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Henderson Central League team

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Henderson
Minor league affiliations
ClassClass C
LeagueCentral League
Major league affiliations
TeamUnaffiliated
Minor league titles
Pennants (0)None
Team data
NameHenderson
BallparkHenderson Fair Grounds

Henderson was a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Class C Central League in 1897. They began the season in Nashville, Tennessee, as the Nashville Centennials, but relocated to Henderson, Kentucky, after June 3. They played their home games at the city's fair grounds for the remainder of the season.

History

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The team began the 1897 Central League season as the Nashville Centennials of Nashville, Tennessee,[1] but suffered financial problems brought on principally by poor attendance.[2][3] They played their final game in Nashville on June 3.[4] The Centennials left town in second place with a 18–14 (.563) record.[5] League president George Simons announced the league's intention to transfer the club to Decatur, Illinois.[6] The league took possession of the team and placed it in the hands of catcher Frank Belt.[4] He would lead the team until it could be permanently established in its new city.[6]

After an off day on June 4,[7] the team played a series each against the Cairo Egyptians and Paducah Little Colonels, where they were still referred to as Nashville.[8][9] Meanwhile, Simons was still trying to place the former Nashville franchise in a new city. Decatur, the intended spot, refused to accept the team and its over $400 debt in unpaid player salaries and forthwith demolished their ballpark.[10] Simons next turned to Springfield, Illinois;[10] Owensboro, Kentucky;[11] and Henderson, Kentucky.[12] The league gave Nashville a five-day window to get together the funds to guarantee finishing the season, but it failed to do so.[11]

Instead, the citizens of Henderson gathered enough money to have the team transferred there.[13] Their first game as the Henderson club was played on June 13 on the road against the Evansville Brewers.[14] They won, 5–4, with the battery of Will Geralds and Belt.[14] A. D. Rogers, owner of the Henderson opera house and president of the city's fair association,[15] was named the new manager.[13] The team's home games were played at the Henderson Fair Grounds.[16] They defeated Evansville, 6–2, in their Henderson home opener on June 22.[17]

On the morning of July 20, the Washington Browns disbanded amid poor attendance and severe debt.[18] Evansville and the Terre Haute Hottentots dropped out of the league later that day.[19] The Central League was finished.[20][21] Henderson played its final league game on July 19 at Terre Haute, a 5–4 loss.[18] At the cessation of play, the team was in second place with a record of 39–31 (.557), one-and-a-half games behind Evansville.[18] They played one final exhibition game against a team from Princeton, Indiana, on July 21, winning 5–0, before disbanding.[22]

Season results

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1897 Central League standings (July 20)[18]
Team Games Won Lost Win % Finish GB
Evansville Brewers 71 41 30 .577 1st —
Nashville/Henderson Centennials 70 39 31 .557 2nd 1+1⁄2
Washington Browns 65 33 32 .508 3rd 5
Terre Haute Hottentots 67 31 36 .463 4th 8
Paducah Little Colonels 68 31 37 .456 5th 8+1⁄2
Cairo Egyptians 69 30 39 .435 6th 10

Notable players

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Three players also played in at league one game in Major League Baseball during their careers. These player were:

References

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  1. ^ "1895 Southern Association Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  2. ^ "Nashville Plays Ball". Nashville Banner. Nashville. May 24, 1897. p. 6. Retrieved March 10, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Nashville May Drop Out". The Nashville American. Nashville. May 30, 1897. p. 6. Retrieved March 10, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "Up To the Daisies". The Nashville American. Nashville. June 4, 1897. p. 6. Retrieved March 10, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Central League". The Paducah Sun. Paducah, Kentucky. June 4, 1897. p. 4. Retrieved March 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b "The Curtain is Rung Down". Nashville Banner. Nashville. June 4, 1897. p. 6. Retrieved March 10, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Yesterday Was an Off Day". Nashville Banner. Nashville. June 5, 1897. p. 9. Retrieved March 10, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "On the Diamond". Nashville Banner. Nashville. June 7, 1897. p. 6. Retrieved March 10, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "A Rotten Game". The Paducah Sun. Paducah, Kentucky. June 11, 1897. p. 1. Retrieved March 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b "No Games in Decatur". Decatur Daily Republican. Decatur, Illinois. June 5, 1897. p. 8. Retrieved March 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b "Dead Easy". The Paducah Sun. Paducah, Kentucky. June 9, 1897. p. 1. Retrieved March 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Sporting Gossip". The Nashville American. Nashville. June 14, 1897. p. 6. Retrieved March 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b "Henderson in the Central League". The Owensboro Messenger. Owensboro, Kentucky. June 15, 1897. p. 1. Retrieved March 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b "Saturday's Central League Games". Nashville Banner. Nashville. June 14, 1897. p. 6. Retrieved March 10, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Henderson Here". The Paducah Sun. Paducah, Kentucky. July 3, 1897. p. 1. Retrieved March 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "The Henderson Meet". The Bee. Earlington, Kentucky. July 1, 1897. p. 3. Retrieved March 12, 2020 – via The Library of Congress.
  17. ^ "Central League". The Paducah Sun. Paducah, Kentucky. June 23, 1897. p. 1. Retrieved March 12, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ a b c d "Baseball News". The Paducah Sun. Paducah, Kentucky. July 20, 1897. p. 1. Retrieved March 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Central League". The Paducah Sun. Paducah, Kentucky. July 21, 1897. p. 4. Retrieved March 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Out All Round". The Owensboro Messenger. Owensboro, Kentucky. July 22, 1897. p. 4. Retrieved March 12, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Central league Disbands". Chicago Tribune. Chicago. July 21, 1897. p. 8. Retrieved March 12, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Henderson, 5; Princeton, 0". The Inter Ocean. Chicago. July 22, 1897. p. 4. Retrieved March 12, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Theodore Conover Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  24. ^ "Pat Dillard Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  25. ^ "Charlie Petty Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
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