The Jackson Jays were a Minor League Baseball team that played in

Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population was 68,205 as of the 2020 United States ...

, from 1924 to 1926. They competed in the Class D

Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League The Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League (or ''KITTY League'') was a Class D level minor league baseball circuit that went through six different periods of play between 1903 and 1955. The League hosted teams in 29 cities from the states of Ill ...

(KITTY League) in 1924 as the Jackson Blue Jays. They moved to the Class D

Tri-State League The Tri-State League was the name of six different circuits in American minor league baseball. History The first league of that name played for four years (1887–1890) and consisted of teams in Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia. The second leagu ...

as the Jackson Giants in 1925 and became the Jackson Jays in 1926. Their home games were played at Athletic Park. Over three years of competition, they accumulated a 118–154 (.434) record.

History

Professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

was first played in

, in 1903 by the Jackson Railroaders of the

. They were followed in the KITTY League by the Jackson Climbers in 1911. The Jackson Blue Jays joined the KITTY League in 1924. They played their first game on May 13, losing to the Dyersburg Forked Deers, 2–0, before a home audience of 2,500 people at Athletic Park. They earned their first win the next afternoon, defeating Dyersburg, 5–4. The Blue Jays compiled a first season record of 51–61 (.455) and did not win either half of the league's split season. The KITTY League failed to reorganize for the 1925 season, so Jackson joined the Class D

. They also changed their name to the Jackson Giants. The Giants posted a season record of 40–63 (.388). The team changed its name to the Jackson Jays in 1926 as they continued in the Tri-State League. The circuit disbanded due to poor attendance after the games of July 5, the scheduled end of the first half. The Jays lost their final game to the Sheffield-Tuscumbia Twins, 7–6 in 14 innings. Their final record was 27–30 (.474). Over all three years of competition, Jackson accumulated a 118–154 (.434) record. The city did not field another team until the

Jackson Generals The Jackson Generals were a professional baseball team located in Jackson, Tennessee. From 1998 to 2020, they were a part of Minor League Baseball's Southern League (1964–2020), Southern League (SL) as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliat ...

joined a revival of the KITTY League in 1935.

Season-by-season results

Notable players

The only Giant to also play 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 composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

was

Ben Cantwell Benjamin Caldwell Cantwell (April 13, 1902 – December 4, 1962) was an American major league baseball pitcher from 1927 to 1937. He was born in Milan, Tennessee, and was a graduate of the University of Tennessee. He is the last MLB pitcher ...

of the 1925 team, who made his major league debut in 1927 with the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

—the start of an 11-year major league career.

References

{{reflist

External links

Statistics from ''Baseball-Reference''Statistics from ''Stats Crew''
1924 establishments in Tennessee 1926 disestablishments in Tennessee Baseball teams established in 1924 Baseball teams disestablished in 1926 Defunct baseball teams in Tennessee Defunct minor league baseball teams Defunct Tri-State League teams Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League Professional baseball teams in Tennessee Sports in Jackson, Tennessee