The Canton Nadjys were a

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

team based in

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in Stark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, eighth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 70,872 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Canton–Massillo ...

. The "Canton" franchise began minor league play as members of the 1887

Ohio State League The Ohio State League was a minor league baseball league that operated in numerous seasons between 1887 and 1947, predominantly as a Class D (baseball), Class D level league. League franchises were based in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wes ...

and the Canton "Najys" continued play as members of the newly named

Tri-State League The Tri-State League was the name of six different circuits in American minor league baseball. History The first league of that name played for four years (1887–1890) and consisted of teams in Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia. The second league ...

from 1888 to 1890, winning the 1889 league championship. The Canton teams hosted home minor league games at Mahaffey Park.

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...

charter member and namesake of the

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (baseball), National League (NL). The award was introduced in 1956 by Commissioner of Baseball ( ...

, Denton

Cy Young Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Born in Gilmore, Ohio, he worked on his family's farm as a youth before starting his professional baseball career. Young entered t ...

pitched for the league champion Nadjys in 1890, in his first professional season. Young acquired his "Cy" nickname during his Canton season. The team's nickname refers to a type of horse that was common on farms in the region in the era.

History

1887: Ohio State League

Minor league baseball in Canton, Ohio began in 1887, when the Canton team became members of the eight-team

during the season. Canton joined the league and began play on August 4, 1887. The league began play on May 4, 1887, with the Akron Acorns, Columbus Buckeyes, Kalamazoo Kazoos, Mansfield, Sandusky Suds (53-49), Steubenville Stubs, Wheeling Nail Cities and Zanesville Kickapoos teams as members. Steubenville had disbanded on June 29, 1887, before Canton replaced them as the eighth team. Beginning Ohio State League play on August 4, 1887, Canton compiled a 22–14 record in completing the season, playing under manager William Zecher. The Kalamazoo Kazoos were the eventual league champions when the league completed play on September 28, 1887.

1888 to 1890: Tri-State League

The Canton "Nadjys" continued minor league baseball play in 1888, as the Ohio State League was renamed to become the

, beginning play with ten teams. The Nadjys joined the

Columbus Senators The Columbus Senators Minor league baseball team was created in as a founding member of the Tri-State League. After that, the Senators played in the Western League (1897-1899), Interstate League (1900), Western Association (1901), and Ameri ...

, Jackson Jaxons, Kalamazoo Kazoos, Lima Lushers, Mansfield Pioneers, Sandusky Fish Eaters,

Toledo Maumees The Toledo Maumees were a baseball team originally formed in 1888. The team was based in Toledo, Ohio, and formed part of the Tri-State League for one season. Their home games were played at Speranza Park in Toledo. In 1889, the Maumees moved to ...

, Wheeling Nail Cities and Zanesville Kickapoos teams in beginning the season schedule on April 22, 1888. The "Nadjys" nickname for the team corresponds to horse terms of the region in the era. A Nadjy is a type of field horse that was common on Ohio farms. The 1888 Canton Nadjys placed fourth in the final Tri-State League season standings. The Nadjys ended the season with 50–64 record, playing under managers William Zecher and James Harmon. Canton finished the season 23.5 games behind the first place Lima Lushers. In 1889, the Tri State League played as a six-team league, with the Dayton Reds, Hamilton, Mansfield Pioneers, Springfield and Wheeling Nailers teams continuing play with Canton. The 1889 Canton Nadjys captured the Tri-State League championship. With a regular season record of 67–37, Canton ended the season in first place in the standings and were managed by William Harrington. The Nadjys finished 8.0 games ahead of the second place Springfield (61–48) in the regular season standings, followed by Mansfield, Dayton, Hamilton and Wheeling. Cy Young 1893

Cy Young 1890

charter member

, the namesake of the

began his professional career with the 1890 Canton Nadjys. His nickname also began while playing with Canton. Young was signed by Canton in the spring of 1890 as a 23-year-old. Young was a farmer and semipro pitcher, who was from nearby Gilmore, Ohio. During his tryout with Canton, Young featured his fastball, which eventually led to his nickname. "I almost tore the boards off the grandstand with my fast ball," Young recalled. Cy Young's nickname came from the damaged fences, which looked like a

cyclone In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an ant ...

