1917 Indianapolis ABCs

A Calendar, Including Newspaper Clippings, of the 1917 Indianapolis ABCs

1917 Indianapolis ABCs

Stories are placed in order of the date they appeared.

June 3, 1917

Indianapolis, IN?
"Jewels A.B.C.'s defeated the Nebraska Indians some 6 to 4. Gatewood twirled for the A.B.C.'s, while Watkins worked for the Red Men. Brandon of the Black Sox, now pitching for Taylor's A.B.C.'s, won from Frankfort 7 to 5, and allowed only five hits."

June 21, 1917

Evansville, IN
"Fast Colored Nines Play Series Here - Cuban Stars and A.B.C.'s at Bosse Field June 21, 22 and 23 - Fans will not be without baseball when the Evas leave for the north the latter part of this month. Two of the best colored teams in baseball today, the Cuban Stars from Havana, Cuba, and the A.B.C.'s of Indianapolis will play three games at Bosse field, June 21, 22 and 23 as the opening trio of a series of nine games for the colored championship of the United States and Cuba. The remaining six games will be played in Indianapolis. The teams will be brought here under the auspices of the Cherry Street colored Y.M.C.A. And in doing so, Secretary J.C. Hayes has given local fans the opportunity of seeing two of the best negro teams in the world in action. All followers of baseball know the reputation of the A.B.C.'s and for those who have never heard of the Cuban Stars let it suffice to say that on several trips they have made to the United States they have met and defeated the best semi-professional teams, both colored and white, of all section of the country. While in Chicago last season the Cubans defeated such teams as the White Giants, Leland Giants, Logan Squares, the Gunthers and the Riverviews. On their trip they also trimmed the Beloit, Wisconsin, Fairbanks-Morse team, the Minneapolis Keystones, the St. Paul Gophers, the St. Louis Gaints, and other strong teams in the North, West and South. Several former players of this team are now in the big leagues. Cubans not being barred among them are: Cuteo of Cincinnati, Gonzales of St. Louis, and Marsans of the St. Louis Browns."

Evansville, IN
"Two Best Negro Teams Play Here Next Week. - Everything is all set for the championshipe series of baseball which will be played at Bosse field June 21, 22, and 23, between the famous Cuban Stars of Havana, Cuba, and C.I. Taylor's A.B.C.'s of Indianapolis, the 1916 negro champions of the United States. Last year the A.B.C.'s played 138 games, won 96, lost 38, tied 4. They played Rube Foster's American Giants a series of ten games for the championship of America, won 5, lost 4 and tied 1. As three games of the nine games to be played are to be staged at Bosse field, both clubs will fight to win, so as to have the lead on the series when they open in Indianapolis, June 24. The fans of Evansville, through the efforts of the Cherry street branch 'Y' will have an opportunity of seeing the two greatest colored ball clubs in the world in action. There will positively be no hippodroming. Both clubs will play to win."

Evansville, IN
"Fast Triple Play Brightens the Game. - A.B.C.'s Pull It - Lose to Cubans 10 to 8 in Furious Slugging Match. - Taking advantage of every slip by their opponents and unleashing hits behind the mis cues, the Cuban Stars annexed the opening game of the series from the A.B.C.'s of Indianapolis at Bosse field yesterday afternoon. From first to last it was one grand scrap. The score was 10 to 8. A beautiful triple play in the first round, the first ever pulled off on Bosse field, gave the fans something to talk about for a day or two. The Cubans had men runners on first and second and two runs had come in that tied the score. Campos bunted a fly to Ben Taylor who came tearing in, snatched the ball a few inches from his shoe strings, shot the ball to Clark at second, and Clark relayed it back to Warfield who covered the bag, in time to snuff out Gonzalez. The play was executed so fast that the fans, for a moment were too bewildered to applaud. At the start it looked like an easy victory for the A.B.C.'s. The end of the fourth found them a four run lead, gained by hard hitting and with Gatewood traveling along without much annoyance, there was a little cause for alarm. But the Cubans kept fighting and tied the count in the fifth. Then the insertion of another pitcher, Junco, saved the game for the Havana boys. he worked four rounds and in those four frames only twelve men faced him. He allowed but one hit and that batter was caught a moment later on the hidden ball trick. The Cubans tied the score in the eighth aided by some wild and wooly fielding on the part of the Indianapolis delegation and in the ninth went out and won the battle. Gatewood pitched good enough to win any ordinary ball game but the support back of him really kicked the game away. His opponents, Padron and Junco, were accorded better backing and they pulled out of several bad holes through it. Home runs by Watts and Guerra were the batting features, Guerra's hit traveling to the wall in right field before it finished its wild trip. Watts bumped his to the flag pole in center. Both teams played with a snap, dash and skill that stamped them as real ball players. The Cubans know baseball throroughly and played the game for every point. Their speed on the bases was marvelous. Two nights on the train handicapped the A.B.C.'s to some extent. They left Chicago Tuesday night, came to Indianapolis, and then left there at midnight Wednesday for Evansville. The men said they were tired out and looked it. Three days rest made the Cubans as frisky as a three-year-old. The teams play again today and tomorrow and both games will be called at 3 o'clock."