with the original
Citadel building in the background. Charleston, South Carolina. Organized baseball was first played at the square in 1866. Organized baseball play began in Charleston, South Carolina as early as 1866. In 1866, the "Palmetto Baseball Club" was formed in the city and the Palmetto team hosted their home baseball games at the Citadel Green, known today as the
Marion Square. The baseball site locale was first known as the Citadel Green as
The Citadel Military College occupied the adjacent arsenal building from 1843 until 1922 when the Citadel physically relocated to a different location within Charleston. The Palmetto baseball team played their first home game at the Citadel Green on May 23, 1866. The Southern League began play on April 15, 1886, with Charleston joining the
Atlanta Atlantas,
Augusta Browns,
Chattanooga Lookouts, Macon,
Memphis Grays,
Nashville Americans and
Savannah teams as Southern League members. The Seagulls, Gulls and related team nicknames reflect the local indigenous bird species of Charleston, which lies along the
Atlantic Ocean. There are 13 types of
gulls that are historically native to the Charleston area. In the early baseball era, team nicknames were not official, and team nicknames were often created informally by local sportswriters or community leaders. Charleston simultaneously hosted the
Fulton Base Ball Club or Charleston Fultons in 1886. The Fultons played the season as a member of the ten-team
Southern League of Colored Base Ballists league. . Damage from the
1886 Charleston earthquake. The 1886 Southern League season was ended on September 4 because of the
1886 Charleston earthquake that struck the Charleston area on August 31, 1886, killing 60 people. Charlie Cushman was strictly a manager and not a player in his partial season tenure with Charleston. In replacing Cushman, Jim Powell began a three-season tenure as the Charleston player-manager. Jim Powell batted .240 with 33 stolen bases in 96 games for Charleston in his role as player-manager. Following his strong showing with Charleston in 1886, Weyhing made his major league debut in 1887 with the
Philadelphia Athletics, winning 26 games while pitching 466 total innings with 53 complete games in his rookie season for Philadelphia. In his 14-season major league career, Weyhing won 262 major league games with a 3.88 ERA, while pitching for 11 different teams. Weyhing still holds the major league record for most
batters hit in a
career, hitting 277 batters, the career leader by a large margin. Outfielder
Jimmy McAleer played for Charleston in 1886, batting .205 in 64 games at age 21. McAleer became a major league player, playing
centerfield for the
Cleveland Spiders (1889–1898),
Cleveland Blues (1901) and
St. Louis Browns (1902, 1907). He became a major league manager and served as manager of the Cleveland Blues (1901), St Louis Browns (1902–1909) and
Washington Senators (1910–1911). He then became a co-owner of the
Boston Red Sox from 1911 to 1913.
1887 to 1889: Southern League The Charleston Seagulls continued Southern League play in 1887 and ended the season in second place in the final standings of the eight-team league. The 1887 Charleson team was also known by the "Quakers" nickname. Charleston ended the season with a 65–38 record as Jim Powell returned for a second season as manager. No league playoffs were held, and Charleston finished 4.5 games behind the first place
New Orleans Pelicans in the standings after four other league teams folded during the season. Serving as the player-manager, Jim Powell excelled as a player, batting .375 in 108 games. The league folded on July 8, 1888, with the Charleston Seagulls in fourth place. The Seagulls had a record of 20–28 as the league folded, finishing 9.0 games behind the first place
Birmingham Maroons. Jim Powell was replaced as manager during the season by John Moran, in Moran's only documented season in baseball. On July 6, 1889, Charleston had compiled a 26–19 record and were in second place when the league folded. Managed by player-manager
Jake Aydelott, Charleston finished 16.0 games behind the 45–9 New Orleans Pelicans. Charleston played some home games at Macon in 1889 after numerous league members folded and Charleston was renamed after the folded Atlanta team despite playing in Macon. Player-manager Jake Aydelott had previously pitched briefly in the major leagues prior to his season with Charleston, logging 14 total appearances for the
Indianapolis Hoosiers (1884) and
Philadelphia Athletics (1886). Aydelott compiled a 1–4 record in 5 games pitching for Charleston at age 27. The next season, Luby made his major league debut with the
Chicago Colts, winning 20 games as a rookie for Chicago. Having pitched 106 total games in the major leagues with the Colts (1890–1892) and the
Louisville Colonels (1895), Luby died in Charleston of tuberculosis on April 24, 1899, at age 30.
