Vol. 3, World Series Issue, Part I [Stanislaus

Transcription

Volume 3
2010 World Series Issue
Stanislaus
Historical
Quarterly
Stanislaus County
Founded 1854
An Independent Publication of Stanislaus County History
S
tanislaus County Baseball
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Stanislaus Historical Quarterly
World Series Issue
Var
ious Lineups and R
os
t er
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arious
Ros
ost
ers
S
tanislaus County T
eams
St
Teams
B.W. of Westport – 1899
Oliver Muncy; George Davis; Oscar Davis; Frank Hosmer; Steve
Vivian; Walter Hosmer; Walter Harwick; Alex Knox; and George
Knox
Newman’s Team – 1899
Cary, p; Kilburn, 3b; Trefts, p; Giddings, ss; Draper, c; Thompson,
rf; Meier, 1b; Dalby, cf; Fentem, 2b; and Huber, lf
Modesto Reds – 1904
E. Keller, c; E. Conneau, ss; Marshall, lf; S. Monroe, p, 1b; J. Quigley,
lf, rf; J. Lepley, p; O’Donnell, 1b; E. Rinehart, rf, cf, lf; Dewey, 1b; A.
Vogelman, 2b; Moore, cf; Stewart, 3b; Fairbanks, 3b; G. Litt, 3b;
Kelley, cf; Scally, p; and Whitehead, p
Oakdale’s Team – 1906
Coffee, rf; Kennedy, lf; Dewey, c; Dallas, 2b; Brady, 1b; J. Iberg, cf;
Gerlach, ss; and H. Iberg, p
Modesto Reds – 1910
Osborne, 3b; Campbell, cf; McCarty, ss; Gaffney, lf; Palm, c; Webb,
p, rf; Van, 1b; and Mobley, p, rf
Noack, 2b
Turlock Merchants – 1913
Grey, 3b; Mills, lf; Hallstone, ss; Taylor, rf; Borden, 1b; R.
McConnell, 2b; C. McConnell, c; J. McConnell, p; A. Rapp, cf
Oakdale Giants – 1917
B. Wren, c; Henshaw, ss; Rafter, p; Ball, lf; Frailey, 1b; Jackson, cf;
Workman, 2b; Drew, rf; and C. Wren, 3b
Hughson Highlanders – 1917
Matthews, cf; Sheldon, ss; C. Hudelson, c; Grubb, 2b; Davidson,
lf; M. Owens, 1b; Lefty Owens, p; and A. Hudelson, rf
McCabe, 3b
Riverbank Santa Fe – 1917
H. Kelly, ss, 2b; Williby, lf; J. Kelley, 1b; C. Kelly, 3b; Bannon, 1b,
2b; Nickelson, lf; Hanen, rf; Patton, c; Mckutcheon, p, 3b; Waddy,
cf; Snyder, p, 3b; Prasano, 2b; Scott, 2b, ss; and Tenner, rf
Patterson Panthers – 1917
Borba, c; Medlin, ss; Parraguez, lf, ss; Jones, 3b; Allen, lf, cf; Miller
1b; Conant, 2b; Green, rf; Trefts, p; Van Bruskjek, 1b; Houser, cf, lf;
SHQ’
s W
or
ld Ser
ies Issue
SHQ’s
Wor
orld
Series
In view that the San Francisco Giants won the 2010 World Series,
the editor of SHQ felt that there
was a need to celebrate that unbelievable accomplishment with an
issue on the history of Stanislaus
County baseball. The information
found in this issue was gleaned
from a book published by the editor a few years ago entitled Sunday Afternoon at the Ball Park: A
History of Stanislaus County Baseball, 1871-1945. It can be found
at area libraries. It has the fuller
story, plus box scores and lineups.
The copy of a Giants’ ticket stub
to the left has been a keepsake of
Turlocker Rodney Schultz since
1959. It is for a Giants’ baseball
game on September 2, 1959, played
at Seals Stadium.
Cartwright, 2b; Johnson, p, cf; Moye, 3b; Glesetta, ss, 3b; Rossli,
rf; Fenton, c; Pierce, rf; Rizzi, 2b; Bradley, lf; and Klein, c
Newman Lambs – 1920
Hossil, rf; Whalen, 1b; Chase, ss; Foster, ss; Fisher, 3b; Dobrzenski,
3b; Johnson, cf; Walden, c; Hemminger, rf; Jones, 2b Morton, p;
Ball, p; Ulrich, lf; and Osborne, 2b
Keyes Cantaloupes – 1920
Weyworth, cf; Mollard, lf; Leitzke, 2b; Moore, rf; Olivas, 3b; Ritchie,
c; Foster, ss; Peck, p; and Wayne, 1b
Perfection Ice Cream – 1920
Shaw, lf; Davis, cf; Taylor, 1b; Mitchell, ss; Ohland, 3b, p; Denison,
c; Arata, 2b
; Connell, p, 3b; and Farrell, rf
Ceres Giants – 1922
Gondring, 3b, ss; Connell, p; F. Johnson, 2b; Fine, rf; A. Johnson, c;
Triplett, 1b; Sperry, cf, lb; Peck, cf; Mollard, lf; and Rohde, 2b, ss
Dedication: This issue is dedicated to SHQ editor’s brother Rufus A. Santos, Jr., who will have a youth league baseball facility
named for him in Oakdale in April 2011. It will be known as the “Rufus A. Santos, Jr. Field.” Rufus played baseball at Thomas
Downey High School in the 1950s and has been active in youth baseball for a number of decades.
Cover photos: Top left, Turlock Merchants - 1912; Top right, Modesto Reds - 1909; Bottom left, Newman Lambs - 1909; and
Bottom left, Hughson Highlanders - 1920
Stanislaus Historical Quarterly is published four times a year, featuring freshly researched articles on Stanislaus County history.
Currently, there is no charge per subscription or individual issues, but readers must notify the editor to be placed on the mailing
list. Ideas for articles or historical information concerning topics of county history may be sent to the editor. This is a non-profit
educational publication. Stanislaus Historical Quarterly is edited, copyrighted, and published by Robert LeRoy Santos, AlleyCass Publications, 2240 Nordic Way, Turlock, CA, 95382. Tel: 209.634.8218. Email: blsantos@csustan.edu. Ellen Ruth Wine Santos
is assistant editor and proofreader. ISSN1945-8126 ©
World Series Issue
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-1889
ome on Cyrus, throw it!” shouted Jacob, banging his
stick on the dirt, stirring up puffs of dust that engulfed his bare
feet. Cyrus yelled back devilishly, “Bet you can’t hit it over my
head!” The ball was hurtled through the air, followed by a resounding WHACK, and the boys were off and running, one chased the
ball, while the other ran towards an imaginary base. What could be
more natural than that? Boys playing baseball. Stanislaus County
baseball might have begun just that way, a simple farm boy’s game,
patterned after the likes found in San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, and Stockton.
The first baseball game in Stanislaus County that was
reported in Modesto’s Stanislaus County Weekly News was held
on May 14, 1871, but it wasn’t played on the flatlands. Instead, it
was held in the rolling hills near Knights Ferry. This is an excerpt of
the article:
that red was chosen because of the Cincinnati Red Stockings, a
popular professional team at the time, having made the rounds in
California, playing exhibition games in the cities.
The next baseball article to appear in the Weekly News
was on April 6, 1877, having news about what would become a
perennial baseball rivalry between Modesto and Turlock:
A game of base ball [sic] came at this place [Modesto] last
Saturday, between the Modesto Nine and Turlock Nine, in which the Turlock
boys were worsted, the score being 67 to 22. A return game is to take place
at Turlock tomorrow.
A match game of base ball [sic] was played at Knights Ferry,
last Sunday, between the first nine of the Enterprise Club, of that place, and
the Rising Star Club, of the 15-Mile House, Mariposa Road. We have been
informed by a disinterested spectator, that at the outset, the Enterprise
boys were timorous and without courage, but they finally gained confidence in themselves and were slashing it to their opponents in handsome
style, until a misfortune befell one of their best players (Wm. Murnan),
resulting in the breaking of his left leg, in two places, below the knee, after
which the play was postponed for another time.
An analysis of the article is instructive. Notice that “base
ball” was spelled in two words. This practice continued well into
the first decade of the twentieth century, when the preferred spelling became “baseball.” Notice also the sportswriter’s style, clumsy
by today’s standards, but yet informative and interesting to that
era’s readers. How did the player break his leg? Was it the shoes,
the playing field, or the rough nature of the game? It could have
any of the three or all of them. Work boots were commonly worn
then, and baseball fields were pastures, pocked with holes, weedy,
and rocky. The game itself was very physical and rowdy.
The next baseball article to appear in the Weekly News
was on April 12, 1872, which bears reprinting here, because of its
association to the color red. Red would soon be the color of the
Modesto Reds, a semi-professional baseball club:
We attended a meeting of the Modesto Base Ball [sic] Club, held
at the [train] depot on last Saturday evening. There were quite a number
of young men – fond of the healthful sport – present. The meeting came to
order at half-past seven, with President Saxon in the chair. Among other
things they adopted a uniform, which is to be a red cap, red shirt, white
pantaloons, and canvas shoes. They also adopted the name ‘Red Caps,’ so
as to be in keeping with their uniform. Several persons were elected for
membership, after which the Club adjourned to meet at the call of the
President. We venture to say that Modesto will soon have an excellent
Club, all they need is practice.
Uniforms certainly play a major role in sports. It separates
the athletes from the spectators, provides team cohesiveness, and
promotes players’ self-esteem. If the game goes badly, at least
the fans can admire the colorful uniforms. It is quite probable
Newman Baseball Team, circa 1890s
Newman Historical Society photo
There was a rematch, with the Weekly News reporting:
“The Turlock boys turned the tables on the Modestans and won
the game by 11.” The series was now split, with the final contest
scheduled for Saturday April 21st, in Modesto. Striking for the psychological advantage, Turlock now called its team “The Turlock
Rough and Ready Nine.” It must have been effective, because
Modesto lost by 18 runs, with Turlock becoming the series champs.
The Weekly News reported on another game in 1877, where the
winner of the contest was awarded a bat and ball. The match consisted of “contestants belonging to the Eaglet Base Ball [sic] Club,
just organized, and a nine composed of Modesto and Westport
players.” Modesto-Westport trounced the Eaglets, 31 to 8.
No baseball articles appeared for the next nine years in the
Weekly News. It could have been because of the newspaper’s editorial policy, or it might have been because baseball was not played
much in an organized fashion. Nevertheless, it is assumed that the
sport did exist and was growing in popularity, because in 1886,
Modesto’s Daily Evening News carried numerous reports on local
baseball contests.
For example, there were a series of games played in March
and April 1886 between Turlock and Ceres. The contests were to
determine the “Championship of Stanislaus County,” and
were between the “Lightfoots” of Turlock and the “Lone Stars” of
Ceres. Judge C.W. Estin was chosen to umpire the first game, which
was played on Saturday March 6th, and according to the News:
“The Umpire gave perfect satisfaction, as his decisions were correct.” Turlock won 27 to 2, with the game taking two hours to play.
There were ladies in attendance: “Stonie Allen hit a star-kicker away
over the left fielder’s head and sailed around the bases on a grand
star run, to the plaudits of the crowd and the smiles of the beautiful
ladies.” But the newspaper though was disenchanted with area
baseball on a whole: “The jug-handle games are neither interesting
nor calculated to build up base ball [sic] in any locality.”
On Saturday, March 27, 1886, the next match was played
between Turlock and Ceres. Turlock won by a score of 46 to 43,
coming from behind for the victory. On Saturday April 10th, Ceres
finally defeated Turlock, 24 to 11, and did so again, a week later.
Each team was given $20 for their performances. The last game
between the two rivals took place on Saturday, April 24th, in which
Turlock crushed the Ceres boys, 43 to 11. The winners “were presented with a base ball [sic] and bat and bouquets of flowers by
some of the young ladies of Turlock.” (Ah, the sweet smell of
success!) One other game was reported in the newspaper for 1886
and that was between Turlock and Modesto, on Sunday, March
20th, whereby Turlock beat Modesto by 14 runs. No further baseball accounts appeared in the newspaper for 1886.
In April 1887, Turlock challenged Modesto to a contest,
but Modesto didn’t have a team yet. On May 8th, Turlock played
Merced’s El Capitan team, with the latter winning by a score of 24 to
17, on Merced’s diamond. In the second inning, Turlock player,
George Clements, broke “his left leg, half-way between the knee
and ankle, by being run into and knocked down by one of the
players,” according to the News. A doctor wasn’t present, requiring Clements to return to Turlock by train, having his bone set by
Dr. J.P. Young at his residence.
Belligerent razzing of the visiting teams and umpires by
spectators was an early practice, with the newspapers calling it the
“atmosphere of the game.” For the May 8th Turlock-Merced contest, the newspaper’s description was: “The best feeling prevailed
throughout the game, and the treatment tendered the Turlockers
was very cordial.” Modesto tried to organize a baseball team for
1887 but was unsuccessful. The News issued two calls for tryouts,
on May 21st and August 19th, but nothing was subsequently reported. The playing fields in Modesto were west of Chinatown (7th
Street) and southeast at Ripperdan Square.
Baseball reporting in the News for the 1888 season was
much more extensive, covering games from February through November. The first game of the season for the county was on February 20th in La Grange, where La Grange annihilated its Snelling opponent, 26 to 1. The Westport community and Horr’s Ranch both
organized teams for the season. Alf Davis was president of the
Horr’s Ranch club, while Capt. Northcutt served as its manager.
The newspaper claimed that the Horr’s Ranch nine would be “one
of the finest teams in the interior.” On the same weekend, Westport
had a practice game, with “the intention of playing friendly games
with the various ball clubs in the vicinity.” On April 17th, at the
Ripperdan Square field, there was a contest between the “Modesto
Dudes” and a team of high school boys. The “Dudes” beat
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the preppies, 28 to 23, in the competition.
Westport and Modesto met on April 22nd, with Modesto
demolishing Westport, 23 to 8, at the Ripperdan Square field. The
Modesto club impressed the News, commenting: “A number of
plays would credit a professional club.” David and Gabriel Plato,
who were brothers and owners of Plato’s Men’s Store, financed
the Modesto team, providing uniforms and equipment, calling it
the “Modesto Platos.” Its first game was at Oakdale, but unfortunately no score was recorded in the newspaper. Another county
team was formed, and this one was in Salida. It played Westport on
May 12th, winning the game, 46 to 29. The high scores in these early
contests were attributed to a number of issues, such as rough
playing fields, crude equipment, mediocre abilities of the players,
poor pitching, and numerous fielding errors, because of the lack of
gloves or mitts.
Dry Creek met Horr’s Ranch, losing by a score of 70 to 20,
before 100 spectators on a very windy day. Salida played Modesto
on May 27th, being defeated 43 to 20. Modesto’s batter John Husband was hit in the head by a pitched ball, with the News reporting:
“The injury was not severe, but incapacitated Husband from taking
part in the remainder of the game.”
Horr’s Ranch played Waterford on June 3rd, winning 29 to
19. A scheduled boxing match followed the game, with both events
being well-attended. Quite by surprise a Collegeville team from San
Joaquin County arrived in Modesto on June 19th, in uniform and
fully expecting to play a Modesto club. The night before
Collegeville issued a challenge, but Modesto hadn’t learned of it.
The problem was easily resolved though when nine players were
picked from Modesto spectators, but the volunteers lost the game
19 to 8.
In early August 1888, Modesto traveled to Merced by
midnight train to play a Sunday game. It was a successful trip, with
Modesto defeating Merced 15 to 14. The News commented that
Modesto won because of the “maneuvering of Williams’ curves
puzzled” Merced players. On August 12th, Modesto faced I.E. Gilbert, another Modesto club, at Ripperdan Square field, with I.E.
Gilbert winning narrowly by 18 to 17. Errors were horrendous, with
Modesto accumulating 25 alone, as seen in this very first box score
from the News:
Modesto
Eastlin, 1b
White, ss
Turner, p
Vogelman, 3b
Young, cf
Vogelman, c, rf
Jones, 2b
Witty, c
McLean, lf
R
AB
BH Errors
2
5
2
4
2
4
1
6
2
4
1
1
1
4
2
0
2
4
2
1
4
4
1
7
1
4
2
4
1
4
1
1
2
4
1
1
R = Runs. AB = At Bats. BH = Base Hits.
On August 20 th, I.E. Gilbert won a close game over
Modesto, 13 to 12. Rather curiously the newspaper stated that
“Charles Wilson and John Walker, two traveling men from San Francisco, played with the Modesto’s.” At this time, teams played independently, not belonging to leagues, so consequently there weren’t
any rules on team membership. On September 2nd, Modesto
played Merced at its field, losing 7 to 1, but surprisingly the
Modesto boys committed only one error. It was a pitcher’s duel,
with Modesto’s pitcher Chase striking out 15 batters, while Merced’s
hurler Cook fanned 14. In the Victorian era, hometown hosts were
quite hospitable to their visitors, as this newspaper account testifies: “The Modesto boys were royally entertained by their Merced
friends, and the friendliest of feeling existed throughout the game.”
In September, I.E. Gilbert took on all challengers to prove
that it was the best in the region. The club defeated Merced 14 to 13
in Modesto, while the Merced band contributed musical entertainment for the spectators. The Gilberts played a “picked nine” in
Modesto and won that contest by another close score of 20 to 19.
The News reported on some sideline action: “At the base ball [sic]
game yesterday afternoon the hind axle of a buggy containing
three young ladies broke, dropping the back end of the vehicle.
The young ladies jumped out and as the horse did not run, no
damage nor injury was done.” Usually in this early baseball era,
fans dotted the sidelines standing or sitting in horse-drawn carriages. A little later, grandstands and fences were erected and admission charged.
I.E. Gilbert beat Merced on Sunday September 23rd, by a
score of 34 to 24, thereby being considered the season’s regional
champs. Salida disagreed and challenged I.E. Gilbert to a series of
games in October, but lost badly, 22 to 12; 20 to 18; and 15 to 8.
Only six innings were played in the final game, because “Salida
became satisfied that they were over matched,” according to the
newspaper; therefore, I.E. Gilbert was indeed the area’s baseball
champ for the 1888 season.
Newspaper accounts for the 1889 season were not as forthcoming and ceasing altogether in June. There were four active
county clubs that year: Salida, Westport, Grayson, and Modesto.
The opening game of the season was on February 23rd at Westport,
between the B.W. team of that community and Salida, ending in a
10 to 8 victory for the home nine. The News reported on a mishap
that occurred: “William Merry, one of the Salida nine, who was to
play, had his little finger knocked out of joint and the tendons
broken before the game was called.” Salida won the next contest
closely defeating B.W. 13 to 12. The newspaper accounts of baseball games included the names of umpires, such as E.W. Brush,
who umpired the February 23rd game, while Louis Crow called the
succeeding match. Just as today, umpires were judged critically on
their performances, with everyone wanting fair decisions and correct calls. The News noted: “Louis Crow acted as umpire and gave
universal satisfaction.”
On March 19th, Grayson and B.W. played at the Westport
diamond in stormy weather: “The sky was overcast with storm
clouds and a strong south wind was blowing, but a large delegation of people from the surrounding county was present.” This
newspaper report illustrates how popular baseball had become,
with bad weather not deterring its spectators. A dance was held the
Friday before in Westport to raise funds for the team’s uniforms
and equipment. The contest began at 2 p.m. on Sunday, the typical
time and day for baseball games. Since the baseball fields were
without lighting, afternoon and early evening games were required.
B.W. defeated Grayson 27 to 18, with its president B. Weil (for
whom the team was named) awarding a box of fine cigars to
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his club. He also presented a box of cigars to the B.W. player who
scored the largest number of runs, which was M.E. McDonald with
six.
Everyone wanted a “fast game,” as it was termed in those
days, which meant good pitching, solid hitting, crisp field play, and
fair umpiring. The phrase “fast team” singled out the better teams
known for their discipline and coaching. Lineups and box scores
now began appearing in newspapers. It was not unusual to see in
the lineups, relatives playing on the same team or even against
each other.
Newman Baseball Team, circa 1900
Salida was domineering in the 1889 season. On April 8th, it
demolished Ceres, 25 to 3, at the Ceres field. The News commented:
“Ceres baseball enthusiasts are looking around for enough players
to organize. There is considerable talent in Ceres and vicinity, but
somehow the boys don’t seem to pull together.” There was baseball activity in the eastern section of the county in 1889. On March
31st, La Grange hosted Horr’s Ranch, losing 23 to 11. A Dry Creek
club played the Acorns from Tuolumne County in a contest on
April 14th at La Grange, winning 23 to 21. Modesto and Salida battled
several times in the next two months. One contest took place on
May 12th at Ripperdan Square field featuring the Stars of Modesto
and Salida, with the Stars prevailing 17 to 16. A week later, the Stars
pounded Salida to the tune of 42 to 15. One final game was played
between the rivals on June 2nd, with Salida being victorious this
time by a score of 11 to 8 on Modesto’s diamond. Umpiring the
contests was Salidan Robert Covert, who according to the News
performed “in a satisfactory and credible manner.” Grayson traveled to Salida for a match on April 19th, being obliterated, 35 to 10.
The term “picked nine” was used to describe a team that
was formed from players and spectators appearing at a game. This
happened in a match between I.E. Gilbert and the “Unknowns,”
with the latter being a “picked nine.” The contest was held at the
Ripperdan Square field, with the “Unknowns” winning, 22 to 21.
Turlock featured a game of “picked nines,” between the “Ah Theres”
and the “Stay Theres,” with the former demolishing the latter by a
score of 33 to 5.
On April 21st, Modesto traveled to Merced to play a game
against Cohen & Wise, losing 28 to 10. The game was tied in the
sixth inning, 6 to 6, but Modesto’s catcher Hart tore liga-
ments in two fingers, when they became entangled in a Merced
player’s clothing on a close play at home. The News reported that
“the accident was disastrous to Modesto,” causing them to lose
the game.
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The “Gay Nineties” was a colorful era, with baseball representing the decade appropriately with its showy uniforms, handlebar mustaches, and imposing wads of tobacco being chewed. Baseball coverage in Modesto Daily Evening News for the 1890 season
ran two months, April 2nd through June 2nd, with Grayson receiving
most of the printer’s ink. The first game reported was between
Grayson and a visiting Tracy team, which nearly was cancelled
because of inclement weather:
There was a very small crowd here today to witness the best
game of ball that was ever put upon the Grayson diamond. It rained most
of the forenoon and looked as though it would be impossible to play. But
when the Tracy boys came rolling in about eleven o’clock, we saw then it
was “play ball,” there was no way out of it. The game commenced at 1
o’clock with Tracy at bat, but their stay there was very short as they fanned
out in one, two, three order. The Grayson boys found it very difficult to get
on to Ludwig’s curves. It was battery work on both sides from the start.
A week later, Grayson hosted Newman’s Defiance team,
winning the contest 6 to 4. Attendance was better at this Grayson
contest, with the News commenting: “The best of feelings prevailed throughout the game, and all seemed to enjoy themselves
hugely.” Grayson’s pitcher Farrell struck out 21 batters, while Defiance had ten errors. On May 6th, Grayson and Westport teams
clashed, ending in a 20 to 20 tie after ten innings, being called
because of darkness. Enjoying its baseball season, Grayson held a
“grand ball” for its ball club, sponsored by Grayson’s Knights of
Pythias. The News quipped: “The way our gallant [team] captain
handled pickles, one would naturally suppose he was affected with
a case of sickness that medicine did not cure, and Joe Hall danced
better than he played ball at Westport.”
Modesto formed a baseball team in April 1890 and was
asked to join the Central California League to replace Bakersfield.
Contending teams in the league were from Merced, Fresno, and
Visalia. It was an amateur league, but it still had an official status
about it, beginning with league rules. At this time, baseball had
somewhat of a tainted reputation, because of gambling, payoffs,
and coarse behavior. League baseball provided some order to the
sport, thereby giving it some authenticity, helping to advance its
popularity in the local communities.
Modesto would have to play its league games away at
first, until an appropriate playing field was prepared in town. The
officers of the Stanislaus County Stockbreeders Association offered to construct a baseball field, with a high board fence, in the
center of the local horseracing track, just northwest of Modesto’s
city limits. A May meeting was called at Constable O’Donnell’s
office, with baseball players and fans in attendance to determine
what baseball talent was available and how the club would be financed. The News commented:
If our boys practice well and faithfully, and are fortunate enough
to secure a good battery [pitcher and catcher], we are satisfied that they
will meet with success and do themselves credit. This action of joining the
League should be encouraged by our citizens, as the games played
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here will bring to Modesto many strangers, and cannot fail to result beneficially to the town.
At the May 18th practice, Modesto’s manager E.F. Redfield
selected the following players for the team: Collett, Farrell, Nagle,
Allen, Cook, Toombs, Meyers, Turner, and Redfield. On June 1st,
the team traveled by train to Merced for its initial Central California
League contest, which they lost by a humiliating score of 16 to 2.
The News lamented that Modesto’s entry into league play “met
with a Waterloo.” That ended newspaper coverage for the season,
with no mention of a new baseball field being constructed.
There were contests between county high schools and
picked teams, such as the “West Side” boys playing the “East Side
boys in Modesto. Ripperdan Square field was a very popular venue
for town baseball, which at times drew complaints, like this one in
the News from March 16, 1892:
Base Ball [sic]. Citizens of Ripperdan Object to it on Sunday.
There is loud complaint in Ripperdan [residential area] because boys
have been in the habit of congregating and playing ball Sundays. “The
trouble is,” said a prominent citizen to-day, “that they curse and use
obscene language. We have decided to go before the City Trustees and ask
for an ordinance prohibiting any playing of ball in front of residences on
Sunday. It has become a great nuisance. Boys ought not to play closer than
100 yards to any house.”
In 1893, the Newman Rustlers challenged Modesto to a
May Day match. The morning contest was played on the grounds
west of Modesto’s Chinatown, near the lumberyard. It was to be a
family affair, with “seats being provided for ladies, and the best of
order will be preserved,” according to the News. A picnic was scheduled after the game. Ceres played Modesto in two games, one in
June and one in July, with Ceres being the victors in both, 12 to 10
and 40 to 13. Modesto had ten fielding errors in the second game,
causing the 40 runs scored against it. Not all was well in the stands
either as reported by the News: “The game throughout was lacking
in harmony and a number of fights seemed imminent at times. One
man displayed a knife in a threatening manner. It will probably be a
long time before Modesto goes to Ceres again to play ball.” In July,
Ceres ventured to Merced, losing the match 25 to 14. The only
other action that was recorded in the local newspaper was a wellattended contest between Newman and Grayson, which ended in
Grayson being victorious 10 to 3. Each team was given $100 for its
performance, and someone won a $400 bet on the game.
Modesto formed a baseball club for the 1894 season, with
club president Solomon Weil asking for financial support to purchase new uniforms. Waterford was Modesto’s first contestant,
playing them on Sunday, March 25th at Waterford, winning by a
slim margin of 18 to 16, in 11 innings. The newspaper account
criticized the playing field as being “rough, uneven and knolly, and
the best nine would have hard work to maintain its reputation on
it.” Bert Dallas pitched for Waterford, while Townes hurled for
Modesto, “fanning out some of the Waterford’s heaviest batters.”
A large number of Modesto fans traveled to Waterford to see the
contest.
A repeat performance took place in Modesto at the Fourteenth Street field the following Sunday, with Modesto triumphant
again 9 to 7 over Waterford. There were some questionable calls by
the umpire in the early innings, prompting him to capitulate, being
replaced with a Turlock umpire. The News noted fan support:
“The Waterford club had quite a contingent of home people with
them, who encouraged them with loud cheering when a good play
was made. They were easily offset by Modesto’s young Americans
whose lungs were in excellent condition.”
Modesto traveled to Turlock on Wednesday, April 9th, playing a contest that ended in controversy. Modesto put its usual nine
on the field, while Turlock borrowed some players. Two came from
Waterford, one from Visalia, and four from Merced, including pitcher
Dountze. One of the umpires was Waterford’s baseball player Robert Dallas, who made a questionable call in the fourth inning, when
the score was 12 to 1, with Turlock leading. During that era, there
was a baseball rule that if a foul ball was caught within ten feet of
home plate, it was not an out. A Turlock batter (from Waterford)
popped up, whereby the Modesto catcher caught it, with umpire
Dallas (from Waterford) ruling, with the persuasion of a Turlock
player, that it was within ten feet of the plate and not an out. There
was an uproar, with Modestans feeling they had been cheated,
causing the team to withdraw from the game.
Modesto played Newman next and then Ceres the following week. Modesto beat Newman, known as the “West Side Club,”
17 to 6, and lost to Ceres, 11 to 9. Umpiring calls met “with the
approval of both clubs,” as reported in the News. Farrell pitched for
Modesto, while Wyllie “twirled” for the West Side. In newspaper
reports through the 1930s, the verb “twirl” or the noun “twirler”
were used habitually in regard to the pitching. “Twirl” provides one
with an acrobatic image of a pitcher’s motions or the curving path
of the thrown baseball, especially when it was laced with a little of
the pitcher’s tobacco-coated saliva, which was legal then. In its
next contest, Modesto was annihilated, 10 to 1, by a visiting Merced
club, with the runs coming from fielding mistakes. Farrell pitched
for Modesto, striking out 22 batters, in the loss, with the runs being
scored because of fielding errors.
On May Day 1894, Modesto battled Newman at the diamond on the corner of L and 13th streets in Modesto. Stockton’s
Sixth Regiment band performed for the occasion, with the morning
game ending in the fifth inning at 10 to 7, the West Siders prevailing. Farrell pitched for Modesto and Trefts for Newman.
When ballgame was finished, the baseball players marched in the
May Day parade. In another county game, Waterford defeated
Montpellier 18 to 16. Modesto faced Ceres in May to decide which
team would be the county champs, with Ceres winning both contests, the first one, 10 to 3, and the second one, 11 to 5. Modesto’s
pitcher Farrell was injured sliding into second base, sidelining him.
In 1895, Townes replaced Farrell as Modesto’s pitcher,
sending Farrell to right field and occasionally to third base. Modesto
played Newman at its ball yard on Saturday April 20th, being victorious 26 to 13. Next Modesto played Grayson at Canty’s ranch near
Grayson, losing 13 to 7. Grayson had a number of Tracy players in
its lineup, with the umpire being from Tracy as well. There was to be
a return game in Modesto, but it wasn’t reported in the local newspaper. On Sunday May 26th, Montpellier met Modesto in a contest
on the Modesto grounds, losing to the home team 19 to 11. The
News commented: “[There was a] very large crowd. The Modesto
band was present, playing during the game. Many ladies were
present. The most friendly feeling existed throughout.”
For the 1896 baseball season only two reports were
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posted in the News. Modesto played a Burwood (Escalon) team in
Modesto, winning impressively 23 to 9. The Burwood squad was
primarily from the Meyers and Burgess families. Farrell was again
on the mound for Modesto. Competition for the 1897 season seemed
to center on baseball clubs from Modesto, Ripon, La Grange, and
Snelling. The first game reported in the newspaper for the year was
Horr’s Ranch against La Grange at the latter’s field. It was a blowout with the home team losing by an embarrassing score of 23 to 0.
Townes pitched for Horr’s Ranch, fanning 23 La Grange batters.
On May 23rd, when Modesto faced Snelling, it was a required that players must come from the respective hometowns,
because of wagering. According to the newspaper: “There will be a
bet on the
game of $100 a
side, and it is
said that the
Modesto side
of the backers
are ready to
make it a larger
bet.” Much to
the chagrin of
the Modesto
team and supp o r t e r s ,
Snelling broke
the hometown
rule, by pitching Monroe,
who was from
Newman Baseball Team, 1908
Fresno. After
much haranguing, it was decided that Monroe could pitch, but all
bets were off, with Modesto being the victor by a score of 25 to 24.
