Community Baseball Club of Central New York, Inc. (Syracuse Chiefs)

Product Details

Beautifully engraved antique stock certificate from the Community Baseball Club of Central New York, Inc. dating back to the 1980's. This document, which is signed by the company President, was printed by Goes and measures approximately 11" (w) by 8 1/2" (h).

This certificate's vignette features the team logo.

Images

You will receive the exact certificate pictured.

Historical Context

The Syracuse Chiefs baseball team was established in 1934, when the Jersey City Skeeters moved to Syracuse and were renamed the Chiefs. The team played in the International League (IL) through 1955. They won five Governors' Cup championships during this stretch, including back-to-back championships in 1942 and 1943. The team was then sold and moved to Miami as the Marlins for the 1956 campaign.

Another team known as the Syracuse Chiefs competed in the Class A Eastern League (then two levels below the IL) in 1956 and 1957, but moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 1957. The Chiefs played at MacArthur Stadium from 1934 to 1996, moving to new then-P&C Stadium (1997-2005) in 1997.

Restart and Multiple Affiliations (1961-1978)

Syracuse was without professional baseball from 1957 until 1961, when the Montreal Royals franchise was abandoned by its owners (the Los Angeles Dodgers) and relocated to Syracuse as the top affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, becoming the Syracuse Chiefs. After which, the team had affiliations with the New York Mets and Washington Senators (1962), the Detroit Tigers (1963) and the New York Yankees (1967-1977). Baseball has been played in Syracuse without interruption since the rebirth of the Chiefs in 1961.

Toronto Blue Jays (1978-2008)

From 1978 to 2008, the Chiefs were the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The three-decade Toronto–Syracuse affiliation is the longest of the 11 major league affiliations the team has had since 1936. While the Chiefs reached three Governors Cup finals during this time, many of the players who helped lead the Blue Jays to consecutive World Series titles in 1992 and 1993 passed through Syracuse. In 1994, outfielder Shawn Green hit .344 for the Chiefs, winning the International League batting title and the International League Rookie of the Year Award. The team was renamed the SkyChiefs in 1997 before reverting to simply "Chiefs" in December 2006.

Washington Nationals (2008-2018)

On September 20, 2008, the Chiefs signed a two-year affiliation agreement with the Washington Nationals, ending their relationship with the Blue Jays. That first season, the players wore a decal on their uniforms with the letters "HB" to commemorate Harold Berman, former member of the team's board of directors, who died after the 2007 season. In 2009, the Chiefs wore a decal on their uniforms with the letters "HM" to commemorate Hy Miller, former state assemblyman and former member of the team's board of directors, who died after the 2008 season.

In 2010, the Chiefs celebrated their 50th season of community-owned baseball (1961–2010), wearing 1961 jerseys for every Thursday home game. The team brought back radio announcers from the past, such as Dan Hoard and Syracuse University alumnus Sean McDonough. They had a 76–67 win–loss record, with pitching prospect Stephen Strasburg winning two games and losing one in five appearances.

In 2011, the Chiefs, wore throwback jerseys for every Thursday home game to commemorate the 35th anniversary of their last International League Governors' Cup championship team (managed by Syracuse Wall of Fame member Bobby Cox). The Chiefs added four alternate jerseys to their rotation for the season: one for Latin American Day, a second for Jackie Robinson Day (commemorating Negro League uniforms), a third for national holidays such as Independence Day and Memorial Day, and a fourth for Breast Cancer Awareness Night. The team played the Pawtucket Red Sox on August 20 at Fenway Park as part of a doubleheader in conjunction with the sixth annual Futures at Fenway event, featuring games involving Boston Red Sox minor league teams. The Chiefs, behind starter Brad Meyers, defeated the PawSox 3–1 before more than 29,000 fans. At Alliance Bank Stadium (now NBT Bank Stadium) the Chiefs added a "Home Plate Club" to the stadium: premium seating in the first four rows behind home plate, with waitstaff for merchandise, food and drinks.

On May 14, Chiefs DH Michael Aubrey went four for four, hitting four home runs in an 11–0 victory over the Durham Bulls and becoming the second player in team history to hit four home runs in a game; Gene Locklear was the first, on July 14, 1977. On August 27, Stephen Strasburg pitched his only rehab game for the Chiefs, against the Rochester Red Wings. Giving up two hits in the sixth inning (his only hits allowed before departing, with the Chiefs leading 1–0), he received no decision in Syracuse's 4–3 win. It did, however, clinch the Chiefs' third Thruway Cup victory; the team's other wins were in 1999 and 2010. The club's record for the season was 66–74, 14 games out of first place and fourth place in the six-team North Division.

