Updated 1-25-2016

Saint Paul Saints History 1920-1939

1920 1925 1930 1935

1921 1926 1931 1936

1922 1927 1932 1937

1923 1928 1933 1938

1924 1929 1934 1939

Index to player and manager bios

-----1920-----

The deadball era was officially over for the Saint Paul Saints in 1920. For the second straight year and the fourth time in franchise history, they finished first in the American Association. They had the best record in American Association history. They set a team record for attendance and led the league in runs, hits, triples, home runs and stolen bases and, for the first time, had a team batting average over .300 (.301). The hits and runs marks were league records. The Saints won the first eight games of the season, then lost two followed by nine straight wins to open up a lead which they never lost ending the season 28 ½ games ahead of second-place Louisville.

The season's schedule called for 168 games, however, the Saints played 164 with an almost set lineup. Bubbles Hargrave returned as catcher and hit .335 [finished second in league by a 4/1000 percentage] with a team record 22 home runs and .589 slugging percentage [beat Charlie Hemphill's 1905 performance of .502]. He also led the team with 109 RBI and had an OBP of .405. St. Paul native son Bob McMenemy (.246) was the back-up receiver again.

Lee Dressen (.294) was the first sacker for his fifth year leading the team in stolen bases (50) [he had also led the league in that department three out of the past four years] and contributed a .381 OBP. Marty Berghammer (.304) was at second for the fourth year and had the club's second best OBP of .395. Newcomer third baseman Goldie Rapp (.335) led the league in hitting just percentage points in front of Hargrave and had 49 stolen bases. Lute Boone (.297) returned and became the starting shortstop. Young Frank Brazill (.378) was the new utility infielder.

In the outfield, Elmer Miller (.333) was back with 104 RBI in 159 games with a team-best 46 doubles. Mainstay Joe Riggert (.286) was third in homers with 9 and, as usual, led the club with 17 triples. Newcomer Bruno Haas (.307) was the other regular getting into 106 games as an outfielder and finished second, on the team, with 11 home runs. Vern "Duke" Duncan (.313) returned and played 103 games as an outfielder.

For the first time in club history, three pitchers won twenty games or more. In his fifth Saints' season, Charley "Sea Lion" Hall led the team and the league with 27 wins (27-8). He also had the league-best ERA at 2.08 and a team-leading 0.98 WHIP and 133 strikeouts in 327 innings. John [some sources list his first name as Howard] Merritt had a 21-10 mark in his third year with a 2.63 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 106 strikeouts in 291 innings. The last of the twenty-game winners was returnee Rees "Steamboat" Williams who had a 20-6 record, a 3.34 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. Dan Griner joined the returning hurlers and posted a 16-13 mark, 3.61 ERA and 1.30 WHIP with 232 innings. The final major contributor, on the mound, was newcomer Fritz Coumbe (19-7, 3.14 ERA, 1.19 WHIP) who added 218 innings.

The rest of the pitching corp included James Browne, in his second year as a Saint, who ate up some innings, but had a high WHIP of 1.59. Ed Foster was worse with a 2.23 and newcomer John Overlock (or Overlook) made 8 appearances and performed well (4-1, 2.90 ERA, 1.26 WHIP).

On August 12, the Saints defeated Louisville 27-5 with all of the St. Paul runs being scored in the first four innings. On August 26, Sea Lion Hall pitched the third no-hitter for the franchise defeating Columbus 6-0. It was his second no-no for the club.

In the Junior World Series (American Association champs v. International League champs), the Saints lost five games to one to Baltimore. The Orioles' pitcher, Jack Bentley, won three games and had eight hits in 24 at bats. The Saints only won game four with eight shutout innings from Fritz Coumbe. Saint Paul fans were upset enough with the umpiring of game five, at Lexington Park, that they threw seat cushions on the field and attempted to attack the umpires after the Saints lost 6-5 when Baltimore scored a run in the eighth inning. [They were probably led to action by Lute Boone who threw his glove into the stands after one close call.] The Orioles won the series in game six 1-0 when Elmer Miller slipped after going after a line drive to center, fell down and the O's Joe Boley scored on an inside-the-park homer.

----------

[Library of Congress]

Eugene "Bubbles" Hargrave played for St. Paul in 1919-1920 and 1929 when he was the player-manager of the club. He played a few games (3, 23 and 15) for the Cubs in 1913-1915 and then became a regular for the Reds from 1921-1928 for 93, 98, 118, 98, 87, 105, 102 and 65 games batting .289, .316, .333, .301, .300, .353 [led league in 1926], .308 and .295. He also led NL catchers in fielding % in 1927. He finished his big league in 45 games for the Yankees in 1930 batting .278.

In his major league career of 12 years, 852 games and 2,533 at bats, he hit an excellent .310 with a .372 OBP and .452 slugging. He caught 747 games with a .983 fielding percentage.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"When Hargrave hit .353 in 1926, he became the first fulltime catcher to lead his league in batting...[matched only twice since]...Hargrave had only 326 at-bats, but at the time the percentage title qualification was 100 games; Hargrave caught 93 games, but pinch-hitting appearances brought his total to 105 games. The primitive state of catchers' protective gear made it fairly common for first-string catchers to play fewer than 100 games. It wasn't until 1951 that the requirement was changed to 400 at bats..." - Jesus Francisco Cabrera

-----

Hargrave was a pro player from 1911-1934 and a manager in the minors in 1929 and 1934. His brother William "Pinky"

also was a catcher for ten major league seasons. Bubbles became a supervisor for William Powell Valve Company and died at age 76 at the Emerson North Hospital in Cincinnati on Feb. 23, 1969. Burial was at the Union Cemetery in Montgomery, OH.

----------

Joseph "Goldie" Rapp was a starter and batting champion on the 1920 Saints. He played for the Yankees and Phillies in 1921 for 58 and 52 games hitting a combined .248. He then ended his big league years with the Phillies in 1922-23 for 119 and 47 contest with averages of .253 and .263.

He played in 276 major league games with 1,064 at bats for a career .253 average, .303 OBP and .312 slugging. Goldie payed third in 268 games and also played a couple at second and short. His fielding % was .947.

-----

From the book, "The Ballplayers":

"Rapp led NL third basemen in total chances per game in his rookie 1921 season...he was dealt...in the trade that brought Casey Stengel to the Giants. But he was a light hitter in an era that saw the homer become a major offensive weapon." - Jesus Francisco Cabrera

-----

Rapp was a pro from 1913-1929. He served in both World War I and World War II and retired as a chief petty officer in the U.S. Navy. After retirement, he lived in San Diego County for 17 years before dying at age 72, from a heart attack, at the Little Flower Haven in La Mesa, CA on July 1, 1966. His burial was at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery at Point Loma, CA.

----------

Frank Brazill played on the 1920 Saint Paul squad. He played in 66 and 6 games for the A's in 1921-22 batting a career .258 with a .344 OBP and .284 slugging in 190 at bats. Defensively, he played first in 36 games and third in 11 with a .892 fielding %.

Brazill was a pro player from 1918-1938 and a minor league manger from 1934-1939 and in 1942. His career minor league numbers, in 2,483 games, was an average of .331 with 1,483 RBI and he hit 36 and 29 homers in the PCL in 1924-25. He also was a scout for the Giants. After baseball, Frank became a foreman with the Rigney Tile Company for 30 years. His death came at age 77 in Oakland from a heart attack. He was cremated.

----------

Frederick "Fritz" Coumbe pitched for the 1920 Saints. He had appeared in 31 games (118 inn.) for the Red Sox and AL Cleveland team in 1914 with a 2-7 record and 2.29 ERA. The lefty then became a relief pitcher/occasional starter for Cleveland from 1915-1919 in 30, 29, 34, 30 and 8 games with 114, 120, 134, 150 and 24 innings and ERAs of 3.47, 2.02, 2.14, 3.06 and 5.32. The slender junkballer was 13-7 in 1918.

He ended his big league stay with the Reds in 1920-21 in 3 and 28 games for 4.91 and 3.22 ERAs. In his eight major league years, he was in 193 games (70 starts) for 761 innings compiling a 2.80 ERA, 38-38 record, .277 OAV and .332 OOB. He also played centerfield during the major league's last triple header in 1920. [His career batting average was .206.]

Coumbe was a professional player from 1914-31. For ten years, he was a carpenter for the Corning Glass Works in Whittier, CA. He died at age 78, on March 21, 1978, at the Feather River Hospital in Paradise, CA, from bronchopneumonia shortly after he broke ribs in a fall at his home. His burial was at Paradise Cemetery.

----------

----- 1921 -----


The Saints fell to earth in 1921 caused, at least partially, by the sale of their best ballplayers to major league teams. [During his ownership tenure, John Norton and manager Kelley earned nearly $500,000 from the sale of players that they had purchased for about $100,000.] The club finished sixth in the American Association with 35 less wins and about 50,000 less fans then in their record-setting 1920 season. .

One need only look at pitching to understand their fall from grace. Somehow, Sea Lion Hall still won 20 games (20-14) in 54 games and 306 innings, but his ERA increased from 2.06 to 4.35 and his WHIP from 0.98 to 1.51. It was much the same story for the other front-line hurlers such as John Merritt (19-14, 287 inn.) who had his WHIP increase from 1.26 to 1.42 and his ERA from 2.63 to 3.76 and Rees Williams' (6-14, 202 inn.) numbers increased from 1.22 to 1.47 and 3.34 to 5.17.

