Game 4, Friday, April 11, 1924

Reported in the Seattle Daily Times, Saturday, April 12, 1924

The Seattle Indians picked up their first win of the 1924 season, beating the Angels 9-5 thanks to the hitting of "Henry" known as Ted "Baldy" Baldwin and the pitching of Bill Plummer. I'm sure he'll end up with more nick-names as the season moves along. Plummer, father of a Johnny Bench backup and one-time Mariner manager, had two full seasons of PCL ball in 1924 and 1925, both marred by a consistently sore arm. Otherwise records indicate he played for either Portland in 1921, or Seattle, 1923-27, from the ages of 17 to 25. Apparently, Plummer would marry the sister of Indian teammate Red Baldwin, who would be the uncle of the future Piniella predecessor. Bill Plummer would pitch his last game on August 16, 1927, being pulled in the sixth inning for a tired arm against the San Francisco Seals. 1927 would also be the year Ted Baldwin got his cup of coffee with the Phillies, the highlight of an athletic career that saw him start by playing college baseball at Swarthmore and end up playing baseball for Portland of the New England League. Red Baldwin never got a cup of coffee. His career consisted of spending at least15 years catching in the minors. One of the things I've found when researching old-time players is that they often played semi-pro ball or some type of amateur organized baseball into their 40s. Especially those who were capable of playing in the high minors to major league levels. This often missing history is usually hinted at in small press papers or community records, with notifications of games played at summer festivals or in some local league that lasts maybe a year.

Supply Laundry leads Semi Pro League

 

The photo above is from the Special Collections at the University of Washington. It lists the photo as undated. More research needed, but Tommy Sullivan might be the same Tom Sullivan who played with Seattle in 1928. Bud Davis was 21 years old in 1924, and had two partial seasons in the PCL. Louis and Elmer Tesreau both starred in football at the University of Washington. Louis lettered in 1925-26-27, Elmer in 1923-24-25. Louis was an all-American fullback in 1927. Most interesting is Tiny Leonard. I think this may be the same E. E. 'Tiny' Leonard who played for the Portland Beavers in 1915. There was also an E. E. 'Tiny' Leonard who moved to Seaside, Oregon in 1923 and set up a taffy shop. I believe that is the same one who played for the Beavers. Floyd Borderude did play with the Longview Cannibals but I can find no actual information he was on the Chicago Cubs. Monroe Dean kept going and ended playing 8 years in the minors.

Game 3, Thursday, April 10, 1924

The Los Angeles Angels picked up their third straight win to start the 1924 season, beating the Seattle nine, well twelve including two pinch hitters and a reliever, 8-3. Wheezer Dell started for the Indians, opposed by Charley "Chinski" Root. Root would win 312 professional games, 201 for the Chicago Cubs to go with 40 career saves, in a playing career that lasted 27 years. Wheezer Dell had a lifetime major league ERA of 2.55, and was playing for Seattle in 1924 alongside George Cutshaw. Both were teammates on the 1916 Brooklyn Robins team that lost the World Series to the Boston Red Sox. The Robins couldn't compete with the brilliant pitching of Babe Ruth, Ernie Shore, Dutch Leonard and Carl Mays, even though they had a lineup of dead ball names like Casey Stengel, Hi Myers, Zack Wheat, Rube Marquard, Jeff Pfeffer, and Fred Merkle. Dell had also played with the 1913 and 1914 Seattle Giants of the Northwest League.

First Pictures of Opening Day

"The first pictures of the opening day scenes at the Los Angeles ball park Tuesday were received this morning. The picture at the top shows a part of the opening day ceremony prior to the start of the game. Left to right, the figures are: Bruce Guerin, Los Angeles mascot; Marty Krug, Angel manager; Jack Dempsey, world's heavyweight champion; "Red" Killefer, Seattle pilot; Sherrif Traeger of Los Angeles; Mayor Cryer of Los Angeles; Agnes Ayres, motion picture star, who was honorary umpire. The lower view shows Cliff Brady, Seattle second baseman, being tagged off first base in the third inning. George Cutshaw is on the coaching line. Old Doc Crandall is the pitcher who has just heaved the ball to Golvin." Seattle Daily Times, reported Friday, April 11, 1924. Game was on Tuesday.

Spring is Here

Game 2, April 9, 1924

The Indians continued the opening series of 1924 against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, April 9. The Tuesday start was typical of a Pacific Coast League schedule at that time. Teams would generally play a series starting on Tuesday, playing through Sunday to conclude with a double header to finish a 7-game road trip. The work week for a ball club ended or started, depending on your point of view, with either a day off or a travel day on a Monday.
In game 2, the Angels manager Marty Krug slapped out a couple of hits, 2 of 2050 he hit in a 16-year minor league career. He had two stints in the majors as well, a cup of coffee with the 1912 Boston Red Sox (where he played in a brand new Fenway Park, which opened that year on Adolph Hitler's 23rd birthday, just five days after the Titanic sank) and most of the 1922 season with the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs were managed at that time by Bill Killefer, brother of Seattle Indians manager Wade Killefer. Krug, one of 27 major league players to have been born in Germany (nearly all played before 1920), got his start at the age of 20 in the Class D Blue Grass League with the 1909 Richmond Pioneers. Reported in the April 10 edition of the Seattle Daily Times Sports Section, Robert W. Boyce, Editor.

