The Rocky Mount Rocks played just one season in the Bi-State League, in 1942, but won the only thing that season had to offer. Third in the regular season at 63-60, managed by George Ferrell, they beat the Wilson Tobs in seven games in the first playoff round and then swept the Sanford Spinners four games to one for the championship. Ferrell led the team himself at the plate with 105 RBIs on the year, tops in the league.
Among the players who joined the Rocks partway through the 1942 season was an 18-year-old third baseman named Bobby Thomson, in his first professional year after signing with the New York Giants. Thomson hit .241 in 29 games with the Rocks, with a home run during the playoff series against Wilson, before being drafted into the Army Air Corps that December. On October 3, 1951, playing third base for the Giants against Brooklyn in the deciding game of the National League playoff, Thomson hit one of the most famous home runs in baseball history off Ralph Branca in the ninth inning: the shot known ever since as the Shot Heard Round the World.
Rocky Mount had fielded professional baseball teams under one name or another since 1909, in leagues ranging from the Eastern Carolina League through the Virginia League to the Piedmont League. Buck Leonard, the Hall of Fame first baseman from the Negro National League, grew up playing semi-pro ball in Rocky Mount through the 1920s, and remained a Rocky Mount resident his entire life. The Bi-State League was a Class D circuit that ran from 1934 through 1942, fielding teams from the tobacco and textile country straddling the Virginia-North Carolina border. The league did not resume after World War II.
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 premium lightweight shirts are the hugely popular Bella+Canvas brand 3001 tees. They are much lighter and thinner feeling than a traditional heavyweight tee. They also are more form fitting and feel more snug. These are generally 90% to 100% cotton, although please note that heather colors in this item are 52% cotton.
Size Guide: Fit is true to size or a little snug. Considering ordering one size up if you are normally between sizes.
Brand: Bella Canvas | Product ID: 3001
- Made with 100% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, a lightweight fabric (4.2 oz/yd² (142 g/m²)) that is easy to layer, breathable. Perfect for active and leisure wear.
- The retail fit that is perfect for casual and semi-formal settings. The crew neckline adds a classic, neat style that's perfect for accessorizing.
- Bella+Canvas manufactures all its products in the US and internationally in humane, no-sweat-shop, sustainable way and is part of the Fair Labor Association as well as Platinum WRAP certified.
- The tear-away label minimizes skin irritations.
- Fabric blends: Ash and Heather Prism colors - 99% cotton, 1% polyester; Heather and Solid Blend colors - 52% cotton, 48% polyester; Athletic Heather and Black Heather - 90% cotton, 10% polyester.
