Don Harrison, journalist and author of Connecticut Baseball: The Best of the Nutmeg State, says that baseball in its many forms – professional, amateur, Little League, high school, collegiate – has had a firm grasp on the Bridgeport-Fairfield area for more than 130 years. “The exploits of Hall of Famer 'Orator Jim' O’Rourke, pitcher Charles Nagy and other former local stars and teams are captured in the Fairfield Museum and History Center’s new exhibition, 'It’s a Hit! A Hometown View of Our National Pastime,' which continues through Jan. 2, 2011,” Harrison adds.
Harrison, who provided insights and information to the museum in creating the exhibition, has been helping the museum by giving personalized tours on designated days. Based on his extensive research, Harrison has compiled a list of accomplishments and notable dates pertaining to Bridgeport natives, local teams and residents as part of the museum's baseball history exhibition.
April 22, 1876 – Orator Jim O’Rourke of Bridgeport gets the first hit in National League history – the first of 2,304 for his outstanding career – with the Boston Red Caps.
1880 – Jim O’Rourke shares the National League home run title with six.
June 16, 1884 – Jim O’Rourke hits for the cycle (single, double, triple, home run) in a game against Buffalo.
1885 – Professional baseball makes its debut in Bridgeport with the formation of the Bridgeport Giants, who assemble a 12-17 record after joining the Eastern League in August.
1904 – The Bridgeport Orators, owned and managed by Jim O’Rourke, win the Connecticut League championship with a 71-45 record. Home games are played at Newfield Park. Clarence “Pop” Foster is the club’s hitting star, with league-leading performances in average (.376), hits (158), doubles (33) and triples (13). Although nearly 54 years old, O’Rourke appears in 65 games and bats .286.
Sept. 22, 1904 – When Jim O’Rourke, who turned 54 on Sept. 1, takes the field as the New York Giants’ catcher, he becomes the oldest player to play in the National League.
Aug. 9, 1923 – Pitcher John Gillespie of the Bridgeport Americans hits four home runs and a single in an Eastern League road game against the Springfield (Mass.) Ponies. His fourth homer leading off the 10th inning snaps a 9-9 tie and gives Bridgeport a 10-9 victory. He is also the winning pitcher
Aug. 4, 1930 – After Mayor Edward Buckingham flips the switch for the newly installed lights at Newfield Park, more than 6,000 fans are treated to the first night game in Bridgeport history between the Springfield Ponies and the Bridgeport Bears.
July 17, 1932 – Due to the Great Depression, the Bridgeport Bears and the other clubs in the Class-A Eastern League disband. With the exception of 1941, there will be no professional baseball in the area until after World War II.
1932 – Bridgeport native George “Kiddo” Davis turns in a splendid rookie season with the Philadelphia Phillies, batting .309 with 100 runs scored, 39 doubles and 16 stolen bases. In the outfield, he ranks second among National Leaguers with 411 putouts.
1933 – “Kiddo” Davis bats .368 to help the New York Giants win the World Series over the Washington Senators in five games.
1945 – Orator Jim O’Rourke is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. He batted .310 across 18 seasons (1876-1893) plus the one game – at age 54 – with the Giants in 1904.
1947 – Professional baseball returns to the area with the Bridgeport Bees of the Class-B Colonial League. Carl Brunetto, a local restaurateur, and Fairfield resident Bob Sherwood are the Bees’ co-owners; Sherwood also plays center field and bats .310 in the Bees’ inaugural season. Home games are played at the new Candlelite Stadium. The team – and the league – will last 3½ seasons.
August 1950 – Bridgeport’s Little League team, winner of the Connecticut state champion-ship, advances to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., where it loses a 2-1 decision to Texas in the title game. John Lewis, later a fine athlete, coach and athletic director at Warren Harding High School, is one of the team’s stars.
1951 – Fairfield University fields its first varsity baseball team, winning 7 of 12 games.
April 17, 1976 – Shortstop Bob Kownacki, a Bridgeport native, hits two home runs in the sixth inning to power Fairfield University to a 17-3 victory over the University of Connecticut.
1976 – Sacred Heart University, coached by Pete DiOrio, wins the NCAA Division II Northeast Regional championship and competes in the Division II World Series at Springfield, Ill.
1977 – Fairfield University, coached by Don Cook, makes the first of three straight trips to the ECAC New England Tournament, defeating defending champion Maine before losing to UConn and Boston College.
1978 – Bridgeport Central High School, coached by Sumner Sochrin, wins the Class LL state title with a 5-3 triumph over Trumbull in the championship game.
Sept. 15, 1978 – Phil Nastu, the former Bassick High School and University of Bridgeport left-hander, makes his pitching debut with the San Francisco Giants – after just 1½ seasons in the Giants’ farm system.
1981 – Andrew Warde High School, coached by Ed Bengermino, captures the Class LL state title with a 9-8 victory over Rockville in the championship game.
1983 – Pitcher Keefe Cato joins the National League’s Cincinnati Reds, becoming the first Fairfield University athlete in any sport to play in the major leagues. He is the Reds’ winning pitcher in his second game
1985 – Kurt Kepshire, the former Bridgeport Central High School pitching ace, contributes 10 victories to the St. Louis Cardinals’ East Division title. The Redbirds go on to win the pennant and the World Series.
June 1, 1988 – Charles Nagy, the former University of Connecticut and Roger Ludlowe High School pitching star, is selected by the Cleveland Indians on the first round (17th pick overall) of the free agent draft.
1988 – The U.S. Olympic team, led by future Major League stars Charles Nagy, Tino Martinez, Robin Ventura and Jim Abbott, wins the gold medal in Seoul, South Korea.
1992 – Sacred Heart University, coached by Nick Giaquinto, captures the NCAA Division II Northeast Regional title for the second time and competes in the Division II World Series at Montgomery, Ala.
Aug. 8, 1992 – Cleveland’s Charles Nagy pitches a one-hit, 6-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles en route to a 17-win, 10-loss season.
July 15, 1996 – Angel Echevarria, one of the great three-sport athletes of the modern era at Bassick High School, makes his major league debut with the Colorado Rockies. The outfielder-first baseman will conclude his seven-season career in the National League with a .280 batting average.
1996 – Stratford Ale House wins the Senior City League championship for the ninth of 12 consecutive seasons. This summer, the team travels to Louisville, Ky., and garners the National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF) title.
1998 – After a lapse of 47 summers, professional baseball returns to the area with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the independent Atlantic League. The team’s principal co-owners are husband-and-wife Jack McGregor and Mary-Jane Foster, and Mickey Herbert. Home games are played at the new Ballpark at Harbor Yard. Former American League first baseman and Fairfield resident Willie Upshaw is appointed manager.
1999 – The Bridgeport Bluefish sweep the Somerset Patriots, 3 games to 0, in the Atlantic League Championship Series to win the pennant – the Park City’s first since 1904.
2000 – Sports Illustrated selects pitcher Charles Nagy as the 32nd greatest sports figure of the 20th century in Connecticut. Nagy compiled a 129-105 won-lost record with Cleveland and the San Diego Padres, appearing in two World Series and two All-Star Games.
2002 – Fairfield High School captures the Class LL state championship with an 8-1 triumph over Simsbury.
2003 – Notre Dame High School of Fairfield wins the Class M state title with a 7-0 shutout of Montville.
2007 – Fairfield Ludlowe High School comes oh-so-close to winning its first state title, but falls short against Jonathan Law of Milford, 7-1, in the Class L championship game.
2008 – Notre Dame High School earns its second state title in the decade, this time in Class S, with an 11-1 win over Stafford.
