The Muskegon Muskies 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

Muskegon, Michigan Muskegon ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Muskegon County, Michigan, United States. Situated around a harbor of Lake Michigan, Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, and boating. It is the most populous city along Lake Michigan' ...

. The Muskegon "Muskies" played in the 1917 season and from 1920 to 1922 as members of the Class B level

Central League The or , also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League i ...

. After the Central League folded, Muskegon continued play as member of the members of the Class B level Michigan-Ontario League in 1923 and 1924, playing as the Muskegon "Anglers." The Muskegon Muskies and Anglers teams hosted minor league home games at Marsh Field, which is still in use today.

History

Central League 1917, 1920 to 1922

Muskegon first hosted minor league baseball in 1884 when the "Muskegon" team played the season as members of the

Northwestern League The Northwestern League was a sports league that operated in the Central United States during the early years of professional baseball for six seasons: 1879, 1883–1884, 1886–1887, and 1891. After the 1887 season, the league was replaced by t ...

, finishing with a 22-34 record. The Muskies were immediately preceded in minor league play by the 1916

Muskegon Reds The Muskegon Reds was the primary name of the minor league baseball franchise in Muskegon, Michigan that existed on-and-off from 1890 to 1951. History Muskegon played in the Michigan State League (1890–1902, 1911–1914, 1926, 1940–1941), Cen ...

during a Muskegon tenure as members of the

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 ...

member

Bucky Harris Stanley Raymond "Bucky" Harris (November 8, 1896 – November 8, 1977) was an American professional baseball second baseman, Manager (baseball), manager and executive. While Harris played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senato ...

played for Muskegon in 1916. Muskegon teams began play at Marsh Field in 1916. The "Muskies and "Anglers" nicknames correspond to Muskegon's geographic location and local fishing history. Muskegon contains

Muskegon Lake Muskegon Lake is a fresh-water lake in Muskegon County, Michigan, USA. Located in the lower peninsula at the mouth of the Muskegon River, Muskegon Lake forms a broad harbor along the eastern shoreline of Lake Michigan, approximately wide by ...

and is located on

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

, with a lengthy history of hosting recreational fishing and the fishing industry in the area. In the 1917 season, the Muskegon "Muskies" continued play in the eight-team Class B level Central League, following the 1916 last place

team in continuing Muskegon's membership in the league. The

Dayton Veterans The Dayton Veterans were a minor league baseball team based in Dayton, Ohio between 1899 and 1917. From 1896 to 1900, the Dayton "Old Soldiers" and "Veterans" teams played as members of the Class B level Interstate League, followed by a single s ...

, Evansville Evas,

Fort Wayne Chiefs The Fort Wayne Chiefs were a minor league baseball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Between 1917 and 1934, Fort Wayne Chiefs teams played seven total seasons as members of the Class B level Central League (baseball), Central League, winning th ...

, Grand Rapids Black Sox ,

Richmond Quakers The Richmond Quakers were a professional minor league baseball team based in Richmond, Indiana. The club was initially established in 1907 as team in the Class D level Ohio-Indiana League, and subsequently participated in 1908 in the Indiana-Ohi ...

South Bend Benders South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz' ...

and Springfield Reapers teams joined Muskegon in beginning league play on May 3, 1917. The Muskies ended the 1917 season with a record of 65–57 to place fourth in the final regular season standings, playing the season under manager Jimmy Hamilton. Muskegon ended the season 14.0 games behind the first place Grand Rapids Black Sox. The Muskies did not qualify for the playoff won by Grand Rapids over the

Peoria Distillers The Peoria Distillers were a minor league baseball team that existed on-and-off from 1894 to 1917. They played in the Western Association from 1894 to 1896; the Central League (baseball), Central League in 1900, 1904 and 1917; the Western League ( ...

. Pitcher Paul Wachtel of Muskegon led the league with 176 strikeouts. The Central League did not return to play in 1917 due to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, which affected many minor leagues. Following a two-season hiatus, the Central League reformed in 1920, with the Muskegon Muskies returning to league play, The Central League reformed as a four-team league, with the Grand Rapids Joshers, Kalamazoo Celery Pickers and Ludington Mariners teams joined with Muskegon to resume league play beginning May 12, 1920. In their return to the Central League, Muskegon ended the 1920 season in last place in the four-team league. Playing the season under manager

Doc White Guy Harris "Doc" White (April 9, 1879 – February 19, 1969) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago White Sox during his career, which lasted from 1901 to 1913. ...

, the Muskies ended the season with a record of 47–77 to finish 28.0 games behind first place Grand Rapids. The Muskegon Muskies continued play the 1921 Class B level Central League. The league expanded from a four team to a six-team league in 1921, adding the Lansing Senators and Jackson Mayors teams to the league. The 1921 Muskegon Muskies had a record of 63–67 and finished in fourth place in the final Central League standings. The 1921 manager was Davey Claire, as the Muskies ended the season 24.5 games behind the first place Ludington Mariners in the six-team league. Muskegon pitcher Lawrence Reno led the Central League with 133 strikeouts. In 1922, Davey Claire returned as the Muskegon Muskies manager to begin the season. With a record of 67–62, the Muskies ended the season in third place in the six-team Central League, as Claire and Carrington Sweeney served as managers. Muskegon ended the season 9.5 games behind the first place Ludington Mariners. The Muskies did not qualify for the playoff, where the

Grand Rapids Billbobs Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), s ...

defeated Ludington to win the league title.The Central League did not return to play in 1923.