1892: South Atlantic League champions In 1892, Charleston resumed minor league play as the Sea Gulls became charter members of the four-team South Atlantic League and won the league championship in a shortened season. The
Winston Blue Sluggers,
Columbia Senators and
Charlotte Maroons teams joined the Charleston Sea Gulls in league play. The independent league played for six weeks before Winston folded causing the league to fold. The South Atlantic League regular season schedule began on April 30, 1892. The league was short-lived and folded on June 10, 1892, after playing less than two months of the season. The Winston-Salem Blue Sluggers, who were in second place with an 18–14 record, folded, causing the league itself to fold with only three remaining teams. Second baseman
Tom Stouch played for Charleston in 1892. Competing in his first professional season at age 22, Stouch batted .261 on the season. After a brief major league career, Stouch became a long-time player-manager in the minor leagues. In 1907, while managing the
Greenville Spinners, Stouch discovered Greenville native
Shoeless Joe Jackson in an exhibition game and signed him to a contract with the Spinners, beginning Jackson's professional career.
Southern League: 1893 & 1894 In 1893, the Charleston Seagulls rejoined the
Class B level Southern League and won the league championship, playing in the 12-team league. The
Atlanta Windjammers,
Augusta Electricians,
Birmingham Grays,
Chattanooga Warriors,
Macon Central City,
Memphis Giants,
Mobile Blackbirds,
Montgomery Colts,
Nashville Tigers,
New Orleans Pelicans and
Savannah Electrics teams joined with the Charleston Seagulls in beginning the league schedule on April 10, 1893. On June 23, 1893, Charleston native
Tom Colcolough pitched a no-hit game for the Seagulls. Pitching at home, Colcolough defeated Montgomery 7–0 in the contest. At age 22, Colcolough compiled a 16–11 record for Charleston on the season and pitched in the major leagues later in the 1893 season, making his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He pitched in the majors with Pittsburgh (1893–1895) and the New York Giants (1899). After beginning play, the 12-team league had numerous franchises in financial trouble and the league ended its season on August 12, 1893, with Charleston in first place in the overall standings. The league was also known as the interchangeable "Central Association." As the league folded, Charleston had a final record of 51–32, finishing the shortened season in first place, playing the season under player-manager
Jack Carney. Jack Carney batted .308 for Charleston in 1893, playing first base and appearing in 85 games at age 26. Carney played in the early major leagues with the
Washington Nationals (1889),
Buffalo Bisons (1890),
Cleveland Infants (1890),
Cincinnati Kelly's Killers (1891) and
Milwaukee Brewers (1891), batting .273 in 252 games. He later coached collegiately, serving as the baseball coach at both
Boston University (1920) and
Cornell University (1921–1924). McCarthy made his major league debut with the
Cincinnati Reds at the end of the 1893 season, following his stint with Charleston. In a lengthy major league career with the Cincinnati Reds (1893–1894),
Pittsburgh Pirates (1898–1899),
Chicago Orphans (1900),
Cleveland Naps (1901–1903),
Chicago Cubs (1903–1905) and
Brooklyn Superbas (1906–1907), McCarthy appeared in 1,092 career games, batting .287 with a .365 OBP for his career. At the end of his major league, career, McCarthy had a then record 3,021 at-bats without a home run, hitting his last of his 8 career home runs during the 1899 season. Also during his career, in the 1904 season, McCarthy injured his ankle when he tripped over a broom used by the umpire to clean
home plate. Afterwards, a rule was created, specifying that umpires clean home plate with a whisk broom and store it in their pocket. On April 26, 1905, while playing with the Chicago Cubs, McCarthy became the first outfielder to throw out three base runners at home plate in one game, achieving the feat in Chicago's game against the
Pittsburgh Pirates. Charleston returned to play in 1894 as the defending Southern League defending champions and were having a successful season when the Seagulls team folded. On June 27, 1884, Charleston had compiled a 33–22 record when they folded. Charleston played their partial season under the direction of player-manager
Ollie Beard. As a player, Beard had a remarkable season for the Seagulls, batting .425 in his 1894 season (118–278) at age 32. An infielder, Beard had played in the major leagues prior to his season with Charleston. In his major league career, Beard batted .274 playing in 331 total games for the
Cincinnati Reds (1889–1890) and
Louisville Colonels (1891). Pitcher
George Blackburn played for Charleston in 1894 at age 24. In his brief major league career, Blackburn became a part of history in his only big-league season. On July 16, 1897, while pitching for the
Baltimore Orioles against the
Chicago Colts, today's
Chicago Cubs, Blackburn surrendered a
single to Chicago's
Cap Anson, who became the first player in major league history to record 3,000 total hits with his hit off of Blackburn. Blackwell compiled a 13–9 record with 18 complete games for Charleston. After folding in the 1894 season, the Charleston Seagulls did not return to the eight-team Southern League in 1895, replaced in the league membership by the
Chattanooga Warriors.
