Mud Hens pay tribute to Toledo Tigers

Baseball history runs rich and deep in Toledo, Ohio.

On Sept. 16 at Fifth Third Field, the Mud Hens paid tribute to their roots with a celebration of the Toledo Tigers, the city's first Negro League team, which played just 28 games before being disbanded in 1923.

"An entire generation of Negro League players endured so much to play the game they loved," Mud Hens storytelling and media specialist Jordan Strack said in a promotional video released by the team. "And now we’re here to make sure their struggles will never be forgotten."

As part of The Nine -- Minor League Baseball's Black-community outreach initiative -- the Detroit Tigers' Triple-A affiliate donned Toledo Tigers uniforms during a 5-2 win against Columbus. Fans in attendance were also given commemorative Toledo Tigers pennants.

"You can’t talk about the history of Black players in baseball without mentioning Toledo," Strack said. "We celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Toledo Tigers, but it is also a celebration of Toledo’s entire history with the Negro Leagues."

Did you know that Toledo had three baseball teams that were part of the Negro National League?

We're celebrating the 1923 Toledo Tigers this Saturday, September 16 with a giveaway, special jerseys, and more.

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— Toledo Mud Hens (@MudHens) September 13, 2023

The Tigers, a Negro National League club, played in just one homestand at old Swayne Field in Toledo before being disbanded in July.

"There is actually very little known about the [Tigers]," Strack said. "[They] were a group thrown together and the team was only in existence for a few weeks."

The team's player-manager, Candy Jim Taylor, batted a team-best .427 with a 1.022 OPS while winning seven of his 14 games at the helm. Taylor eventually finished with 997 wins, more than twice as many as any other Negro League manager. His teams won three Negro League titles and two Negro League World Series championships.

"He managed some of the greatest Negro League teams in history," Strack said. "From the St. Louis Stars to the Homestead Grays."

The fate of the Tigers started a pattern for Negro League clubs in Toledo. That team was the first of three Negro League teams to operate in the city, all of which suffered a short-lived tenure.

In 1939, the once-powerhouse Pittsburgh Crawfords were sold to a group of Ohio-based businessmen and relocated to Toledo. They played in just two seasons in both the Negro National League and Negro American Leagues.

The team did not lack star power, rostering players like Big Bill Gatewood, John “Speed Boy” Reese, and Fred “Lefty” Bell. The club even brought in Hall of Famer Oscar Charleston as player-manager. Charleston, a three-time Negro League Triple Crown winner, was 42 years old at the time.

The ownership group itself was an attraction. Olympic superstar Jesse Owens bought into the franchise, but filed for bankruptcy shorty after the purchase. The four-time Gold Medalist at the 1936 Berlin games did what he did best when both he and the club were short on cash. Crawfords games often included running exhibitions that saw Owens race against fans, players, motorcycles and horses, either postgame or between games of a doubleheader.

In the club's final season in1940, the Crawfords played home games in both Toledo and Indianapolis.

In 1945, the Toledo Cubs were formed and joined the United States League, a Negro Minor League. They didn't last a full season either. But Hall of Famer Norman “Turkey” Stearnes, one of the Negro Leagues’ most feared hitters, did suit up to play with the club.

Stearnes, who spent half of his 18 professional seasons with the Detroit Stars, was 44 years old during his season in Toledo. Throughout his well-decorated career, he hit better than .300 in 14 seasons, collected six home run titles and led the league in triples four times. The graceful center fielder also played in four of the prestigious East-West All-Star Games.

The history of baseball in Toledo runs deep. This Saturday, we'll celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Toledo Tigers, as well as our city's entire history with the Negro Leagues.

🎟️: https://t.co/v5ZauSnYEx pic.twitter.com/zbJIzQEqPu

— Toledo Mud Hens (@MudHens) September 15, 2023

Despite the short-lived nature of Toledo's Negro League clubs, the city holds a special place in Black baseball history.

Before it was demolished in 1955, Swayne Field hosted some of the Negro Leagues' biggest stars, like Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige and Hank Aaron, through exhibitions or interleague games. In 1884, Moses Fleetwood Walker played with the American Association's Toledo Blue Stockings, making him the Major League's first black player -- more than 60 years before Robinson's debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers.