Overview and legacy History of professional baseball in Milwaukee

1 overview , legacy

1.1 milwaukee tradition
1.2 american association
1.3 bill veeck , jolly cholly
1.4 coming of braves
1.5 legacy – return of brewers
1.6 american association championships
1.7 junior world series appearances
1.8 ballpark

overview , legacy

the 1889 milwaukee brewers/creams of western association

milwaukee prospect professional baseball, several brief experiments @ major league level in minor leagues.

the longest-lasting minor league club milwaukee brewers, played in american association 1902 through 1952.

the nicknames of these teams assigned media rather teams themselves. known creams or cream citys after distinctive brick gave milwaukee nickname, others known brewers , in reference 1 of city s chief industries.

this chart brief overview of various milwaukee professional baseball clubs:

1876-77 milwaukee west ends or west end club independent (1876), league alliance (1877), home games @ west end grounds on wells avenue, near city limits. (benson, p. 231).
1878 milwaukee grays a.k.a. brewers of national league, home games @ eclipse park a.k.a. milwaukee base-ball grounds.
1879–1883 no team
1884 milwaukee brewers a.ka. cream citys a.k.a. grays of northwestern league; joined union association late-season entry, after nwl disbanded; played @ wright street grounds.
1885-87 milwaukee cream citys western league (1885), northwestern league (1886–87), played @ wright street grounds and, according sources, @ athletic park in 1887.
1888–1891 milwaukee brewers (1888), milwaukee creams (1889–1891) of western association; joined american association end of season, replacing cincinnati porkers; western league (1892) disbanded , re-formed in 1894. played @ athletic park, later named borchert field and, according sources, @ wright street grounds in 1888.
1894–1901 milwaukee brewers (1894–95), creams (1896–97), brewers (1898–1901) of western league (1894–1899), renamed american league 1900, became major league 1901; transferred st. louis browns in 1902. played @ athletic park in 1894, lloyd street grounds through 1901.
1902–1903 milwaukee creams of revived western league, played @ lloyd street grounds.
1902–1952 milwaukee brewers of american association, played @ borchert field.
1913 milwaukee creams of wisconsin–illinois league.
1923 milwaukee bears of negro national league, played @ borchert field.
1944 milwaukee chicks of all-american girls professional baseball league.

a milwaukee tradition

the nickname brewers has been used milwaukee baseball teams since @ least 1880s, although none of clubs ever enjoyed measure of success or stability. change milwaukee s entry american association, last fifty years , provide city s springboard major leagues.

the american association

the american association milwaukee brewers founded in 1901, after american league brewers moved st. louis , became st. louis browns. modern orioles franchise can trace roots original milwaukee brewers of minor western league, beginning in 1894 when league reorganized. brewers there when wl renamed american league in 1900. @ end of 1900 season, american league removed baseball s national agreement (the formal understanding between nl , minor leagues). 2 months later, al declared competing major league. result of several franchise shifts, brewers 1 of 2 western league teams didn t either fold or move (the other being detroit tigers). during first american league season, finished dead last record of 48-89. during lone major league season, team played @ lloyd street grounds, between 16th , 18th streets in milwaukee.

the brewers did not win first american association championship until 1913, repeated next year. on 20 years pass before claimed 90-64 club in 1936 detroit affiliate. in 1944, team won again, placing team in top 100. 3 years later, brewers became farm team of boston braves. although move paved way team s demise, in short run led directly milwaukee s final 2 league championships—one in 1951 when won junior world series, followed better team next year.

bill veeck , jolly cholly

in 1941 club purchased bill veeck (son of former chicago cubs president william veeck, sr.), in partnership former cubs star charlie grimm. under veeck s ownership, brewers become 1 of colorful squads in baseball , veeck become 1 of game s premiere showmen. creating new promotional gimmicks, veeck gave away live animals, scheduled morning games wartime night shift workers, staged weddings @ home plate, , sent grimm birthday cake containing much-needed left-handed pitcher.

when grimm hired manager of cubs, recommended casey stengel hired replace him. veeck opposed idea – stengel had little success in previous managerial stints dodgers , braves – veeck stationed overseas in marine corps, grimm won out. club went on win 1944 american association pennant, , stengel s managerial career resurrected.

in 1945, after winning 3 pennants in 5 years, veeck sold interest in brewers $275,000 profit.

the coming of braves

milwaukee had long been coveted major league teams looking new home. bill veeck himself tried relocate st. louis browns milwaukee in late 1940s, move vetoed other american league owners.

the city of milwaukee, hoping attract major league club, constructed milwaukee county stadium 1953 season. brewers set move in, until spring training of 1953, when lou perini moved boston braves milwaukee. brewers moved toledo, became next incarnation of toledo mud hens. new mud hens continued winning ways, claiming american association pennant in first season in ohio.

legacy – return of brewers

the legacy of american association milwaukee brewers continues in major league milwaukee brewers, took name 1902–1952 club.

after braves moved atlanta in 1966, local automobile dealer , braves part-owner bud selig created group lobby new major league club in milwaukee. name group, chose milwaukee brewers baseball club, inc. , after american association club grew watching. logo, chose beer barrel man in navy , red – traditional brewers colors.

when selig bought one-year-old seattle pilots franchise in spring of 1970, moved them milwaukee , officially became new major-league milwaukee brewers. club continued use beer barrel man team s primary logo until 1978, although due time constraints, team continued use old pilots colors of blue , gold. recently, has seen resurgence on throwback merchandise, , been featured on several stadium promotions.

the current brewers have played in national league since 1998, when franchise switched on american league after 29 years in junior circuit both pilots , brewers.

american association championships

1913
1914
1936
1944
1951
1952

junior world series appearances

the junior world series held between champions of american association , international league.

1936 – defeated buffalo, 4 games 1
1947 – defeated syracuse, 4 games 3
1951 – defeated montreal, 4 games 2

ballpark

postcard advertising new home of milwaukee brewers in 1953

during 51-year tenure in american association, milwaukee played in same ballpark. constructed in 1888, located in north side of milwaukee on rectangular city block main entrance on chambers st. between eighth , ninth streets. had abnormally short foul lines, 268 feet left , right. fences angled out sharply, making deep power alleys , center field 400 feet home plate. known athletic park until 1928 when renamed borchert field in honor of brewers owner otto borchert, had died previous year. polo grounds had similar configuration. borchert orchard first milwaukee home park green bay packers, played new york giants on oct. 1, 1933. following year, packers moved milwaukee games wisconsin state fair grounds. interstate 43 runs through borchert field once stood.