Baseball
Baseball
1867: A Base Ball match for tho
Championship of the State, was, played at Nashville on the
12th,
by the Holston Club of Knoxville, and the Nashville, resulting In
tho following score
Nashville 84; Knoxville 10. (Source: The
Athens post. (Athens, Tenn.), 18 Sept. 1868. Chronicling
America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
Link
Base Ball. The lovers of the national
game dad quite a lively time in our city last week. Some
time ago
a match game for tbe cbampionsbipof the State was agreed upon
between the Mountain City
Club of Chattanooga, and the Holston
Club of Knoxville. The first of three games. was played at
Chattinooga, in which the Mountain City wa victorious. The game here
was the second of three, and
resultod in favor of tbe Holston by
a score of 52 to 31. The final game will come off at Cleveland or
Chattanooga in a short time.
On Friday night a concert was given
to tbe Mountain City boys at tbe Lamar House, which is
spoken of
quite a success. They were escorted to town on thoir arrival here on
Friday morning by
f tbe different clubs of this city in full
uniform, headed by the Knoxville Brass Band, and were entertainel at
tbe Bell House during their sojourn here.
On Saturday a match
game came off between the Knoxville and City Clubs of this place, in
which
the city club was victorious. (Source: Brownlow's
Knoxville Whig. (Knoxville, Tenn.), 18 Sept. 1867.
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of
Congress.
Link
On tomorrow & match game will be
played between the Holston Club of this city,
and the Gate City
Club of Atlanta, Ga. The game will come off on the grounds of the
Knoxville
Club. (Source: Brownlow's Knoxville Whig.
(Knoxville, Tenn.), 27 Nov. 1867. Chronicling America: Historic
American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.,
Link
Baldwin Park
1895: Col. Frank Moffett's Knoxville Reds played on the Baldwin Field.
The Knoxville Indians took up residence at Baldwin Park for a period of two years, starting what would become a lengthy and rich tradition in the Knoxville area.
1902: Frank Moffett annouced this line
up for the Indians: Albert Douning, catcher; John W. Fox, pitcher;
Pat Wright, pitcher; A H Bohanan, pitcher; Geo. W McConnell, first
baseman; Fritz Hoffmann, second base; Tim Fox, third base, E B
Wallace, stortstop; Tom Yeager, left field; Frank Moffett, center
field and one of the pitchers playing right field.
"The Knoxville Reds played at Baldwin Park off Dale Avenue; admission to the wooden grandstand was 75 cents, or 50 cents for bleacher" (Source:The Southern League: Baseball in Dixie, 1885-1994, Bill O'Neal, Eakin Press, 1994, p. 256)
The Knoxville Reds played the Maysville (Kentucky) Champions at Baldwin Park before a crowd of 2,500 people. This was the largest crowd ever to watch a baseball game in Knoxville.(Source: Daily public ledger. (Maysville, Ky.), 22 July 1895. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86069117/1895-07-22/ed-1/seq-1/>
1909
The Appalachians, played in the South Atlantic League (Class C)
In 1928, it was reported that there were 40-70 amateur teams in the area, but a serious lack of baseball fields. Knoxville and Central High do not have baseball fields and neither does the University of Tennessee.
Smithson Stadium
1931: Knoxville's baseball season opens when Chattanooga plays the Smokeys in the new Smithson Stadium.
1953: In 1953, a struggling Smokies team played on a field on Chapman Highway.
1954:
Knoxville $6000,000 Municipal Stadium opened on April 22nd 1954. The Smokeys played Rock Hill. General grandstand seats were 35ยข and children under 12 were free. People seemed to be happy with the new stadium, but there calls for the roads leading to the stagium to be improved, for more parking and some landscaping. The Knoxville Municipal Stagium was renamed Bill Meyer Stadium which was torn down in 2003.
Chilhowee Parks Baseball Field
Used for amateur baseball, with lights added in 1954.
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