The Ohio–Pennsylvania League (1905–1912) was a Class C and Class D level minor league baseball league that featured franchises based in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, and

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

. The league was founded by Charlie Morton and operated for eight seasons, with the Akron Champs winning four league championships.

History

The Ohio–Pennsylvania League had its beginnings in March 1905, when league president Charlie Morton invited six prospective members to a meeting in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

. In May 1905, eleven teams joined the Protective Association of Independent Clubs, which formed the basis of the Class C Division Ohio–Pennsylvania League. Ultimately, the league trimmed down to eight teams from the following cities:

Akron Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

, Niles,

Youngstown Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, which ...

, and

Zanesville Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus and had a population of 24,765 as of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, down ...

in Ohio, and

Homestead Homestead may refer to: *Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses *Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres *Homestead principle, a legal concept th ...

, Lancaster, and

Sharon Sharon ( he, שָׁרוֹן ''Šārôn'' "plain") is a given name as well as an Israeli surname. In English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name. However, historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In I ...

in Pennsylvania.''Spalding's Official Athletic Library Baseball Guide'' (New York: American Sports Publishing Co., 1910), p. 219. That September, the

Youngstown Ohio Works The Youngstown Ohio Works baseball team was a minor league club that was known for winning the premier championship of the Ohio–Pennsylvania League in 1905, and for launching the professional career of pitcher Roy Castleton a year later. A tra ...

won the league championship, although sources disagree on the team's final record. As one researcher writes: "''The Reach Guide'' (1906) credits Youngstown with an 84–32 won-lost record where the ''Spalding Guide'' of the same year lists a 90–35 record. The ''Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball'' (1993) tells a third story, giving Youngstown an 88–35 mark." In 1912, the league rescinded its membership in the National Association when it placed a franchise in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. By the end of its seven-year lifespan, in 1912, the Ohio–Pennsylvania League had enlisted the membership of no less than 40 ball clubs based in over 20 cities. While the league was disorganized (like many of its counterparts), it provided regional sports teams with an alternative to the established minor-league system. Baseball luminaries who were once connected to the league include

Billy Evans William George Evans (February 10, 1884 – January 23, 1956), nicknamed "The Boy Umpire", was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1906 to 1927. He became, at age 22, the youngest umpire in majo ...

Lee Fohl Leo Alexander Fohl (November 28, 1876 – October 30, 1965) was an American manager in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns, and Boston Red Sox. Biography Born in Lowell, Ohio, Fohl's involvement in professional base ...

, Bill Phyle, and

Everett Scott Lewis Everett Scott (November 19, 1892 – November 2, 1960), nicknamed "Deacon", was an American professional baseball player. A shortstop, Scott played in Major League Baseball for 12 seasons as a member of the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees ...

. Future Hall-of-Fame infielder

George Sisler George Harold Sisler (March 24, 1893 – March 26, 1973), nicknamed "Gorgeous George", was an American professional baseball first baseman and player-manager. From 1915 through 1930, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Br ...

signed his first professional contract with an Akron club associated with the O-P League, although he never actually played for the team.

Cities represented

Akron, OH Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...

Akron Buckeyes Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...

1905;

Akron Rubbernecks Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...

1906; Akron Champs 1907–1911 *

Alliance, OH Alliance is a city in eastern Stark County, Ohio, United States. With a small district lying in adjacent Mahoning County, the city is approximately northeast of Canton, southwest of Youngstown and southeast of Cleveland. The population was 21 ...

Sebring, OH Sebring is a village in southwestern Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,191 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area. History Sebring was founded by the Sebring family from East Liver ...

Alliance-Sebring Twins The Alliance-Sebring Twins was a short-lived minor league baseball club representing Sebring and Alliance, Ohio, in the Ohio–Pennsylvania League The Ohio–Pennsylvania League (1905–1912) was a Class C (baseball), Class C and Class D ( ...

1912 *

Barberton, OH Barberton is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 26,550 at the 2010 census. Lying directly southwest of Akron, it is a suburb of the Akron metropolitan area. History Barberton was founded in 1891 by industrialist O. ...

: Barberton Magic Cities 1905 *

Braddock, PA Braddock is a borough located in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It is upstream from the mouth of the Monongahela River. The population was 1,721 as of the 2020 census. The borough is represented by the Pen ...

: Braddock Infants 1905 * Bridgeport, OH:

Bridgeport Giants Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock ...

1912 *

Bucyrus, OH Bucyrus ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Crawford County, located in northern Ohio approximately 28 miles (45 km) west of Mansfield and southeast of Toledo. The population was 11,684 at the 2020 census. The c ...

: Bucyrus Bucks 1905 *

Butler, PA Butler is a city and the county seat of Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located north of Pittsburgh and is part of the Greater Pittsburgh region. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 13,502. History Butler was n ...

: Butler Bucks 1905;

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...

1908 *

Canton, OH Canton () is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio. It is located approximately south of Cleveland and south of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes and W ...

: Canton Protectives 1905 Canton Watchmakers 1908–1909; Canton Deubers 1910–1911 *

Connellsville, PA Connellsville is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, southeast of Pittsburgh and away via the Youghiogheny River, a tributary of the Monongahela River. It is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 7,637 at th ...

Connellsville Cokers The Connellsville Cokers were an American basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of # ...

1912 * East Liverpool, OH: East Liverpool Potters 1908–1912 *

Erie, PA Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 at ...

Erie Sailors The Erie Sailors was the primary name of several minor league baseball teams that played in Erie, Pennsylvania between 1906 and 1994. Pre-1930s Several unrelated teams used the Erie Sailors name in the Interstate League (1906–1907, 1913, 19 ...

1908–1911 *

Fairmont, WV Fairmont is a city in and county seat of Marion County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 18,313 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Fairmont Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Marion County, a ...

: Fairmont Fairies 1912 *

Girard, OH Girard is a city in southern Trumbull County, Ohio, United States, along the Mahoning River. The population was 9,603 at the 2020 census. Located directly north of Youngstown, it is a suburb of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area. History ...

: Girard Sailors 1908 *

Homestead, PA Homestead is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, in the Monongahela River valley southeast of downtown Pittsburgh and directly across the river from the city limit line. The borough is known for the Homestead Strike of 1892, an imp ...

: Homestead Steel Workers 1905 *

Kent, OH Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeast Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 28,215 at the 2020 Census. The city is counted as pa ...

Kent Kings The Kent Royals (formerly Kings) are a British speedway team formed in 2013. Through 2021 they competed in the SGB Championship but also run a junior team in the National League. They were based at Central Park Stadium in Sittingbourne, with a t ...

1905 * Lancaster, OH:

Lancaster Lanks The Lancaster Lanks, based in Lancaster, Ohio, were a minor league baseball team that existed from 1905 to 1911. They played in the Ohio–Pennsylvania League from 1905 to 1907, and the Ohio State League from 1908 to 1912. On June 18, 1912, they m ...

1905–1907 * Lima, OH: Lima Lees 1905 *

Mansfield, OH Mansfield is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Ohio, United States. Located midway between Columbus and Cleveland via Interstate 71, it is part of Northeast Ohio region in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau. The cit ...

Mansfield Giants The Mansfield Giants are a basketball club from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The club was originally formed in 1990, and home games are played at the Oak Tree Leisure Centre. The Giants debuted in the English Basketball League Th ...

1906;

Mansfield Pioneers The city of Mansfield, Ohio, was home to minor league baseball teams, known by various nicknames, which played periodically between 1887 and 1912, and between 1935 and 1941. History Late 19th century The team first began play in the Ohio State L ...

1907; Mansfield Reformers 1910; Mansfield Brownies 1911 *

Marion, OH Marion is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio, approximately north of Columbus. The population was 35,999 at the 2020 census, slightly down from 36,837 at the 2 ...

: Marion Moguls 1906; Marion Drummers 1907 *

Massillon, OH Massillon is a city in Stark County, Ohio, Stark County in the U.S. state of Ohio, approximately west of Canton, Ohio, Canton, south of Akron, and south of Cleveland. The population was 32,146 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Mass ...

: Massillon Farmers 1905 *

McKeesport, PA McKeesport is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and within the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 17,727 as of the 2020 census. ...

: McKeesport Colts 1905;

McKeesport Tubers The McKeesport Tubers were an American basketball team based in McKeesport, Pennsylvania that was a member of the Central Basketball League The Central Basketball League was an early regional professional or semi-pro basketball league based in O ...

1908–1910; McKeesport Tubers 1912 * Mount Vernon, OH: Mount Vernon Clippers 1905 *

New Castle, PA New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lawrence County. It is northwest of Pittsburgh, and near the Pennsylvania–Ohio border, just southeast of Youngstown, Ohio. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, ...

: New Castle Outlaws 1906; New Castle Nocks 1907–1912 *

New Martinsville, WV New Martinsville is a city in Wetzel County, West Virginia, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 5,186 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Wetzel County. Geography New Martinsville is located at (39.657465, -80.85 ...

New Martinsville New Martinsville is a city in Wetzel County, West Virginia, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 5,186 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Wetzel County. Geography New Martinsville is located at (39.657465, -80.85 ...

