Alton Blues
| Alton Blues | |
|---|---|
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Previous classes | Class B (1917) |
Previous leagues | Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League (1917) |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Previous teams | None |
| Minor league titles | |
| League titles | None |
| Team data | |
Previous names | Alton Blues (1917) |
Previous parks | Sportsman's Park (1917) |
The Alton Blues was a minor league baseball team based in Alton, Illinois. The Alton Blues played the 1917 season as members of the Class B level Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League. The Alton Blues were the only minor league team hosted in Alton to date.
History
The Alton Blues became members of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League in 1917. The Blues replaced the Davenport Blue Sox from Davenport, Iowa in the league, which was commonly called the "Three–I League." The Alton Blues finished with an 18–44 record in 1917. Alton finished behind the Peoria Distillers (43–23), Rockford Rox (39–21), Hannibal Mules (39–27), Rock Island Islanders (36–26), Moline Plowboys (27–38), Quincy Gems (27–38) and Bloomington Bloomers (25–37) in the 1917 league standings.[1][2][3]
The Blues were so named, simply because of blue trim on their uniforms.[2]
The 1917 Alton Blues record of 18–44 on July 8, 1917, placed them last in the 8–team league, when the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League League received approval to cease play on July 8. The 1917 Alton Blues were managed by player/manager Harry Bay and Jim Duggan.[4][5][3]
After the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League League shortened the 1917 season, the league did not play in 1918 due to World War I. World War I greatly reduced the number of available players and many minor leagues folded nationwide in 1918. The Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League returned in 1919 as a six–team league without Alton and a lineup of the Bloomington Bloomers, Evansville Evas, Moline Plowboys, Peoria Tractors, Rockford Rox and Terre Haute Browns. Alton has not hosted another minor league team.[1][2][3][6]
In 2021, organized baseball returns to Alton, Illinois as the Alton River Dragons franchise will begin play as members of the Prospect League, a summer collegiate baseball league.[7][8]
The ballpark
The Alton Blues played at Sportsman's Park. While the Alton Blues played there, it was nicknamed "Three-I League Park." The ballpark was built in 1911. Today, the Alton Police Department occupies the site at 1700 East Broadway, Alton, Illinois, 62002.[9][10][11]
Notable alumni
- Harry Bay (1917, MGR) 2× AL stolen base leader
- Jim Duggan (1917, MGR)
- Frank Fletcher (1917)
- Bill Cristall (1917)
- Mickey O'Neil (1917)
References
- ^ a b "Three-I League - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
- ^ a b c Emery, Tom; Telegraph, For the (May 20, 2017). "A league of their own: Alton had minor league baseball a century ago". Alton Telegraph.
- ^ a b c "1917 Illinois-Iowa-Indiana League (IIIL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1917 Alton Blues Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "1917 Alton Blues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "1919 Illinois-Iowa-Indiana League (IIIL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "Alton River Dragons | Prospect Collegiate Baseball LLC". www.prospectleague.com.
- ^ "Home Page | Prospect New Team - Pointstreak Sites". www.pointstreaksites.com.
- ^ "Sportsman's Park in Alton, IL history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
- ^ "Madison County ILGenWeb". www.facebook.com.
- ^ "Home | Alton Police | City of Alton". www.cityofaltonil.com.