Central League 1917, 1920 to 1922 Muskegon first hosted minor league baseball in 1884 when the "Muskegon" team played the season as members of the
Northwestern League, finishing with a 22-34 record. The Muskies were immediately preceded in minor league play by the 1916
Muskegon Reds during a Muskegon tenure as members of the
Central League.
Baseball Hall of Fame member
Bucky Harris played for Muskegon in 1916. Muskegon teams began play at
Marsh Field in 1916. The "Muskies and "Anglers" nicknames correspond to Muskegon's geographic location and local fishing history. Muskegon contains
Muskegon Lake and is located on
Lake Michigan, with a lengthy history of hosting recreational fishing and the fishing industry in the area. In the 1917 season, the Muskegon "Muskies" continued play in the eight-team
Class B level Central League, following the 1916 last place
Muskegon Reds team in continuing Muskegon's membership in the league. The
Dayton Veterans,
Evansville Evas,
Fort Wayne Chiefs,
Grand Rapids Black Sox,
Richmond Quakers,
South Bend Benders and
Springfield Reapers teams joined Muskegon in beginning league play on May 3, 1917. The Muskies ended the 1917 season with a record of 65–57 to place fourth in the final regular season standings, playing the season under manager Jimmy Hamilton. In their return to the Central League, Muskegon ended the 1920 season in last place in the four-team league. Playing the season under manager
Doc White, the Muskies ended the season with a record of 47–77 to finish 28.0 games behind first place Grand Rapids. The league expanded from a four team to a six-team league in 1921, adding the
Lansing Senators and
Jackson Mayors teams to the league. The 1921 Muskegon Muskies had a record of 63–67 and finished in fourth place in the final Central League standings. Muskegon ended the season 9.5 games behind the first place Ludington Mariners. The Muskies did not qualify for the playoff, where the
Grand Rapids Billbobs defeated Ludington to win the league title. Muskegon joined with the
Bay City Wolves,
Flint Vehicles,
Grand Rapids Billbobs 1923,
Hamilton Tigers, Kalamazoo Celery Pickers,
London Tecumsehs and
Saginaw Aces in beginning league play on May 1, 1923. In 1923, Charles Marsh became president of the Muskegon Anglers. Marsh was the namesake of the Muskegon ballpark and had previously served as president of the Muskegon teams of the
Michigan State League beginning in 1910. Marsh continued as the Muskegon president in 1924. In 1923, the Anglers ended the season with a record 73–57 to place third in the league standings. With a record of 58–79, Musekgon played the season under managers
Red Fisher and
Jack Ryan, as the Anglers finished 28.5 games behind the first place Bay City Wolves. The Anglers did not qualify for the playoff won by Bay City over the Flint Vehicles. ==The ballpark==