melton (1932) MLB All-Star Jim Merritt (1962) MLB All-Star Tom Pagnozzi (1983) MLB All-Star Frank Quilici (1961) Arthur Rhodes (1989) MLB All-Star Buck Rodgers (1957) 1987 NL Manager of the Year Dean Stone (1951) MLB All-Star Bobby Tolan (1988-1989) Todd Worrell (1982) 3 x MLB All-Star; 1986 NL Rookie of the Year Todd Zeile (1986)