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."
August 1, 1918
Darby, PA
"Hilldales vs Chicago American Giants."
Darby, PA
"Hilldale Beaten - Hilldale had its winning streak of eighteen straight broken yesterday, when the Chicago American Giants invaded Darby and got away with a 9 to 2 victory."
Darby, PA
"Chicago Giants Down Hilldale - In opening up her big series this afternoon with Rube Foster's Chicago American Giants, Hilldale had her winning streak of eighteen games straight broken, the Chicago team taking the long end of a 9 to 2 score. Hilldale seemed to have an off day and the breaks were all with the visitors, on several occasions when Hilldale would start a batting rally, and with every indicaiton of runs being scored."
August 3, 1918
Atlantic City, NJ
"Bacharach Giants Win - Atlantic City, August 3. - Bacharach Giants continued their winning streak by defeating Chicago American Giants, 3 to 1. Roberts' delivery was hard for the visitors to hit with men on the paths, he struck out eight men. Petway's all-around work featured for the Chicago Giants."
Darby, PA
"Hilldales vs Chicago American Giants."
Darby, PA
"Hilldale won from Rube Foster's American Giants, of Chicago, 9 to 8, in ten innings."
August 4, 1918
Washington, DC
"Foster's Giants Play New York Stars Here - Rube Foster's Chicago-American Giants, rated as the best colored team in the country, will play the New York All-Stars at American League Park tomorrow afternoon. Last Sunday more than eight thousand attended the game here when Foster's team played. The game starts at 3 o'clock. The Chicago-American Giants have been playing at Atlantic City since leaving here and have met with success."
Jackson, MI
"Will Strengthen Team for Sunday - Hayes Wheels Anticipate Bitter Struggle with Colored American Giants - Anticipating faster opposition than usual, the Hayes Wheels are to strengthen their team for Sunday's game with Hackley's Colored American Giants, by the addition of a speedy third baseman to fill the place made vacant when Mike Griffen went to Camp custer to serve in the national army. The Hayes management considers itself fortunate in securing a game with the fast American Giants, not only because of the demand being made for this organization's appearance in several Michigan cities but because of the fact that it is a team composed entirely of colored players who mix comedy with baseball. This nine carries several accomplished comedians, who have scored decided hits wherever they have appeared. At the present time the Giants are touring in Indiana and are making this jump into Michigan on the strength of a substantial guarantee. The double attraction of baseball and comedy, it is believed, will draw a particularly large crowd to the Hague park diamond next Sunday afternoon."
New York, NY
"Chicago Giants Land Interesting Battle - The Chicago Giants colored baseball champions Sunday afternoon defeated the New York Giant team by a score of 5 to 2. The feature of the game was the fielding of Baynard in center field as he time and again cut off extra base hits by sensational fielding."
August 8, 1918
Darby, PA
"Hilldale Beaten - The third game of a series of three arranged between Hilldale and the American Giants, of Chicago, under the management of Rube Foster, was played yesterday at Hilldale Park and drew a large crowd. The first game was won by the western team last Thursday by a score of 9 to 2. The second contest went to Hilldale last Saturday after ten hard-fought innings, 9 to 8. Yesterday's battle was won by the western team rather handily by a score of 12 to 4."
Darby, PA
"American Giants Win Series From Hilldale - The third game of a series of three arranged between Hilldale and the American Giants, of Chicago, was played yesterday afternoon at Hilldale Park, and drew a large crowd. The first game was won by the Western team last Thursday by a score of 9 to 2. The second contest went to Hilldale Saturday after ten hard-gought innings, 9 to 8. Yesterday's battle was won by the Western team rather handily by a score of 12 to 4."
August 26, 1918
Chicago, IL
"Fairies Licked Twice - Rube Foster's American Giants Wallop Beloit Team at Chicago. - Chicago, August 26. - American Giants defeated Fairbanks-Morse of Beloit twice at Schorling's park by scores of 2 to 1 and 5 to 4. The second game went ten innings and was won by Torriente's triple."
September 22, 1918
Chicago, IL
"Fairies Win Two Games. - The Fairbanks-Morse team of Beloit defeated the American Giants in both ends of a double-header played at American Giants' Park yesterday. The first game went to the Beloits by the score of 10 to 2, while 5 to 0 was the result of the second contest. The fielding and hitting of Buck Weaver was a feature, while Al Wickland was also a star in the field."
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."