Minor league baseball first began in Albuquerque in 1915, when the Albuquerque Dukes played one season in the Rio Grande Association. The Albuquerque Dons returned minor league baseball to the city, joining the 1932 Class D Arizona-Texas League In 1932, Albuquerque Dons were 57–42 and in 1st place under Manager Bobby Coltrin when the five-team league disbanded on July 24, 1932. The Arizona-Texas League did not play for the next four seasons. In 1937, the Albuquerque Cardinals joined the reformed Class D four-team Arizona-Texas League and won the league championship. The 1937 regular season standings had the Albuquerque Cardinals, Bisbee Bees, El Paso Texans and Tucson Cowboys. The Albuquerque Cardinals were an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1937, the first of a five–year partnership. The Cardinals finished 3rd at 56–59 under Manager Bill DeLancey in the regular season. In the 1937 Arizona-Texas League playoffs, the Albuquerque Cardinals defeated the El Paso Texans in a one-game playoff for second half championship. In the 1937 Finals, the Albuquerque Cardinals defeated the El Paso Texans a 4 games to 3 to capture the 1937 championship. Season attendance for the Cardinals totaled 30,110. The 1938 Albuquerque Cardinals finished 3rd in the Arizona-Texas League regular season. The Cardinals were 67–65 under Bill DeLancey and did not qualify for the playoffs. Albuquerque had season attendance of 60,000, an average of 909. The 1939 Albuquerque Cardinals won their second Arizona-Texas League Championship. The Cardinals finished 70–60, 2nd in the regular season under Manager Bill DeLancey. In the playoff Final, the Albuquerque Cardinals defeated the Bisbee-Douglas Bees 4 games to 2 to claim the 1939 championship. Season attendance was 100,000 fans. The 1940 four-team Arizona-Texas League became a Class C league. The Albuquerque Cardinals finished 60–64, 3rd in the league under Manager Jack Farmer. The Cardinals did not play in the post season. 1941 was the last season for the Albuquerque Cardinals. The Arizona-Texas League continued as a Class C League and the 1941 Cardinals manager was Jimmy Zinn. Under Zinn, the Cardinals finished 63–65, 2nd in the league and 21games behindthe 1st place Tucson Cowboys. No playoffs were held. The Arizona-Texas League folded after the 1941 season. In 1942, Albuquerque continued play as the Albuquerque Dukes, joining the West Texas-New Mexico League. Today, Albuquerque is home to the Class AAAAlbuquerque Isotopes.
The ballpark
The Albuquerque Dons and Albuquerque Cardinals played at Tingley Field. Also called "Apprentice Field," the stadium was upgraded in 1937 with a $10,900 Works Progress Administration grant. The ballpark officially opened April 6, 1932. Tingley Field, was named for Mayor Clyde Tingley. St. Louis Cardinals general managerBranch Rickey was present for first game in 1937 and called Tingley Field "one of the finest minor league parks in America". Tingley Field was demolished in 1969. Today, the old ticket booth remains and the site is called Tingley Park, a public park with baseball and softball fields.