The News reported that “S.J. Allen of Turlock umpired the game to
the entire satisfaction of both of the clubs.” Four of Snelling’s
players were from the Grubb family. Farrell pitched for Modesto.
For the May Day 1897 celebration, Modesto’s “City Slickers” played the “Farmers,” with Farrell pitching for the latter being
a farmer. He was defeated though by the “City Slickers” 5 to 3. The
News reported: “The game was an exciting one throughout, and
two members received black eyes from being hit by the ball accidentally. W. L. Merry acted as umpire and his decisions gave general satisfaction.” On Sunday, June 14th, Jamestown played Modesto
in La Grange. The contest didn’t fare well for Jamestown, losing 44
to 7, with the club claiming the umpire to be unfair. The Modesto
club wore new uniforms, which were gray, with the name “Modesto”
printed on the front of the shirts, while the “pantaloons,” as they
were called, were padded for sliding.
Modestans were excited about their baseball team and
wanted to feature more games with other towns. In July, Modesto
looked towards Stockton and San Joaquin County for competition.
Teams from Modesto and Stockton would become major rivals over
the years, adding much to the local baseball lore. It was suggested
that the Modesto club go on a “camping tour” and play the Sierra
baseball teams. At the same time, a curious sort of bantering occurred between Fresno and Modesto. A Fresno baseball club
was returning by train from successful performances in San Francisco, stopping in Modesto for refreshment. The Fresno boys “in
their hilarity took the occasion to ridicule and ‘josh’ the Modesto
ball-tossers and their adherents,” reported the News. A few weeks
later, the Fresno club again was returning from the coast, but this
time it had lost its games to Santa Cruz 5 to 2 and 4 to 0. Modestans
knew it and were ready for them. When the train stopped at Modesto
with the Fresno boys aboard, a large crowd of Modestans chanted:
“Five to two, four to nit; Fresno Tigers ain’t in it; Can’t play a ball
a little bit.” The Fresno boys tried to shout down the Modesto fans
but “were hooted and laughed at and departed in a very bad humor
and some were swearing vengeance upon the Modestoites [sic],”
according to the newspaper. No games were scheduled between
the two towns in the near future, but several seasons away, the two
rivals would finally clash many times on the baseball field.
Baseball wasn’t reported in the local newspaper for 1898.
One might say the 1899 season began “religiously.” Playing baseball on Sunday, the Christian Sabbath, was not too popular at first
in certain communities and with certain citizens. Games in Stanislaus
County were played occasionally on weekdays, but primarily they
were scheduled for the weekend. Contests on Sunday began at 2
p.m., maybe after a picnic lunch and a short rest. Since most everyone worked Monday through Friday and to 12 noon on Saturday,
the best time for baseball appeared to be Sunday afternoon, after
church, when everyone was at leisure. Still these Sunday afternoon
contests were unacceptable by the more orthodox Christians, such
as Rev. Moullen, an evangelist, who abruptly interrupted a baseball game between Modesto and Waterford at the Waterford field
during the eighth inning, when Modesto was leading the contest
12 to 8. To understand the thinking of the era, let’s allow the newspaper account tell the story through its reporter’s eyes:
Moullen came onto the grounds and in the strongest and most
violent language, harangued the crowd against desecrating the Sabbath
by playing baseball and denounced all present in very forcible language
and called them murderers, liars, defamers of Sunday, etc. The ladies
present also came in for a good share of the castigation of the evangelist.
Finally the confusion and uproar became so great that Constable Bradley
had to make the exhorter quit the scene. The baseball boys “guyed” the
evangelist unmercifully and while the speaker was probably prompted by
the best of motives he signally failed to impress the players and spectators.
Some of the players favored knocking him down with a ball bat, but either
fear at his immense size or respect for his calling prevented any overt act.
The remainder of the game was more of a “josh” than a ball game,
especially for the Modestoans [sic] and they did not score again, while the
Waterford players made five more tallies and won the game by a score of
13 to 12. Moullen came to Modesto this morning and left on the early train
for Oregon. He had been in Waterford for a week. From the comments
heard from Waterford the evangelist is considered a crank or fanatic.
The good reverend had his say, which is the American
way of free speech, probably making many of the Christians in the
crowd squirm a little and perspire some. But in the American way of
fair play, the game continued as it needed to. The clubs met again
on Sunday March 13th in Modesto, but this time Modesto won the
contest 12 to 7 over Waterford. W.L. Merry was once again behind
the plate umpiring. On May 7th, Waterford lost to Oakdale by a
score of 14 to 12. Horse racing and dog performing events occurred
prior to the baseball competition, which illustrates that baseball was one of a number of gaming opportunities on a Sun-
World Series Issue
day afternoon. Married men of Waterford challenged the bachelors
to a baseball game on May 21st, winning 20 to 19, proving once
again that marriage doesn’t necessarily slow the ole domesticated
man down.
Besides Stockton, during the 1899 season, Modesto played
games against rivals from Grayson, Newman, and Oakdale. It rained
some on Sunday March 19th in Modesto, but between the showers,
the Modesto nine soaked its Stockton challengers 7 to 1. The boys
of “black and gold” from Grayson, along with a large contingent of
fans, male and female, also bedecked in the team’s colors, invaded
Modesto on Sunday April 2nd, only to lose terribly at the hands of
the Modesto club 13 to 2. The newspaper account noted that “The
local club extended courtesies which kept all in good humor, and
the defeat was acknowledged gracefully. The umpiring [W.L. Merry]
was satisfactory to both sides, and there was little or no friction
throughout the game.”
Inclement weather struck on Sunday May 14th, in a game
played in Modesto between Modesto and Oakdale. Reportedly,
there was a “heavy wind storm,” which probably had something to
do with the 22 to 8 score, with Modesto being victorious in the
contest. Farrell pitched for Modesto, while Oakdale’s hurler was
Dallas. Oakdale performed better on August 6th, defeating a Stockton team by a score of 16 to 8. Newman and Modesto played three
games, with Newman besting its rival by winning two of them. The
teams met on April 16th in Newman, with the home team defeating
Modesto by a ghastly score of 34 to 3. Modesto had Farrell on the
mound, with Newman hammering him in the fourth, seventh and
eighth innings. Cary pitched for Newman, who was virtually nonhittable. On Sunday May 28th, Cary and Farrell were dueling again
in Newman. The match was more competitive this time, with Modesto
winning this contest 11 to 9. Cary was relieved by Trefts, who
would be a mainstay in county baseball for several seasons. The
final competition between the two towns was on Sunday June 4th in
Modesto, with the hometown team losing by a score of 8 to 5. The
News’ headline read: “Modesto Plays Good Ball But Newman Played
Better.” There were complaints about umpire J.M. Walthall’s calls.
But according to the newspaper, it was conceded that “the winning
club won on merit, and the best of feeling prevailed till late in the
evening.”
On Sunday April 9th, teams from Merced and Stanislaus
counties met in La Grange for prize money and bragging rights.
There was “a grand ball” at Levaggi’s Hall in La Grange the evening
before. The newspaper commented: “The well-known reputation of
hospitality at La Grange will insure all who attend of having a good
time.” Two games were slated for the Sunday’s entertainment.
Lafayette and Horr’s Ranch (with some Dry Creek players) met at 10
a.m., with the losers paying for the winner’s dinner. The two o’clock
contest though was the featured match between the counties, with
the winner receiving $50 for its victory and the loser $10. On the
day of the game, many visitors viewed La Grange Dam, which was
a short distance from the baseball field.
In the morning contest at La Grange, Horr’s Ranch vanquished Lafayette 14 to 4, while the Stanislaus County club didn’t
fare as well in the afternoon against Merced, losing 14 to 9, amidst
shouts of “unfair” from the Stanislaus County fans. Umpire Merry
from Stanislaus County did fine, but his umpiring counter-
World Series Issue
part, E. Smythe from Merced County, blew a call, angering the ball field, as reported by the Modesto Daily Evening News: “InStanislaus County contingent. According to the newspaper, the stead of having the popular subscription as a method of collecting
brouhaha began in the fifth inning when Smythe called “a home run enough money to pay the visiting team’s expenses, a new scheme
on a foul ball, bringing in another base runner, tied the score,” will be inaugurated. The grounds will be fenced and an admission
allowing Merced County to catch up and win the game. Pitching for of 25 cents will be charged to witness the game.”
Modesto
the loser was E. Farrell, while brother T. Farrell hurled for the win- and Waterford teams played as part of Waterford’s “May Day Proner. Five members of the Merced County club were from the Grubb gram,” with the winner receiving $25 and the loser $10. The game
family. The Stanislaus County team players were primarily from was delayed until 5 p.m., being called in the sixth inning, because of
Modesto. Stanislaus County fans were unhappy, but the News darkness, with the score 6 to 4, Waterford defeating Modesto. La
commiserated: “The Stanislaus nine were not in good practice, and Grange engaged Waterford in a contest on Sunday May 13th at
they lost. Now they feel that they can come nearer to winning.” A Waterford, with the home team winning 7 to 6. Two weeks later, the
second meeting of the Merced and Stanislaus teams was held on same two clubs met at La Grange, with Waterford vanquishing La
May 21st. To resolve the umpiring issue, Berry from Newman, a well- Grange 17 to 8.
known local baseball figure, conceded to officiate it. But the outThe 1901 baseball season was not covered by the local
come didn’t favor Stanislaus County once again, losing to Merced newspaper, with only one article appearing on October 6th for the
County by a score of 16 to 6. The
1902 season. It bears reprintNews remarked: “The Stanislaus
ing here in its fullest form,
nine seemed to be rattled after
because it reveals the status
the first part of the game and did
of Stanislaus County basenot play well together for some
ball for that year:
Base Ball [sic]. The
reason. It is very evident that the
ball game between the Modesto
Merceds is the better club and
and Newman teams at Newman
are justly entitled to the champion Sunday afternoon was a
onship.”
farce and a fizzle. Newman has
th
On Sunday May 28 ,
a team of good, clean ball playHorr’s Ranch and Lafayette met
ers, but it was not possible, unagain, this time at T.W. Donnely’s
der the short notice and lack of
ranch, with home team Horr’s
practice, to get a team in
Newman Baseball Team, 1908
Ranch being victorious 10 to 6.
Modesto that could give the
Newman boys exercise. It was
There were some 500 fans in attendance watching Al Jamison pitch for Horr’s Ranch against Joe necessary to patch up the Modesto team with players from Newman, and
Quigley for Lafayette. The final game reported for the 1899 season at no stage of the game did our boys have a ghost of a show. There was a
occurred on Sunday July 30th in Modesto, pitting Modesto against fairly large crowd to witness the opening innings, but when the crowd saw
what Modesto had to offer, it stole away. The score was something like 28
Stockton, with the home team winning 12 to 5. Farrell was in the
to 7 in favor of Newman, a few runs either way doesn’t matter. The Newman
pitching box for Modesto, striking out 14 batters, while allowing team wants to play a return game here during the [county] fair week, if
four hits. At the turn of the century, it could be said that baseball they can be assured that they will find foemen worthy of their steel. We have
was well-rooted and thriving in Stanislaus County. It was of the good material in this town for a ball team and it is a shame to be made the
amateurish brand but fully entertaining to the local fans. Strides laughing stock of the neighborhood by such attempts as that one Sunday.
had been made in providing local clubs with playing fields, uni- There is a movement on foot to organize a good team in Modesto, and it
forms, equipment, and travel. With the advent of irrigation, the face should be done. If the ball players here will get together they could give the
of the county would change in the next decade, bringing in numer- visitors a run for their money.
For the 1903 season, only two baseball games were reous new residents and more baseball adherents. As the county
ported
in
the local newspaper. In April, there were some rumblings
grew so would its baseball.
of baseball interest in Modesto. Arthur Seller and his business
associates challenged a Mr. Leek and his courthouse cronies to a
1
900 -1
909
1900
-1909
th
During the first decade of the twentieth century, baseball baseball game, which was scheduled for Sunday April 19 . This
would flourish, with settlers storming into the county from various marked the advent of local merchant baseball teams, which would
sections of the nation, primarily from the Midwest. The new resi- grow dramatically, eventually developing into merchant baseball
dents snatched up the small irrigated farms that were being mar- leagues and city leagues. During this era, the community of Newman
keted, while new businesses were opened in the towns to service had an enormous interest in baseball, forming the very competitive
the rising population. More population meant more prospective club, the “Newman Lambs,” which would strike fear in the hearts of
baseball talent and more spectators. Unfortunately, baseball cover- its opponents. The story of the selection of “Lambs” as the mascot
age in the local newspapers was limited, but unquestionably, the name is a delightful one: Newman challenged Lon Coffee’s Modesto
team to a baseball game, which was readily accepted and plans
sport grew in popularity throughout the decade.
up, the Modesto players
For the 1900 baseball season, Modesto baseball enthusi- were made for the contest. All packed
th
traveled
to
Newman
on
May
17
,
and with them was team
asts met, deciding to charge admission and fence in the base-
supporter Ed Phelan, who during this journey spotted a
lamb caught in a barbed wire fence. The caravan halted enough to
allow Ed to release the lamb from its entanglement. Rather than
leaving the distressed animal behind (its flock having disappeared)
he brought the lonely lamb to Newman. It remained in Ed’s company throughout the baseball game. It was a hard fought contest,
in which Modesto defeated Newman by the score of 28 to 26. The
News tells of the game’s rigors:
One might judge from the big score that the game was a
pure slugging match, but such was not the case. It was hotly contested and there was much opportunity for individual play, and
the men of both teams exerted every effort to win the game. The
game was played under most unfavorable circumstances. A strong
gale was blowing all afternoon, and the pitchers had to throw the
ball right in the teeth of the wind. When a batter would hit a ball
the wind would carry it much farther than the ball would ordinary go, so the players found it impossible to judge the ball with
any degree of accuracy and this fact is responsible for the great
number of runs scored by both sides.
Newman’s manager Arnold requested a return contest the
next week in Modesto, which was immediately accepted. With “another chance to hoo-doo the Newman boys,” as the newspaper
phrased it, Phelan sheared his pet lamb and painted Modesto’s
winning score on its side, “28 to 26,” with plans of donating the
timid creature to the Newman ball club. Unfortunately, the teams
didn’t meet as planned, with Newman canceling, while Modesto
played the Los Banos Reds instead. But eventually the lamb was
given to the Newman team, becoming its mascot and namesake for
the “Newman Lambs.”
The Los Banos Reds was billed by the newspaper as
“clean, expert ball players.” The word “clean” is in reference to a
team’s efficiency in fielding and not necessarily its players’ hygiene or demeanor. Coffee prepared the field near the powerhouse
for Modesto’s waterworks in preparation for a large crowd of spectators. Everything that was billed and anticipated came to pass,
except Modesto lost to the boys in the red uniforms 14 to 9. The
News reported: “The boys in the red suits had the best of the game
from start to finish. Their playing showed that they had practiced
together and were accustomed to each other’s plays, and their
game had that machine like precision which comes only with long
practice.” Modesto took more than a baseball lesson from the Los
Banos club. It would eventually adopt its nickname “Reds” hankering back to 1872 when a Modesto club bore the name “Red Caps”
and donned the red and white.
Modesto’s 1904 season was well reported in the newspapers and action filled from March through September. It began with
a challenge from the traveling Wiedemann Show Troupe, a group
of stage performers, who would entertain in Modesto in March
with their theatrics. The troupe had a competent baseball team,
having just defeated Napa 7 to 6 before they came to Modesto.
During their stay in Modesto, the actors practiced baseball every
afternoon at the powerhouse field, drawing a crowd. They apparently impressed many with their workout, which brought this comment from the News: “It will take a team picked of the best material
in town to beat them.”
How important was baseball to Modesto? Very im-
World Series Issue
portant, as testified by the News: “It is the object of those who are
promoting the game to organize a regular team in Modesto and to
have frequent games during the summer, and this movement should
meet with the hearty support of all of our people, as ball games
bring both business and pleasure to town.” Stacking the deck for
the March 20th game against Wiedemann Show Troupe, Modesto
called on Babe Monroe from the Fresno’s Athletic Club to pitch,
while recruiting the “who’s who” of Modesto baseball talent to
support him in the field and at bat. To almost everyone’s surprise,
Modesto won 5 to 3, without even practicing, according to the
newspaper. Wade Howell called the balls and strikes. The game
was tied until the tenth inning, when Modesto won it.
Talk about excitement! Modesto’s baseball enthusiasts
met at Ramona’s barbershop the next evening to organize a permanent city team. It was calculated that it would take $20 to prepare
the field for playing and $50 for nine uniforms. Manager Wade
Howell declared that $250 would be needed for the season. The
subsequent night, the men were back at the barbershop, and this
time to discuss team personnel and the purchase of new uniforms.
It was decided that Howell would select the players from the practices and inter-squad games, and the uniforms would emphasize
the color red. This was the birth of the Modesto Reds, a baseball
club that would become synonymous with the town. The Modesto
Reds was active for nearly 70 years, with the exception of a few
seasons when teams weren’t formed for various reasons. It would
become the elite team in town, playing eventually at the semi-professional level. The newspaper account of April 7, 1904 is historically important in its description of the new uniforms:
The Modesto “Reds” Order Their Base Ball [sic] Uniforms.
Manager Wade Howell of the Modesto base ball [sic] club informs us that
the order had been placed for the uniforms to be worn by the members of
the ball club. The boys will have white wool shirts bearing the word
‘Modesto’ in red letters, red wool trousers and red caps with white stripes.
The boys will be the color of blood on the outside and the teams crossing
bats with them will find that they are blooded all through, and hustlers
from the call of the game until it is ended.
Talk about swagger and pride, and maybe much wishful
thinking. Oakdale would be the Reds first challenge on Sunday
April 10th. The diamond near the powerhouse was prepared, according to the News: “A number of improvements have been made
in the field, a diamond having been scraped and the field leveled in
places and the tall grass cut. A wire has been put from the backstop
toward first and third bases in order to keep the crowd back from
the players.” Oakdale rolled into Modesto prepared to do battle,
and indeed they were prepared, winning 13 to 10. Weak pitching on
the Red’s behalf was claimed to be the problem. C.T. Tulloch, owner
of Oakdale’s Stanislaus Milling and Power Company, gave the
Oakdale team new uniforms for its victory. Reds’ manager Howell
signed Tom Scally of Stockton to pitch for the Reds, with the News
remarking that he had “a swift and accurate delivery, combined
with some snaky curves, which were calculated to keep the man at
the bat guessing,” He made the difference the following Sunday,
when the Reds shellacked Oakdale in a return game 12 to 1. Campbell
pitched again for Oakdale but was bombed by 26 hits.
On April 24th, the Reds and Merced tangled, beginning
with some fanfare on the baseball field near the Modesto laundry.
Resplendent in their new uniforms, the Reds’ players were
escorted onto the playing field by the town band. Twenty-five
cents was charge for admittance, with Howell divulging that gate
receipts for the game amounted to $58.50, keeping the Reds financially afloat. Modesto won this inaugural contest with 17 runs,
while Scally struck out 11. The next Sunday, the Reds played in
Merced, losing 11 to 8, with the Merced Sun proclaiming that
Modesto’s team consisted of “imported talent and can be depended
upon to play a fast game.” On May 8th, Madera lost to the Reds at
home with a ninth inning homer, ending in a score of 8 to 7. The ball
was hit so hard by Modesto’s center fielder Tim Rinehart that it
went across the railroad track. A News editorial commented on the
lack of fan support, stating that if attendance didn’t pick up that
ladies would be charged an admittance fee. Against the Stockton
Mail the Reds won 7 to 6, but Modesto catcher Keller had to hang
up his spikes, because “playing ball interferes with regular business.”
New Reds’ manager T.M. Slusser staged a contest with
Oakdale, with Modesto victorious 20 to 6. Modesto scored seven
runs in the first inning and finished with a grand slam. Paid attendance to the game was $27.50, but $10 more was needed to pay for
the grounds and other expenses. The Reds received a challenge
from Redlick’s Department Store in Fresno that had an undefeated
team. The visitors arrived in Modesto on Sunday May 29th, annihilating the Reds 17 to 9. Conneau pitched for the Reds, but according to the News, “The Fresno boys found his curves early in the
game.” Not one to procrastinate, Slusser signed a new pitcher from
Madera, Frank Whitehead, for the rest of the season. On Sunday
June 20th, Fresno’s Redlick’s was in town, hoping to continue its
winning ways, but this time Modesto was more competitive with
Madera’s Whitehead on the mound and some other changes in
personnel. The Reds decimated its visitors 17 to 3, with eight
strikeouts by Whitehead. The newspaper blasted the freeloaders
who sat on “the laundry steps and the lumber piles along the railroad,” not wanting to pay the 25¢ admission.
At this time, Stanislaus County courthouse employees
challenged local businessmen to a game, with the one proviso:
“Thou shall not practice.” It took only one day for the rule to be
broken though, with he vacant lots being filled with the white collar
crowd of both teams practicing their baseball skills. The courthouse nine took on the name “Browns,” while the businessmen’s
club became known as “Blues.” The day before the game, the News
joined in the banter:
Tomorrow will be the day of days for the lover of real scientific
baseball. The Toilers and the Grafters have girded their loins and made
ready the arnica [liniment] bottle. The brown and blue ribbons flutter in
the breezes. The Businessmen have scored a point on the Court House
nine by having secured for their mascot, J.D. Harp, who promises to keep
his hat on and not dazzle the grandstand. Judge Griffin is training mightily
and has grown so strong that Friday, while mowing his lawn, he made a
run to first and crippled the lawn mower. L.J. Coffee has heroically consented to umpire the game. Ambulances will be stationed at convenient
intervals on the grounds. The new Modesto Sanitarium has been made
ready for the disabled.
The hotly advertised contest delivered its bill of goods,
with an astonishing competitive 27 to 26 score, won by the Blues. It
was a raucous occasion on a beautiful June day, with promoters
proclaiming the event a huge success, making $50 after ex-
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penses. Buoyed by success, Blues’ players, Shoemake and
McMahon, challenged any team to play the new “Modesto
Invincibles.”
The Reds found it difficult to locate a baseball club to play
them in 1904. Manager Slusser tried to schedule a game with
Redlick’s and an Oakdale club, but there was no interest. A game
was played in Modesto on Sunday July 17th against the Stockton
Stars, with the Reds winning 13 to 12. Lon Coffee umpired, receiving constant dissatisfaction with his calls.
Modesto Reds, circa 1904
Modesto Reds photo
The 1905 baseball season began in Modesto first with the
scraping of the field as reported in the News: “Horses and scraper
were started at work this morning scalping the diamond and everything will be in first class condition by the time the first game of the
season is to be played.” Modesto held an exhibition game on March
19th, between two picked nines, as a fundraiser for the new season.
The Reds won its first contest in front of “a large crowd,” according to the News, by a score of 2 to 1 against Newman on April 2nd.
The next Sunday, the Reds were the victors in a 10 to 6 contest
against the Stockton Stars, but losing the following week to Newman.
The News complained that Reds’ pitcher Mullin took “some time to
get his arm in working order.” But on April 16th, Mullin pitched
against Fresno’s Redlick’s winning that game 10 to 4. On April 30th,
Newman beat the Reds 8 to 4, with the News characterizing it as
“just like shooting fish.” It did rain occasionally during the match.
Finances were once again a problem with the Reds, with
businessmen and ardent supporters meeting at Tynan Hotel to
pledge financial support. On Sunday June 4th, 200 Reds’ fans traveled by train from Oakdale to Sonora to watch its team slug it out
with Sonora. The News reported on Modesto’s victory: “Hopkins
pitched a good game, having the lumbermen at his mercy at every
stage.” On the subsequent Sunday, a Madera nine visited Modesto,
with the home team performing poorly in a 23 to 13 bashing. The
News considered it “one of the poorest games of baseball ever
played in Modesto.” The Reds finances were once again on the
ropes, and again there was promise of support, with endorsers
contributing one dollar a month.
The Reds faced Sonora in Oakdale on Sunday August 6th.
The game was played in Oakdale, because the Sierra Railroad line
ended there. It was “a listless exhibition, marked by many errors,”
complained the newspaper, with Sonora the victor, having
scored 7 runs to Modesto’s 4. Reds’ pitcher Philo Mobley was
impressive on the mound though. He would remain a popular figure
in county baseball for a number of years. The Reds played the
Stockton Stars in its final game of the 1905 season at Modesto,
losing to the Stars 10 to 7.
In March 1906, the Modesto Baseball Association was
formed, appointing Turlocker Melvin French to manage the Reds.
He sought to organize a Merced-Stanislaus league, but it failed to
draw sufficient interest. On another note, a courthouse nine was
assembled in Modesto by Tom Griffin to compete against other
courthouse teams in surrounding counties.
The Reds played an exhibition contest on Monday April
2nd against the Portland Browns (later the Beavers) of the Pacific
Coast League. This brought a stir to the local baseball community,
having a professional league farm club in town. The Reds lost by 4
to 1, with the News commenting that “The Reds were rattled because it was playing a professional league team.” The Reds continued its independent play by defeating the Stockton Stars 14 to 11
but losing two weeks later to Stockton’s Valley Brew 6 to 3. The
Reds engaged a Lathrop nine, winning that contest 12 to 8 with
Modesto accumulating 12 hits. The club continued its ways by
defeating Stockton’s Kirks 17 to 2 and Fresno’s Brunswick’s 12 to
3. The Fresno Republican took issue with umpire Howell, who was
from Modesto, and the sandstorm that blew across the diamond,
remarking, “the stuff got into our eyes so we couldn’t bat!” (That’s
called home field advantage.)
The Modesto Reds and the Oakdale Merchants had become archrivals, facing one another on Sunday July 22nd. The News
reported that “half the town was over in Oakdale,” seeing the
Modestans win in the ninth inning 4 to 3. Lamb pitched for the
Reds and Dallas for Oakdale. In a repeat performance two weeks
later, Modesto overwhelmingly crushed the Oakdale club 12 to 3,
even with Oakdale importing from the San Francisco Seals a professional league pitcher to hurl that day. The News exclaimed that “if
there is any champion club, Modesto has it.” The Reds played the
Oakland Merchants in another two games, winning both, with the
last one being a real bashing of 19 to 2. The News clamored for the
Reds to join a semi-professional league, such as the State League.
The 1907 season began in March, with the Modesto Reds
defeating a Stockton club 10 to 9. Lamb once again was pitching for
the Reds. A team from Bryon played the Reds in Modesto, being
defeated by the Reds 9 to 2. The Byron club brought their own
band in its disappointing loss. The Reds continued to play teams
from Oakland and then San Francisco, who came to town and were
trounced. The News commented that the Reds “knocked the ball so
far and so often that the boys from the fog belt [Bay Area] tired
themselves out chasing it.” The newspaper also stated that “The
Reds outclassed anything in the amateur baseball nines that the
State produces.” It played Hayward, Merced, and a team from the
U.S. Marines, winning every contest. Lamb was at his best, striking
out 11 or so each game. Without question, the 1907 Reds played
brilliantly, setting a benchmark with its success, causing its fans to
expect more of the same in 1908.
In 1908, the Modesto Reds continued winning, defeating
clubs from Fresno and San Francisco, with Lamb on the mound.
The Modesto team though found its Stanislaus County foe
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the Newman Lambs a tough match. On Sunday May 3rd, the two
met in Newman, with 300 Modestans traveling by a special train to
witness the contest, which Newman won 8 to 5. The Newman club
had brought in semi-professional players to give them the victory.
For the July 4th weekend, Newman held a grand extravaganza of
fireworks, dances, horse races, footraces, and two baseball games
between the Reds and the “Newman Imports,” as the Modesto
newspaper facetiously called the Newman Lambs. Jimmie Lamb
was once more in the pitcher’s box for Modesto. Because the News
didn’t report the results of the games, it had to be because the Reds
lost both games.
The Reds picked up two other fine pitchers in Conneau
and Mobley. Philo Mobley would remain a dominating pitcher for
the next decade. On Sunday July 12th, the Reds played the San
Francisco Missions, defeating the club 6 to 1 in a contest that took
just one hour and 40 minutes. In August, Mobley shutout United
Railroads from Fresno 8 to 0. In September the Reds played Point
Richmond to a 2 to 2 tie but was victorious over Madera 16 to 2.
The Modesto Reds began its heavy 1909 schedule on
March 7th, defeating Oakland State Leaguers in two games: 8 to 7 in
the first one, and the following Sunday, 5 to 1. The News commented: “The weather was perfect, and early in the afternoon the
crowd started to wend their way slowly to the ball park, and by
three o’clock, the bleachers and grandstands were packed.” In April,
the Reds defeated a Stockton team 6 to 5 and a club from San
Francisco 4 to 2, with Mobley on the mound. A Livermore team
came to Modesto defeating the Reds in a close battle 1 to 0. The
News noted: “The street corners were crowded last evening after
the game, discussing the outcome.” On May 16th, Mobley no-hit a
San Francisco team 5 to 0. Newman also faced a Bay Area club,
being victorious in their contest 5 to 1.
On April 14th, the News ran this headline: “Hughson Great
Baseball Town.” For the past few years, Hughson had formed competitive teams, with fan support being impressive for such a small
community. On April 9th, the Hughson Greys battled a Ceres club,
with the Greys winning 5 to 4. Fisk pitched for Ceres, while Dallas
was on the hill for Hughson. On the same weekend, the Hughson
Hustlers locked horns with a Turlock baseball club, which was
considered a “well-played and very exciting game” on Turlock turf.
The Hustlers vanquished Turlock 6 to 4 when it scored five runs in
one inning. Unfortunately, Hughson never faced the Reds during
the season, a match that might have pitted two fine amateur clubs
in a worthwhile contest.
The next Sunday found over 800 Newman fans in Modesto
to cheer for its Lambs. The News reported: “The grandstands and
bleachers were jammed and many people standing, while others
crawled up on the fence where they sat for two solid hours and
watched the best-played and most exciting game which has been
played on the local grounds this year.” Newman won the competition 3 to 2, but there was a major controversy. The local newspaper
contended: “Umpire [Jim Nealon] made a raw decision on home
when he called Osbourne out at the home plate when he was clearly
safe, the catcher making no effort to touch him with the ball until he
was on the base. This itself would have given Modesto the game.”
Reds’ Mobley fanned only three, while allowing eight hits. Things
were vastly different for him in his July 4th outing against
Sacramento’s Carmichaels, where he struck out eight and pitched a
shut out, one-hit game, winning 3 to 0. Reds’ catcher Heinie Palm
had a pigskin problem as recounted by the News:
Palm was nervous throughout the entire game on account of the
pig squealing under the grandstands, and by the time the seventh inning
was reached, he had made up his mind to locate the thing immediately and
put a stop to its squealing, so as soon as the pig was turned loose at the
home plate Heinie dropped his mask and started after piggy at a tensecond clip and just to show the fans that he understood football as well as
baseball he made a most magnificent flying tackle and landed squarely on
the fleeing piggy and carried him back in triumph to the bleachers amid the
cheers of his teammates and the confused ball artists from Sacramento.
The next Sunday, the Reds played its old nemesis, the
Newman Lambs, losing the contest 11 to 4. The game lasted one
hour and 45 minutes in which Mobley was thrashed for 14 hits,
while only striking out three Lambs. The News sarcastically wisecracked: “The trouble started at two-thirty when someone said
play ball. Only the Newman players heard what he [umpire] said,
and they started to play immediately, while the Reds began to boot
the ball around the field.” The newspaper was attributed the sloppy
play to “stage fright.” The News remarked further: “It looks as if
Newman was a little out of our class.” Modesto wanted another
crack at the Lambs, but the Newman boys would not consider it,
having won the first two already and last one so handedly. Other
county play for latter July found Hickman victorious over Turlock
15 to 4. The loss was blamed on the absence of four key Turlock
players: Dunsmore, Davison, Morgan, and Blodgett, but Turlock’s
pitcher Rapp was shredded by Hickman batters.
