The Freeport Pretzels were a minor league baseball franchise based in Freeport, Illinois. Between 1908 and 1915, Freeport teams played as members of the Wisconsin State League (1905–1907),

Wisconsin-Illinois League The Wisconsin State League was a class D baseball league that began in 1905, changing its name to the Wisconsin–Illinois League in 1908 and operating through 1914. The league re–organized under that name in 1926. Another Wisconsin State League ...

(1908–1909), 1910

Northern Association The Northern Association was a Class D level minor league. It began and ended play in 1910, disbanding on July 19, 1910. The Joliet club moved to Sterling on June 21. The Clinton and Freeport teams disbanded on June 28; The Elgin and Kankakee fran ...

, 1915 Bi-State League and 1915 Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League. Freeport won the 1907 Wisconsin State League championship and hosted home minor league games at Taylor Park. The "Pretzels" nickname corresponds to Freeport being known as "Pretzel City." Freeport High School athletic teams later adopted the moniker and use it to this day.

History

The 1905 Freeport Pretzels began minor league baseball play as charter members of six–team Class D level Wisconsin State League, playing home games at the Taylor Park ballfield. The Freeport Pretzels ended their first season of Wisconsin Association play with a record of 54–56, placing third in the Wisconsin State League standings, finishing 14.5 games behind the champion LaCrosse Pinks (68–41). Nick Malvern and Bill Moriarty were the 1905 managers. Freeport played the first season of the league with the

Beloit Collegians Beloit may refer to Places in the United States *Beloit, Alabama *Beloit, Georgia *Beloit, Iowa *Beloit, Kansas *Beloit, Ohio *Beloit, Wisconsin *Beloit (town), Wisconsin, adjacent to the city of Beloit *Beloit Township, Mitchell County, Kansas *So ...

(50–59),

Green Bay Colts Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...

(47–62), La Crosse Pinks,

Oshkosh Indians The Oshkosh Indians were a minor league baseball team based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, playing between 1891 and 1914. In 1886 and 1887, the "Indians" were preceded in minor league play by the "Oshkosh" team of the Northwestern League, who won the 18 ...

(60–47) and

Wausau Lumberjacks The Wausau Lumberjacks (occasionally known as the Timberjacks) were a minor league baseball team based in Wausau, Wisconsin that existed on-and-off from 1905 to 1957. The Wausau franchise then became the Wausau Timbers before relocating to become ...

(47–61) teams, all based in Wisconsin. The "Pretzels" moniker was chosen as reference to Freeport, Illinois being known as the "Pretzel City" beginning about "1885. Freeport High School athletic teams later adopted the "Pretzels" moniker in 1926. In their second season of minor league play, the Freeport Pretzels continued in the 1906 Wisconsin State League, as the only Illinois based franchise in the league. The Pretzels ended the 1906 season with a 73–43 record, finishing second in the league standings under manager Bill Moriarty. Freeport finished 2.0 games behind the first place LaCrosse Pinks. On July 4, 1906, Freeport pitcher and

Jack Warhop John Milton Warhop (July 4, 1884 – October 4, 1960) was an American baseball pitcher who played eight seasons in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1915 for the New York Highlanders / Yankees. Considered by baseball insiders and historians a ...

threw the franchise's first

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

in a game that ended in a 0–0 tie against the LaCrosse Pinks. Warhop became a resident of Freeport and died there in 1960. Earlier, Freeport had played an exhibition game against a semi–pro Nebraska Indians team, with Warhop pitching 12 innings against the Pretzels in 2–2 tie. Manager Bill Moriarty immediately signed Warhop to Freeport with a contract for $80 per month. Warhop was 23–7, pitching 293 innings for Freeport in 1906. The Freeport Pretzels were the 1907 Wisconsin State League Champions. Freeport ended the Wisconsin State League regular season with a record of 79–42. Playing under manager Thomas Schoonhoven, Freeport finished 2.5 games ahead of the second place

in the eight–team league. The league had no playoffs, with the regular season first place team winning the championship. On June 6, 1907, Sylvah Darrah threw Freeport's second franchise no-hitter in a 1–0 victory over the LaCrosse Badgers. Jack Warhop had a 30–6 record, while pitching 325.0 innings for the Pretzels in 1907. In 1908, Freeport continued play as the Wisconsin State League changed names to become the

