OTD September 29, 1935: What's A New York City Baseball Fan To Do?

From the desk: TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME

September 29, 1935: 

What's A New York City Baseball Fan To Do? 

On a chilly day in Gotham, with the general baseball season drawing to a close, fans throughout the boroughs scattered about one last time to cheer their favorites on.  Whether you lived in Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, or Brooklyn, once you stepped outside your place of abode, a high-quality ball game could be found within walking distance or at most just a few miles down the road.

DEXTER PARK, Woodhaven, Queens

GAME ONE - Behind the pitching of long-time Brooklyn Dodger Dazzy Vance, Bushwick sweeps both ends of a doubleheader against the Cuban Stars of Havana before a crowd of 7,500 fans.  The 44-year old right-hander holds the Cuban Stars to no runs on two infield hits with nine strikeouts over six innings pitched for the win.  Charley Perkins hurls three scoreless innings in relief of Vance to preserve the shutout.  Bushwick pushed across two runs in the third.  Afterwhich, the score remained unchanged.  

GAME TWO - Bushwich and the Cuban Stars dual through ten innings to a two-all tie - the game was called on account of darkness.  Starter Jim Duffy yields just two runs.  Bushwick scores single runs in the fifth and sixth innings.  The Cuban stars score twice in the visitor's seventh.

DYCKMAN OVAL, Harlem, Manhattan

Before a crowd of 10,000 fans, Babe Ruth headlines a team of All-Stars in a doubleheader against the New York Cubans featuring future Hall of Famers Martín Dihigo, Alejandro Oms, and Lázaro Salazar.  The New York Cubans win both games.  Babe Ruth flawlessly handled twelve chances playing first base in game one, along with a walk and double in five trips to the plate.  Playing without Ruth in game two, the All-Stars fall to the New York Cubans by a 14-6 final score in six innings.

YANKEE STADIUM, Bronx

In the last two games of the season, before a crowd of 16,000 at the stadium, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox split games of a doubleheader.  Shortstop Nolan Richardson goes 2 for 3 with a triple and two runs batted in, but Jumbo Brown takes the loss in game one.  In the final game of the season, future Hall of Famer Red Ruffing hurls a two-hit shutout over the Red Sox.  The Yankees finish three games out of first place behind the Detroit Tigers.

EBBETS FIELD, Brooklyn

The Brooklyn Dodgers close out their regular season with a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies before 5,000 fans.  Brooklyn's Van Mungo hurls a two-hit shutout with no walks and a season-high fifteen strikeouts for the win in game one.  Third baseman Joe Stripp homers for the Dodgers.  Philadelphia and Brooklyn play to a four-all tie through eight innings in game two.  Dodger second baseman Vince Sherlock goes 4 for 4 with a run batted in.

BAY RIDGE OVAL, 15 Avenue at 86 Street, Brooklyn

Not more than two miles north from where I presently live, the Bay Ridge Club closes out their regular season with a twin-bill sweep of the New Brunswick Club of New Jersey.

ERASMUS FIELD, Gravesend Avenue at Avenue M, Brooklyn

Not more than two miles east from where I presently live, the Bay Parkway Dukes defeat the New York Black Yankees in the first game of a doubleheader by an 8-7 final score.  The teams then duel to a three-all tie in game two after eight innings.

• Times Union (Brooklyn, NY), Monday, September 30, 1935

OTD at Ebbets Field 9/8/1935: In the Crispus Attucks Community Council Benefit Doubleheader, the Philly Stars and New York Cubans Play to Nine-Inning Tie; Pittsburgh Crawfords Defeat Brooklyn Eagles

From the desk: WHERE THE EAGLES LEARNED TO FLY

The New York Age, Saturday, September 7, 1935

On Sunday, September 8, 1935, a charity doubleheader is staged at Ebbets Field for the Crispus Attucks Community Council of Brooklyn.  "The Council, named for a Negro patriot killed in the Boston Massacre of 1770, conducts relief work among Brooklyn's Negros."