The Reds faced teams from Madera, Stockton, and San
Francisco in August, with Modesto winning 9 to 0, 8 to 2, and 7 to
4. In September, a contest with the Bakersfield Drillers lasted 16
innings, ending in a 2 to 1 defeat for the Reds. The club also lost
narrowly to the Visalia Pirates 1 to 0 and 3 to 2, with the News
summarizing the defeats in its headline: “Streak of Hard Luck.”
Modesto faced a touring “All California Team,” consisting of preeminent ball players, with the Reds being victorious this time 4 to 2,
with Mobley on the mound. Modesto fans proclaimed the Reds to
be the “Amateur Champion of the San Joaquin.” Modesto engaged
the Fresno Leaguers in two games, winning one, 1 to 0 in 13 innings, while losing the other 4 to 3. For its final game of the season,
the Reds defeated a San Francisco team, 3 to 0, with Mobley pitching.
1
910 -1
914
19
-19
The 1910 county baseball season was busy and exceedingly long, finally ending in November. The Modesto Reds’ schedule included engagements with many of the clubs it faced in the
previous season. Modesto was not invited to play in a league;
therefore, the club was again out to demonstrate its artistry and
skill on the ball field, hoping for an invitation to a league at some
point. The Newman Lambs remained tough contenders, while
Hughson was becoming a powerhouse. The Turlock team wasn’t
as strong but still respectable and available for some competitive
baseball. Modesto was finding that it needed other city teams
other than just the Reds to meet the growing demand for local
baseball.
In March and April, the Reds played the Stockton
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State Leaguers, San Francisco Maxwells, and the Pacific Coast
League’s San Francisco Seals, losing all three contests to what
amounted to superior talent. The Turlock Giants had a busy April,
first playing Livingston, winning a wild 18 to 4 bout there. Gibson
pitched for the Giants, with Dunsmore catching. The next Sunday,
April 10th, Turlock engaged the Salida Boosters at the Turlock High
School diamond, with the outcome not being reported. The Reds
faced two Sacramento teams next, winning both games and then a
San Jose contingent, defeating it as well. The Modesto club visited
Sonora in a benefit contest, with 550 fans traveling by train, being
Modesto Reds, circa 1908
Modesto Reds photo
victorious 11 to 0, over a picked Sonoran club. In May, the Reds
defeated opponents 11 to 0 and 8 to 1, with Mobley throwing his
“wicked curveballs,” as described by the News.
The Reds played a competent Newman club in Newman,
with its arch foe ending Modesto’s winning streak in a 9 to 3 loss.
The News lamented: “It was awful, Mabel. The game was over
before the Reds started to play ball. Were the Reds trying to play
football?” Modesto had a total of seven errors. Newman did stack
the deck some by importing idle Fresno State League players. Another loss came the following weekend, and this time in Merced,
against a competitor that most always sent Modestans into a rage.
This contest didn’t disappoint, swirling in controversy immediately, with a poor call by the umpire, ending in a 4 to 3 victory by
Merced. In June and July, the Reds played the San Mateo Hustlers
in two games and had a contest against a Tracy team, with Modesto
winning all three games. The Tracy engagement was a pitcher’s
duel, with there being only five hits during the entire competition, a
rarity.
A baseball player’s greatest fear is being struck in the
head by a pitched ball. It could mean severe disability or even
death. Protective batting helmets weren’t worn, while pitchers threw
freely at batters. The fate of the hitter largely depended upon his
quickness to react to a thrown ball. Such a despairing event occurred in Turlock, when its club faced Modesto’s Johnson & Ross
nine. The Weekly News reported:
A young man named Roscoe Johnson, residing at the Mistletoe
Lodging House in Modesto, was very seriously injured at Turlock yester-
day while engaged in the baseball game there. He belonged to the Johnson
& Ross team, and was at the bat when a pitched ball struck him on the left
ear, sending him to the ground insensible. It was thought at first that the
blow had been fatal, but a doctor was hastily summoned and brought him
to consciousness, and he was removed on a stretcher and brought to
Modesto in the express car of the evening train. He is resting easily this
afternoon, and it is hoped that no complications will set in. The Turlock
team won in this game by a score of 4 to 0.
On August 7th, a game between Turlock and Hughson
ended in the fourth inning, when Hughson withdrew from the match,
protesting a called foul ball. The contest was held in Turlock, with
the hometown leading 6 to 3, when a Hughson batter hit one over
the fence, but the umpire called it foul. Hughson disagreed and
stormed off. Apparently, there was bad blood early in the game,
with this call compounding a contentious state of affairs.
On Sunday August 14th, Turlock hosted the “Crack Team
of the Modesto Realty Company,” as characterized in the headlines
of the Turlock Journal. According to the newspaper, Turlock’s
manager Fleshman “corralled an unusually fast bunch of ball-tossers this season, and his team has also been winning with clock-like
regularity, and he informs us that he is going after the scalp of the
Modesto boys Sunday.” His club did scalp Modesto to the tune of
7 to 1, primarily because of good pitching by Thompson, who offered “an assortment of curves and benders, puzzling to the visitors, and they could do nothing with his delivery.” The game had a
number of double plays but was riddled with numerous errors as
well. M.E. Hickok umpired the match, having “a large share of goodnatured roasting from the fans, which he enjoyed as much as any
one,” according to the newspaper.
On Sunday July 24th, the hometown Modesto crowd saw
the “Reds Slaughter Hayward’s Prize Ball Team with Ease,” according newspaper headlines. Modesto had 15 hits and 15 runs, while
Hayward was limited to four hits and zero runs. In August, the
Newman Lambs defeated the Reds 6 to 3. Clearly, the West Side
club had Modesto’s number. Each team had ten hits, with Modesto
committing the only error. What went wrong? Pitching was not
mentioned in the newspaper account, but the headlines did use the
phrase “Husky Westside Warriors,” meaning perhaps the team had
some beefy sluggers. The next engagement between the two clubs
was in Modesto on August 28th, with Newman losing in a lopsided
contest 9 to 0. Did the Lambs throw the game? The Journal felt
Newman had “‘laid down’ in order to take in a lot of Modesto
money on the next game.” The newspaper suggested that spectators should boycott Newman games, because “it was a farce, pure
and simple.” On Sunday September 11th, the Reds and Lambs
tangled, with Newman winning a squeaker in the ninth inning 7 to 6.
The Reds had actually out hit the Lambs, but the knocks weren’t
timely.
In a late August contest, Turlock hit the ball unmercifully,
vanquishing a Riverside team 14 to 1. Turlock’s Thompson had
another superb outing in the pitcher’s box. In a September engagement against Modesto Realty, hometown Turlock was annihilated
by a score of 11 to 2. The Journal wryly remarked:
If you ever heard of a ball team going up in the air, you should
have been out at the high school grounds Sunday afternoon to see the
Turlock boys take an aerial trip. It was a grand success. They left the
ground in the very first inning and never came back until after the
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game. The infielders and outfielders alike made some of the rankest errors
ever seen on the local diamond.
In a Sunday September 4th contest, the Reds narrowly defeated a San Leandro club 2 to 1, but the team had eight hits. In midSeptember, the Madera Coyotes were in town to face the Reds,
defeating Modesto 3 to 1. In a bit of sarcasm, the News commented
about the umpiring: “It is hoped that the management of both teams
can find the spare money with which to secure an umpire who has
seen at least two games of ball and who is not prejudiced either one
way or the other.” On September 25th, the Coyotes lost to the Reds
3 to 0. Mobley pitched, drawing this comment from the newspaper:
“Philo, the old, reliable twirler, out-pitched Brant and Meikle yesterday and out-batted them with the willow. Nine coyotes lost their
scalps.”
In October, Turlock played Modesto’s Johnson-Ross at
the Turlock High School, which was described by the News as “one
of the slowest and most uninteresting games of ball that has been
seen here in many a day.” Clearly the Modesto-based newspaper
was not happy with the 15 to 11 victory by Turlock. The Turlock
Journal saw the contest differently: “It took a bright mind and lots
of paper to keep up with the score, so thick and fast were they
coming in.” The Reds faced the Madera Coyotes on October 9th,
losing 2 to 1. The News was upset with the home club: “The Reds
ran the bases like a bunch of amateur schoolboys.”
A series of games were played between the Reds and the
Fresno Tigers, with Modesto losing all four games by close scores.
Modesto continued its losing ways, being defeated next in two
contests against Oakland 3 to 1 and 2 to 1. For 1910, the Reds won
25 contests and lost 15. They had outscored their opponents 170 to
79. The results were satisfying enough to prompt the News to make
this statement: “We feel safe in saying that we voice the sentiment
of the entire city, when we say to the members of the Modesto
Reds, ‘Boys, you have done exceedingly well, and we are proud of
you.’”
In 1911, the Stanislaus County finally had a baseball league
of its own. It was called the “Sunny Stanislaus League,” with E.T.
Christ as its president, having teams from Oakdale, Hughson, Ceres,
and Modesto. The Modesto club was named “Realities.” The only
game recorded in the newspaper was the first contest between
Oakdale and Hughson on Sunday April 9th, in which Oakdale defeated its opponent on its home turf 6 to 3. The league’s season
ended on July 9th, with Jay Rydberg’s Oakdale Oaks capturing the
championship. The final league standings as published in the News
were:
Sunny Stanislaus League
Won
Lost
Oakdale
11
2
Realties
9
5
Ceres
5
8
Hughson
2
12
Pct.
.847
.645
.385
.143
The Modesto Reds had at least ten contests in 1911, playing its chief competitor Newman Lambs on three occasions, with
the Reds winning two of the matches. In March, the Reds faced two
professional teams in exhibition contests: the Boston Red Sox and
the Tacoma Tigers of the Pacific Coast League. In the Red Sox
game, Mobley was on the mound for the home team, firing a
terrific game, but there was no offensive support in the 5 to 0 losing
battle. In the Tacoma game, Mobley was tagged for 11 hits, with the
Tigers winning 8 to 1. The Reds played nobly in these exhibition
competitions, adding to the hometown’s respectability as a regional
center for baseball.
While the Sunny Stanislaus League was beginning its
season on April 9th, the Reds and the Newman Lambs met in Newman,
with an enormous crowd on hand to see Modesto defeat Newman
2 to 0 in a bitter battle. The West Side wind was fierce, holding back
two certain home runs by Reds’ batters, Ferlin and Palm. The Lambs
had new uniforms for the season, with a capital “N” on the left
chest of the jersey and a small “n” on a sleeve. The next Sunday
Modesto faced a “poor aggregation from the Bay, and they called it
a baseball game,” lamented the News. Modesto scattered nine hits,
scoring five runs to defeat Carroll & Tilton, 5 to 1.
There were serious umpiring problems in the Reds’ next
contest, when a San Mateo club brought its umpire to call the
game. The News stormed: “He was fixed and went on the diamond
all prepared to hand his own team the best end of the score. This he
did and did it in such a raw fashion.” The score was 4 to 1, with San
Mateo the victors. The Modesto crowd and players were in an
uproar calling the umpire a “boob” among other derogatory names.
The next Sunday’s game turned out differently. Reds’
boosters and players “automobiled,” as the newspaper termed it,
to the West Side to face the Newman Lambs in a second contest.
The final score was 3 to 0, with Modesto winning. The News was
unashamedly cavalier in its comments: “They are the Reds and are
supposed to win.” In its next contest, Modesto played a Bay Area
team, winning in the ninth inning 1 to 0. The News reported that the
fans had defeated the competition by rattling its pitcher. It further
commented: “Modesto believes that it is the best semi-professional
team in California, but it cannot hold this reputation and allow a
team such as that which visited here yesterday and play all around
it for eight innings and then depend on the fans to win the game.”
In May, the Reds defeated a Sacramento club, but ran into a buzz
saw the next outing, without pitcher Mobley, being defeated by the
Newman Lambs 9 to 1. The final Reds’ contest reported for 1911
was in Stockton on October 3rd. Mobley was in the pitcher’s box,
allowing only five hits, but two runs crossed home plate, resulting
in a Reds’ defeat in a close contest 2 to 1.
Finally, Modesto got its wish in the 1912 season. The
Reds joined the semi-pro California State League, along with teams
from Stockton, Oakland, San Francisco, Galt, and Sacramento. The
league really represented northern California, as one can see by the
towns and cities represented, and this was because of lengthy
travel time and associated costs. The clubs selected were centrally
located to make travel easier by train and automobile. The Reds
took the first half-season championship with 11 wins and 1 loss,
while Stockton won the second half-season, with a winning record
of 8 wins and 4 losses. The two clubs met in a best of three-game
playoff to determine the champion. The first contest ended in a 3 to
3 tie, because of darkness, with the teams splitting the other two
games, with one win each. There was a fourth game, which was not
reported in the News, giving rise to the speculation that the Reds
lost it, and Stockton was the league champ for 1912.
In the local newspaper archives, only the Turlock
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Daily Journal was available for the 1913 season, which emphasized Turlock baseball. The newspaper carried two Modesto Reds’
games, only because the club played Turlock. The California State
League didn’t form in 1913, leaving the Reds to compete independently for the season.
Hughson came to Turlock to play the Turlock Merchants
on April 29th. The Journal exhorted fans to turn out and “root for
the Turlock team, as it would be greatly appreciated.” The result of
the engagement was not reported, but the May 25th game was,
finding Turlock clobbering Stockton’s Holt by a commanding score
of 14 to 4. Clare Mills hurled for the Merchants, striking out 19
batters, while allowing just two hits. The next Sunday found an-
Modesto Reds, 1910
Modesto Reds photo
other Stockton team in Turlock, the Macabees, with the Merchants
again the victors, 6 to 5. Mills was on the mound again. In its next
game, the Turlock Merchants narrowly defeated the visiting Stockton Athletics 3 to 2 in 11 hard fought innings. Turlock faced the
visiting Brunswick’s from Fresno in July, losing the match 8 to 3, in
a game that was ridiculed by the local fans, because “neither team
put forth a very good brand of ball,” reported the Journal. A
Manteca nine engaged the Turlock club, losing 4 to 3 in Turlock.
Pat Rapp was in the pitcher’s box for the Merchants.
The Turlock diamond hosted another Stockton club, the
Stockton Records, with the home club being victorious 4 to 1. Rapp
pitched again but was relieved by the “Livingston smoke demon,”
Jimmy McConnell, impressing the large crowd with his dominating
fastballs. Stockton’s Sampson Iron Works was in Turlock, beating
the Merchants 5 to 3. The Iron Works eked out “a steady consistent game throughout and their pitcher was hard to find,” declared
the Journal.
On Sunday, August 17th, the “Traveling Boosters, composed of melon pickers, fruit pickers, etc.,” engaged the Turlock
Merchants in what was described as “a farce,” with numerous “comical plays,” according to the newspaper. It was an exhibition contest to raise money for the home team. No score was kept, but the
highlights were described: “In one inning [Merchants] McAuliffe
broke a bat, struck out, made first on the last strike, stole second,
third and home, only to be called out for not touching sec-
ond.” Boosters’ catcher Helbach had his share of problems per the
Journal: “When he wasn’t catching the ball on the shins, at the
ends of his fingers, or getting hit somewhere else, he was getting
spiked, turning his ankle or some other dire misfortune was just
about to overcome him.”
The following Sunday, Merced was in Turlock, narrowly
defeating the Merchants 2 to 1. The Journal commented that “both
teams played real ball from start to finish.” In September, Turlock
visited Merced, with the Merchants losing 6 to 2. The Merchants’
lineup changed from week to week making its performances inconsistent. This especially played havoc on its defense, resulting in
many fielding errors.
The Turlock Merchants battled a Hughson team in “one
of their hardest fights,” according to the newspaper, with the contest ending 4 to 3 in favor of Hughson. Its pitcher Owens fanned 17
batters, while J. McConnell for Turlock retired 12. Sampson Iron
Works returned to Turlock, upending the hometown Merchants 8
to 5. The next Sunday, Turlock was in Merced, being crushed 6 to 2.
On September 21st, the Merchants played visiting Fresno Traction,
winning 3 to 2. The Journal reported: “The game was a live one
from start to finish, and there was something doing every minute
up to the time the last run was made.”
It was time for the Modesto Reds to play the Turlock
Merchants. Turlock sent this challenge to the Reds:
To the Modesto Reds: We, the Turlock Merchants, base ball [sic]
team take this means of challenging you to a game on your own grounds,
and at your first open date. Gate receipts, 60% to winner; 40% to loser.
Respectfully, H.H. Smith, Mgr.
The Reds had just lost to Hughson 5 to 3. The Journal
roared that it was due to their arrogance: “The Reds have been
doing winning work lately, and it is suspected that they are getting
somewhat conceited. This conceit the [Turlock] Merchants expect
to take out of them in fine shape next Sunday.” It was a whopping
defeat of 11 to 1, with the Reds blowing out the Turlock visitors on
13 hits. The Journal ate humble pie, being terribly honest in its
headlines on September 29th: “Turlock Team Was Eaten Up R-o-t-te-n!!!” The newspaper admitted: “The Reds had them licked before
the game started. [Turlock players] behaved like men nobly paralyzed.” That could have been part of the reason, but the semiprofessional Reds surely had superior talent. Its ace Mobley pitched,
while Turlock had Cann on the mound. The Journal lamented:
“The [Turlock] band wasn’t playing any when the train pulled in.”
The Turlock Merchants’ 1913 baseball season ended in silence.
Once again, the Turlock Daily Journal was the only newspaper available in the newspaper archives for the 1914 baseball
season. On February 25th, a proposal was being considered to form
a league consisting of four clubs from the towns of Turlock,
Modesto, Madera, and Merced. The Modesto Reds joined the California League for the season, playing Stockton, Fresno, and San
Jose. The Turlock Merchants remained an independent club for the
season. On Wednesday March 26th, the Chicago White Sox played
the Reds in an exhibition contest, with 1,500 spectators in attendance at the Modesto field. The Journal didn’t note the score of
the game but did comment that it took four innings before any runs
crossed the plate, calling it “a good stiff game.” Mobley and Owens
pitched for the Reds. The next newspaper account concern-
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ing the Reds was in mid-May, noting that Modesto had lost to
Stockton in four of five games. Nothing appeared further in the
newspaper about the Reds until August, when the club was scheduled to play the Turlock Merchants.
Turlock fans were excited about its prospects for the 1914
season. The Turlock Merchants had become a competitive ball
club, being a notch above the amateur level. Turlock baseball management was becoming experienced in the business and was actively seeking players and opponents. In February, there were discussions at the office of Hultberg & Lance in Turlock to build a new
baseball facility. Merchants’ management stated: “The best policy
for this city [is] to go ahead with the purchase of suitable grounds,
the erection of a grandstand, bleachers, fence, etc.,” reported the
Journal. The new baseball facility was never constructed, because
of lackluster financial support.
The Turlock Merchants first contest was on Sunday April
5th, against the visiting Modesto Independents, a team consisting
of former Reds’ players. Turlock decimated the Modesto club 10 to
1. Mobley pitched for the Independents, drawing this headline
from the Journal: “[The] Game Was a Slaughter and Mobley Was
the Easiest Thing That Happened.” But the newspaper also said:
“The Modesto Independents are a game lot, and good fellows.”
The Journal ranted about the “‘cheap skates’ who attend
the games and make it a point to get all the fun they can out of them
without ever paying a cent.” Everyone agreed that fences were
needed to enclose the field, but none were forthcoming for the 1914
season. Meanwhile, the Merchants continued playing, defeating
Merced 9 to 1, “a slaughter,” according to the newspaper. On April
19th, the first contest between Turlock and Stockton’s Sampson
Iron Works was staged in Turlock, with the hometown Merchants
edging out the visitors in a “hard fought game” 4 to 2. The victory
provided great satisfaction to the locals, having lost to Sampson
the previous season 8 to 5. The headline read: “Merchants Get
Scalps Back.” Fans and the Turlock contenders trekked a few miles
south to Merced and took another contest from its Merced County
rival 2 to 1. There was no slaughter this time. Instead, it was a
classic pitcher’s duel, with Merchants’ McConnell “twirling the
sphere” magically. Second baseman Leitzke was struck by a pitched
ball, having to be carried from the playing field, but was not seriously injured.
The boys from Turlock were on a roll, defeating on its
home turf its next competitor, Battery C of Stockton, 12 to 0. “The
Turlock Merchants had everything their own way entirely in the
game,” explained the newspaper. Its next bout was the following
Sunday May 10th in Hughson, engaging the Hughson Highlanders
in what would become a perennial rivalry. No score was recorded
for the game in the Journal, but it announced in its headlines:
“Local Team Now Has Six Victories.” Make that seven, because on
the next Sunday, it defeated the Highlanders 3 to 2 in ten innings.
McConnell was on the mound for Turlock, striking out nine, while
teammate left fielder Wells stroked three hits, being the game’s
leading hitter. Both contests with Hughson had been exciting, drawing large crowds.
Again, the Merchants were victorious on the local diamond, this time drubbing Fresno’s Coliseums by a score of 14 to 3
for its eighth straight win. Fresno’s pitchers couldn’t find the
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strike zone, using four hurlers in the contest. Gustine Athletics
Modesto for a match with the Reds, losing 10 to 3. Modesto
visited Turlock on the last Sunday in May, pounding out a 4 to 2 pounded Turlock pitching in the first innings so badly that Turlock
triumph, ending the Merchants’ winning streak. Both teams had never recovered. Again, some were saying that the Turlockers had
seven hits in the battle. Three of Turlock’s starters missed the “stage fright,” because they were playing a semi-pro team.
game, but their replacements were capable performers according to
Turlock linked up with Merced again, winning the contest
the newspaper. It was noted the Gustine team “was composed of 5 to 2, at Turlock. The newspaper account claimed it was the
the pick of the West Side, and not an exclusively Gustine team.” “‘pepperiest’ games of the season.” McConnell struck out seven in
Since the Newman Lambs weren’t in contention for the season, one the win. The Merced nine was in Turlock for a reciprocal meeting,
would guess that some of the Lambs grazed a few miles south onto losing 9 to 1, before a crowd that contained a number of “dead
Newman fields. Nevertheless, it was bitter loss for Turlock, but at beats,” or non-ticket holders. The newspaper continued its rage
least “The Gustine players were a good natured lot, and there was about those fans that “enjoy bumming” instead of paying their 25¢
no wrangling,” chirped the Journal.
admission.
The next Sunday, the
The Turlock MerTurlock Merchants traveled to
chants faced the Hughson
the West Side to face the
Highlanders on Sunday OctoGustine Athletics once again,
ber 11th, beating them in a close
with the results being the same,
bout 3 to 2. The Highlanders
Gustine victorious 5 to 3.
and the Modesto Reds were
Turlock had eight fielding erscheduled to play, drawing a
rors, while McConnell and
snide comment from MerTrefts were hammered, giving
chants’ manager Smith. He
up a combined total of 16 hits
said the Merchants should
The Gustine ball field was
play Modesto instead of
ragged, attributing to some of
Hughson, since Turlock was
the fielding errors. Turlock ena better club. Turlock got its
tertained another nonchance to play the Reds on
Stanislaus County team on June
October 18 th , losing to
13th. St. Mary’s of Stockton
Modesto by a score of 5 to 1.
Turlock Merchants, 1910
went down to defeat, 4 to 1, with
Turlock fans attended the conTurlock Historical Society photo
McConnell striking out seven.
test in force, but Modesto was
The Iron Workers were back in town, defeating the Merchants, 3 to again just too formidable. The Journal simply admitted in its head2. Sampson batters scattered nine hits, knocking McConnell off the lines that the “Turlock Baseball Team Was Outclassed,” and the
hill in the fifth inning. It was a hot summer’s day, with one Stockton Reds “are a bunch of semi-professionals while our team is made up
player suffering from heat prostration, having to be removed from of all local boys who have never had an insight in the professional
the contest.
class.” Still Turlock’s pitcher McConnell was competitive, striking
During the July 4th weekend, Turlock Merchants played out seven, while his opponent Mobley, struck out eight.
two competitions, the first one in Madera on Saturday and the
In the final county game of the 1914 season, the Hughson
second in Merced the following day. The Madera meeting ended in Highlanders played the Reds, losing to the semi-pro team 8 to 3.
the eighth inning in a tie score 6 to 6, being called because of the Mobley faced Hughson’s Owen with the latter being “hit rather
holiday festivities. The Merced engagement was a squeaker 3 to 2, freely toward the end and as a result the Reds won in easy fashwith the Merchants victorious. Gustine and Turlock clubs played a ion,” commented the newspaper. Some fans didn’t want the season
series of five games over the next five Sundays. Two games were to end. It was suggested that the valley towns should consider
played in Turlock and two games in Gustine, with the final meeting winter baseball. It was argued that maybe winter was better for
held on a “neutral site” in Newman. The Gustine contingents won playing baseball than the beastly hot summers. Research found
three of the five battles, being victors of the series. The Merchants that out of the 22 Sundays between November and April that eight
took the first contest 7 to 5, with both teams facing steady gusty would be too muddy to have baseball contests. The idea was
wind in Turlock. On July 19th, the Merchants visited Gustine, win- shelved for future consideration.
ning that match 5 to 1. The following Sunday, Gustine’s performance was much improved, vanquishing its host 5 to 4. In the
1915 - 1
919
19
fourth encounter in Gustine, the hometown was the victor, with
The 1915 county baseball season featured a number of
Turlock losing by an unreported score. The final meeting was in local teams engaged in inter-county play. No leagues were estabNewman, ending in a Gustine victory 13 to 6, but with some disen- lished, requiring all clubs to remain in independent competition.
chantment concerning West Side umpire Ransom’s calls. The Jour- The Modesto Reds reportedly began the season in a state league,
nal accused Ransom of losing the game for the Merchants with his but it appeared that the conference may have disbanded early al“rank decisions.” The other umpire was McAuliffe from Turlock.
lowing the semi-pro Reds to challenge local teams and renew its
On August 16th, the Turlock Merchants were in
rivalry with Stockton baseball clubs. Turlock was once again
discussing a new baseball facility for its Turlock Merchants. The
club had an extensive schedule for 1915, playing competitors in
and out of Stanislaus County. The Merchants’ team was a very
competitive club that had been increasing in ability and confidence
through the seasons. H.W. Dockham was the Merchants’ new manager, who was able to procure a baseball field from Modesto Lumber Company, located on North Front Street. The grandstands were
built quickly, while the diamond was prepared. Mr. Riker of the local
cigar store declared he would contribute a box of the finest cigars
to the first hitter to knock one over the fence in fair territory.
The Turlock Merchants did in fact win its first contest
against the Stockton Athletics by an impressive score of 9 to 1.
Merchants’ pitcher Jones fanned 13 batters. There were 350 Turlock
fans present, with 250 of them cheering from the new grandstands.
Merchants’ third baseman Gray hit a homer, winning a box of cigars
from Mr. Riker. Not to be outdone, Mr. Shaffer, from another Turlock
store, handed Gray an additional box of stogies. The following
Sunday, the Merchants were nipped by a strong Stockton team in a
well-played match, with Turlock’s Wells striking out 14. Notices
were placed on the corral fences of the railroad’s stockyard, warning spectators not to occupy the unpaid seats for the next game.
The Keyes All Stars challenged the Turlock Braves to a
contest in April. The Braves’ team was essentially the second string
of the Turlock Merchants. The challengers defeated the Braves 7
to 5. It would be the trend in subsequent seasons for communities
like Turlock and Modesto to carry several amateur baseball clubs
to meet the demand of a growing county. The Keyes All Stars
played a Salida team, again victorious 7 to 5. Keyes faced a Denair
nine in Denair, winning 15 to 4. The powerhouse Modesto Reds
won its first two games as members of the State League, defeating
San Jose 1 to 0 and Alameda 11 to 4, with Mobley pitching.
The Stockton All Stars came to Turlock on May 2nd to face
the eager Turlock Merchants. It was a 4 to 1 contest with the home
team taking the honors. This battle featured old wily Joe Baptiste,
“the big southpaw,” on the mound for the Merchants, striking out
12. Baptiste was the center of attention in two matches against
Fresno’s Brunswick’s, winning one in Turlock, and the following
Sunday, losing at the Fresno field. In the Turlock contest, Baptiste
accumulated a season high of 21 strikeouts, while smacking four
Brunswick’s batters with wild pitches. The Merchants trekked to
Sonora on May 16th, “Accompanied by Several Machine [automobile] Loads of Fans,” per Turlock Tribune headlines. It was an
exciting match enjoyed by a very sizable crowd. Baptiste’s pitching
was exemplary, striking out 12, allowing two hits, no walks, and no
runs! Two weeks later, Baptiste struck out 15 and walked only one
batter, defeating the Missions. “Crabbing” was a common baseball
term used during this era. It meant “hassling” the umpire as seen in
this Tribune commentary: “The local fans should not take too seriously the habitual crabbing of the visiting teams at the umpire. This
sort of thing goes with the game, and always to be expected.”
The Stockton All-Stars engaged the Merchants in a match
on Sunday June 6th in Turlock, with the visitors losing by a resounding 10 to 0. Baptiste fanned 18. As in the previous season,
the Turlock Merchants faced Gustine in a series of games, with the
first one being played in Turlock. Baptiste pitched and Pierce threw
for Gustine, with both striking out 12 and the Merchants
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winning. In Modesto, the Reds lost in the ninth inning to Stockton
5 to 3.
The following Sunday the Turlock Merchants again locked
horns with its chief rival Gustine, losing the contest 5 to 3 at the
West Side diamond. Gustine had imported players for the game,
with one being an ex-Cincinnati catcher, while the pitcher Shepard
being borrowed from the Stockton Merchants for the competition.
The next week, Turlock defeated a Stockton club in a close victory,
with Baptiste striking out 13. In the meantime, the Modesto Reds
battled another Stockton club, being narrowly victorious in that
contest 2 to 1. Turlock’s Baptiste was again the star of the next
match against Gustine, stroking a long drive to score the tie-breaking run in the ninth, capturing the win 5 to 4. He was also trouble
from the mound, striking out 17. The newspaper concluded: “This
series has shown that both teams are pretty evenly matched, and
that any amateur bunch in the valley will have to go some to beat
either of them.”
On July 11th, Turlock Merchants faced Oakdale in which a
brawl occurred. Turlock pitcher Golden Wells became tired of the
harassment by Oakdale fans, which resulted in Wells fist-fighting
two or three spectators. When the umpire tried to stop the altercation, he was struck from behind by an Oakdale fan, resulting in an
arrest and a fine. The Merchants won the baseball game 3 to 1. The
last two Sundays in July were disasters for the Turlock Merchants,
when the club played the Modesto Reds, losing 8 to 0 and 14 to 1.
Mobley pitched for the Reds and clubbed a home run in one game.
The Turlock newspaper wrote it off, saying that Modesto was a
semi-pro club.
After the brutal two-game series with the Reds, the shaky
Turlock Merchants were host to a Merced club that saw Turlock’s
Joe Baptiste pitching against his brother Vic Baptiste, with Turlock
winning the contest 4 to 3. But Joe’s arm was in ruin, walking nine
batters, with Turlock manager Dockman signing another hurler from
Stockton. On August 1st, the Merchants were defeated by a GustineNewman club 5 to 3, followed by another loss of 7 to 1. Trefts threw
for the West Side team and Jones for Turlock. Gustine-Newman
player Veale literally drove a ball through the center field fence
according to the Tribune. Dockman went shopping again for better
a Turlock club, which paid off, because his club defeated GustineNewman the next Sunday 5 to 2, with Jones striking out nine. Meanwhile the Modesto Reds had a ball game in Sonora, waxing the
home club there 7 to 3 and in a contest against Stockton Hospital,
on Modesto turf, the Reds vanquished the visitors 10 to 1. The
Reds traveled to Ione, defeating a Plymouth team 12 to 6, with
Mobley and Owen pitching for Modesto. The Turlock Merchants
next battled a Merced club to a 7 to 7 tie, with ex-Merchant pitcher
Joe Baptiste throwing against his former Turlock team. Joe and Vic
Baptiste both pitched against Turlock in the next game, winning
the contest, with the Journal characterizing the match as the “the
sweet potato heavers” of Merced outclassing the “melon-pickers”
of Turlock. Now that’s country baseball! In September the Reds
faced Vic Baptiste, being victorious over the Merced club, 13 to 3.
