The Pennsylvania Red Caps of New York were an independent baseball club that played in the

Negro leagues The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

during 12 seasons spanning 1916–1934. The title of this team had little to do with the state of

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, ...

, but it did have a close connection with the Pennsylvania Station in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The designation of ''Red Caps'' derived from the fact that some of the team's players served as redcaps in the famed station. The team was formed in 1916 by manager and owner "Handsome Bill" Egan, who was the stationmaster of the Thirty-Third Street Terminal (one block East of Penn Street Station in Manhattan) in New York City."St. Patrick - Penn Red Cap Battle" Jersey Journal, Jersey City, New Jersey, Friday, September 28, 1917, Page 11, Column 2
/ref> The Red Caps played intermittently and never operated in an official league, while playing from 1917 to 1918, in 1920, from 1925 through 1928, and finally from 1930 thru closing in 1934. Basically, this marginal team was composed of black college students who played baseball during the summer in order to earn money for tuition. One of their most prominent players was

Dick Seay Richard William Seay (November 30, 1904 – April 6, 1981) was an American Negro league baseball player who played from 1925 to 1947 for the Brooklyn Royal Giants, Newark Stars, Baltimore Black Sox, Philadelphia Stars, Newark Eagles, Pittsburg ...

, who played

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

alongside second baseman

Chino Smith Charles E. "Chino" Smith (September 24, 1901 – January 15, 1932) was an American outfielder in Negro league baseball who was one of the Negro leagues' most skillful hitters of the mid-1920s and early 1930s. He stood only 5'6" tall but could ...

. Both Seay and Smith went to play professionally for the Baltimore Black Sox and the

Brooklyn Royal Giants The Brooklyn Royal Giants were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 1905 by John Wilson Connor (1875–1926), owner of the Brooklyn Royal Cafe, the team initially played against white semi-pro teams. ...

, respectively, while a number of their teammates became doctors and lawyers. In later years, the team played their games at Freeport Municipal Stadium in

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. Very little data and information were recorded regarding their

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

Noted players

Rosters

1917

1918

Sources

*Martin, Alfred M.; Martin, Alfred T. (2008). ''The Negro Leagues in New Jersey : A History''. Mcfarland & Co Inc. *Riley, James (2002). ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues''. Carroll & Graft.

References

External links

Baseball Reference – Independent Negro League Encyclopedia and History
Negro league baseball teams Defunct baseball teams in New York (state) Baseball teams disestablished in 1934 Baseball teams established in 1916 {{Negro-league-baseball-team-stub