Bellingham Baseball Club, local team, ca. 1908-1915, "Getting a High One." Baseball team from Snohomish, Washington, in 1922 Earl Averill, a 20-year-old future Hall-of-Famer, was a member of this "town" squad (fifth from left). Until Ryne Sandberg was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005, Averill was the only Hall of Famer born in Washington state. The BBG claims that the first official game of baseball in Washington state was on August 5, 1908, when Bellingham played Wenatchee.
However, research has shown that there were several pre-1920s teams from Bellingham and Skagit County that may have been playing exhibition games prior to 1908. In addition, there is some evidence that a team called the Seattle Atlantics played one game in Seattle in 1884. If these teams are included then Washington state would become the birthplace of baseball. For more information about these teams see here: http://www.baseballhistorianmatthewjbellis.com/index.php/pre-1920-teams-from-bellingham-and-skagit-county/
After 1908, baseball became popular throughout Western Washington. Many towns formed their own teams which played many exhibition and semi-pro games during the summer months. Some of these cities include: Mill Creek, Burlington, Oak Harbor, Ferndale, Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish, Bothell, Woodinville, and many others.
Chick Carroll was the first big league baseball player born in Arkansas. Carroll was eighteen years old when he played outfield for the Washington (DC) Nationals baseball club in four games in 1884. Carroll's birthday and birthplace are unknown (his birthplace is simply stated as "Arkansas"), and he died on July 13, 1908, in Chicago, Illinois. He is interred at Rosehill Cemetery.
Carroll is considered by many to be the first major league baseball player from Arkansas because he was born in Virginia but raised in Arkansas. The New York Times reported that "a census taken last year showed that there were no citizens of Washington or any other government within ten miles of where the ball was pitched who were not born in America." The paper also noted that "it is believed that no one but an American could have played ball in those days."
The National League began play in 1876; before then, there was only a national association which played its first season in 1871. The National Association had eight teams, two from each state. In 1875, the Baltimore Orioles joined the NL. In 1877, the St. Louis Red Stockings moved to Philadelphia and became the Philadelphia Phillies. In 1881, the Brooklyn Atlantics merged with the Richmond Virginians to form the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1882, the Chicago White Stockings left the NL and formed their own league. In 1883, the Louisville Eclipse joined the NL.
George Radbourn, 47, pitcher who briefly played for the 1883 Detroit Wolverines, died on January 1. Dan Mahoney, 39, was a catcher and first baseman with the Cincinnati Reds in 1892 and the Washington Senators in 1894. Art McCoy, 39, second baseman for the 1889 Washington Nationals, died on March 22. He is considered the first naturalized player to join a Major League team. Tony Mullane, 33, played first base and third base for the 1994 Washington Nationals. He is the only National to play all positions in the field during his debut season.
Radbourn debuted with the Washington Nationals on April 16, 1904, and had two hits in 17 at-bats as the Nats lost to the Philadelphia Phillies 9-8. He finished with a.462 batting average (22 for 49) and was voted by his teammates as the club's most valuable player. The St. Louis Globe-Democrat called him "one of the best hitters in the National League."
After playing only 44 games due to injury, Radbourn retired from baseball and took a job with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. He later worked as a scout for the New York Highlanders/Yankees and managed several minor league teams before retiring for good in 1913. He died in Baltimore at the age of 48.
Mahoney played only four seasons in Major League Baseball and spent the last three years of his career with the Senators.
Nickname or given name Henry Hank Aaron (born 1934) is a Hall of Fame baseball player; Henry Hank Aguirre (1931–1994) is a big league baseball pitcher; and Harold Hank Allen (born 1940) is a Major League Baseball outfielder.
Hank Aaron was the first black player in the American League. From 1955 to 1959, he played for the Milwaukee Braves, hitting.285 with one home run and 49 stolen bases in 195 games. In 1960, he moved to Montreal where he finished his career with a.297 average and six more stolen bases in 31 games. After his retirement, Aaron worked as a batting instructor for the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers. He also served as a coach for the United States national baseball team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and the 1996 World Cup of Baseball in Japan.
Aaron married Rachel Beeney on February 11, 1956, in Montgomery, Alabama. They had three children: Henry Aaron Jr., Jane Marie, and Heather Victoria. After divorcing Rachel in 1975, Aaron married Kathryn Murphy in 1977. They had one child together, a daughter named Alexis Nicole. In 1980, Aaron married Myrle Van Landingham. They had one son together, Hank III.
During his time with the Braves, Aaron became the first player to hit into an official double play against left-handed pitching when he reached base on a passed ball in August 1957.
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