. The name change occurred after the

Rockford Reds Rockford or Rockfords may refer to: Places United States * Rockford, Illinois, a city, the largest municipality of this name *Rockford, Alabama, a town * Rockford, Idaho, a census-designated place * Rockford metropolitan area, Illinois, a United St ...

joined Freeport as Illinois based teams in the league. The 1908 Freeport Pretzels finished with 57–64 record. The Pretzels placed sixth in the eight–team Wisconsin-Illinois League standings under managers Thomas Schoonhoven and F. Rodemyer, 15.0 games behind the champion Wausau Lumberjacks. The 1909 Freeport Pretzels played their final season in the Wisconsin-Illinois League and finished in last place in the standings. Freeport ended the 1909 season with a record of 45–79 losses, placing eighth. The 1909 managers were Frank Genins and Edward Leewe, as the Pretzels finished 31.5 games behind the first place

Madison Senators The Madison Senators were a minor league baseball team based in Madison, Wisconsin that played between 1907 and 1914 in the Wisconsin-Illinois League The Wisconsin State League was a class D baseball league that began in 1905, changing its name t ...

. Freeport did not return to the league following the 1909 season, replaced by the

Aurora, Illinois Aurora is a city in the Chicago metropolitan area located partially in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage, Kane County, Illinois, Kane, Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall, and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Locat ...

based Aurora Islanders in 1910. In 1910, the Freeport Pretzels switched leagues and became charter members of the Class D level

. Freeport joined the league, playing with fellow league members

Clinton Teddies Clinton is an English toponymic surname, indicating one's ancestors came from English places called Glympton or Glinton.Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1988 Clinton has frequently been used as a give ...

, Decatur Commodores,

Elgin Kittens Elgin may refer to: Places Canada * Elgin County, Ontario * Elgin Settlement, a 19th-century community for freed slaves located in present-day North Buxton and South Buxton, Chatham-Kent, Ontario * Elgin, a village in Rideau Lakes, Ontario * ...

Jacksonville Jacks Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the c ...

Joliet Jolly-ites Joliet or Jolliet may refer to: People * Louis Jolliet (1645–1700), French-Canadian explorer of North America * Oscar Joliet (1878–1969), Belgian scholar-priest and Catholic Auxiliary bishop of Ghent Places in the United States * Joliet, Il ...

, Kankakee Kays,

Muscatine Pearl Finders Muscatine may refer to: People * Charles Muscatine, scholar of medieval literature * Lissa Muscatine Places * Muscatine County, Iowa * Muscatine, Iowa (County Seat) * Muscatine, Iowa micropolitan area Other * Louisa–Muscatine Community School D ...

and the

Sterling Infants The Sterling Infants were a minor league baseball team based in Sterling, Illinois. In 1910, the Sterling Infants played as members of the Class D level Northern Association. Previously, the 1890 Sterling Blue Coats were briefly members of the 1 ...

. Freeport disbanded before the season was complete. The Freeport Pretzels had a record of 22–25 when Freeport and the Clinton Teddies franchise both disbanded on June 28, 1910. The league disbanded on July 19. Forrest Plass served as 1910 Freeport manager. After a four-year span between teams, 1915 saw Freeport host two separate minor league teams during the 1915 season. First, the Freeport Pretzels became charter members of the short–lived Class D Bi-State League, featuring five Illinois teams and the

Racine Belles The Racine Belles were one of the original teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing from through out of Racine, Wisconsin. The Belles won the league's first championship. The team played its home games at Horlick Fi ...

. The

Streator Boosters The Streator Boosters were a minor league baseball team based in Streator, Illinois. Beginning play as the Streator "Speedboys" in 1912, Streator teams played as members of the Class D (baseball), Class D level Illinois-Missouri League from 1912 ...

were in first place with a 30–19 record when the Bi–State League permanently folded on July 7, 1915, with Freeport in fifth place. Freeport finished 7.5 games behind Streator, with a 24–28–1 record playing under manager Doc Cummings. On July 14, 1915, Freeport quickly gained a second 1915 team in a new league. The Dubuque Dubs of the Class B level Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League relocated to Freeport with a 26–47 record. The team completed the 1915 season schedule playing as the Freeport Comeons. The Dubuque/Freeport team finished 48–76 overall, placing sixth tied with the Bloomington Bloomers in the eight–team Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League standings. The Comeons finished 26.0 games behind the first place

Moline Plowboys The Moline Plowboys was a primary name of the minor league baseball teams based in Moline, Illinois, one of the Quad Cities. Moline teams played as members the 1892 Illinois-Iowa League, 1894 Western Association, the Mississippi Valley League (1 ...