In September, there was another battle between the
Newman-Gustine club and the Turlock Merchants, with both sides
producing surprises in their lineup. The biggest one was the Red’s
hurler Philo Mobley, pitching for Turlock, striking out ten,
World Series Issue
with Turlock winning the game. The Reds borrowed two Turlock outcurve and the upshoot and the downshoot working in big league
players in its contest against Newman-Gustine, annihilating the style,” according to the newspaper. The next weekend, Turlock
West Siders 11 to 4. The Reds next played two Stockton teams, Merchant bats were active, massacring its opponent for a 13 to 0
losing the first one 8 to 2, while being victorious in the other one 5 victory, but in another contest against Stockton’s Dodge club, the
Merchants lost 6 to 1, because of six fielding errors.
to 2 against an ex-professional pitcher.
Modesto Reds traveled to Richmond to play “a real ball
No leagues were formed for the 1916 season with county
teams and the Modesto Reds playing independent baseball. The team,” as the newspaper phrased it, losing 7 to 2. The Modesto
Reds’ schedule contained many of the same clubs as before, while Herald admitted that Richmond “just walloped the stuffing out of
the management sought competition from some surprisingly small Philo Mobley.” The Reds’ defeated a Livermore club 5 to 0, with
communities. The Turlock Merchants would play teams outside Mobley victorious this time. The Modesto Merchants traveled to
the county, and interestingly, no West Side clubs were listed in its “Crowtown,” as the newspaper expressed it, for an outing, losing
schedule. Modesto fielded a secondary team, known as the to Crows Landing 8 to 6. There were apparently some umpiring
issues, which Modestans
Modesto Merchants, which would
claimed caused the Merchants’
see some action with clubs in the
defeat. Modesto did bat well,
West Side. As had been the pracgathering 15 hits in the engagetice, county teams would again
ment to 11 for the home team. On
share talent and sign players who
Sunday July 2 nd, Richmond’s
were imports outside their commuSanta Fe club faced the Reds in
nities.
Modesto, in what was termed
The Turlock Merchants
“One of the Best Games of the
had its season’s opener on SunSeason,” by the Herald, with the
day March 17th at its Center Street
Modesto winning 4 to 0. The next
baseball diamond, hosting Merced.
week, Richmond was victorious
Former Turlock hurler Joe Baptiste
2 to 1 over the Reds. Porterville,
would remain with Merced and
the champs of the Tulare League,
compete against Turlock’s chief
played the Reds, winning 21 to
twirler “Big Jim” McConnell. Re10 by belting 18 hits.
turning to make the calls would be
Stanislaus County’s
“King” Edward McAuliffe known
Gustine Baseball Team, circa 1905
two “Merchants” ball clubs saw
as “a good, fair and square umGustine Historical Society photo
action on Sunday, July 9th. The
pire,” according to the Tribune.
The score of the Merced game is unknown, because Tribune issues Turlock Merchants played a close one against the Stockton Athletics, winning a 1 to 0 contest. The Modesto Merchants faced a
for the rest of 1916 were unavailable.
In 1916, the Modesto Reds entered another season of Patterson club, beating it 7 to 5, with Modesto’s pitcher Young
independent baseball beginning with a mid-March contest against driving in the winning runs. Jamestown played the Reds, losing 3
the vaunted Salt Lake Bees, beating the Pacific Coast League team to 0, with Mobley striking out 11. The Merced Bears on August 6th
3 to 2, with Mobley dominating on the mound. In early April, the defeated the Reds 2 to 1 in Merced before 500 spectators, with
Reds faced Fresno in two contests, winning one 7 to 2, while losing imported pitcher, Artie Benham hitting a home run to win the game.
the other. Merced met the Reds in four contests during the season. Two weeks later, before 1,200 spectators, Merced battled the Reds
The first meeting of April 16th was a slaughter 20 to 0, Modesto to a 5 to 5 tie, ending in the eleventh inning because of darkness.
vanquishing its rival. The other Modesto club, the Modesto Mer- Mobley was replaced by Ossie Ball, an ex-Texas Leaguer. But twirler
chants, visited Hughson, losing 4 to 1 to the home team. Appar- Ball “was suffering from a severe headache and was forced to vomit
ently, Modesto’s center field misjudged a fly ball, allowing three three different times [but] pitched one of the best games ever seen
in these parts,” commented the Herald. The Reds went back to the
runs to score.
The Reds defeated St. Mary’s, 8 to 7, by a home run off the Merced park in September, losing 7 to 2, before 1,100. The Bears’
bat of third baseman Heinie Preciado, scoring three runs with the lineup had numerous Pacific Coast League players, but the Modestotowering drive. McConnell was on the mound for the Turlock Mer- Merced rivalry was just heating up for other seasons. The Reds
chants on April 23rd, being drubbed for 11 hits, losing the contest 5 ended its season playing Stockton teams, winning 3 to 2 and 5 to 0,
to 2 to the Stockton Athletics. The Reds blew out a Sacramento with the latter being a perfect game thrown by Mobley. The Turlock
club 19 to 0 and then lost to Stockton 3 to 2 on Sunday May 7th. The Merchants defeated a Stockton team 5 to 4 to end its season.
The Oakland Tribune ran an editorial against betting on
next two games won by the Reds were massacres, against Oakland
Elks and an Angels Camp club. Modesto continued its winning baseball games in northern California small towns. It claimed that
ways by defeating Sonora in two contests, which was staffed with Richmond, Martinez, Modesto, and Merced were the chief offendex-Reds players, 7 to 4 and 7 to 0. Ten carloads of fans traveled to ers. The editorial stated: “When two of these teams hook up, it is
Fresno to see the Turlock Merchants lose to the Fresno Tigers 3 to just a matter of pocketbooks which one will win. The betting is
always a big factor, for a man that is betting a large sum on
0. Tigers’ pitcher “Fodder” Dolan “had the incurve and the
the game is willing to help the manager secure high class talent.
Many of the fans are financially interested in the outcome.” The
Herald answered that the Modesto Reds consisted of “simon-pure
semi-professionals,” but “the local fans have wagered some money
on their team at various times, but they have never gone so far as to
endanger the morals of the great national pastime.”
The United States entered World War I on April 6th, 1917.
A selective service law was enacted, requiring all males, 21 to 30, to
register for the military draft. The newspaper accounts for the 1917
baseball season make no mention of local players being drafted or
volunteering for military service. One would assume that several
did serve in the armed forces. For 1917, the Modesto Reds played
in the Central California League for one month and then became an
independent team for the rest of the season. The Stanislaus County
League was formed, having four teams.
In an exhibition game, the Reds faced the second string of
the Chicago Cubs on March 8th, losing 7 to 2, with Modesto’s
pitcher Owens allowing 12 hits to the Red’s ten. Two weeks later,
the Reds defeated the Fresno Sun-Maids 2 to 0. In the next two
games, Modesto beat a Stockton’s Sperry Flour Company 2 to 0
and San Francisco’s Olympic Club 4 to 3. Mobley continued to
throw for the Reds. On April 15th, he conquered a Fresno club 6 to 0,
allowing only four hits. The next Sunday, Philo faced his brother
Harry Mobley, who pitched for the Stockton Merchants. Philo won
the game by hitting a single in the ninth inning, driving in a run,
winning 2 to 1. In May, Richmond’s Santa Fe club, clobbered the
Reds 7 to 1 and Modesto beat Sperry Flour in Stockton 4 to 2. The
Reds were victorious over Tracy Tigers 10 to 1 and drubbed the
Stockton Merchants 19 to 3. Cy Young (not the famous major league
player of the same name), who had been relieving Mobley at times
as a Reds’ pitcher, was dominating on the mound.
Next would be the first of several clashes between the
Reds and the Merced Bears, a team now infamous for its connection with the betting scene and its imported players. The Herald
lashed out: “Unlike the Merced club, the Modesto Reds are not run
for the benefit of small betting clique, but for good, clean sport, and
we will win or lose with this club.” The Reds were victorious in its
first contest against the Bears in Modesto 5 to 1. On June 10th, the
Reds defeated the Richmond Elks 1 to 0, in an almost perfect contest, according the Herald. The next week, Reds were decimated by
the Merced Bears 12 to 3, with Mobley the losing pitcher, allowing
14 hits in five innings.
Mobley faced the Turlock Merchants the following Sunday, July 8th, narrowly winning the contest in Modesto by a score
of 3 to 2 in ten innings. The Merchants put McCreery on the mound,
an ex-Salt Laker, who threw a respectable game. County amateur
powerhouse, the Hughson Highlanders, punished the semi-pro
Reds by a 6 to 2 beating. The key blast in the bout was a triple by
Hughson’s Klein, clearing the bases. Oddly, Cy Young hurled for
the Reds and had an exceptional game, collecting 14 strikeouts,
prompting the Herald to comment: “Cy sends over with great speed
and the visitors had a hard time seeing them as they went by.” But
one hit beat him, Klein’s triple. The next Sunday, Richmond outclassed Modesto 11 to 1.
In July, there was a surprise formation of the Central California League that included clubs from Merced, Modesto,
World Series Issue
Richmond, and Stockton. The first game was played on Sunday
July 22nd between the Reds and Stockton’s Sperry Flour, with
Modesto losing 5 to 4 after sixteen innings. The next weekend the
Richmond Elks defeated the Reds 4 to 3 in Modesto, while the
subsequent weekend was no better, with the Merced Bears being
victorious 6 to 2 over the Modesto team. Reds’ hurlers Mobley and
Young were not in their usual form in the contests. Klein pitched on
August 12th for the Reds, with the Bears again dominating in a 6 to
2 score. On August 26th, the Reds lost again, this time to Stockton’s
Sperry Flour 2 to 0. Modesto was in the league’s cellar, with Stockton newspapers claiming that the Reds had uninspired performers.
The Reds played one last contest, an exhibition game, winning this
time against Oakdale 5 to 1. Since the Central California League
ended in a tie between Merced and Richmond, a playoff contest
was needed. The two towns were known to bet heavily on baseball
games, with the championship contest drawing some high rollers.
Richmond beat Merced soundly, causing Bear’s president H.J. Holt
to fire the team’s pitcher and manager for throwing the game.
In 1917, the county formed a league of its own, the
Stanislaus County League, consisting of four clubs: Modesto,
Oakdale, Waterford-Hickman, and Hughson. It is astonishing that
the Turlock Merchants and a West Side club were not invited to
join. The first league game of the season was on Sunday March
11th, when the Modesto Jitneys faced the Oakdale Giants, with the
Oakdale nine being victorious. With leagues come rules, and they
stirred up the first controversy in the county league’s inaugural
season. Baseball managers for Modesto, Oakdale, and WaterfordHickman met in Oakdale on March 12th to discuss Hughson’s pitchers Ossie Ball and Lefty Owens. The two hurlers had played for the
Modesto Reds in the Chicago Cubs exhibition contest held in
Modesto the prior week. The three managers decided to disbar the
two hurlers from league play, making the ruling “that no ball players
who participated in professional games could be permitted to play
in the county league games.”
So much for the decision, because Owens pitched for the
Hughson Highlanders the next Sunday, being victorious in the
encounter against the Jitneys 4 to 0. As of March 18th, Hughson
had won three league games, occupying first place, followed by
Oakdale with a 2-1 record; Modesto, 1-2; and Waterford-Hickman,
0-3. The next contest between Modesto and Hughson ended with
the Jitneys the victor this time, 2 to 1. It was a close battle, with
both pitchers allowing just two hits each. An April Fools’ Day game
found the Jitneys on the short end of the score, with WaterfordHickman defeating the Modesto club by 7 to 5 in Modesto. Fred
Connell threw for the Modesto Jitneys, to begin a long and successful career as a local pitcher. There were complaints that the
diamond needed some leveling, having caused many infield errors.
On Sunday April 15th, the league leading Oakdale Giants engaged
the cellar occupier Waterford-Hickman in a match, with the powerhouse Giants losing. The next week, Oakdale was back to winning,
claiming a victory over Modesto 8 to 2.
In other county baseball action, the Turlock Merchants
played the Stockton Merchants on May 6th, with the Stanislaus
County club the winner 4 to 3, against pitcher Harry Mobley.
Waterford-Hickman lost to the Modesto Jitneys 8 to 3. The destruction took an hour and 50 minutes to complete in Modesto.
World Series Issue
The next meeting between the two league teams was on May 20th, excitement . . . any lad desiring to land with one of the teams should
which was a much different contest, but having the same results, get into communication with W.J. Voss, president of the league.”
the Jitneys vanquishing the Waterford-Hickman squad 15 to 13. The newspaper reported on March 31st: “Melon Lads Will Practice
The bout pitted Farrell for Waterford-Hickman, who struck out 12, Today. Turlock fans are enthusiastic over the opening of Stanislaus
against Connell for Modesto.
County Baseball League.” Turlock was in the 1918 county league,
The last Sunday in May found the Turlock Merchants in along with teams from Hughson, Modesto, Riverbank, Hickman,
contention with the Stockton Athletics, winning 5 to 4 in Turlock. and Crows Landing.
Fortune was on the side of the Merchants, because it amassed nine
With their larger populations and being county seats,
errors in the game, normally suicidal for a club. Meanwhile in league Modesto and Stockton always carried multiple teams. Most of these
play, the Modesto Jitneys stormed Oakdale, taking a 7 to 3 victory teams were associated with businesses as was the case with the
from the league leaders. Ball was the goat of the game, who struggled Turner Hardware and Implement, Modesto’s entry in the 1918 county
in the pitcher’s box. The
league. On March 31st,
Hughson Highlanders
Turner played the
enriched its crew some
Modesto Reds in an
by adding four Stockton
exhibition contest, deplayers to its lineup, and
feating the indepenin particular pitcher,
dent semi-professional
Harry Mobley. Perhaps
team, holding it to only
the Highlanders needed
two hits, while clubjust one more Stockton
bing ten of its own.
member, because they
Fred Connell was on
lost the contest 6 to 5
the hill for Turner, with
against
Modesto.
Lefty Owens hurling
Connell was in the
for the Reds. The HerHughson Highlanders, 1912
pitcher’s box for the Jitald ran the headline:
neys.
Harry Mobley pitched for Hughson in its next bout against
the Jitneys, while Connell threw for Modesto. The Highlanders
crushed the Jitneys 10 to 5, in a hit-filled meeting. On July 21st, the
county league’s standings were: Oakdale, 10-5; Hughson, 10-7;
Modesto, 7-10; Waterford-Hickman, 5-10. This ended the Herald’s
reporting of the Stanislaus County League for the season.
Winding down its season, the Turlock Merchants engaged
the Stockton Athletics in three contests, winning two of them.
Turlock’s hurler McCreary won the first two games 5 to 4 and 5 to 1.
In the final battle on August 19th, Hayes threw for Turlock, losing 5
to 0, having been lambasted for 11 hits. Evidently, in the August
12th battle, Turlock’s McConnell slammed two home runs in that
victory. That concluded the Herald’s baseball coverage for the
1917 season, even though more games were undoubtedly played.
The newspaper remarked: “No doubt the various clubs will play
independent ball for a few weeks until Uncle Sam calls the players
to duty.”
In 1918, American boys were indeed “over there” battling
in European trenches, losing life and limb in combat, while being
gassed also in the process. Patriotism was alive in county baseball,
with the first game of the 1918 season being played on Sunday
March 22nd between the U.S. Naval Reserves and the Modesto
Reds. Lefty Owens was on the mound for the Reds, but the results
are unknown, because the game wasn’t reported in the newspaper.
Team managers of the Stanislaus County Baseball League
assembled at Modesto Elk’s Club in mid-March to discuss plans
for the 1918 season. Turlock’s manager Solars was there, along
with Frank Haldeman from Hughson, and George Ulrich, Jr. from
Modesto’s Turner Hardware and Implement club. The Herald reported: “Turlock manager A.E. Solars said he hasn’t seen such
Hughson Historical Society photo
“Fans Are Given Idea
of What County Leagues Are.”
Other competition that Sunday found the Hughson Highlanders in a practice bout against Riverbank’s Santa Fe club, with
the railroaders winning a tight one 6 to 5. On the hill were Vierth and
Hudelson for Hughson, while Snyder pitched for Riverbank. These
hurlers would remain mainstays as pitchers in county baseball for a
number of seasons, especially Vierth.
In independent baseball, the Modesto Reds, behind the
pitching of Ball, bombarded the Stockton Athletics 7 to 0 on Sunday April 14th. Modesto’s left fielder Elmer Owen was busy with
the bat, stroking three hits, one being a home run. That same day,
Modesto’s Turner Hardware engaged Riverbank in an 11-inning
contest, edging the railroad squad 7 to 6, being victorious off the
bat of Turner’s third baseman Jones, who clubbed a triple to score
the necessary runs. Another contest on the same Sunday found
the Turlock Merchants eking out a win 3 to 2 over the hometown
Hughson Highlanders. The newspaper told the story: “In the ninth
spasm of yesterday’s game, the Highlanders had a lead of two runs
and the Hughson fans were beginning to chase themselves out to
their ranches. But baseball is a weird game” for the visitors came
back and won the match. The next Sunday, the Reds took on a
portion of the nation’s army, the 62nd Regiment, in a bout but were
vanquished by the doughboys 14 to 4. Ball and Ferlin both pitched
for the Modesto contingent, being hammered by a combined 22
hits.
The Turlock Merchants were in Modesto to play Turner
Hardware, losing to the hometown club 8 to 6 on a ninth-inning
homer from Barton, with one on. Borden was on the hill for the
Merchants, striking out nine, while his Modesto counterpart Connell
fanned eight. Borden was replaced in the ninth by his team-
mate, who lost the contest. In a match between Hughson and
Riverbank, Highlander’s pitcher Vierth tossed a 6 to 0 shutout,
allowing only three hits. Snyder for Riverbank was lambasted for
ten hits. The league’s standings at this juncture were: Turlock 2-1;
Hughson, 2-1; Modesto, 2-1; Riverbank, 0-2; Hickman, 0-1; and
Crows Landing, 0-0. The West Siders were not yet involved.
In another independent contest, the Modesto Reds faced
Stockton’s Holt club on April 28th, losing that encounter in the final
innings 7 to 5. Reds’ hurler Moose Ferlin had a fine outing, but his
reliever, Ball, gave up the winning hit. In county league play that
same afternoon, Hughson drubbed its Riverbank competitor 9 to 5,
primarily with its base running. “The Hughson boys ran wild on the
bases, amassing a total of seventeen stolen bases during the nine
inning session,” according to the Herald. Riverbank’s pitcher
Snyder had a rough outing, losing because of eight errors by his
teammates.
League leaders Modesto and Turlock faced each other,
concluding in a 6 to 0 shutout by the Turlock Merchants, behind
the superb throwing arm of Wayne, who struck out 12. The contest
was a rapid one, taking just one hour and 35 minutes, with umpire
McAuliffe calling the action. On May 5th, Turlock’s Wayne was
again on the mound, striking out ten, but was on the losing end,
with Riverbank being victorious in Turlock 3 to 1. Snyder, twirling
for Riverbank, allowed only two hits, while striking out 12. Two
Turlock players, Child and Borden, were absent because of illness,
luckily not the Spanish Flu which was at epidemic level. Turner
Hardware was victorious in its match against Hickman 7 to 6. The
pitching was competitive, with Hickman’s Workman striking out
ten, while Turner’s Connell fanned nine.
Crows Landing finally got into the fray, defeating Hughson
in close battle 6 to 5. The West Siders booted the ball some, garnering eight errors, being lucky to pull off a victory. Hughson defeated
Hickman in a 3 to 1 contest, while Riverbank, in another contest,
squeaked by home team Turner Hardware 5 to 4. Turner’s Connell
faced Riverbank’s Snyder as pitchers, with both hurlers striking
out a number of batters but also allowing numerous hits.
Crows Landing demolished Turlock 7 to 1, behind the pitching services of Nugent, with pitchers Wayne and Borden of Turlock
loosing. The West Siders played errorless ball, becoming respectable after a slow start. As of May 19th, the county league’s standings were: Hughson, 5-2; Crows Landing, 2-1; Turlock, 4-3; Modesto,
3-4; Riverbank, 2-4; and Hickman, 1-3. That same weekend,
Modesto’s Turner Hardware defeated the league leading Hughson
Highlanders 6 to 2, behind the pitching of “Ace” Johnson, who
struck out nine. His mound opponent Vierth fanned ten, but had
terrible defensive support, with his teammates accumulating six
errors, three alone by shortstop, Fouls.
The following Sunday, Turlock continued its winning
ways, defeating Riverbank 7 to 5. Crows Landing beat Hickman 16
to 10, with the Herald remarking: “Crows Landing Cruelly Manhandles Guileless Visitors in Terrible Melee on Sunday.” Two evenly
matched league teams, Modesto and Hughson, faced each another
in a close one, with the Highlanders triumphing over Turner Hardware 1 to 0. Vierth was the winning pitcher, with Modesto featuring
a battery of brothers, Ace Johnson on the mound being caught by
his brother H. Johnson. Crows Landing continued its win-
World Series Issue
ning ways by out slugging its Riverbank foes 7 to 4. The West
Siders collected ten hits off Riverbank’s hurler Snyder, but he still
fanned nine batters in the outing. Those boys from “Crow Town”
were leading the league by percentage: Crows Landing, 4-1;
Hughson, 7-2; Turlock, 5-4; Modesto 3-6; Riverbank, 2-5; and
Hickman, 1-4.
After nine weeks, the league’s top ten batters were:
Player
Farrell (Hickman)
Adamina (Crows Land.)
Jones (Modesto)
Wren (Hickman)
Gavanoni (Crows Land.)
Gould (Hughson)
A. Borden (Turlock)
Nugen t (Crows Land.)
Arata (Modesto)
Bassett (Hughson)
AB
29
19
36
20
29
32
27
22
33
36
H
16
9
18
9
12
13
10
8
12
13
HR
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
Pct.
.551
.500
.500
.450
.413
.406
.370
.363
.363
.361
Attendance was important in keeping the league alive,
because revenue was needed to fund the games. The editor of the
Riverbank Review wrote: “If Riverbank wants to see more County
League games at home, she must wake up and go out to the ball
park when games are played there.” Riverbank’s swimming pool
was next to the playing field, causing spectators to view the game
for free from the swimming pool property. The league forced
Riverbank to play its home games in Oakdale until that problem was
resolved. Turner Hardware faced Crows Landing, winning 5 to 3.
Connell had tough sledding against some hard hitting foes, being
pulled in the eighth inning and replaced by Jones, who captured
the win. Turner’s catcher H. Johnson enlisted in the Naval Reserves, being sidelined indefinitely pending his military duties.
Turlock sank Riverbank 4 to 3 in a pitcher’s duel, pitting
Riverbank’s Snyder against Turlock’s Borden. The subsequent
Sunday, Hughson’s hurler Vierth survived a 14-inning battle, being
victorious 8 to 7 against Turlock, prompting the Herald to comment: “Bartlett’s team [Hughson] showed some of the gameness
that has held them at the top of the league.” Riverbank, again visiting, hammered the Turner Hardware contingent hard in a 9 to 2
victory, behind the pitching of Hansen and Peck. Modesto had five
errors to Riverbank’s zero. The next week, Turner Hardware defeated the league-leading Highlanders 4 to 1. Both pitchers had fine
outings, with Modesto’s Connell fanning 15, while Hughson’s
Vierth struck out 14, but he allowed nine hits in the loss. Still, the
most dominating league pitcher was Hughson’s Hank Vierth, who
had won seven out of eight starts for the Highlanders.
The Herald didn’t cover the county league after July 16th,
but it provided the standings at that date: Hughson, 11-4; Turlock,
8-7; Modesto 8-7; Crows Landing, 6-5; Riverbank, 5-9; and Hickman,
3-7. It could be assumed though that the league did end its season,
because the content of a July 25th article from the San Jose Mercury
suggests that. In the article, W.J. Benson, a San Jose automobile
dealer and baseball enthusiast, forwarded the challenge that since
“coast and northwestern leagues have gone up the spout, and
there are lots of ballplayers out of baseball jobs but with time for
weekend baseball on their hands that a new California State League
could be composed of clubs from eight cities: San Francisco,
World Series Issue
Oakland, San Jose, Stockton, Sacramento, Fremont, Modesto, and pitched for Stockton, while Jimmy Dailey hurled impressively for
Fresno.” Moose Ferlin was to represent Modesto in any discus- the Elks.
sions, but nothing further was reported. Money and travel time
There were two Hughson clubs in March and April. The
would have been major issues.
Highlanders would eventually disband, moving to Oakdale to form
The war was over in Europe, with America’s military re- the Gloria Ice Creamers. The ice cream company held “that a good
turning home. For the 1919 season, Stanislaus County Baseball baseball team is one of the best advertisements for a prosperous
League altered its name to Stanislaus County League. There were company,” according to the News. Howard Barnett would continue
other changes. The season would be split into two half-seasons, as manager, and the Ice Creamers would wear new uniforms. On
with the winners of those half-seasons playing in a series to deter- Sunday April 20th, the newly formed Hughson Lambs vanquished
mine the league’s chamthe Patterson Panthers 11
pions. From the 1918
to 3. Johnson was the
season, only Turner
pitcher for the home club
Hardware and Turlock
Panthers but was drilled
Merchants would return
for 13 hits. The highlight
to the county league,
of the game was a running
with Modesto Moose,
catch made by Hughson’s
Oakdale (formerly a
left fielder Costello, thrillHughson
team),
ing the audience with his
Manteca, and Patterson
speed by running out of
joining the conference.
his shoes. Actually his
Riverbank and Crows
shoes weren’t tied.
Landing were asked to
The Modesto
join the league but deElks traveled to Fresno for
clined the offer. Of
a bout against Fresno’s
course, Manteca was
Sun-Maids, which feanot in the county, but its
tured ex-Boston Red Sox
Oakdale Baseball Team, 1916
entry balanced the
pitcher Dutch Leonard. It
Oakdale Historical Society photo
league with six clubs. Its
was a pitcher’s duel, with
name would be the Manteca Firemen, while Oakdale would be rep- Fresno winning 1 to 0 on a close play at home plate in the tenth
resented by Gloria Ice Cream Company based in Stockton, to be inning. Elks’ hurler Gilligan was impressive on the hill, striking out
known as the “Glorias” or the “Gloria Ice Creamers,” a club that nine Sun-Maids, while his counterpart Leonard fanned 12. The next
would remain in Stanislaus County baseball for a few seasons. Sunday, May 4th, the Elks played Stockton’s Sperry Flour, overGlorias’ players came from the 1918 county league champions powering the visiting Sperrys 8 to 1. Gilligan once again had a
Hughson Highlanders. In other words, the Hughson Highlanders superb outing, striking out nine, while allowing five hits. The News
moved to Oakdale, becoming the Gloria Ice Creamers.
playfully described the results: “The Modesto Elks sifted the Sperry
The semi-professional Modesto Reds would not organize Flours and made eight biscuits while the visitors could gather but
for 1919, but four of its players would join the Modesto Elks team one run in a game played at the Reds Park.”
under the management of former Reds’ first baseman Moose Ferlin.
On that same weekend in county league play, Modesto
In a sense the Elks would replace the Reds in representing Modesto Moose trounced the home team Patterson Panthers 15 to 4. Panther
in independent baseball as Modesto’s “first team.” Modesto there- hurler Trefts had a mediocre afternoon, while Moose bats were hot.
fore had two teams in the county league: Modesto Moose and The other Modesto club, Turner Hardware, had the opposite reTurner Hardware, and another playing independently, Modesto sult, being drubbed by Manteca 7 to 0. Blodgett threw for the
Elks. In a few years, teams linked to fraternal organizations would Manteca Firemen, scattering six hits, but maintaining a runless conform their own leagues and would not compete in county leagues. test. Turner’s Connell held the opponents to seven hits, but the
On Friday March 14th, members of the new county league club’s infield play lacked finesse, with some saying that the Manteca
met at the Modesto Evening News offices, electing William J. Voss field was rough and untenable. Bartlett’s Glorias faced the Turlock
as its president. J. Achziger represented Modesto Moose; George Merchants, winning 8 to 6, with Vierth throwing for the Glorias,
Ulrich, Turner Hardware; Howard Bartlett, Hughson; A.E. Sollars, while Peck pitched for Turlock. Merchants’ fielding was not inspirTurlock; and William Gould, Oakdale. The new league reduced the ing, booting the ball eight times, ruining Peck’s day.
number of players on team rosters from 15 the previous season to
Elks faced the Mayrose Butters on May 11th at Reds Park,
12. The first game of the 1919 season was a benefit contest held being triumphant 4 to 0. Gilligan pitched the shutout, allowing five
Sunday March 30th, between the independent Modesto Elks and hits. It was announced on May 13th that the Modesto Elks would
the Hughson Highlanders, pitting veteran pitchers Cy Young of join a newly organized semi-professional San Joaquin Valley League,
the Elks against Hank Vierth of Hughson. No score was reported in consisting of teams from Fresno, Merced, Tracy, Modesto, and
the newspaper. On Sunday April 20th, the Elks faced a quick two teams from Stockton. In its first league contest, the Elks played
Brunswick’s club from Stockton, being defeated 3 to 2. Shea
Fresno’s Sun-Maids, facing one-time World Series pitcher
World Series Issue
Dutch Leonard. The Modesto club blanked the raisin team 2 to 0,
behind the arm of its pitcher Gilligan.
The county league was active in May, with the Glorias
being victorious in a 15-inning battle 4 to 3 over Manteca. Connell
was sharp on the mound, striking out 11. But the following Sunday
against the Patterson Panthers, the Ice Creamers took a licking 3 to
1. The northwest wind was fierce, suppressing the offense of both
clubs, but Trefts for the Panthers was tough, amassing 12 strikeouts,
while Connell fanned seven for Glorias. In other action, Turlock
was victorious, 5 to 3, against its foe the Manteca Firemen. In a
non-league contest, Hughson beat the Modesto Moose 2 to 0, and
the next Sunday, Hughson played the Glorias, with Connell on the
mound, losing 5 to 2 to Oakdale’s ace hurler. That same weekend
Modesto Moose faced Manteca losing to the San Joaquin County
club in a blowout 9 to 3.
In early June, Modesto Moose grappled with the leagueleading Patterson Panthers behind the throwing arm of Trefts, who
shutdown the Modestans 3 to 0 at the Reds’ park. The News commented: “As a lover of peace and the covenant of the League of
Nations, it is not thought amiss to say a word against the meek and
lowly . . . The Modesto Moose took the burden of the horse collars
and the Patterson Panthers clawed the dust of the diamond unkissed
by a summer rain, as they rejoiced in the hilarious three tallies.” At
Oakdale, the Glorias lost a close one 4 to 3 to its visiting competitor,
the Turlock Merchants. The hometown’s virtuoso pitcher Connell
was derailed in the latter innings, blowing a three-run lead.
To add even more kindling to the fire of confusion concerning Oakdale and Hughson clubs, a News report stated: “Manteca
defeated the Turner Hardware representing Hughson.” Turner Hardware had moved its team from Modesto to Hughson. The Manteca
Firemen defeated Turner 4 to 3, but the match was protested by
Turner’s manager Ulrich, because Manteca’s Jessie Priest was a
professional ballplayer. The Stanislaus County League standings
at this point in the first half-season were: Patterson 5-1; Glorias 3-3;
Turlock 3-3; Manteca 3-3; Turner Hardware 2-4; and Modesto
Moose 2-4.
