Jersey City Skeeters
Encyclopedia
The Jersey City Skeeters were a minor league baseball
team which operated in Jersey City, New Jersey
. The club started in the 1860s and by 1870 joined the National Association of Base Ball Players
.
By 1885, Jersey City had joined the Eastern League
, but they dropped out before the end of the season. The team rejoined the league the following year, finishing in second place.
In 1887, a Jersey City Skeeters team was playing in the International League
, but in 1888, they were in the Central League, a much lower league, competition-wise.
The team participated in three other leagues before 1902, with little success. In that year, however, the city of Jersey City built the club a new stadium, and the team committed to the Eastern League. They finished in third place in their first year in the league, but in 1903, they fielded a championship team. That year, the team won their first 18 games, and had a stretch of 25 consecutive victories. They won the league with a record of 92-33.
That team was managed by 39-year-old player-manager Billy Murray, who stayed with the team through 1906, but the team never won another championship.
The Skeeters remained in the Eastern League and its successor, the International League until 1915, at which point the team's owner, Jack Dunn, moved the team to Baltimore, Maryland. A newly-organized International League formed in 1918, following World War I
, and Jersey City received a league franchise. An attempt was made to change the team's name from Skeeters (so named because of the ubiquitous mosquito
s in the New Jersey
swamps), but fans rejected the proposed Colts nickname, and the Skeeters name stuck. In 1933, however, the Great Depression
caused the folding of many leagues and teams, and the Jersey City franchise was moved to Syracuse, New York
.
Jersey City returned to baseball in 1937, when the New York Giants
moved their highest-level minor league team to Jersey City, calling the team the Jersey City Giants
.
The team name was revived as a vintage base ball
team in 2009.
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
team which operated in Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
. The club started in the 1860s and by 1870 joined the National Association of Base Ball Players
National Association of Base Ball Players
The National Association of Base Ball Players was the first organization governing American baseball. The first, 1857 convention of sixteen New York City clubs...
.
By 1885, Jersey City had joined the Eastern League
Eastern League (U.S. baseball)
The Eastern League is a minor league baseball league which operates primarily in the northeastern United States, although it has had a team in Ohio since 1989. The Eastern League has played at the AA level since 1963. The league was founded in 1923 as the New York-Pennsylvania League...
, but they dropped out before the end of the season. The team rejoined the league the following year, finishing in second place.
In 1887, a Jersey City Skeeters team was playing in the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
, but in 1888, they were in the Central League, a much lower league, competition-wise.
The team participated in three other leagues before 1902, with little success. In that year, however, the city of Jersey City built the club a new stadium, and the team committed to the Eastern League. They finished in third place in their first year in the league, but in 1903, they fielded a championship team. That year, the team won their first 18 games, and had a stretch of 25 consecutive victories. They won the league with a record of 92-33.
That team was managed by 39-year-old player-manager Billy Murray, who stayed with the team through 1906, but the team never won another championship.
The Skeeters remained in the Eastern League and its successor, the International League until 1915, at which point the team's owner, Jack Dunn, moved the team to Baltimore, Maryland. A newly-organized International League formed in 1918, following World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and Jersey City received a league franchise. An attempt was made to change the team's name from Skeeters (so named because of the ubiquitous mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
s in the New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
swamps), but fans rejected the proposed Colts nickname, and the Skeeters name stuck. In 1933, however, the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
caused the folding of many leagues and teams, and the Jersey City franchise was moved to Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
.
Jersey City returned to baseball in 1937, when the New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
moved their highest-level minor league team to Jersey City, calling the team the Jersey City Giants
Jersey City Giants
The Jersey City Giants was the name of a high-level American minor league baseball franchise that played in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the top farm system affiliate of the New York Giants from 1937 through 1950. The Jersey City club played in the International League...
.
The team name was revived as a vintage base ball
Vintage base ball
Vintage Base Ball is baseball presented as being played by rules and customs from an earlier period in the sport's history. Games are typically played using rules and uniforms from the 1850s, 1860s and 1880s. Vintage baseball is not only a competitive game, but also a reenactment of baseball life...
team in 2009.