Professional baseball was first played in Pulaski, Virginia, in 1942 as the Pulaski Counts. They were affiliated with eight different Major League Baseball teams and also played as an independent club for a few seasons. Their final affiliation as a rookie league professional club was with the New York Yankees.[1] The team played its home games at Calfee Park.
The Pulaski Yankees were awarded Minor League Baseball's top honor, the John H. Johnson President's Award, in 2019. The award recognizes the "complete baseball franchise—based on franchise stability, contributions to league stability, contributions to baseball in the community, and promotion of the baseball industry."[2]
In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball beginning with the 2021 season, the Appalachian League was reorganized as a collegiate summer baseball league, and the Pulaski Yankees were replaced by a new franchise in the revamped league designed for rising college freshmen and sophomores.[3] The new team became known as the Pulaski River Turtles.[4] The nickname refers to the team's location in the New River Valley. The 2021 season will mark Pulaski's 55th season fielding teams in the Appalachian League.[5]