Ed Foster (7-5, 161 inn.), never a great pitcher, had his ERA go from 3.12 to 5.37, but his WHIP actually decreased from 2.23 to 1.47. Newcomers Ren Kelly (3-7, 83 inn.) pitched 83 innings with a poor 6.40 ERA and 1.81 WHIP and Red Shea (2-7, 141 inn.) compiled a 3.96 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. Tom Sheehan (2-7) made his first 20 appearances (110 inn.) in a St. Paul uniform and led the team in ERA at 3.19 with a 1.48 WHIP. Other fresh faces were Ollie Hanson (1-4, 5.28, 1.85) and Rube Benton (6-7, 4.70, 1.49). Veteran Dan Griner ended his Saints' tenure with 9 games (1-3, 6.58, 1.65).

Catcher Bubbles Hargrave left for the majors and was replaced by Art "Nick" Allen who hit well at .317 but had a .424 slugging % which was a big comedown from Hargrave's .589. Bob McMenemy was again the back up.

Swift Lee Dressen returned for a sixth year at first base again leading the team in stolen bases with 40 and hit a decent .273 down 21 points from 1920. Marty Berghammer, who played only 81 games at second and was at short for 40 more, batted .315 which improved upon the previous year. New guy, Tom Whelan (.310), played at second for 64 games and also was at first for 28 additional contests. Outfielder Bruno Haas even had 19 appearances at first and shortstop Lute Boone (.288) was back. With Goldie Rapp also moving to the big leagues, manager Kelley obtained a very good replacement in George Armstrong who tied for the team lead with a .324 average and tied for second in OBP (.374). It should be noted that future major league manager and player, Charlie Dressen (.212), played in 14 games at third and Binky Jones (.153) played some at third.

All the outfield regulars returned from 1920 with Joe Riggert (.310) finishing second in slugging % (.490) and home runs (13) which were better then his previous year. Elmer Miller led the team in home runs (18) and slugging (.542) and also batted a good .313. Bruno Haas tied for the team's best average at .324. Again backing up this strong lineup was Vern Duncan (.304) and newcomer Tim Hendryx contributed with a .330 average in 194 at bats. Mark Koenig also made his first appearances for the Saints. All-in-all the outfielders continued to play well.

----------
[Library of Congress]

Elmer Miller played for St. Paul in 1919-1921. He first appeared in the majors in 1912 for the Cardinals in 12 games batting .189 with 37 at bats. From 1915-1918, he was with the Yankees for 26, 43, 114 and 67 games hitting .145, .224, .251 and .243. He also played for the New Yorkers in 1921-22 for 56 and 51 contests with averages of .298 and .267. He ended his MLB stay with the Red Sox, after he was traded there in 1922, with 44 games (.190). Elmer played centerfield in all of the 1921 World Series games hitting .161.

In his 413-game/1,414 at bats big league career, he hit .243 with a .307 OBP and .335 slugging. He appeared defensively in the outfield 395 times with a .960 fielding average.

In 1923, he played in the "outlaw" Mid-West League for the Beloit Fairies and was with them until 1927. Miller later managed in Fremont, MT. He was a pro player from 1912 to at least 1927. Elmer died suddenly at age 56 in his home located in Beloit, WI, on November 28, 1944, from a heart attack. His burial was at the Eastlawn Cemetery in Beloit.

----------

Tom Whelan played for the Saints in 1921. He made one appearance in the majors for Boston (NL) on August 13, 1920. Tom walked and struck out while playing first base.

Whelan played professionally from 1920-29 (excluding 1925-26 and 1928). He was in the Aviation Corps of the U.S. Navy during WWI and also played pro football. Tom coached at English High School in Lynn, MA, from 1926-1942 and was principal there from 1942-1957. He died at age 63 on June 26, 1957, at Baker Memorial Hospital in Boston after a two-year illness. His burial was at the St. Joseph Cemetery in Lynn.

----------

John "Binky" Jones was on the 1921 St. Paul team. His only major league year was in 1924 when he was in 10 games and had 37 at bats for Brooklyn. He hit .108 with a .108 OBP and .135 slugging. Defensively, he played 10 games at shortstop with a .898. fielding average.

As a pro, Jones performed from 1919-1930. He died at age 61 in St. Louis on May 13, 1961, and was buried at the Resurrection Cemetery there.

----------

Alexander "Duke" Reilley played on the 1921 and 1924 Saints. In 1909, he played in 20 games with 62 at bats for Cleveland. His batting average was .210 with a .258 OBP and .210 slugging. As an outfielder in 18 contests, he fielded .979.

Reilley played pro ball from at least 1905-1924 [many in the American Association]. After baseball, he was employed as a bartender and died, after a long illness, at the age of 83 on March 4, 1968, at a nursing home in Indianapolis. His burial was at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Indianapolis.

----------

Tom Connolly was a member of the 1921 Saints team. He was in 50 games (141 at bats) with Washington in 1915 batting .184 with a .268 OBP and .234 slugging average. He was at third base for 24 games, in the outfield for 19 others and at short for 4 games. His fielding average was .970.

Connolly played pro from at least 1915-1916 and 1922-1928. He died at 73 years in Boston on May 14, 1966.

----------

[Library of Congress]

Ed "Slim" Foster pitched for the 1918-1921 and 1923 St. Paul teams [some sources say he was born in "Alabama", but his obit states Birmingham, AL]. His only big league year was 1908 when he appeared in 6 games (1 start) for Cleveland as he completed 21 innings allowing 16 hits and walking 12 while striking out 11. His record was 1-0 with a 2.14 ERA, .229 OAV and .357 OOB.

He was a pro player from 1906-1923 and died at age 43 or 44 at the Fresh Air Camp Infirmary in Montgomery, AL, on March 1, 1929. Burial was at Oakwood Cemetery in Montgomery.

----------

Reynolds "Ren" Kelly was a pitcher on the 1921 St. Paul squad. He pitched one major league game on Sept. 18, 1923, when he relieved for the A's. He finished 7 innings giving up 7 hits and walking 4 with one strike out. His ERA was 2.57 and he had .259 OAV and .355 OOB.

As a pro hurler, he played from 1920-1928 (except 1925-26). Kelly became a longshoreman for 31 years with the Pacific Maritime Association. Death came at age 63 in Serra Hospital, Millbrae, CA, on August 24, 1963, due to pneumonia and heart disease. He was buried at Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose.

----------

Patrick "Red" Shea was with the 1921 Saints team. He was a pitcher for 3 games in 1918 for the A's completing 9 innings with a 4.00 ERA. In 1921-1922, he appeared in 9 and 11 games for the Giants finishing 32 and 23 frames with 3.09 and 4.70 ERA.

In his 23-game career, he completed 64 innings, giving up 64 hits and 15 walks with 17 K's. He had a 5-5 record with a 3.80 ERA, .267 OAV and .318 OOB.

He played pro from 1918-1929. Shea died on November 17, 1981, twelve days shy of his 83^rd birthday in Stafford Springs, CT.

----------

Earl "Ollie" Hanson pitched for the Saints in 1921. Also that year he had two starts for the Cubs completing 9 innings with 9 hits and 6 walks as he struck out 2. He had an ERA of 7.00 with a .285 OAV and .390 OOB. His record was 0-2.

Hanson was a pro pitcher from 1919-1928 and managed a minor league team in '28. He served in France during WWI and died at 55 years on August 19, 1951, at his home in Clifton, NJ.

----------

-----1922-----

Manager Kelley brought home an A.A. pennant for the fifth time in club history. The team did not perform as well as the record-setting 1920 unit, but they did gain 27 wins and attendance grew about 33,500 from '21 to '22.

Like the '20 pitching corp, three pitchers had twenty-win seasons. Newly crowned stud-hurler Tom Sheehan improved greatly on his '21 season and won a league-leading 26 games (26-12) and also led the league with a 3.01 ERA. His 1.29 WHIP, 121 strikeouts and 332 innings also led the team. Thirty-eight year old Charley Hall followed with a 22-8 record in 271 innings, and also had an improved 3.65 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. Rube Benton stepped up to the front line for a 22-11 mark in 283 innings compiling a 3.24 ERA and 1.34 WHIP (both second best on staff). Newcomer Tom Rogers pitched in with 218 innings, a 13-8 record, 3.72 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. Another new face to Saints' fans, Speed Martin, completed 211 innings with a 13-10 win/loss record, a 5.03 ERA and 1.57 WHIP. John Merritt had an off-year (9-9, 5.05, 1.61) and veteran Saint Steamboat Williams bid farewell with 11 innings in 4 games (0-0, 6.55, 1.45).

Cuban-born Miguel (Mike) Gonzalez (.298) took over as the starting catcher with last year's front-liner, Nick Allen (.246), moving to back-up. ("W" or "Don") Dougan also made six appearances as a back stop.

Replacing long-time first baseman, Lee Dressen, was 28-year-old Walt Golvin who hit .255 with a .342 OBP (last for the starters in both). Marty Berghammer (.288) returned and played 157 games at second base leading the team with 25 stolen bases. At third, Chuck Dressen became the starter hitting .304 (third best on team). Shortstop Lute Boone's power numbers increased as, in 167 games, he tied for the team-lead in home runs with 8 and led the club with 115 RBI. Last year's starter at third, George Armstrong, was in only 73 games (35 at third and 11 in the outfield) and batted .272. St. Paul-born Hap Morse (.128) and former Saints' regular Jack Martin (.357) performed in the infield in 10 and 5 games respectively.

