Nashville Americans

The 1885 Nashville Americans

The Nashville Americans were a minor league baseball team of the Southern League from 1885 to 1886. The team was one of eight charter members of the newly formed league. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee and played home games at Athletic Park, which was opened in 1885. The Americans were Nashville's first professional baseball team.

Team history

1885

Beginning play in 1885, the Nashville Americans were a charter member of the newly formed Southern League. The 8-team circuit also included the Atlanta Atlantans, Augusta Browns, Chattanooga Lookouts, Columbus Stars, Memphis Browns, and teams from Birmingham and Macon. The Americans played their home games at Athletic Park, which would later come to be known as Sulphur Dell. With a distance of 262 feet (80 m) to the right field wall, it was a notorious hitter's park.^[1]

Prior to the inaugural season, Nashville hosted the Chicago White Stockings for spring training. Chicago competed in exhibition games against the Americans, local semi-pro clubs, and the Vanderbilt University team.^[2]

The Americans also played a series of exhibition games against teams in other minor leagues in preparation for the start of the season. On March 30, Nashville began the exhibition series on the road with a 4–8 loss to the Indianapolis Hoosiers of the Western League.^[2] The following day, the Hoosiers repeated with a 12–4 win.^[2] On April 1–2, Nashville faced off against the Cleveland Forest Citys, also of the Western League.^[2] The Americans won the first game 15–17 and the second 3–2.^[2]

Nashville's opening day roster consisted of pitcher Alexander Voss, catcher Tony Hellman, first baseman Leonard Sowders, second baseman John Cullen, shortstop Joe Werrick, third baseman James Hillery, right fielder/player-manager Will Bryan, center fielder Diestel, and left fielder Rhue.^[2]

The Americans played their first regular season home game, after a long road trip, on May 4 against Columbus. Sowders led off the first inning by reaching first base on an error. Batting second was Hillery who scored the team's first hit. Cullen also reached base on an error. Werrick later stepped up to the plate hitting a triple, scoring Hillery and Cullen. Those would be Nashville's only runs of the game, a 2–3 loss in front of the home crowd.^[2]

During a road trip to Atlanta, on August 14, the Americans and the Atlantans were involved in a death as the result of rough play on the field. Atlanta's first baseman, Louis Henke, hit the ball and ran for first base. He collided with Nashville’s first baseman, Charles Marr, with such force that Henke fell to the ground. He then stood up, staggered, and fell again. Henke was taken to a local hospital where doctors diagnosed him with a ruptured liver, an injury which would cause his death later that evening. To support his widow, the Southern League played benefit games in each city that fielded a team that season.^[3]

Nashville finished their first season of play in fifth-place with a 55–37 record. Americans first baseman Leonard Sowders was the league’s first batting champion with a .309 batting average.^[4]

1886

The Americans returned to play their final season in 1886. That year's incarnation of the Southern League included the new Charleston Seagulls, Memphis Grays, and a team from Savannah, as well as the returning Atlanta, Augusta, Chattanooga, and Macon franchises.

On March 18, Nashville put together an 8–0 shutout against Memphis.^[5] Approximately one week later, on March 23, the team defeated the American Association's Pittsburgh Alleghenys by a score of 13–6 in an exhibition game.^[5] Infielder Charles Marr went 4-for-4 at the plate and participated in two double plays.^[5]

The team's final game was held on September 4. The contest against Savannah resulted in a 10–9 Nashville loss.^[6] They ended the season with a 46–43 record, putting them in third place.^[4] This was the last season that the Americans were fielded as a team. In 1886, the franchise was replaced by the Nashville Blues.

Season-by-season results

References