, who lost to the

Davenport Blue Sox The Davenport Blue Sox was the name given to three minor league baseball teams based in Davenport, Iowa. The first version of the Blue Sox played in the Class B Three-I League from 1913–1916. The second played in the Class D Mississippi Valle ...

in the Finals. The 1915 Dubuque/Freeport managers were Larry Mullen, Howard Derringer and the returning Doc Cummings. The team "Comeons" moniker was in reference to the "Come on" battle cry phrase, widely used in baseball at the time. The Freeport franchise did not return to the 1916 Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League and were the last minor league team based in Freeport, Illinois.

The ballpark

The Freeport minor league teams hosted home games at the Taylor Park ballfield. The ballpark was noted to have been located inside a one–mile racetrack that was within Taylor Park. Taylor Park was originally a privately owned park, containing horse racing and baseball facilities, before being acquired by the city of Freeport in 1911. The 74–acre Taylor Park is still in use today, with three ball fields and other public amenities. Taylor Park is located at 900 East Stephenson Street, Freeport Illinois. Freeport Il Lincoln the Debater1

Timeline

Year-by-year records

Notable alumni

Davey Crockett David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Re ...

(1908) *

Cliff Daringer Clifford Clarence Daringer (April 10, 1885 – December 26, 1971) was a Major League Baseball infielder who played for one season. He played in 64 games for the Kansas City Packers during their 1914 season. He was the older brother of Rolla Darin ...

(1915) *

George Disch George Charles Disch (March 15, 1879 – August 25, 1950) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is compose ...

(1907–1908) *

Harry Gaspar Harry Lambert Gaspar (April 28, 1883 – May 14, 1940) was a professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher over parts of four seasons (1909–1912) with the Cincinnati Reds. For his career, he compiled a 46–48 record in 143 appea ...

(1907) *

Frank Genins C. Frank Genins (November 2, 1866 – September 30, 1922) was a Major League Baseball utility player who played for three seasons. He played for the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Browns in 1892, the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1895, and the Cle ...

(1909, MGR) * Billy Kelly (1910) *

Fred Lamlein Frederick Arthur "Dutch" Lamlein (August 14, 1887 – September 20, 1970) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team b ...

(1915) * Lou Lowdermilk (1910) *

Fred Luderus Frederick William Luderus (September 12, 1885 – January 5, 1961) was an American professional baseball player who played first base in the major leagues from 1909 to 1920 for the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs. Luderus was a member of ...

(1909) *

Willie McGill William Vaness McGill (November 10, 1873 – August 29, 1944) was an American major league baseball pitcher. He played professionally for the Cleveland Infants, Cincinnati Kelly's Killers, St. Louis Browns, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Colts, St. Lo ...

(1905) * Bill Moriarty (1905–1906, MGR) *

Walter Mueller Walter John Mueller (December 6, 1894 – August 16, 1971) was a professional baseball player who played outfield in the Major Leagues, for the Pittsburgh Pirates, from 1922 to 1926. He is best known for becoming the first player to hit a h ...

(1915) *

Offa Neal Theophilus Fountain Neal (June 5, 1876 – April 25, 1950), was a Major League Baseball third baseman for the New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants ...

(1910) * Frank Schneiberg (1905) *

Shag Shaughnessy Francis Joseph "Shag" Shaughnessy (April 8, 1883 – May 15, 1969) was an American athlete and sports executive. Shaughnessy played both baseball and football and was an executive in baseball, football and ice hockey. He was born in the United S ...

(1907) *

John Skopec John S. Skopec (May 8, 1880 – October 20, 1912) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1901 to 1903. He played for the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based i ...

(1906) *

(1906–1907) *

Ducky Yount Herbert Macon Yount ucky/Hubwas a professional baseball pitcher. He played one season in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Terrapins of the Federal League in 1914. He threw right-handed and batted right-handed. He was 6'2 and 178 lbs ( ...

(1909)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Freeport - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Professional baseball teams in Illinois Defunct baseball teams in Illinois Baseball teams established in 1905 Baseball teams disestablished in 1915 Wisconsin State League teams Freeport, Illinois 1905 establishments in Illinois 1915 disestablishments in Illinois Wisconsin-Illinois League teams Bi-State League teams Stephenson County, Illinois Northern Association teams