“Sunday Softball Social Recalls First Baseball Game Played in Door County” from the August 11, 1959 Door County Advocate
Sunday Softball Social Recalls First Baseball Game Played in Door County
Today’s Gardner news reports a softball encounter between the Advocate team and a group of athletes from the vicinity of Claflin’s Little Brown Jug. We shall not use this opportunity to rub in the outcome because there’ll be at least one sequel and newsmen don’t like the taste of their own words.
The game stirred the inquiring mind of Advocate reporter Gene Ahlswede. Gene was the Advocate’s long stretching first sacker In Sunday’s rout—er, rather, game—although he had divided loyalties, being raised in the Gardner area himself. As a matter of fact if he had dropped many throws we might have suspected a modern version of the Black Sox scandal since relatives of Gene formed the Little Sturgeon battery.
Well at any rate our reporter discovered that another Sturgeon Bay-Little Sturgeon Bay game, was, according to Holand’s history, the first baseball game in Door county. The Advocate carried the whole story, from challenge to the final putout.
It was in July of 1869. The July 1 Issue had this brief item under the heading “Baseball.” “The Empire Base Ball Club has accepted the challenge sent by the Peninsulars for a match game. The game will be played on the grounds of the Peninsulars next Saturday morning at 9 o’clock. It was contemplated by the Peninsulars to give the Empire’s a dance at the Sturgeon Bay House Friday evening, but as the Empires will only arrive here a short time previous to the game and depart immediately after it, the project had to be abandoned.”
The Empires were from Little Sturgeon, the Peninsulars from Sturgeon Bay. Last Sunday’s game was played in the clover field next to the Little Brown Jug and although the crop made the air sweet it certainly put the brakes on ground balls. Ground conditions for the 1869 encounter in Sturgeon Bay were not written up in the story.
The July 8 issue carried a blow by blow account of the game. It was a good thing they started at 9 a.m. because it may have been sundown by the time they finished. The Peninsulars won a marathon slugfest, 92-63. The winners’ big inning was the second, in which they scored 18 runs.
Holand reports that the umpire was drunk. The Advocate avoided reference to this purported handicap.
Here is the Advocate’s account of the first baseball game in Door county:
The match game of baseball between the Empires of Little Sturgeon and the Peninsulars of this place came off on the grounds of the latter last Saturday afternoon. We should like to give a full description of the game but the length of it forces us to abbreviate it. Each nine, except three of the Peninsular nine, were composed of new players, which will account for the large number scored on each side. Of course there was a large number of muffs perpetrated, especially in the field, on both sides. H. Linsky acted as umpire satisfactorily to both sides. At the commencement of the game the sun poured down its ray with intense effect but toward the close of the game the atmosphere cooled off, much to the relief of the players. Both sides stuck to their work pluckily. We give an abbreviated account of the innings as follows:
First Innings—The Peninsulars won the toss and sent the Empires to the bat. They handled their bats well and succeeded in scoring 7 tallies, Dunnivan scoring two outs on two handsomely caught flys and Tyler on one captured by Chadwick. The Peninsulars went to the bat and partly by good batting and some muffed balls scored 9 runs. Chase went out on 1st base. Chadwick knocked a long ball to outer center field which was captured by Battise and was the best fly of the game. Dresser went out while running the bases.
Second Innings—By sharp play the Empires went out with 3 runs, Foot going out on a foul bound captured by Chase, Tyler on a foul bound held by Chase and A. Baptist by a high ball caught by Chadwick. The Peninsulars went to the bat in high spirits and by good batting and playing added 18 runs to their score. Chadwick sent a terrific long ball into the outer center field beyond the fielders and made the first clean home run of the game. This made him feel so good he followed it up with another home run in same innings. Solway made two outs, one on a high ball captured by Dunnivan and the other in trying to make his home base. Phillips went out on a foul. Score 10 to 27.
