The Illinois–Missouri League was an American minor league baseball league. The Class D league began operations in 1908, and continued through 1914 with teams located in Illinois and Missouri. The Lincoln Abes won consecutive league titles in 1912–1913. Baseball Hall of Fame members Grover Cleveland Alexander (1909 Galesburg Boosters) and Ray Schalk (1911 Taylorville Christians) are league alumni.
Cities represented: 1908–1914 Beardstown, IL: Beardstown Infants (1909–1910) Canton, IL: Canton Chinks (1908–1911); Canton Highlanders (1912); Canton Chinks (1913) Champaign, IL & Urbana, IL: Champaign-Urbana Velvets (1911); Champaign Velvets (1912–1914) Clinton, IL: Clinton Champs (1910–1912) Galesburg, IL: Galesburg Hornets (1908); Galesburg Boosters (1909) Hannibal, MO: Hannibal Cannibals (1908), moved to Central Association Havana, IL: Havana Perfectos (1908) Jacksonville, IL: Jacksonville Jacks (1910) Kankakee, IL: Kankakee Kanks (1912–1914) LaSalle, IL: LaSalle Blue Sox (1914) Lincoln, IL: Lincoln Abes (1910–1914) Macomb, IL: Macomb Potters (1910) Monmouth, IL: Monmouth Browns (1908–1909), moved to Central Association Ottawa, IL: Ottawa Indians (1914) Pekin, IL: Pekin Celestials (1909–1913) Streator, IL: Streator Speedboys (1912); Streator Boosters (1913–1914) Taylorville, IL: Taylorville Christians (1911)
Standings and statistics 1908 Illinois–Missouri League The league was formed. Newly formed teams in Canton, Illinois, Galesburg, Illinois, Hannibal, Missouri, Havana, Illinois, Macomb, Illinois, and Monmouth, Illinois were the charter cities in the league.
Team standingsWLPCTGB Managers Hannibal Cannibals6849.581–Bert Hough Macomb Potters 6653.5553Jap Wagner Havana Perfectos 5861.48711Mike Sampson / Fred Kommers Canton Chinks5661.47912Rodney Turner / Charles MurphyMonmouth Browns 5562.47013Robert Hyde / Charles Karnell Galesburg Hornets 5067.42718Clyde Horne / Andy Mueller John Grogan / Jerry Smith
+Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Fred KommersHavanaBA.349 Henry Rossback GalesburgW21 Fred KommersHavanaRuns75 Charles Fanning CantonSO200 Fred KommersHavanaHits153 Curly Curtis MacombPct.714; 15–6 Fred KommersHavanaHR11
1909 Illinois–Missouri League Hannibal left the to join the American Association. The Havana Perfectos folded. The Beardstown Infants and Pekin Celestials joined the league. Team StandingsWLPCTGB Managers Monmouth Browns7750.606–Jack CorbettBeardstown Infants 7752.5971Harry RiggonsPekin Celestials 7357.5625½Doug Jeffries / Harry Horton Walter Diehl Macomb Potters6367.48515½Orville Wolfe Canton Chinks 5179.39227½Harry LloydGalesburg Boosters 4783.36231½W.C. Dithridge
+Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Andy Lotshaw BeardstownBA.329 Homer Hargrove MonmouthW27 Andy Lotshaw BeardstownRuns72Joe JenkinsPekinW27 Andy Lotshaw BeardstownHits146 Charles Fanning CantonSO249 Cy Forsythe PekinHR7 Homer Hargrove MonmouthPct.750; 27–9 Will Johnston MonmouthHR7Fred JohnsonCantonHR7
1910 Illinois–Missouri League The teams from Galesburg and Monmouth joined the Central Association. The Clinton Champs and Lincoln Abes joined the league. Beardstown moved to Jacksonville, Illinois on July 21, and folded with Macomb on August 17. schedule Team standingsWLPCTGB Managers Pekin Celestials6647.584–William Hickey / Bill Dithridge Clinton Champs 5857.5049Monte McFarland / Claude Suttles Charles Cline Canton Chinks 5562.47013Elmer Smith / M. McDonald Lincoln Abes4371.37723½James Novacek / Bill Salliard Macomb Potters 5043.538NA Stewart Beardstown Infants /<br/ >Jacksonville Jacks4436.550NAJack Corbett / Pants Rowland Beardstown (38–26) moved to Jacksonville July 21; Jacksonville disbanded August 17; Macomb disbanded August 17.
+Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Cy Forsythe PekinBA.380Joe Jenkins PekinW27 Walter Diehl Charles O'Berta PekinMacomb/LincolnRuns7272Joe Jenkins PekinSO242 Will Lindberg ClintonHits138Joe Jenkins PekinPct.771; 27–8 Al Dean Pekin/ClintonHR5
1911 Illinois–Missouri League New teams in Champaign-Urbana Velvets and Taylorville Christians joined the league. schedule Team standingsWLPCTGB Managers Clinton Champs7455.574–Claude Suttles Pekin Celestials 7255.5671Jack Herbert Champaign-Urbana Velvets6660.5246½John Thiery / Fred DonovanCanton Chinks6062.49210½Fred "Blackie" Wilson Lincoln Abes5964.48012Conley / Bill Salliard / James Brady / Charles Vaught Jack Corbett Taylorville Christians4782.36427Fred Donovan / Joe Adams R.M. "Oscar" Denney
+Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Andy Lotshaw CantonBA.355 Joab McManus CantonW32 Will Lindberg ClintonRuns94 Joab McManus CantonSO243 Andy Lotshaw CantonHits160 Fred Marks ClintonPct.727; 24–9 Andy Lotshaw CantonHR29
1912 Illinois–Missouri League Taylorville folded. The Streator Speedboys joined the league. The Champaign–Urbana Velvets changed their name to the Champaign Velvets. Clinton moved to Kankakee, Illinois on May 16 with a 2–5 record; thereafter, they went 54–51 as the Kankakee Kanks. schedule Team standingsWLPCTGB Managers Lincoln Abes7047.598–Louis Ehrgott Pekin Celestials 6155.5268½Jack Herbert Canton Highlanders5756.50411 UnknownClinton Champs / Kankakee Kanks5656.50011½Claude Suttles / Fred "Blackie" WilsonChampaign Velvets5364.45317Chuck Fleming Streator Speedboys4665.41421Jack Leuter
+Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Polly WolfeLincolnBA.374 Clarence Vaught LincolnW22 Polly WolfeLincolnRuns89 Fred Witte ChampaignSO211 Polly WolfeLincolnHits164N. Entrich ChampaignPct.786; 11–3 Andy Lotshaw CantonHR11
1913 Illinois–Missouri League Canton and Pekin folded on July 10, before the end of the season. The league instituted a split–season schedule. The playoff system developed in which the best record of the first–half of the season would play the best record of the second–half of the season. schedule Team standingsWLPCTGB Managers Lincoln Abes5726.686–Louis Ehrgott Champaign Velvets 5332.6235Fred "Blackie" WilsonKankakee Kanks3551.40723½Red Kelly Streator Boosters3057.34529Bob Coyle / Nick Kahl Pekin Celestials#2326.469NAJack Herbert Canton Chinks 2026.435NATed Raines Playoff: Lincoln won the first half, Lincoln & Champaign tied for the second half. Lincoln was awarded the championship when Champaign refused to play off the second half tie.
+Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Fred Dang LincolnBA.412 Clarence Vaught LincolnW21 Dick Higgins LincolnRuns65 Clarence Vaught LincolnSO166 A.J. Holtzhouser KankakeeHits118 Ernest Hook LincolnPct.889; 16–2 Roy Phillips StreatorHR13
1914 Illinois–Missouri League The LaSalle Blue Sox and Ottawa Indians formed and joined the league. Kankakee and Lincoln both folded on July 3, before the season ended. schedule Team standingsWLPCTGB Managers Champaign Velvets6227.696–Fred "Blackie" Wilson Ottawa Indians 4738.55313Chuck Fleming Streator Boosters4048.45421½John Ray / Heinie Seebach LaSalle Blue Sox2660.30234½Tony Hinley / John Fitzpatrick Lincoln Abes 3215.681NALouis Ehrgott Kankakee Kanks 1433.301NATed Raines / Harry Randall / Gene Connelly / William Hinley Lincoln & Kankakee disbanded July 3.Ottawa and Streator left the league to join the Bi-State League. The teams in Champaign and LaSalle folded, and the league itself folded.
+Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Andy Lotshaw Champaign-UrbanaBA.320Grover BaichleyChampaign-UrbanaW15 Chuck Fleming OttawaRuns68Grover BaichleyChampaign-UrbanaSO174 Andy LotshawChampaign-UrbanaHits108Grover BaichleyChampaign-UrbanaPct.938; 15–1 Andy Lotshaw Champaign-UrbanaHR10
References
External references Sumner, Benjamin Barrett. Minor League Baseball Standings:All North American Leagues, Through 1999. Jefferson, N.C.:McFarland.