1898: Return to Southern League After a four-year absence, the Charleston Seagulls returned to membership in the reformed eight-team Class B level
Southern League in 1898. The league did not play in 1887 and formed in 1888 with the
Atlanta Crackers, Augusta, Birmingham,
Mobile Blackbirds,
Montgomery Senators,
New Orleans Pelicans and Savannah teams joining Charleston in the league. The Southern League began their league schedule on April 10, 1898. However, the Southern League season was short lived, as the league folded on May 19, 1898. The Charleston Seagulls had a record of 20–10 on the day the league folded, finishing in second place behind first place Augusta (20–7). The second place Seagulls played their shortened season under manager Charles W. Boyer. Boyer later helped organize the
South Atlantic League, serving as the league president from 1903 to 1908. In 1914 he became the founder and president of the
Blue Ridge League.
1904: Charter members of South Atlantic League After five seasons without a team, Charleston resumed minor league play in 1904 when the Charleston "Sea Gulls" became charter members of a new league. The
South Atlantic League was founded in late 1903 by former Charleston manager Charles W. Boyer and J.B. Lucy as a six-team,
Class C level minor league and the league began its first season of play in the spring of 1904. The South Atlantic League was nicknamed the SALLY League. The
Augusta Tourists,
Columbia Skyscrapers,
Jacksonville Jays,
Macon Highlanders and
Savannah Pathfinders teams joined the Charleston Sea Gulls as charter members, beginning play in the new league on April 26, 1904. The 1904 team was owned by Edward Ashenbach, who also served at Charleston's player-manager. Ashenbach, having helped develop the SALLY League, was nicknamed the "King of the Minors." He died in February 1912 at age 40 from
pneumonia while housed in a
Cincinnati, Ohio mental hospital. Ashenbach came to Charleston after serving as the player-manager of the
Evansville River Rats of the
Central League in 1903. To begin the
1904 South Atlantic League season, the Sea Gulls played against
Ty Cobb in his first professional game for the
Augusta Tourists against Charleston. Charleston ended the season in third place with a 59–50 record, finishing 6.5 games behind the first place Macon Highlanders in the final standings. Player-manager Edward Ashenbach managed the team for the entire season.
Syd Smith of Charleston led the South Atlantic League with 137 total hits. Following his tenure with Charleston, Smith played in the major leagues with the Philadelphia Athletics (1908),
St. Louis Browns (1908),
Cleveland Naps (1910–1911) and
Pittsburgh Pirates (1914–1915), batting .247 in 146 career major league games. No playoffs were held, as Charleston finished 23.5 games behind the first place
Macon Brigands in the final standings of the Class C level league. An outfielder and shortstop, Lee DeMontreville had played in the major leagues in 1903 with the
St. Louis Cardinals and batted .235 for Charleston in his last professional season at age 30. Playing third base, Pat Tibald batted .223 in 112 games and 403 at bats for Charleston. At age 18,
Ty Cobb of the
Augusta Tourists led the 1905 South Atlantic League with a .326 batting average. Lally had played two season in the major leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1891) and St. Louis Browns (1897), batting .267 with 3 home runs in 129 total games. Lally admittedly struggled with alcohol during his baseball career and was once fined $200 by the St. Louis Browns, after was reportedly drunk on the field during games in Brooklyn. Lally was often hospitalized in the final years of his life. Charleston played the 1906 season under player-manager
Robert Pender, who came to the Sea Gulls having managed the
Baton Rouge Red Sticks for the previous three seasons, winning one
Cotton States League championship. Pended had started his minor league playing career in 1886. Continuing play in the Class C level
South Atlantic League in 1906, Charleston ended the season placing fifth in the six-team league. With a final record of 48–61, Charleston ended the season 22.0 games behind the first place
Savannah Indians in the final league standings as no playoff was held. Playing first base at age 39, player-manager Bob Pender batted .211 for the Sea Gulls in 109 games. Following the season, Pender left Charleston and became manager of the
Norfolk Tars, where he led the Tars to the 1907
Virginia League championship. Prior to his season with the Sea Gulls, Evans had previously pitched in the major leagues. Evans won 29 games with a 3.66 ERA in 84 total major league games, appearing with the
St. Louis Browns (1897),
Louisville Colonels (1897),
Washington Senators (1898–1899),
New York Giants (1902),
Brooklyn Superbas (1902–1903) and St. Louis Browns (1903). Following his baseball career, Evans was initially believed to have died in the
1915 Galveston Hurricane. However, in 1920 he was found and embroiled in legal troubles that saw him sentenced to prison for
bigamy. Evans charged and convicted after he was evidently married to at least four different women simultaneously. He served less than two years in federal prison at
Levenworth before his release on June 22, 1922. His life after his release from prison is unknown.