Third Innings—Again the Empires were unlucky and had to be satisfied with 3 runs, Foot going out on a foul fly captured by Chase, W. Baptist on 3 strikes and Brown by hitting the ball into Chadwick's hands and going out while running for the first base. The tallies obtained by the Peninsulars gave them courage and they went for the bat with spirit and didn't relinquish it until they had scored 11 runs. Solway batted heavily for a home run and made it. Chadwick tried to follow suit but hung up on the 3d base. Rhor went out on a foul captured by Tyler, Phillips was put out by Foot while running the bases and Wood followed him by a foul ball held by Tyler.
Fourth Innings—The Empires went to the bat with determination to make more tallies and held to it until they had added tallies to their score by sharp playing and heavy batting. This was the highest number they made during the game. W. Baptist made two outs on 3 strikes and Tyler knocked up a high ball which was captured by Chadwick. The Peninsulars went in for a long run but had to be contented with 7 runs the fielding of the Empires being much better than in previous innings. Dresser was unlucky and had two outs recorded against him, one long ball being captured by Battise and a foul held by Tyler; Allen was put out at first base.
Fifth Innings—Again the Empires made a good play and handled their bats to the tune of 12 runs making most of their tallies on heavy batting. Wm. Baptist and Brown each went out on 3 strikes and Foot on a foul fly captured by Chase. The Peninsulars went to the bats and staid there until they had scored 9 runs, Rhor going out twice at the first base and Long following suit.
Sixth Innings—The Empires had to be contented with 4 runs, the Peninsulars having woke up again. Battise hit a hot ball out beyond the fielders and made a clean home run for which he was well cheered. Monger went out at 2d base, Gray on a foul bound captured by Chase and Dunnivan on 3 strikes. The Peninsulars having woke up batted to the extent of 12 runs, Chadwick making his third home run and Wood following suit with his first home run. Rhor went out on 1st base, Dresser on a foul and Solway on the 1st base.
Seventh Innings—Again the Empires had to be contented with 4 runs, Foot going out on 1st base, Tyler on a tip fly and Gray on a foul bound. The Peninsulars got off with 6 runs added to their score, Dresser scoring an out by a handsomely caught foul bound, Allen followed suit and Rhor on the 1st base.
Eighth Innings—In spite of the fact the Peninsulars was too far ahead to be caught, the Empires went pluckily to work and scored 11 runs. Brown by a long ban into the outer center field making a clean home run. A. Baptist went out on the 1st base, Tyler on a foul bound and Wm. Baptist on 3 strikes. The Peninsulars then batted to the extent of 12 runs, Dresser by a hot ball into the outer right field making a home run. Long went out on a fly gobbled by Dunnivan, Solway died at 1st base and Allen scored an out on a fly tip bound.
Ninth Innings — The Empires took their last chance at the bat and added 6 runs to their score, Brown making his second home run and Battise followed suit. Tyler went out on a foul fly, captured by Chase, W. Baptist on his 1st base and Brown by a tip fly held by Chase. The Peninsulars then took their last turn and added 8 runs more to their score handsomely finishing the game, Solway going out on a foul fly captured by Tyler, Chase on the 1st base and Rhor on the 1st base.
Empires __ 7- 3- 3-13-12- 4-4-11-6
Penin. ___ 9-18-11- 7- 9-12-6-12-8
And that was the story. There were other statistics—clean home runs, fly catches, long fly catches and foul bound catches but they've been covered in the account of the game.
Note that despite the fact that the Peninsulars were made the home team by the flip of the coin, they batted last even though they were ahead going into the last of the ninth. Note too the apparent designation of the bases in the box score as a. b. and c. It seems they also called center field “middle” in the box score.
The Advocate squad won Sunday's contest but couldn't match their forebears for runs in one inning. We managed eight in the first, a long way from the Peninsulars' 18 in the second.
The modern Empires didn't offer to host us at a dance but they did have a keg of beer on hand at the close of the encounter.—CFH
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
[Original article from the July 8, 1869 Door County Advocate: https://archive.co.door.wi.us/jsp/RcWebImageViewer.jsp?doc_id=ea91eb62-96e3-4ad5-b0c2-0fc095b362be/wsbd0000/20120910/00000372&pg_seq=4 ]
Articles by Chan Harris
https://doorcounty.substack.com/t/chan-harris