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Saturday, September 7, 1935

The first game pits the New York Cubans, winners of the Negro National League's second half, against the 1934 champion Philadelphia Stars.  The second game features the Pittsburgh Crawfords, the Negro National League first-half winners, versus the Brooklyn Eagles.  No less than ten future Hall of Famers, including the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame, participate in the twin bill benefit.

The New York Age, Saturday, September 7, 1935

Times Union (Brooklyn, NY), Saturday, September 7, 1935

"The Cubans-Philly game will be a grudge battle because it was the Cubans, second-half champions, who knocked the Stars out of a chance to defend their league title in a series the other weekend." - Times-Union.

NEGRO NATIONAL LEAGUE

PHILADELPHIA STARS vs. NEW YORK CUBANS

GAME ONE - The Philadelphia Stars and New York Cubans duel to a two-all tie.  Extra innings are not played to begin the second game on time.  

Right-hander Webster McDonald starts for Philadelphia and is opposed by Johnny Taylor for New York.  After five scoreless innings, Philly takes a 2-0 lead in the sixth.  The Cubans knot the game in the eighth.  Johnny Taylor yields just two hits and three walks with five strikeouts through seven innings pitched.  In relief of Taylor, southpaw Neck Stanley allows one hit and one walk over the final two innings.  Webster McDonald surrenders nine hits, two for extra bases, and three walks with six strikeouts. 

Left fielder Chaney White, second baseman Obie Lackey, and center fielder Lloyd Davenport account for Philadelphia's three hits.  Meanwhile, first baseman Jud Wilson and catcher Biz Mackey are held hitless in four at-bats apiece.  Right fielder Ted Page and McDonald score for Philly.

New York left fielder Lázaro Salazar leads the Cubans with three hits, including a double.  Center fielder Alejandro Oms also doubles.  Playing third base, Martín Dihigo and right fielder Clyde Spearman each singled and scored.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Monday, September 9, 1935

NEGRO NATIONAL LEAGUE

PITTSBURGH CRAWFORDS vs. BROOKLYN EAGLES

GAME TWO - The Brooklyn Eagles open with a run in the third, but the Crawfords promptly answer with two in the fourth.  Brooklyn ties the score in the bottom half of the fourth, then retakes the lead in fifth.  But the Eagles would score no more.  Pittsburgh left-hander Leroy Matlock holds the Eagles scoreless over the final four frames.  

In the meantime, the Crawfords erupt for two runs in the sixth, three in the seventh, and five more in the eighth.  After holding Pittsburgh hitless over the first three innings, Brooklyn Eagle starter Leon Day is knocked out of the box, but not before yielding twelve runs on twelve hits and five walks with three strikeouts through 7.1 innings pitched.  Right-hander Will Jackman fares no better, allowing four hits while failing to retire a batter.  In relief of Jackman, Terris McDuffie limits the Crawfords to a single hit over the final 1.2 innings.

The Crawfords get credited with eight outfield putouts and fifteen infield putouts but only three infield assists and one by shortstop Chester Williams.  The point here is the Brooklyn Eagles make solid contact, alas to no avail.  First baseman George Giles and second baseman Harry Williams lead Brooklyn with two hits each.  Williams and left fielder Fats Jenkins both hit for extra bases and scored.  Catcher Tex Burnett accounts for Brooklyn's third run.  But it's worth noting Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe was not a participant.  Otherwise, Pittsburgh Crawford starter Leroy Matlock allows eight hits and no walks with three strikeouts for the win.

All nine Crawford batters hit safely.  Chester Williams and Matlock lead the team with three hits each.  Leadoff man Cool Papa Bell wields two hits and scored twice; catcher Josh Gibson goes 2 for 4 with two runs scored; first baseman Oscar Charleston singled and scored in four trips, and third baseman Judy Johnson and right fielder Jimmy Crutchfield each hit for extra bases.

