Tri-State League
The Tri-State League was the name of six different circuits in American minor league baseball.
History
The first league of that name played for four years and consisted of teams in Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia. The Canton Nadjys won the 1889 Tri State League championship. Cy Young pitched for the Nadjys in his first professional season and acquired his "Cy" nickname while pitching for Canton.The second league, played from 1904–1914, and had member clubs in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The League contested its 1904 championship game in Philadelphia between York and Williamsport and attracted 3,500 fans to the Phillies' ball park
Charles F. Carpenter was president from 1906 to 1913.
During the 1920s, two versions of the Tri-State League briefly existed: a 1924 loop with clubs in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota, and a 1925–1926 association located in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas.
In the late 1930s another iteration existed for two years, composed of six teams from Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana in its first season, and just four teams excluding Indiana in its second.
The most recent incarnation of the league was the post-World War II Tri-State, a Class B circuit with clubs in Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. This league, which played from 1946–1955, typically included clubs in Charlotte, Asheville, Knoxville, Rock Hill and Spartanburg; most of its teams were affiliated with Major League Baseball farm systems.
The attendance crisis in the minor leagues of the 1950s—and the defection of clubs like Charlotte to higher-classification loops—eventually took its toll on the Tri-State League. In its last season, 1955, there were only four clubs in the league. Its last champion was the Spartanburg Peaches, an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.
There were teams in southern Maryland that played in a "Tri-State League" in at least the 60s, 70s, and the 80s. There was a team called the Pomonkey Giants associated with a Pomonkey social club in Pomonkey Maryland. They played teams in Berry Road near La Plata, Maryland and in Hughesville among others. It was very much a rural league and almost totally black players. The team is mentioned in the obituary of a player and coach, George Dyson, Jr in 2020.
One of the most extensive discussions of this Tri-State League explains how integration of Major League baseball led to the demise of the Negro leagues. It became neighborhood baseball.
Teams
1887
- Played as Ohio State League
1888–1890
- Akron Akrons
- Canton
- Canton Nadjys
- Columbus Senators
- Dayton Reds
- Hamilton
- Jackson Jaxons
- Kalamazoo Kazoos
- Lima Lushers
- Mansfield Pioneers
- McKeesport Tubers
- Sandusky Fish Eaters
- Springfield
- Toledo Maumees
- Wheeling Nail Cities
- Wheeling Nailers
- Youngstown Giants
- Zanesville Kickapoos
1904–1914
- Allentown
- Altoona Mountaineers
- Altoona Rams
- Atlantic City
- Camden
- Chester
- Harrisburg Senators
- Johnstown Johnnies
- Johnstown Jawns
- Johnstown Johns
- Lancaster Red Roses
- Lebanon
- Reading Pretzels
- Shamokin
- Trenton Tigers 1907–1914
- Williamsport Millionaires
- Wilmington Peaches
- Wilmington Chicks
- York Penn Parks
- York White Roses
1924
- Beatrice Blues
- Grand Island Islanders
- Hastings Cubs
- Norfolk Elk Horns
- Sioux City Cardinals
- Sioux Falls Canaries
1925–1926
- Blytheville Tigers
- Corinth Corinthians
- Dyersburg Deers
- Jackson Giants
- Jackson Jays
- Jonesboro Buffaloes
- Sheffield-Tuscumbia Twins
- Tupelo Wolves
1938–1939
- Chicago Harley Mills
- Elgin All-Stars
- Fort Wayne Harvesters
- Madison Blues
- Sheboygan Chairmakers
- Spencer Coals
1946–1955
- Anderson A's
- Anderson Rebels
- Asheville Tourists
- Charlotte Hornets
- Fayetteville Cubs
- Florence Steelers
- Gastonia Rockets
- Greenville Spinners
- Greenwood Tigers
- Knoxville Smokies
- Reidsville Luckies
- Rock Hill Chiefs
- Shelby Cubs
- Spartanburg Spartans
- Spartanburg Peaches
- Sumter Chicks
Standings & statistics
1888 – 1890
1888 Tri-State League -President: W.H. McDermith
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
| Lima Lushers | 74 | 35 | .679 | – | William Harrington |
| Wheeling Nail Cities | 71 | 43 | .623 | 5½ | Bill Otterson / Al Buckenberger |
| Columbus Senators | 64 | 50 | .561 | 12½ | Jim Curry / Frank Arnold |
| Canton | 50 | 64 | .439 | 26½ | William Zecher / J.H. Harmon |
| Toledo Maumees | 46 | 68 | .403 | 30½ | Harry Smith / Frank Mountain / Robert Wood |
| Mansfield Pioneers | 43 | 74 | .368 | 35 | Frank Torreyson / Frank O'Brien / James Green / Ed Darrow |
| Jackson Jaxons | 30 | 83 | .264 | 46 | George Burbridge / Jim Curry/ Jay Moore / James Trayy |
| Kalamazoo Kazoos | 62 | 37 | .626 | NA | Norris O'Neil |
| Zanesville Kickapoos | 63 | 39 | .618 | NA | Peter McShannic / Al Swift William Harrington |
| Sandusky Fish Eaters | 44 | 54 | .449 | NA | Horace Lockwood / James Hever / W.E. Rutter |
Kalamazoo, Zanesville and Sandusky disbanded.
