The Erie Sailors, based in Erie, Pennsylvania, take their name from the city's location on the shore of Lake Erie. The Sailors name dates back to 1908, when a struggling Erie club relocated from Butler partway through the season and adopted it. That first year was rough: a 37-79 finish, 41 games behind first-place Akron, in the Ohio-Pennsylvania League.
Erie joined the Class B Central League in 1912, when several Ohio-Pennsylvania League teams moved over to the circuit together, and went 75-55 to finish third under manager Billy Gilbert.
The Sailors bounced to the Interstate League in 1913 and put up the best winning percentage of any of these stints, going 57-21, but the league disbanded that July over financial trouble before a postseason could happen. In 1914, Erie became the only United States city ever to field a team in the Canadian League, playing as the informally named Yankees (still called Sailors locally) and finishing third. The Sailors returned to the Central League in 1915, finishing fifth at 64-58 under Larry Quinlan, before falling back to the Interstate League in 1916, which ended in a midseason disbandment that August and kept professional baseball out of Erie for the next 12 years.
When the Central League reformed in 1928, the Sailors won the regular-season pennant at 76-59 under manager Buzz Wetzel, but lost the playoff championship to the Fort Wayne Chiefs, four games to two. Erie's best season by wins came in 1932, when the team topped the regular-season standings again with 85 victories.
The Sailors name kept going in Erie for decades afterward across the Middle Atlantic, PONY, New York-Penn, and Frontier Leagues, picking up championships in 1951, 1957, and 1994 along the way.
The Central League itself was a Class B circuit that ran, often sporadically, from 1903 into the 1930s (with a later 1948-51 revival), fielding teams mostly from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
Retro Baseball Revival celebrates historic baseball teams with unique apparel, honoring their legacy and bringing history to one-of-a-kind clothing with our old school retro baseball tees from defunct Minor League Baseball teams. All of our high quality apparel is designed, printed, and shipped within the USA. This collection features 100% original designs based on the history and nicknames of historic minor league teams.
Our crewneck sweatshirts are classics that anyone is sure to recognize. They are thick, durable Gildan brand crews. They are a cotton/poly blend that stands the test of time.
Size Guide: True to size
- Made with a medium-heavy fabric blend of 50% cotton and 50% polyester (8.0 oz/yd² (271.25 g/m²)), this sweatshirt feels cozy and is the perfect choice for those colder months.
- The classic fit along with the crew neckline deliver a comfy wearing experience with a clean-cut style. Meanwhile, the double-needle stitching at the shoulder, armhole, neck, waistband, and cuff seams add top-tier durability.
- Say goodbye to itchiness thanks to the gray, pearlized tear-away label.
- Made using 100% ethically grown US cotton. Gildan is also a proud member of the US Cotton Trust Protocol ensuring ethical and sustainable means of production. The blank shirt's dyes are OEKO-TEX-certified dyes with low environmental impact.
- Machine wash: cold (max 30C or 90F); Non-chlorine: bleach as needed; Tumble dry: low heat; Do not iron; Do not dryclean.
