Alton Blues

The Alton Blues was a minor league baseball team based in Alton, Illinois. The Alton Blues played the 1917 season as members of the Class B Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League. The Alton Blues were the only minor league team hosted in Alton to date.

Alton Blues
1917–1917
Alton, Illinois
Minor league affiliations
Previous classesClass B (1917)
Previous leagues
Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League (1917)
Major league affiliations
Previous teamsNone
Minor league titles
League titles None
Team data
Previous names
Alton Blues (1917)
Previous parks
Sportsman's Park (1917)

History

The Alton Blues became members of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League in 1917. The Blues replaced the Davenport Blue Sox from Davenport, Iowa in the league, which was commonly called the "Three–I League." The Alton Blues ( 18–44) joined the Bloomington Bloomers (25–37), Hannibal Mules (39–27), Moline Plowboys (27–38), Peoria Distillers (43–23), Quincy Gems (27–38), Rockford Rox (39–21) and Rock Island Islanders (36–26) in the 1917 league.[1][2][3]

The Blues were so named, simply because of blue trim on their uniforms.[2]

The 1917 Blues had a record of 18–44, and were last in the 8–team league, when the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League League received approval to cease play on July 8, 1917. The 1917 Alton Blues were managed by player/manager Harry Bay and Jim Duggan.[4][5][3]

After the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League League shortened the 1917 season, the league did not play in 1918 due to World War I. World War I greatly reduced the number of available players and many minor leagues folded nationwide in 1918. The Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League returned in 1919 as a six–team league without Alton and a lineup of the Bloomington Bloomers, Evansville Evas, Moline Plowboys, Peoria Tractors, Rockford Rox and Terre Haute Browns.[1][2][3][6]

The ballpark

The Alton Blues played at Sportsman's Park. While the Alton Blues played there, it was nicknamed "Three-I League Park." The ballpark was built in 1911. Today, the Alton Police Department occupies the site at 1700 East Broadway, Alton, Illinois, 62002.[7][8][9][8]

Notable alumni
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References
  1. "Three-I League - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  2. Emery, Tom; Telegraph, For the (May 20, 2017). "A league of their own: Alton had minor league baseball a century ago". Alton Telegraph.
  3. "1917 Illinois-Iowa-Indiana League (IIIL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  4. "1917 Alton Blues Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  5. "1917 Alton Blues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  6. "1919 Illinois-Iowa-Indiana League (IIIL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  7. "Sportsman's Park in Alton, IL history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  8. "Madison County ILGenWeb". www.facebook.com.
  9. "Home | Alton Police | City of Alton". www.cityofaltonil.com.
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