The Oklahoma City Indians was the primary name of an American professional baseball team representing Oklahoma City, Oklahoma , from 1904 though 1957, except for 1913 and three seasons during World War II. The team played in several different minor league baseball leagues, primarily the Texas League and the Western League . The team was known as the Mets , Boosters , and Senators at different times during its early years.
18-569: A team representing Oklahoma City first played in the Southwestern League in 1904. The city was represented continuously in minor league baseball through 1957, except for four seasons. Following the disbanding of the Oklahoma State League during the 1912 season, Oklahoma City did not have a professional team in 1913, although several Western League teams played exhibition games in the city. During World War II, play
36-409: A .421 batting average, leading the league, while he played primarily first base and right field . In 527 at bats , he also led the league in runs , hits (222), doubles (40), total bases (439), and slugging percentage (.833), and had 15 triples . From 1924 to 1928, Solomon again played in the minor leagues, never advancing past class AA. He batted over .300 with a number of teams, "but
54-606: A broken collarbone suffered in a football game in 1924 made it difficult for him to pull the ball, and he never again hit more than seven home runs in a season." In 1924 he played for the Toledo Mud Hens , Bridgeport Bears , Waterbury Brasscos , and Pittsfield Hillies , in 1925 he played for Toledo again, the Hartford Senators , and the Albany Senators . He then played for Albany in 1926-28, and for
72-530: The Canton Terriers in his last year in 1929, at 28 years of age. In September 1923 the New York Giants bought out his contract, and signed the muscular 22-year-old Solomon to a major league contract. The Sporting News ran the headline that Giants scout "Dick Kinsella Finds That $ 100,000 Jew". Due to antisemitic remarks about Solomon being Jewish, he had been in a number of fights in
90-822: The Houston Astros ), debuted in the American Association . The Triple-A franchise has played continuously since 1962, and since 2015 has been the Oklahoma City Dodgers . Players with Oklahoma City who also appeared in Major League Baseball (MLB) include: Southwestern League The Southwestern League was the name of four former minor league baseball leagues that operated in the Southwestern United States . The second league, also known as
108-648: The Oklahoma State League , was in operation for the 1904 season. The third league operated from 1921 to 1926. The fourth league, formerly the Longhorn League , operated from 1956 to 1957 before changing its name to the Sophomore League . The following teams were members of the first Southwestern League ( in alphabetical order ): The following teams were members of the second Southwestern League ( in alphabetical order ): In 1923, Mose Solomon hit 49 home runs for Hutchinson, according to Topps and
126-715: The Pacific Coast International League in 1921. He hit .313 with 13 home runs in 115 games, batting left-handed and playing first base and outfield . In 1922, he playing again with Vancouver, and then with the Tacoma Tigers . In 1923 Solomon hit 49 home runs (a new minor league record, breaking the old minor league record of 45 set in 1895) in 108 games for the Class C Southwestern League Hutchinson Wheat Shockers in Kansas . He also had
144-802: The 1935 Dixie Series , a postseason interleague championship between the champions of the Southern Association and the Texas League. In the club's last three seasons, 1955–1957, it lost 90, 106 and 88 games. The team spent the post-World War II period as the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians , but the Oklahoma City Indians' nickname long preceded that relationship. The Indians team spent many years as an unaffiliated franchise, and in its last two seasons
162-505: The 1977 card back of Paul Blair . The following teams were members of the third Southwestern League ( in alphabetical order ): In 1947 the Longhorn League began play with teams in New Mexico and Texas . In 1956 the league changed its name to the Southwestern League , played for two seasons, and then changed its name again (to the Sophomore League ). The 1957 season ended with only four teams. The following teams were members of
180-454: The fourth Southwestern League ( in alphabetical order ): Mose Solomon Mose Hirsch Solomon , nicknamed the Rabbi of Swat (December 8, 1900 – June 25, 1966) was an American left-handed baseball player. In 1923, he hit 49 home runs in the minors, a new minor league record. He briefly played for the New York Giants in Major League Baseball in 1923. Solomon, who was Jewish,
198-590: The minor leagues. Dick Kinsella observed that: "In every case Solomon has won the fight." The New York Giants had been looking for a star Jewish player to attract fans the way Babe Ruth did for the New York Yankees . With a great deal of publicity, team manager John McGraw introduced Solomon to the press as the "Rabbi of Swat". The press accordingly nicknamed the native New Yorker that, as well as "the Jewish Babe Ruth". Manager McGraw told
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#1732780175858216-545: The name Henry Sully. He became a professional football player, playing as a ringer with Jim Thorpe on the Carlisle Indian School team. Solomon married the former Gertrude Nachmanovitz. They moved to Miami, Florida , where Solomon became a building contractor. Solomon died there on June 25, 1966, of heart failure. Solomon began his professional career with the Vancouver Beavers of
234-736: The press "We appreciate that many of the fans in New York are Jews, and we have been trying to land a prospect of Jewish blood." He became the most talked-about player on the team, and attendance shot up. Solomon made his major league debut in right field at the Polo Grounds on September 30, 1923. He drove in the game-winning run in the 10th inning to give the Giants a walk-off victory. However, Solomon's batting skills could not compensate for his poor fielding average of only .833 (one error out of six plays), and McGraw kept him languishing on
252-587: The team during the 1950s, was with the Indians in different capacities from 1919 through 1957, "one of the longest careers with a single franchise in baseball history." The Oklahoma City Indians folded when the Texas League reorganized following the 1957 season. Five years later, the Oklahoma City 89ers , Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Colt .45s , then a major league expansion team (now known as
270-455: The team's lifetime, but the Western and Texas leagues of the post-World War I era—rated Class A, A1 or Double-A —were high-level circuits that usually ranked two notches below Major League Baseball calibre. The Indians won the 1935 Texas League championship and two years later captured 101 regular-season victories, but generally struggled in the Texas League standings. Additionally, they won
288-642: Was a farm club of the Boston Red Sox . Baseball Hall of Fame player Rogers Hornsby managed the Indians for part of the 1940 season, and broadcaster Curt Gowdy launched his baseball announcing career with the postwar Indians; when he left in early 1949, Gowdy's replacement was Bob Murphy . Both Gowdy and Murphy went on to win the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame. Former minor league player and manager Jimmie Humphries , who owned
306-704: Was born on Hester Street on the Lower East Side in New York City. His parents were Benjamin (born in Russia; a peddler and junk dealer) and Anna (Hertz) Solomon (born in Austria), and were observant Jews. While Solomon was young, the family moved to Columbus, Ohio . His childhood nickname was "Hickory". He attended Columbus Commerce High School , where he was All-City in baseball and football. His brother became an Ohio champion boxer, fighting under
324-854: Was suspended for three seasons, 1943–1945, and resumed in 1946. In addition to competing in the Southwestern League in 1904 and the Oklahoma State League in 1912, Oklahoma City teams played in the Western Association during 1905–1908 and 1914–1917; the Texas League during 1909–1911, 1933–1942 and 1946–1957; and the Western League from 1918 to 1932. Oklahoma City teams played their home games at Western League Park, Holland Field and Texas League Park. Minor league classifications varied somewhat during
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