1886 Bay View ball club—city and state champions

Baseball had been played in Milwaukee since the 1860s, but local amateur interest really took off in 1884, with over 200 local baseball teams receiving coverage in Milwaukee’s newspapers. These impressive numbers continued throughout the decade. Most major companies, and many smaller companies, sponsored a team. Groups of men, boys-and occasionally girls-from neighborhoods throughout the city also formed teams. Bay View was no exception, and one team would stand out, winning both the city and state championships in 1886.

The Bay Views

The amateur baseball club of Bay View first appeared in 1884 and became a major local force in 1885. Playing in the newly formed amateur four-team City League, the Bay Views compiled a record of 14-6. A team sponsored by James Morgan, a large downtown clothier, put together a record of 11-4 in the league. Although the Bay View team won more games, the Morgans thought they should be the champions, having beaten Bay View in three of five games played. These two clubs set out to decide the City League championship with a three-game series in October and November. Rain cancelled the games, leaving the matter unsettled.

In August 1885, Bay View club general manager William Sisson, a salesman, and field manager Felix McIver, a Bay View saloon owner, announced they would “support a paid nine” for the next season. The two men leased grounds in Bay View and built a “first-class baseball park,” complete with a grandstand and enclosed by a high board fence. They also set out to subscribe $1,000 in stock for building purposes. According to Milwaukee city directories, these grounds were at Kinnickinnic and Garfield (today, Garfield Street is known as Pine Avenue and no longer connects with KK, but then would have between Dover Street and Potter Avenue). The park was completed in May 1886 at an estimated cost of $4,500.

Ready for 1886

New men were involved in the club in 1886. Anton Stollenwerk, who owned a saloon and boarding house on S. Bay Street, and Richard M. Moore, listed as a “heater” in the 1886 city directory, formed a partnership with Felix McIver to run the park and club for the upcoming season. 

We are fortunate to have the names of the players who started the 1886 season for the Bay View club. The team’s battery was James Sweeney and Frank Musgrove, both formerly of Kewaunee, the champion amateur club of Illinois. At first base was A. Gardner, who had previously played with the Hamilton (Ontario) Clippers. A player named Swinburns and Gus Krock, both of the previous year’s local Golden Eagles of the City League, played second base and third base respectively. (Krock would also pitch.) Another local player, Fred Fass, Jr., took up shortstop. Dick McGraw, J. Parks, and W. Keyes (back from the 1885 team) made up the outfield. Frank Musgrove would be offered a good contract from the club in Leavenworth, Kan., but turned it down because he had steady employment at the Bay View mills.

The Bay Views opened their 1886 season by winning five of their first six games against local amateur teams, including two wins against the perennially strong local Quicksteps. One of these games was played for a winner-take-all purse, a rather common event at the time, the winner pocketing $300.

Feeling strong enough to take on the big talent, manager McIver scheduled a game against the Milwaukee Northwestern League club, Milwaukee’s professional minor league team, which played home games at their ballpark at N. 11th and W. Wright streets. The Milwaukees “toyed” with Bay View, before winning 16-3 in front of 500 spectators at Bay View Park. After this loss, the Bay Views ran off four more wins.

In early August Gus Krock received a tempting offer from the Oshkosh minor league club, but turned it down at this time, as his aging parents didn’t want him to leave his molding trade. He soon did sign with Oshkosh for $200 a month. Before Gus left, however, he pitched marvelously against Decatur-billed as the champion non-National League club in the country-striking out 11 batters and allowing only three hits.

The Bay Views’ record stood at 18-6 when the club challenged the local amateur Silverstones for the city championship. Bay View lost the first game before defeating the Silverstones 13-3, and pocketing the $75 challenge, to even the series at one game apiece. The Silverstones went an extra step to capture the city championship by signing a professional pitcher named Kennedy from the Kent club of Chicago a few days prior to the third game. Still, on Sept. 19, Bay View beat the Silverstones to win the city championship.

State & Beyond

A game was set up with the Hartford baseball club for the state championship, to be played at Bay View Park on Sunday, Sept. 26. The two teams had met twice during the season for this championship, each winning a game. As a pre-game event, a player from each team competed in a 100-yard dash, the Hartford player winning $25 with a 11.25-second run. The Hartfords did not fare as well in the baseball game, however, losing 7-0. Sweeney, Bay View’s pitcher, tossed a no-hitter, striking out 14 batters.

To finish the season, the Bay Views played a few exhibition games, including two against a picked nine of professionals from the Milwaukee and other Northwestern teams. The Bay View Club ended 1886 with a 24-7 record.

Gus Krock would go on to pitch in the major leagues for three years, winning 32 games (and losing 26) for Chicago, Indianapolis, and Washington of the National League (1888 and 1889), and Buffalo of the Players’ League (1890).

The Bay View club would continue to play games and be a fine team for many years, but never again match what they did in this 1886 season-city and state champions.

Dennis Pajot’s book The Rise of Milwaukee Baseball: The Cream City from Midwestern Outpost to the Major Leagues, 1859-1901, is scheduled to be published this fall by McFarland & Company, Inc. He also has an article published in the Spring 2009 issue of Wisconsin Magazine of History, “The Greatest Baseball Game Ever Played Anywhere,” telling the story of a game played in Milwaukee in 1899 to benefit the New Richmond, Wis., tornado survivors.