1910 New Orleans Pelicans season

1910 New Orleans Pelicans (baseball)
Southern Association champions
LeagueSouthern Association
BallparkPelican Park
CityNew Orleans, Louisiana
Record87–53 (.621)
League place1st
ManagerCharlie Frank

The 1910 New Orleans Pelicans season was a season in professional baseball. The Pelicans played in the Southern Association and won their second league pennant.[1][2] One sportswriter ranked them as the greatest sports team in the history of New Orleans.[3] The team was owned and managed by Charlie Frank.[1]

Shoeless Joe Jackson was a member of the team. Jackson had previously played for the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League, and owner Connie Mack sent him on loan to the Pelicans for the 1910 season. Jackson had a .354 batting average for New Orleans to win his third minor league batting title. He also led the league with 82 runs scored, 165 hits, and 19 triples, and he was praised for "his sweet swing and effortless skills in the outfield." This was Jackson's only season with the Pelicans. Later that year, he returned to the American League with the Cleveland Naps and batted .387 in 20 games.[4][5][6][7]

Hank Butcher, George Rohe, and John W. Weimer tied for the league lead in home runs with 4 each. The team's pitchers were Ted Breitenstein, Otto Hess, Bert Maxwell, and Pat Paige.[4] Hess had a 25–9 record, leading one writer to call the Pelicans a "two-man team" between Hess and Jackson.[8] Paige went 24–14, and Breitenstein went 19–9.[9]

The team coasted to an 8-game lead in the standings.[10] After clinching the pennant, New Orleans defeated the Atlanta Crackers, and "a brass band played between innings, and twice during the game snacks of pretzels and sauerkraut were delivered onto the field, where play was halted so the athletes could snack."[7]

Standings

Team W L Pct. GB
New Orleans Pelicans 87 53 .621 —
Birmingham Barons 79 61 .564 8
Atlanta Crackers 75 63 .543 11
Chattanooga Lookouts 66 71 .482 191⁄2
Nashville Vols 64 76 .457 23
Mobile Sea Gulls 63 75 .457 23
Memphis Turtles 62 76 .449 24
Montgomery Rebels 59 80 .424 271⁄2
Sources: [1][2]

Player statistics

Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average

Shoeless Joe Jackson
George Rohe
Player G AB H Avg.
Ted Breitenstein 37 99 14 .141
Charles Brooks 48 154 30 .195
Hank Butcher 123 444 112 .252
Gene DeMontreville 107 339 64 .189
Oscar Dugey 19 65 9 .138
Otto Hess 41 109 20 .183
Shoeless Joe Jackson 136 466 165 .354
Jim Lafitte 126 398 85 .214
Bill Lindsay 110 358 90 .251
Frank Manush 143 476 122 .256
Bert Maxwell 32 81 11 .136
John Mitchell 23 58 6 .103
Pat Paige 44 122 17 .139
Eddie Reagan 10 32 7 .219
George Rohe 128 458 103 .225
John W. Weimer 135 456 107 .235
Source: [4]

Pitching

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; Pct. = Winning percentage

Player G W L Pct.
Ted Breitenstein 31 19 9 .679
Otto Hess 40 25 9 .735
Bert Maxwell 32 14 18 .438
Pat Paige 44 24 14 .632
Source: [4]

References

  1. ^ a b c "How They Stand at Season's End". The Tennessean. 18 September 1910. p. 18.
  2. ^ a b "1910 Southern Association". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  3. ^ "Greatest N.O. sports teams of all time: No. 1 | NOLA.com". March 3, 2016. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d "1910 New Orleans Pelicans Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  5. ^ Fleitz, David L. (2001). Shoeless: The Life and Times of Joe Jackson. McFarland. pp. 34-42.
  6. ^ "Joe Jackson Led Hitters". Atlanta Constitution. September 25, 1910. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ a b Karst, James. ""The last days of Shoeless Joe Jackson in New Orleans"".. nola.com. September 25, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  8. ^ "New Orleans had a Two-Man Team". The Arkansas Gazette. 20 September 1910. p. 8.
  9. ^ "1910 Southern League (SL) minor league baseball Leaders on StatsCrew.com".
  10. ^ Gisclair, S. Derby (February 11, 2004). Baseball in New Orleans. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738516141 – via Google Books.