Western Pennsylvania League Explained

Western Pennsylvania League
Sport:Minor League Baseball
President:Alex J. Lawson (1907)
Charles B. Powers (1907)
Inaugural:1907
Teams:9
Country:United States of America
Continent:or
Continents:-->
Folded:1907
Most Champs:1
Fairmont Champions(1907)
Classification:Class D (1907)

The Western Pennsylvania League was a Class D level minor league baseball league consisting of teams based in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland that played during the 1907 season.[1]

History

The Class D level Western Pennsylvania League began the 1907 season with eight teams. The Beaver Falls Beavers, Butler White Sox, Clarksburg Bees, Connellsville Cokers, Fairmont Champions, Greensburg Red Sox, Scottdale Giants and the Latrobe, Pennsylvania team were charter members.

On May 28, 1907, the Latrobe team was forfeited to the league. The Cumberland Rooters took its place, but that team moved to Piedmont, West Virginia on June 27, then to Somerset, Pennsylvania on July 11. It eventually folded altogether later that month. On August 1, the Kittanning Infants entered the league, but disbanded, along with Beaver Falls, on August 11, 1907. Greensburg disbanded on August 25, 1907. Fairmont finished in first place with a 68–36 record.[2] Jim Clark, Dick Hoblitzell and Reddy Mack played in the league.

A league by the same name existed in the late 1889.

1907 Western Pennsylvania League standings

Team standingsWLPCTGBManagers
6836.654Reddy Mack
Butler White Sox5844.5699.0Al Lawson / Jake Jacobsen
Eddie Linneborn / Bill Harkins
4849.49516.5Billy Earle / Duff Buttermore
Clarksburg Bees5054.48118.0Tom Hulings
Tom Essler / Bull Smith
4250.45720.0George Lawson
Bill Powell / Lefty Wallace
Connellsville Cokers4459.42723.5Bill Malarkey
Denny O'Hara / [Jack Dolan |- |[[Beaver Falls Beavers]] ||41||36||.532||NA||Charles Jewell / Harry Pfeiffer|-|Latrobe / Cumberland Rooters /
Piedmont / Somerset||18||46||.281||NA||S. Whaley / William Morrow
Tom Dillon / Don Curtis / Bill Malarkey|-|Kittanning Infants ||2||5||.286||NA||Bill Malarkey|} The Latrobe (7–10) franchise was forfeited to the league May 28. The league then awarded it to Cumberland. Cumberland (5–20) moved to Piedmont (4–6) June 27, then to Somerset (0–5) July 11. It disbanded later that month.
Kittanning entered the league August 1. Beaver Falls and Kittanning withdrew August 11.
Greensburg disbanded August 25

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Western Pennsylvania League (D) Encyclopedia and History. Baseball-Reference.com. 2022-01-03.
  2. The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball Second and Third Editions