The 1910 New Orleans Pelicans season was a season in professional baseball. The Pelicans played in the Southern Association and won their second league pennant. One sportswriter ranked them as the greatest sports team in the history of New Orleans. The team was owned and managed by Charlie Frank.
Shoeless Joe Jackson was a member of the team. Jackson had previously played for the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League, and owner Connie Mack sent him on loan to the Pelicans for the 1910 season. Jackson had a .354 batting average for New Orleans to win his third minor league batting title. He also led the league with 82 runs scored, 165 hits, and 19 triples, and he was praised for "his sweet swing and effortless skills in the outfield." This was Jackson's only season with the Pelicans. Later that year, he returned to the American League with the Cleveland Naps and batted .387 in 20 games.Fleitz, David L. (2001). Shoeless: The Life and Times of Joe Jackson. McFarland. pp. 34-42. Karst, James. . nola.com. September 25, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
Hank Butcher, George Rohe, and John W. Weimer tied for the league lead in home runs with 4 each. The team's pitchers were Ted Breitenstein, Otto Hess, Bert Maxwell, and Pat Paige. Hess had a 25–9 record, leading one writer to call the Pelicans a "two-man team" between Hess and Jackson. Paige went 24–14, and Breitenstein went 19–9.
The team coasted to an 8-game lead in the standings. After clinching the pennant, New Orleans defeated the Atlanta Crackers, and "a brass band played between innings, and twice during the game snacks of pretzels and sauerkraut were delivered onto the field, where play was halted so the athletes could snack."
Standings TeamWLPct.GBNew Orleans Pelicans8753.621—Birmingham Barons7961.5648Atlanta Crackers7563.54311Chattanooga Lookouts6671.48219Nashville Vols6476.45723Mobile Sea Gulls6375.45723Memphis Turtles6276.44924Montgomery Rebels5980.42427
Sources:
Player statistics
Batting Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average
Player G AB H Avg. Ted Breitenstein 37 99 14 .141 Charles Brooks 48 154 30 .195 Hank Butcher 123 444 112 .252 Gene DeMontreville 107 339 64 .189 Oscar Dugey 19 65 9 .138 Otto Hess 41 109 20 .183 Shoeless Joe Jackson 136 466 165 .354 Jim Lafitte 126 398 85 .214 Bill Lindsay 110 358 90 .251 Frank Manush 143 476 122 .256 Bert Maxwell 32 81 11 .136 John Mitchell 23 58 6 .103 Pat Paige 44 122 17 .139 Eddie Reagan 10 32 7 .219 George Rohe 128 458 103 .225 John W. Weimer 135 456 107 .235
Source:
Pitching Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; Pct. = Winning percentage Player G W L Pct. Ted Breitenstein 31 19 9 .679 Otto Hess 40 25 9 .735 Bert Maxwell 32 14 18 .438 Pat Paige 44 24 14 .632
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References