On June 15th, Hughson’s Turner Hardware faced the
Turlock Merchants in a battle that ended with the home club Turlock
being victorious 4 to 3, but not without complaints from the visitors. The Turlock Tribune called the contest “a lively one,” while
the Modesto Evening News went a step further with its headlines:
“Umpire in Fistic Battle at Turlock.” Hughson was very disenchanted
with Turlock umpire McAuliff, arguing that he threw the game by
“faulty umpiring.” The complaint was when Hughson’s Peck slid
home to tie the score, McAulliff “called him out before the play was
even made,” according to the News. This provoked Hughson’s
shortstop Mann to ridicule the umpire, causing a fistfight between
McAulliff and Mann. Once the fight was halted and the game resumed, Hughson’s hurler Peck threw a ball inside to Turlock’s batter Lietzke, who according to the News, “stepped back and the ball
hit the bat. Lietzke looked at McAulliff and rubbed his arm. Old
Mac, true to form, nodded to Lietzke to go down to first.”
That same Sunday, the Modesto Elks hosted Stockton’s
Sperry Flour, losing to the visitors 3 to 1, with “errors as usual . . .
The antlered players have been off their feed for three weeks now
and spoil good pitching by bum hacking and fail to connect
when a little head work and a weak hit would mean a run. It takes
runs to win a game and the locals don’t seem able to put them
over,” reported the News. Elks’ hurler Gilligan had a weak outing,
allowing nine hits, while fanning three. Panther pitcher Trefts captured his fifth straight contest for the Patterson club, narrowly
clipping the Manteca Firemen 3 to 2, capturing the pennant early
for the first half-season, leading the league by three games. The
meeting featured a pitching duel between Trefts and Lefty Owen. It
was a triple by Panther’s center fielder Johnson that put the champs
over the top. Another Johnson, who was pitching for the Modesto
Moose, defeated rivals Turlock Merchants in a 5 to 2 contest. Moose
first baseman John Borba was lucrative with the bat, stroking three
hits off Merchants’ chucker A. Borden.
The next week, Trefts was again the winner in a 1 to 0
shutout, Patterson being victorious over Turner Hardware. He
fanned 15 of the opponent’s batters, while allowing just two hits. It
was decided to rest Trefts until the first half-season ended to have
him ready for the second half-season. After ten weekends of
Stanislaus County League contests, the standings were: Patterson
8-2; Manteca 6-4; Glorias 5-5; Turlock 4-6; Modesto Moose 5-5;
Turner Hardware 2-8. These were the top league hitters:
Player
F. Johnson
Hossli
Monty
Giovannoni
Connell
Bassett
Toomes
Patton
Team
Patterson
Patterson
Manteca
Patterson
Glorias
Modesto
Manteca
Turlock
Pct.
.450
.416
.375
.354
.348
.345
.333
.307
On June 27th, county league president Voss announced
new regulations for the second half-season, primarily to ensure
quality league competition. The player limit was extended to 18 per
club, allowing more flexibility with the larger teams. He required
that all managers submit the names of 18 players at the beginning
of the second half-season. After that, no names could be added
once the season began. To assure that no club would quit midseason, a $50 fee was charged if a team had to forfeit a contest. The
practice of dividing the gate receipts among the club members after
each game was discontinued in favor of dividing receipts at the end
of the season. A trophy was to be presented to the champion of the
post-season series.
In San Joaquin Valley League contests for July, the
Modesto Elks played .500 baseball in four games. Its first game was
against Stockton’s Holt Caterpillar, with the Elks scoring only two
runs in a losing effort. Modesto traveled to Merced, playing the
Bears, with the Elks being mauled 6 to 2. Bears’ hurler Ted Brandon
was relieved by Hickey in the seventh inning, with the bases loaded
and no outs. He fanned the next three Elks’ batters, ending a sure
rally, thus allowing his team to triumph. The next weekend, the Elks
claimed a victory in what was described as a “rather weird” contest
and “you never knew what was going to happen next.” The News
further commented: “The Modesto Elks broke their record Sunday
by winning a game.”
In its third July battle against Merced, the Modesto Elks
were successful at home, in a pitcher’s duel between Cy Young
World Series Issue
for the Elks and “Dummy” Land for the Bears. The score ended at 3 the second half-season were: Manteca 2-0; Turlock 2-1; Turner
to 2, with Young holding his opponents to three hits. Controversy Hardware 1-1; Glorias 1-1; Modesto Moose 1-2; and Patterson 1-2.
generally surrounds a Merced contest, but this time, the local newsOn the next weekend, the Glorias’ Connell was at his worst,
paper claimed this meeting to be “one of the cleanest cut games being lambasted in the fifth inning, allowing nine runs to cross
played here this season.” It was certainly quick, running only one home plate, losing the contest to Trefts and Patterson 11 to 1. The
hour and 35 minutes with Merced umpire Shaack calling the match contest took 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete, longer than usual
flawlessly. But the Modesto Evening Herald could not allow Merced because of the slugfest. Modesto Moose too had an easy victory
to squeak by without some criticism: “Too bad Merced can’t get at over Hughson’s Turner Hardware, drubbing Turner in a 10 to 1
least one hometown player in her club.”
decision, with Johnson allowing five hits for Modesto. Turner reThere were a number of absorbing baseball contests dur- placed its rattled hurler Peck during the game with “diminutive
ing July in the county league. One of the better bouts was a 2 to 0 Jimmy Mann,” its second baseman, who tossed the ball with plenty
contest between two similar clubs, Turlock Merchants and of zip and would start for Turner in its next game. Tables were
Oakdale’s Glorias, with Turlock being victorious behind its hurler, turned on the Moose in its next contest when, according to Herald
Patton. Glorias’ pitcher Parks
headlines, “Manteca Maulers
had a terrible fourth inning,
Mangle Mad Moose” 6 to 0,
accounting for the two Turlock
cracking 13 hits in its victory at
scores. Counterparts, Trefts of
Reds’ park.
Patterson and Johnson of
The Glorias played
Modesto Moose, were throwTurner Hardware in Hughson,
ing strikes in their July 13th duel,
with the home team slipping by
with Trefts accruing 14
the Ice Creamers 4 to 2.
strikeouts, while Johnson
Turner’s Lefty Owens held his
nailed down 12. The Panthers
opponent to just three hits.
though shutout the Moose 4
Glorias traveled to Turlock the
to 0 to continue its quest tonext weekend and blasted the
wards winning the second halfMerchants 6 to 2, amassing 17
Modesto Merchants, 1915
season.
hits in the contest. The homeThe Manteca Firemen was accused of some irregularities, town club’s defense was equal to the task though, curbing the
with the most serious one being its use of imported players. In its massive offensive attack of 17 hits to just six runs. Turlock’s hurler
16 to 4 loss to Manteca, Hughson coach Ulrich, claimed that the Lefty Borden was more competent in the batter’s box than on the
San Joaquin County club imported four players from the Bay Area, hill, stroking three hits. After six weekends, the county league standwhich was not allowable by league rules. Part of the problem was ings were: Manteca 6-0; Patterson 3-2; Modesto Moose 3-3; Glorias
Manteca hadn’t submitted its 18-player roster for the second half- 2-4; Turlock 2-4; and Turner Hardware 2-4. The league leading
season to the league’s president Voss. It was also claimed that Manteca Fireman held the limelight, with protests cluttering up the
Manteca cheated visiting clubs out of its gate receipts, and its league’s president’s inbox.
playing field was not up to standards. Voss requested that the
On the next weekend, the Firemen all but sealed up the
Firemen’s manager answer the charges in five days, but the results second half-season. It was victorious in a doubleheader against
were never reported in the local newspapers.
Hughson’s Turner Hardware, 6 to 5 and 11 to 5. The champions of
The Turlock Merchants slaughtered its league competitor the first half-season, Patterson Panthers, had difficulty with
Turner Hardware in a blowout 12 to 3. The Modesto Moose lost its Modesto Moose at Reds’ park, losing 5 to 2. In the first inning,
next contest to the Glorias 5 to 1, at the Reds’ park. Even though Modesto’s hurler Johnson was unsteady but settled down to a fine
Johnson pitched well for the losers, striking out nine, it was the outing, before “a fair sized crowd.” The next Sunday, Patterson
four errors by his team’s shortstop that blew the game. The sullied again was defeated decisively 7 to 2 at the hands of its keen adverManteca club took its fireworks against Panther’s pitching ace Trefts sary Manteca, whose hurler Blodgett pitched in six of his club’s
clobbering him for nine hits, winning 6 to 3. Though the Patterson seven victories. The final county league standings for the second
pitcher fanned nine, he had two rough innings, while his victorious half-season were: Manteca 7-0; Glorias 3-4; Moose, 3-4; Patterson
counterpart Blodgett struck out 14. The newspaper account noted 3-4; Turlock 3-4; and Turner Hardware 2-5. The Herald proclaimed
that the Manteca players should be considered semi-pro perform- derogatorily in its headlines: “Manteca Wins Rag in Second Half
ers, with this game being placed under protest.
County League.” There was no great love for the Manteca Firemen,
On Sunday July 27 th, the anticipated clash of rivals accused cheaters. The league’s president announced that there
Modesto Moose and Turlock Merchants found the visiting Moose would be a three-game playoff series between Patterson and
hammering the Merchants 7 to 1, “carrying home the bacon,” as the Manteca, with the third contest, if needed, played on neutral ground
Turlock Tribune phrased it. The alleged semi-pro Manteca club in Modesto.
couldn’t hit the Glorias’ Connell’s tosses, losing 8 to 3. The chamBefore the fracas began, Manteca questioned the eligibilpion Patterson Panthers on the other hand had eight errors in its ity of Patterson’s catcher “Muddy” Ellsworthy since he did not
loss to Turner Hardware. The current league standings for
compete in any of the second-half contests. He was indeed
eligible, because his name was on the 18-player roster
approved by the league’s president. Even so, Ellsworthy didn’t
play in the series. President Voss hired reputable San Francisco
umpire Harold Earl to call the playoff games.
Patterson Panthers’ pitching ace Trefts hadn’t hurled in
several weeks, though he played outfield positions, because he
was being rested. His fans were expecting a “long string of
strikeouts from the youthful hurler,” according to the newspaper.
He did throw decently, amassing ten strikeouts but allowed eight
hits in a losing battle, Manteca being triumphant in the first contest
5 to 3. The Herald lamented: “Manteca got the hits when hits mean
runs and had every break of the game and you know luck is half the
battle, won.” It was a repeat performance the next Sunday September 28th when the second meeting ended in another Manteca victory, a close 6 to 5 conclusion in ten innings. The Herald reported:
“Potter [Manteca] did the deciding damage in the tenth when he
singled, took second at his leisure, reached third on a choice and
scored when Rose pounded to right . . . [The Panthers] never really
did have a chance to win.” The San Joaquin County club Manteca
Firemen won the Stanislaus County League in controversy.
Meanwhile, Merced captured the San Joaquin Valley
League championship. Modesto newspapers dropped much of the
league’s coverage, which meant the Modesto Elks had a rough
season. Late in September, the Elks were still active though, losing
a contest to Sacramento’s Hessemans 2 to 0, even though Elks’ star
hurler Cy Young “pitched brilliant ball for seven innings,” reported
the Herald. The Reds’ park’s “grandstand and bleachers were well
packed with fans and fanettes.” Merced challenged the Elks to a
competition to determine the “Champions of Two Counties.” The
Modesto club was simply unlucky, losing this battle in the ninth
inning 2 to 1. The Herald commented: “[one of] those hair-raising
finishes . . . the bases were loaded, two were out, the score was 1 to
1. It was the last of the ninth and [Merced’s] Neal Cullen, the batter,
had two strikes on him. [Modesto’s] Young tossed the next pitch, a
fat one, and Cullen slammed it to center for a clean single. Brandon
scored the winning run.”
Since both Patterson Panthers and Modesto Elks couldn’t
bring a championship home to Stanislaus County, some team needed
to be proclaimed county champs. It was decided that the two losers, Panthers and Elks, would play for the Stanislaus County championship. The game was scheduled for Sunday September 9th at
Reds’ park, with two heavies on the mound, Trefts for Patterson
and Young for Modesto. It was a dilly in every sense of the word.
The semi-professional Elks championed the Panthers, an amateur
club, by the score of 1 to 0, with Modesto’s shortstop Keeley
crossing home plate to win the game when Panther’s catcher dropped
the ball. Young and Gilligan pitched for Modesto, allowing only 27
batters to face them. It was a perfect game pitched by two hurlers!
Now that the Modesto Elks reined as county champs, it
played Modesto Moose next to see who would be the champs of
Modesto. The contest was scheduled for September 23rd, with the
results not being reported in the newspaper. There was a note in
the Herald that the Modesto Elks sent its battery of Gilligan and
Farwell to the Merced Bears to join that club, while Cy Young went
to Stockton’s Sperry Flour to pitch. The Herald commented about
Modesto baseball:
World Series Issue
For the first time since baseball has been played here, Modesto’s
“first team” this year was a complete hometown club, and the players
gave their services without a cent of compensation. In the past the players
have been paid and the club has been given more or less financial support
by the local people. We believe that Modesto is better off than any city of the
state outside of San Francisco and Oakland. Unlike Merced, which has to
use a San Francisco club entirely, Modesto has talent here for two clubs of
almost big league caliber, including present county league players, some
of whom are equal to the best in the game.
This ended an explosive decade of county baseball. There
were more teams, better talent, broader fan base, nicer fields, quicker
transportation, and baseball leagues with playoffs. Also, there were
fisticuffs, gambling, and mayhem at times, but the national sport
was growing healthier and cleaner everyday, with the county enjoying it, more and more.
1920 -1
92
1
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921
It was the era of the “Roaring Twenties,” where celebration was the modus operandi of the day for those who could afford
the experience. Crank up the flivver, don the straw hat, pocket the
flask, and head for the old ball park for a great game of baseball! For
the 1920 season, Stanislaus County baseball clubs would tangle in
two leagues. The semi-pro contingents would play in the Northern
San Joaquin Valley League, while the amateur teams would form the
San Joaquin-Stanislaus League and compete for its crown.
The Modesto Reds would suit up for 1920, playing in the
four-team Northern San Joaquin Valley League. It was estimated
that the clubs would need at least $3,000 each for the season. A
Reds’ committee was formed in Modesto with these members:
Howard C. Keeley, Alex Leiter, J.C. Lesher, and George Cressy. A
number of Modesto businesses donated funds towards the Reds’
season, which included: Modesto Bank, First National Bank,
Modesto Lumber Company, Tuolumne Lumber Company, G.P.
Schafer Company, California National Bank, Bank of Italy, Milk Producers of Central California, Modesto Hotel, and Hotel Hughson.
Private donors were: Mayor George J. Ulrich, Claude Donley, George
W. O’Conner, John J. McMahon, F.F. Smith, and S.J. Strauss. By
March 11th, half of the needed amount had been secured.
Several baseball teams were contemplating joining the
Northern San Joaquin Valley League, which included: Modesto,
Merced, Madera, Chowchilla, Lodi, and for Stockton, the Holt and
the Sperry Flour clubs. Modesto took the initiative in forming the
league, annoying Jim Russell, manager of Stockton’s Sperry Flour,
who suggested that the league might drop Modesto and substitute
Richmond in its place. He was considering some “test games” to
determine which clubs would represent such a league competitively. The Modesto Reds was not on his list of teams. The Modesto
Evening News responded to his ridicule: “He doesn’t say a word
about the Modesto Reds. Maybe he figures they don’t need any
‘testing.’” Nevertheless, four clubs joined the league: Modesto,
Merced, Madera, and Chowchilla.
Once the news was circulated that the Modesto Reds were
back in uniform, there were a number of baseball franchises wanting to engage the team in exhibition play, which included the Pacific
Coast League clubs from Sacramento and San Francisco. The Reds
first played its old West Side foe, the Newman Lambs, who beat
World Series Issue
The lowly Chowchilla Peppers gathered at the Reds’
Modesto 6 to 2 in Newman. “It looked quite like old times to see the
bleachers and grandstand well filled, with the Newman battle cry park on June 13th, taking away its first win of the season 4 to 0,
heard occasionally,” reminisced the News. Umpire Red Cornett was behind the arm of an ex-Portland pitcher, “fast and peppy” Schroder.
hassled by both sides, which wasn’t anything new in a Modesto- Chowchilla’s offense was just as “fast and peppy,” belting
Newman contest. Modesto’s ace pitcher Cy Young played third Modesto’s Gilligan for 11 hits. The News summarized the defeat:
base, wanting to break slowly into his seasonal pitching form. In- “The visitors started out strong, hitting Gilligan in the first for two
stead his teammate Gilligan hurled the ball for Modesto, striking runs and three hits, whereupon the Reds lost all their pep and
stood around like wooden Indiout seven, while allowing nine
ans for the rest of the contest.”
hits. His catcher was Pittsburgh
A week later, the Reds and the
Pirate’s Walter Schmidt, who rePeppers clashed again in
turned to the East after the match.
Chowchilla, but this encounter
The managerial reins of
had a much different ending, with
the Reds were in the hands of exthe Reds winning the slugfest 15
Chicago White Sox catcher and
to 9. Shea hurled for the Reds,
Pacific Coast League star Walter
allowing nine hits and nine runs
Kuhn. The San Francisco Elks, a
in his effort, but he had strong
club that was filled with ex-prooffensive support from his teamfessional baseball talent, was in
mates.
Modesto for an exhibition conThe Reds invaded Bear
test on April 18th. There were
country again on June 17th, benearly 500 fans at Reds’ park
ing mauled badly 11 to 0. The
watching their team disassemble
Madera Coyotes, circa 1900
Merced
Bears
battered
Web photo
its visitors by a score of 5 to 0.
Modesto’s mercenary pitcher
Gilligan was on the hill for the
hometown crew, striking out six, while allowing five hits. An exhila- Tom Hughes, who was loaned to the Reds by the Los Angeles
rated News was full of praise: “The San Francisco Elks played fast Angels. He was trounced: “three home runs, a three-bagger, a twoball, but the Modesto Reds were in tip-top shape and played faster bagger and five singles,” according to the newspaper. “Either he
was not used to the bright sunshine, didn’t feel good or just plain
and better.”
The Reds first league contest came on Sunday April 25th at did not have a good ball in his repertoire.” A fan was livid over the
Chowchilla, engaging the Peppers in a match that was handily won Reds’ dismal performance, sending a letter to the News. The newsby the Reds 9 to 3, punishing its foes with 13 hits. Reds’ fielding paper agreed with the irate fan, supplying barbs of its own: “The
was impressive. “Hermle, Rose, Westmoreland, Young, Shaw and biggest mistake it occurs to us, was when the umpires failed to
in fact all of the team, handled the ball like big leaguers,” raved the make Merced bat one-handed and also failed to furnish the Reds
News. The following week, the Chowchilla Peppers played at Reds’ with butterfly nets.” However, the newspaper was conciliatory:
park, being defeated once again by the Reds. The Modestans “But it isn’t the first time a baseball team has failed to play baseball.
clubbed eight hits, while scoring five runs in the win. The Reds It happens in the big leagues and it happens in the bushes.”
It was time to stack the deck. The Reds collected three
headed south to Madera to battle the Coyotes, with the hometown
winning in 14 innings 1 to 0. Madera’s hurler Gunner Larkin amassed outside players: pitcher Lefty Lefter from Tulare, first baseman
an amazing 24 strikeouts, while allowing just four hits. Reds’ pitcher Williams from Sacramento, and shortstop Frank Rooney from Colusa.
Gilligan was impressive, having a shutout through 13 innings in a The replacement players performed well in a close contest against
the Madera Coyotes, the Reds winning 3 to 2 on July 11th. The next
truly amazing baseball game.
rd
On Sunday May 23 , the Modesto Reds were at Merced weekend, Modesto took the Coyotes to the mat again in a blowout
grappling with the Bears in an equally exciting competition. Nor- 13 to 3, with the Reds scattering 16 hits. Gilligan was back on the
mally, Merced contests were embroiled in some type of contro- mound, with his arm rested, but his performance was still lacking,
versy, but this contest was acclaimed to be a “good, clean game allowing ten hits, while fanning six. Merced captured the first halfthroughout . . . the umpire was all that could be desired,” the News season pennant. The final league standings were: Merced 8-2;
commented. A number of fans from Modesto were in attendance to Madera 5-5; Modesto, 4-6; and Chowchilla 3-7.
In the second half-season, the Reds lost a contest on
watch their team lose in the ninth inning 3 to 2. Gilligan pitched
well, but it was a bunt in the ninth, followed by two hits that spoiled Sunday August 1st at home to the Chowchilla Peppers, by the score
his outing. The next weekend, Modesto dueled again in another of 3 to 1. Gilligan was unsteady in the ninth inning, filling the bases,
cliffhanger in Madera, with the hometown being victorious in 15th next walking in a run to tie the score, and then allowing Chowchilla
innings 4 to 3. Gunner Larkin was on target once more for the to score two more runs, eventually losing the game. However, the
Madera Coyotes, fanning 21 Reds, while Gilligan struck out 14, newspaper complimented the Reds’ pitcher for his work: “Gilligan
losing the game on a home run over the center field fence. At this deserves great credit for the way he pitched. He time and again
point in the season, the Northern San Joaquin Valley League stand- pulled himself from a hole by hitless pitching and never faltered
when in tight places.” He fanned eight Peppers.
ings were: Merced 4-0; Madera 3-1; Modesto 1-3; Chowchilla
Modesto spawned a city league, with teams of bank0-4.
ers, mechanics, newspapermen, carpenters, and clerks. The one
rule that was absolute: “No professional pitchers!” This experiment in town baseball began on August 17th, with the bankers being the only team that played in bona fide uniforms. “The rest of the
leaguers will not attempt anything so elaborate for some time,”
commented the News.
It was time for the Reds to face the Merced Bears once
again. The Bears had just defeated Madera 9 to 8, but the bout was
under protest by the visiting Coyotes, because umpire Hayes
evicted a player for disputing a decision. In the Reds-Bears game,
Modesto’s hurler Gilligan pitched a decent game until the eighth
inning, with the Reds leading 4 to 1, when he was derailed, allowing
a number of runs to score losing the contest. He allowed ten hits,
while striking out two, with his teammates booting the ball on defense a number of times. By August 22nd, the second half-season
standings were: Chowchilla 3-1; Merced 3-1; Madera 2-2; and
Modesto 0-4.
The next Sunday, Fred Connell was on the mound for the
Reds against Madera, prompting this comment in the newspaper:
“The fans did not shed any tears over the absence of Gilligan.”
Connell didn’t fare any better, losing the contest to the Coyotes 5
to 2. In the next outing against Madera, Connell gave up ten hits,
once again losing 3 to 1. The following weekend, he allowed four
hits and two runs, being victorious over the Chowchilla Peppers,
producing the Reds’ first win for the second half-season. As of
September 12th, the Northern San Joaquin Valley League standings
were: Merced 6-1; Madera 4-3; Chowchilla 3-4; and Modesto 1-6.
Nothing further was printed in the News concerning the Reds and
the league. There had been such high expectations in the spring,
with the Reds being championed as one of the best semi-pro teams
in California, but the Modesto Reds would not be back in uniform
again until the 1926 season.
The San Joaquin-Stanislaus League was formed for the
1920 season, being a two-county conference. Lodi offered its team,
but Keyes was accepted instead, because its club was better and
had more fan support, which meant more gate receipts. The teams
in the league were: Modesto, Tracy, Keyes, Manteca, Patterson,
and Newman. Play began on April 18th, two weeks later than first
proposed, with Modesto’s Howard Bartlett scheduling the league’s
games.
The Newman Lambs had returned. Its first meeting would
be against the Patterson Panthers, who were wearing relatively
new uniforms. The News commented: “The Panthers will blossom
forth in new splendor this year, having acquired a set of uniforms
used by the Sacramento Coasters [Pacific Coast League] last year.
The ‘unies’ are white with blue trimmings and last year’s semichamps expect their clothes will be the class of the circuit.”
The two-county league would not feature the Gloria Ice
Creamers, Modesto Moose, or Turner Hardware. Instead for the
1920 season, “straw-lid” manager Howard Bartlett formed the Perfection Ice Creamers, which would represent Modesto in the league.
The Ice Creamers’ first contest was an exhibition match against a
very accomplished African-American ball club, Oakland’s Shasta
Limited Colored team. During this era, baseball was still segregated,
having all white and all black clubs and leagues. But fortunately,
segregation didn’t preclude teams from playing each other,
World Series Issue
where both races could showcase their talent on the baseball field
to the pleasure of captivated spectators. These contests attracted
sizable crowds. Anticipating the Shasta match, the News commented:
“Freddie Connell [Ice Creamers] will have to propel the pill with
ambition and dexterity if he hopes to keep the ebony team on the
small end of the scoreboard.” He did. “They did not seem to be able
to solve Connell’s curves,” reported the newspaper. The contest
ended 5 to 3, with Modesto winning, while Connell held Shasta to
four hits.
On Sunday April 11th, Perfection faced Riverbank’s Santa
Fe contingent, overwhelming the weaker club 20 to 2. Denison and
Drake were the hurlers for Modesto, allowing collectively only three
hits. Giller and Peters pitched for Riverbank, being drubbed for 17
hits. In another exhibition match that weekend, the Reds played the
Newman Lambs, being triumphant 6 to 2. Newman did hammer
Gilligan for nine hits, while its hurler, Morton, fanned ten batters.
The Newman Lambs met Perfection in league action, losing 9 to 8.
The game was a slugfest, with Modesto lambasting Lambs’ pitchers, Davis and Ball, for 15 hits. Drake and Connell threw for the
winners, striking out 18 collectively. The News reported: “A heavy
wind and a new ball field caused a considerable number of errors.”
The Keyes Cantaloupes played its home games at Turlock. The
team was beaten by Manteca 6 to 2 in its first match. The next week,
Keyes slipped by the Tracy Tigers in Turlock 6 to 5 in an evenly
matched competition. The “melon boys’” shortstop, Foster, was
the hero of the bout, hitting a double and a home run with men on
base.
The Manteca Firemen, known also as the Maulers, was
anything but that, losing to visiting Perfection 7 to 2. The Ice Creamers’ ace pitcher Connell held the opposition to five hits, while his
teammates massacred the home club’s pitching with 16 hits. The
normally proficient Maulers had a ragged performance, accruing
six fielding errors. In another league game, the Patterson Panthers
chewed up the Newman Lambs 8 to 2. When the dust had settled
from the first two weeks of league play, the standings were:
Modesto’s Perfection Ice Cream, 2-0; Tracy, 1-1; Keyes, 1-1;
Manteca, 1-1; Patterson, 1-1; and Newman, 0-2.
There was trouble brewing in regard to Keyes’ baseball,
where once again it was finances causing the difficulty. Keyes’
boosters weren’t attending the games as promised. The cantaloupe
club was mediocre, therefore not attracting interest. The Turlock
Tribune referred to the ball club as the “Keyes-Turlock baseball
team,” because its home contests were played in Turlock. On May
11th, the newspaper discussed the condition of Turlock baseball,
claiming that the town had “rotten” baseball in three of the last four
years. The Tribune estimated that it took $60 per week to finance a
baseball team. It urged the immediate financial support to save the
Keyes team for the season.
The visiting Cantaloupes faced the Lambs the next weekend, being crushed by Newman 3 to 0. The Tribune commented:
“Peck and Ritchey as a battery for Turlock [Keyes] played the
game like professionals and if the team behind them could have had
a batting rally all would have been well. The boys’ weak spot is
batting. It takes some money to place a better class of players in the
field.” The Lambs had inducted several new players into its ranks.
It brought Tessie Ball from the Texas League to pitch and
recruited ex-Reds Hemminger and Osborn. The Keyes Cantaloupes
disbanded, being replaced by Stockton’s Sperry Flour on May 21st.
The league standings were: Manteca, 5-1; Modesto 3-3; Tracy, 3-3;
Patterson, 3-3; Newman, 3-3; and Keyes, 1-5.
On May 23rd, the Lambs and Perfection battled, with
Newman winning 1 to 0. It was a pitcher’s duel, featuring Connell
for Modesto and Ball for Newman, but the Ice Creamers amassed
five errors, with one error in particular costing them the game.
Modesto’s second baseman Arata muffed a grounder, causing a
run to score. The Ice Creamers threatened in the eighth inning, with
men on and no outs, but Ball fanned the next three batters, ending
the inning. The News headlines read: “Ball Is Too Much for Perfections.” Errors were again a problem for the Ice Creamers, with Arata
having two in a contest against the Tracy Tigers, with Modesto
losing 5 to 3. Kessel and Connell pitched for the Ice Creamers,
allowing nine hits collectively. The umpire’s sight became questionable after Tracy’s first baseman threw dust in umpire Hall’s
eyes. The culprit was ejected immediately for his dastardly act.
An error caused the Newman Lambs to lose against the
Manteca Firemen 3 to 1. Ball pitched for the Lambs and was on his
way to a 2-hit shutout when teammate outfielder Potter mishandled
the ball. The News commented on Ball’s performance: “[He] was
master of the situation at all times and had the heaviest Newman
batters completely at his mercy.” But that’s the way the ball bounces.
The newspaper commented about the spectators: “The crowd was
the largest ever gathered here at a ball game and attested to the
growing interest in the sport. By count 143 autos were lined up
about the field mostly from outside points. Every available bit of
seating place in grandstand and bleachers were filled by a cheering
crowd.”
Funny things happened in local baseball, especially when
Howard Barnett was present. The previous year, it was Barnett’s
boys who went from being the Hughson Highlanders to become
Oakdale’s Gloria Ice Creamers. This year, Barnett formed the Perfection Ice Creamers, but did another switcheroo, dropping Perfection
midway in the season, because of its poor play, to form a Modesto
Moose club, all decked out in new uniforms. It worked because the
Moose won its first contest against the Newman Lambs 4 to 2. An
elated News was thrilled with the victory:
Harry Mobley pitched for the Moose and made good by his
steady pitching which never wavered even in the tight spots. Ulrich was
the individual star of the game in left field. He snagged all that came his
way and some that were bound for parts beyond. Ace Johnson was heavy
on the stick for the Moosers, getting two three-baggers just when they were
sorely needed.
Two weeks later Modesto Moose grappled with the
league’s best, the Manteca Firemen, losing the encounter 4 to 0.
Modesto drove ten balls deep into the outfield, but they were collected for outs, while the menacing Firemen stroked 11 hits. It was
a case of the baseballs finding the open spots on the field or in the
players’ mitts. “Fumblitis” did invade Moose infielders in its August 8th bout against the Tracy Tigers. Modesto amassed an unprecedented 13 errors, with the shortstop and second baseman
causing eight errors between them. It was a complete shellacking,
18 to 3, by the Tigers, with Tracy raking Moose’s hurler, Mobley,
for 20 hits.
The Patterson Panthers came to Modesto to play
World Series Issue
Modesto Moose, with the Panthers mauling the Moose 9 to 3.
Trefts pitched for Patterson, while Modesto’s aging Mobley collected 11 strikeouts but conceded 12 hits. There was no further
coverage in the newspaper of the Stanislaus-San Joaquin County
League’s season, except it was noted on September 29th that
Manteca and Tracy would face each other to decide the league’s
champion for 1920. Once again, San Joaquin County dominated a
league that featured Stanislaus County teams.
