Peoria Chiefs

Earlier professional baseball in Peoria

The history of professional baseball in Peoria dates to the late 19th century. The Peoria Reds, Peoria Canaries, and Peoria Blackbirds played in several early leagues during parts of 1878 to 1895. The first ballpark used by these teams was reportedly called Sylvan Park and was located at the corner of Northeast Glendale Avenue and Spring Street on the location of the present-day St. Augustine Manor. In 1883, the club moved a few blocks toward Peoria Lake, to a facility called Lake View Park, on the southeast corner of Northeast Adams Street and Grant Street, which would remain the home of various Peoria clubs for the next four decades.

The 1895, club was dubbed the Peoria Distillers, referencing the Hiram Walker plant. From 1891 to 1911, Frank E. Murphy from Green Bay, Wisconsin, became involved with baseball, beginning with the purchase of the Peoria team of the Midwest League, which he later renamed the Peoria Hoosiers. That nickname would stick with the various Peoria clubs for the next couple of decades, including their first stretch with the Three-I League from 1905 to 1917. After the resumption of following the peak of American involvement in World War I, the Peoria Tractors name gained favor in 1919, with the growth of the nearby branch of the company later called Caterpillar Inc.

In 1923, the team opened a new ballpark called Woodruff Field in honor of a long-time mayor of Peoria. The new park was just across Grant Street from Lake View Park. The Tractors continued to play in several leagues before folding after the 1937 season. The city was then without professional baseball for the next 15 years. The name Peoria Chiefs first appeared with a new franchise in the Three-I League in 1953. This club disbanded after 1957, and Peoria was again without professional ball, for the next 25 years until the current Chiefs set up shop. The Woodruff Field site is now a softball facility called Woodruff Park.

Current franchise

The Peoria Suns were established in 1983. They played their home games at Meinen Field, built in 1968, near the Bradley University campus. The team's name was changed to the Chiefs in 1984. The 1984 team was managed by future Major League Baseball manager Joe Maddon.

The 1988 team, managed by future major league manager Jim Tracy, was the subject of Joseph Bosco's book The Boys Who Would Be Cubs.

Meinen Field was renovated before the 1992 season and renamed Vonachen Stadium in honor of Chiefs owner Pete Vonachen. The team moved to Dozer Park in downtown Peoria on May 24, 2002. During the new park's first year, the team set a franchise attendance record of 254,407 and won the Midwest League championship.

Former Cubs catcher Jody Davis managed the 2006 team.

Baseball Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg was hired to manage the 2007 Chiefs, which went 71–68 and finished the second half 40–30 in a tie for the division title, but missed the playoff on a tiebreaker. The team set a new season attendance record of 259,794, an average of 3,800 per game. Sandberg returned to manage the Chiefs in 2008. The team set a Midwest League single-game attendance record on July 29, 2008, when the Chiefs drew a crowd of 32,103 to Wrigley Field in Chicago for a game against the Kane County Cougars.

The Chiefs' affiliation with the Cubs ended after the 2012 season, and they entered into a player-development contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Under Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Chiefs were organized into the High-A Central. In 2022, the High-A Central became known as the Midwest League, the name used by the regional circuit before the 2021 reorganization.

2008 brawl

During a game on July 23, 2008, Dayton Dragons hit three Chiefs batters. The teams played again the following day, and in the first inning, Chiefs pitcher Julio Castillo hit Dragons batter Zack Cozart in the head. Two batters later, Castillo hit Angel Cabrera in the arm, and nearly hit another Dragon player in the head after that. Cabrera then spiked the Chiefs shortstop at second base on a slide. At that point, Chiefs fill-in manager Carmelo Martinez began arguing with the umpire. This brought out the Dragons manager, Donnie Scott, and the two argued for a few minutes before the umpires broke it up.

During the coaches' argument, pitcher Castillo fired a ball at the Dragons' dugout. The ball struck a fan, who was taken to the hospital. Brandon Menchaca proceeded to tackle Castillo from behind as both benches cleared, delaying the game for 69 minutes. After the game, Castillo was arrested for felonious assault. The injured fan, Chris McCarthy, suffered a concussion but recovered.

On August 8, 2009, Castillo was convicted of felonious assault causing serious physical injury and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. In April 2010, a judge released Castillo from probation "on the condition that he leave the United States and not return for a minimum of three years."