Michigan-Ontario League 1923 & 1924

After the Central League folded, Muskegon continued minor league play in 1923. The Muskegon "Anglers" became members of the eight-team Class B level Michigan-Ontario League, as Muskegon replaced the Kitchener Terriers franchise in the league. Muskegon joined with the

Bay City Wolves The Bay City Wolves were a minor league baseball team based in Bay City, Michigan. From 1919 to 1926, the Wolves played as members of the Class B level Michigan-Ontario League for the eight-season duration of the league, winning league consecutiv ...

Flint Vehicles The Flint Vehicles were a professional baseball team in Flint, Michigan from 1921 to 1926. They were a part of the Michigan–Ontario League and were preceded in the league by the Flint Halligens in 1919 and 1920. In 1921, future Pittsburgh Steel ...

1923,

Hamilton Tigers The Hamilton Tigers were a professional ice hockey team based in Hamilton, Ontario, that competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1920 to 1925. The Tigers were formed by the sale of the Quebec Bulldogs NHL franchise to Hamilton interest ...

, Kalamazoo Celery Pickers,

London Tecumsehs The historic London Tecumsehs were a professional men's baseball team in London, Ontario, Canada, that were first formed in 1868 — a merger of the Forest City Base Ball Club and the London Base Ball Club — which, according to George Railton's ...

and

Saginaw Aces The Saginaw Aces were a minor league baseball team based in Saginaw, Michigan. From 1919 to 1926, the Aces played as members of the Class B level Michigan-Ontario League for the eight-season duration of the league, winning the league championship ...

in beginning league play on May 1, 1923. In 1923, Charles Marsh became president of the Muskegon Anglers. Marsh was the namesake of the Muskegon ballpark and had previously served as president of the Muskegon teams of the

Michigan State League The Michigan State League was a minor league baseball league that operated in various seasons between 1889 and 1941. The league franchises were based exclusively in Michigan, with the league forming on six different occasions. Twenty two different ...

beginning in 1910. Marsh continued as the Muskegon president in 1924. In 1923, the Anglers ended the season with a record 73–57 to place third in the league standings. Muskegon was managed by Red Fisher, as the Anglers finished 3.5 games behind the first place Bay City Wolves. No playoffs were held. In 1924, Muskegon continued play and the Anglers placed seventh in the Michigan-Ontario League regular season standings. With a record of 58–79, Musekgon played the season under managers Red Fisher and Jack Ryan, as the Anglers finished 28.5 games behind the first place Bay City Wolves. The Anglers did not qualify for the playoff won by Bay City over the Flint Vehicles. In 1925, the Michigan-Ontario League reduced to six teams and the Muskegon franchise was folded. In 1926, the Muskegon Reds resumed minor league play as members of the Michigan State League.

The ballpark

The Muskegon Anglers and Muskies hosted home minor league games at Marsh Field. Originally constructed in 1916, the ballpark is still in use today after being rebuilt in 1956. The field was named for its founder, Charles W. Marsh, who purchased the property, consisting of four city blocks and built the ballfield. Marsh served as president of the Muskegon Anglers. Marsh Field hosted Muskegon minor league teams from 1916 to 1951 and also was home to the

Muskegon Lassies The Muskegon Lassies were one of the expansion teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1946 season, representing Muskegon, Michigan. The team played their home games at Marsh Field. The league, its teams, and its story ...

of the

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley, which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...

. The ballpark has been named as a State of Michigan Historical Landmark. Today, Marsh Field is home to the amateur Muskegon Clippers

summer collegiate baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

team, who play as members of the

Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League The Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League (GLSCL) is a collegiate summer baseball league in the Great Lakes region of the United States. It is affiliated with the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball and comprises teams with college baseb ...

. The ballpark is located at 1800 Peck Street in Muskegon, Michigan.

Timeline

Year-by-year records

Notable alumni

*Sam Brenegan (1917) *Ray Brubaker (1917) * Davey Claire (1921, MGR) *Bud Clancy (1924) *Buck Crouse (1922-1923) *Jess Cortazzo (1924) *Charlie Dorman (1923) *Verdo Elmore (1924) * Red Fisher (1923-1924, MGR) *Freddie Fitzsimmons (1920-1922) *Heinie Jantzen (1917) *George Kahler (1917) *Joe Kiefer (1920) *LaRue Kirby (1917) *Fred Kommers (1921) *George Loepp (1924) *Ben Paschal (1917) *Lerton Pinto 1923) * Jack Ryan (1924, MGR) *John Scheneberg (1917) *Duke Shirey (1920) *Al Stokes (1920-1921) * Paul Wachtel (1917) *Tony Welzer (1922-1924) *Jimmy Whelan (1917) *

(1920, MGR)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Muskegon - Baseball Reference
Defunct baseball teams in Michigan Central League teams Baseball teams established in 1917 Baseball teams disestablished in 1917 Baseball teams established in 1920 Baseball teams disestablished in 1922 Muskegon, Michigan