A History of Baseball in Hutchinson, Kansas

By Jim Swint

Since baseball's beginning in post Civil War America to the present it has been the dream of millions of American boys to play in the Major Leagues. To get that chance to play in front of thousands in Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, or Wrigley Field, ball players with dreams of the big leagues have had to pay their dues on sandlot, semi pro, and minor league fields scattered across the country. Hutchinson has, since shortly after the town's inception, been a proving ground to boost a young man's spirit or shatter his dreams. In cycles that have gone from boom to bust to boom to bust, baseball in Hutchison has entertained thousands of fans, been a source of community pride, and given that chance to a good number of young men to advance and make their way to the majors.

In early Hutchinson history, an open field, a wooden bat, and a rag ball covered in leather were all that was needed to entertain kids on a warm summer afternoon. Such games of catch and pepper were played in an unorganized way when two or more boys might get together. The first organized team in Hutchinson was comprised of a group of young me who got together in the summer of 1877. Captained by pitcher Arthur Hutchinson, the local boys went to Halstead on August 25 th . According to The Hutchinson News account, the team went to Halstead to play the “Terribles” for the championship of the Goose Creek Township. It seems the Hutchinson boys challenged the Halstead team and therefore had to travel to Halstead for the game where they thought their opponent would not put up much of a fight

After one inning it was 13-0 in Halstead's favor and by the end of the game the Hutchinson boys had been defeated 29-4. In a note of optimism but also a word of caution the account stated, “Our boys are proud. Proud that they got any and when the return game is played here in about two weeks you will see what good players skill can do against force. Considering the fact that Hardy's young man is the only member of the club that is of age and that he is not good for anything, the boys did remarkably well. They will have to get clear of him if they wish to prosper in this country.”

            A funded organized baseball program got its start in Hutchinson on November 10,1886, when twenty prominent citizens paid $125 each and chartered under the name of the Hutchinson Baseball Association. The $2,500 raised was a message that Hutchinson was prepared to fund a team, and the following year the Hutchinson franchise was admitted to the infant Western Baseball League. By 1888 a permanent field had been laid out at what is now 14 th and Walnut and became in time known as the Northside Field. Such early day parks had few of the niceties we presently associate with a ballpark. Basepaths were ruts worn by players, outfield fencing distances (if they existed at all) were dictated by topography and obstacles, and grandstands when built might hold several hundred and would be made entirely of wood. Field lighting was still years away, protective backstops for spectator safety were seldom used, and scores were posted on sign boards by hand. In 1889 Emerson Care was elected President of the local association, and the Hutchinson team played games on a sporadic basis against the likes of teams from Leavenworth, Denver, and Lincoln.

Continued