There wouldn’t be a county baseball league for the 1921
season, or a two-county league. The domination by San Joaquin
County teams could have been the reason. The News noted that
there wouldn’t be any West Side teams formed either, with county
baseball activity centering in the Modesto area. These teams would
play independently: Smith Auto (Modesto), Perfection Ice Creamers (Modesto), Modesto Bankers, Riverbank Firemen, Turlock Tigers, and Escalon Giants (San Joaquin County). The Turlock Tigers had a busy schedule, with matches against Stockton teams,
Stanislaus County clubs, and Livingston in Merced County. The
Merced Bears wouldn’t play Stanislaus County teams, probably
joining a valley league to the south. A variety of Stockton teams
faced Stanislaus County teams, with the slough city remaining a
continued source of interesting and competitive baseball.
There was plenty of action surrounding the three Modesto
clubs. For the 1921 season, Howard Bartlett would be associated
with Modesto’s Smith Autos, having a lineup filled with some very
familiar local ballplayers. Its first exhibition game was played on
Sunday March 6th against Stockton’s Menzi-Cantrell Autos, which
defeated Smith Autos 3 to 1. The two teams faced each other again
at Enslen Park, but this time Smith Autos crushed its visitors 13 to
1, slugging 18 hits in its attack. Modesto Bankers played Empire on
March 20th, which the Bankers won 15 to 9, accruing 17 hits in an
offensive laden match. Modesto’s Perfection Ice Creamers faced
Empire on April 3rd, being victorious 11 to 9, shellacking the Empire
pitcher for 16 hits.
In mid-March, the Turlock community discussed organizing a baseball club, feeling that there was enough area talent and
money to support such a venture. The Turlock Merchants of the
past seasons had been a competitive and respectable team, with
A.E. Sollars managing the contingent. It was calculated that $200
would be needed to prepare the field and $300 to “outfit the team
properly,” according to the Turlock Tribune. Turlock fans were
enthusiastic and supportive, with 35 local prospects wanting to
tryout. A Turlock club did form, with Porter Critser as manager. On
April 22nd, 11 new uniforms were ordered, displaying the name
Turlock Tigers. Its first exhibition contest was against Turlock High
School boys, a five-inning affair, the Tigers winning 7 to 3.
The Riverbank Firemen club was formed, being managed
by Ed Hunsucker. The Firemen first faced the Modesto Bankers on
March 27th, with Riverbank losing the contest 9 to 8. Both clubs
had ten hits each, with both sides having quality fielding. But this
would not be the case in Riverbank’s next outing against Smith
Autos, a case where the Firemen were simply outplayed, losing 13
to 5. The News commented on the seven errors committed by
Riverbank: “Bannon, the Riverbank catcher, missed everything that
looked easy, and threw a few out into the gum trees.” Harry Trefts,
former Patterson Panther chucker, threw for the Bankers,
getting his arm ready for the long season. The two squads met
again on April 10th, with the Firemen slipping by 7 to 6. Riverbank
didn’t throw “into the gum trees” this time, but field flawlessly
having no errors. In its next contest, the Riverbank Firemen were on
fire, melting the Perfection Ice Creamers in a torrent of heat, 19 hits,
14 runs, while allowing seven tallies for Modesto. Two weekends
later, the Ice Creamers again got scorched by the Riverbank boys 4
to 0 at Enslen Park.
Besides Connell, Smith Autos had other pitchers on its
staff: Hank Vierth and “Smokem” Art Medlin, “who kept the opponent helpless,” according to the News. In April, Smith Autos faced
the “sweet potato nine” of Livingston on the team’s sandy field in
Merced County. It was a hot afternoon, with the field’s sandy texture causing ten errors, ending with a score of 13-12, the sweet
potato boys being victorious over Smith Autos. There was a grand
slam in the contest as noted in the News: “Jimmie [Mann] took to
the club-house in the fifth, but not until he had connected with one
of Fred Park’s ‘slanties’ for a homer with the bases occupied. He
lost the old pill in the vineyard.” Bartlett’s Perfection Ice Creamers
faced its town rival the Modesto Bankers at Enslen Park. The Ice
Creamers scored five runs in the first inning, which was all that was
needed, winning 5 to 2. Bankers’ manager Oscar Buletti wanted to
tryout pitcher Percy Hopper to see how the youngster would perform. He had to be relieved in the first inning by Bill Vacarro, who
pitched a terrific game, not allowing a single hit.
The Modesto Bankers took its bats to Turlock’s ball park,
located at the corner of North Front Street and Geer Road. The
Turlock Tigers were the victors in a 13 to 12 contest. Vacarro “had
an off day and simply couldn’t put the old pill where he wanted it to
go,” commented the News. At one point Turlock led 10 to 2, but in
the sixth inning, seven runs crossed the plate for the visiting Bankers. The contest was played in a fierce sandstorm, causing poor
pitching along with 15 errors combined for the two opponents.
Only 64 spectators braved the weather to view the game, mostly
through squinting eyes. The Tigers were also called the “melon
growers” and occasionally the “merchants.”
Modesto’s Smith Autos won its next contest against the
Escalon Giants at Enslen Park in a 9 to 8 squeaker. Both sides had 13
hits each. A week later, again at Enslen Park, Smith Autos wasn’t so
lucky, losing to Stockton’s Hansel-Ortman 4 to 3. Autos’ hurler
Parks pitched through the seventh inning, being relieved at that
point by “Smokem” Medlin. Escalon faced the Riverbank Firemen
in a heavy windstorm. The game had to be called, because the
winds became too fierce to play. The score was tied 4 to 4, with two
Riverbank players on base and one out.
On May 8th, Modesto Bankers’ manager Buletti needed to
fill the club’s ranks for its game against Stockton’s Harris Harvesters, because four of his starters played hooky. Two of them, Bill
Vaccaro and Dave Arata, were on a fishing expedition reported the
News. The Bankers took a beating, losing 10 to 5, with the Harvesters hammering out ten hits. Medlin for Smith Autos allowed ten hits
in his team’s loss to Oakdale’s Gloria Ice Creamers. It was a 5 to 0
shutout, with the Glorias victorious. Oakdale’s hurlers, Walters and
Mello, only allowed three hits in the contest that was headlined by
the Modesto newspaper as “Smith Autos Weak with the Willow.”
Down on the Livingston sandlot, the Turlock Tigers
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faced its Merced County neighbor, losing 9 to 1. There was no wind
and the crowd was “large and enthusiastic,” but frugal. Once the
game began, the Livingston manager and an aide had to “shake
down” the spectators to cough up admission. Pitcher Austin
Borden was quick on the base paths, stealing home for Turlock’s
only run. It was starting pitcher Dorsey who lost the contest early
in the competition. The local newspaper did bill the Livingston
Cubs as being “made up of big leaguers, who have no respect for
struggling ball teams, just attempting to get recognition.” It is difficult to imagine tiny Livingston attracting “big leaguers,” but then
the blowout score probably signifies it had imported its talent.
Smith Autos played hometown rival Perfection Ice Creamers, with the Autos amassing a staggering 16 errors, shortstop
Strader alone having six. The Autos also used up three pitchers:
Cox, Parks, and Medlin, who allowed ten hits between them in the
Autos loss to the Ice Creamers 9 to 6. Perfection’s ace hurler Connell
was absent, playing baseball in Canada for Regina. It was reported
that he won his first game, 13 to 4, over Moosejaw, clubbing two
hits himself in the victory. On May 22nd, Perfection faced the Modesto
Bankers, winning handsomely 6 to 0. Bankers’ pitcher Vacarro wasn’t
fishing this time, allowing six hits, but seven costly errors brought
on the defeat. On the next Sunday, the Bankers once again failed to
draw a win against Smith Autos, losing 7 to 4. Bankers’ hurler Ball
allowed ten hits, while Medlin and Mann shared the pitching duties for the Autos, winning the contest. Autos’ manager Bartlett
had the boys practice defense the week prior to the game. It must
have worked, because Smith Autos played errorless baseball.
The Turlock Tigers went hunting late May and early June,
first grappling with Stockton‘s Ironworks, losing a 2 to 1 battle at
home, before a substantial audience of spectators. It was a pitcher’s
duel receiving this commentary from the Turlock Tribune concerning Tigers’ hurler Austin Borden: “The big southpaw chucked one
of the finest games that we have seen in the ‘bushes’ for some time,
his dazzling speed and good control should have won him his
game.” Turlock was on the road for its next two bouts, the first a
knockout, 11 to 2, at the hands of the Stockton’s Overlands, followed by a Monday contest with Smith Autos, losing that affair as
well 3 to 1. On Sunday June 5th, Tigers’ hurler Borden was again
spectacular, fanning 16 Perfection Ice Creamers, but losing the battle
10 to 8, a 12-inning contest, lasting three hours. His field support
was lacking, with his teammates amassing ten errors. Turlock’s
right fielder Rapp cracked a home run in the ninth inning, tying the
game, forcing extra innings.
That same weekend at Modesto’s Enslen Park, in a competition between the Modesto Bankers and Stockton’s Steed Brothers, a brawl broke out between umpire “Ducky” Jones and Steed’s
left fielder McDonald. The visitors had been complaining about
Jones’ calls since the first inning and were losing in the seventh, 5
to 1, when Steed’s pitcher threw wildly allowing the Bankers’ runner on third base to head for home. The batter stepped back, but
when the ball was tossed from catcher to the pitcher, it clipped the
batter, and the run scored, causing a dispute. McDonald ran from
left field complaining about interference. Umpire Ducky ordered
him back to his position, but the left fielder began calling Ducky
some unkind names. The Modesto Morning Herald described the
rest of the action: “This, of course, the ’ump’ wouldn’t stand
for, and he politely stuck a left hook against McDonald’s chin.
What took place from there on is past history. A wrestling match,
foot race, final capture of the fleeing villain, lots of argument, pro
and con, and then a ‘swell’ ball game was called off, when after
being given five minutes to take the field, the Stockton lads refused
to do so, thereby forfeiting the game.” Bankers’ hurler Vaccaro
actually had a brilliant outing, which was spoiled by the ruckus.
In response to the brawl, the Stockton newspaper suggested that all future games between Stockton and Modesto should
be canceled. This prompted Smith Autos’ manager Bartlett to respond by letter to the Stockton newspaper’s sporting editor, which
was carried in Modesto’s Herald. He noted that Stockton teams
were always treated “with the greatest of courtesy and we have
never had an argument of any kind with any of our opponents.” He
blamed McDonald for the melee:
The Steed left-fielder will find it much better if he refuses to stick
his nose in the umpire’s face and call him dirty names. The umpire did
what any good, self-respecting man could do under the circumstances,
and although the left-fielder was twice as big as the arbitrator, he turned
and ran for the outfield and that was when the fans took after him. An
umpire is a human being and has a hard job trying to please everybody,
and the time should come when the big ‘bully’ players stop shoving him
around and calling him names. The Steed left-fielder has no one to blame
but himself.
There were no arrests or lawsuits, but fans did charge the
left fielder. The damage done to him wasn’t reported. Smith Autos
played a weak Groveland club in the Sierra, with Modesto crushing
the home nine 11 to 1, Cox pitching for Modesto. On the next Sunday, the Autos were in Stockton facing the Steed Brothers, with
McDonald vacant from the lineup, losing to Stockton 5 to 2. Perfection Ice Creamers traveled to Atwater, losing the contest to the
home team, in 11 innings 3 to 0. The next Sunday, the Ice Creamers
visited Ripon, facing its “spit ball artist,” C. Nutt. His brother G.
Nutt played shortstop, but the Nutt brothers were crushed by Perfection 6 to 0. Center fielder Wayne Parker, proclaimed to be the
“Babe Ruth of the three Modesto teams,” clubbed a homer, living
up to his reputation.
On June 12th, the Turlock Tigers raked Riverbank’s pitcher
Peters for 14 hits, winning the contest 9 to 1. Tigers’ pitcher Borden
who had amassed 41 strikeouts in three games, sliced a foul ball in
the fourth inning, and while chasing it, the Riverbank Merchants’
right fielder Collett “went through the fence, hitting a board with
his head and knocking the board off, making a peephole for the
youths. But the old kid lost the ball after all that trouble, and likely
got splinters in his dome too,” according to the Herald. The same
newspaper account noted that Borden is “always smiles very sociable and the wildest mob doesn’t seem to rattle him . . . to think
that boy is putting in six days a week manicuring the alfalfa and
pailing the cows.”
The Modesto Bankers cashed in a loss of 10 to 3 at the
hands of the tellers from Sacramento, the Capital City Bankers, in
Enslen Park. Its northern foe had “too much talent,” according to
the Herald. That same weekend Smith Autos walked off the field
protesting umpire Poncabre’s decisions, while leading in the seventh inning 4 to 0 against Oakdale. The Modesto newspaper gave
every impression that the ump was very one-sided, calling an
Oakdale runner safe when clearly he was out: “The Modesto
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boys were in hot water with the ‘ump’ from the very first frame and
when it became evident that the arbitrator intended to make the
home team a present of the game there was nothing else to do but
call a halt to the proceedings.” Autos’ manager Bartlett tried to be
conciliatory, remarking: “An umpire is a human being and has a
hard job trying to please everybody.” The next Sunday, the Autos
won easily 7 to 1 against Empire, after bashing 19 hits in the contest. On July 4th, Smith Autos faced the Sonora Giants in a losing
affair 8 to 6, with the hometown mountaineers being victorious.
Smith Autos played another mountain town, Soulsbyville, but won
this battle 6 to 2, socking 13 hits in its victory.
Turlock Tigers were also victorious 13 to 3 in its outing
against Stockton’s Harrison Manufacturing Company, hammering
the Stockton hurler for 16 hits. The Tigers visited Riverbank on
July 3rd, taking the match 6 to 3. The Turlock Tribune commented:
“The Turlock team manager is having a hard time finding teams that
can cope with his layout, which has entirely too much speed for the
baseball artists of the immediate vicinity.” A week later, the Tigers
blew a game, because of first baseman Bill Borden’s reaction after
he was hit by an opponent. Borden’s brother Austin was on the
mound when the batter shot a grounder to him. He fielded it and
threw to brother Bill on first base, who put the runner out, but in the
process, the Livingston runner nudged the first baseman with his
shoulder, prompting Bill to throw a punch. In the meantime, two
Cubs’ runners scored, winning the game. The Tribune commented,
calling it: “the punk side of the contest,” but “outside of the little
mess at first base the game was a corker and gave the fans who
attended a run for their money.”
Austin Borden was in the pitcher’s box for the Tigers in
the July 17th meeting against the Ceres All-Stars. He fanned 11,
being victorious in the 12 to 6 battle. The Tribune called the Tigers:
“Conquerors of the Universe.” On the last weekend in July, Turlock
conquered again, dashing Atwater 11 to 2 in a crab-filled tangle.
The Turlock newspaper commented: “When ye scribe says crabby,
he means crabby, for the gang from Atwater surely wins the diamond studded stomach pump when it comes to rag chewing. That
gang does not seem to understand that the umpire is boss and that
his decision is final.” Tigers’ Borden struggled on the mound, striking out only two, walking three, and hitting “the ribs of three Atwater
Huskies.” If anyone had the right to be crabby, it would have been
the three bruised batters.
The Huskies had better fortune against the Modesto Bankers, defeating the contingent in two early July contests. The first
encounter found Atwater besting Modesto 8 to 3, followed by a
match at Enslen Park a week later, with the Huskies on top 8 to 6.
Atwater placed a high school hurler on the mound who performed
beautifully. The Bankers were drubbed again on July 10th, 5 to 2, by
the Oakdale Almond Growers. Hank Vierth pitched for Oakdale. The
Almond Growers played Perfection Ice Creamers, on July 31st, with
Oakdale the victor, 13 to 12. Both clubs had 13 hits each. Vierth
worked the mound for Perfection against Merced Falls, allowing
five hits, in a close 4 to 3 win.
The Riverbank nine faced Smith Autos in a contest on
July 17th, lambasting the Modesto club 20 to 6. The next Sunday,
the Autos were at Enslen Park in a doubleheader, being victorious
in the first contest 13 to 8 over Ceres, followed by a 10 to 4
win over Salida. In the two outings, the Autos amassed 31 hits, and
amazingly, Jimmie Cox pitched both contests for the Autos, allowing a total 16 hits. On August 7th, Smith Autos continued its onslaught, massacring Riverbank this time 14 to 4, the Modesto squad
accumulating 15 hits. Unfortunately, the local newspapers rarely
reported batting averages of the top hitters. Such statistics would
have been fascinating.
In August, the Turlock Tigers remained competitive, clobbering the Bankers 14 to 1, with Austin Borden fanning 14. At home
the next week, Turlock bounced Perfection Ice Creamers 8 to 2 in a
contest that had 20 hits total. The Atwater Huskies and the Tigers
grappled again in Atwater, ending in a squeaker, 6 to 5, the home
club being victorious. In another Merced County battle, Turlock
Tigers lost 4 to 3 to the Livingston Cubs. The Tribune described it
as “a great game replete with snappy fielding and clean playing.”
This was not the case in the next contest between those clubs. It
was a slugfest of 33 total hits, with Turlock the victor over
Livingston 14 to 10 provoking this criticism from the Turlock newspaper: “What this sport editor suggests, before the two teams meet
again is a little more conscientious practice before games.”
In August, the Modesto Bankers sparred with Perfection
Ice Creamers in three contests at Enslen Park. The first battle was
an Ice Creamers’ victory of 15 to 8, with 27 hits being accumulated
by both opponents. The next duel had 28 hits collectively, with the
Bankers blowing out Perfection 13 to 4 prompting the Herald to
claim: “Vacarro [Bankers] had the Creamers’ goat from the very
start and they never had a chance.” In the final match of the three,
the Bankers were again the victors 5 to 1 before the largest crowd of
the season at Enslen Park. The newspaper reported: “Freddie Parks
in left field for the Creameries made a fine running catch and also
crossed the irrigating ditch to gather one – he fell on the catch but
held the ball.” Now that is a fine farm boy athlete.
One of the three Modesto clubs needed to be champs of
the city for 1921. It was argued that Perfection Ice Creamers was the
weakest, therefore, Modesto Bankers and Smith Autos needed to
have a playoff game. On Sunday September 11th, Smith Autos faced
the Modesto Bankers, at Enslen Park, with Cox pitching for the
Autos, while Vierth threw for the Bankers. It ended with Smith
Autos winning 7 to 3. The area was not finished with baseball for
the year. A winter league was formed, consisting of two divisions,
the American and the National. The clubs in the American Division
were: Riverbank, Salida, Ripon, and Modesto’s Perfection Ice Creamers. Those in the National Division were: Modesto Bankers, Ceres,
Denair, and Empire.
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1922
-1926
Very few local boys had the stuff to play in the professional Pacific Coast League. There were tryouts, which were reported in the local newspapers, partly out of pride and for promotional courtesy. One such article appeared in March 1922, when
Turlocker Harold “Lefty” Borden attended the San Francisco Seals’
spring training camp. In his first outing, he allowed four hits, but
Seals’ management saw weaknesses in his performance, releasing
him to a Bay Area club, keeping him close in case he was needed in
the future.
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Also in March, the Modesto Morning Herald printed this
call:
Wanted Help at New Ball Park. Carpenters with saws and hammers and painters with brushes are needed at the new baseball park today
to help put finishing touches on the grounds and grandstand for tomorrow’s
game. Every man in Modesto that has nothing to do today is asked to
donate his help.
The first contest at the new park was between the Modesto
Merchants and Stockton’s Cedar Products. It was an exhibition
match, with the Merchants victorious 8 to 5. The Stanislaus County
League was formed for the 1922 season, featuring clubs from Ceres,
Ripon, Hilmar, Riverbank, Livingston, Salida, Escalon, Hughson,
Patterson, Manteca, and two teams from Modesto, which were the
Peppers and Merchants. The league’s representation was from three
counties with the majority of the clubs coming from Stanislaus. The
first league contest was between the Ceres Giants and the Modesto
Merchants, where two outstanding pitchers faced each other, which
were Fred Connell for Ceres and Harry Trefts for Modesto. Trefts
was the brother of former Patterson Panthers’ hurler Sam Trefts.
Harry had attended spring training with the Pacific Coast League
team Salt Lake Bees, but was released. He had a better outing than
Ceres’ pitcher Connell, winning 9 to 6. Before the game began,
county league president George R. Stoddard tossed the first ball in
an opening day ceremony: “[He] took his place on the mound and
threw the first ball, which was called a strike by Umpire Henley.
That it was a strike there was no question as it rolled squarely over
the home plate on the ground,” quipped the Herald.
The Hilmar Midgets represented Turlock, playing its home
games at the Turlock diamond. Hilmar was defeated in its first league
contest by Patterson 11 to 4. But the Midgets reversed itself on
May 2nd, winning 24 to 10 over Salida. It was a slugfest, with a total
of 34 hits in the match. The Herald reported in May: “[League]
representatives were entirely satisfied with the baseball position to
date, and it was generally agreed that the season promises to be a
success. The fans all over the country were displaying much interest in the league competition, and the patronage bestowed on the
game was far above expectations.” The league standings as of
May 14th were: Modesto Merchants, 5-1; Ceres, 5-1; Hilmar, 5-2;
Modesto Peppers, 5-2; Hughson, 4-2; Ripon, 3-3; Patterson, 3-3;
Livingston, 2-4; Escalon, 2-5; Manteca, 1-6; and Salida, 0-7.
The Hilmar Midgets faced the Ceres Giants at Turlock in a
tight contest, resulting in a 5 to 4 victory by the taller of the two
clubs, at least in name, the Giants. The Midgets regain its stature in
its next match by defeating its Merced County foe, Livingston, 8 to
5. Hilmar next visited Modesto, battling the Modesto Peppers in a
three-hour bout, twelve innings, beating the Peppers 6 to 5. The
Peppers lost again the next week, this time to the Manteca Maulers
7 to 5, with Modesto’s hurler Ralph King allowing 15 hits. Modesto’s
other club, the Merchants, bashed Salida 12 to 4, and in another
bout, defeated Ceres 13 to 9 in a ragged game, featuring a total of 29
hits. Ceres lost another game, 10 to 9, to Hughson.
On June 18th, the first half-season ended for the county
league, with the Modesto Merchants winning the pennant. The
final standings were: Merchants 10-2; Ceres, 9-3; Hughson, 8-3;
Peppers, 7-4; Hilmar, 6-5; Patterson, 6-5; Livingston, 6-5; Escalon,
6-5; Ripon, 4-7; Riverbank, 3-8; Manteca, 3-9; and Salida, 0-
11. The team to watch in the second half-season was the Hughson
Highlanders, who decimated the Ripon Bees on July 2nd, 12 to 0.
Hughson’s star pitcher Elmer “Lefty” Owens had returned to action after injuring his throwing arm during a fight in an earlier game.
In its assessment of Owens’ outing, the Herald remarked that he
had “his old soup bone in good working” order.
In the second half-season, the Hilmar Midgets began by
hammering 24 hits against Riverbank, winning in a close score 13 to
12. In its next outing, Hilmar was victorious over the Patterson
Panthers 5 to 3. Hank Vierth was in the pitcher’s box for the Midgets, while Ball pitched for Patterson. To strengthen its pitching
staff, Hilmar signed “Lefty” Borden. In mid-July, Hilmar engaged a
weaker Ripon club, winning that contest 8 to 4 when the Midgets’
center fielder, Herbert Kraetsch, “smacked the pill over the fence,”
according to the Turlock Journal. The dramatics in the Midgets’
next match came from its Stockton opponent, who scored seven
runs in the eighth inning off a tired Vierth, to beat Hilmar 10 to 9.
The Journal blamed the explosive Stockton comeback on the Midgets’ manager “who must have seen that Hank Vierth, the pitcher,
was done for the day. He asked to be taken out, but was kept in.”
The Midgets lost another game the following week to Livingston
13 to 1, with the cause being “a succession of childish errors.” In
the last weekend of July, Hilmar squeaked by Ceres 6 to 5 in a
seventh inning rally, with the Midgets’ newest player, Lindbloom,
being the hero of the day.
In other league action for the second half-season, the Peppers were stomped by the Ceres Giants 10 to 1 at Enslen Park.
Walter Kuhn was on the mound for Ceres, who was once a catcher
for the Chicago White Sox. In its next contest, Giants’ catcher Ray
Peck was clipped by a foul ball, splitting his finger. His injury was a
major reason why Ceres lost to Manteca 7 to 3. On July 20th, league
leading Hughson faced Patterson, in which the Panthers staged an
eight-run comeback in the ninth inning, but the Highlanders held
on to win 13 to 10. In its next outing, Hughson defeated the Modesto
Merchants 8 to 3, clubbing nine hits in the victory. Highlander
pitcher Snyder fanned 13 Merchants in the dominating performance.
The Merchants took the victory in its next contest against Escalon,
winning 10 to 4, with Trefts on hill. The Modesto Peppers lost a
game against Livingston 11 to 10, but on the last Sunday of July, it
defeated the Ripon Bees and its pitcher, “Dogs” Ferrill, 8 to 7.
As the second half-season was winding down, Patterson
clipped Escalon 5 to 4, while Hilmar edged Ceres 6 to 5. On August
6th, the county’s second half-season standings were: Hughson, 70; Modesto Merchants, 6-2; Patterson, 6-2; Stockton Amblers, 4-2;
Livingston, 5-3; Hilmar, 4-4; Manteca 4-4; Escalon, 4-4; Ceres, 3-5;
Ripon, 2-5; Modesto Peppers, 1-7; and Riverbank, 1-7. The Stockton Amblers replaced the woeful Salida Tigers in the second halfseason
The Hilmar Midgets met Escalon on August 13th, pasting
19 hits, winning the contest against the San Joaquin County club in
a blowout 20 to 5. It looked as though the bout was going to be
nasty for Escalon when its opponent Keely “hit the leather over the
right field fence in the first,” according to the Tribune. In another
match, Hilmar was again victorious, edging out Manteca 8 to 7 in
the ninth inning, when Parks drove in the tiebreaking run. In its
August 27th duel against the Modesto Peppers, Hilmar again
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was the winner 11 to 6. The game was played in Turlock, because
“the gate receipts at Modesto as a rule do not justify the efforts of
the players,” commented the Tribune. Peppers’ Nouck lived up to
the club’s name though by peppering two towering home runs in
his team’s loss.
The second half-season ended on the last Sunday of August, with the Hughson Highlanders taking the pennant by a record
of 10 wins and one loss, followed by: Patterson, 8-2; Stockton
Amblers, 6-3; Hilmar, 7-4; Modesto Merchants, 6-4; Livingston, 65; Escalon, 6-5; Manteca, 5-6; Ripon, 3-8; Ceres, 3-8; Riverbank, 29; and Modesto Peppers, 1-9. The stage was set for the playoffs, “a
miniature world’s series for the championship of the Stanislaus
County baseball league,” as the Herald phrased it. The first outing
was a slugger’s affair with 30 hits being clouted off the pitching
arms of Trefts for the Merchants and Snyder for the Highlanders.
There also were numerous strikeouts, a total of 17. The contest was
played at Hughson before “two thousand howling fans” watching
“Thrill After Thrill,” according to the headlines, with the hometown
Highlanders victorious 10 to 9. It was a best-of-three series; thus,
heads turned towards Modesto for the second battle, which proved
to be just as thrilling.
It was Trefts against Snyder again, and again there was a
plethora of hits, a total of 24 this time, with 11 strikeouts. A crowd of
2,500 was on hand to watch a “Near Triple Play, Home Run and
Three Double Plays,” raved the newspaper. After a battle of twelve
innings, the contest ended when Hughson’s Kingery dropped an
easy fly ball, thereby giving the Modesto Merchants the bout 6 to
5. The Highlanders had eight errors in the contest. On Sunday
September 24th, the championship was decided “at the new municipal athletic field before 3,000 fans,” again a slugfest of 29 hits.
Merchants’ pitcher Treft was relieved in the third inning by Ace
Johnson, and Snyder was relieved by E. Owen. The victory was
decided once again by Hughson’s fielding problems, which in this
deciding match, the Highlanders amassed ten errors, losing the
game and the 1922 county league championship to the Modesto
Merchants, 20 to 11. The Modesto club wouldn’t savor its victory
long, wanting to prove its superiority, challenged a tough Stockton
team, Sperry Flour, to a bout in which the Merchants lost decidedly
8 to 1. It was time to seriously hang up the spikes and wait for a new
season.
The 1922 season proved to be a hitter’s paradise and a
pitcher’s quagmire. It seemed as though county baseball had returned to its early years of weak pitching and aggressive batters.
What happened? It had everything to do with the mediocrity of the
talent on the playing field. The 1922 county league had 12 clubs
instead of six, spreading out the local talent. In a long season,
fatigued players also have an effect on the game, especially pitchers, throwing several games in succession.
For the 1923 season, Elks, Moose, and Redmen formed
their own leagues, playing exclusively their fraternal counterparts
from other towns. This meant some skimming of the local talent.
The Stanislaus County League organized with teams from Patterson,
Riverbank, Escalon, Hughson, Turlock, Ripon, Ceres, and the
Modesto Peppers. The previous year’s champs, the Modesto Merchants, decided to play as an independent baseball club. E.E. Lynch
of Hilmar was elected league president at a meeting in
Modesto’s Turner Hardware. The store paid for the 1922 trophy
that was given to the Modesto Merchants and would “again give a
beautiful silver cup to the winners of 1923,” reported the Herald.
League rules would remain the same for 1923, with Wright & Ditson
baseballs being adopted.
To kick off the season on April 1st, Modesto’s mayor Sol P.
Elias pitched the first baseball at Enslen Park with apparent gusto
according to the newspaper: “Sol had something on the pill, but the
effort just about put the city’s chief executive on the fritz. The old
boy has been complaining of aches ever since the event.” The
opening league contest was between the Modesto Peppers and
Escalon, with the Peppers winning a tight one 6 to 5. Connell was
on the hill for Modesto, allowing nine hits, while Escalon’s hurler
Dalton gave up nine as well. Having supported the Keyes Cantaloupes in 1921 and the Hilmar Midgets in 1922, Turlockers wanted
their own club on the field. Funding came from downtown merchants. Team manager Dr. George H. Starr stated in the Turlock
Tribune:
Turlock Baseball Club is a municipal enterprise in that it is
supported by many of the leading merchants and individuals who are
interested in the national sport. This year an effort is being made to run the
team in an efficient and business-like manner. The books of the club are
open for inspection at any and all times.
Unfortunately, the Turlock nine didn’t play business-like
in its first outing, losing to Escalon 5 to 1 in Escalon. “The club out
hit its opponent seven to four with Fred Parks hurling a stellar game
but ill luck did overtake Turlock in the eighth,” reported the Tribune. In other league play on opening day, powerhouse Hughson
defeated Riverbank 8 to 6, in a contest that amassed 15 errors for
both competitors, along with 17 hits. The Tribune reported that “Ed
Whitmore Town” (Ceres) was defeated by Ripon 9 to 7 in a game of
“kickball” that had 12 errors. The Modesto Merchants, under the
management of Howard Bartlett, continued to play independent
baseball, having March contests with Stockton opponents. But
that was all the information featured in the local newspapers on the
Modesto Merchants. The team either disbanded or played terrible
baseball, not warranting coverage in the media.
On the second weekend, the Modesto Peppers defeated
Ripon 9 to 2; Riverbank slewed Ceres 3 to 0; Patterson drubbed
Hughson 6 to 2; and Escalon whipped Turlock 5 to 1. In the
Patterson and Hughson contest, there were a combined total of 19
strikeouts by pitchers of the two clubs. The Turlock nine wasn’t
faring so well, losing another contest on Sunday April 22nd, 12 to 10
to Riverbank. There were a combined 30 hits in the foray, with
Riverbank collecting nine errors in a dismal fielding effort. Turlock
brought in some new talent from a Redmen baseball club. After five
weekends of baseball, the county league had a six-way tie for first
place. On May 1st, Turlock defeated the Hughson Highlanders 9 to
4 in a seven-run eighth inning. Crow was on the hill for Hughson,
unable to halt the bloodletting. On Sunday May 13th, Patterson
Panthers clinched the first half-season with an 8 to 1 victory over
Riverbank.
