Yawkey’s Other Red Sox

Silverton, Oregon’s Red Sox have not been forgotten by the citizens of this “blue jean, no-tie” town nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.

As reported in the Silverton Appeal, on August 27, 2005, Silverton, Oregon honored 84-year-old Harry Hagedorn, a surviving member of the Silverton Red Sox. The event was sponsored by the Oregon Department of Health’s “Forget Not Program.” Other former Red Sox players joined the celebration. It was the first player reunion since 1978. Harry, dressed in his Red Sox uniform, entertained the crowd with stories from his playing and coaching days. Those in attendance were read a letter of appreciation sent to Harry by the Boston Red Sox for Harry’s love of Baseball. One week latter Harry passed away.

The Red Sox story is about the rise and demise of one of America’s most successful semi-professional baseball clubs. It takes place in a time when semi-pro baseball was an important part in the social and economic life of communities large and small. It recalls how semi-pro ball served as a steppingstone to the major and minor leagues. Finally, it shows how one community keeps alive the memory of an integral aspect of its history.

The Silverton Red Sox were one of many semi-pro and amateur baseball teams that entertained fans in the first half of the 20th century. Attendance was high and fans were loyal. Support was not limited to teams from small towns. Big city clubs like the Brooklyn Bushwicks and the Cleveland White Autos had a large and loyal fan base. It was reported that in 1915, 115,000 fans filled Cleveland’s Brookside Park to see the White Autos play the Omaha Luxus. The Red Sox, who played from 1937 until 1954, regularly drew 3,000 fans for home games. For special games, like games against the Kansas City Monarchs or the House of David, 5,000 plus fans was normal. The attendance numbers are remarkable considering that Silverton’s population during this period was only about 3,000 people. Silverton loved the Red Sox and the players loved Silverton and its fans.

The Sox were formed largely due to the efforts of William L. McGinnis. He was a community leader and lover of baseball who in his youth played in the California and Northwest leagues. McGinnis was a supervisor at the Silver Falls Timber Company in Silverton. The mill was one of the holdings of Tom Yawkey and Ben Alexander owners of the Boston Red Sox. The mill sponsored a softball team. McGinnis wanted to get the mill to sponsor a semi-pro baseball team. Yawkey and Alexander found merit in having a “feeder” team located in the Pacific Northwest to discover and groom area prospects. Feeder teams were different from today’s farm teams. Players were free to entertain offers from professional teams other than the parent club. The convergence of McGinnis and Yawkey/Alexander’s interests resulted in the creation of the Silverton Red Sox in 1937. McGinnis was chosen to manage the team, recruit prospects and lead the effort to build a ballpark.

From the beginning, Silverton residents were involved with the team. Community effort and financial support were instrumental in acquiring the land and money necessary to build a first class playing facility complete with lighting, concession stands and dressing rooms. The Workers Progress Administration provided matching funds for ballpark construction. McGinnis’ goal was to build the field in time for Silverton to host the 1937 State semi-pro tournament. It took much effort on the part of everyone to get it done on time. Fortunately, McGinnis Field was completed on time.

The Red Sox joined the Oregon State League and played in a division of teams from nearby towns. Winners of the divisions would play for the state championship. The state winners would go on to a regional competition to determine participation in the National Baseball Congress Tournament in Wichita, Kansas. In addition, the Sox’s schedule would include games against traveling teams such as the Monarchs, House of David and Havana Cubans as well as the Pacific Coast League Portland Beavers. Sox players were a mix of employees of the mill and those recruited from outside to play. On paper, every player worked for the mill but outside recruits were really paid to just to play baseball. Few did actual mill work, which were risky jobs for potential professional players. Some Sox were paid for ballpark related activities. Boston Red Sox great Johnny Pesky, who played for Silverton in 1938 and 1939, told his biographer, Bill Knowlin, that he earned $100 a month as a groundskeeper at McGinnis field. Red Sox players lived in Silverton in boarding houses or with local families. Their visibility helped cement the bond between team and community.

Fan support was bolstered by the team’s early success on the field. In the first year, 1937, the Sox made it to the finals of the state championship tournament, losing the final game to the Reliable Shoe team of Portland. The 1938 and 1939 teams were even more successful. The ‘38 team led by Pesky, Chick Hauser and Arland “Babe” Schwab, finished 11^th in the NBC tournament in Wichita. The Sox returned to Wichita the next year with a roster that in addition to Pesky, had two other future major leaguers, Dick Whitman, (Dodgers and Phillies) and Joe Eurautt, (White Sox). Also on the 1939 team were Babe Schwab, Chick Hauser, Roy Helser, Stew Fredericks and Charles Sylvester all who went on to play in the Pacific Coast League. The Sox finished third in the nation after losing to Glenburnie, Maryland in the final NBC tournament game.

The nineteen forties were years of change for the Red Sox. They ceased operation in 1943 and when baseball returned to Silverton in 1944 it came in the form of an American legion team sponsored by the Lions Club. Now known as the Lions Red Sox they were a successful amateur club with players as young as 15 on the roster. In 1948, the semi-pro Silverton Red Sox returned with Bill McGinnis again at the helm. The mill however was closed that year so sponsorship was taken over by the city’s Chamber of Commerce and later by the Fire Department. Back in action, the Red Sox continued to have strong local support. Games against barnstorming teams, like the Harlem Globetrotters, Honolulu Hawaiians and Kansas City Monarchs, were once again highlights in the Sox schedule. The Sox ended the decade by winning the 1949 state championship.

The Red Sox of the early nineteen fifties were staffed by players who were to become local baseball heroes but not future major leaguers. Players like Hal Johnson, Don Hatteberg, Irv Roth and Ted Kerr, provided Silverton fans with high quality, winning baseball. Wally Flager, took over as player-manager. Wally, who was with the Cincinnati Reds in 1945, led the Sox to the 1952 Northwest championship with an invitation to the national tournament in Wichita. Unfortunately, money constraints did not allow their participation. Ironically, the last year of play, 1954, was also Silverton’s centennial year. The lack of corporate sponsorship made it difficult to sustain the team as a semi-pro organization,

Fifty-four years later the story of the Silverton Red Sox is still a vital part of this community. From the giant mural at James and C streets honoring the Red Sox, to the documents and memorabilia collected by the Silverton Historical Society for display at its museum, Silverton keeps alive the team’s history. The museum’s oral history project will further preserve these memories. Harry Hagedorn and his teammates are not forgotten!

Acknowledgements: Research for this article was obtained through archives of the Silverton Appeal and the Silverton Historical Society. I am particularly indebted to Chris Schwab and Carolyn Hutton of the Historical Society.