Baseball in Utica, NY

By Scott Fiesthumel

1884 Utica amateur club-one of the finest in NY State.

Three players who also played in major league baseball were on this team.

 

ERIE CANAL PRODUCTIONS- For a link to books and videos concerning people, places, and events along the traditional route of the Erie Canal through New York State- click here.

A Brief History of Baseball in Utica

Baseball has been played in Utica, NY for just about as long as any place in the country. A scorebook from the 1860's shows the amateur Utica Base Ball Club playing games against teams from throughout New York State, including Whitesboro, Oneida, Rome, Syracuse, Albany, Rochester. Utica also played against two of the best, and well known teams in the nation, the Mutual Base Ball Club of New York and the Atlantics of Brooklyn.

The first grouping of professional teams in the U.S. was the National Association of 1871-1875. It was a very loose collection of teams and in 1876 the first real major league, the National league was formed. A year later the first minor league, the International Association, was formed. The success of amateur baseball in Utica convinced the locals that a professional team would be a good idea and in 1878 Utica joined the International Association.

Since then, teams representing Utica have played over 6,000 games in several leagues and hundreds of future and former major league players have played on Utica ball fields. Utica has won league championships five times: 1886 (International), 1900 (NY State Lg.), 1912 (NY State Lg.) 1947 (Eastern Lg.) and 1983 (NY-Penn Lg.)

There have been four eras of minor league ball in Utica: 1878-1892, 1898-1917, 1939-1950, and 1977-present.

Click here for a photo of Utica's 1878 International Association team

 

 Link to Biographical studies of players, including:

Juice Latham-Utica's first professional "baseballist" and one of the first in the country.

Mike Griffin-Perhaps the finest centerfielder of the 19th century. The first player hit a home run in his first major league at-bat and the winner of a lawsuit against Brooklyn in a contract dispute.

 Click here for Players from Utica's History . 

 

For any questions or comments,

click here to e-mail me.

Among my publications are

Barnstorming Champions-The 1920 Adirondack Stars (2001)

The first hand account of the on-field and off-field activities of a group of young men in Northern NY State at the start of the "Roaring Twenties". 44 pages.

 

"Pent-Ups", Minor League Baseball in Utica, New York

1878-1892 (1995)

Is a 72 page book with photos that details the on-field action

and off-field antics of baseball's early years.

 

 The Legend of Wild Bill Setley