The Duluth Freezers were a minor league baseball team based in

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

. In 1886 Duluth began minor league baseball play. In 1886 and 1887, Duluth played as members of the

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

level

Northwestern League The Northwestern League was a sports league that operated in the Central United States during the early years of professional baseball for five seasons: 1879, 1883–1884, and 1886–1887. After the 1887 season, the league was replaced by the We ...

, playing as the "Jayhawks" in 1886 and the "Freezers" in 1887. Duluth won the league championship in 1886. For a partial season in 1891, the Duluth "Whalebacks" played as members of the

Western Association The Western Association was the name of five different leagues formed in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries. The oldest league, originally established as the Northwestern League in 1883, was refounded as the Western ...

. In 1887, a three Duluth players were involved in a boating accident that resulted in the death of

John Ake John Leckie Ake (August 29, 1861 – May 11, 1887) was an American Major League Baseball player who played as a third baseman for the 1884 Baltimore Orioles of the American Association (AA). Before and after his Major league career, he ...

History

1886 & 1887 Northwestern League

In 1886, Duluth began minor league play when the Duluth "Jayhawks" became members of the six-team

level Northwestern League, which had reformed after not playing in 1885. The Eau Claire Lumbermen,

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

Minneapolis Millers The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...

, Oshkosh and

St. Paul Freezers The St. Paul Freezers were a minor league baseball team based in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1886, the "Freezers" played as members of the Independent baseball league, Independent level Northwestern League, placing fourth in the six-team league. The S ...

teams joined Duluth in beginning league play on May 6, 1886. On June 18, 1886, Duluth pitcher Mark Baldwin struck out 18 batters in a contest against the St. Paul Freezers. This included 12 consecutive strikeouts for Baldwin. On October 20, 1886, after Duluth had completed their season, Chicago White Stockings president

Albert Spalding Albert Goodwill Spalding (September 2, 1849 – September 9, 1915) was an American pitcher, manager, and executive in the early years of professional baseball, and the co-founder of A.G. Spalding sporting goods company. He was born and raised ...

signed Baldwin to a contract to replace the injured Jocko Flynn on Chicago's roster. Chicago wanted to add Baldwin to their roster for the

1886 World Series The 1886 World Series was won by the St. Louis Browns (NL), St. Louis Browns (later the Cardinals) of the American Association (19th century), American Association over the Chicago White Stockings (1870–89), Chicago White Stockings (later the Cu ...

(which was scheduled from October 18 to October 23), but the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

objected, so Baldwin never played in the series. Playing their first minor league season, the Duluth Jayhawks won the Northwestern League championship. Duluth ended the 1886 season in first place in the final standings, playing under manager William Lucas. With a record of 46–33, Duluth finished 1.5 games ahead of the second place Eau Claire Lumbermen when the Northwestern League season schedule ended on September 30, 1886. The league held no playoffs. Overall, Duluth (46–33) finished ahead of the Eau Claire Lumbermen (43–36), Oshkosh (39–39), St, Paul Freezers (37–43), Minneapolis Millers (36–42) and Milwaukee Brewers (35–43) teams in capturing the 1886 Northwestern League championship. Continuing play in the Northwestern League, the 1887, Duluth team was referred to as the 'Freezers" and played under returning manager William Lucas, Joe Quinn and Jay Anderson. Lucas had suffered a broked leg which was slow to heal and he needed help at managing. Defending their league championship, Duluth ended the season in seventh place. With a final record of 42–76, Duluth ended the season 22.0 games behind first place Oshkosh. The Northwestern League did not return to play in 1887.

1887 Ake death

Om May 11, 1887, after playing a game in

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...

