The Philadelphia Giants were a

Negro league 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 ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

team that played from 1902 to 1911. From 1904 to 1909 they were one of the strongest teams in black baseball, winning five eastern championships in six years. The team was organized by

Sol White King Solomon "Sol" White (June 12, 1868 – August 26, 1955) was an American professional baseball infielder, manager and executive, and one of the pioneers of the Negro leagues. An active sportswriter for many years, he wrote the first definit ...

Walter Schlichter Henry Walter "Slick" Schlichter (March 1, 1866 – January 15, 1944) was an American sports executive, sportswriter, and boxing referee. Career Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Schlichter wrote for the ''Philadelphia Item'', a daily newspaper. ...

,"Colored Baseball Men Organize Association" The Anaconda Standard, Anaconda, MT, Sunday Morning, November 11, 1906, Page 2, Column 7
/ref> and Harry Smith.

Early years

In 1902, white sportswriter H. Walter Schlichter joined with long-time Negro league player Sol White and Harry A. Smith, sports editor of the '' Philadelphia Tribune'' (an African-American newspaper), to organize the Philadelphia Giants. Schlichter arranged for the team to play in the major league Columbia Park when the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...

were on the road. Schlichter served as the owner and business manager during the team's existence, and Smith was the assistant business manager. White played and captained the team on the field. For their first season, the team recruited several star players including catcher Clarence Williams, second baseman Frank Grant, and pitcher John Nelson. The 1902 Philadelphia Giants compiled a win–loss–tie record of 81–43–2. Throughout the season the Giants issued challenges to the

Cuban X-Giants The Cuban X-Giants were a professional Negro league baseball team that played from 1896 to 1906. Originally most of the players were former Cuban Giants, or ex-Giants. Like the Cuban Giants, the original players were not Cuban (though the team woul ...

to compete in a Negro league championship series, but the X-Giants declined. In October, their first season culminated with a two-game series against the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

champion Philadelphia Athletics. The Athletics won both games, 8–3 and 13–9. In 1903, White acquired Harry Buckner,

William Binga William H. Binga (February 26, 1869 – October 14, 1950) was an American third baseman, catcher and manager in the pre- Negro league baseball era. Born in Michigan, Binga played most of his career in Chicago, Illinois, Philadelphia, Pennsylva ...

, Robert Footes, Bill Monroe, and

John W. Patterson John W. Patterson (March 2, 1872 – August 23, 1940) was an American baseball outfielder in the Negro leagues. He played for major teams from 1893 to 1907. Career Patterson debuted with the Lincoln, Nebraska Giants of 1890, a black team, and pl ...

. The team improved its record to 89–37–4."Philadelphia Giants"
nlbpa.com. Retrieved October 18, 2021. Attendance grew, and in September the Giants again challenged the Cuban X-Giants for a championship series. This time the challenge was accepted, and games were scheduled for New York, Philadelphia, and Harrisburg. The Cuban X-Giants beat Philadelphia behind outstanding pitching by Rube Foster.

Heyday

In 1904, White recruited Foster, outfielder

Pete Hill John Preston "Pete" Hill (October 12, 1882 – November 19, 1951) was an American outfielder and manager in baseball's Negro leagues from 1899 to 1925. He played for the Philadelphia Giants, Leland Giants, Chicago American Giants, Detroit Stars, M ...

, and pitcher

Dan McClellan Daniel J. McClellan (July 1, 1878 - March 10, 1962) was an American baseball pitcher and manager who starred for top-tier independent black teams before the Negro National League was founded. His career began about 1903, and he continued as a pl ...

for the Giants, and a dynasty took shape. With the Giants' growing popularity and to avoid working around the Philadelphia Athletics' schedule, they leased their own home stadium at Broad Street and Jackson Avenue in Philadelphia. They finished the season with a record of 95–41–6. A second "World's Colored Championship" was determined by a best-of-three series in September. Foster beat the Cuban X-Giants in both the first and the decisive third games for Philadelphia's first championship. In 1905, the Giants had a 134–21–3 record, the best in their history, and won their second colored championship, beating 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. ...

in three straight games. The team is considered one of the greatest Negro league teams ever. They scored 1,000 runs and had three 30-game winners in pitchers Foster, McClellan, and Emmett Bowman. In 1906, the Giants joined a multiracial baseball league, the

International League of Independent Professional Base Ball Clubs The International League of Independent Professional Base Ball Clubs, also referred to as the International League, was a baseball league composed of a mix of white, Cuban and Negro league baseball teams in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as well as N ...