Bruno Haas had the team's best average of .331, best slugging % of .490 and highest OBP of .405. He also tied Boone for the home run lead with 8 and had the second most RBI (90). Besides playing 126 in the outfield, he was at first in 11 more. At 36, Joe Riggert's power numbers were slipping some (.415 slugging, 3 homers), but he was still second in slugging and batted .316. The third outfield starter was newcomer, Walt "Cockoo" or "Sea Cap" Christensen (.290), who like Boone was a San Francisco native. Tim Hendryx again hit well (.341) as an outfield reserve as he saw action in 89 games as an outfielder. Gene Morrison came over from Indianapolis and batted a combined .246 as a Saints' extra outfielder. Butch Weis (.289).played outfield in 12 games and the improving rapidly, 18-year-old Mark Koenig (.412), was in 7 contests.

In the Junior World Series, St. Paul was defeated by Baltimore five games to two. They split the first two games in Baltimore and the Saints blew a five-run lead to lose 13-10 in game three and a 3-2 lead in the ninth in game four. After the series moved to Saint Paul, the Orioles won the first two games. In game seven, a Saints player was called out at home in the bottom of the eighth, on a very close play, which caused a shower of seat cushions and the attack, after the game, of a Baltimore team vice president and an Orioles fan.

---------

Walt Golvin played for St. Paul in 1922. That same year he was in two games for the Cubs going 0-for-2 with a RBI and playing an errorless first base.

He played professionally from 1912-1928. After baseball, he was a lather for a construction business. Golvin died at age 79, on June 11, 1973, at Memorial Hospital in Gardena, CA, due to heart disease. Burial was at Holy Cross Cemetery in Cluver City, CA.

----------

Tim Hendryx was with the Saints in 1921-1922. He was an outfielder for Cleveland in 1911-1912 for 4 and 23 games hitting .286 and .243. From 1915-1917, Tim was with the Yankees in 13, 15 and 125 games batting .200, .290 and .249. [He became a regular in '17 when the Yankees were short of outfielders.]

He moved on to the Browns in 1918 for 88 contests batting .279 and finished with the Red Sox in 1920-1921 for 99 and 49 games (.328 and .241). He was traded to the Red Sox for 1920 because the Sox were looking for outfield help after selling Babe Ruth. In his 416-game career, he had 1,291 at bats for a .276 average, .372 OBP and .376 slugging. He appeared in 360 games as an outfielder and three at third base compiling a .966 fielding %.

Hendryx was a pro player from 1911-1926. After those years, he was employed as a taxi driver and paint contractor. He died from a heart attack at age 66 on August 14, 1957, at his home in Corpus Christi, TX. His burial was at the Rose Hill Memorial Park in Corpus Christi.

----------

Arthur "Butch" Weis played with St. Paul in 1922 and 1938. He played as a back-up outfielder with the 1922-1925 Chicago Cubs in 2, 22, 37 and 67 games hitting .500, .231, .278 and .267. For his career, he batted .270 in those 128 games and 341 at bats. His OBP was .353 and he had a .352 slugging %. In his 89 games played in the outfield, he had a fielding % of .973.

He was a pro ballplayer from 1920-1938 and lived to the age of 96 dying on May 4, 1997, in St. Louis. Weis was buried at the New St. Marcus Cemetery there.

----------

[Library of Congress]

John "Rube" Benton pitched for the 1921-1922 Saints. He had a long 15-year major league career which began with the Reds from 1910-1915 when he appeared in 12, 6, 50 (led league), 23, 41 and 35 games with 2, 6, 39, 22, 35 and 21 starts.. During those years he had ERAs of 4.74, 2.01, 3.10, 3.49, 2.96 and 3.32 and 0-1, 3-3, 18-20, 11-7, 16-18 and 6-13 records in 38, 45, 302, 144, 271 and 176 innings.

At the end of 1915, he was traded to the Giants where he pitched through 1921 in 10, 38, 35, 3, 35, 33 and 18 games (6, 29, 25, 3, 28, 25 and 9 starts) with 2.82, 3.19, 2.87, 2.72, 1.88, 2.63 and 2.88 ERAs. His records were 3-5, 16-8, 15-9, 1-2, 17-11, 9-16 and 5-2 and he completed 61, 237, 239, 215, 24, 209, 193 and 72 innings.

Benton ended his major league years back with the Reds in 1923-1925. He appeared in 33, 32 and 33 contests with 26, 19 and 16 starts for 219, 163 and 147 innings. His records, during those years were 14-10, 7-9 and 9-10 with 3.66, 2.77 and 4.05 ERAs.

Rube played in 437 big league games and finished 2,517 innings allowing 2,472 hits and 712 walks with 950 strike outs. His career record was 150-144 and he had a 3.09 ERA, .261 OAV and .319 OOB.

-----

From the Book "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":

"Not every player charged with complicity or 'guilty knowledge' in the Black Sox scandal was banished from pro baseball - Rube Benton was one who managed to stay in the game. Benton, then a pitcher with John McGraw's Giants, admitted in swarn testimony before a Chicago grand jury that he had been present in a New York City hotel room when fellow Giants hurler Jean Dubuc received a telegram from conspirator 'Sleepy Bill' Burns, advising him of the fix. Benton also acknowledged knowing that first baseman Hal Chase had received similar telegrams and that Chase had won $40,000 on the World Series. He further revealed that he had heard from a Cincinnati gambler that Chick Gandil, Happy Felsch, Lefty Williams, and Eddie Cicotte had been involved in the Chicago dive. Benton denied, however, he himself won $3,800 in the series.

"Shortly thereafter Benton, reputedly a chronic drunkard and womanizer, was demoted to the minors - not banned from the game as was Buck Weaver. After a successful season with the...Saints...the Cincinnati Reds wanted to bring him up. Both National League president John Heydler and American League president Ban Johnson thundered that there was no place in either big league for him...Kenesaw Mountain Landis intervened, however, arguing with some logic that if Benton was eligible to play for St. Paul then he was also eligible to play for Cincinnati, so Benton was allowed to join the Reds.

"...He played with the Giants in the 1917 World Series going 1-1 against the White Sox, losing the sixth and final game despite giving up no earned runs. He had some excellent seasons in his first decade in the majors winning at least 16 games four times as well..."

-----

Benton played in the pros from 1910-1933 [including Minneapolis from 1926-1933] and was a minor league manger in 1933. He died at age 50 in an auto accident in which one other person was killed, on Dec. 12, 1937, in Dothan, AL. Burial was at the Baptist Church Cemetery in Salemburg, NC.

----------

Elwood "Speed" Martin pitched for the Saints in 1922. He first appeared in the majors in 1917 for the Browns where he pitched in 9 games (2 starts) with 16 innings for a 5.74 ERA and 0-2 record. In 1918 he moved to the Cubs and got into 9 games finishing 54 innings with a 1.84 ERA. and 5-2 mark. Joining the team in late '18, he contributed five wins (most in relief) to help the Cubs clinch the pennant.

From 1919-1921, he was a regular for the Cubs having 14, 13 and 28 starts in 35, 35 and 37 games completing 164, 136 and 217 innings. His records, during those years, were 8-8, 4-15 and 11-15 withe ERAs of 2.47, 4.83 and 4.35. Speed ended his MLB experience with the Northsiders in 1922 for one appearance, a start (6 inn., 7.50 ERA).

Martin's big league record in 126 games and 592 innings was 29-42 as he allowed 645 hits and walked 191. He struck out 207 and compiled an ERA of 3.78, OAV of .287 and .344 OOB.

Speed pitched professionally from 1914-1928 and was a "noted" amateur golfer in the San Diego area where he lived for more then 60 years. He was employed as a scheduler for General Dynamics for 20 years and died at age 89 at the Cresta Luma Hospital in Lemon Grove, CA, on June 14, 1983, from congestive heart failure. Martin was cremated.

----------

-----1923-----

It was the year of Mike Kelley's last Saints' hurrah and his team almost made it another pennant winner. They won four more games (111) then in '22 [the first time an A.A. team had won more then 100 and did not finish in first place], but finished in second place behind Kansas City by only two games [they also played two more games then the Blues.] The team won their last ten games in August and were in first place through most of September. On the final day of September, the Blues moved into first and won their last eight games of the season to seal the pennant. [Lexington Park attendance increased by 7,000 for the season.]

For the first time in franchise history, four pitchers won twenty or more games as their "Big Four" all pitched at least 298 innings. Tom Sheehan led the league and set a St. Paul record with 31 wins [it also tied a league record set in 1910]. In addition, he led the A.A. with an ERA of 2.90 [in both stats, he led the league for the second straight year]. Thirty-nine-year-old Charley Hall (24-13), in his last year with the Saints, compiled a 3.50 ERA. John Merritt (20-11) had a come-back year with a 3.37 ERA and, finally, new Saint Cliff Markle (25-12) contributed greatly with a 3.36 ERA. All had WHIPs between 1.31 and 1.35.

T]he club's other hurlers did not come close to matching the stats of the Big Four as newcomers Buddy Napier (3-6) completed 104 innings with a 4.67 ERA and 1.53 WHIP and Al Holzhauser (5-4) finished 102 frames for a 4.76 ERA and 1.57 WHIP. Tom Rogers (2-0) returned to appear in only 8 games (1.96 WHIP) before moving to the Southern Association and old vet Ed Foster (1-1, 1.48 WHIP) came back for 5 games before he hung up his cleats.