had hit them. Reporters then shortened the nickname to "Cy", which Young used for the rest of his lifetime. During the 1890 season with Canton, Young had a record of 15-15. Young was reportedly obtained from Canton by the major league

Cleveland Spiders The Cleveland Spiders were an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The team competed at the major league level from 1887 to 1899, first for two seasons as a member of the now-defunct American Association (AA), followe ...

during the season in exchange for $300.00 and a new suit for their manager. Young made his debut for Canton on April 30, 1890. In the first game of the season, "Cyclone" Young threw a three-hit game as Canton defeated Wheeling by the score of 4–2. In his second appearance, on May 3, 1890, Young defeated McKeesport 4–3. On July 25, 1890, Young threw a no-hitter against McKeesport with 18 strikeouts. That was his final game with Canton, as Young was obtained by the

, who had been scouting Young during the season. Young made his major league debut with the Cleveland Spiders on August 6, 1890, beginning a career of 22 seasons and a record 511 wins. In their final season of play, despite having Cy Young on the roster, the Nadjys finished in last place in the 1890 Tri-State League standings. The league began the season as an eight–team league before losing the Dayton and Springfield franchises during the season. The team ended the Ohio State League season with an overall regular season record of 26–48, managed by William Heingartner, Jimmy Peoples, Cicero Hiner and Jack Grogan. Canton finished 13.0 games behind the first place Mansfield Pioneers in the final regular season standings when the season ended on August 9, 1890. The Tri-State League did not return to play in 1891. Canton next hosted minor league baseball when the 1893 and 1894 Canton "Duebers" played as members of the Ohio-Michigan League and

Interstate League The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952. Early leagues Earlier versions of the Interstate League, with years active: *1896–1901: an unclassified ...

respectively. The Duebers were named for the Canton-based Dueber-Hampden Watch Company and played the final minor league seasons at Mahaffey Park, which had hosted all Canton minor league home games.

The ballpark

The Canton minor league teams hosted home games at Mahaffey Park in the seasons from 1887 to 1894. The ballpark site was located at West Tuscarawa Street & McKinley Avenue in Canton. Today, the former ballpark site is home to Timken High School. Timken High School is located at 231 McKinley Ave NW in Canton, Ohio.

Timeline

Year-by-year records

Notable alumni

(1890) Inducted

, 1937 * George Bausewine (1887–1888) * Tun Berger (1889) * Charlie Briggs (1888) * Steve Brodie (1887) * Bill Delaney (1887–1889) * Alexander Donoghue (1887–1888) * Jack Doyle (1889) * Jim Green (1889) * Jim Handiboe (1890) *

Bill Irwin William Mills Irwin (born April 11, 1950) is an American actor, choreographer, clown, and comedian. He began as a vaudeville-style stage performer and has been noted for his contribution to the renaissance of American circus during the 1970s. ...

(1890) *

Jim Long Jim Long (born Timothy John Moynihan; February 7, 1943 – May 30, 2022) was an American entrepreneur, who worked in the broadcast music industry. Experienced in the development of intellectual properties, his business holdings focused on music ...

(1890) * Dusty Miller (1889) * George Pechiney (1888) * Jimmy Peoples (1890, MGR) *

Charlie Reilly Charles Thomas Reilly (February 15, 1867 – December 16, 1937) was an American professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1889 to 1897 for the Columbus Solons, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, and ...

(1890) * Ben Sanders (1887) * Ed Sixsmith (1888) * George Strief (1890) * Jake Virtue (1887–1888) * Tom Wiliams (1890) * Henry Yaik (1890) Canton Nadjys players
Canton (minor league baseball) players

References

{{reflist

External links

Canton - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Professional baseball teams in Ohio Defunct baseball teams in Ohio Baseball teams established in 1888 Baseball teams disestablished in 1890 Defunct Tri-State League teams Sports in Canton, Ohio