Youngstown Indians
Encyclopedia
The Youngstown Indians were a minor league
baseball
club that competed during the 1909 season in the Ohio-Pennsylvania League
. The team showed great promise at the outset of the season but finished with a disappointing 46–78 record, placing last in the league. The league championship that year went to an Akron
franchise, which closed the season with a 81–40 record.
, including the championship Youngstown Ohio Works
and Youngstown Champs
. The 1907 sale of the Ohio Works team to investors in Zanesville, Ohio
, paved the way for the establishment of the Champs. Like the Ohio Works club, which won two consecutive league championships, the Champs were sponsored by local industrial leader Joseph A. McDonald
and his brother, Thomas. The Champs won the 1907 championship of the Ohio-Pennsylvania League, but the following year, their season was cut short when the owners of the Youngstown franchise "threw up the sponge in mid-season". In 1909, the newly established Youngstown Indians secured the backing of a stock company in New Castle, Pennsylvania
, and were managed by W.R. Terry.
Despite its improved financial situation, the Ohio-Pennsylvania League narrowly escaped the prospect of dissolution late in the 1909 season. As the Spalding Guide reports, the league's unraveling was prevented only by the guidance of the league president, Sam L. Wright, who had earlier managed the Youngstown Champs. Toward the end of the season, Wright took the extraordinary step of backing the Youngstown Indians, when their New Castle owners "gave it up". This move preserved the eight-team league, which also included teams from Akron, East Liverpool
, McKeesport
, New Castle
, Canton
, and Steubenville
.
, the team competed in the Ohio-Pennsylvania League during the 1910 and 1911 seasons. The Steelmen joined the Central League in 1912, and that year, narrowly lost the pennant to a rival franchise from Fort Wayne, Indiana
, placing second in the league.
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...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
club that competed during the 1909 season in the Ohio-Pennsylvania League
Ohio-Pennsylvania League
The Ohio-Pennsylvania League was among scores of minor league baseball organizations that popped up throughout the country in the early 20th century...
. The team showed great promise at the outset of the season but finished with a disappointing 46–78 record, placing last in the league. The league championship that year went to an Akron
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
franchise, which closed the season with a 81–40 record.
Origins
The short-lived Youngstown Indians team succeeded other minor league clubs in Youngstown, OhioYoungstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, including the championship Youngstown Ohio Works
Youngstown Ohio Works
The Youngstown Ohio Works baseball team was a minor league club that was known for winning the premier championship of the Ohio–Pennsylvania League in 1905, and for launching the professional career of pitcher Roy Castleton a year later...
and Youngstown Champs
Youngstown Champs
The Youngstown Champs were a minor league baseball team that competed in the Ohio-Pennsylvania League in 1907 and 1908. The club won the league championship in 1907 but disbanded in the middle of the 1908 season.-Origins:...
. The 1907 sale of the Ohio Works team to investors in Zanesville, Ohio
Zanesville, Ohio
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population was 25,586 at the 2000 census.Zanesville was named after Ebenezer Zane, who had constructed Zane's Trace, a pioneer road through present-day Ohio...
, paved the way for the establishment of the Champs. Like the Ohio Works club, which won two consecutive league championships, the Champs were sponsored by local industrial leader Joseph A. McDonald
Joseph A. McDonald
Joseph A. McDonald was a significant figure in the development of the Northeastern U.S. steel industry. As superintendent of the Ohio Works of the Carnegie Steel Company, in Youngstown, Ohio, McDonald oversaw construction of one of the largest steel-production plants in the country.- Early years...
and his brother, Thomas. The Champs won the 1907 championship of the Ohio-Pennsylvania League, but the following year, their season was cut short when the owners of the Youngstown franchise "threw up the sponge in mid-season". In 1909, the newly established Youngstown Indians secured the backing of a stock company in New Castle, Pennsylvania
New Castle, Pennsylvania
New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Pittsburgh and near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border just east of Youngstown, Ohio; in 1910, the total population was 36,280; in 1920, 44,938; and in 1940, 47,638. The population has fallen to 26,309 according to the...
, and were managed by W.R. Terry.
Controversy
The challenges facing the Youngstown Indians reflected perennial difficulties within the Ohio-Pennsylvania League, including weak financial support for teams and uneven ticket sales. The Spalding Guides Youngstown-based correspondent, W. A. Mason, noted that support for the league in that city had eroded because of the local club's poor performance. "Youngstown had the tailend team and the fans had been used to winning ball", Mason wrote. He added, however, that the league, "taking together the gate receipts and the moneys received from the sale and drafting of players", proved to be a "moneymaker" for the first time since its establishment.Despite its improved financial situation, the Ohio-Pennsylvania League narrowly escaped the prospect of dissolution late in the 1909 season. As the Spalding Guide reports, the league's unraveling was prevented only by the guidance of the league president, Sam L. Wright, who had earlier managed the Youngstown Champs. Toward the end of the season, Wright took the extraordinary step of backing the Youngstown Indians, when their New Castle owners "gave it up". This move preserved the eight-team league, which also included teams from Akron, East Liverpool
East Liverpool, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,089 people, 5,261 households, and 3,424 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,010.3 people per square mile . There were 5,743 housing units at an average density of 1,320.8 per square mile...
, McKeesport
McKeesport, Pennsylvania
McKeesport is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in the United States; it is located at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 19,731 at the 2010 census...
, New Castle
New Castle, Pennsylvania
New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Pittsburgh and near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border just east of Youngstown, Ohio; in 1910, the total population was 36,280; in 1920, 44,938; and in 1940, 47,638. The population has fallen to 26,309 according to the...
, Canton
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and Steubenville
Steubenville, Ohio
Steubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio on the Ohio-West Virginia border in the United States. It is the political county seat of Jefferson County. It is also a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
Dissolution
At the close of the 1909 season, the club came under the co-ownership of former Indians manager Terry and business partner Paul Powers. Renamed as the Youngstown SteelmenYoungstown Steelmen
The Youngstown Steelmen was a minor league baseball franchise that competed in three different leagues between 1910 and 1915. The club, based in Youngstown, Ohio, participated at various times in the Ohio-Pennsylvania League, the Tri-State League, and the Central League. The Steelmen's most notable...
, the team competed in the Ohio-Pennsylvania League during the 1910 and 1911 seasons. The Steelmen joined the Central League in 1912, and that year, narrowly lost the pennant to a rival franchise from Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
, placing second in the league.