The Negro National League championship games between the 

Pittsburgh Crawford and the New York Cubans are forthcoming.

OTD 6/28/1935: Bay Ridge Falls in Ninth Inning to New York Cubans at Dykman Oval

From the desk: NEGRO LEAGUES & BROOKLYN SEMIPOROS

Times Union (Brooklyn, New York)

On Friday, June 28, 1935, Brooklyn's Bay Ridge nine fall in a tightly contested affair against the New York Cubans at Dykman Oval, Inwood section of Manhattan.

New York opens the scoring in the sixth, and Bay Ridge ties the game in the seventh.  Lopez scores for the Cubans, and starter Joe Stryker crosses the plate for Bay Ridge.   Otherwise, Joe Stryker and the Cubans' tandem of Heliodoro Diaz and Luis Tiant duel to a one-all tie through eight.

Facing Stryker in the home ninth, right fielder Alejandro Oms triples off the right-field wall, then scores the winning run on first baseman Lazaro Salazar's base hit.

In a hard-luck loss, Joe Stryker yields but two runs on six hits and just one walk through nine.  Diaz walks one and strikes out three but exits to a no-decision.  Luis Tiant earns the win in relief of Stryker.

Fritz Knothe leads Bay Ridge with three hits, and Jeff McDonald wields a triple in the seven but is left stranded.

When Paterson Was The World: Negro Leagues Baseball at Hinchliffe Stadium

From the desk of: NEGRO LEAGUES CENTENNIAL

1932  ~  HINCHLIFFE STADIUM  ~  1997

"SILK CITY STADIUM"

Perched on a hilltop overlooking the Passaic River and neighboring Great Falls, New Jersey's historic Hinchliffe Stadium is named after the depression era Paterson Mayor John Hinchliffe.  Built during his administration, the park is one of just a few ballparks still standing to host Negro Leagues baseball games.

• Others include famous Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama; Hamtramck Stadium in Hamtramck, Michigan; Cooper Stadium, Columbus, Ohio; Cleveland's League Park and Jacksonville's J.P. Small Memorial Stadium.

Paterson resident John Ellerbee is one among a crew of locals who help build Hinchliffe Stadium - a 10,000 capacity cast concrete oval in Art Deco style, with an infield configuration and outfield dimensions somewhat resembling those of the Polo Grounds.  On July 8, 1932, Hinchliffe opened for business.  Third baseman John Ellerbee plays at Hinchliffe with the Paterson semi-pro Smart Set club alongside two young teammates named Monte Irvin and Larry Doby.

Barnstormers and independents immediately flock to Hinchliffe - which provided unsegregated seating and racially integrated play.  As word spread, Hinchliffe became known not only as on the most beautiful but one of the most welcoming stadiums in the state, according to Friends of Hinchliffe Stadium.

Negro National League II Arrives at
 Hinchliffe Stadium

I - NEW YORK BLACK YANKEES (1931-1948)

Founded in 1931 as the independent Harlem Black Bombers, then rebranded as the New York Harlem Stars, the club initially plays home games at the Polo Grounds and Dykman Oval in upper Manhattan.  By 1932 the club is recognized as the New York Black Yankees partly owned by famous entertainer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.

• According to NegroLeagueMuseum.com, the New York Black Yankees franchise is basically an extension of the New York Lincoln Giants who fold after the 1930 season.  In 1931 John Henry "Pop" Loyd managed the Harlem Stars' interim team, which serves as a bridge between the two long-time franchises.

In 1933 they take up residence at Hinchliffe Stadium and stay through 1937, then return during the 1939-1945 seasons.  For one season in 1938, they play home games at Triborough Stadium on Randall's Island, and from 1941 through 1947, they also famously play at Yankee Stadium.

