Youngstown Steelmen

The Youngstown Steelmen was a minor league baseball franchise that competed in three different leagues between 1910 and 1915. The club, based in Youngstown, Ohio, participated at various times in the Ohio-Pennsylvania League, the Tri-State League, and the Central League. The Steelmen's most notable alumnus was Everett Scott, who played with the club between 1910 and 1913. Scott later served as a shortstop for the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.[1]

Origins

The Steelmen succeeded the Youngstown Indians, a team that placed last in the Ohio-Pennsylvania League at the close of the 1909 season. The renamed franchise was owned by former Indians coach W. R. Terry and business partner Paul Powers.[2] In the 1910 season, the Steelmen, under the management of Frank Eustace, placed seventh in the eight-team league, with a record of 55–67.

Playing record

The club's performance improved dramatically during the following season. In 1911, under manager Bill Phillips, the Steelmen placed second in the league, with a record of 82–50. The championship was taken that year by the Akron Champs, which closed with a record of 90–42.

The Steelmen moved to the Central League in the 1912 season, where it narrowly lost the championship to the Fort Wayne Railroaders.[3] Although the Steelmen ended the season with a 74–54 record, the Railroaders closed with 77 wins and 52 losses. The Spalding Guide (1913) observed that the Steelmen "gave Fort Wayne a terrific drive for the championship and for much of the season the pennant looked as if it would be won by the Ohio club".[3]

The Steelmen moved to the Tri-State League in 1913, but returned to the Central League in 1915.

References

  1. ↑ "Lewis Everett "Deacon" Scott". 1918 Red Sox. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ Spalding's Official Athletic Library Baseball Guide (New York: American Sports Publishing Co., 1910), p. 217.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Spalding's Official Athletic Library Baseball Guide (New York: American Sports Publishing Co., 1913), p. 190.