Seattle Game 1, April 8, 1924

In the 1924 Pacific Coast League season, the Seattle Indians and the Los Angeles Angels faced off in a thrilling game at Washington Park. The Indians had just wrapped up their spring training in Los Angeles and were ready to take on the Angels on their home ground. Washington Park, nestled next to Chutes Park on Main Street between Washington and 21st, was a bustling sports venue. It was the home ground for the Angels before they made their move to LA’s Wrigley Field in 1925.

The Seattle Daily Times covered the game in detail in its April 9, 1924 issue. Fans in Seattle had the opportunity to follow the game ‘live’ through an automatic ‘player’ displayed outside the Times’ offices in Seattle’s Times Square, facing 5th Avenue at Stewart.

The game was a duel between two seasoned pitchers, Vean Gregg for Seattle and Otis Crandall for Los Angeles. Both pitchers showcased their skills in a beautifully pitched ball game. The Angels emerged victorious with a score of 5 to 1, a victory witnessed by a crowd of 10,364 spectators.

Crandall’s victory came when Gregg’s defense faltered once. Frank Emmer, who was substituting for the injured Ted Baldwin at third base for the Indians, misjudged a hit from Flea McAuley. This allowed two runs to score and set the stage for a double steal that brought in a third run.

Despite this setback, the Seattle team managed to get eleven hits off the Angel veteran, while the Angels got nine off Gregg and Bill Plummer, who relieved the southpaw. Each team had one walk, so honors were virtually even.

The pitchers’ battle was a sight to behold. They appeared to be in midseason form, working the corners of the plate with balls not too good to hit, and mixing their curves, fast ones, and change of pace in pretty shape. They were best in the pinches, easing along when there were no men on bases, and slowing their work when men got on.

Seattle set the stage for a score early when Brady singled sharply to left. However, the Indians didn’t quit after the Angels’ scoring spree. Brady and Crane opened the sixth with singles, but the necessary hit in the pinch was missing. Despite the loss, the game was a testament to the skill and determination of both teams. It was a memorable start to the 1924 Pacific Coast League season.

University of Washington Baseball Team tours Japan, 1908

The UW was the first American university team to tour Japan. Japan's Waseda University baseball team had visited Seattle in 1904, playing a local club, as well as the UW. More info and source here.

Bulgarian Anarchy, March 12, 1924

"Eight persons, including a woman anarchist leader and three of her male companions, were killed when the police of Sofia raided the Reds' headquarters several days ago. When the occupants of the building put up armed resistance, troops were called out and the house was set afire. Upper-part of the cordon of soldiers rounding the premises during the fighting. Lower-ruins of the house after the fire."

No Major League player has ever come from Bulgaria, but they do play baseball there. Articles like this make me think the presence of anarchy is often overstated.

Spring Training Begins, Monday, March 10, 1924

A few things to note above. One is obvious, Tony Lazzeri and his SLC teammates playing against a Japanese athletic club team. I've always maintained that the separation or desegregation present in the Majors or even high minors didn't reflect what was really going on in society, its the interactions you would see below the majors, with company teams, college teams, semi-pro teams, etc. At the semi-pro and barnstorming levels, baseball was where different communities came together, interacted, and, most importantly, played together. As far back as  baseball being reported on, we see these other stories in the fringes, written or implied, and we see them because the information would have been demanded by the news consumer. Its not that there wasn't segregation, of course there was. It's about where it was and how it was manifest and what all that means that is capable of elucidating the past and how it impacts today. These Bees were playing the Fresno Athletic Club and their great second baseman, Kenichi Zenimura. Fresno was one of the better semi-pro baseball teams.

Tony Lazzeri was a 20-year-old second baseman from San Francisco who would soon star in New York with the Yankees, along with a fellow San Franciscan, 19-year-old Mark Koenig, who was playing short stop that season in St. Paul, and a 21-year-old Eastern League star by the name of Lou Gehrig. Koenig was the first Yankee to wear #2 (although when he joined, he mostly hit leadoff, switching to 2nd in the order in 1927, with Combs hitting leadoff, the numbers themselves didn't make it onto uniforms until 1929, when Gene Robertson actually hit 2nd more), a number we will have to assume gets retired soon for Jeter. Tangent: I'm not much of a Yankees fan, by why doesn't Billy Martin 'share' his retired number with Earle Combs? Anyway, Lazzeri would hit 60 home runs in 1925 in 197 games for SLC (512 total bases!!!), and in 1926, he was a rookie and the leading home run hitter in the Yankee infield, with 18, since 1927 is really when Gehrig found his Major League home run stroke.

