The Western League was the name of several minor league baseball leagues that operated between 1885 and 1899. These leagues were focused mainly in the Midwestern United States. In 1899, Johnson renamed it the American League and declared that it was now a major league, intending to compete against the older National League of 1876, which was centered in the American Northeast states.

History

Before its incarnation in November 1893, the Western League existed in various forms. The League was formed as a minor league on February 11, 1885. The original clubs were located in Indianapolis‚ Kansas City‚ Cleveland‚ Milwaukee‚ Toledo and Omaha/Keokuk, Iowa. The season began on April 18, 1885 with the Indianapolis Hoosiers winning the first title with a record of 27–4–1. The league then folded on June 15, 1885.

The league was reformed on January 18, 1886, to play an 80-game schedule. before being shut down on June 20, 1893. the Western League reorganized again and named Ban Johnson its president, who would remain so until his retirement in the 1920s. From this point forward, this version of the WL has continued in existence, eventually becoming the modern-day American League. Initially, league headquarters were to be in Cincinnati, Ohio, where Johnson was based as a sport editor for a newspaper, but were ultimately located in Chicago. Johnson had been recommended by his friend Charles Comiskey, a former major league star with the St. Louis Browns in the 1880s, who was then managing the Cincinnati Reds.

League members 1894–1899

  • Buffalo Bisons (1899)
  • St. Joseph Saints (1898)
  • Omaha Omahogs (1898)
  • Grand Rapids Rustlers/Goldbugs/Bob-o-links (1894–1897)
  • Detroit Tigers (1894–1899)
  • Indianapolis Hoosiers (1894–1899)
  • Grand Rapids Prodigals (1899)
  • Columbus Buckeyes/Senators (1896–1899)
  • Kansas City Blues (1894–1899)
  • Milwaukee Brewers (1894–1899)
  • Minneapolis Millers (1894–1899)
  • St. Paul Saints (1895–1899)
  • Sioux City Cornhuskers (1894)
  • Terre Haute Hottentots (1895)
  • Toledo Swamp Angels (1895)
  • Toledo White Stockings (1894)

Timeline

The first line is the formation of the 1894–1899 Western League (WL). The second line marks when the WL was classified as a Class A minor league. The third line marks when the Western League was renamed the American League (AL). The fourth line marks the declaration that the AL was a major league.

Pennant winners are shown with a "•".

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at:01/01/1894 color:lineColor #Formation of 1894–1900 Western League

at:01/01/1895 color:lineColor #Western League classified as "Class-A"

at:01/01/1900 color:lineColor #Western League renamed as American League

at:28/01/1901 color:lineColor #American League declared a major league

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bar:MIN # Minneapolis Minnies / Millers

bar:CHI # Sioux City Cornhuskers / St. Paul Saints / Chicago White Stockings

bar:TOL # Toledo White Stockings / Columbus Buckeyes

bar:CLE # Columbus Buckeyes / Grand Rapids Prodigals / Cleveland Lake Shores

bar:OMA # Omaha Omahogs / St. Joseph Saints

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  1. Note on dates: A team's bar begins with the season that team played its first game, and ends with the season after that team played its last game. For example, the Cincinnati Red Stockings played their first game in 1876, the first season of the National League, and played their last game in 1880. Therefore, their bar goes from 1876 to 1881.
  1. --- Charter Members of the American League

bar:DET from:01/01/1894 till:end link:/wiki/Detroit_Tigers

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Pennant winners

  • 1885 – Indianapolis Hoosiers
  • 1886 – Denver Mountain Lions
  • 1887 – Topeka Golden Giants
  • 1888 – Denver Mountaineers
  • 1892 – Columbus Reds
  • 1894 – Sioux City Cornhuskers
  • 1895 – Indianapolis Hoosiers
  • 1896 – Minneapolis Millers
  • 1897 – Indianapolis Hoosiers
  • 1898 – Kansas City Blues
  • 1899 – Indianapolis Hoosiers

<small>* There were no seasons in 1889, 1890, 1891, and 1893</small>

References

Sources

  • The National League Story, Lee Allen, Putnam, 1961.
  • The American League Story, Lee Allen, Putnam, 1962.
  • On to Nicollet, Stew Thornley, Nodin Press, 1988.
  • Batter-Up!, Ross Bernstein, Nodin Press, 2002.
  • ProQuest Historical Newspapers
  • Total Baseball, 8th edition, John Thorn, Phil Birnbaum, Bill Deane, and Rob Neyer, SportClassic Press, 2004.