Illinois–Missouri League

The Illinois–Missouri League was an American minor league baseball league. The Class D league began operations in 1908, and continued through 1914 with teams located in Illinois and Missouri. The Lincoln Abes won consecutive league titles in 1912–1913. Baseball Hall of Fame members Grover Cleveland Alexander (1909 Galesburg Boosters) and Ray Schalk (1911 Taylorville Christians) are league alumni.

Illinois–Missouri League
ClassificationClass D (1908–1914)
SportMinor League Baseball
First season1908
Ceased1914
PresidentA. E. Blain (1908–19110)
R.E. Rollins (1911)
Charles A. Cline (1912–1914)
No. of teams17
CountryUnited States of America
Most titles2
Lincoln Abes (1912–1913)
Related
competitions
Central Association

Cities represented: 1908–1914

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Standings and statistics

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1908 Illinois–Missouri League
The league was formed. Newly formed teams in Canton, Illinois, Galesburg, Illinois, Hannibal, Missouri, Havana, Illinois, Macomb, Illinois, and Monmouth, Illinois were the charter cities in the league.

Team standings W L PCT GB Managers
Hannibal Cannibals 68 49 .581 Bert Hough
Macomb Potters 66 53 .555 3.0 Jap Wagner
Havana Perfectos 58 61 .487 11.0 Mike Sampson / Fred Kommers
Canton Chinks 56 61 .479 12.0 Rodney Turner / Charles Murphy
Monmouth Browns 55 62 .470 13.0 Robert Hyde / Charles Karnell
Galesburg Hornets 50 67 .427 18.0 Clyde Horne / Andy Mueller /
John Grogan / Jerry Smith[1]
Player statistics
Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
Fred Kommers Havana BA .349 Henry Rossback Galesburg W 21
Fred Kommers Havana Runs 75 Charles Fanning Canton SO 200
Fred Kommers Havana Hits 153 Curly Curtis Macomb Pct .714; 15–6
Fred Kommers Havana HR 11

1909 Illinois–Missouri League
Hannibal left the to join the American Association. The Havana Perfectos folded. The Beardstown Infants and Pekin Celestials joined the league.

Team Standings W L PCT GB Managers
Monmouth Browns 77 50 .606 Jack Corbett
Beardstown Infants 77 52 .597 1.0 Harry Riggons
Pekin Celestials 73 57 .562 5.5 Doug Jeffries /
Harry Horton / Walter Diehl
Macomb Potters 63 67 .485 15.5 Orville Wolfe
Canton Chinks 51 79 .392 27.5 Harry Lloyd
Galesburg Boosters 47 83 .362 31.5 W.C. Dithridge[1]
Player statistics
Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
Andy Lotshaw Beardstown BA .329 Homer Hargrove Monmouth W 27
Andy Lotshaw Beardstown Runs 72 Joe Jenkins Pekin W 27
Andy Lotshaw Beardstown Hits 146 Charles Fanning Canton SO 249
Cy Forsythe Pekin HR 7 Homer Hargrove Monmouth Pct .750; 27–9
Will Johnston Monmouth HR 7
Fred Johnson Canton HR 7

1910 Illinois–Missouri League
The teams from Galesburg and Monmouth joined the Central Association. The Clinton Champs and Lincoln Abes joined the league. Beardstown moved to Jacksonville, Illinois on July 21, and folded with Macomb on August 17.[2] schedule

Team standings W L PCT GB Managers
Pekin Celestials 66 47 .584 William Hickey / Bill Dithridge
Clinton Champs 58 57 .504 9.0 Monte McFarland /
Claude Suttles / Charles Cline
Canton Chinks 55 62 .470 13.0 Elmer Smith / M. McDonald
Lincoln Abes 43 71 .377 23.5 James Novacek / Bill Salliard
Macomb Potters 50 43 .538 NA Stewart
Beardstown Infants /
Jacksonville Jacks
44 36 .550 NA Jack Corbett / Pants Rowland

Beardstown (38–26) moved to Jacksonville July 21; Jacksonville disbanded August 17; Macomb disbanded August 17.[1]

Player statistics
Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
Cy Forsythe Pekin BA .380 Joe Jenkins Pekin W 27
Walter Diehl
Charles O'Berta
Pekin
Macomb/Lincoln
Runs 72
72
Joe Jenkins Pekin SO 242
Will Lindberg Clinton Hits 138 Joe Jenkins Pekin Pct .771; 27–8
Al Dean Pekin/Clinton HR 5

1911 Illinois–Missouri League
New teams in Champaign-Urbana Velvets and Taylorville Christians joined the league. schedule