Two other names of quick note: Mickey Cochrane and Jack Quinn. Cochrane was still a month away from turning 21 on April 6 when he caught Portland's game against the Ambler's Athletic Club of Stockton (their hall is still for rent if you need a meeting space in Stockton). Jack Quinn? He's not listed above, but he pitched to Cochrane for the Athletics, played twice for the Yankees, and died the same year as Tony Lazzeri, although Lazzeri was 42 and Quinn was 62. One of four Major Leaguers, and the only one of note, born in Austria-Hungary. He would lose a World Series in 1921 with the Yankees and win two in 1929 and 1930 with the Athletics. Here are some webcams from where he was born, which is now part of Slovakia. Actually, Elmer Valo was also from an area that is now part of Slovakia, but that was in 1921, by which time the Empire had fallen. Oddly enough, he also played for the Yankees and Athletics!

1924 Pacific Coast League

In 1924, the Pacific Coast League was an eight team league: the Los Angeles Angels, the Oakland Oaks, the Portland Beavers, the Sacramento Senators, the Salt Lake City Bees, the San Francisco Seals, the Seattle Indians, and the Vernon Tigers.

That year, the Seattle Indians would field 33 different players during the season, 20 of whom would see, or had seen, at least a cup of coffee in the majors. They won the 1924 PCL title, finishing 109-91. Playing a 200 game season was common for the PCL at that time, more on that later. Eight players had over 150 hits for the Indians that year, and the leaders in games played were Henry Baldwin with 196 and Cliff Brady with 194. Seven others would play over 149 ball games. Behind the plate, they had Earl 'Red' Baldwin, who would catch 155 games that year, the most of any of his 14 PCL seasons. Earl was such a talented catcher, no mention is even made of future Hall of Famer Mickey Cochrane until the second to last paragraph in this preseason article from the Wednesday, April 2, 1924, edition of the Seattle Daily Times sports pages.

Introducing Coast League Newcomer George Boehler, April 2, 1924

George Steuland, Opening Day Pitcher, April 24, 1924

Introducing Coast League Newcomers, January 26, 1924

Merrill File, Pitcher, Vernon.

Born Paterson, N. J., September 14, 1901; height 5 feet 11 1/2 inches; weight 189 pounds. Throws right handed. Bats both ways.
First engagement- Clovis, Panhandle-Pecos Valley League, 1923. Finished season with Vernon.
1923 record- Won 19 games and lost 13; percentage, .594. Batted .287 and fielded .975.
Pitched 37 innings with Vernon, winning one game and losing two.

The Missing Spark Plug

The Seattle Daily Times, Sunday Morning, September 7, 1924

Billy Lane, Seattle Star, to Be Honored Monday

Here we have him in poses grown familiar to Seattle fans through the three years little Billy has been playing with the Indians. "The Missing Spark Plug" we've named this camera story of little Bill, not because he's worn out, nor because he's refused to function. He's "The Missing Spark Plug" because a pitched ball hit him in the head, fractured his skull and forced his retirement for probably the rest of the season. Monday, Seattle fans and players are giving him a day - Billy Lane Day. His friends hope the Seattle ball park will be packed. The photographs show Billy's smiling face, his pose at bat, crossing first base and various sliding poses, an art at which he is so proficient that he is known as the Coast League's best base runner.

Killefer Convinced Tribe Is Strong

Seattle Daily Times, Sunday, March 16, 1924

"When Red Killefer leads his Seattle Indians out for inspection of home fans at the Rainier Valley ball yard next month, three new members of the club, pictured above (picture not available), will be given close attention. Cliff Brady, the midget second sacker from Rochester, is expected to work into a great second base combination with Sammy Crane. George Steuland, pitcher, is the man Killefer is grooming to take the place of Elmer Jacobs. Earl Baldwin, last year with Los Angeles, is expected to give Seattle a boost in the back-stopping department."

Vean Gregg

"The Seattle Daily Times

Wednesday, October 8, 1924

Washington, In Seattle Deal, Takes Veteran

Three Players and Cash Involved-Working Agreement Between Tribe and Senators Loom

Vean Gregg, the Coast League’s leading pitcher, 40 years of age yet the most effective hurler the Seattle club has had in years, is to get another chance in the majors.

                The Washington Americans, involved as they are in a fight with the New York Giants for the world’s championship, last night took time off from their other worries to wire acceptance of Seattle’s terms for the big left-hander.

                Washington will deliver three players, to be named at the annual baseball conference in December, and a small amount of cash for Gregg.

                Gregg will go to spring training camp with the Senators in 1925.

** ** **

This is the most remarkable sale in baseball’s history. Imagine a major league team laying out around $30,000 for a pitcher 40 years old! Pitchers 30 years old have been brought back to the majors for another trial, many times, but never has a major league team bought a man 40 years old.

**  **  **

Gregg Will Win

And don’t think for a minute that Vean Gregg won’t win some games for Washington.

                He won’t lead the league. In fact, he won’t be able to pitch as often up there as he did here. But he’ll win.

                Yesterday, while he was shutting out the Seals, he could have beaten any team that faced him.

                He had everything. Had he wanted to use it he had his fast curve and his fast ball at instant command.

                But instead he fooled the Seals with tantalizing slow ones, curves, just plain everyday slow balls."

Vean Gregg's bio at the SABR bio project: http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=1773&pid=5462
At Baseball-Reference: http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Vean_Gregg