1907: South Atlantic League champions Wilson Matthews became the Charleston manager in 1907 and would lead the team to a championship. Matthews came to Charleston in 1907 having managed in the 1906 South Atlantic League with the rival
Savannah Indians. Matthews was strictly a manager and did not play for Charleston in beginning a three-season tenure as manager. With Matthews beginning his tenure as manager, the Sea Gulls won the championship in the
1907 South Atlantic League season. In winning the championship of the Class C level league, Charleston ended the season schedule with a record of 75–46, finishing a full 6.0 games ahead of the second place
Jacksonville Jays, managed for the entire season by manager Wilson Matthews. His 80 stolen bases were a South Atlantic League record at the time. Raftery later played a partial season in the major leagues, appearing in 8 games for the 1909
Cleveland Naps. ,
New York Giants. Raymond won 35 games in 1907, helping Charleston to the league championship before embarking on his major league career to complete the 1907 season. Raymond had a troubled personal life and was murdered at age 30. Charleston pitcher
Bugs Raymond won 35 games in the 1907 minor league season, throwing 355 innings on the season in 51 pitching appearances. Reportedly, Raymond battled an alcohol problem that greatly affected his baseball career. In 1912, after playing with the
Cincinnati Pippins of the
United States League, Raymond was in a physical altercation in his native
Chicago, Illinois. At Chicago's Hotel Valoy, Raymond's body was found and a subsequent autopsy revealed he was badly beaten with a baseball bat and died as the result of a
fractured skull, his life ending at age 30. Fred Ciranz was arrested for the murder of Raymond, and he first admitted to Chicago police that he beat and kicked Raymond at a ballfield located at Elston Avenue and Lawrence Avenue. Before his death, Raymond told his brother that he had been hit in the head with a bat by Ciranz, which he later admitted. Raymond was first hospitalized following the incident and then released before collapsing and dying at the hotel after complaining of a headache. As defending league champions, with manager Wilson Matthews returning, Charleston went from first place to finishing in last place in the six-team
1908 South Atlantic League final standings. The class C level league returned to a 120-game season, as the Jacksonville Jays won the league title by 12.0 games over the second place Savannah Indians, as Charleston ended the season with a 44–66 record. On May 28, 1909, Charleston pitcher
Pat Paige threw a no-hit game against the Macon, winning the game 2–0 with 1 base on balls. He later pitched briefly in the major leagues with the 1911
Cleveland Naps. During the season, the Charleston team was taken over by the league at league meeting in July in which local reporters were "barred" from the meeting held in
Augusta, Georgia. During the meeting it was decided that the Charleston franchise would be relocated to
Knoxville, Tennessee and that the league would play a split-season, starting the standings over. Charleston was not represented at the meeting. Managed by the returning Wilson Mathews to begin the season, it was noted that Charleston fans were saddened by Wilson's departure, as he was popular in the city. In 1909,
Shoeless Joe Jackson of the Savannah Indians won the league batting title, hitting. 358. In 1910, Charleston did not host minor league play and the Knoxville Appalachians left the South Atlantic League to become members of the newly formed
Southeastern League. The
1910 South Atlantic League played as a six-team league, also without the Chattanooga Lookouts who became members of the
Southern Association.