On Sept. 22, 1933, Hinchliffe Stadium hosts the "Colored Championship of the Nation" featuring the New York Black Yankees versus the Philadelphia Stars.  The latter defeat the Black Yankees fourteen runs to eight.  The 1933 Stars feature Hall of Fame members Jud Wilson and Biz Mackey, while the Black Yankees boast notables Walter Cannady, Fats Jenkins, John Beckwith, George Scales, and Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe.

On July 13, 1935, New York Black Yankees pitcher Terris McDuffie pitches an 8-0 no-hitter against House of David at Hinchliffe Stadium.  Led at the plate by Dave Thomas, Thad Christopher, and Pete Washington, the New York Black Yankees top the 1935 Independent Clubs standings.

In 1936 they joined the Negro National League II.  Over the next twelve seasons, Hall of Famers Willie Wells, Mule Suttles, and Satchel Paige variously take turns donning a Black Yankees uniform and plying their respective talents in front of NY/NJ metropolitan area crowds.

But to thwart declining attendance due to Jackie Robinson's arrival at Ebbets Field and to separate themselves from other metro area competition (namely the New York Cubans and Brooklyn Royal Giants), the Black Yankees uproot local operations after the 1947 season and relocate to upstate Rochester, N.Y., where after the 1948 season they ultimately fold all operations.

II - NEW YORK CUBANS II (1935-1950)

The New York Cubans (reorganized under owner Alex Pompez) also take up residence at Hinchliffe Stadium in time for the 1935 season and, like the Black Yankees, waste no time hosting some of the game's premier teams and players.

The Pittsburgh Crawfords capture the 1935 Negro National League II first-half title and finish in first place overall, while the New York Cubans recover from a poor start to finish the season in third place and win the second half flag.  On Sept. 13, Hinchliffe Stadium hosts game one of the Championship Series.  The Paterson watches Cubans starter Frank Blake yield just four hits against a Crawfords lineup that features such greats as Oscar Charleston, Josh Gibson, Pat Patterson, Judy Johnson, Sam Bankhead, Cool Papa Bell, and Jimmie Crutchfield.  

Facing Pittsburgh starter Harry Kincannon, New York's lineup featuring Lázaro Salazar, Alejandro Oms, Martín Dihigo, Rap Dixon, Clyde Spearman, and Dave Thomas defeat the Crawfords nine to three.  Games two and three are held at the Polo Grounds.  In-game two, New York's John "Neck" Stanley whitewashes the Crawfords on just four hits.  The series then shifts to Pittsburgh.  In game four, Martin Dihigo is opposed by Crawfords' starter Leroy Matlock.  New York wins the game six to one, giving the Cubans a commanding 3-1 series lead.  However, the Crawfords win game five at Pittsburgh, then sweep the next two games held at Philadelphia to win the championship.

After 1936 the New York Cubans fail to field a team for the next two seasons.

They resume playing in 1939 as members of the Negro National League II.  

In 1941, the New York Cubans line-up featured Caribbean Leagues star Juan "Tetelo" Vargas (who leads the team with a .327 average) and Pedro Cepeda (father to Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda).  Others include Ramón Heredia, Clemente "Sungo" Carreras, Francisco "Pancho" Coimbre, and Dave Barnhill.  The Homestead Grays are first-half champs and finish in first place overall.  New York wins the second-half flag, but bow to the Homestead Grays three games to one in the Championship Series.

The Cubans in 1943 and 1944 post-back-to-back second-place finishes again behind the Homestead Grays.

At the same time Jackie Robinson is breaking in with the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Cubans are still splitting games between Hinchliffe and the Polo Grounds.  In 1947 the Newark Eagles won the Negro National League II first-half flag, and the Cubans win the second half flag and finish in first place overall.  There is no playoff, and thus New York is declared the champion.  Led by Luis "Lefty" Tiant (father of Boston Red Sox pitching great Luis Tiant) and Orestes "Minnie" Minoso, the New York Cubans go on to defeat the Negro American League champion Cleveland Buckeyes for the 1947 Negro World Series Championship.