In the infield, first and second base were a team effort. At first, new player Fred Beck (.269) saw action in 80 games, starting catcher Mike Gonzalez played, at the position, in 35 contests and newbie Nelson Hawks (.273) [who had the unfortunate nickname "Chicken"] was at first for 30 games. Hap Morse (.268) played one more game at second (88) then Marty Berghammer (.288), but both played other positions as well. Chuck Dressen (.304) had a break-out year setting a club record with 50 doubles [smashing the old 1903 record of 39 which belonged to Phil Greir and which was tied in 1904 by Jim Jackson]. He also was second in RBI with 99 and was tied for second in homers with 12. At short, Lute Boone (.308) continued to perform in excellent fashion in 162 games. Before he was sent to Kansas City, George Armstrong played at third and first and hit well (an A.A. combined .307).

All of the starting outfielders from 1922 returned with Bruno Haas (.336) again leading the way with the club's best batting average, highest OBP (.429), home runs (14) and RBI total (111). Cockoo Christensen (.296) maintained his high standard leading the team with 33 stolen bases and was third in OBP. Joe Riggert (.286) was third in club homers with 11. Braggio Roth came over from Kansas City and contributed in the outfield and Gene Morrison (.250) again had back-up duty.

At backstop, Mike Gonzalez (.303) played 106 games and sub Nick Allen (.299) appeared there in 79. Bigger things were in store for Mr. Allen.

After the season, Mike Kelley left the club for the third and final time crossing the Mississippi for Minneapolis to lead the Millers as owner and manager. He had been at the helm of the Saint Paul Saints for 17 seasons and one partial one finishing with a 1480-1162 record (a 56% winning percentage).

----------

Mike Kelley played for the Saints in 1902-1905 and managed them from 1902-1905, 1908-1912 and 1915-1923 (1,480-1,162). He had one big league year in 1899 for Louisville (NL) when he batted .241 in 76 games and 282 at bats. His OBP was .307 with a .326 slugging %. Mike played first base in 76 games with a .974 fielding %.

He also managed Des Moines in 1901 (49-74) and 1907 (13-7) , Toronto in 1908 (35-39), Minneapolis in 1906 (57-55) and 1924-1931 (666-656) and Indianapolis in 1913 (68-99). His life-time minor league managing record, over 30 years, was 2,390-2,102 (a 53.2 victory percentage). He managed five American Association pennant winners (all in St. Paul) and his clubs finished in second or third seven times. Mike was employed in baseball for 52 years.

[After showing his baseball skills in his home town at Otter River (MA) High School, he had scholarship offers from Harvard, Dartmouth, Brown and Amherst. His father wanted him to do something more stable and forget baseball. Kelley, of course, turn downed the offers and spurned his father by signing a pro contract with Augusta (ME) of New England League. Eventually, he played in St. Paul in 1901 for their club in the Western League and became their manager late in the season.]

-----

From the book "Hustler's Handbook" by Bill Veeck with Ed Linn:

"I don't know how to describe Mike Kelley except to say he was just a big, bluff, jovial red-faced Irishman whom everyone loved....Mike could call any of the 16 big-league owners and they would literally jump to help him out. Horace Stoneham was his particular friend, and if Mike ever came up short, Horace or one of the others would always send him a good ballplayer. When he wanted to sell a player, they would be happy to give him an extra good price.

"Whenever there was a lull at a baseball meeting, you'd say, 'Let's go up to Mike's' Mike would only have a simple room amidst all the ornate suites of the big-league clubs, but there was always a steady flow of visitors, there was always good talk, and if you stayed through the night, everyone in baseball was sure to come floating through.

"I can see Mike now, sitting in the middle of the room holding court, a drink always balanced on his knee. Looking back, I can see that I spent some of the best nights of my life waiting for that glass to fall. No matter how much he drank, though, or how much that knee juggled, the glass never lost a drop.

"He dominated all discussion, and what an education it was to listen to him. He would sit there, balancing that drink on his knee, and just to listen to him was to receive a priceless education in operations, trading, larceny and such other of the applied sciences as came to his nimble mind."

-----

In November 1923, he was part of a syndicate that purchased the Minneapolis Millers for $150,000 and then he became the sole owner in 1930. In April 1946 [he was the "honorary" president until his death] the club was sold to the New York Giants. A "founding father" of the American Association, he died at age 78 on June 6, 1955, in Minneapolis from "the shock" of injuries caused by a fall and subsequent surgery. He was buried at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.

----------

Miguel "Mike" Gonzalez caught for St. Paul in 1922. He had a long 17-year big league career which started on September 28, 1912, when he caught one game and bated twice (0-for-2) for the Boston Braves. In 1914 he was the regular catcher for the Reds hitting .233 in 95 games.

From 1915-1918 he was with the Cardinals and was a regular during the last three years there. During those seasons, he played 51, 118, 106 and 117 games with averages of .227, .239, .262 and .252. In 1919-1921, he went to the Giants for three very limited-play years of 58, 11 and 13 contests (.190, .231, .375).

Gonzalez returned to the majors in 1924 catching 120 games for the Cardinals (.296), but then after 22 games in 1925, he was traded to the Cubs where he performed in 70 games (.264). He stayed with the National League Chicago team from 1926-1929 as their back-up catcher in 80, 39, 49 and 60 games batting .249, .241, .272 and .240.

Miguel completed his major league years back with the Cardinals in 1931-1932 in 15 and 17 games hitting .105 and .143. In his career, he played in 1,042 MLB games with 2,829 at bats with a career .253 batting average, .314 OBP and .324 slugging. He caught 868 games and played at first for 60 more with a .980 fielding average.

-----

From the book: "The Ballplayers":

"Gonzalez coined a standard phrase with his pithy assessment of the abilities of a player he scouted: 'Good field, no hit.' That could also describe the playing career of the Cuban-born catcher. Although he played for five NL teams, he is most often associated with the Cardinals, for whom he served as regular catcher (1916-18 and 1924), longtime coach and twice as interim manager." - Jack Kavanagh

-----

Gonzalez played pro from 1912-1933 and was a major league coach with the Cards from 1934-1946. In 1938, he managed them for 17 games (8-8) and also in 1940 for 6 contests (1-5). Thereafter, he was a Cardinals scout. He died at age 86 in Havana, Cuba, on Feb., 19, 1977, and was buried at the Christopher Columbus Necropolis in Havana.

----------

Fred Beck played first base for the Saints in 1923. He was with Boston (NL) in 1919-1910 for 96 and 154 games with averages of .198 and .275. He led the league in home runs in '10 with ten. The left hander went to the Reds for 41 games in 1911 (.184) and later that year was in 66 contests with the Phillies (.281).

He finished his big league career in the Federal League during the 1914-1915 seasons with Chicago (.279 and .223). All told, Beck played in 635 MLB games and had 2,130 at bats for a .252 average, .301 OBP and .360 slugging. Fred was in 332 games as a first baseman and 268 as an outfielder compiling a .984 fielding %.

Beck played as a professional from 1905-1926 and managed in '26. His career minor league records, in 1,754 games, was an average of .292 in 6,413 at bats and he hit 35 and 38 homers in 1921 and 1924. He was a World War I veteran who died at 75 years in the Mason District Hospital in Havana, IL, on March 12, 1962, after a six-week illness. Burial was at the Laurel Hills Cemetery in South Bend, IN.

----------

Nelson "Chicken" Hawks split the first base duties with Fred Beck on the 1923 Saints. He was in 41 games for the Yankees in 1921 (.288) and 105 games for the Phillies in 1925 (.322). Despite that good record, he only played those two years in the majors which resulted in a career .316 average, .377 OBP and .453 slugging in 393 at bats. He played first in 90 contests and 15 in the outfield for a .986 fielding mark.

Hawks was a pro ballplayer from 1918-1931. Thereafter, he was a ship's clerk for the Pacific Maritime Association for 15 years and he died at age 77 in San Rafael, CA, at Kaiser Hospital. His death was caused by respiratory failure from emphysema. Nelson's cremated remains were laid to rest at the Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma, CA.

----------

Tom Sheehan was a very good to excellent pitcher on the 1921-1923 Saints clubs. His first exposure to the major leagues was in 1915-1916 with the A's when he appeared in 15 and 38 games (13 and 17 starts/102 and 188 innings) for 4.15 and 3.69 ERAs and 4-9 and 1-16 records. In 1921, he was with the Yankees in 12 games (1 start) completing 33 innings and a 5.45 ERA.

He came back to the majors in 1924 for the Reds in 39 games (14 starts/167 inn.) finishing with a 3.24 ERA and 9-11 record. He also was with them for 10 games in 1925 (3 starts, 29 inn.) compiling an 8.07 ERA. The rest of his '25 year was with the Pirates for 23 relief appearances (57 inn., 2.67 ERA). His big league career ended with 9 games for Pittsburgh in 1926 (31 inn., 6.68 ERA).

Sheehan was in 146 MLB games (50 starts) for 607 innings allowing 677 hits and 242 walks striking out 169 for a 4.00 ERA, .294 OAV and .362 OOB.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Sheehan suffered through an ignominious 1-16 season with the 1916 Athletics, a team that won only 36 games while losing 117. Things got worse for Sheehan's roommate, Jack Nabors, who was 1-20 that year. A coach and minor league manager, Sheehan became a superscout for the Giants in 1948. He managed San Francisco for part of the 1960 season, at 66 the oldest man to be named manager..." - Jack Kavanagh

-----

He played pro from 1913-1934, including eight years in the American Association, for 601 games and 3,725 innings allowing 3,785 hits and 1,097 walks while striking out 1,242. His minor league career record was 260-166 with a 3.55 ERA. Tom led the Southern Association in innings pitched and wins in 1920, games/innings/wins/ERA in the A.A. in 1922, games/wins/ERA in the A.A. in 1923 and innings/wins in the A.A. in 1927.