1911: Ballpark destroyed / South Atlantic League After the Charleston franchise did not return to play in the six-team, Class C level 1910 South Atlantic League, the Columbia Foxes won the league title. The Charleton franchise paid one-sixth of the $5,200 league treasury to rejoin the league. Ed Rasnick was named the Charleston manager for the team in 1911, having managed the Augusta team in 1907. He was hired by team owner Mr. L. W. Passailaigue, who was a local businessman, serving as the superintendent of the Consolidated Company. The Charleson 1911 season was shortened when a
hurricane hit the city from August 27 to August 29, damaging much of the city. The league schedule ended on September 8, 1911, and Charleston officially finished in last place in the eight-team league, ending the season 40.5 games behind the first place Columbus Foxes in the overall standings. The Columbus Foxes won the playoff over the
Columbia Commies 4 games to 2, after Columbus won the first half pennant and Columbia won the second half pennant in the split season schedule. Miller batted .204 in his final season playing for Charleston. Edward Sabrie played first base in 88 games and batted .264 for Charleston in 1911 at age 29. After his season with Charleston Sabrie played two seasons for the
Pittsburgh Filipinos, who played in the 1912
United States Baseball League and 1913
Federal League. Sabrie returned to play for Charleston in both 1914 and 1915. James Durham had pitched for the 1902 Chicago White Sox, appearing in three games with one win. Durham compiled a 3–7 record pitching for Charleston in 1911. Lusky had started 11 games in the major leagues for the 1901 Washington Senators in the first season of American League play. After the destruction of their ballpark, Charleston did not return to the
1912 South Atlantic League. The South Atlantic League reduced from an eight-team league to a six-team league in 1912, dropping both Charleston and the
Augusta Tourists. The Jacksonville Tarpons won the league championship in the Class C level league. The Charleston Sea Gulls franchise replaced the
Columbia Comers in the six-team Class C level league. With the league schedule starting on April 17, 1913, Charleston joined the
Albany Babies,
Columbus Foxes,
Jacksonville Tarpons,
Macon Peaches and
Savannah Colts teams in the league. George Needham became the 1913 Charleston player-manager after serving in the same role with the
Guelph Maple Leafs of the
Canadian League in 1912. The 1913 was Needham's final professional season at age 32. At age 25, James "Jimmy" Hamilton became the Charleston player-manager during the 1913 season, following Needham. Besides his time as a player, Hamilton managed 19 seasons in the minor leagues between 1912 and 1930. He managed the
Traverse City Resorters of the
Michigan State League in 1912 and had returned to the Resorters to begin the 1913 season before being replaced as manager and then joining Charleston. The Sea Gulls ended the
1913 South Atlantic League season placing fifth in the six-team league. Charleston ended the season with a record of 48–68, playing the season under managers George Needham, Joe Kipp and James Hamilton. The Sea Gulls ended the season 30.0 games behind the first place Savannah Colts (78–38) in the final standings. No playoff was held as the Colts had the best record in the league in both halves of the split season schedule. At age 20,
Allen Sothoron played third base for Charleston in 1913, batting .205 in his tenure with the Sea Gulls. Sothoron left Charleston during the season and joined the
Fall River Adopted Sons of the
Class B level
New England League, where he was turned into a pitcher. As a player, he was a
spitball pitcher. In 1919 Sothoron had compiled a 20–13
record with a 2.20
earned run average for the Cleveland when his pitch was banned following the season. After throwing the spitball was officially outlawed by major league baseball following the 1919 campaign, Sothoron at first was not permitted to throw it due to the rule change. Then in mid-1920s he was added to a list of 17 former spitball pitchers in the major leagues who were allowed to resume throwing the spitball. In 1933, following his playing career, and having served as a coach for the coached for the St. Louis Cardinals (1927),
Boston Braves (1928), and St. Louis Browns beginning in 1929, Sothoron served briefly as the manager of the St. Louis Browns, with an 8-game interim tenure as a replacement for
Bill Killefer before he was replaced by
Baseball Hall of Fame member
Rogers Hornsby. Potteiger had a lengthy career as a minor league player and manager through 1932. A multi-sport athlete, Potteiger also played in the
National Football League. Potteiger was the player coach for the
New York Giants in 1927 and 1928, leading the
1927 New York Giants to the
NFL Championship as the head coach. Pitcher
Ed Foster returned to Charleston in 1913, having played for the team in 1906 and 1907. At age 28, Foster had a 16–19 record for the Sea Gulls and threw 313 innings while pitching in 37 games.