In the first contest of the second half-season, Escalon
buried the Modesto Peppers with a torrent of 23 hits, winning spectacularly 24 to 1. Swim and Borden, pitching for the Peppers, faced
the fierce Escalon bats. In another game, with Trefts hurling
for Hughson and Robinson for Riverbank, the Highlanders
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took the match 4 to 2. Turlock was still having its difficulties, losing
to Patterson 17 to 7 in an awful contest of errors and walks by the
ragged Turlock boys. Dr. Starr turned in his resignation as Turlock
manager citing “internal troubles” as the reason. The next match
didn’t find the Turlockers any better, losing to Ripon 14 to 8, after
placing three pitchers on the mound. Finally, Turlock had something to dance about, downing the Riverbank Pirates 11 to 4.
Turlock’s Moose band could have been the difference, prompting
the Tribune to comment: “The enthusiasm and liveliness of the
game was increased by spirited music by the Moose Band.”
In June contests, Hughson defeated the Modesto Peppers 6 to 4, while the following weekend, Turlock crushed the Peppers 16 to 8. Patterson won again in a 12 to 2 bash against a fumbling Ceres contingent, having eight errors. Escalon defeated Ceres
6 to 0, taking the second half-season pennant, thereby being scheduled to play three championship games against the Patterson Panthers, the winner of the first half-season. Much of Escalon’s success was attributed to its pitcher Dalton, who in the first playoff
game against the Panthers conceded seven hits and seven runs
but was the victor 9 to 7. The game was played in Patterson before
a roaring crowd of spectators. The second game of the series was
held in Escalon, but this time Patterson was the winner, resulting in
a third and final contest.
Unfortunately the final match of the series, played on July
15th, was the case of “both pitchers faring badly in the fray and hits
were frequent,” according to the newspaper. Patterson Panthers
lambasted Escalon 26 to 8, thereby securing the 1923 Stanislaus
County League crown and claiming ownership of the Turner Hardware trophy. According to the Herald, “E.E. Lynch presented it
[trophy] to F.J. Johnson, manager of the Patterson team. The cup
will have the names of the men who comprised the Patterson team
inscribed on it.” The newspaper summed up the 1923 season with
the headlines: “County League Has Good Year,” citing “record
crowds in attendance at the final contests” and “none of the clubs
lost anything [money] during the season.” It too felt that the league
“has been very successful in the light of sportsmanship,” having
virtually no squabbles.
A new league came into existence in 1924 and would thrive
for a number of seasons. The Don Pedro League was formed in
March, which included teams from Ceres, Escalon, Hughson,
Turlock, Riverbank, and the Modesto Peppers. As in other previous county leagues, there would be two half-seasons, with a playoff series to decide the league champion. The 1923 county league
champion, Patterson Panthers, didn’t join the new league, while the
Modesto Merchants decided to play independently again. There
were some exhibition contests in March. Hughson was victorious
over Ceres 3 to 2, and the Escalon Giants won two matches against
Riverbank, 7 to1 and 10 to 8.
The Hughson Highlanders faced the Stockton Amblers,
losing to the visitors 5 to 2. In its league opener the subsequent
Sunday March 23rd, Hughson was downed again 9 to 6 by Escalon,
with Hughson’s Borba allowing nine hits. The Turlock Kings dominated the Peppers in its first league contest, a blowout, 11 to 1, with
Crow hurling for the winner, allowing five hits and fanning 12. The
Ceres Bees viciously stung the Riverbank Tigers 9 to 0 behind its
hurling ace, Rohde. The Tigers struck back however in its
second seasonal game, defeating the Escalon Giants in a close one
3 to 1. The Turlock Kings weren’t as successful in its second match
being deposed by the Hughson Highlanders in a 6 to 1 contest,
with errors tripping up the Turlock club.
In independent action, the Modesto Merchants faced a
Studebaker nine at Enslen Park, wrecking a club that featured exSan Francisco Seals’ center fielder Gene Valla, 4 to 0. County pitching star Connel was on the hill for the Merchants’ victory. He faced
Valla in the fifth inning, with the bases loaded, popping up the exSeal player to retire the side. The Herald commented: “Connell was
in excellent form. He struck out twelve.” In its April 13th outing, the
Modesto Merchants traveled to Stockton and engaged the Nave
Butchers in a bout, losing to the home team 4 to 2. Astonishingly,
there were 17 hits in the contest that took one hour and 35 minutes
to complete. In early April, the independent Modesto Merchants
took issue with what it considered cheap admission prices being
charged at the Don Pedro League fields when the Modesto club
came to play. Merchants’ management considered its performances
to be worth more to the spectators than league games. An irate Bill
O’Brien, Hughson’s manager, wrote a letter to the sports editor of
the Herald, challenging the Merchants to a game on its home diamond, with the winner taking the gate receipts.
At another ball park, the Ceres Bees swarmed the Turlock
Cantaloupe Kings 9 to 3 taking the lead in the Don Pedro League
pennant race. Turlock’s pitcher Crow was hammered for ten hits.
Even though Ceres had beaten Turlock handedly, the Tribune commented:
So far this season the Turlock players have given a creditable
exhibition of the national sport in their contests, winning a good percentage. The local players have been practicing diligently and expect to top the
league before the end of the season. Greater interest, also, seems to be
taken in the team this year.
The independent Modesto Merchants continued to be a
competitive ball club in May, and according to the Herald, “outclassing opponents in every department of the game.” It did just
that in its May 11th encounter with the Southern Pacific Company
team from San Francisco, derailing its foe 12 to 1 in a slugging affair,
with the Merchants rifling 18 hits off the railroad’s hurler. In its next
contest, Modesto was behind in the game, having to stage a comeback in its victory over Stockton Hardware and Implement 8 to 6.
“Bull” Moit pitched a steady game for the Merchants, fanning
seven, while allowing seven hits. On May 25th, in the pitching box
for the first contest of a Sunday doubleheader was Austin “Lefty”
Borden, who had spent two years in the San Francisco Seals’ farm
clubs. He struck out 15 Star Motor’s batters, while allowing nine
hits, defeating the Oakland team 5 to 2. In the second match of the
day, the Modesto Merchants narrowly defeated another Oakland
contingent, Calatone Water Company, 3 to 2, behind the pitching
arm of “Bull.”
In Don Pedro League action for May, Hughson bombarded
the anemic Modesto Peppers by a resounding score of 16 to 3.
Turlock was victorious just as ably in its encounter with Riverbank,
crushing its opponent 13 to 1. Ceres and Escalon battled evenly,
with Ceres finally winning 3 to 1, drawing this comment from the
Tribune: “Several Turlock boys played on the Ceres lineup.” Part
of the rationale for the disclosure was Turlock was one game
behind Ceres in the league’s standings: Ceres, 5-1; Escalon,
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4-2; Turlock, 4-2; Hughson, 3-3; Peppers Fruit Co., 1-5; and
Riverbank, 1-5.
Modesto-Turlock rivalry was stirred in May, ending with
a weak showing from the Modesto Peppers, losing the match to the
Cantaloupe Kings 10 to 3. Peppers’ second baseman contributed
four errors in the losing performance. The Ceres Bees, with or without Turlock talent, stung the Riverbank contingent hard in a 20 to 5
victory. Escalon downed the Hughson Highlanders 15 to 13 in a
game that saw the Highlanders accumulate ten errors. The next
weekend Hughson lost again in a close game 8 to 7 to its host
Turlock, with Highlanders’ shortstop Fenner committing four errors. Since the amateur clubs played once a week and probably
practiced very little, many times this accounted for the sluggishness of play and the multitude of fielding errors. The Highlanders
powered three home runs, but “the winning run for the home team
was made by Ray Leitzke, who took first on a hit, went to second on
a wild pitch, and scored on Borden’s hit to center,” according to the
newspaper. The Hughson club had a better showing against the
lowly Modesto Peppers, defeating the Modestans 10 to 4, with the
Peppers accruing seven errors.
In the June 15th match against Turlock Cantaloupe Kings,
the Modesto Peppers looked different, not just because it defeated
Turlock 10 to 5, but because there were new faces in its lineup.
When the dust settled, and the Peppers could be seen clearly, it
looked like the Modesto Merchants, and indeed it was! The Merchants became the Peppers to prove that Modesto could beat
Turlock. Surprisingly, there was no commentary in the newspapers
about the ordeal. Kings’ pitcher allowed 17 hits off Peppers’ (Merchants) bats, with Modesto being error free, while its pitcher Borden
struck out 14.
Still using Modesto Merchants’ players, on July 6th, the
Modesto Peppers faced the tough Hughson Highlanders. The Highlanders were three runs behind in the ninth, but resurged, scattering a number of hits, cooling off the red hot Peppers 9 to 8. Borden
pitched well for Modesto, but his relief, King, lost the match in the
ninth-inning rally. A week later, Borden dueled against Turlock’s
pitcher, Harold Crow, with Modesto’s lefty winning the contest 5 to
3. Peppers’ hitters battered Crow though with 12 hits. The Herald
felt Borden was “dishing ‘em up in big league style.” In mid-July,
the Hughson Highlanders was vying for the lead in the Don Pedro
League with its win over Escalon 5 to 3. Hughson’s Snyder allowed
eight hits but saved the contest with timely pitching. Right behind
Hughson in the standings was the revived Modesto Peppers, still
using Modesto Merchants’ talent.
But still the Modesto Merchants were playing contests
too, a program of double duty. In early August, it faced Tuolumne,
a West Side club, being defeated 5 to 1. Tuolumne had 13 hits
against Merchants’ pitchers, Hayworth and Peters, who had never
played for Modesto. It was at this time that Modesto formed an
industrial baseball league with these teams: Modesto Giants, Associated Oil, Modesto Redmen, White Sox, McDuffy & MacBride,
Native Sons, American Legion, and Modesto Firemen. Many of the
players for these teams were members of Don Pedro League clubs,
more double duty.
The Modesto Merchants faced the Hughson Highlanders
in a three-game series to determine the champion of the Don
Pedro League for 1924. The winner would be awarded Billy Silva’s
Studebaker Cup. Hughson won the first contest 12 to 8 in a slugfest
of 27 total hits, with 14 errors, in other words, a ragged and wild
one. Crow and Borden pitched for the losing Merchants, while
“veteran submarine hurler,” Al Walters, tossed for the Highlanders. The Modesto newspaper continued to make light of the
Hughson club clearly ridiculing its evidently poor talent: “The
Hughson lineup which resembled a high school nine when many of
the regular players did not show and manager Bill O’Brien was in a
bad way for players.” But, the newspaper did admit “the boys did
well and deserved to win. They were hustling all the time.”
The championship series went to the Hughson diamond
the next Sunday, October 12th, and again the Highlanders were
golden, just narrowly defeating the Modesto Merchants 7 to 6,
capturing the Don Pedro League trophy for 1924. Babe Asher hurled
for Hughson, allowing 14 hits, but outshining his pitching opponent, Connell, to take the victory in 11 innings. The Merchants
played an exhibition contest against the Stockton Elks in Stockton
on October 23rd. Pitching and playing first base for Modesto was
New York Yankees’ superstar, BABE RUTH. Modesto won 9 to 7,
with baseball’s most famous player belting three hits, while scoring
three times. He was on a West Coast tour promoting professional
baseball.
With the March winds in 1925 came discussions of local
baseball. Some towns had winter baseball leagues, while Modesto
had an industrial league. Modestans were again talking about their
town being a baseball hub, having a strong talent pool that served
as an incubator for baseball’s farm systems. Insurance man, L.T.
Moss, and cigar merchant, Jack Lesher, both felt that “Modesto
will support Saturday afternoon and Sunday baseball,” reported
the Herald. Billiard hall proprietor, Arthur Rinehart, remarked: “I
want it to go over, of course, and anything I can do to boost it I’ll
gladly do. If the fans will attend sufficiently to allow the bosses to
break even, I believe it will be a good thing and will be a successful
venture.” Al Davis, owner of Davis Park, a baseball facility, concurred but with the caveat: “provided they don’t try to play more
than twice a week.”
The discussion ended in Modesto and elsewhere with the
decision to form two leagues for the 1925 season. The Don Pedro
League would have contenders from Manteca, Patterson, La Grange,
Escalon, Hughson, and the Modesto Peppers, while the Central
Valley League would be composed of clubs from Fresno, Coalinga,
Stockton, Madera, Dinuba, and the Modesto Merchants. The
Modesto Merchants had the financial support of the Modesto
Merchants Association and the Modesto Chamber of Commerce,
according to the newspaper and wanted the “Modesto Merchants
as much as part of Modesto as were the old Reds that flourished
several years ago.” The Merchants were in fact the first ball club
out the chute for the 1925 baseball season, engaged in some independent exhibition contests in late March and April.
Fred Connell was back on the mound for the Modesto
Merchants, defeating the champs of Stockton’s winter league,
Monroe Butchers 15 to 8 at Davis Park. The Don Pedro League
opened on Sunday April 12th, with Manteca nosing past the previous season champs Hughson Highlanders in a 4 to 3 win. The
Highlanders hadn’t resolved its fumbling habits, accruing six
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errors in the contest, costing another victory. Cringing Modestans
saw its Modesto Peppers lose its first match against Patterson in a
contest that featured Swim on the hill for Modesto against
Patterson’s hurler, W. Bradley. The opening contest in the Sierra
foothills pitted the La Grange Gold Diggers against the Escalon
Giants, with the latter club taking home the gold by an 8 to 1 score.
By the end of the second week, Manteca and Patterson were on top
of the Don Pedro League.
In its first Central Valley League contest, the Modesto
Merchants waxed its Madera contender 8 to 3, hammering the opposing pitcher with 15 hits. Connell hurled for Modesto “in a rapid
fire game [lasting] one hour and 20 minutes,” according to the
Herald. The next Sunday, May 3rd, the story was different for the
Merchants, losing in Stockton in very close contest 3 to 2. Next on
tap for the Merchants was the Fresno Giants. Fresno’s pitcher, who
was described as “an elongated specimen of manhood that pitches
without apparent effort,” blanked Modesto 3 to 0, while Merchants’
Connell had a good outing. In his last game of the month, Connell
was brilliant against the Merced Bears, the Merchants taking that
bout 3 to 0, holding his opponent to four hits.
La Grange broke even in its next two games, winning the
first contest against Hughson 5 to 4, while losing its next bout
against the powerful Patterson Panthers in a resounding 11 to 4
loss. Patterson was again solid in its next Sunday’s contest against
the Modesto Peppers, winning that battle 8 to 6, behind the splendid pitching of newly acquired hurler Rooney. The Don Pedro
League standings were: Manteca 6-0; Escalon 4-2; Patterson 4-2;
La Grange 3-3; Modesto 1-5; and Hughson 0-6. Once again the San
Joaquin County clubs were dominating.
Surprisingly, Turlock was not involved in regional baseball in 1925, and a Keyes team, playing independent baseball, didn’t
have any former Turlock players in its roster. The Modesto Merchants faced the Merced Bears, winning 4 to 0. Connell pitched for
the Merchants, giving up only four hits in the shutout. The Modesto
Peppers made Modestans rejoice even more, with its win the same
weekend over La Grange 4 to 3. Peppers’ second baseman slapped
a single in the tenth inning, driving home the winning run. Patterson
overwhelmed Hughson, defeating the Highlanders 9 to 1, even
though Hughson’s hurler Cliff Richards fanned ten batters, allowing only five hits in the first eight innings. The ninth inning was a
disaster, which cost him the game. The Highlanders played the La
Grange Gold Diggers, being victorious in that bout 12 to 4. It was
Hughson’s first win of the season.
In early June, the Modesto Peppers played the dominating Escalon Giants, losing to the San Joaquin County club by a
humiliating 7 to 0, placing Patterson, Manteca, and Escalon in a
three-way tie for first place in the Don Pedro League. The next
weekend the cold Peppers got in the way of the Manteca Maulers,
being squashed in that one-sided contest, 6 to 0. The first halfseason ended with these standings: Patterson, 8-2; Manteca, 8-2;
Escalon, 7-3; La Grange, 3-7; Modesto, 3-7; and Hughson, 2-8.
Unfortunately, the La Grange Gold Diggers found it impossible to
stay in the league, being replaced by a San Joaquin County club,
the Stockton Amblers. It took no time for the Amblers to make its
presence known, tromping the Modesto Peppers on June 28th, 11 to
1, drawing this helpless comment from the Modesto News-
Herald: “[the Amblers] never gave the Peppers a chance.”
Tough times were upon the Modesto Merchants too, losing to the Dinuba Sunmaids in Central Valley League play, 6 to 2,
Connell allowing ten hits, while fanning only two. In its next contest, Modesto was blanked by Fresno 3 to 0, but in its June game
against the always interesting Merced Bears, it either won by one
run, 8 to 7, or tied the hometown Bears. As usual, there was controversy concerning a Merced Bears’ game, but this one was fierce.
Merced’s pitcher Rube Gardner didn’t like a call made by umpire
Perfetto in the ninth inning. In protest, he threw the baseball into
center field, allowing a Modesto runner to score, giving the Merchants the lead, 8 to 7. Bears’ players and spectators were upset
over the umpire’s call, physically charging him, with Modesto players surrounding the umpire to protect him. According to the NewsHerald, Perfetto conceded, saying: “guess he would call the thing
a tie.” It was a very windy day, with dust blowing on players and
spectators alike, irritating everyone, which may have partly caused
the furor.
In the Modesto Merchants’ match against the Stockton
Butchers, Merchants’ manager Louis Del Barba harangued the
umpire about his calls throughout the contest. His behavior brought
this comment from the News-Herald: “Because of the persistent
haggling and crabbing of Louie Del Barba, Modesto almost lost the
respect of the citizenry at one stage of the game. Legitimate argument is permissible but petty bickering has no place in a ball game.”
It is possible that Del Barba was on the hot seat for losing so many
games. Merchants’ pitcher Connell had a poor 2nd inning, eventually allowing 14 hits in the contest, losing 7 to 1 to Stockton. On
Sunday June 28th, Madera beat the Merchants 6 to 4. There were
only two other Modesto Merchants’ games recorded in the newspaper for the season, one in mid-July, in which Modesto defeated
the Chris Nelson Paint Company 5 to 1. In a late September match,
the Merchants lost to Fresno 3 to 0. On September 29th, the final
standings for the Central Valley League were: Fresno, 8-2; Coalinga,
8-2; Stockton, 6-4; Modesto, 3-7; Madera, 3-7; and Dinuba, 2-8.
Coverage of the Don Pedro League by the local newspaper was minimal. In late June, Manteca defeated the Hughson Highlanders 4 to 3. In its next contest, the Highlanders fell heavier in an
11 to 0 loss by the Patterson Panthers. But Hughson bounced back
facing a strong opponent, Escalon Giants, defeating that club 10 to
9 in what was billed as a “slugfest.” There were a total of 39 hits.
Oddly enough, there were only two errors in the entire game. The
final Peppers’ game to be reported in the Modesto newspaper was
its July 12th loss to the Manteca Maulers, 4 to 2. The News-Herald
reported one other game for the Don Pedro League, in which the
Patterson Panthers, on August 30th, were victorious in the league’s
championship series, 12 to 9, over the Manteca Maulers.
After a five-year hiatus, the Modesto Reds organized for
the 1926 season. A number of its players would come from the 1925
Modesto Merchants. Grant “Nekomis” Meyer, the Reds’ manager
for the season, commented: “If the Reds are to be a popular nine
this season they must win ball games against strong opponents,
and it will be a job to produce that winner or take a back seat.” A
number of preseason contests were scheduled to determine which
players would make the 1926 lineup. The Reds decided to join the
Central California League along with Angels Camp, Stockton
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Merchants, Sonora Lions, Stockton Amblers, and the Lodi Tokays.
In its first exhibition contest on Sunday March 14th, the
Reds defeated the Oakland All-Stars 5 to 2, and the following Sunday, again playing the All-Stars, Modesto narrowly escaped with a
1 to 0 victory, with Connell singling to score first baseman, Oscar
Dessassois, to win the match. It was played at Davis Park, with
Modesto using three pitchers in the game: Connell, King, and
Walters. In the Reds’ last preseason game, Dessassois once again
scored the winning run, this time in the 10th inning off teammate
Hossli’s bat, defeating Oakland’s Royal Colored Giants, an AfricanAmerican team, 2 to 1.
The Reds won its first two games in league play, beating
the Stockton Merchants in its first contest, 5 to 2 at Stockton’s Oak
Park. Walters began the game for Modesto, being relieved in the
fourth inning by Connell, who pitched brilliantly, shutting down
the opposition. In its May 2nd contest, the Reds again had to stage
a comeback, this time in the ninth inning off the bats of Dessassois
and Connell, being victorious 4 to 3 in Modesto. Reds’ center fielder
Steven Hossli hammered a triple and two doubles in his outing,
while Al Walters allowed no runs through four innings of pitching.
Reds’ pitchers weren’t as dominate the next weekend in which
Walters and Connell gave up 15 Sonora hits, but Modesto still
retained the lead, winning 9 to 7. This made eight straight wins for
the Modesto Reds, including preseason play, with the Reds once
again being the talk of the town. On May 9th, the Central California
League standings were: Modesto Reds, 4-0; Stockton Amblers, 31; Angels Miners, 2-2; Stockton Merchants, 2-2; Sonora Lions, 1-3;
and Lodi Tokays, 0-4.
The Angels Miners ball club from Angels Camp was in
Modesto May 16th, losing to the surging Reds at Davis Park 5 to 2.
Modesto had ten hits, while Connell held the visitors to five hits
and two runs. Against the Stockton Merchants, Connell again allowed five hits and two runs, but in a losing affair, Stockton 2 and
Modesto 0. Reds’ bats were silent against the Merchants, with just
three hits, while being struck out 17 times, in a fast game of one
hour and 38 minutes. Even so, Modesto claimed the pennant for
the first half-season of the Central California League.
On June 27th, the Reds faced the Stockton Yamato, a Japanese-American baseball club, in an exhibition match, with Connell
hurling a perfect game through eight innings, being victorious 2 to
0. The News-Herald described it as “one of the most interesting
games seen on the local lot this year, the Japanese boys being up
on their toes at all times. Their pint size hurler, Nushida, allowed the
Reds but five hits.” It was a quick game lasting one hour and 25
minutes. These specialized ball clubs like Yamato and the Oakland’s
Royal Colored Giants always attracted large crowds, not just out of
curiosity, but because the ethnic teams normally played high-caliber baseball, providing very entertaining contests for the spectators.
On July 18th, the Reds defeated the Sonora Lions in a tight
one, 6 to 5, in 11 innings at Davis Park to begin the second halfseason. This was Modesto’s third win over its Sonoran foe, with
Connell pitching a steady game, holding his opponent to two hits.
The other mountain team though suppressed a Reds’ ninth-inning
attack to win its contest, Angels Miners 4 and Modesto Reds 2.
The Angels Camp club brought in Johnnie Gillespie, an ex-
Seattle Pilot pitcher of the Pacific Coast League, who fanned 11
Reds’ batters. As of July 18th, the second half-season standings of
the Central California League were: Stockton Merchants, 3-2; Lodi
Tokays, 3-2; Angels Miners, 3-2; Modesto Red, 2-3; Stockton
Amblers, 2-3; and Sonora Lions, 2-3.
The Angels Miners took the second half-season pennant,
and now it would play the Modesto Reds, winners of the first halfseason, for the league championship. On Sunday September 26th at
Davis Park, a large crowd gathered to see its Reds in action, with
Johnnie Gillespie on the mound for the visiting Angels. Modesto
won the match 6 to 0, with the News-Herald proclaiming the exPacific Coast League pitcher Gillespie was “as wild as a March
hare.” Dogs Ferrill pitched for the Reds, allowing only three hits. In
the next game, Ferrill hurled another beauty, trouncing the Angels
Miners 6 to 3 to win the 1926 championship of the Central California
League. The Modesto newspaper in jubilation ranted: “The Reds
outplayed, outhit, outpitched and outran the Miners from the moment the game started.” The News-Herald raved about Reds’ manager Meyers’ preseason proclamation that he would deliver a championship, confirming every Modestan’s belief that Modesto was
the hub of regional baseball. The Reds had post-seasonal plans,
having scheduled contests with the Fresno Japanese, Stockton
Yamato, the Oakland Royal Colored Giants, and possibly Coalinga,
the winners of the San Joaquin Valley League championship. None
of these competitions were ever reported in the Modesto newspaper.
During the 1926 season, the News-Herald had incomplete
coverage of two local leagues: Don Pedro League and the Stanislaus
County League. The Don Pedro League had different clubs for the
new season: Oakdale Owls, Atwater, Gustine Knights, Escalon
Merchants, Los Banos Dairy Maids, and Stockton Amblers. S.J.
Catterson served as league president, where there was a $100 deposit by each club “to insure active observance of league rules and
regulations,” according to the newspaper. In Don Pedro League’s
first contests on Sunday April 18th, the Oakdale Owls defeated the
Escalon Merchants 9 to 5, while Los Banos trounced the Gustine
Knights, 11 to 3. After three weekends, the league’s standings were:
Oakdale, 3-0; Gustine, 2-1; Atwater 2-1; Escalon, 1-2; Los Banos, 12; and Stockton Amblers, 0-3.
Modesto formed a city industrial league that would have two halfseasons, with the following clubs: Dodge Bros., P.G. & E., Colored
Cubs, Firemen, Kiwanis, J.H.N., American Legion, and the Redmen.
P.G. & E. was the winner of the 1925 season. Modesto Redmen and
Colored Cubs (African-Americans) played also in the Stanislaus
County League. Other teams in the county league were: Keyes,
Ceres, Salida, and Riverbank Hart. In Stanislaus County League’s
first weekend of play, Ceres and Riverbank Hart battled in a pitcher’s
duel, with Hart victorious 3 to 1. In the next weekend, Keyes dominated Hart 7 to 3, behind its hurler Russell. On May 2nd, Keyes
remained on top, beating Ceres 13 to 7, behind hitters Peck and
Worrell. The first half-season ended on May 30th, with Keyes and
La Grange tied for first place in the Stanislaus County League.
On Sunday, July 4th, Ceres faced the Colored Cubs, losing
3 to 2, in a pitcher’s duel in which there were 17 strikeouts. At this
point Stanislaus County League’s second half-season’s
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standings were: Keyes, 3-0; Ceres, 4-1; Colored Cubs, 3-2;
Waterford, 3-2; La Grange, 2-2; Hart, 2-2; and Salida, 0-5. In its next
outing, Keyes crushed the Colored Cubs 30 to 3, halting the massacre in the sixth inning. The News-Herald described the rout as a
“ring around a rosy,” and that abruptly ended the newspaper’s
reports of the Stanislaus County League for the season.
Returning to the Don Pedro League on May 16th, Gustine,
Los Banos, and Stockton Amblers were winners, with Oakdale Owls
suffering its first defeat of the season. On June 16th, the league
standings were: Gustine 6-3; Escalon 6-3; Los Banos 5-4; Oakdale
4-5; Atwater 4-5; and Stockton Amblers 2-7. After winning four
straight contests, Escalon won the first half-season. It also took
the second half-season, with a record of 9-1. Since it had won both
half-seasons, Escalon was declared the outright champion of the
1926 Don Pedro League.
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1929
The Modesto Reds had a long 1927 season, playing from
February through October in league contests, while facing independent clubs as well. Its season began on February 6th in a practice game with its sister team, the Modesto Merchants, pitting pitchers Ralph “Lefty” King and Fred Connell against each other. Reds’
president Al Davis notified the Modesto News-Herald that he had
signed some good talent for the season. On the last Sunday of
February, the Reds tangled with Stockton’s Monroe Butchers, a
winter league team, Modesto winning the match 1 to 0. There were
only six hits in the contest at Davis Park, with Connell fanning
eight. The San Francisco Mission Bells of the Pacific Coast League
came to Modesto for an exhibition bout, losing to the Reds 2 to 0, in
which Reds’ hurlers, Connell and King, had solid outings for
Modesto. The News-Herald proclaimed that Davis Park had “the
largest crowd that has attended a baseball game in Modesto for ten
years!” Reds’ management was happy, having “quite a reserve
fund in the treasury from the exhibition games, which will be used
to pay the team’s expenses in the central league.”
On Sunday March 13th, the Reds faced the Idaho-Utah
Stars, winning another close contest 2 to 1, with Modesto tagging
11 hits in this outing. The following Sunday, the Oakland Colored
Giants slipped by the Reds 7 to 6. Again Modesto’s bats were
humming, clubbing ten hits in the Colored Giants’ game, but its
field play was weak, accumulating four errors in the loss. Two weeks
later, the score ended differently between the Reds and the Colored
Giants, 1 to 0, with Modesto victorious in a pitching contest. Connell
held the Oakland visitors to three hits, while striking out 16. In
another exhibition bout, Sacramento’s Yannigans (Irish-Americans)
reached Connell for 12 hits, defeating the Reds 8 to 5, while
Modesto’s shortstop Richards accrued three errors. After facing
the Irish and African-Americans, the Reds next battled “the
bewhiskered club,” as the New-Herald phrased it, the House of
David, a Jewish baseball team, defeating it 4 to 1 at Davis Field on
April 17th, a morning game. In afternoon action, Reds’ players were
fatigued, losing a 7 to 4 contest to San Francisco’s Jefferson Club,
accumulating six errors in its loss. Connell pitched against the House
of David, allowing five hits, while his teammates, Parks and King,
hurled the afternoon game, giving up a combined nine hits.
The 1927 season for the Central California League
began on April 22nd. League teams were from Sonora, Angels Camp,
Stockton, Tracy, and the Modesto Reds. After five weeks of baseball, the standings were: Modesto Reds, 5-0; Sonora, 4-1; Angels,
3-3; Stockton, 2-3; and Tracy, 1-5. Two weeks later, the undefeated
Modesto Reds clinched the first half-season, with a victory over
Stockton 8 to 5 behind the arm of pitcher Lefty King. It was becoming an outstanding season for the Reds. In exhibition play, it
squeaked by Piggly Wiggly in the 13th inning, winning 2 to 1. In San
Bruno, Reds’ manager, Billie Westmoreland, was given the keys to
the city at a civic luncheon, and then the Reds played San Bruno,
defeating its benevolent host 3 to 1. The Oakland Colored Cubs
visited Modesto on August 28th for a contest, with the Reds winning this one 6 to 4 at Davis Park. Modesto put Tillie Farwell on the
mound, who allowed six hits, while striking out nine. Again, the
Reds beat San Bruno 9 to 1 on September 18th, and on October 2nd,
Modesto defeated San Francisco’s Jefferson Club 7 to 2 again at
Davis Field.
While this independent action was occurring, the Reds
also had central league opponents to play. At the end of the season, Modesto and the Gustine Athletics squared off in a championship series, with contests being held on October 9th and 16th. The
first contest was a near riot at Davis Park, when base umpire Frank
Mendosa called a Gustine runner safe at second base. In the argument, a Modesto player struck Mendosa over the right eye, causing sheriff deputies, C.A. Peterson and Jack Hammett, to step in
and end the brouhaha. The Reds won the wild outing 4 to 0 behind
the pitching of spitball ace Al Walters. Again at Davis Park, Modesto
was victorious over the Athletics 4 to 1, ending its 1927 season as
champions of the Central California League.
For 1927, there was plenty of baseball activity in the county
besides the Modesto Reds. Turlock and Modesto had industrial
leagues, while there were two other amateur leagues formed. The
1927 Don Pedro League organized with teams from Manteca,
Escalon, Gustine, Hughson, Oakdale, and the Modesto Merchants.