, a boating accident on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

claimed the life of Duluth player

. Ake's Duluth teammates

Billy Earle William Moffat Earle (November 10, 1867 – May 30, 1946), nicknamed "The Little Globetrotter",James, p. 1891 was an American Major League Baseball player who mainly played as a catcher for five teams from 1889 to 1894. Moffat was known as o ...

and Bill Barnes were with Ake on a boat that capsized. Acke, Barnes and Billy were paddling in a rowboat on the river near Barron's Island. Just after 8 pm, with the three teammates 200 yards from the shore, a passing

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

created a wake and overturned their boat, leaving the three clinging to the boat. Barnes and Earle were eventually able to swim to shore. Ake did not know how to swim and hoisted himself onto the overturned boat. Ake then attempted to swim the shore before Barnes and Earle could secure a rescue

skiff A skiff is any of a variety of essentially unrelated styles of small boats. Traditionally, these are coastal craft or river craft used for leisure, as a utility craft, and for fishing, and have a one-person or small crew. Sailing skiffs have devel ...

, but after a couple strokes, Acke began to shout for help before slipping under the water. A half century later, another tragedy occurred with a Duluth minor league team. In 1948, there was a tragic bus accident that killed six members of the

Duluth Dukes The Duluth Dukes was the name of an American minor league baseball franchise that represented Duluth, Minnesota, in the Northern League from 1935 to 1942, and from 1946 to 1955. In addition, a separate edition of the Dukes was one of four franc ...

.Spink, J.G. Taylor, pub., ''Official 1949 Baseball Guide and Record Book.'' St. Louis:

The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

, 1949, page 126

1891 Western Association

In 1891, the Duluth "Whalebacks" played a partial season as members of the eight-team

. On June 16, 1891, the

St. Paul Apostles ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

with a record of 17–34, moved to Duluth. After compiling a 22–27 record while based in Duluth, the St. Paul Apostles/Duluth Whalebacks ended the 1891 season with an overall record of 39–61, placing fifth in the Western Association. Bill Watkins and the returning Jay Anderson served as managers. The team finished in fifth place after the

Lincoln Rustlers Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln ...

and

folded during the season and the Milwaukee Brewers left the league in August to join the American Association. The

Sioux City Cornhuskers The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota: /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations peoples in North America. The modern Sioux consist of two major divisions based on language divisions: the Dakota and ...

won the league title with a 66–57 record, finishing 13.5 games ahead of Duluth. The Denver Mountaineers, Kansas City Blues and Omaha Lambs teams also played with Duluth in the league. The Western Association did not return to play in 1892. Duluth next hosted minor league play in 1902 when the Duluth Cardinals began the franchise's tenure as members of the Northern League. Today, the amateur

Duluth Huskies The Duluth Huskies are an Amateur baseball in the United States, amateur baseball team playing in the Northwoods League, a Collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league. They have been operating in Duluth, Minnesota since 2003. T ...

play

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

as members of the

Northwoods League The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not paid, so as to maintain their college el ...

The ballpark

The name of the Duluth home ballpark in the 1886, 1887 and 1891 seasons in unknown. In the era, Zenith Park was in use as a public park, having been established the 1870s as a 30-acre park known as "Central Park."

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

(1887) * Mark Baldwin (1886) * Jim Banning (1887) * Kid Baldwin (1891) * Bill Barnes (1887) *

Charlie Bartson Charles Franklin Bartson (March 13, 1865 – June 9, 1936) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played for the Chicago Pirates of the Players' League (PL) during the 1890 in baseball, 1890 baseball season. Over his PL career, Bartso ...

(1891) * George Bignell (1886) * Tod Brynan (1887) *

Scrappy Carroll John E. "Scrappy" Carroll (August 27, 1860 – November 14, 1942) was an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played for the St. Paul White Caps, Buffalo Bisons, and Cleveland Blues during the 1880s. Carroll stood .Billy Earle William Moffat Earle (November 10, 1867 – May 30, 1946), nicknamed "The Little Globetrotter",James, p. 1891 was an American Major League Baseball player who mainly played as a catcher for five teams from 1889 to 1894. Moffat was known as o ...

(1887) *

Bones Ely William Frederick "Bones" Ely (June 7, 1863 – January 10, 1952) was a shortstop in Major League Baseball. He was born in North Girard, Pennsylvania. Ely was the starting shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates for several seasons before Honus Wa ...