1914: South Atlantic League pennant With Jimmy Hamilton returning as manager, the Charleston Sea Gulls won the league pennant in the
1914 South Atlantic League. The eight-team Class C level league played a split-season schedule and Charleston ended the season with an overall record of 78–46, which was the best overall record in the league. In the overall league standings, first place Charleston won the league pennant, finishing 5.0 games ahead of the second place
Savannah Colts. However, despite finishing with the best record in the league, the Charleston Sea Gulls failed to qualify for the post-season as they did not finish in first place in either of the half season standings. The
Savannah Colts won the first half pennant and the
Albany Babies won the second half pennant before Savannah defeated Albany 4 games to 2 in the final. Eldridge was aged 25 in 1914 and he went on to pitch in the minor leagues through the 1934 season when he was 45 years of age. Eldridge won 273 minor league games in his career, appearing in 573 games and pitching 4,164 innings. 's former residence, 171 Moultrie Street,
Charleston, South Carolina. National Register historic district. Outfielder
Thomas S. McMillan played for Charleston in 1913 and 1914, batting .248 while playing in 117 games for the Sea Gulls during their pennant winning season, which became his final season in professional baseball. McMillan also led the South Atlantic League with 46 stolen bases in 1914. He was the
head baseball coach at
The Citadel from 1916 to 1919 in Charleston. McMillan and his wife built a residence in Charleston located at 171 Moultrie Street. Today, his house is a part of the
Hampton Park Terrace National Register Historic District and serves as a faculty house for The Citadel.
1915 to 1917: South Atlantic League From 1915 to 1917, Charleston had success on the field, winning one South Atlantic League pennant with two second-place finishes. Charleston continued play as the
1915 South Atlantic League played a split season schedule and in the midst of
World War I, the league ended its season on July 20, 1915. Playing first base in his only career player-manager role in 1915, Edward Sabrie batted .264 for Charleston in 89 games, at age 33. Second basemen
Harry Hartsell played for the Sea Gulls in 1915 at age 25, batting .310 for Charleston in 24 games before moving to play for the
Fort Wayne Cubs of the Class B level
Central League. In 1917, Hartsell began a tenure of collegiate coaching for
North Carolina State University, that saw him coach baseball, basketball, and football through the 1923 seasons. He compiled coaching records of 16–18–4 as the head
NC State Wolfpack football coach, 34–32 as the head
NC State Wolfpack men's basketball coach, and 52–37–4 as the head
NC State Wolfpack baseball coach. An alumnus of the university, Hartsell oversaw the entire athletic program and the school's "Wolfpack" nickname was begun during his tenure. Jimmy Hamilton returned to manage the team, and the Charleston Sea Gulls were again the runner up, finishing in second place in the
1916 South Atlantic League standings. The South Atlantic League (SALLY) continued play as an eight-team, Class C level league. Despite their second-place finish, Charleston again missed the playoff in the split season schedule. The Sea Gulls ended the season with an overall record of 68–55, finishing in second place, playing the entire season under James Hamilton, as he returned to the franchise. Charleston ended the season 4.5 games behind the first place
Columbia Comers in the overall season standings. In the spilt season schedule, third place Augusta won the first half title and Columbia won the second half title. In the playoff, the Augusta Tourists won their first South Atlantic League championship, sweeping the Columbia Comers 4 games to 0 in the final. Weeks later on June 5, Walter Norris defeated Macon 3–0 at home for his no-hitter. Fillingham had pitched with Charleston in 1915, compiling a 14–5 record before making his major league debut with the
Philadelphia Athletics at the end of the season. Fillingim returned to Charleston in 1916 and had a 20–7 record with a 1.93 ERA while 242 innings in 33 games for the Sea Gulls, including his no-hitter. He later returned to the major leagues with the
Boston Braves (1918–1923) and
Philadelphia Phillies (1925). Finningim compiled a 47–73 career record, 10 saves, a 3.47 ERA in 200 career games with 59 career complete games and 57 games finished. Pitcher
Paul Des Jardien played for Charleston in 1916. A two-sport athlete, Des Jardien briefly pitched in the major leagues for the 1916
Cleveland Indians to begin the season before being acquired by Charleston later in the 1916 season, which became his only season of professional baseball. Des Jardien was with Cleveland to begin the season, and in June, he was sent by Cleveland to the Charleston Sea Gulls in exchange for the rights to Charleston pitcher
Dana Fillingim. He debuted with the Gulls on June 16, in an 11–1 loss to the
Jacksonville Tarpons. Shortly after, the
Marshalltown Ansons obtained him from Charleston for $300.00. Following his only baseball season, he then played professional football for the football Cleveland Indians (1916),
Hammond Pros (1919),
Chicago Tigers (1920) and
Minneapolis Marines (1922). Having played center in football for the
University of Chicago, where the
1913 Chicago Maroons football team were
National Champions, with Jardin named to the
1913 College Football All-America Team, Des Jardien was inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame in 1955. In the era of
World War I, the six-team South Atlantic League was one of just two Class C level leagues that played a season in 1917. On May 19, 1917, both the Columbus Foxes and Macon Tigers franchiseds folded, and the South Atlantic League continued play with the four remaining teams. Eventually, the league season was shortened to July 4 with approval from the
National Association. At the end of the 1917 season, Ward made his major league debut with the
New York Yankees. Playing as a starter on the infield, Ward remained with the Yankees through the 1926 season, playing in the lineup alongside
Baseball Hall of Fame teammates
Babe Ruth,
Lou Gehrig,
Tony Lazzeri,
Earle Combs,
Waite Hoyt,
Herb Pennock in his tenure. Playing second base for the Yankees in three World Series from 1921 to 1923, Ward batted .286 with 3 home runs and 9 RBI in 19 world series games. An infielder, Bob Crowell played in 76 games in his role as player-manager, batting .224 on the season at age 26. He played one more season in professional baseball. The South Atlantic League did not play in 1918 due to
World War I, as only 10 total minor leagues played a 1918 season in the
United States. After not playing in the 1918 season due to
World War I, the league reformed. The
Augusta Dollies,
Charlotte Hornets,
Columbia Comers,
Greenville Spinners and
Spartanburg Spartans teams joined with Charleston in resuming South Atlantic League play on May 19, 1919. Pitcher
Mutt Wilson played for the Gulls in 1919 and compiled a 19–11 record with a career-low 2.57 ERA for Charleston. Wison's teammate, Paul Johnson had a 16–11 record with a 1.93 ERA for Charleston. A Charleston native, third baseman
Fritz Von Kolnitz began a four-year tenure with the team in 1919, batting 273 on the season. Due to his
Prussian-sounding surname, Von Kolnitz played under the name "R.H. Holmes" when first playing professional baseball in 1913, due to
anti-German sentiment in the era. Von Kolnitz had previously played in the major league for the
Cincinnati Reds (1914–1915) and the
Chicago White Sox (1916), batting .212 in 115 career games.
1920 & 1921: South Atlantic League Charleston continued play in 1920 with a new nickname and a poor season on the field. For the first time, the minor league team was known by something other than a Gulls nickname. In March 1920, pitcher Mutt Wilson re-signed with Charleston for the 1920 season. During the 1920 season, Wilson had a 15–17 record with a 2.78 ERA for Charleston and brought his win total to 34 in his two seasons pitching for Charleston. Wilson reported to the Tigers and appeared in three games for Detroit with a 1–1
win–loss record and an ERA of 3.46. Charleston became the known as the "Palmettos" in 1920 and the team finished in last place in the
South Atlantic League. Charleston was often referred to as "The Palmetto City" in the era. Playing the season under managers Frank Matthews (25–41),
Leo Townsend (3–7) and
Ezra Midkiff (26–23), Charleston ended the season 24.5 games behind the first place Columbia Comers in the final standings. Player-manager Ezra Midkiff had previously played as an outfielder in the major leagues for the
Cincinnati Reds (1909) and the
New York Highlanders/
Yankees (1912–13), batting .207. In 1920, Midkiff played first base for Charleston and batted .240 in 46 games. Third baseman Fritz Von Kolnitz also played 44 games at catcher for Charleston in 1920, batting .356 with 5 home runs for the season in 82 games and 292 at bats. McCabe had played pitched for the
St. Louis Browns from 1915 to 1918, compiling a 2.92 ERA and a 5–1 record in 22 major league games. In 1920, McCabe began the season with the Charleston Palmettos where he compiled a 2–3 record in 5 games. On June 15, 1920, McCabe was purchased from Charleston by the
Rockford Rox of the
Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League. The 1920 season was McCabe's final minor league season at age 25. Following his 1920 season with Charleston, McCabe played and managed independent teams in his native
Missouri through the 1930s. ,
Brooklyn Robins. Cheney served as the Charleston player-manager in 1921, compiling a 19–5 record as a pitcher and leading the team to a second-place finish. Charleston became known by another new nickname in 1921. The team became known by the "Pals" nickname, which was a shortened version of Palmettos. Left-handed hitting outfielder
Al Bridwell played for the Palms in 1921 in his final professional season at age 37, batting .286 in 93 games on the season. Bridwell had previously played 11 seasons in the major leagues with the
Cincinnati Reds (1905),
Boston Beaneaters (1906–1907),
New York Giants (1908–1911),
Boston Braves (1911–1912),
Chicago Cubs (1913) and the
Federal League's
St. Louis Terriers (1914–1915). In his 1,252 career major league games played, Bridwell batted .255 with 1,064 total
hits, 95
doubles, 32
triples, 2 home runs, 457
runs scored, 136 stolen bases and 350 RBIs in 4,196 at bats. At age 28, Charleston native Fritz Von Kolnitz, batted .322 with 12 home runs for the season, playing third base for the Pals. The Pals ended the season with a record of 80–48, finishing the season schedule in first place, managed for the entire season by Hamilton. No playoffs were held, and Charleston was the league champion, ending the season 9.0 games ahead of the second place
Charlotte Hornets in the final standings. Following his 1922 season with Charleston, George Pipgras went on to make his major league debut in 1923. He had a lengthy career, pitching for the New York Yankees (1923–1924, 1927–1933) and
Boston Red Sox (1933–1935). Pipgras played on four Yankees World Series champion teams (1923, 1927, 1928, 1932) and was the AL wins leader in 1928. He compiled a 102–73 career record in the major leagues. Following his pitching career, Pipgras became a baseball umpire, working in the minor leagues before making his major league umpiring debut in 1938. He was nicknamed "The Danish Viking." member
Kiki Cuyler,
Pittsburgh Pirates. At age 22, Cuyler played for Charleston in 1922, joining Pittsburgh after the Pals' season concluded.
