International League of Independent Professional Base Ball Clubs

Last updated
International League of Independent Professional Base Ball Clubs
Sport Baseball
Founded1906
Ceased1906
No. of teams8 (5 original and 3 replacement)
Country United States
Last
champion(s)
Philadelphia Giants

The International League of Independent Professional Base Ball Clubs, also referred to as the International League, [1] was a racially-integrated independent baseball league league that played a single season during the summer of 1906. It was composed of a mix of white, Cuban and Negro league baseball teams in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as well as New Jersey and Wilmington, Delaware, . The league was planned to continue the following year, [2] but never materialized for 1907.

Contents

The league's integrated status was unique, given the baseball color line in effect in Major League Baseball and its minor league affiliates. In that sense, it was also not a traditional "Negro league," since fewer than half the teams had all-black rosters. The International League was initially composed of five teams (one white American, two Cuban, and two African American), [1] with three later replacement teams.

Teams

The Freihofer Cup. Freihofer Cup.jpg
The Freihofer Cup.

The Havana Stars dissolved in June and were replaced by Riverton–Palmyra; [3] the Cuban Stars and Quaker Giants stopped playing their league schedule in July and both were replaced. [4]

Freihofer Cup Champion

Winners of the season were awarded the Freihofer Cup, named after league president William Freihofer. [1] Only 40 games were scheduled; eight games per team with each team playing each other twice.

The Philadelphia Giants were declared the champions even though they joined the league later as a replacement team. They inherited a 3-0 record from the Quaker Giants [5] and finished their schedule going 4-1, for an official record of 7-1. [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "A New Local League". Sporting Life . April 14, 1906. p. 17.
  2. 1 2 "International League". The Philadelphia Inquirer . September 10, 1906. p. 10 (Sports).
  3. The Philadelphia Inquirer . June 24, 1906. p. 2 (Sports).{{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. "New Teams in International League". The Trenton Evening Times . July 24, 1906. p. 11 (Sports).
  5. "What the Future Greats Are Doing". The Philadelphia Inquirer . August 5, 1906. p. 2 (Sports).