The Mattoon Phillies was a primary nickname for the

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

baseball teams based in

Mattoon, Illinois Mattoon ( ) is a city in Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 16,870 as of the 2020 census. The city is home to Lake Land College and has close ties with its neighbor, Charleston. Both are principal cities of the Charleston� ...

between 1899 and 1957. Mattoon teams played as members of the Indiana–Illinois League (1899),

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 ...

(1906), Eastern Illinois League (1907–1908), Illinois State League (1947–1948), Mississippi–Ohio Valley League (1949–1955) and

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

(1956–1957). Mattoon teams played as a minor league affiliate of the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

in 1947,

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

in 1948,

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

in 1952,

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

from 1953 to 1956 and

Kansas City Athletics The history of the Athletics Major League Baseball franchise spans the period from 1901 to the present day, having begun as a charter member franchise in the new American League in Philadelphia before moving to Kansas City in 1955 for 13 seas ...

in 1957. The franchise was the oldest in the

, evolving to become today's

Fort Wayne TinCaps The Fort Wayne TinCaps are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and play their home games at Parkview Field. They won their lone Midwest Le ...

History

The Mattoon Phillies were a charter member of the

in 1953. Additionally, Mattoon teams played in the two leagues directly preceding the Midwest League: the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League and the Illinois State League . Earlier, Mattoon teams played in the Eastern Illinois League (1907–1908),

(1906) and Indiana–Illinois League (1899). Mattoon was an affiliate of the

(1947),

(1948),

(1952),

(1953–1956) and

(1957). The Mattoon Illinois State League franchise was the direct result of the efforts of the Mattoon Athletic Association, which was formed in 1947 by William Zurheider, Clyde Kirk and Charles Heath. The corporation issued 600 shares of stock at $250 and built a new ballpark. Charles Heath was also a founder of the ISL. Mattoon had two no-hitters. On August 24, 1954 Tom Cronin defeated the Hannibal Cannibals 2–0 in a no-hitter. On July 16, 1956 Mike Wallace pitched a no-hitter against the Clinton Pirates, winning 6–0. In 1958, the Mattoon franchise moved to

Keokuk, Iowa Keokuk is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States, along with Fort Madison. It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is named after the Sauk chief Keokuk, who is ...

and became the Keokuk Indians. The franchise is the oldest in the

, as it has evolved into today's

The ballpark

From 1947 to 1956 Mattoon teams were noted to have played minor league home games at the Mattoon Baseball Park. The ballpark hosted the 1948 Illinois State League All–Star Game and the 1950 Mississippi–Ohio Valley League All–Star Game.

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

member

Earl Weaver Earl Sidney Weaver (August 14, 1930 – January 19, 2013) was an American professional baseball manager, author, and television broadcaster. After playing in minor league baseball, he retired without playing in Major League Baseball (MLB). He be ...

played in the 1948 game. The ballpark had a capacity of 2,500 and was destroyed shortly after minor league team moved. The Mattoon Baseball Park was located at DeWitt Avenue & North Logan Street, Mattoon, Illinois. Dallas Green 2009

Timeline

Notable alumni

* Lew Krausse, Sr. (1957, MGR) *

Art Mahaffey Arthur Mahaffey Jr. (born June 4, 1938) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (–) and St. Louis Cardinals (). He batted and threw right-handed. In ...

(1956) 3x MLB All-Star *

Jimmie Coker Jimmie Goodwin Coker (March 28, 1936 – October 29, 1991) was an American professional baseball catcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (, –), San Francisco Giants (), and Cincinnati Reds (–). A nat ...

(1955) *

Jim Golden James Edward Golden (born March 20, 1936) is an American former pitcher in Major League Baseball, a right-hander who appeared in 69 games over all or parts of four seasons (1960–1963) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Colt .45s. Golden ba ...

(1954–1955) * Dallas Green (1955) Manager: 1980 World Series Champion – Philadelphia Phillies; Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Fame *

Don Landrum Donald Leroy Landrum (February 16, 1936 – January 9, 2003) was an American professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and San Francisco Giant ...

(1954) *

Grover Lowdermilk Grover Cleveland "Slim" Lowdermilk (January 15, 1885 – March 31, 1968) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Browns, Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox between 1 ...

(1908) * Larry Doyle (1906) 1915 NL Batting Champion; 1912 NL Most Valuable Player * Pug Bennett (1899) *

Roy Brashear Roy Parks Brashear (January 3, 1874 – April 20, 1951) was an American professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from – for the St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseb ...

(1899) *

Dummy Taylor Luther Haden "Dummy" Taylor (February 21, 1875 – August 22, 1958) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1900 to 1908 who was deaf. He played for the New York Giants and Cleveland Bronchos and was one of the key ...

(1899) *

Bob Wicker Robert Kitridge Wicker (May 25, 1877 – January 22, 1955) was a professional baseball player who was a pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1901 to 1906. He would play for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and Cincinnati Reds. Wicker starte ...

(1899)

References

{{Reflist, 2

External link