The Western baseball club of Keokuk, Iowa, or Keokuk Westerns in modern nomenclature, was a professional baseball team in the National Association in 1875, the last season of that first professional league.[1][2][3] It is considered a major league team by those who count the NA as a major league.[4] It was geographically the farthest west that major league baseball had progressed up to that time.
In 1875, the NA entry fee was $20 for one championship season. The Westerns won one of 13 games (1–12 record) before going out of business.[1][2][3] On June 14, 1875, the Western club played their last game and dropped out of the league two days later.[1][2][5] For 1876, stronger clubs in bigger cities, led by the Chicago White Stockings, organized the National League on a different basis, chiefly in order to exclude weaker clubs from smaller cities such as Keokuk.[4]
The Westerns were managed by Joe Simmons and played their home games at Perry Park, which was located in a field located beyond Rand Park.[1][2][3][5][6][7][8] Their top hitter was catcher Paddy Quinn, who went 14-for-43 for a batting average of .326.[1][2][3][7][9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e Stein, Jeff (May 4, 2017). "Iowa Almanac for Thursday, May 4, 2017: "Batter Up"". Iowa Almanac. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Flinn, Jessica (May 4, 2017). "Iowa Almanac - Professional Baseball in Keokuk". KCWI Live. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ a b c d "1875 Keokuk Westerns Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ a b "The Leagues". 19cbaseball.com. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ a b "1875 Keokuk Westerns Schedule and Scores". Baseball Reference. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ "Perry Park". retrosheet.org. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ a b "Keokuk Western roster". retrosheet.org. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ "The History of Keokuk Baseball Web Site". keokuk.net. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ "1875 Keokuk Westerns". keokuk.net. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
External links
edit
.jpg){kind=small} | This article about a baseball team in Iowa is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |