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Kosciuszko Reds

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Kosciusko Reds
Minor league affiliations
Class
  • Independent (1928–1932, 1936)
League
Major league affiliations
Team
  • None
Minor league titles
League titles (0)None
Team data
Name
  • Kosciusko Reds (1928–1930)
  • Milwaukee Red Sox (1931–1932, 1936)
BallparkSouth Side Park
Borchert Field

The Kosciusko Reds were a minor league baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1928 to 1930. Representing the Polish south side of Milwaukee, the Kosciusko Reds played as a semi–pro team for many years and were members of the Independent Wisconsin State League. The Milwaukee Red Sox continued as members of the Wisconsin State League (1931, 1936) and Wisconsin-Illinois League (1932).

History

The Kosciusko Reds were originally founded as a semi–pro team in 1908 by Milwaukee politician Louis Fons. The Kosciusko Reds represented the Polish south side of Milwaukee and were named after Tadeusz Kościuszko, a Polish patriot. The team was unofficially nicknamed, the “Koskys.”[1]

The Kosciusko Reds made their debut on April 11, 1909, with owner Louis Fons playing 2nd base. The Reds won multiple titles in the semi–pro Lake Shore League. The team wore red and white uniforms and drew large crowds to South Side Park, their home ballpark, with the team and league playing games only on Sunday afternoons. The original Kosciusko Reds ceased play in 1920.[2][1]

In 1928, the Kosciusko Reds franchise was revived and the team became members of the reformed Wisconsin State League. It appears the league held games weekly. The Kosciusko Reds ended the 1928 season with a record of 17–15, finishing 3rd in the six–team Wisconsin State League standings, 2.5 games behind the 1st place Two Rivers Mirros. Eddie Lenehan was the Reds' manager in 1928.[3][4]

In their second Wisconsin State League season, the 1929 Kosciusko Reds finished with an 8–17 record. The Reds finished in a tie for 7th place with the Madison Blues, 5.5 games behind the 1st place Two Rivers Mirros. The 1929 Wisconsin State League expanded to eight teams.[5]

The 1930 Kosciusko Reds played their final season under the moniker. Playing in the Wisconsin State League, the Reds finished the 1930 season with a record of 9–15, placing 7th in the league final standings, 4.5 games behind the 1st place Racine Belles.[6][7]

For the 1931 Wisconsin State League season, the Milwaukee-based franchise became known as the Milwaukee Red Sox. The Milwaukee Red Sox were owned and managed by Eddie Stumpf, who had earlier managed the 1928 Union Oils, another Milwaukee-based franchise of the Wisconsin State League. The 1931 Milwaukee Red Sox finished 4th in the Wisconsin State League, which featured five teams. The 1931 Milwaukee team finished with a record of 8–10, 3.5 games behind the Champion Sheboygan Chairmakers.[8][9][10][11][12]

In May, 1931 Milwaukee Red Sox owner/manager Eddie Stumpf arranged for the Red Sox to play a night game exhibition contest against the House of David baseball team at Borchert Field. The Milwaukee Red Sox borrowed lighting from the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro leagues for the contest. The game was held on June 5, 1931 and the night game followed the Milwaukee Brewers (American Association) afternoon game. Baseball Hall of Fame member Grover Cleveland Alexander pitched for the House of David team against the Milwaukee Red Sox in front of a crowd of 8,000.[13]

In 1932, the Wisconsin State League became the Wisconsin-Illinois League. The nine–team integrated league featured the Milwaukee Red Sox. The Milwaukee Red Sox finished 11–14, in 6th place. The Red Sox finished 7.0 games behind the Champion Harley Mills (Chicago). The Milwaukee minor league franchise folded after the 1932 season, there was no Milwaukee based team in the 1933 Wisconsin-Illinois League.[14]

The Milwaukee Red Sox continued use of the moniker while playing in semi–pro leagues from 1933 to 1935, with Eddie Stumpf continuing as owner/manager. On June 11, 1935, the Red Sox played an exhibition game against a team of Japanese all-stars at Borchert Field. Attendance at the game was 1,400 and the Japanese All-Stars, aka Tokyo Giants with Eiji Sawamura won the game 9–4.[15]

The Milwaukee Red Sox returned to minor league play as members of the 1936 Wisconsin State League, their final minor league season. The four–team league played a split–season schedule. The Milwaukee Red Sox finished with a record of 1–9, placing 4th in the first half. In the second half, Milwaukee had a 2–3 record to end in 3rd place. The Red Sox' 3–12 overall record finished in 4th place. The Milwaukee franchise folded from the Wisconsin State League after the 1936 season.[16][17]

