The New York - Penn League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the northeastern United States. It is classified as a "short-season Class A" league; its season starts in June, after major-league teams have signed their amateur draft picks to professional contracts, and ends in early September. The league is divided into the McNamara Division, the Pinckney Division, and the Stedler Division.

The league was founded in 1939 with the name "Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York League". This was generally shortened to "PONY League". The original teams included the Batavia, New York Clippers; the Bradford, Pennsylvania Bees; the Hamilton, Ontario Red Wings; the Jamestown, New York Jaguars; the Niagara Falls, New York Rainbows; and the Olean, New York Oilers. The Oilers, a Brooklyn Dodgers affiliate, won both the regular-season and playoff championships.

The Hamilton Red Wings folded early in the 1956 season, and with no more teams in Ontario, the league adopted its current name in 1957. The league crossed back into Canada with the formation of the St. Catharines Blue Jays in 1986. They were joined by the Hamilton Redbirds in 1987 and the Welland Pirates in 1989, but all three clubs had moved back stateside by 2000.

As of 2004, the league includes teams in Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, and Vermont, as well as in New York and Pennsylvania.

Current member teams:

McNamara Division:

• Aberdeen IronBirds
• Brooklyn Cyclones
• Hudson Valley Renegades
• New Jersey Cardinals
• Staten Island Yankees
• Williamsport Crosscutters

Pinckney Division:

• Auburn Doubledays
• Batavia Muckdogs
• Jamestown Jammers
• Mahoning Valley Scrappers

Stedler Division:

• Lowell Spinners
• Oneonta Tigers
• Tri-City Valley Cats
• Vermont Expos

External link

• New York - Penn League (http://www.nypennleague.com/)