Sheehan managed Minneapolis in 1939-1943 and 1946-1947 and the San Francisco Giants in 1960 (46-50). He was a major league coach for the Reds in 1935-1937, Dodgers in 1938 and Braves in 1944. Tom was also a scout for the Giants in 1945-1946, 1948-1960 and 1962-1975. Death came at age 88 on Oct. 29, 1982, in Chillicothe, OH.

----------

Tom Rogers pitched for the 1922 and 1923 Saints [most sources state he was born in Sparta, TN, however "The Baseball Necrology" states Scottville, KY]. He was a regular on the Browns pitching staff in 1917-1918 for 24 and 29 games with 8 and 16 starts as he completed 109 and 154 innings. His records were 3-6 and 8-10 with ERAs of 3.89 and 3.27. He was in two games for the Browns in 1919 (0-1, 27.00) and then went to the A's for 23 games (18 starts) and 140 innings where he had an ERA of 4.31 and a 4-12 record. He ended his big league stay with the Yankees in 1921 for 5 relief appearances (11 inn., 0-1, 7.36).

Rogers appeared in 83 major league games (42 starts) for 415 innings allowing 431 hits and 162 walks with 94 strike outs. His career record was 15-30 and he had an ERA of 3.95, .282 OAV and .354 OOB.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Rogers had most of his success in the Southern Association where he played a role in two unforgettable occurrences in 1916. On June 11, he pitched a perfect game for Nashville against Chattanooga. Eleven days later, he hit former major league infielder John Dodge in the face with a pitch and Dodge died the next day." - Jack Kavanagh

-----

Tom was a pro pitcher from 1913-1930 and managed in 1929. Thereafter, he worked as the baseball director for the Nashville Dupont rayon plant where he directed their baseball team. Rogers died at age 45 on March 7, 1936, from pneumonia at a hospital in Nashville. Burial was at the Spring Hill Cemetery in Nashville.

----------

Joseph "Shags" Horan played a few games for St. Paul in 1923. In 1924, he made his only big league appearances with the Giants for 22 games and 31 at bats for a .290 average, .313 OBP and .323 slugging. He played 14 games in the outfield with a 1.000 fielding %.

Horan played pro baseball from 1914-1926. He died at age 63 on Feb. 13, 1969, in the Riviera Community Hospital in Torrance, CA from a heart attack. Angeles Abbey Memorial Park in Compton, CA, was his burial site.

----------

-----1924-----

The first Saints' manager in the post-Mike Kelley era was Artemus "Nick" Allen. He had been a pro catcher since 1910 and had been in the majors from 1914-1916 and 1918-1920 for Buffalo (FL), the Cubs and the Reds. He played in 216 MLB games with a career average of .232. Nick had no known past professional managerial experience, but was St. Paul's starting catcher in 1921 and their back-up catcher since 1922.

Allen

Even though the club won 15 less games then in 1923, they finished in first place four games ahead of Indianapolis. The Indians held a one-half game lead with less than a week left and then played a five-game series with Saint Paul at Lexington Park. The Saints won four of the games and followed with a split of a four-game series against Louisville while Indianapolis lost three games in Minneapolis.

St. Paul also set an attendance record with about 242,300 fans, had the best fielding percentage in the league, stole the most bases and permitted the fewest runs. The Saints had won the pennant four times in six years.

Offensively, Saint's vet Chuck Dressen and newcomer Johnny Neun stood out. Dressen (.346), again manning third base, led the league with 151 RBI which also set a club post-1919 record. He was first in team slugging % (.534), OBP (.420), home runs (18), doubles (41) and second in batting average. Neun (.353) took over at first base leading the team in hits (222 - a club record) and stolen bases (55) and was first in average, second in OBP (.412) and tied for second with 100 RBI. Lute Boone (.259) continued to play a steady shortstop and Hap Morse (.273) was posted at second base for 108 games compared to long-time Saint Marty Berghammer's (.227) 49 contests. Mark Koenig (.267), now 20 years old, was shifted to the infield and played short and second in 43 games. A native Minnesotan, Julie Wera, played a couple of games at third.

Leo Dixon (.272, 10 home runs) became the new front-line catcher performing in 148 games. He was backed-up by manager Allen (.239) and the re-acquired Bob McMenemy.

The very good outfield trio of Bruno Haas, Cockoo Christensen and Joe Riggert played together for the final season as Riggert ended his long-term stay at St. Paul with 110 games for a .294 average and 9 home runs. Christensen (.314) was third in team hitting, fourth in RBI (73) and led the league in runs scored with 150 appearances in a Saints' uniform. Haas (.293) was tied for second in RBI with 100, tied for fourth with Christensen in slugging (.444) and second in homers (11), however, he only played in 110 games. Duluth's Dick Wade (.291) took up the slack for 76 games. Newcomer Cliff Lee was an excellent reserve hitting .382 in 191 at bats for a .513 slugging % and .424 OBP. Hoke Floyd (.244) also played 26 games as an outfielder.

Manager Allen pieced together a pitching staff of mostly newcomers and, strange as it seems for a pennant winner, none won twenty games. John Merritt (19-17) came close and completed the most innings (277), but had an elevated ERA (4.68) and WHIP (1.51). Cliff Markle (19-9) also came within a whisker of twenty and, in 254 frames, performed better then anyone else on the staff with a 3.01 ERA (led team),1.35 WHIP and a team-leading 128 strikeouts. Newcomer Tony Faeth (15-4) had a good WHIP (1.27) to lead the team and finished with a 3.45 ERA in 219 innings. The last of the season's Big Four was a new face, Paul Fittery (16-10) who, in 214 innings, had a 4.37 ERA and 1.60 WHIP.

Al Holzhauser (10-14) returned for 185 innings with a rather poor 5.69 ERA and 1.49 WHIP. Buddy Napier (1-2) was also a returnee, but was in only 16 games probably because of his 1.81 WHIP. Allen also brought in Oscar Roettger (8-4) for 23 games (4.79 ERA, 1.52 WHIP) and Herb McQuaid (7-9) for 39 (5.12 ERA, 1.75 WHIP). The final staff member was Ted Pritchard (11 g, 2-3, 1.80 WHIP). Emergency pitcher Bruno Haas was called into three games (2.00 WHIP).

Season highlights: On May 10, Johnny Neun stole second, third and home in succession in the first inning of a game against Louisville. On July 4, Charley Dressen had his 11 successive hits and 14 consecutive at bats with reaching base streaks stopped during a game with Minneapolis and, on Sept. 24, Cliff Markle struck out 15 Toledo hitters.

In the Junior World Series, the Saints again faced Baltimore. Saint Paul split the first two games (3-4 and 6-0) and the third was called by darkness with the score at 6-6. The Orioles then won the next two games (4-6, 1-10) to lead in the series three games to one. In Saint Paul, the home team came back to win game six with a rally in the sixth inning (5-2), but then lost game seven (0-4). After the Saints won the next two games 3-2 [on a Tony Faeth's three-hitter] and 3-1, the series was tied with one game to play. In the finale, Saint Paul had a 5-0 lead after six when the Orioles scored three in the seventh. However, the Saints scored another in the bottom of the seventh and held on to win the game 6-3 and their first Little World Series.

[St. Paul Daily News]

Hap Morris scoring in the sixth inning of game 10 of the Little World Series

[A detailed article about the series is available in the SABR publication "The National Pastime" [Vol. 28, 2008]

After the final game, Pitcher Paul Fittery summed up the year: "Pick out a star on this club. You can't do it. There's 22 of them." The Saints pocketed $796 as the winner's share and owner John Norton added $100 more. The team then got on a train for the west coast to play Seattle who were the Pacific Coast champs. [The American Association had agreed to play another post-season series with the PCL]. Rain postponed the first game, but the Saints easily won game one the next day 12-4. After rain continued for the next two days, the series was canceled. As winners of one game, each Saint Paul player earned another $175.

----------

Leo Dixon caught for St. Paul in 1924. He played with the Browns from 1925-1927 for 76, 33 and 36 games batting .224, .191 and .194. He ended his big league experience with the Reds in 1929 in 14 games (.167).

In 159 major league games, he had 427 at bats with a .206 batting average, .291 OBP and .272 slugging. Catching in 157 contests, he fielded .971.

Dixon was a pro catcher from 1921-1932. He died at 87 years old on Apr. 11, 1984, in Chicago and was buried at the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Worth, IL.

----------

Johnny Neun was the regular first baseman for St. Paul in 1924. He was a sometimes-starter for the Tigers from 1925-1928 appearing in 60, 97, 79 and 36 games with averages of .267, .298, .324 and .213. His MLB status came to a close after his play with the 1930-1931 Braves where he played in 81 and 79 games (.325 and .221).

His career big league numbers, in 432 games and 945 at bats, were a .289 average, .366 OBP and .376 slugging. As a first baseman in 231 games, he fielded at a .987 clip.