The ballparks

The Kosciusko Reds' original home ballpark was South Side Park in Milwaukee. The ballpark, also called Grove Street Park, opened in 1912. The ballpark had grandstands that could seat 5,000. Harrison street ran south of the ballpark and it was near St. Josaphat's Basilica. South Side Park was torn down in 1920.[1][2][18]

The minor league Kosciusko Reds and Milwaukee Red Sox played at Borchert Field. Originally called "Athletic Park," the ballpark was built in 1888 for $40,000. The ballpark was renamed after the death of Milwaukee Brewers owner Otto Borchert in 1927. Besides the Reds, Borchert Field also hosted the Milwaukee Creams (1888–1894), Milwaukee Brewers (AA) (1891), Milwaukee Brewers (minor league baseball team) (1902–1952), Milwaukee Bears (Negro National League) (1923) and the Milwaukee Chicks of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1944). The ballpark also hosted home National Football League games of the Milwaukee Badgers (1922–1926) and Green Bay Packers (1933). In 1952, Mrs. Borchert sold the ballpark property to the city for $123,000 and it was soon cleared to make way for nearby roadway construction. The address of the ballpark was 3000 North 8th Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Today, I-43 runs through the site of Borchert Field. A Borchert Field historical placard has been erected in the nearby neighborhood.[1][2][19][20][21][22][18]

Timeline

Year(s) # Yrs. Team Level League
1928–1930 3 Kosciuszko Reds Independent Wisconsin State League
1931 1 Milwaukee Red Sox
1932 1 Wisconsin-Illinois League
1936 1 Wisconsin State League

Year-by-year records

Year Record Finish Manager Playoffs/Notes
1928 17–15 3rd Eddie Lenehan None
1929 8–17 7th N/A None
1930 9–14 7th N/A None
1931 8–10 4th Eddie Stumpf None
1932 11–14 6th Eddie Stumpf None
1936 3–12 4th Eddie Stumpf None

Notable alumni

See also

History of professional baseball in Milwaukee

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Kosciuszko Reds | Milwaukee Polonia".
  2. ^ a b c Pease, Neal (2004). "The Kosciuszko Reds, 1909-1919: Kings of the Milwaukee Sandlots". Polish American Studies. 61 (1): 11–26. JSTOR 20148690 – via JSTOR.
  3. ^ "1928 Kosciuskos Reds Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  4. ^ "Two Rivers Cop the Pennant of the Wisconsin State League," Sheboygan Press, Sep. 10, 1928
  5. ^ "Team Standings," Racine Journal News, Sep. 3, 1929
  6. ^ "1930 Kosciuskos Reds Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  7. ^ "Blues Win Pair, in Third Place" Capital Times, Sep. 2, 1930
  8. ^ "Chairs Split with Mirros," Manitowoc Evening Times, Sep. 8, 1931
  9. ^ "Milwaukee Red Sox Statistics and Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  10. ^ "1931 Milwaukee Red Sox Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  11. ^ "1928 Onion Oils Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  12. ^ "Two Rivers Cop the Pennant of the Wisconsin State League," Sheboygan Press, Sep. 10, 1928
  13. ^ Michaels, Chance. "Famous House of David Plays Night Ball at Borchert Field".
  14. ^ "W-I League Standings," Wisconsin State Journal, Sep. 3, 1932
  15. ^ a b "Almost An International Incident in Milwaukee : Seamheads.com". seamheads.com.
  16. ^ "Blues Win First Half Crown in State League," Wisconsin State Journal, July 6, 1936
  17. ^ Belles Dropped from Flag Race, Lose 3-2," Racine Journal Times, Aug. 24, 1936
  18. ^ a b Pease, Neal. “The Kosciuszko Reds, 1909-1919: Kings of the Milwaukee Sandlots.” Polish American Studies, vol. 61, no. 1, 2004, pp. 11–26. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20148690. Accessed 25 Sept. 2020.
  19. ^ Michaels, Chance. "Your 1936 Champions".
  20. ^ "Borchert Field".
  21. ^ focus, About The Author Editor This is a general byline The news we report is our; belongs, not getting credit This generic attribution is used when our staff wants to make sure the attention goes where it; inspire, on the story Our mission is to; author, transform the Milwaukee community Publishing requires an; Coverage, So This Account Is Used to Keep the Spotlight Is on Our (July 20, 2018). "Neighborhood around Union Cemetery known as Borchert Field after city's first baseball park". {{cite web}}: |first1= has generic name (help)
  22. ^ https://sabr.org/bioproj/park/borchert-field-milwaukee/
  23. ^ Gazdziak, ~ Sam (October 21, 2018). "Mandy Brooks".
  24. ^ https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/rube-lutzke/
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