A History of Baseball in Hutchinson, Kansas - (Continued)
In
1908 Joe Wood was sold first to Kansas City and then to the Boston Red
Sox, where as an eighteen year-old he began an injury-shortened but
spectacular major league career carrying the nickname of "Smoky Joe." His
career was highlighted by one of the most spectacular seasons any major
league pitcher has ever had when in 1912 at the age of twenty-two "Smoky
Joe" Wood won 34 games and lost only 5 for the Red Sox. That season
he also led the majors with 35 complete games and 10 shut-outs, batted
.290 and won three World Series games, leading the Red Sox to victory
over the New York Giants. His contemporary and fellow Kansan, Hall of
Famer Walter Johnson responded to a reporter's question by answering "Can
I throw harder than Joe Wood? Listen my friend, there's no man alive
can throw harder than Smokey Joe Wood." With pride, The Hutchinson News
noted that winter that Joe Wood had been rewarded with a contract that
called for him to be paid $7,500 for the 1913 season. In 1917 after
retiring for one year Joe abandoned pitching and used his athletic ability
to play six more years with the Cleveland Indians as a second baseman
and outfielder.
With
the inherent problems of funding a professional team in a small populated
city like Hutchinson, professional baseball was lost for a period of
years. In 1916 baseball excitement was revived when it was added to
the spring sports schedule at Hutchinson High School, only to be dropped
five years later. In 1917 and again in 1918 Hutchinson hosted a professional
team in the Western League but saw the squad decimated by America's
entry into World War I. During those two seasons Hutchinson fans had
the opportunity to watch two future major league pitchers in Salt Packers
uniforms. In 1917 it was Charles "Babe" Adams who had been the Pittsburgh
Pirate ace from 1910 to 1916 but because of arm trouble was sent on
a two year trip back to the minors. By 1919 he was back in the majors
and itched until retiring in 1925 at the age of forty-three. The 1918
season was highlighted by the outstanding pitching of a hard throwing
righthander named Jesse Haines. Jesse had already spent several seasons
in the minor leagues before arriving in Hutchinson and at twenty-five
seemed destined never to make the big leagues. Called up that summer
from Hutchinson to the St. Louis Cardinals, Haines had finally got his
chance and he made the most of it. Before retiring, Jesse had become
known as "Pops" he was forty-four years old and had pitched in the majors
for eighteen years. In 1970 Jesse Haines was elected to the Hall of
Fame, the only player to have played for a Hutchinson team to be so
honored.
In
1924 professional baseball was brought back to Hutchinson for a one
year stay. In a front page story on April 30, The Hutchinson News called
for 5,000 fans to show up for the opening day game against the Joplin
entry of the Western Association. The article stated that "Old Col.
B. A. Bosster, commander of the Hutchinson spirit, will be on the job
tomorrow." The franchise was short lived, and by 1927 Hutchinson had
been without pro ball for three years. Gano Park had been abandoned
and only a stark ball diamond at the fairgrounds for junior boys existed.
In
the spring of 1928, making use of land donated by Emerson Carey, the
city administration approved the building of a new baseball field at
the present location of the Bud Detter field. On May 4 th the city commission
approved an expenditure of $100 to put a top on the grandstand and to
put a wire net to protect spectators. This ball diamond, which began
as a skinned infield facility, was known until 1962 as the Carey Park
Diamond.
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