. They had a record of 108–31–6. In September they once again faced and defeated the Cuban X-Giants, thereby winning both the National Association championship and another "World's Colored Championship". Subsequently they played two games against the Philadelphia Athletics, losing both to outstanding pitching performances by Hall of Fame players

Eddie Plank Edward Stewart Plank (August 31, 1875 – February 24, 1926), nicknamed "Gettysburg Eddie", was an American professional baseball player. A pitcher, Plank played in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901 through 1914, th ...

and

Rube Waddell George Edward Waddell (October 13, 1876 – April 1, 1914) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). A left-hander, he played for 13 years, with the Louisville Colonels, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago Orphans in the National Le ...

. In 1907, the Giants joined the first organized black professional league of the 20th century, the

National Association of Colored Baseball Clubs of the United States and Cuba The National Association of Colored Baseball Clubs of the United States and Cuba was an early professional Negro baseball league that operated on the East Coast of the United States from 1907 to 1910. Founding The league, also called the Nat ...

. Rube Foster, Pete Hill, and three other players left the Giants to join the Leland Giants in Chicago. With young John Henry Lloyd taking over at shortstop, however, the Philadelphia Giants continued to field an excellent team and won their fourth consecutive eastern championship. In October they toured Cuba and went 10–12–1 against

Habana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

and Almendares. In 1908, the first black championship series between the east and west was played, as the Philadelphia Giants played the Leland Giants in a "World Series." The series ended with a 3–3 tie; it is not known why the deciding seventh game was not played.

Demise

In 1909, White broke with Schlichter and left the Giants to take the reins of the Quaker Giants. That year,

Spot Poles Spottswood Poles (December 27, 1887 – September 12, 1962) was an American outfielder in baseball's Negro leagues. One of the fastest players of his era, Poles was sometimes referred to as "the black Ty Cobb." Career According to Negro leagues h ...

joined the team, and the Philadelphia Giants won another eastern championship. In 1910, Lloyd also left, and the Giants were no longer contenders for championships. According to writer Neil Lanctot, the team disbanded during the 1911 season, forced by player defections (citing the ''New York Age'' of August 3, evidently). The new Lincoln Giants of New York City had signed several players, including Louis Santop and

Dick Redding Richard Redding (April 15, 1890 – October 31, 1948), nicknamed "Cannonball", was an American pitcher, outfielder, and manager in baseball's Negro leagues, regarded as perhaps the fastest pitcher in the history of black baseball (which makes ...

. Many clubs claimed the tradition: by 1914 there were North, South, East, and West versions of "Philadelphia Giants" and also "East End Giants of Germantown".

Notable players

* Harry Buckner – P, 1903 * Rube Foster – P, 1904–06 *

Charlie Grant Charles Grant Jr. (August 31, 1874 – July 9, 1932) was an American second baseman in Negro league baseball. During his 20-year career, he played for some of the best teams in the Negro leagues. Grant nearly crossed the baseball color line ...

– 2B, 1904–06 * Frank Grant – 2B, 1902–03 *

– OF, 1903–06 *

Home Run Johnson Grant U. "Home Run" Johnson (September 23, 1872 – September 4, 1963) was an American shortstop and second baseman in baseball's Negro leagues. In a career that spanned over 30 years, he played for many of the greatest teams of the deadball era ...

– SS, 1905–06 * John Henry Lloyd – SS, 1907–09 *

– P, 1904–06 * Bill Monroe – IF, 1903–06 *

Mike Moore Michael Moore is an American filmmaker and author. Michael Moore may also refer to: Academia * Michael G. Moore (fl. 1970s–2020s), professor of education * Michael S. Moore (academic) (fl. 1960s–2020s), American law professor * Michael Moore ...

– CF, 1905–06 *

Bruce Petway Bruce Franklin Petway (December 23, 1885 – July 4, 1941) was an American Negro league baseball catcher in the early 20th century who came to be known as having one of the best throwing arms in the league. He is also said to have been one of the ...

– C, 1907–09 *

– OF, 1909–10 *

– P, 1911 *

– IF and manager, 1902–08Riley. Members of the

National 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 ...

are in bold.

Notes

References

* * * * {{Authority control Defunct baseball teams in Pennsylvania Defunct sports teams in Philadelphia Defunct sports teams in Pennsylvania Negro league baseball teams Sports in Philadelphia Baseball teams established in 1902 Baseball teams disestablished in 1911 1902 establishments in Pennsylvania 1911 disestablishments in Pennsylvania