Team standings W L PCT GB Managers
Clinton Champs 74 55 .574 Claude Suttles
Pekin Celestials 72 55 .567 1.0 Jack Herbert
Champaign-Urbana Velvets 66 60 .524 6.5 John Thiery / Fred Donovan
Canton Chinks 60 62 .492 10.5 Fred "Blackie" Wilson
Lincoln Abes 59 64 .480 12.0 Conley / Bill Salliard /
James Brady / Charles Vaught /
Jack Corbett
Taylorville Christians 47 82 .364 27.0 Fred Donovan /
Joe Adams / R.M. "Oscar" Denney

[1]

Player statistics
Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
Andy Lotshaw Canton BA .355 Joab McManus Canton W 32
Will Lindberg Clinton Runs 94 Joab McManus Canton SO 243
Andy Lotshaw Canton Hits 160 Fred Marks Clinton Pct .727; 24–9
Andy Lotshaw Canton HR 29

1912 Illinois–Missouri League
Taylorville folded. The Streator Speedboys joined the league. The Champaign–Urbana Velvets changed their name to the Champaign Velvets. Clinton moved to Kankakee, Illinois on May 16 with a 2–5 record; thereafter, they went 54–51 as the Kankakee Kanks. schedule

Team standings W L PCT GB Managers
Lincoln Abes 70 47 .598 Louis Ehrgott
Pekin Celestials 61 55 .526 8.5 Jack Herbert
Canton Highlanders 57 56 .504 11.0 Unknown
Clinton Champs /
Kankakee Kanks
56 56 .500 11.5 Claude Suttles / Fred "Blackie" Wilson
Champaign Velvets 53 64 .453 17.0 Chuck Fleming
Streator Speedboys 46 65 .414 21.0 Jack Leuter

[1]

Player statistics
Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
Polly Wolfe Lincoln BA .374 Clarence Vaught Lincoln W 22
Polly Wolfe Lincoln Runs 89 Fred Witte Champaign SO 211
Polly Wolfe Lincoln Hits 164 N. Entrich Champaign Pct .786; 11–3
Andy Lotshaw Canton HR 11

1913 Illinois–Missouri League
Canton and Pekin folded on July 10, before the end of the season. The league instituted a split–season schedule. The playoff system developed in which the best record of the first–half of the season would play the best record of the second–half of the season. schedule

Team standings W L PCT GB Managers
Lincoln Abes 57 26 .686 Louis Ehrgott
Champaign Velvets 53 32 .623 5.0 Fred "Blackie" Wilson
Kankakee Kanks 35 51 .407 23.5 Red Kelly
Streator Boosters 30 57 .345 29.0 Bob Coyle / Nick Kahl
Pekin Celestials# 23 26 .469 NA Jack Herbert
Canton Chinks 20 26 .435 NA Ted Raines

Playoff: Lincoln won the first half, Lincoln & Champaign tied for the second half. Lincoln was awarded the championship when Champaign refused to play off the second half tie.[1]

Player statistics
Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
Fred Dang Lincoln BA .412 Clarence Vaught Lincoln W 21
Dick Higgins Lincoln Runs 65 Clarence Vaught Lincoln SO 166
A.J. Holtzhouser Kankakee Hits 118 Ernest Hook Lincoln Pct .889; 16–2
Roy Phillips Streator HR 13

1914 Illinois–Missouri League
The LaSalle Blue Sox and Ottawa Indians formed and joined the league. Kankakee and Lincoln both folded on July 3, before the season ended. schedule

Team standings W L PCT GB Managers
Champaign Velvets 62 27 .696 Fred "Blackie" Wilson
Ottawa Indians 47 38 .553 13.0 Chuck Fleming
Streator Boosters 40 48 .454 21.5 John Ray / Heinie Seebach
LaSalle Blue Sox 26 60 .302 34.5 Tony Hinley / John Fitzpatrick
Lincoln Abes 32 15 .681 NA Louis Ehrgott
Kankakee Kanks 14 33 .301 NA Ted Raines / Harry Randall /
Gene Connelly / William Hinley

Lincoln & Kankakee disbanded July 3.
Ottawa and Streator left the league to join the Bi-State League. The teams in Champaign and LaSalle folded, and the league itself folded.[1]

Player statistics
Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
Andy Lotshaw Champaign-Urbana BA .320 Grover Baichley Champaign-Urbana W 15
Chuck Fleming Ottawa Runs 68 Grover Baichley Champaign-Urbana SO 174
Andy Lotshaw Champaign-Urbana Hits 108 Grover Baichley Champaign-Urbana Pct .938; 15–1
Andy Lotshaw Champaign-Urbana HR 10

[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
  2. ^ "Illinois-Missouri League (D) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.

External references

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  • Sumner, Benjamin Barrett. Minor League Baseball Standings:All North American Leagues, Through 1999. Jefferson, N.C.:McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0781-6