The Chicago Maroons 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

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in 1888. The Chicago Maroons played as members of the Class A level

Western Association The Western Association was the name of five different leagues formed in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries. The oldest league, originally established as the Northwestern League in 1883, was refounded as the Wester ...

. Financial issues caused the team to fold after a sixth place season in 1888. The Maroons played minor league home games at

West Side Park West Side Park was the name used for two different ballparks that formerly stood in Chicago, Illinois. They were both home fields of the team now known as the Chicago Cubs of the National League (baseball), National League. Both ballparks hoste ...

History

In 1888, the Chicago Maroons began minor league play as members of the eight–team Class A level Western Association. In the era, Class A was the highest level of minor league baseball. The Maroons began 1888 play with the

Des Moines Prohibitionists Des is a masculine given name, mostly a short form (hypocorism) of Desmond. People named Des include: People * Des Buckingham, English football manager * Des Corcoran, (1928–2004), Australian politician * Des Dillon (disambiguation), severa ...

, Kansas City Blues,

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

Minneapolis Millers The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...

Omaha Omahogs Omaha ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 41st-most-populous city, Omaha had a popu ...

, St. Paul Apostles and

St. Louis Whites The St. Louis Whites (or White Stockings) were a minor league baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1888, the St. Louis "Whites" played briefly as members of the Class A (baseball), Class A level Western Association. The Whites were creat ...

teams joining Chicago in Western Association play. The president of the Chicago Maroons was Sam Morton, who also was serving a dual role as president of the Western Association in 1888. The Chicago Maroons began Western Association play on April 28, 1888. The Maroons finished the season in sixth place, playing under player/manager

Moxie Hengel Emery J. Hengel (October 7, 1857 – December 11, 1924) was a Major League Baseball second baseman. A native of Chicago, Illinois, he played for the Chicago Browns (1884) and the St. Paul Saints (1884), both of the Union Association, and for th ...

, who led the team with 5 home runs. With a record of 47–71, Chicago finished 32.0 games behind the first place Kansas City Blues in the final 1888 standings. The Maroons were led on the mound by Frank Dwyer, who won 19 games, pitching 322 innings with a 2.52 ERA and 35 complete games. The Maroons were put up for sale after compiling a debt of $4,000, but the difficulty of having a minor league team playing in a major league city was not attractive to prospective buyers. In August 1888 the Chicago franchise was close to moving to

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

for $5,000 after the Minneapolis Millers moved to become the Davenport Onion Weeders, but the deal fell through. The Chicago Maroons permanently folded after the 1888 season and did not return to play in the 1889 Western Association. West Side Park ca1885

The ballparks

The 1888 Chicago Maroons played many of their home games at West Side Park (I), sharing it with the National League's

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

(then called the White Stockings). West Side Park had a capacity of 10,300, with field dimensions of (Left, Center, Right): 216–520–216. The site of the ballpark is now occupied by the

Chicago World Language Academy The Chicago World Language Academy was opened in 1894 to serve children from the crowded tenement community surrounding the Polk Street Station port of entry for immigrants. That year was started one of the first public schools kindergartens in ...

. The location today is 1340 West Harrison in Chicago, Illinois. The Maroons played some of their home schedule (typically Sunday games) at a new ballpark constructed by the Garden City Athletic Club, which was typically described as "the corner of Lincoln and Polk." It was also described as "back of the County Hospital." It only sat a few thousand, but would eventually become West Side Park (II), the home of the Cubs from mid-1893 through 1915. That property is now occupied by the UIC Medical Center.

Year–by–year record

Notable alumni

* Charlie Cady (1888) *

Dad Clarkson Arthur Hamilton "Dad" Clarkson (August 31, 1866 – February 5, 1911) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1891 to 1896. He played for the New York Giants, Boston Beaneaters, St. Louis Browns, and Baltimore Orioles. Biography C ...

(1888) * Roscoe Coughlin (1888) * Dan Dugdale (1888) * Frank Dwyer (1888) * Pete Galligan (1888) *

(1888, MGR) * Charlie Hoover (1888) * Charlie Ingraham (1888) * Herman Long (1888) * Jim McCauley (1888) *

Gene Moriarty Eugene John Moriarty (January 6, 1863 – May 18, 1904) was an American Major League Baseball outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These def ...

(1888) * Chick Pedroes (1888) * George Rooks (1888) * Jumbo Schoeneck (1888) * Milt Scott (1888) *

Charlie Sprague Charlie Sprague (October 10, 1864 – December 31, 1912) was an outfielder and pitcher in Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National Leagu ...

(1888)

Gallery

File:Chicago Maroons first at West Side Park II 1888 05 06.jpg, First at West Side Park II File:Chicago Maroons first at West Side Park I 1888 05 29.jpg, First at West Side Park I

References

{{Reflist

External links

Team -Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Professional baseball teams in Illinois Baseball teams established in 1888 Baseball teams disestablished in 1888 Defunct Western Association teams Defunct baseball teams in Chicago