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Previous Class A (1963–1975; 1980)
Class B (1920–1924; 1936–1940; 1962)
Class C (1915–1917; 1927)
Class D (1909–1910; 1928–1929; 1941–1942; 1946–1952) League Carolina League (1962–1975; 1980) Previous leagues Coastal Plain League (1941; 1946–1952)
Bi-State League (1942)
Piedmont League (1927; 1936–1940)
Eastern Carolina League (1909–1910; 1928–1929)
Virginia League (1915–1917; 1920–1924) Previous Unaffiliated (1980; 1946–1952; 1941–1942)
Philadelphia Phillies (1973–1975)
Detroit Tigers (1965–1972)
Washington Senators (1964)
Cincinnati Reds (1962–1963)
Boston Red Sox (1936–1940)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1929)
Unaffiliated prior to 1929 League titles 1915; 1929; 1942; 1946; 1966; 1975 Previous names Rocky Mount Pines (1980)
Phillies (1973–1975)
Leafs (1941; 1947–1952; 1962–1963; 1965–1972)
Senators (1964)
Rocks (1942; 1946)
Red Sox (1936–1940)
Buccaneers (1927–1929)
Broncos (1924)
Tar Heels (1916–1917; 1920–1923)
Carolinians (1915)
Railroaders (1909–1910) | ||
The Rocky Mount Pines was an American minor league baseball team located in Rocky Mount, North Carolina which competed in the Class A Carolina League for the 1980 season. They were the 42nd and final team to represent Rocky Mount in minor league baseball during the 20th century, beginning in 1909.
The 1980 Pines were unaffiliated with any Major League Baseball franchise or farm system, and played their home games at Municipal Stadium. The Pines were formed by owner Lou Haneles and led by manager Mal Fichman, and represented the return of professional baseball to Rocky Mount since the departure of the Rocky Mount Phillies in 1975.
The low light of the season came on August 29 when Durham Bulls pitcher Rick Behenna no-hit the Pines in an 8-0 victory. The Pines finished their lone season with a record of only 24 wins to 114 losses, the worst mark in Carolina League history, had losing streaks of 18, 14, 13, and 11 games, and drew a total of only 26,702 fans for the entire season. The franchise relocated the next year to Hagerstown, Maryland as the Hagerstown Suns (now the Frederick Keys).
Rocky Mount minor league history prior to 1980
In addition to the Rocky Mount Phillies of 1973–1975, previous clubs were known as the Railroaders, Carolinians, Tar Heels, Broncos, Buccaneers, Red Sox, Rocks, Leafs (the most-used nickname, used for 17 seasons) and Senators. Prior to joining the Carolina League in 1962 Rocky Mount was represented in mid-minor circuits like the Class B Piedmont League and Virginia League, as well as at the Class C and D levels.