1912 *

Newark, OH Newark ( ) is a city serving as the county seat of Licking County, Ohio, Licking County, Ohio, United States, east of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, at the junction of the forks of the Licking River (Ohio), Licking River. The population was 49,934 at ...

: Newark Idlewilds 1905; Newark Cotton Tops 1906; Newark Newks 1907 *

Niles, OH Niles is a city in southern Trumbull County, Ohio, United States, situated at the confluence of the Mahoning River and Mosquito Creek. The city's population was 18,443 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan a ...

: Niles Crowites 1905 *

Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsyl ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

1912 * Salem, OH: Salem Quakers 1912 *

Sharon, PA Sharon is a city in western Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city, located along the banks of the Shenango River on the state border with Ohio, is about northeast of Youngstown, about southeast of Cleveland and about northwest ...

: Sharon Steels 1905–1906; Sharon Giants 1907–1908, 1912; Sharon Travelers 1911 * Steubenville, OH: Steubenville Factory Men 1905;

Steubenville Stubs The Steubenville Stubs was the predominant name of a minor league baseball team that sparsely played in Steubenville, Ohio between 1887 and 1913. The team was first formed in 1887 as a member of the Ohio State League, before disbanding on June 29 ...

1909, 1911 * Steubenville, OH & Follansbee, WV: Steubenville-Follansbee Stubs 1912 *

Washington, PA Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania. A part of the Greater Pittsburgh area in the southwestern part of the state, the city is home to Washington & Jefferson College and PONY Baseball and Softball, Pony L ...

: Washington Patriots 1905 *

Wooster, OH Wooster ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Wayne County. Located in northeastern Ohio, the city lies approximately south-southwest of Cleveland, southwest of Akron and west of Canton. The population was 27,232 at t ...

: Wooster Trailers 1905 *

Youngstown, OH Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

1905–1906;

Youngstown Champs The Youngstown Champs were a minor league baseball team that competed in the Ohio–Pennsylvania League in 1907 and 1908. The club won the league championship in 1907 but disbanded in the middle of the 1908 season.''Spalding's Official Athletic L ...

1907–1908;

Youngstown Indians The Youngstown Indians were a Minor League Baseball club that competed during the 1909 season in the Ohio–Pennsylvania League.''Spalding's Official Athletic Library Baseball Guide'' (New York: American Sports Publishing Co., 1910), p. 217. The te ...

1909;

Youngstown Steelmen The Youngstown Steelmen was a minor league baseball franchise that competed in three different leagues between 1910 and 1915. The club, based in Youngstown, Ohio, participated at various times in the Ohio–Pennsylvania League, the Tri-State League ...

1910–1911 * Zanesville, OH: Zanesville Moguls 1905–1906

League champions

(1905) *Youngstown Ohio Works (1906) *

(1907) * Akron Champs (1908) *Akron Champs (1909) *Akron Champs (1910) *Akron Champs (1911) * Salem Quakers & Fairmont Fairies (1912)

Standings and statistics

1905 to 1908

1905 Ohio–Pennsylvania League League was admitted to the National Association July 21
Canton withdrew July 10; Kent withdrew July 31; Butler withdrew Aug 2; Steubenville withdrew Aug 2; Mt. Vernon withdrew Aug 12; Massillon withdrew Aug 24. 1906 Ohio–Pennsylvania League
schedule
Zanesville (58–55) moved to Marion August 28.
No playoffs were scheduled. 1907 Ohio–Pennsylvania League
schedule
No playoffs were scheduled. 1908 Ohio–Pennsylvania League
schedule
# Girard (0–9) moved to Butler May 9; Butler (5–17) moved to Erie June 15.
The season was shortened to September 7.
No playoffs were scheduled.

1909 to 1912

1909 Ohio–Pennsylvania League
schedule
No playoffs were scheduled. 1910 Ohio–Pennsylvania League
schedule
No playoffs were scheduled. 1911 Ohio–Pennsylvania League
schedule
New Castle (25–85) moved to Sharon August 12.
East Liverpool and Steubenville disbanded August 20.
No playoffs were scheduled. 1912 Ohio–Pennsylvania League
schedule
Connelsville and New Castle disbanded June 18; Salem moved to Fairmont July 9; Alliance-Sebring disbanded July 15 due to a player strike; McKeesport disbanded July 17; Sharon moved to Bridgeport August 10; East Liverpool moved to Pittsburgh (2–0) August 14, then to New Martinsville August 18.
The league rescinded its membership to the National Association August 13 when it placed a franchise in Pittsburgh.
Playoff: Fairmont was declared champion when Steubenville-Follansbee was unable to field a team for the playoffs.

History

Cities represented

League champions

Standings and statistics

1905 to 1908

1909 to 1912

References

Related links