Loading...
 

Professional Baseball at Camp Pike

Professional Baseball at Camp Pike, located in North Little Rock, AR, was played during World War I.

Players

Many professional baseball players were stationed at Camp Pike during the war. The following is a partial list of players stationed there at one point:

PlayerMLBMILBNegro
Oscar Charlston 1915-1945
Bert Ellison1916-1920
Bill Fincher1916
Jim Galloway1912
Claire Goodwin1914-1915
Ziggy Hasbrook1916-1917
Harold Janvrin1911-1922
Benny Karr1920-1927
Willie Mitchell1909-1919
Guy Morton1914-1924
Muddy Ruel1915-1934
Ray Schmandt1915-1922
Joe Slattery 1908-1920
Earl Smith1919-1930
Aaron Ward1917-1928

On April 6th, 1918, the Arkansas Gazette published a list of some of the professional baseball players at Camp Pike. Below are those listed that have not identified:

NamePos.Note
PointerP". . . formerly of [the] New York State League"
KarleP". . . formerly of [the] [K]ansas City Federals"
NicholsC". . . formerly of [the] Three-I League"
GillisC". . . formerly of [the] Western League"
Schram1B ". . . formerly of [the] Pacific Coast League"
Thompson2B". . . formerly of [the] Virginia League"
Propst3B". . . formerly of [the] Southern League"
LipskiSS". . . formerly of [the] California Trolley League"
ChapellOF". . . formerly of [the] Central Association"
Rex HersheyOF". . . formerly of [the] Central League"
YoungOF". . . formerly of [the] International League.

MLB Exhibitions

Five MLB exhibitions were played at Camp Pike in 1918. Between these five games, eight different Hall of Famers appeared at Camp Pike, including Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb.


March 23rd, 1918
Boston Red Sox vs. Brooklyn Robins
Camp Pike Park, North Little Rock, AR

Inning123456789R
Boston
Brooklyn

Attendance: 6,000

Note: Game was rained out; Babe Ruth hit five homeruns in batting practice.

March 24th, 1918
Boston Red Sox vs. Brooklyn Robins
Camp Pike Park, North Little Rock, AR
Inning123456789R
Boston 1 0 3 5 42 0 0 3 18
Brooklyn0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 4 8

Note: Hall of Famer Burleigh Grimes participated in this game.

March 27th, 1918
Boston Red Sox vs. Brooklyn Robins
Camp Pike Park, North Little Rock, AR

Inning123456789R
Boston 1000001002
Brooklyn00001001x3

Note: Hall of Famers Harry Hooper, Johnny Evers, Babe Ruth, and Burleigh Grimes participated in this game.

March 30th, 1918
Boston Red Sox vs. Brooklyn Robins
Camp Pike Park, North Little Rock, AR

Inning123456789R
Brooklyn0 1 00 0 0 2 0 0 3
Boston 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 4

Note: Hall of Famers Rube Marquard, Johnny Evers, Babe Ruth and Harry Hooper participated in this game.

March 31th, 1918
Boston Red Sox vs. Brooklyn Robins
Camp Pike Park, North Little Rock, AR

Inning123456789R
Boston 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 7
Brooklyn0 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 4

Note: Hall of Famers Johnny Evers, Babe Ruth and Burleigh Grimes participated in this game.

April 10th, 1918
Detroit Tigers vs. Cincinnati Reds
Camp Pike Park, North Little Rock, AR

Inning123456789R
Cincinnati0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 3
Detroit1 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 5

Attendance: 2,000

Notes: Hall of Famers Edd Roush, Harry Heilmann and Ty Cobb Participated in this game.

Other Exhibitions


April 6th, 1918
Little Rock Travelers vs. Camp Pike
Camp Pike Park, North Little Rock, AR

Inning123456789R
Camp Pike0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Little Rock0 0 0 2 0 0 4 0 x 6


April 14th, 1918
Little Rock Travelers vs. Camp Pike
Camp Pike Park, North Little Rock, AR

Inning123456789R
Camp Pike1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2
Little Rock0 0 0 0 0 1 2 9 x 12


April 13th, 1919
Little Rock Travelers vs. Camp Pike
Camp Pike Park, North Little Rock, AR

Inning123456789R
Camp Pike 3
Little Rock 12


Military Games

September 21st, 1918
Camp Pike vs. Camp Funston
Camp Pike Park, North Little Rock, AR

Inning123456789R
Camp Pike 4
Camp Funston 2


September 22nd, 1918
Camp Pike vs. Camp Funston
Camp Pike Park, North Little Rock, AR

Inning123456789R
Camp Pike
Camp Funston

Note: Winner was Camp Pike.

Southern League Games

From 1918-1919, the Little Rock Travelers played numerous league games at Camp Pike because Sunday baseball was allowed there. Games were played at "Belmont Field Park" (1).

Two days after Little Rock played New Orleans at Camp Pike in July, 1919, the War Department issued an order that Sunday games should be stopped. Nevertheless, Little Rock was allowed to play one final at Camp Pike on the 28th against Atlanta. Future Sunday games were either played in Memphis or played on Saturday as a double-header.

DateOpponentResultAttendance
4/24/1918(2)Nashville VolunteersW, 6-5
4/28/1918Chattanooga LookoutsL, 5-9 3,000
5/26/1918Mobile BearL, 1-3
6/9/1918Memphis ChickasawsW, 10-1
6/9/1918Memphis ChickasawsL, 0-6
5/4/1919Chattanooga LookoutsW, 4-2
6/1/1919Mobile BearsW, 4-1
6/8/1919Birmingham BaronsW, 8-7
7/20/1919New Orleans PelicansW, 4-3
7/28/1919Atlanta CrackersL, 1-15


Sources

1) Kansas City Star, 11/22/1918
2) Atlanta Constitution, 4/25/1918