The New York Cubans affiliation with the Negro National League II ends after the 1948 season.  The National Trust for Historic Preservation says the (independent) New York Cubans continue playing games at Hinchliffe Stadium until the team folded in 1950.

Newark Eagles Swoop Through
 Hinchliffe Stadium

Hailing from nearby Orange, N.J., Monte Irvin plays ball for East Orange High School and the Paterson semi-pro Smart Set when, during a Newark Eagles tryout at Hinchliffe Stadium, he is scouted and signed in 1937 by Abe Manley.  Monte makes a brief debut in 1938 as a 19-year old but effectively begins his Hall of Fame career in earnest the following season.  Shortly after that, a 17-year old local Paterson resident Larry Doby in 1942 is likewise signed by Abe Manley during a Newark Eagles tryout held at Hinchliffe Stadium.  However, Doby's upbringing is far more intertwined and, for that matter, intimately connected with Paterson's sports complex, for Larry is All-State in football, basketball, and baseball.  In 1941 and 1942, he leads Eastside High School to consecutive championships at Hinchliffe Stadium.  Monte and Larry play at Hinchliffe as teammates with the Smart Set; they visit Hinchliffe together as members of the Newark Eagles; then oppose each other in the 1954 World Series pitting the New York Giants versus the Cleveland Indians.  They are two of only four players to play in both a Negro World Series and a major league World Series, according to Negro League Baseball Museum.

List of Legends Who Play at Hinchliffe Stadium

American Hall of Fame/Cuban Hall of Fame

Over twenty future Hall of Famers
play games at Hinchliffe Stadium:

JOSH GIBSON    OSCAR CHARLESTON    SATCHEL PAIGE    WILLIE FOSTER  

LARRY DOBY    MONTE IRVIN

WILLIAM "Judy" JOHNSON    JAMES "Cool Papa" BELL    JOHN HENRY "Pop" LOYD

JAMES "Biz" MACKEY    GEORGE "Mule" SUTTLES

RAY DANDRIDGE    WILLIE WELLS    JUD WILSON    TURKEY STEARNS 

BUCK LEONARD    LEON DAY    RAY BROWN

American/Cuban Hall of Fame
MARTÍN DIHIGO **

Cuban Hall of Fame
ALEJANDRO OMS    LÁZARO SALAZAR

As Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby begin integrating major league baseball and other premiere African-American players follow, so begins the Negro Leagues baseball enterprise's demise.  Hinchliffe Stadium is forced into hosting more varied sporting events such as boxing and auto racing.  In 1963 the Paterson school district took over ownership of the stadium.  It remains in use through the 1980s when the original dirt and grass playing surface is replaced with astroturf.  The infield is also rotated clockwise from its actual alignment.  All the while, Hinchliffe Stadium falls further and further into widespread disrepair.  By 1997 extensive deterioration and matters of public safety force its closure. Hinchliffe is chained shut and ignored, left unattended to fend against relentless nature and weathering.

Finally, the restoration of Hinchliffe Stadium begins in earnest when in 2013, the National Park Service designates the park as a National Historic Landmark.  It also stands as baseball's only Historic Landmark.  Seven years later, the National Trust for Historic Preservation lists the stadium as one of the country's most endangered historic places.  Both are essential steps towards renovating the complex.  Last year, work commenced on the facade, ticket windows, decorative tile, main entrance gate, and (most recently) the cast concrete stadium signs.

Better yet, the Paterson city council earlier this month (August) approved a tax break for developers to rebuild their historic stadium.  The mega project includes senior housing, parking, and a restaurant.  Groundbreaking is expected in October with a grand opening in two years, according to newyork.cbs.com.

Larry Doby "... had fond memories of those times." - Larry Doby Jr.

Hopefully, Larry's field of dreams is restored in a manner befitting its former glory.