-----

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Never a regular, the speedy, slick-fielding Detroit first baseman entered the record books on May 31, 1927. With two Cleveland runners on, Neun nabbed Homer Summa's line drive and tagged Charlie Jamieson at first. Then, ignoring the shortstop's shots to throw the ball, he dashed toward second and tagged the bag before Glenn Myatt could get back. Neun had executed the major league's seventh unassisted triple play. The sixth had been turned the day before by Cubs shortstop Jimmy Cooney.

"Switch-hitter Neun led the AL with 12 pinch hits in 42 tries in 1926. He became a player, coach and manager for the Yankees' Newark (International League) farm team, a dynasty in the 1930s and early 1940s. In 1946, he was New York's interim manager for 14 games replacing Bill Dickey..." - Jack Kavanagh

-----

Neun was an active player from 1920-1937 and a minor league manager from 1935-1943. He was a major league coach for the Yankees from 1944-1946 and managed them in 1946 to a 8-6 record. Johnny also was at the helm of the Reds in 1947 (73-81, 5^th) and 1948 (44-56, 7^th). Thereafter, he was a scout and player development specialist for the Yankees for "years" and a scout for the Brewers until his death. He died at age 89 at the Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore on March 28, 1990, from pancreatic cancer. His burial was at the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Baltimore.

----------

[Library on Congress]

Charles " Chuck" Dressen played for St. Paul in 1922-1924. Right after his success with the Saints, he was a major leaguer with the Reds from 1925-1931 for 76, 127, 144, 135, 110, 33 and 5 games hitting .274, .266, .292, .291, .244, .211 and .067. He ended his 8-year big league playing career with the Giants in 1933 for 16 games (.222).

Chuck played in 646 MLB games with 2,215 at bats for a career .272 average, .343 OBP and .369 slugging. Defensively, he was at third for 575 contests, at second for 16, in the outfield for five and stationed at short for three. His cumulative fielding percentage was .953.

----------

From the book "The Ballplayers":

"Dressen never doubted his own baseball savvy, 'Hold them, boys,' he often told his team. 'I'll think of something.' The 5'5" 146-lb extrovert took up diverse challenges; picking racetrack winners, quarterbacking George Halas' Decatur Staleys (forerunner of the Chicago Bears) and the Racine Legion of the early NFL and playing eight years as a NL third baseman.

"He is most famous as a MLB manager. He managed successive pennant winners for the Dodgers in 1952-53 but bucked Walter O'Malley's policy by asking for a multi-year contract. O"Malley replaced him with Walter Alston. Dressen spent a year at Oakland of the PCL, then returned to the majors with the talentless Senators. Two seasons after leading Brooklyn to 105 victories, the same tactician took Washington to 101 losses. A second losing season and a poor1957 start cost Dressen his job.

"In 1960, he took over the Milwaukee Braves. Late in 1961, with the team in third place, he was summoned to the front office. Expecting photographers to record his signing of a new contract, he dressed in his best suit. Instead, he was told he was being let go.

"Dressen managed Toronto in the minors the next season, then joined the Dodgers as a special scout in 1963. In June, he received his fourth MLB command, with the ninth-place Tigers. He brought them in fifth and followed with two straight fourth-place finishes. On May 15, 1966 the 67-year-old Dressen managed his last victory. The next day he checked into a hospital [for a kidney infection]. Twelve weeks later [August 10 in Detroit] he died of a heart attack. [He was buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, CA]

"Dressen had a gambler's love for number 7 and wore it whenever he could. When the Dodgers acquired star Joe Medwick from St. Louis in 1940, he asked for 7, then worn by Dressen as a coach. Chuck agreed; the next day he went to his coach's box sporting his new number: 77. As usual, he'd 'thought of something.' "- Jack Kavanagh

-----

Dressen was a pro player from 1919-1933 and a minor league manager in 1932-1934, 1938, 1950, 1954 and 1962. He was a major league coach in 1939-1946 (Dodgers), 1947-1948 (Yankees) and 1958-1959 (Dodgers).

The following is a summary of his major league managerial career: 1934-1937 (Reds): 21-39 (8^th), 68-85 (6^th), 74-80 (5^th), 51-78 (8^th); 1951-1953 (Dodgers): 97-60 (2^nd), 96-57 (1^st), 105-49 (1^st); 1955-1957 (Senators): 53-101 (8^th), 59-95 (7^th), 4-16; 1960-1961 (Braves): 88-66 (2^nd), 71-58 (3^rd); 1963-1966 (Tigers): 55-47 (5^th), 85-77 (4^th), 65-55 (3^rd), 16-10. In total, he managed 1,990 games (1008-973) over 16 seasons with a 50.9 winning percentage.

Chuck died at age 72 [his birth year was found to be actually in 1894] on August 10, 1966, at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit after traveling there for a kidney infection, but dying from heart failure. Burial was at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, CA.

----------

Cliff Lee was a member of the 1924 Saint Paul Saints. In 1919-1920, he was a part-time catcher and outfielder for Pittsburgh playing in 42 and 37 games with averages of .196 and .237. In 1921-1923, he was a starter at first and the outfield for the Phillies in 88, 122 and 107 contests with .308, .322 and .321 averages. He started the 1924 season with the Phils (21g, .250), then went to the Reds for six games (.333) and it ended with the Saints.

Lee was back in the majors from 1925-1926 for Cleveland appearing in 77 and 21 games (.322, .175). That was the end of his big league experiences of 521 games and 1,583 at bats with a .300 average, .344 OBP and .462 slugging (he hit 17 homers in 1922). He played 300 games in the outfield, 86 at first, 52 at catcher and one at third with a composite .960 fielding mark.

Cliff played as a pro from 1914-1930. After baseball, he worked for the state of Colorado managing surplus commodities. He died at age 84 years at the St. Anthony Hospital Central in Denver on August 25, 1980, and was cremated.

----------

Frank "Tubby" McGee played with the Saints in 1922-1924 for a few games each year. His only major league games came in September 1925 for the Senators. He was in two games with three at bats (no hits) and he played errorless ball at first base during those games.

McGee was a pro baseball player from 1920-1929 and, thereafter, became an adjustor for a finance company in Columbus, OH. He died of lobar pneumonia at age 34 on Jan. 30, 1934, at Mount Carmel Hospital in Columbus and was buried at St. Joseph Cemetery in Lockbourne, OH.

----------

Paul Fittery was a successful pitcher on the 1924 Saints. He first appeared in the majors in 1914 for the Reds obtaining a 0-2 record and 3.09 ERA in 8 games (4 starts) and 43 innings. His final MLB contests were in 1917 for the Phillies when he appeared in 17 games with two starts completing 56 innings for a 4.53 ERA and 1-1 mark.

In his 25-game career, he allowed 110 hits and 39 walks in his 99 innings while striking out 34. Paul's ERA was 3.90 with a .286 OAV and .360 OOB.

Fittery was a pro pitcher from 1910-1930 and managed in 1928-1930. After baseball, he was a fireman at Fort McPherson (GA?). He died at the age of 86 on Jan. 28, 1974, at a hospital in Cartersville, GA. Burial was at the White Cemetery in White, GA.

----------

Skelton "Buddy" Napier pitched for 1923 and 1924 Saints. He had been a hurler on the 1912 Browns club for 7 games, including 2 starts with a 4.97 ERA. His next MLB appearances came in 1918 for the Cubs when he was in one game for 7 innings with a 5.40 ERA. Buddy's last big league games were for the Reds in 1920-1921 in 9 and 22 games (5 and 6 starts) with 49 and 57 innings compiling 1.29 and 5.56 ERAs.

He played in 39 major league games completing 138 innings allowing 162 hits and 29 walks while striking out 43. His record was 5-6 with a 3.92 ERA, .302 OAV and .343 OOB.

Napier pitched professionally from 1911-1924. From 1931-1968, He owned and operated Napier's Mobil Service in Hutchins, TX, where he lived nearly his whole life. Buddy died at age 78 in Dallas on March 29, 1968 and his burial was at the Hutchins Cemetery.

----------

-----1925-----

Prior to the season, a group of investors led by Bob Connery purchased the club for between $175,000 and $200,000 (apparently the largest sum paid for an Amer. Assoc. team at the time) from John Norton who retained ownership to Lexington Park. Norton continued to develop and administer commercial property near the park including the Coliseum Pavilion, sandwich shops and the Lexington Center Village, which was a shopping area on the east side of Lexington Avenue across the street from the ball park.

Connery

Connery, at the time, was the head scout for the New York Yankees and wanted to curtail his travel and become owner of a team. At the time of the purchase, Connery did not divulge the identity of his partners, however the press mentioned one who was a St. Louis banker Leo Daly. The other investor was not known until after his death – Yankees manager Miller Huggins. He obtained one-third ownership in February 1925. Because of the Saints/Yankees connection, numerous players shuttled between the two teams over the next nine years.

Lexington Park in 1925

Manager Nick Allen led the team to a third place finish with five fewer wins, in three more games, then in 1924 and their attendance was down by 47,000. Outfielder Cedric Durst, who was between major league seasons, had one of the greatest offensive seasons in franchise history. He set team records for most at bats (653 - held since 1914 by Harry Hinchman), hits (227 - besting Johnny Neun's 1924 record), doubles (59 - topping Charlie Dressen's 1923 mark) and triples (25 - eclipsing Joe Riggert's record of 23 set in 1913). He also led the team with a .348 batting average, .547 slugging % and in RBI with 105.