No playoffs held.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot |
| John Kirby | Lima | BA | .369 |
| Sam Nichol | Wheeling | Runs | 112 |
| Buck West | Colum/Wheel | Hits | 150 |
| Sam Nichol | Wheeling | Hits | 150 |
| George Rooks | Lima | HR | 13 |
| Henry Fuller | Lima | SB | 103 |
1889 Tri-State League
President: W.H. McDermith
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
| Canton Nadjys | 67 | 37 | .644 | – | William Harrington |
| Springfield | 61 | 48 | .560 | 8½ | Walter Jennison / Lewis Hill / Harry Fisher |
| Mansfield Indians | 59 | 50 | .541 | 10½ | Christopher Meisel / Robert Carey / Jack Remsen |
| Dayton Reds | 52 | 54 | .491 | 16 | Frank Jones / Timothy Donovan / Frank O'Brien |
| Hamilton | 41 | 65 | .387 | 27 | D.C. Blandy / Edward Hengle |
| Wheeling Nailers | 41 | 67 | .380 | 28 | Ben Sullivan / Sam Nichol / Howell / John Dunn / John Wright / John Crogan |
No Playoffs held.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
| John Ryn | Canton | BA | .358 | Henry Morrison | Mansfield | W | 23 | |
| Dusty Miller | Canton | Runs | 129 | R.J. Riley | Canton | PCT | .813 13-3 | |
| John Ryn | Canton | Hits | 150 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Joseph Sharpe | Canton | SB | 83 | - | - | - | - | - |
1890 Tri-State League
President: W.H. McDermith
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
| Mansfield Indians | 49 | 25 | .662 | – | George Greer |
| Wheeling Nailers | 39 | 32 | .549 | 8½ | Bob Glenalvin / Bill George |
| Youngstown Giants | 38 | 33 | .535 | 9½ | Harry Morton / Michael Cody |
| Akron Akrons | 38 | 38 | .500 | 12 | Charles Pike |
| McKeesport | 36 | 44 | .450 | 16 | Alexander Voss / Frank Torreyson |
| Canton Nadjys | 26 | 48 | .351 | 23 | William Heingartner / James Peeples / Cecero Hiner / Jack Grogan |
| Dayton Reds | 31 | 27 | .534 | NA | Timothy Donovan |
| Springfield | 24 | 34 | .414 | NA | Harry Fisher |
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot |
| Fred Osborne | Wheeling | BA | .397 |
| Frank Goodryder | Mansfield | Runs | 81 |
| Fred Betts | Spring/Wheel | Hits | 113 |
| Frank Motz | Akron | HR | 14 |
1924
Tri-State League-Class DPresident: Richard R. Grotto
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
| Beatrice Blues | 35 | 30 | .538 | - | Ed Reichle |
| Sioux Falls Canaries | 35 | 30 | .538 | - | Frank Boyle |
| Norfolk Elk Horns | 31 | 30 | .508 | 2 | Nig Lane |
| Grand Island Islanders | 32 | 32 | .500 | 2½ | Jake Kraninger |
| Hastings Cubs | 29 | 34 | .460 | 5 | Harry Cheek |
| Sioux City Cardinals | 29 | 35 | .453 | 5½ | Joe McDermott |
The league disbanded July 17.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
| Graeme Snow | Sioux Falls | BA | .339 | Edward Shupe | Grand Island | W | 15 | |
| Pid Purdy | Beatrice | Runs | 39 | Carlos Dunnagan | Beatrice | PCT | .800 8-2 | |
| Pid Purdy | Beatrice | Hits | 65 | - | - | - | - |