| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1912 |
| Inaugural season | 1912 |
| Ceased | 1912 |
| CEO | William Abbott Witmann |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country | United States |
| Last champion(s) | Pittsburgh Filipinos (1912) but only partial season |
The United States Baseball League was a short-lived hopeful third major-league that was established in New York City in 1912 and lasted only one partial season.
In March 1912, organizers of the proposed league – described by members of the sports establishment as an "outlaw league" – met in New York's Hotel Imperial. [1] The U.S. Baseball League subsequently organized teams in Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, New York, Reading, Pennsylvania; Richmond, Virginia; and Washington, D.C. [2] The league president was William Witmann. [3]
Sports historian Rudolf K. Haerle observed that the U.S. Baseball League "stressed the inherent 'good' of baseball for all individuals and communities, and indicated that it wished to conduct its business in the accepted capitalist style–free competition in the marketplace". [2] Despite these lofty ambitions, the league quickly incurred the scorn and hostility of the baseball establishment. [2] Additionally burdened with weak leadership, limited financing, poor attendance, and a lack of skillful players, the U.S. Baseball League "folded after about one month of action". [2]
Many sports historians view the U.S. Baseball League as "a major precursor to the Federal League of 1914–1915". [2] The Federal League, which was the last independent major league, was financed by magnates including oil "baron" Harry F. Sinclair. [4]
The league's regular season began May 1, 1912 and ended June 5. [2] The Richmond Times Dispatch released the intended 126-game USL schedule, to have run from April 8 through September 22. [5]
| Team | Win | Loss | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Filipinos | 19 | 7 | .731 |
| Richmond Rebels | 15 | 11 | .577 |
| Reading (no name) | 12 | 9 | .571 |
| Cincinnati Cams | 12 | 10 | .545 |
| Washington Senators | 6 | 7 | .462 |
| Chicago Green Sox | 10 | 12 | .455 |
| Cleveland Forest City | 8 | 13 | .381 |
| New York Knickerbockers | 2 | 15 | .118 |
The Pittsburgh Rebels were a baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1913 to 1915. The team was a member of the short-lived Federal League. The team was originally called the Pittsburgh Stogies after an earlier Pittsburgh team that played in the Union Association in 1884, but became known as the Rebels by the end of the 1914 season. The team played all of its home games at Exposition Park, located on Pittsburgh's Northside. The Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League left the stadium for Forbes Field in 1909. After the Rebels left Exposition Park in 1915, the field was demolished and its property became part of the adjacent rail yards.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1961 throughout the world.
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The following are the baseball events of the year 1958 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1954 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1953 throughout the world.
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The following are the baseball events of the year 1950 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1948 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1946 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1933 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1938 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1934 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1929 throughout the world.
The 1943 Major League Baseball season was contested from April 20 to October 11, 1943. The St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees were the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. In a rematch of the prior year's postseason, the Yankees then defeated the Cardinals in the World Series, four games to one.
The Pittsburgh Filipinos were a minor league baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team began play in 1912 in the United States Baseball League. The team played all of its home games at Exposition Park, located on Pittsburgh's Northside. The Filipinos were named in honor of their manager, Deacon Phillippe, a former pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates and a member of their 1901, 1902, 1903 and 1909 National League pennant winning teams as well as their 1909 World Series championship team.
The Richmond Rebels were one of eight teams in the United States Baseball League, and were based in Richmond, Virginia. The league collapsed within two months of its creation from May 1 to June 24, 1912. The Rebels were managed by Alfred Newman and owned by Ernest Landgraf.
The Cincinnati Pippins, also known as the Cincinnati Cams, were a franchise in the United States Baseball League based in Cincinnati, Ohio and was owned by New York attorney John J. Ryan. The team and the league lasted just over a month, from May 1 to June 5, 1912. The highest number of games played by any of the eight team league was 26. The USBL originally planned to have a 126-game season.
The Cleveland Green Sox were a baseball club based in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1913, the Green Sox were charter members of the Federal League. The Cleveland Green Sox were managed by Baseball Hall of Fame member Cy Young and played just the 1913 season before the franchise was folded. Finishing in second place, the Green Sox hosted home games at Luna Park. The Green Sox franchise was ultimately forced out in Cleveland when the major league Cleveland Naps relocated the Toledo Mud Hens to Cleveland for the 1914 season.