Walt "Cockoo" Christensen (.325) and Bruno Haas (.317) also returned with 151 and 105 games respectively in the outfield. Christensen led the team with 49 steals and was second in average and OBP. Haas was third in RBI and, on June 7, went 6-for-6 in a game in Milwaukee. Dick "Rip" Wade (.293) appeared in 88 games as an outfielder and usual pitcher Oscar Roettger (.359) also played in the field for 26 contests.

With last year's starting catcher, Leo Dixon, moving to the Browns, the Saints signed Pat Collins (.316) who was in the middle of his major league assignments. He led the team with 19 home runs, set a post-1919 club record with a .437 OBP, was second in slugging (.505) and RBI (100). Fred Hofmann (.305) returned to back him up in 56 games. Saint Paul native Bob McMenemy also was a back up again splitting the season between his home town and the Milwaukee Brewers.

After Charley Dressen's departure to the Reds, third base was a committee affair with Hap Morse (.297) getting most of the playing time with 88 games. Lute Boone (.265) played 50 games there and newcomer Heinie Odom (.250) appeared 29 times. Second base was also a team effort with new Saint Norm McMillan (.287) making 75 appearances, Boone was there during 63 games and long-term Saint Marty Berghammer (.296) made his St. Paul swan song with 26 games.

Mark Koenig (.308), after making appearances with the Saints for the past four years, became the starter at short for 123 games. Toward the end of the season, he was sold to the Yankees. Boone was stationed at short for 36 contests. First base became the domain of newbie Fritz Mollwitz (.283) who was third on the team with 87 RBI.

The best pitcher on the club was newcomer Ray Kolp (3.78 ERA) who led the team with a 22-13 record, 1.28 WHIP and 122 strikeouts in 302 innings. Cliff Markle (13-18) had the second most innings pitched at 262 and strikeouts (121), but finished with an elevated ERA of 4.84 and 1.50 WHIP. Another newcomer Curt Fullerton (15-8) had the second most wins, but had an ERA of 5.62 and 1.61 WHIP with 213 innings. Herb McQuaid improved to a 14-5 mark and had a decent 3.81 ERA and 1.34 WHIP (second best on team). John Merritt (6-13) ended his St. Paul tenure with 160 innings completing a 4.78 ERA and 1.60 WHIP. The leader in ERA was new face Walt Beall (7-8), who in 166 innings had a 3.63 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. He also was third on the club with 117 K's.

Besides hitting well as an outfield reserve and pinch hitter, Oscar Roettger (12-8) made 33 appearances on the mound for 170 innings compiling a 4.98 ERA and 1.65 WHIP. Before going down to the Western League, Tony Faeth was in 6 games with a 2.58 ERA. Third-year Saint Al Holzhouser (1-1, 4.95, 1.75) also made 5 appearances.

----------

Pat Collins caught for the 1925 Saints. He was mostly a back-up catcher in the majors for ten years. From 1919-1924, he played for the Browns in 11, 23, 58, 63, 85 and 32 games batting .143, .214, .243, .307, .177 and .315.

During the 1926-1928 seasons, he was with the Yankees appearing in 102, 92 and 70 contests with .286, .275 and .221 batting averages. He was the dependable starting catcher of the '27 "Murder's Row", batting eighth. Pat ended his big league games with seven for the Braves in 1929 (0-for-5).

He had 543 MLB games with 1,204 at bats hitting a career .254 with a .378 OBP and .385 slugging %. His fielding average was .974 in 403 games as a catcher and five as a first baseman.

Collins played pro ball from 1917-1932. After suffering from a heart condition, he died at age 63, on May 20, 1960, at his apartment in Kansas City, KS. He was buried in the Memorial Park Cemetery in Kansas City.

----------

[Library of Congress]

Frederick "Fritz" Mollwitz was Saint Paul's starting first baseman in 1925. He played a few games (2 and 13) for the Cubs in 1913-1914 going a combined 6-for-27 and then was traded to the Reds for the remainder of the '14 season. That year, he was in 32 games batting .162 before becoming a regular in 1915 for 153 games batting a respectable .259. Fritz stayed with the Reds for 65 games in 1916 (.224) before going back to the Cubs for 33 contests (.268).

From 1917-1919, he was with the Pirates for 36, 119 and 56 games hitting .257, .269 and .173. The rest of his 1919 season was spent with Cardinals (25g, .229). The Germain-born Mollwitz never got back to the majors.

In his MLB career of 534 games and 1,740 at bats, he hit .241 with a .278 OBP and .294 slugging. His fielding average was .991 with 497 games at first base, eight in the outfield and one at second.

Mollwitz' pro years encompassed the years of 1910-1927 and he also managed in 1927. After baseball, he worked for the Shorewood, WI, police department for 22 years. In 1955, he retired to Bradenton, FL, where he died at age 76 at his home there on Oct. 3, 1967. Burial was at the Wisconsin Memorial Park in Brookfield, WI.

----------

[Library of Congress]

Peter "Hap" Morse was an infielder on the Saints teams of 1922-1925. The Saint Paul native was in only four big league games in 1911 for the Cardinals. He did not get a hit in eight at bats, but did have one walk. He played two games at shortstop and one in the outfield (.750 fielding).

Morse was a professional ball player from 1913-1931. His death came at age 87 on June 19, 1974, in Saint Paul. His burial was at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park there.

----------

Mark Koenig played on the Saints from 1921-1925. He was a late season call up in 1925 by the New York Yankees and played in 28 games hitting .209 as a shortstop with 110 at bats. He became their regular shortstop in 1926 [although he was a shaky fielder with 52 errors] and continued in that roll through the 1928 season. During those years he batted .271, .285 and .319 in 147, 123 and 132 games. His OBPs were .319, .320 and .360. In 1929 he became an utility infielder and hit .292 with a .335 OBP. He had a great 1927 World Series going 9-for-18 with a .611 slugging %. Admittedly, a good reason for that success was that Babe Ruth followed him in the batting order.

The switch hitters' last games as a Yankee came in 1930 with 21 appearances and 74 at bats. His batting average fell to .230 and he was traded on May 30 to the Tigers with Waite Hoyt for Ownie Carroll, Yats Wuestling and Harry Rice. With the Tigers that year he played short, third, outfield and even pitched. His batting average was .240 with a .295 OBP.

He stayed with the Tigers through the 1931 season playing in 106 games as an infielder and pitcher. He batted .253 with a .282 OBP. In 1932 he was released to San Francisco, but was called up in August by the Cubs [when Billy Jurges was shot] where he stayed through the rest of the '32 season and all of 1933. Those years, he was a utility player in 33 and 80 games batting .353 and .284. The Cubs only rewarded him with a one-half Series share in 1932 even though he hit so well. Their Series' opponents, the Yankees, reacted hotly to the affront on their former teammate and the situation contributed to the ill fillings between the clubs during the series.

On December 20, 1933, he was traded to the Reds for Otto Bluege and Irv Jeffries. Koenig was a full-time player with Cincinnati for 1934 playing in 151 games albeit at all of the infield positions. His average was a decent .272 with a .289 OBP. That year he, along with Jim teammate Jim Bottomley refused to fly on road trips and took trains instead. On December 14, the Reds traded him to the New York Giants with Allyn Stout for Billy Myers and cash.

Mark played out his major league career with the Giants in 1935-1936 for 107 and 42 games, again as a utility infielder, with .283 and .276 averages and .306 and .373 OPBs. That ended a good 12-year MLB stay.

As a big leaguer, Koenig played in 1,162 games and had 4,271 at bats with a career .279 batting average, .316 OBP, .367 slugging % (he hit 28 home runs) and a .927 fielding %. In 5 games as a pitcher, he completed 16 innings allowing 18 hits and 19 walks while striking out 9. His ERA was 8.44 with a .300 OAV.

He began his pro career from 1921-1937 (including Jamestown in the Dakota League in 1922). He managed at Sioux Falls, SD, in 1941 and 1946. Koenig died on April 22, 1993, at the age of 88, at the Willow View Convalescent Center in Willows, CA and was cremated. He had suffered from lung cancer, congestive heart failure and pneumonia.

----------

[Library on Congress]

Walter "Cockoo" Christensen was an excellent performer with the 1922-1925 Saints. He played two seasons (1926-1927) with the Reds appearing in 114 and 57 games with averages of .350 and .254. His batting average in 171 MLB games and 514 at bats was .315 with a .392 OBP and .383 slugging. He played 143 games in the outfield for a .970 slugging %.

His pro years were from 1922-1934 including ten seasons in the American Association. He then became a machinist for the Caterpillar Tractor Company for 25 years. Christensen died at age 85 from pneumonia following a heart attack on Dec. 20, 1984, at the Sharon Heights Conv. Hospital in Menlo Park, CA. He was cremated.

----------

Lute Boone played for St. Paul from 1919 through 1925. He came up with the Yankees in September 1913 for 6 games going 4 for 12 as a shortstop. From 1914-1916 he played in 106, 130 and 46 games with them batting .222, .204 and .185. During those years, he also played at second and third. In late 1916 he was sent to Richmond and in 1917 went to Toledo and remained there off-and-on through 1918.

His MLB career ended in 1918 for the Pirates in 27 games with a .198 average. In his 5-year and 315-game career, he batted .209 with a .282 OBP and .261 slugging %. His fielding average was .964 with 214 games at second, 53 at short, 38 at third and one in the outfield. Boone's good fielding couldn't make up for his poor hitting.

