West Haven A's

The West Haven A's were an American Minor League Baseball team that played in the Double-A Eastern League from 1972 to 1982. They were located in West Haven, Connecticut, and played their home games at Quigley Stadium. From 1972 to 1979, the team was known as the West Haven Yankees after their Major League Baseball affiliate, the New York Yankees. They became an affiliate of the Oakland Athletics in 1980 and changed their name to the West Haven Whitecaps for that season before becoming the West Haven A's through their final two years of play.

History

From 1972 to 1979, the team was affiliated with and named for the New York Yankees. During that eight-year period, West Haven — managed by future Major League skippers Bobby Cox, Doc Edwards, Mike Ferraro, and Stump Merrill — won four [List of Eastern League (1938–2020)|Eastern League champions|Eastern League championships] and compiled a regular-season win–loss record of 611–496. In 1975, first baseman Dave Bergman was selected for the Eastern League Most Valuable Player Award. Edwards, Ferraro, and Merrill each won the Eastern League Manager of the Year Award.

The Yankees entered into a deal with a new Double-A team, the Nashville Sounds of the Southern League, after the 1979 season. The West Haven franchise relocated to Lynn, Massachusetts, and became the Lynn Sailors. Concurrently, the Waterbury, Connecticut, franchise moved to West Haven in time for the 1980 season, bringing their affiliation with the Oakland Athletics, and renaming the team the West Haven Whitecaps.
The franchise changed its name again in 1981, this time to the West Haven A's. The last West Haven team, managed by Bob Didier, won the team's fifth and final Eastern League title, defeating the Lynn Sailors in the finals. In 1983, the franchise moved to Albany, New York, becoming the Albany A's.

Season	Division	Record	Win %	Finish		Attendance	Manager	Postseason	MLB affiliate
1972	American	84–56	.600	1st	—	102,537		Won American Division title Won EL championship vs. Trois-Rivières Aigles, 3–0	New York Yankees
1973	American	72–66	.522	2nd	4	75,128		—	New York Yankees
1974	American	58–79	.423	4th	17	42,878		—	New York Yankees
1975	—	66–71	.482	4th	18	26,549		—	New York Yankees
1976	South	80–59	.576	1st	—	28,331		Won South Division title Won EL championship vs. Trois-Rivières Aigles, 3–0	New York Yankees
1977	New England	86–52	.623	1st	—	41,072		Won New England Division title Won EL championship vs. Trois-Rivières Aigles, 3–0	New York Yankees
1978	—	82–57	.590	1st	—	46,048		—	New York Yankees
1979	—	83–56	.597	1st	—	71,302		Won First and Second Half titles Won EL championship	New York Yankees
1980	Southern	47–92	.338	4th	32	30,112		—	Oakland Athletics
1981	Southern	71–67	.514	3rd		55,552		—	Oakland Athletics
1982	Southern	86–54	.614	1st	—	51,791		Won First and Second Half Southern Division titles Won Southern Division title Won EL championship vs. Lynn Sailors, 3–0	Oakland Athletics