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Central Valley Base Ball History |
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Why the Central Valley?
Baseball in California's Central Valley has a rich history that can be traced back nearly to the founding of the sport itself. It is well known that many of the first organized clubs were born in New York City in the 1840s. Thanks to the Gold Rush in California in 1848-1849, some of the people in New York and surrounding areas moved west in search of the vast riches that the Sierra Nevada had to offer. Some of those people brought with them the knowledge of this “old game” called base ball. Many were unsuccessful finding gold in the mountains and settled into the Central Valley or the San Francisco Bay Area. The first record of base ball in California appears to be in 1851 in the “plaza” in downtown San Francisco. Smaller pickup games were played throughout the 1850s in the area, including one noted in 1857 in what would become Davisville. The first time the Central Valley saw an organized game was in Sacramento in 1860. By the 1880s, local clubs had sprung up in towns like Davis, Woodland, Dixon, and Marysville. Central Valley Vintage Base Ball aims to celebrate this history by re-creating these clubs as part of a new association.
A Brief History of Base Ball in 19th Century Central Valley
Early base ball in the Central Valley is extremely difficult to document. Think about it. Between the establishment of statehood (1850) and the Civil War era, there were only about 15 years for people to fail at mining gold in the Sierra foothills, settle into the valley to start farming, establish towns, establish newspapers, form base ball clubs, and have the newspapers report on ball games. That's a lot to accomplish, and during that time the game was played recreationally without any need for or, interest in, box scores, personal statistics, or win-loss records.
However, there is some information in local newspapers to give us a glimpse into amateur game play in Sacramento and Stockton. Late historian Frances Pendleton provided some great research about this topic. In 1859, the first announcement of ball club formation was published in the Daily Union, stating that the Sacramento Base Ball Club would play under the rules of the New York Clubs (see here). Ten days later, another club was formed: The Union Base Ball Club of Sacramento. The first friendly trial of skill between the two clubs was set for February 22, 1860. Based on accounts in the Sacramento Bee, there was a large crowd at Ferguson's Field, south of the railroad near 10th Street, where the game was played. But the game itself didn't receive a great deal of coverage. The Sacramento BBC defeated the Union BBC 20-14, a rather low and close game for the era. A rematch took place in April with Sacramento again victorious over Union 15-10. While few games were reported on, the interest in the sport must have continued in the area, as the State Agricultural Society included a base ball tournament for the 1860 state fair. During a semi-final round, Sacramento, Stockton, and Live Oak (near Stockton) played a round-robin, with Sacramento defeating Stockton 49-11 and crushing Live Oak 73-7. Since no other teams presented to play against Sacramento in the Central Valley, Sacramento BBC moved to play against a Bay Area team in the state capitol during the state fair. That Bay Area team ended up being the Eagles of San Francisco. In two games that week, the Eagles were victorious both times (36-32 on Monday / Tuesday [played 7 innings Monday, finished on Tuesday], and 31-17 on Wednesday in 6-innings [ended due to darkness]).
Base ball continued in the Valley, but in a very subtle form. There were few instances of publication, but historians agree that it is extremely likely that the game continued steadily as a recreational activity through the 1860s and into the later part of the century. Small towns newspapers started making notes about pick-up games being played, including in Davisville, Dixon, Marysville, Stockton, Woodland, and a slew of others. By the late 1860s, base ball was fast becoming a staple in the Central Valley, as was evidenced by how much excitement was present when the first professional base ball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, made their way across the country on the transcontinental railroad in 1869. They played against any and all takers, including a "Picked Nine" from SF and Sac at the Sacramento Agricultural Park on October 5, 1869. The visiting team demolished the locals 50-6.
By this time, base ball in this area was here to stay. Every town along what is now the I-80 corridor had a team or two in place, and we honor that foundation of baseball in the Sacramento region by bringing that history to life.
However, there is some information in local newspapers to give us a glimpse into amateur game play in Sacramento and Stockton. Late historian Frances Pendleton provided some great research about this topic. In 1859, the first announcement of ball club formation was published in the Daily Union, stating that the Sacramento Base Ball Club would play under the rules of the New York Clubs (see here). Ten days later, another club was formed: The Union Base Ball Club of Sacramento. The first friendly trial of skill between the two clubs was set for February 22, 1860. Based on accounts in the Sacramento Bee, there was a large crowd at Ferguson's Field, south of the railroad near 10th Street, where the game was played. But the game itself didn't receive a great deal of coverage. The Sacramento BBC defeated the Union BBC 20-14, a rather low and close game for the era. A rematch took place in April with Sacramento again victorious over Union 15-10. While few games were reported on, the interest in the sport must have continued in the area, as the State Agricultural Society included a base ball tournament for the 1860 state fair. During a semi-final round, Sacramento, Stockton, and Live Oak (near Stockton) played a round-robin, with Sacramento defeating Stockton 49-11 and crushing Live Oak 73-7. Since no other teams presented to play against Sacramento in the Central Valley, Sacramento BBC moved to play against a Bay Area team in the state capitol during the state fair. That Bay Area team ended up being the Eagles of San Francisco. In two games that week, the Eagles were victorious both times (36-32 on Monday / Tuesday [played 7 innings Monday, finished on Tuesday], and 31-17 on Wednesday in 6-innings [ended due to darkness]).
Base ball continued in the Valley, but in a very subtle form. There were few instances of publication, but historians agree that it is extremely likely that the game continued steadily as a recreational activity through the 1860s and into the later part of the century. Small towns newspapers started making notes about pick-up games being played, including in Davisville, Dixon, Marysville, Stockton, Woodland, and a slew of others. By the late 1860s, base ball was fast becoming a staple in the Central Valley, as was evidenced by how much excitement was present when the first professional base ball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, made their way across the country on the transcontinental railroad in 1869. They played against any and all takers, including a "Picked Nine" from SF and Sac at the Sacramento Agricultural Park on October 5, 1869. The visiting team demolished the locals 50-6.
By this time, base ball in this area was here to stay. Every town along what is now the I-80 corridor had a team or two in place, and we honor that foundation of baseball in the Sacramento region by bringing that history to life.