Baseball Hall of Fame member
Kiki Cuyler played for the 1922 Charleston Pals at age 22. Cuyler joined the Pittsburgh Pirates for a brief time following the end of the Charleston season, appearing in one game. In his 18-year major league career playing for the
Pittsburgh Pirates (1921–1927),
Chicago Cubs (1928–1935),
Cincinnati Reds (1935–1937) and
Brooklyn Dodgers (1938), Cuyler had a career batting average of .321 with a .389 OBP. Cuyler led the major leagues in stolen bases four times, and had the world series-winning hit in Game Seven of the
1925 World Series.
Lance Richbourg played 1B for Charleston in 1922 as a teammate of Cuyler, batting .286 in 90 games at age 24. Richbourg had played in 10 games with the
Philadelphia Phillies at the end of the 1921 season. Richbourg would play in the major leagues with the Philadelphia Phillies (1921), Washington Senators (1924), Boston Braves (1927–1931) and Chicago Cubs (1932), batting .308 in 698 career games over eight seasons. In 1932, Richbourg and Cuyler were again teammates on the Chicago Cubs, who lost in the
1932 World Series to the
New York Yankees with
Babe Ruth and
Lou Gehrig. In 1922, graduated from the
University of Florida with a bachelor's degree and had played for the
Florida Gators baseball team in 1919. Richbourg returned to Gainesville to coach the Florida Gators baseball team in the spring of 1922 (before joining Charleston) and 1923, and again in 1926. He compiled a win–loss record of 39–21 (.650) in his three seasons as the Florida Gators' head coach. To that point in the season, the Pals had compiled a record of 7–28 on May 28, 1923, when the team moved to
Macon, Georgia and finished the season playing as the
Macon Peaches. The team improved to a record 57-48 while based in Macon and made a late season run that included a playoff appearance. After starting poorly while based in Charleston, the Charleston/Macon team ended the Class B level South Atlantic League season with a final overall record of 64–76. The team played the entire season under manager
Jack Coffey, who led the team while based in both locations. However, with the South Atlantic League playing a split season schedule, Charlotte won the first half pennant and Macon won the second half pennant to qualify for the playoff. In the playoff, Charlotte defeated the Macon Peaches 4 games to 1 in the final series. A long time minor league player from 1909 to 1924, Coffee played briefly in the major leagues with the
Boston Doves (1909),
Detroit Tigers (1918) and
Boston Red Sox (1918), batting .188 in 110 total major league games. Following his playing career, Coffey became a successful collegiate coach and athletic administrator. Serving the school for over 20 years, Coffee is the namesake of Jack
Coffey Field, which today is a
multi-purpose stadium at
Fordham University located in
The Bronx,
New York. The facility originally opened strictly for baseball in 1930, and in 1954 was the facility was named for Coffey, who had served as both the baseball coach and longtime athletic director at Fordham from 1926 to 1958. In his tenure leading the team, Coffey won 817 total games serving as the
Fordham Rams baseball coach. Following their move in 1923 to Macon, a Charleston team did not return to membership in the six-team
1924 South Atlantic League. Today, the
Charleston RiverDogs continue minor league play in Charleston, playing as members of the
Class A level
Carolina League. ==The ballparks==