Reading Indians Night Game – 1960s

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It’s opening day for the Reading Fightin Phils! Which means it’s time for a flashback to early 1960s Municipal Field, home of the Reading Indians.

Image from “Berks Countians; The Wonderful Way We Live”

In 1952, the Wilkes-Barre Indians, an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians relocated to Reading to become the Reading Indians. The Reading Indians played at Municipal Memorial Stadium for the next decade, capturing the league title in 1957. Several Indians went on to successful major-league careers, including Rocky Colavito and Roger Maris. The Reading Indians franchise relocated to Charleston, West Virginia in 1961 to become the Charleston Indians, Reading was without professional baseball for that year.

For the 1962 season, the Williamsport Grays moved to Reading and became the second Reading Red Sox team, serving as a Boston Red Sox affiliate for two years, owned by Joe Buzas. The new Reading Red Sox relocated to Pittsfield, Massachusetts and were renamed Pittsfield Red Sox (this Eastern League franchise was later the New Britain Rock Cats and is now the Hartford Yard Goats).

The Cleveland Indians relocated the Charleston Indians back to Reading after the Reading Red Sox relocated to Pittsfield, the Charleston Indians was once again known as the Reading Indians for one more year before relocating again. Reading was without a baseball team in 1966 before a new Eastern League expansion franchise was established in Reading in 1967 which became known as the Reading Phillies. –Wikipedia


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Brian Engelhardt
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Brian Engelhardt
4 years ago

A great reminder of how lucky the area has been with the Reading Phillies/Fightins over the past 50+ years and how the stadium has flourished as a place to enjoy a game. A couple of corrections- Reading was without baseball for the 1962 season. Then Joe Buzas moved the Red Sox franchise team from York to Reading before the 1963 season. York was the third home for the Class A Red Sox team in three years (Allentown in 1960, Johnstown in 1961, and York (playing as the White Roses) in 1962. Also, the AA team that moved to Reading for the 1967 season was the Phillies AA franchise team that had played in Macon in the Southern League during the 1966 season.


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Berks Nostalgia