Muscatine Muskies

Minor league baseball began in Muscatine with the Muscatine Pearl Finders who were charter members of the Class D Northern Association in 1910. The Muscatine Pearl Finders joined the Northern Association along with the Clinton Teddies, Decatur Commodores, Elgin Kittens, Freeport Pretzels, Jacksonville Jacks, Joliet Jolly-ites and Kankakee Kays.[1][2]

The Muscatine Pearl Finders were in 2nd place with a 37–21 record when the Northern Association permanently folded on July 19, 1910. However, first place Elgin had folded on July 11, 1910.[1]

In 1911, Muscatine joined the Class D Central Association. They remained in the league through the 1916 season playing as the Muscatine Camels (1911), Muscatine Wallopers (1912–1913), Muscatine Buttonmakers (1914) and Muscatine Muskies (1915–1916).[3]

The 1911 Muscatine Camels finished 48–80, 7th in the Central Association. Muscatine replaced the Quincy Vets in the league. Other 1911 Central Association members were the Burlington Cow Boys, Galesburg Pavers, Hannibal Cannibals, Keokuk Indians, Kewanee Boilermakers, Monmouth Browns and Ottawa Speedboys.[4][5][6]

The 1912 Muscatine Wallopers finished last in the eight-team league at 33–94.[7][6]

Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Sam Rice played for the 1912 Muscatine Wallopers, hitting .194 in 62 at bats. Rice's wife, two children, both of his parents and two sisters were killed by a tornado on April 21, 1912. Rice had begun the season with the Galesburg Pavers, but left the team after the tragedy.[8][9]

The 1913 Muscatine Wallopers finished 2nd in the Central Association with a 68–54 record.[10]

The Muscatine Wallopers played an exhibition game against the Chicago Cubs on June 2, 1913. There were 3,000 in attendance at League Field in Muscatine.[11]

Continuing play in the Central Association, the 1914 Muscatine Buttonmakers finished 3rd at 72–53. The Buttonmankers moniker was a reference to buttonmakers, a Muscatine industry, which had a strike in 1911 and 1912.[12][13]

The Muscatine Muskies finished 63–57 (2nd) in 1915. In 1916, the Muskies finished 3rd at 45–44, but forfeited 34 of the wins after the season. Muscatine did not return to the Central Association in 1917 and the league folded after the 1917 season. Muscatine has not hosted another minor league franchise.[14][6]

The current Muscatine High School building opened in 1974 and continued the Muscatine Muskies moniker.[15]

Muscatine played at League Field. League Field was built in 1910 for the Muscatine Pearl Finders. When the ballpark was first built, the legend was that with no money for a lawn mower, cows were used to keep the grass trimmed. The ballpark is still in use today. It is now called Tom Bruner Field, named after a Muscatine High School teacher. Today, the park is home to Muscatine Community College and Muscatine High School baseball teams.[11][16][17][18][19]

The ballpark sits within Kent Stein Park and is located at 2136 Oneida Avenue, Muscatine, Iowa, 52761.[20][21][18]

Baseball Reference