The First Baseball Game in Kutztown
Republished from The Patriot, October 1914
The younger generation in Kutztown may not think it possible, but it is nevertheless true that Kutztown had its organized baseball team 40 years ago, the same as it has to-day. And a “cracker-jack” of a team it was, don’t you fret. This was way back in the 1870’s. There was at that distant day quite some sporting blood in our good old town. Baseball was then in its infancy. Not every country cross-roads had its baseball team as is the case to-day, and clubs necessarily were few and far between.
However, Kutztown as usual was right in the march of progress and early acquired reputation as a baseball centre. This was partly due to the location of the Normal School in town, which took an interest in the national game right from the start and organized a ball club early in its history. Pretty soon the town followed suit and in 1874 formed an aggregation of ball players knows as The Saucony Nine.
The name “Saucony” was selected because the ball grounds were located near the historical Saucony Creek, which passes through town at the foot of Main Street. The diamond was perfectly level and one of the finest in the country. Near the present site of the Dery Silk Mill, several hundred feet north of the Saucony Creek, was Kutztown’s first baseball diamond, where the stars of 40 years ago received their training. In those days, such things as fielders’ gloves, catchers’ masks, chest protectors, leather mitts, and other baseball paraphernalia so common to-day, were wholly unknown and regarded as entirely unnecessary. Balls were of two kinds, lively balls and dead balls, and both were very hard in texture, as the writer knows by experience. Bruised hands and crippled fingers were common occurrences, as you can imagine. Such a thing as the pitching of a curved ball was undreamt of and such balls like Matty’s “fadaway,” Eddie Plank’s “crossfire,” and the other mysterious benders so familiar to the fan of to-day were considered utterly impossible. The twirlers of that period had to depend mostly on speed, the underhand ball being the favorite delivery of the pitchers. The rules regarding this delivery required that the boxman keep his elbow below the waist-line and deliver the ball from below the knee. The star twirlers of the old school had not the cunning of a Bendix or a Walter Johnson, but in order to fool the batter were obliged to mix them up in great style by delivering a swift ball and following that up with a very slow one. Of the latter, the “dew-drop” was a great favorite, as it came across the plate exceedingly slow describing the outline of a show in the air and usually catching the batter unawares. When a batter hit a foul ball and it was caught on the fly or on the first bound it was declared an “out” by the umpire. In those days when nothing but straight balls were pitched, hits were, as a rule, very numerous and a high score was subsequently the result.
The rivalry between the Normal School and our Saucony Nine was very keen. So on September 5, 1874, the first game between the two teams was played on the Normal School diamond. This was the first contest the town team had with another club. It was on a Saturday and a large contingent of rooters from Kutztown was on hand to cheer the boys to victory. Johnnie Weaver, the armless one, then, however, possessed two strong arms, was on the mound for the town team. Johnnie was on edge and right there with the goods. “Ollie” Williams was behind the bat and receiving. As the results proved, the Kutztown boys scored a great victory and Johnnie was the hero of the hour. After the runs were counted up, which took some time, the score was 53 to 35 in favor of Kutztown, and the local fans were in high glee. Once “skunk” was recorded against the Normal team and gave our boys cause for extra congratulation. A “skunk” was in baseball slang an inning in which the opposing side failed to score. Thus was baseball in Kutztown launched most auspiciously, and from that time on the national game has been kept going with varying success until it has reached its present state of popularity, when nearly every kid was the proud possessor of a bat and ball. The members of the old Saucony Nine, some of whom are still living and with us at the present day, were as follows:
“Ollie” Williams, catcher; Johnnie Weaver, pitcher; Joe Newhart, ______ Ziegler, Frank Bobst, Samuel Bast, Wellington Yaxtheimer, Silas Bieber and “Buck” Hottenstein.
The above-named constituted Kutztown’s first baseball team. Had opportunity for advancement been what it is to-day, it is not unlikely that some of these starts of a former period would have been honored with a niche in the famous “Baseball Hall of Fame.”
AN OLD FAN