He was a minor league player from 1911-1913, 1916-1930 and 1933-1935 and a minor league manager from 1933-1936. He broke in with McKeespost in 1911 and the next spring had a trial with the Phillies who sent him to Lancaster. Then he played for Steubenville and Dallas before becoming a major leaguer. He played 15 years in AAA with seven years at St. Paul and three at Columbus. St. Paul had sold him to Brooklyn in 1921, but he did not get another chance in the majors because of an injury. His career minor league batting average was .278 in 1,982 games.

Lute's minor league managerial record all took place in the Northern League. In 1933-1935 he managed Crookston (48-48, 5^th; 62-58, 3^rd; 45-65, 7^th) and in 1936, Wausau (61-59, 4^th). In addition to playing and managing, he was the league's president from mid-1933 through 1934. He died on July 29, 1982, in Pittsburgh, at the age of 92.

----------

[Library of Congress]

Marty Berghammer was a Saints player during the 1916-1925 seasons. He first appeared in a major league uniform in September 1911 for two games with the White Sox (0-for-5). In 1913-1914, he was in 74 and 77 games with averages of .218 and .223. Marty closed out his big league years in the Federal League during the 1915 season performing for Pittsburgh. As a starter at short, he led the league in fielding and batted .243.

As a major leaguer, he was in 285 games and had 774 at bats compiling a .233 batting average, .335 OBP and .275 slugging. He played 219 games at short and 28 at second with a .931 fielding %.

As a professional, he played from 1911-1926 and managed from 1925-1931 and 1936. After baseball, he operated a tavern in Pittsburgh. Berghammer died from a heart attack at age 71 on Dec. 21, 1957, at his home in Pittsburgh. His burial was at St. Martin's Cemetery there

----------

Curt Fullerton was a Saints pitcher in 1925. He played all of his major league baseball for the Red Sox. From 1921-1925, he appeared in 4, 31, 37, 33 and 4 games (1, 3, 15, 20 and 2 starts) for 15, 64, 143, 152 and 23 innings with ERAs of 8.80, 5.46, 5.09, 4.32 and 3.18 and 0-0, 1.4, 2-15, 7-12 and 0-3 records. Curt returned in 1933 for 6 games (2 starts) and 25 innings for a 0-2 record and 8.53 ERA. The Boston teams, on which he played, were probably the worst Sox clubs ever assembled.

In his MLB career, he was in 115 games and finished 423 innings allowing 483 hits and 211 walks while striking out 104. His ERA was 5.11 with a .296 OAV, .384 OOB and 10-37 record.

Fullerton was a pro pitcher from 1921-1938 with ten years spent at the highest minor league level. He died at age 76 on Jan. 2, 1975, in Winthrop, MA.

----------

[Library of Congress]

John "Howard" Merritt pitched for the Saints from 1918-1925. He played defensively in the outfield on September 27, 1913, for the Giants without an at bat nor a chance in the field. [Another Moonlight Graham!]

He played pro from 1913-1926 with 584 minor league appearances completing 3,486 innings giving up 3,481 hits and 1,050 walks while striking out 1,050. His record was 215-183

After leaving baseball, Merritt was the Tupelo (MS) City Clerk for 20 years, and later a partner in a men's clothing store and the "Lee County Tribune" (both located in Tupelo). His last two working years were spent as a deputy clerk in the county courthouse. He died from a kidney ailment at age 61 on Nov. 3, 1955, at his home in Tupelo. Burial was at the Glenwood Cemetery there.

----------

Cliff Markle was a pitcher on the 1923-1925 Saint Paul squads. He was given opportunities with the Yankees in 1915-1916 appearing in 3 and 11 games (2 and 7 starts) for 23 and 46 innings with ERAs of 0.39 and 4.53. He got back to the majors in 1921-1922 with the Reds for 10 and 25 contests (6 and 3 starts) completing 67 and 76 innings for 3.76 and 3.81 ERAs.

His final big league appearances were for the Yankees in 1924 (7g, 23 inn, 8.87 ERA). In his career, he pitched in 56 games with 21 starts finishing 235 innings allowing 235 hits and 110 walks. He struck out 90 with a 12-17 record, 4.10 ERA, .271 OAV and .356 OOB.

Markle pitched professionally from 1913-1928. For ten years, he was a warehouse foreman for Westinghouse-Parker (a manufacturing company) and he died at age 80 at his home in Temple City, CA, on May 24, 1974. Death was caused by heart disease and he was buried at the Resurrection Cemetery in San Gabriel, CA.

----------

Tony Faeth pitched for the Saints in 1924, 1925 and 1927. His pro career started in 1913 and, on August 20, 1919, he began his short MLB pitching career with the second placed Cleveland Indians who, that season, had replaced manager Lee Fohl with Tris Speaker after 78 games.

In 1919, the 25- year-old right hander, appeared in 6 games as a reliever totaling 18 innings. He allowed 13 hits and 10 walks for an great ERA of 0.50. Asked back for 1920, he failed to pitch well. In 25 innings (13 games), he gave up 31 hits and 20 walks. He struck out 14 and his ERA was 4.32. It was his last invitation to pitch in the major leagues.

Also in 1920, Faeth pitched for Sacramento (PCL) in 10 games for a 3-5 record and 3.84 ERA. In 1921, he appeared in 46 games for Sacramento and Vernon posting an 18-17 mark and 4.25 ERA.

In the October 6, 1921, edition of "The Sporting News" there was the following item in the Pacific Coast League highlights: "Perhaps Sacramento can trace it's loss of the pennant this year to the deal it made with Vernon.by which it gave up Tony Faeth for nothing as it turned out. Faeth has been a big winner with the Tigers. He may not have been able to get along with Bill Rodgers But, Bill Essick certainly got results out of him and now Essick is insisting that Faeth be given another chance in the big show. Sacramento was to get Art Fromme for Faeth, but the veteran Fromme jumped to the outlaws and refused to accept the transfer."

In 1922 he stayed with Vernon where he had a 6-5 record and a poor 6.08 ERA. Tony's 1923 season was spent with the Southern Association's Nashville and Mobile clubs as he pitched in a combined 37 games (17-15, 3.28). In 1924, he was at St. Paul and also started there in 1925, but after 6 games went to Des Moines (Western) where he had a 5-4 record in 13 games.

Faeth continued in the American Association in 1926 pitching 26 games for Columbus and Indianapolis (4-15, 5.81). He finished his pro career with a few games for the '27 Saints.

Tony lived to the age of 89 dying in St. Paul, MN, on December 22, 1982. He is buried at the Calvary Cemetery in St. Paul, MN.

----------

----- 1926 -----

It was a downhill season for Saint Paul in 1926 finishing just one game over .500 in sixth place. With their nine less wins in six less games, they drew about 29,000 lewer fans. Poor pitching appeared to be the main culprit with just three front-line pitchers with WHIPs less then 1.33. George Pipgras, who was Yankees property, led the league in strikeouts with 156 and won 22 games, but also lost 19 with a 3.87 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 312 innings. Ray Kolp again performed well at 18-11 with a 3.62 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 276 innings. Newcomer Hank Johnson ate up 186 innings, but had a poor 6-15 record, 4.31 ERA and 1.59 WHIP.

Another new face, Ed Meade, competed 156 frames with a 12-7 mark, 3.40 ERA and 1.51 WHIP. Oscar Roettger was brought back for 140 innings (7-5, 4.95, 1.64) as was George Forquahar [for the final time] (57 inn, 2-2, 6.63, 2.26). Ferdie Schupp, obtained from Indianapolis, also contributed but it is not known how many of his 206 A.A. innings were completed in a Saints' uniform. The best stats, of the pitchers, belonged to new Saint Huck Betts albeit in 88 innings: 5-3, 3.89, 1.16.

Fred Hofmann moved up from being a back-up catcher to starter for 139 games and hit well at .302. Newcomer at first, Charlie Stuvengen, had his career pro year leading the team with 93 RBI and hitting .293. Norm McMillan (.289) continued to be the main starter at second and was runner-up RBI leader with 71. Third base became the domain of Minnesota-born Julie Wera (.298) and shortstop Pee Wee Wanninger joined the team to set a team record for at bats with 683 and finished second in batting at .316.

Deeby Foss (.301), a newcomer, was the main back up at third and first and Heinie Odom (.266) returned as a bench player at second and third. Tom McCarthy [one source states shows his name as "Lew McCarty"] was the main catching backup, but only hit .167. Manager Allen also caught three games.

Outfielder Bruno Haas returned for his seventh season and led the team in hitting with a .329 average, doubles with 51 and OBP (.385). He was also second in slugging percentage. Nick Cullop come on board to tie the team home run record set in 1920 by Bubbles Hargrave of 22, was third in hitting at .314 and led in slugging at .541 and stolen bases with 32. New Saint Hal Anderson (.304) completed the outfield starters and was the third offensive front-liner from Saint Louis (joining Cullop and Hofmann). Dick Wade continued to be a capable back-up hitting .315 with 397 at bats.

On June 16, the Yankees were scheduled to play the Saints in an exhibition game at Lexington Park. Early in the day, a huge crowd stood outside the downtown offices of the "St. Paul Pioneer Press and Dispatch" to catch site of Babe Ruth throwing autographed baseballs out one of the office's windows. Later, Ruth hit some long balls in batting practice at the park, but the game itself was rained out.

[During the season, the "St. Paul Pioneer Press" printed a report stating that only nine home runs had been hit over the far-away right-field fence since 1916 and the only player to hit more then one was Bruno Haas.]