On April 5, 2012, the Chiefs opened at home against the Rochester Red Wings. Top draft pick Bryce Harper, later that month promoted to the Nationals, made the opening-day roster. Randy Knorr did not return for a second season as manager, and Tony Beasley was promoted from the Harrisburg Senators. The Chiefs played all 16 of their games against the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees at the now renamed Alliance Bank Stadium (2005-2013) due to stadium renovations at the Yankees' ballpark in Moosic, Pennsylvania. On May 7, the Chiefs unveiled a new high-definition video board in left field, replacing the board which had been in place since the stadium's 1997 opening.

The 2013 season, with manager Tony Beasley in his second season with the team, began on April 4 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs; the Chiefs' home opener was eight days later against the IronPigs. On Throwback Thursdays, the team wore jerseys from 1983 to 1996.

Fireworks Following Syracuse Chiefs Home Game, August 2016

On September 30, 2013, it was announced that 16-year general manager John Simone and any family members associated with the team, including assistant GM Mike Vounitas, were fired. On October 8, former Auburn Doubledays general manager Jason Smorol became the Chiefs' GM, with Jason Horbal as his assistant. It was the first time since 1970 that someone not named Simone was general manager of Syracuse; John Simone had taken over the job from his father, Anthony (Tex) Simone, in 1997.

The Chiefs opened their 2014 season on April 3 with a loss at home to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and finished the season with the best record (81–62) in the International League, clinching a playoff spot for the first time since 1998 and the first IL North Division title since 1989. NBT Bank Stadium hosted its first ever playoff game on September 5, 2014, a 7–6 loss to the Pawtucket Red Sox which capped off a 3–0 first round series sweep for the Red Sox. The season featured an aggressive promotional campaign, including Social Media Monday, Two-for-One Tickets on Tuesday, Winning Wednesday, Dollar Thursday, Fireworks Friday, Giveaway Saturday, and Family Sunday. The Chiefs sold out the outfield wall, the dugouts, and the field tarp, earning $500,000 in advertising.

The 2015 season saw the Chiefs finish in fourth place in the six-team IL North Division with a record of 66–78. The Chiefs' early season struggles, including an 11-game losing streak extending from May to June, hurt the Chiefs too much to rebound despite going 39–26 after July 1 including an 11-game win streak in mid-July. Billy Gardner Jr. managed the team in his second season with the team. Stephen Strasburg went 1–1 with the Chiefs in two rehab starts. In the two games, Strasburg pitched ​9 2⁄3 innings with an ERA of 4.66. The team's best pitcher by record was Bruce Billings who went 8–5 in 27 games. The best pitcher by ERA with more than 25 innings pitched was Evan Meek who had an ERA of 2.15 in 30 games, with a record of 2–4. The Chiefs player with the most hits in 2016 was Darin Mastroianni with 114. Trea Turner, with an average of .314 in 188 at bats, including 3 home runs, 7 doubles, and 15 RBI, lead the team with the best average among those with over 100 at bats was .

The Chiefs experienced another last-place finish in the North Division in 2016 with a record of 61–82, their worst record since the 1997 season. Billy Garnder Jr. managed his third season with the team. Players such as Ryan Zimmerman and Jose Lobaton rehabbed for the Chiefs that season. Syracuse also had three all–stars that season, which included Trea Turner, Brian Goodwin, and Rafael Martin. Matt Skole also won a Gold Glove for his fielding performance at first base. The Chiefs players with the most hits in 2016 were Matt Skole and Brian Goodwin with 122 hits. Goodwin also had the highest batting average: .280 in 119 at bats, including 14 home runs, 25 doubles, and 68 RBI. The team's best pitcher by record was A.J. Cole who went 8–8 in 22 games. Sean Burnett had the team's lowest ERA among those with at least 25 innings pitched with a 2.27 mark in 40 games and a record of 0–3.

Syracuse's 2017 record of 59–87 placed them at the bottom of the division standings for the third year in a row, their worst record since 1966. Billy Gardner, Jr. managed his fourth season with the team. Trea Turner and Jayson Werth rehabbed for the Chiefs that season. Brandon Snyder led the team with 110 hits, while Irving Falu has the best batting average (.280 in 382 at bats, including 9 home runs, 19 doubles, and 44 RBI). The team's best pitcher by record was Austin Adams who went 6–2 in 44 games coming out of the bullpen. The best pitcher by ERA with more than 25 innings pitched was Wander Suero who had an ERA of 1.70 in 36 games, with a record of 3–1.

Syracuse Mets

The chief operating officer of the New York Mets, Jeff Wilpon, joined Governor Andrew Cuomo and Joanie Mahoney, Onondaga County Executive, at NBT Bank Stadium on October 11, 2017, to announce that the Mets would purchase the Chiefs from the Community Baseball Club of Central New York in early 2018. Under the deal, the Chiefs' affiliation with the Washington Nationals continued through the end of the 2018 season, with the Chiefs becoming the Mets' Triple-A affiliate beginning with the 2019 season. The team was rebranded as the Syracuse Mets, adopting the New York Mets' blue, orange, and white color scheme along with new logos and uniforms on October 16, 2018.