The Knoxville Indians were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the

Southeastern League The Southeastern League was the name of four separate baseball leagues in minor league baseball which operated in the Southeastern and South Central United States in numerous seasons between 1897 and 2003. Two of these leagues were associated wit ...

in 1897. They were located in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...

, and played their home games at

Baldwin Park Baldwin Park may refer to: * Baldwin Park, California ** Baldwin Park (Metrolink station) in Baldwin Park, California * Baldwin Park, Florida, a neighborhood in Orlando, Florida * Baldwin Park, Missouri * A public park in Baldwin, Nassau County, ...

. The Indians were the first

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 ...

team to hail from Knoxville. They played their first game on April 19, losing to the

Atlanta Crackers The Atlanta Crackers were Minor League Baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia, between 1901 and 1965. The Crackers were Atlanta's home team until the Atlanta Braves moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1966. History Atlanta played its first ...

, 3–2. Knoxville won the next afternoon's game, shutting out Atlanta, 4–0. The league disbanded on May 29 due to poor patronage across the circuit. Knoxville played its final game on May 28, defeating the Asheville Moonshiners, 8–2. At the time of the disbandment, Knoxville held a 22–10 (.688) first-place record, making them the ''de facto'' pennant winners. Knoxville did not field another club until the Knoxville Tennessee–Alabama League team began play in 1904.

Notable players

Three Indians also played in at least one game 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), ...

during their careers. These players were: *

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 ...

* Wiley Davis *

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide", ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Statistics from ''Baseball-Reference''Statistics from ''Stats Crew''
1897 establishments in Tennessee 1897 disestablishments in Tennessee Baseball teams established in 1897 Baseball teams disestablished in 1897 Defunct baseball teams in Tennessee Professional baseball teams in Tennessee Southeastern League (1897) teams Sports in Knoxville, Tennessee