Kankakee Kanks

The Kankakee Kanks were a minor league baseball team located in Kankakee, Illinois in 1910 and 1912–1914. Kankakee was a member of the Illinois-Missouri League (1912–1914) and the Northern Association (1910). The team was known as the Kankakee Kays in 1910.

Kankakee Kanks
1910–1914
(1910, 1912–1914)
Kankakee, Illinois
Minor league affiliations
Previous classes
  • Class D (1910, 1912–1914)
Previous leagues
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
  • Independent (1910, 1912–1914)
Team data
Previous names
  • Kankakee Kays (1910)
  • Kankakee Kanks (1912–1914)
Previous parks
Kankakee State Hospital (1910,1912–1914)

Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Casey Stengel made his professional debut playing for Kankakee in 1910.

History

Minor league baseball first came to Kankakee when the Kankakee Kays joined the Northern Association in 1910. They Kankakee Kays were charter members of the Northern Association along with the Clinton Teddies, Decatur Commodores, Elgin Kittens, Freeport Pretzels, Jacksonville Jacks, Joliet Jolly-ites and Muscatine Pearl Finders.[1]

On July 11, 1910, the Kankakee Kays were in 3rd place at 34–24 when the franchise disbanded. The Elgin Kittens franchise disbanded on the same day. The Northern Association completely disbanded on July 17, 1910. Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Casey Stengel made his professional debut for the Kays on May 10, 1910. At age 19, Stengel hit .251 with one home run in 59 games for Kankakee.[2][3][4]

After the Kankakee Kays folded, Kankakee gained another team in 1912. The Clinton Champs from Clinton, Iowa, members of the Illinois-Missouri League, moved the franchise to Kankakee on May 16, 1912, playing the remainder of the 1912 season as the Kankakee Kanks. The Clinton/Kankakee team finished 56–56 overall, 4th in 1912, with a 54–51 record in Kankakee. Kankakee played with Illinois-Missouri League members Canton Highlanders, Champaign Velvets, Lincoln Abes, Pekin Celestials and Streator Speedboys.[5][6]

The Kanks finished 35–51, 3rd in the 1913 Illinois-Missouri League. The Kankakee Kanks were 14–33, and on their fourth manager of the 1914 season, when they franchise disbanded on July 3, 1914. The Lincoln Abes franchise folded the same day. The Illinois-Missouri League finished the 1914 season without the two teams, but permanently disbanded after the 1914 season.[7][8][6]

In talking about playing in Kankakee Casey Stengel said, "We did not draw (fans) and getting paid was quite an adventure." Stengel claimed he had received only half of his $135 per month when Kankakee had folded in July, 1910. Years later, at his birthday party in 1956, the Kankakee Federal Savings and Loan Association presented Stengel with a check. The check was for $483.05, calculated off the original $67.50 owed, plus interest over 46 years. Stengel donated the gift to the Kankakee Little League.[9]

The ballpark

Kankakee played at a ballpark adjacent to the grounds of the Kankakee State Hospital. At the time, patients of the hospital would watch games from their windows. The hospital location is 100 E. Jeffery Street.[4][10]

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame alumni

Notable alumni
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References
  1. "Northern Association - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  2. "Casey Stengel Minor & Cuban Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  3. "This Day in History | MiLB.com History | The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com.
  4. Montville, Leigh (April 21, 2017). "The Lunatic in Cooperstown" – via www.wsj.com.
  5. "Kankakee Kanks - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  6. "Illinois-Missouri League - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  7. "1913 Kankakee Kanks Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  8. "1914 Kankakee Kanks Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  9. Casey Stengel: Baseball's Greatest Character, by Marty Appel. Random House LLC, New York(2017) p,23. ISBN 978-1-101-91174-7.
  10. "Kankakee State Hospital (Historic Asylums)". sites.rootsweb.com.

External references

Baseball Reference

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