(1891) *

Bill Goodenough William B. Goodenough (1863 – May 24, 1905) was a center fielder in Major League Baseball. He played for the St. Louis Browns (NL), St. Louis Browns in 1893.

(1891) *

Charlie Hamburg Charles M. Hamburg (November 22, 1863 – May 18, 1931) was a Major League Baseball left fielder in the 19th century. The Louisville, Kentucky native played for his hometown team, the American Association Louisville Colonels, in 1890. Hambur ...

(1891) *

Billy Hart Billy Hart (born November 29, 1940) is an American jazz drummer and educator. He is known internationally for his work with Herbie Hancock's "Mwandishi" band in the early 1970s, as well with Shirley Horn, Stan Getz, and Quest, among others. Bi ...

(1891) * Bill Hunter (1887) * Charlie Ingraham (1887) * Bert Inks (1891) * Frank Jones (1886-1887) * Henry Jones (1886) * Nate Kellogg (1887) *

Rudy Kemmler Rudolph Kemmler, born ''Rudolph Kemler'', (January 1860 – June 20, 1909) was an American Major League Baseball catcher for all or part of eight seasons. He played for seven different teams in the National League and American Association betw ...

(1887) *

Jack McMahon John Joseph McMahon (December 3, 1928 – June 11, 1989) was an American professional basketball player and coach. A 6'1" guard from St. John's University, McMahon was selected by the Rochester Royals in the 1952 NBA draft. He played eight seas ...

(1891) * George McMillan (1886-1887) * Joe Miller (1891) * Jack O'Brien (1891) *

Tim O'Rourke Timothy Patrick O'Rourke, nicknamed ''Voiceless Tim'', was a Major League Baseball player. He played five seasons in the majors, from until , for six different teams. He was primarily an infielder, playing two-thirds of his games at either third ...

(1891) * Fred Osborne (1891) *

Elias Peak Elias Peak (May 23, 1859 – December 17, 1916) was a Major League Baseball second baseman. He played for the 1884 Philadelphia Keystones and Boston Reds (1884), Boston Reds in the Union Association. He was still playing minor league ball as ...

(1887) * Billy Reid (1886) * Joe Quinn (1887) *

Frank Scheibeck Frank S. Scheibeck (June 28, 1865 – October 22, 1956) was an American shortstop in professional baseball from 1887 to 1906. He played eight seasons of Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Blues (1887, 1901), Detroit Wolverines (1888), Tole ...

(1887) *

Crazy Schmit Frederick M. "Crazy" Schmit (February 13, 1866 – October 5, 1940) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, Baltimore Orioles, New York Giants, Cleveland Spiders, and Baltimore Orioles. At the time of t ...

(1891) * Tom Sexton (1887) *

Charlie Sprague Charlie Sprague (October 10, 1864 – December 31, 1912) was an outfielder and pitcher in Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world ...

(1891) * Bill Stellberger (1887) * Bill Traffley (1886) *

Milt Whitehead Milton Pringle Whitehead (1862 - August 15, 1901) was a Major League Baseball player who played shortstop in . He would play for the St. Louis Maroons and Kansas City Cowboys Several sports team in Kansas City, Missouri have used the name Cowboy ...

(1891) * Rasty Wright (1891) *

Dick Van Zant Richard Van Zant (November 1864 – August 6, 1912) was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball. Nicknamed "Foghorn Dick", he played 10 games for the Cleveland Blues during the 1888 season. He died in 1912 and is buried in Earlham ...

(1886) * Duluth Jayhawks players *

Duluth Freezers players , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior, Wisconsin, Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: Downtown Dul ...

Duluth Whalebacks players , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Duluth - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Professional baseball teams in Minnesota Defunct baseball teams in Minnesota Baseball teams established in 1887 Baseball teams disestablished in 1887 Northwestern League teams Duluth, Minnesota