1918 Chicago American Giants

A Calendar, Including Newspaper Clippings, of the 1918 Chicago American Giants

1918 Chicago American Giants

Stories are placed in order of the date they appeared.

March 25, 1918

Charleston, SC
"American Giants Play Here Today - The big league team of the colored baseball world will arrive in Charleston today for a series of two games with the Charleston Piedmonts. The visiting aggregati0n is the American Giants, known throughout the United States as the greatest negro baseball players in the world," it is announced. 'The first game of the series will be played at Hampton Park this afternoona t 4 o'clock and the second game at the same hour tomorrow. Thomas Williams, who is scheduled to pitch one of the games here, is a Charleston negro. He learned the art of curving 'em at Hampton Park while watching the Sea Gull twirlers at work. He joined the Giants at Chicago last year and has proved its star pitcher. 'The American Giants' headquarters are Chicago, but during the past sixty days the team has been training at Palm Beach. It came south for purposes of invading Cuban, but passports were refused the manager, 'Rube' Foster. Manager James Young, of the Charleston team, reports his team in the pink of condition for the two games."

May 11, 1918

Rockford, IL
"Crack Negro Teams to Play - General Barnum is Invited to Pitch First Ball in Tomorrow's Game - Brigadier General Malvern Hill Barnum, commander of the 183rd infantry brigade, probably will pitch the first ball in the game tomorrow afternoon at Kishwaukee Park between the 183rd brigade team and the American Giants of Chicago. Rube Foster, manager of the American Giants, has written Camp Grant athletic authorities asking that General Barnum pitch the first ball. There will be a big downtown parade before the game, which will be called at 2:30. The parade will leave Five Points at the camp at 11:15. The American Giants are one of the best negro ball teams in the country. The negro soldiers team of the 183rd brigade is also a splendid organization. The brigade line-up: Fields, short stop, Johnson or Simpson, pitcher; Bruce, left field, Lewis, catcher, Allen, center field; Powell or Carter, first base; Johnson, third base; Smith second base; Harrang or Johnson, right field. The American Giants have traveled farther in one baseball season than any other team in the world. Its record last season was 21,000 miles. They won eighty-five per cent of the games they played last summer. The American Giants have twice won the California Winter League Championship. They played against teams composed of National, American, Federal league and Class AA ball players."

Rockford, IL
"Giants Walk Away With 183rd Bacon - Foster's American Giants of Chicago piled up twelve scores against the Colored Infantry brigade nine yesterday in Kishwaukee Park, registering at will after the second inning. - General In Box. - Brigadier General M.H. Barnum, commander of the brigade, was greeted with a roar when he stepped into the diamond from a grand stand box, and tossed the first ball in the game to Rube Foster who grinned behind home plate. It was the only chance soldier fans had to cheer during the afternoon. Ingram opened the game for the brigade and held the Giants in their first turn at bat, but exploded in the second inning when with three men on bases, he issued a pass. The score was a signal for bunching hits and the crack colored team of the world slammed the Camp Grantpitcher to all corners of the lot, marking up six scores during the inning. The brigade registered one run, the only tally of the game, in the fourth, and Dicta Johnson was sent into the box for the army. He received fair support in the last four innings but the Camp Grant colored nine proved entirely out of its class against the baseball machine developed by the Giants. Duncan finished the game for Chicago. A fair crowd witnessed the comedy contest and enjoyed the jazz music furnished by the 365th Infantry band."

July 23, 1918

Cincinnati, OH
"The A.B.C. and American Giants, who were to have played three games at Redland Field, called off their series, following Secretary Baker's baseball decision."

July 29, 1918

Atlantic City, NJ
"Battle to a Tie - American and Bacharach Giants Play Nine Innings; 4 to 4 - Atlantic City, New Jersey, July 29 (Special). - Rube Foster's American Giants went a dead heat with the Bacharach Giants here today. The game was called on a technicality at the end of the ninth inning with the score 4 to 4. The feature play was a home run drive by Brown in the seventh inning with two men on bases."

July 30, 1918

Atlantic City, NJ
"Bacharach Giants Win Again - Atlantic City, New Jersey, July 30 (Special). - The Bacharach Giants won from Rube Foster's American Giants here today, by 5 to 4. The Chicago aggregation rallied in the ninth, but fell short of tying the score. Jesse Barber poled out a circuit clout in the sixth with the bases empty."