Old Knoxville Base Ball: Knoxville Pioneers

Showing posts with label Knoxville Pioneers. Show all posts

Sunday, October 5, 2025

1923 and 1924 Knoxville Pioneers photos

I came across these two photos from two different seasons. The clarity of the images is lacking, but the text is clear enough.

1923 Knoxville Pioneers
from The Sporting News - January 17, 1924

1924 Knoxville Pioneers
from Spalding's Official Base Ball Guide (1925)

Monday, March 30, 2015

Knoxville's first two no hitters

Fellow SABR member Chuck McGill has been collecting info on minor league no-hitters. He's added over 500 no-nos to those already known about and published in the Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. Last week The Sporting News published a nice story about his work.

He's made his spreadsheet available to others. I grabbed it and extracted the games that Knoxville / Tennessee was involved with. I'll look at the first two known no hitters.

On August 22, 1912, Finis Wilson threw one against the Johnson City Soldiers. This was Fin's second season playing for the Knoxville Reds of the young Appalachian League.

Tulsa World - August 23, 1912

Richmond Times Dispatch - August 23, 1912

The article in the New Orleans Item has the game scores reversed but does share that Fin Wilson pitched both ends of that double header.

New Orleans Item - August 23, 1912

Just a few years later Fin would be pitching for the Brooklyn Tip-Tops of the Federal League. He went 1-9 with a 4.03 ERA.

The shortstop Morley was Bill Morley. The 1913 season he played two games for the Washington Senators of the American League.

It was almost a full ten years before another no hitter was tossed by Knoxville. By this time the team had changed its name from the Reds to the Pioneers.

According to McGill's spreadsheet the second no hitter was tossed by "Red" Stoner on July 7, 1923 against the Kingsport Indians. McGill's spreadsheet has the score listed as ?-0.

The SABR Minor League Committee newsletter for the Spring of 2007 was seeking the info.

Beating the Bushes (SABR Minor League Committee newsletter) - Spring, 2007

I have not yet been able to locate a description of the game, but I did find a score for it.

Macon Telegraph - July 8, 1923

Not much is known about Mr. Stoner, except that he went 17-6 for the Pioneers that season.

And that he was sold to the New York Giants in August.

Trenton Evening Times - August 23, 1923

Times-Picayune - September 13, 1923

Apparently the big baseball news coming out of Knoxville at the time of Stoner's no hitter was that Frank Kane was released from the team.

Richmond Times Dispatch - July 8, 1923

Less is known about Frank Kane than is known about "Red" Stoner. As usual, more research is needed.

Newspaper article images from GenealogyBank.com

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Appy or Sally in 1925?

The Knoxville Pioneers were getting tired of being in the class D Appalachian League from 1921 to 1924. Previously, as the Reds, they were in the Appy League from 1911 to 1914.

Baseball hopes and realities are varied, as shown in these news stories from 1924 and 1925.

Charlotte Observer - August 19, 1924

Charlotte Observer - December 13, 1924

Charlotte Observer - February 4, 1925

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Earl Baxter Williams - side by side

Last week I posted some photos of Earl Baxter Williams. To make it a bit easier on the eyes I've cropped, framed, and numbered eight images that I think are of Earl Baxter Williams. Pictures 1-5 are from various editions of the Maryville College yearbook, Chilhowean.

Picture 5 is 'new'. It is from the 1924 Chilhowean, but a different player than previously posted.

Pictures 6 and 7 are 'new' and from a private collection.

Picture 8 is 'new' and from Earl's Find-A-Grave memorial page, with the submitter saying that he got it from OOTP.

Any informed thoughts would be welcome in the comment section.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Connie Mack Buys New Bush League Shortstop

The Washington Times - August 19, 1921

Local boy makes good. Frank Callaway played in 43 games over two seasons with the Athletics of Philadelphia. When he had done his time there he came back to Knoxville to play with the Pioneers in 1923.