Al Davis, the manager of the Modesto Merchants, scheduled a
number of exhibition games. On February 27th, the Modesto Merchants defeated the Oakdale Merchants 8 to 5, bashing 14 hits in
the victory. Again on March 20th, Modesto dominated the Gustine
Knights 9 to 2, behind the arm of Al Snyder, at the Gustine field. On
Sunday April 3rd, the Merchants blasted Hughson for 19 hits and 19
runs, winning savagely 19 to 3. In the eighth inning alone, eight
runs crossed the plate for Modesto. Hughson had six errors, four
of which came from its shortstop Woodard, but the team amassed
ten hits in the contest.
Opening day for the Don Pedro League was Sunday April
22nd, with the Manteca Maulers facing the Modesto Merchants at
Davis Park. Stanislaus County Sheriff Grat Hogan tossed the first
ball of the season in a pre-game ceremony. Modesto lost the contest, and the Merchants lost again in its second game, 5 to 1, to the
Oakdale Owls. Snyder was on the hill for the Merchants against the
Owls, giving up 11 hits, but in his next outing, he threw a winner, 9
to 2, over the Gustine Athletics. The Hughson Highlanders faced
the Escalon Giants, with Hughson victorious 5 to 3. With an impressive win over Modesto Merchants, 12 to 1, on July 10th, Manteca
claimed the first half-season pennant with a 9 to 1 record, followed
by Escalon, 6-4; Modesto, 4-6; Gustine, 4-6; Hughson, 4-6;
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and Oakdale, 3-7.
Manteca and Gustine would be chief contenders for the
second half-season pennant. Gustine defeated Modesto Merchants
9 to1, on one Sunday, while the Manteca Maulers smothered the
Merchants, 14 to 0, in another weekend contest. On September 18th,
Gustine won the second half-season with a record of 9-1, followed
by Manteca, 7-3; Modesto, 4-6; Escalon, 4-6; Oakdale, 4-6; and
Hughson, 2-8. The Gustine Athletics and Manteca Maulers met to
determine the league champion. Gustine took both contests, the
first one, 5 to 2, and the final one, with a game winning home run.
The 1927 champions’ spitball pitcher Al Walters was responsible
for ten straight club victories.
In other county contention for 1927, the Stanislaus County
League was organized. On Sunday July 10th, Waterford won the
first half-season crown, with the league standings beimg: Waterford,
7-3; Borden-Fageol, 6-4; San Joaquin Bakers, 5-5; Milk Producers
Assn., 5-5; Butchers, 5-5; and Colored Cubs, 2-8. News-Herald
carried little news about the county league for the second halfseason, but evidently, the Milk Producers won the pennant, facing
Waterford in the playoffs for the season’s title. The first contest
was all Waterford, defeating its opponent, 13 to 2, but Modesto’s
Milk Producers were resilient, capturing the second bout, and also
the final one, 11 to 5, thereby becoming the champions of the 1927
Stanislaus County League.
The 1928 season had an early start, finding the Modesto
Reds in exhibition competition in February, before joining the California State League. The Reds had been the champs of the 1927
Central California League, giving rise to high expectations for the
new season. On February 26th, the Reds faced the Oakland Colored
Giants, winning the game in a one-hit shutout 13 to 0, behind the
pitching of Ted Shirley and Frank Enos. The San Francisco Mission Bells of the Pacific Coast League was at Davis Park the next
week, defeating the hometown Reds 7 to 5. Shirley allowed two
runs in five innings, being replaced by Enos, who surrendered five
runs, losing the contest. On March 17th, Modesto engaged another
Pacific Coast League club, Sacramento Senators, with the Reds
losing dismally 8 to 1 at Davis Park. Shirley allowed the Senators
nine hits, while there were four costly Modesto errors in the ugly
outing. The Reds lost another at Davis Park to the Fruitvale Merchants 2 to 0. It was a frightful exhibition season for the Modesto
Reds, causing great concern among its supporters.
In its fourth week of action, the California State League
standings were: Vallejo, 4-0; S.F. Stock Exchange, 3-1; Piggly Wiggly, 3-1; Napa, 2-2; San Mateo, 2-2; San Jose, 1-3; Stockton, 1-3;
and Modesto, 0-4. It looked as though Modesto was outclassed,
but then the Reds won two straight. It wiggled its way out of the
cellar by defeating Stockton 1 to 0. The News-Herald commented:
“[The Reds] threw off the blanket of defeat, and enrobed themselves in the splendor of victory.” San Francisco’s Stock Exchange
claimed the first half-season pennant. The Reds played just as
poorly in the second half-season. A disappointed Al Davis, who
owned Davis Park, decided to catch for the Reds in a contest against
Stockton’s Sincerity Club. Reds’ hurler Dennison struck out 13
hitters, while giving up 12 hits, losing 7 to 4. Davis’ performance as
catcher was lacking as reported by the newspaper: “[With]
bases being stolen right and left until he finally became dis-
gusted with himself, which was augmented somewhat by having a
baseball come through his mask and tear the skin off his nose. Al
then gave it up as a bad job.” Reds’ baseball had become so bad
that the News-Herald decided not to cover its games any further. It
did note on August 21st that San Francisco’s Stock Exchange had
defeated San Mateo for the league championship, 11 to 9, in the
fourth game of the series.
In the 1928 season the Don Pedro League once again was
active, consisting of teams from Gustine, Manteca, Modesto, Tracy,
Escalon, and Turlock. League management under President
Moorehead met at the Tracy Inn to formulate the season’s rules.
The Gustine Athletics had been the 1927 league champions and
was expected to repeat its performance. Turlock Tribune noted:
“The Don Pedro league was organized in 1919 and is the oldest
amateur league in the United States.” Turlock was eager to join the
league, after years of idleness, but financing was questionable
Modesto began its amateur baseball season on February
12th, with an exhibition contest, featuring the Yannigans and the
Redmen. There were a few familiar faces on the diamond. Fred
Connell and Harold Crow pitched for the Redmen, while Frank
“Speed” Enos and Art Benham were on the hill for the Yannigans.
The Yannigans won 6-2, because it had better talent, with many
players being semi-pro. A month later, the Modesto Merchants
joined the 1928 Don Pedro League, facing first the Merced Bears in
an exhibition game, defeating its southern foe 10 to 4, behind the
arm of Connell. The Merchants played its northern foe, Stockton’s
Sincerity Club, in a preseason contest, shutting the door in the
ninth inning when catcher Kuhn tagged out a Stockton runner at
the plate, ending in a 6 to 5 victory. The Turlock Owls held some
preseason workouts to establish its lineup. In its March 30th contest at Turlock Legion athletic field, the Owls played the Oakland
Tire Company, beating them handedly 8 to 0.
The Don Pedro League 1928 season opened on Sunday
April 8th, finding the Modesto Merchants in a struggle with the
Escalon Giants that had a giant on the hill, six-feet-four right hander
Bob Burns. Connell hurled for the hometown Merchants conceding nine hits, losing the game to Burns 4 to 0. The meeting between
the Turlock Owls and Gustine Athletics was a slugfest of 28 hits,
with the hometown Owls losing 12 to 9 to its Merced County neighbor. Gustine took the first half-season flag with a nine and one
record, followed by Manteca, 6-4; Turlock, 5-5; Modesto, 4-6; Tracy,
3-7; and Escalon, 3-7.
Still a 5-5 record was not bad for the Turlock Owls. After losing its
first three contests, it rallied back to a five and five record, and
rumors were rife, according to the Turlock Tribune, that the club
was recruiting new talent, especially Porter Critser, for the second
half-season. In its opening battle, the Owls faced Gustine, whipping the champs in ten innings 9 to 8, and a month later, on August
12th, Turlock again took the West Side club to the mat in a 13 to 7
victory. The Modesto Merchants didn’t have a promising showing
the second half-season. It was defeated 3 to 0 by the Escalon Giants and 6 to 5 by the Manteca Maulers, finding itself in the league’s
cellar. The Merchants recruited other players, trying to put an end
to its losing streak, but it recruited too many, violating league rules.
The Turlock Owls faced the Escalon Giants on Au-
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gust 26th, defeating the San Joaquin County club, 11 to 10. Turlock
obtained Al Adams to pitch, having some Texas League experience,
allowing the Owls to windup in second place in league standings
for the second half-season. The Don Pedro League standings were:
Manteca, 8-2; Turlock, 6-4; Escalon, 5-5; Gustine, 4-6; Tracy, 4-6;
and Modesto, 3-7. It was the Manteca Maulers against the Gustine
Athletes for the 1928 Don Pedro League title. The two teams met in
the 1927 championship series, with the Athletes winning it. The
first game was played on September 9th, finding Manteca rallying in
the ninth inning, being victorious 6 to 5 over Gustine. The Athletics
defeated the Maulers in the second contest, tying the series with
one game each. The third bout was held at Oak Park in Stockton,
with Gustine the winner, 5 to 3, becoming the 1928 champion of the
Don Pedro League.
The new Sierra League replaced the county baseball league
for 1928 and remained active for several years. In its first season, it
had six amateur clubs from Livingston, Newman, Patterson,
Waterford, La Grange, and Modesto. League contests officially
began on Sunday April 8th, with Livingston, Newman, and Waterford
having victories. The Newman Foresters defeated Modesto’s Milk
Producers 8 to 7, which would be the only loss for the Milk Producers in the first half-season, winning its next nine contests consecutively and claiming the pennant. The Sierra League standings for
the first half-season were: Milk Producers, 9-1; Livingston, 7-3;
Newman, 5-5; Waterford, 4-6; Patterson, 4-6; and La Grange, 2-8.
The success of the Modesto’s Milk Producers was attributed to its
pitching, in particular young Frank Enos, who in his Waterford
outing in August hurled a two-hit shutout, winning 7 to 0, contributing with the bat as well, belting two hits. Against the Livingston
Peppers, Enos fanned eight, with the News-Herald calling it “the
prettiest pitching seen in these parts for many a day.” In this game,
Enos shared the mound with teammate Hefty Mungos. On August
28th, the Sierra League standings were: Milk Producers, 8-1;
Hughson, 7-2; Waterford, 6-3; Livingston, 4-5; Newman, 3-6; and
Patterson, 0-9. The Milk Producers lost its next two contests, while
the Hughson Highlanders were winners, defeating Modesto 13 to
4, taking the second half-season pennant. In September, Hughson
played Modesto for the 1928 Sierra League championship, which
was not reported in the local newspaper, thus, the outcome is unknown.
In 1928, Modesto was the home of the Colored Cubs, having a successful season behind the arm of its star pitcher Jackson.
On Sunday April 1st, the Cubs beat the Panther All Stars 4 to 2, but
in its next outing, the Cubs were clobbered by a resounding 17 to 1.
The club though went on to win over 18 games for the season. This
was an age when American blacks had few rights and most reporting in the newspapers was typically biased, stereotyping the race,
being laced with derogatory language.
Having been outclassed in 1928, Modesto Reds fans
hoped the club would return to its winning ways for 1929. Joining
Modesto in the California State League were: San Mateo, Stockton,
San Jose, Napa, Vallejo, Boss of the Road, and Calpullets (San
Francisco’s California Poultry). The schedule meant much traveling and playing competitors the Reds hadn’t seen before. In a
preseason opener, the Reds faced Lodi Victor Tops and its pitcher
Ted Shirley, who hurled a terrific game, allowing the Reds
only two hits and one run. The one run was enough though, Modesto
winning, 1 to 0. Reds’ Ginger Dennison was brilliant on the hill,
shutting down the opposition. The Oakland Colored Giants were
on hand at Davis Park, late February, in an exciting contest, ending
with the Reds on top 6 to 5. Dennison pitched the first four innings,
being relieved by Lefty Schlocker, who pitched the next seven innings in the 11-inning contest. There was a controversial call at
second base, causing the Giants to nearly withdraw from the game.
Giants’ runner was called out at second base after he was nudged
off the base by Reds’ second baseman. Modesto was leading 5 to
4 at the time. The call was changed, and the game continued, with
the Giants’ runner scoring to tie the contest. It was slugfest, with a
total 24 hits in the match. In its last preseason match in March, the
Reds powered 11 hits and nine runs to be victorious over the Globe
from the Arizona State League, 9 to 8. The Arizona visitors rapped
the Reds’ pitchers, Felker, Dennison, and Thorp for 12 hits but fell
one run shy.
On opening day, April 7th, for the California State League,
the Reds faced its first Bay Area foe, Vallejo Grays, at Davis Park,
defeating the visitors 9 to 6. Modesto’s mayor Sol P. Elias swung
the first bat in the opening ceremonies to officially begin the Reds’
season. In its May 4th contest at Davis Park, Reds’ pitcher Michaels
hurled a three-hit shutout against the Calpullets, winning narrowly
1 to 0 when Reds’ third baseman Rathjen, scored from left fielder
Cantrell’s single. Newspaper coverage of the Reds for June was
dismal, perhaps reflecting Modesto’s lackluster performance. Its
poor showing caused manager Grant Meyer to pull all of the players, replacing them with fresh talent as noted in the New-Herald:
“[The Reds formed] a new team composed almost entirely of youngsters.” The plan was successful, with the Reds victorious over the
Stockton Barons 5 to 2. Pitcher Shea was riddled with 12 Stockton
hits, but Reds’ defensive support was solid to win the contest. The
Reds battled the Calpullets on August 11th, at Davis Park, losing 4
to 1, but the newspaper was philosophical about the stumbling
hometown club: “It was a ball game and a good one too even if
there weren’t many out to enjoy it. Those who attended got their
money’s worth.” Two weeks later, the news wasn’t as sympathetic,
when the Reds lost to the visiting San Jose Bees, 19 to 0, in what
was termed as an “Unmerciful Drubbing,” by News-Herald headlines. Reds’ chucker Green was stung for 18 hits.
The standings of the second half-season for the California State League showed clearly that the Reds’ season was miserable: San Mateo, 8-1; Stockton, 8-2; San Jose, 7-2; Napa, 5-5;
Calpullets, 4-5; Vallejo, 4-5; Boss of Road, 2-7; and Modesto, 1-9.
The San Jose Bees won the second half-season, facing Santa Mateo
in the playoffs, with the Bees winning the league championship for
1929. The Reds faced the Fresno Acorns in two exhibition matches
in September, losing both, even though the Modesto club placed
its old ace hurler on the mound, Dogs Farrell, who was lambasted
for 15 hits in the second bout.
Everyone wanted to see if the Gustine Athletics could win
a third Don Pedro League title in 1929. The league met in February
at Hotel Modesto, deciding to add two new baseball teams to the
roster: Lodi Victor Tops and Hughson Highlanders. Modesto’s Milk
Producers would replace the Modesto Merchants as the city’s representative. Charles Moorhead of Escalon was once again
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elected as league president. It was decided to have a 21-game schedule, with the first half-season having 14 games, while the second
half-season, seven. In preseason play, the two league additions
faced each other, with Lodi being victorious on the Hughson Highlanders’ home diamond, 13 to 7. Ted Shirley pitched for the visitors,
with his counterpart being Al Walters for the Hughson club. It was
a ragtag beginning, having a total of 21 hits, with 11 errors combined for the two teams.
In March, the Hughson Highlanders faced two Stockton
contingents, being victorious over both by the same score, 7 to 3.
Heading into the new season, in an exhibition blowout and a fine
outing for Ted Shirley, the Milk Producers were victorious in a nohit shutout against Sonora, 11 to 0. Shirley threw impeccable ball,
fanning 12 opponents. Modesto’s Frank Enos was sensational with
the bat, clubbing one off the fence in the first inning and then in the
sixth, powered a triple with bases loaded.
On Sunday March 31st, the Don Pedro League kicked off
its season with Tracy, Gustine, and Escalon as winners. Turlock
Owls hosted the Tracy Tigers, losing to the San Joaquin County
visitors, 13 to 8. The two teams combined for 26 hits. The Owls had
a nearly winless April, beginning with a 15 to 2 wallop by powerhouse Gustine, whereby Turlock hurler Green allowed 21 hits, while
his field support amassed eight errors. It was a devastating loss,
with the Owls looking for a new pitcher, hoping that former twirler
Al Adams would return. In Turlock’s bout with the Escalon Merchants, opportunities were better, the Owls still losing that contest
3 to 1. On the final Sunday of the month, the determined Turlock
team earned its first Don Pedro League victory 5 to 2, being victorious over the Manteca Maulers.
The storming Hughson Highlanders handed the Milk Producers a 6 to 4 loss, with Al Walters on the mound for the victors,
dueling against ex-Reds’ pitcher Ginger Dennison. The contest was
nearly even except for five Modesto errors on the Hughson field. In
a late April contest at Davis Park, Milk Producers’ manager Cliff
Shobe used a new pitcher, Ray Moyle, who had an admiral outing,
defeating the Lodi Victor Tops 5 to 2. It was Modesto’s first victory
in league competition, prompting the News-Herald to comment:
“Playing brainy baseball on the defense and hitting the ball on the
offense, the Modesto Milk Producers crashed into the win column.” In mid-May, county rivals Modesto and Turlock tangled,
with the Owls winning a 4 to 1 contest at Turlock’s Legion Field.
Both clubs were playing cellar baseball as seen by the Don Pedro
League standings: Hughson, 6-1; Escalon, 5-2; Tracy, 5-2; Gustine,
4-3; Lodi, 3-4; Manteca, 2-5; Turlock, 2-5; and Modesto, 1-6.
In its next two contests, Turlock Owls’ opponents both
scored 16 runs each, Gustine 16 to 4 and Escalon 16-14. The Gustine
game was played in very inclement conditions, according to the
Turlock Tribune: “Despite the heavy wind and sandstorm, there
were a few spectators on hand at the game, most of them behind
glass enclosures.” In a June 2nd game against the league leading
Highlanders, the Owls nearly won. In the ninth inning, Highlander
first baseman Merle Owens “made a wild diving catch of Ferguson’s
line drive,” with two outs and bases loaded, ending the contest,
reported the Tribune. Hughson won 1 to 0. In its engagement against
the Manteca Maulers, Turlock won 4 to 1 but was forced to forfeit
the game to Manteca due to using ineligible players.
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Manteca was at Davis Park the next weekend, shutting their contests. Waterford clubbed 16 hits in its 10 to 5 hammering of
out the Milk Producers 4 to 0, with Modesto’s Ted Shirley throwing Keyes. In an April bout, Ceres defeated Riverbank in a close game
well but lacking offensive support. In the meantime, the two league 6 to 4. By mid-June the Sierra League standings were: Livingston,
leading contenders met, Hughson and Tracy, with the Tigers tak- 9-1; Waterford, 6-4; Riverbank, 6-4; Atwater, 5-5; Ceres, 3-7; Keyes,
ing the contest in an impressive win, 9 to 3, over the Highlanders. 1-9. Livingston was clearly the first half-season’s best.
The Turlock Owls battled its cellar-mate, Lodi Victor Tops, in a oneIn two Ceres-Keyes matches, Ceres was victorious in both,
sided match, lambasting its opponent 13 to 1 to end the first half- 8 to 1 and 7 to 3, behind the arm of its ace pitcher Elzea, who struck
season. There were three teams
out 12 in his mid-August perfortied for first place, but Escalon had
mance. Though evenly matched,
beaten the others in separate
Waterford hammered Riverbank 18
league contests, resulting in
to 2 on August 10th and went on to
Escalon winning the pennant. The
take the second half-season penDon Pedro League standings
nant two weeks later. Livingston
were: Escalon, 9-4; Tracy, 9-4;
beat Waterford in the playoffs, winHughson, 9-4; Gustine, 8-5;
ning the 1929 Sierra League crown.
Manteca, 6-7; Lodi, 3-10; Turlock,
During the 1920’s,
3-10; and Milk Producers, 3-10.
Stanislaus County baseball entered
In July, Modesto’s Milk
the modern baseball era. The popuProducers defeated the Escalon
larity of the game had greatly exMerchants 6 to 3, behind the stelpanded as seen by the number of
lar pitching of Enos and Shirley,
teams and leagues. Everything
who replaced Enos in the sixth inModesto Reds, circa 1930’s
about the game continued to maModesto Reds photo
ning. Both Modesto pitchers comture, growing with the steady imbined for 12 strikeouts, while alprovement in transportation, comlowing four hits in the victory. Because of a rule infraction concern- munication, and construction of facilities. Being the county seat
ing the eligibility of players, the Turlock Owls decided to withdraw and the largest city in the county, Modesto strived to be the center
from the league and play independently for the balance of the 1929 of baseball and the home of a competitive semi-pro ball club, but
season. In early August, top contender Tracy Tigers withdrew from baseball opponents wouldn’t allow that to occur, leaving Modesto
the Don Pedro League, because of an umpire’s decision. The case teams many times in a dust heap on the diamond. There was starproved to be an ugly one, which involved the league’s president, dom throughout the county, especially pitchers, who worked games
Moorhead, and a closed door debate. Moorhead supported umpire week after week, many times providing spectacular performances.
Javete’s decision, causing the Tigers to bolt from the league, leav- Slugfests were not uncommon though, where both sides would
ing six teams in contention for the second half-season. By mid- power a total of ten to 20 hits in a contest, causing a number of
August the league’s standings were: Modesto, 3-1; Manteca, 3-1; pitching changes. In sum, the 1920s saw an evolving modern game
Lodi, 3-1; Gustine, 2-2; and Escalon, 1-3.
of baseball, but hard times were ahead for the nation, needing the
Frank Enos was the proven star for the Milk Producers. In nation’s favorite pastime to step up and entertain its gloomy citia Gustine contest, Enos and hurling-mate, Shirley, allowed only zens with its sport.
two runs in their conquest over the Merced County foe. Having
Written by Robert LeRoy Santos
already belted two doubles in the game, Enos then “cracked a grass
cutter along third base for the third two-ply count,” reported the
newspaper, winning the game 4 to 2. The next week, Manteca raked
Enos and Shirley for 14 hits, giving the Maulers the second halfseason pennant. Manteca’s hurler Hank Drinkle fanned 14 Milk
Producers at Davis Park for a 7 to 1 victory. The Escalon Merchants
played the Manteca Maulers for the championship. Escalon won
the first contest, 3 to 1, followed by a win from Manteca the next
week. The two San Joaquin County contenders were tied in the
championship series when they met at Davis Park in Modesto,
considered to be neutral ground. The Maulers did what they did
best, clubbing 17 hits and mauling its opponent, 13 to 2, to capture
the 1929 Don Pedro League championship.
In late February 1929 members of the Sierra League met at
Weeks Sport Shop in Modesto to discuss the new season. It was
decided to form a league with clubs from Atwater, Waterford,
Riverbank, Ceres, Keyes, and Livingston. On opening day in early
April, Atwater, Waterford, and Riverbank were victorious in
World Series Issue
but he was able to meet his brother Alfred in San Francisco when he aries of the playing field. Games were played nearly every Sunday,
arrived aboard the Pacific. The brothers then promoted baseball in which was a problem at first, because of the Christian nature of the
the city.
society, but soon it became acceptable to enjoy baseball on SunOn January 14, 1852, San Francisco’s Daily Alta Califor- day afternoons as well as Saturdays.
nia reported that there were “full grown persons engaged very In 1888, William Randolph Hearst’s San Francisco Examiner pubindustriously in the game known as town ball,” on the streets of the lished the renowned poem, “Casey at Bat,” by Ernest Lawrence
city. The term “sandlot baseball” comes from San Francisco, where Thayer. He was a Harvard friend of Hearst’s, writing the poem unthe game was played on the sandy lots, where the Civic Center is der the penname of “Phin.” A New York novelist saw the poem and
today. Those playing the sport became known as “sandlotters.” wrote a stage play based on it, which was first performed at the
Baseball was just as lively as San Francisco, with its gambling and Wallack Theater in Manhattan. Baseball players who saw the first
drinking, and to add to the commotion, spectators had a practice of productions were dismayed with the ending: “But there is no joy in
shooting their revolvers into the air
just before the ball
was caught by a
fielder.
Sacramento
had the first legitimate California baseball team, which was
known as the “Sacramento Base Ball
Club,” founded in
Web photo
San Francisco Baseball Park in Haight District, 1887
1859, followed by the
creation of San Francisco’s “San Francisco Base Ball Club.” Not to Mudville – mighty Casey has struck out!”
be outdone, Oakland also had ball clubs known as the “Athletics”
It is generally believed that Mudville was Stockton, Caliand the “Eagles” What is considered to be the first organized base- fornia, primarily because the town already was known by that nickball game in California took place on February 22, 1860 in San Fran- name. Stockton’s ball field was called Banner Island Grounds and
cisco, ending in a tie, 33 to 33, because the San Francisco Red was next to the muddy Stockton Channel. The poem had the names
Rovers claimed that the San Francisco Base Ball Club cheated by of Billy Cooney and Dan Flynn in it, who had been Stockton basenot throwing the ball over the plate so a batter could hit it. By 1865 ball players. A mountain is included in the poem, which corresponds
California had nearly 25 active baseball teams.
perfectly to Mt. Diablo in Stockton’s western background. The
The transcontinental railroad linked the nation in 1869, valley mentioned in the poem was undoubtedly the San Joaquin
increasing the flow of eastern baseball players to the West. The Valley. However, Thayer claimed that it wasn’t Stockton. Writing
newly formed Cincinnati Red Stockings visited California in 1869, under the penname of “Phin” caused him enormous grief, with him
defeating a San Francisco club in one contest 76 to 5 in five in- having to prove the poem was his, and to make matters worse,
nings. With the Red Stockings came its colorful uniform of white Thayer received just $5 for the poem from his Harvard chum Hearst.
flannel knee breeches, jerseys having a sizeable red C on the left
Baseball’s major leagues were found in the East, causing
side, brilliant red stockings, and white caps with a red C, not to baseball promoters in the West to form the Pacific Coast League in
mention flowing mustaches. The professional club drew crowds of 1903, hoping to compete at the same level; however, the Pacific
nearly 3,000 to its exhibition contests.
Coast didn’t have the talent pool the East and Midwest had at the
The first baseball league in California was formed in San time, so the league became a feeder league to the eastern major
Francisco in January 1878, called the “Pacific Base Ball League.” league clubs. But still, California had numerous amateur and semiThe championship game that year was played in Oakland, in which pro teams and leagues strung throughout the state in urban areas
the Oakland Athletics beat the San Francisco Californias by a score and rural communities. There was always some kind of “California
of 9 to 7 before 5,000 fans. (The first Bay Series). The next year the League” in existence perennially, with the league rising to its fullest
San Francisco Knickerbockers defeated the Oakland Athletics 6 to after World War II and continuing until today.
5 in the championship match. Pacific Base Ball League players were
Baseball is specifically American and is at the core of our
semi-professional athletes, who split the gate receipts after each culture. For example, think of American speech: “That’s a ballpark
game. Many prosperous men played in semi-pro games under ficti- figure,” “You’re out in left field,” “You just struck out,” “He threw
tious names, not wanting their families and friends to know they me a curve,” “What a hit,” “So you want to play hardball,” and
participated in the ungentlemanly sport.
many others. The thrill of baseball will always be with us and its
The playing fields of the time were crude, with holes, anthem as well: “Take me out to the ballgame.” A hot dog, a beer, or
weeds, and other obstacles making the game a real challenge. In a soda is part of it as are the screams of “That was a strike!” or “He
1868, San Francisco introduced its first enclosed baseball park to was safe!”
RLS
eliminate freeloading spectators and to control the bound-
Amer
ica
as
time and Its Beginnings
America
ica’’s P
Pas
astime
(Continued on page 43)
I
t seems that baseball has been around forever. In 1856, it popular in military camps on both sides of the Mason Dixon Line.
was first referred to as “America’s pastime” by a sport’s writer. The Immediately after the war, professionalism began to assert itself.
sport originated from the English game of cricket, but cricket was Players were paid for their services and were no longer just local
for the wealthy, whereas baseball was for the middle and working men and boys. In 1866, three members of a Brooklyn team were paid
classes, being rugged, less refined, and inexpensive. This rowdy $10 a week. According to most sources, A.G. Spalding organized
ball game was first called “town ball,” “rounders,” or “old cat.” In the first professional baseball team in Rockford, Illinois. He also
April 1778, during the Revolutionary War, according to literary ac- had a passion for baseball statistics, promoting it, and he launched
counts, Washington’s soldiers played a game called “base,” using baseball’s equipment industry.
In 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings was formed, with its
a bat and ball.
Rules for these early “base ball” games varied as did the players being paid $1,200 per season, in a time when a middle class
design of the playing field and other elements. Early on, the field American earned about $1,000 a year, while a working class male
was square; any number of players could be on the field; runs were earned $350. Shortly, major leagues were formed, first the National
League, followed by the Americalled “aces” and only 21
can League. The World Series
aces could be scored; the
was launched, and organized
ball could be thrown at the
baseball was on its way, with
runner for an out; the ball
specific rules and standards,
was large and soft; and the
though gambling, drinking, and
pitcher lofted it underrowdiness was still part of the
handed so the batter could
game.
hit it. There were other peIn the 1870s and 1880s
culiarities of the game, defurther changes were made to
pending upon the city or
the sport. The ball now had a
town in which baseball was
rubber core, making it livelier,
being played.
so it could bounce better on the
It was a Sunday
rough infields and through the
Cincinnati Red Stockings, 1868-69
game, because that was
Web photo
weeds in the outfields. Only the
day of the week working
men and boys could participate. Frequently the game was followed pitcher and catcher wore gloves, while fielders caught the ball
by a meal, with the losers paying for it. Unfortunately, many times barehanded, which accounted for the many errors and runs of the
the players were just as drunk as the spectators, with foul language era. Also, the pitcher was now throwing over-handed, instead of
and betting being very much a part of the event. Baseball was part underhanded in an effort to strike out the batter. The ball was thrown
of fraternities, sport clubs, businesses, and factories. The sport fast, speeds were changed, and there was movement on the ball,
unleashed male competitiveness and a guy’s love for cutting-edge many times because it was laced with spit causing it to curve or
excitement. At times it was known as “Crazy Day,” because of the drop. A walk was now four balls, instead of nine, and the strike zone
raucous behavior that enveloped it. That was how America’s favor- was between the shoulders and knees. After the Civil War, African
Americans joined the baseball playing ranks in larger numbers,
ite pastime was spawned.
It was in 1845 that Alexander “Alick” Cartwright, a New causing a color barrier to be imposed in 1887, resulting in separate
York bank clerk and volunteer fireman, compiled the first codified black and white teams and leagues, which lasted until Jackie
baseball rules, twenty of them, and organized a team that competed Robinson changed things in 1947.
Baseball came to California with the gold miners, who were
under those rules, known as the New York Knickerbockers. Some
of these seminal rules were: nine players per team; canvas bags youthful and adventurous, such as the Cartwright brothers, Alick
placed 90 feet apart on a diamond-shaped infield; three outs per and Alfred. As noted above, Alick founded the New York
side per inning; and a thrown ball that hit a runner was not an out. Knickerbockers in 1845, while his brother Alfred umpired. In JanuThe first game played by the Knickerbockers was on September 23, ary 1849, Alfred left New York by ship, sailing “around the horn” (a
1845 at Elysian field in Hoboken, New Jersey, with Cartwright’s future baseball term), while his brother Alick departed by wagon
team winning by a score of 23 to 1, using Mr. Cartwright’s rules. In train in March 1849, heading west. Historical sources note that
1860, Philadelphia baseball added two other rules: games were nine Alick brought a baseball with a yarn center and catgut cover. Wagon
innings, and if a batted ball bounced once, it was no longer an out, tongues and axletrees were used for bats, and a ball field was arbitrarily created at campsites. Alick remarked in his overland journal:
but a hit.
When the Civil War began in 1861, baseball was being “It was comical to see mountain men and Indians playing the game.”
played everywhere in the nation, in its cities, towns, and rural com- Some called him the “Johnny Appleseed” of baseball, planting as
munities. The Civil War expanded that interest, with the sport being he went. He arrived in Sacramento weak from travel and dysentery,

Vol. 3, World Series Issue, Part I [Stanislaus

Transcription

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