Cincinnati Redlegs

The club changed its name from Reds to Redlegs in 1954 and kept it through 1959. The reason was the second Red Scare: with congressional committees investigating communists, an owner concluded that the name was a liability, and the club dropped it until the hearings had passed out of the news.

Six seasons at 470-454. The best is 1956, at 91-63, when the club tied the National League home run record and finished two games out of the pennant. Only the first year, 1954, finished under even, at 74-80. Home throughout was Crosley Field.

Frank Robinson debuted under this name in 1956 at twenty, was Rookie of the Year, and went on to become the only player to win the Most Valuable Player award in both leagues. Birdie Tebbetts managed five of the six seasons. The name reverted to Reds for 1960.