Cleveland Green Sox

The 1913 Federal League began play as a six–team minor league. The Cleveland franchise was named the Green Sox. The Cleveland Green Sox became the second baseball team in Cleveland, behind the major-league Cleveland Naps, today's Cleveland Indians. The 1913 Cleveland Green Sox were managed by the legendary Cy Young. The Cleveland owner was Matthew Bramley, who was president of the Cleveland Trinidad Paving Company, at the time the largest paving company in the world.[2][3][4][5][6]

With plans on growing to become a major league baseball league, the 1913 Federal League first began play under the leadership of president John T. Powers. The 1913 Federal League opened as a six–team Independent minor league baseball league with a 120 game season. [3][7]

The Cleveland Green Sox hosted the very first Federal League game. The Federal League opener was held at Cleveland's Luna Park against the Covington Blue Sox.[8]

In their only season of play, the 1913 Cleveland Green Sox finished in second place in the six–team Federal League. The 1913 season standings ended with the Indianapolis Hoosiers, Cleveland Green Sox, St. Louis Terriers, Chicago Whales, Covington Blue Sox/Kansas City Packers and Pittsburgh Filipinos. Cleveland finished the season with a 64–54 record, 10.0 games behind the first-place Indianapolis Hoosiers. For the 46–year–old Cy Young, the 1913 season was his final managing position after a 511-win pitching career.[9][10][11][4][12][13][14]

During the 1913 Federal League season, James A. Gilmore, a Chicago manufacturer, was appointed temporary president of the league, stepping in for John Powers. The Federal League franchises, Cleveland included, were struggling financially and there was consideration given to folding the league. Gilmore convinced the league owners to continue the 1913 league and to play again in 1914. Gilmore aligned the Federal League with wealthy owners in Chicago, St. Louis and Brooklyn, but Cleveland was struggling being in the same city with the major league Cleveland Naps. Three other original Federal League franchises (St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Chicago) were in the same position of having to share their market. The Green Sox ended 1913 with financial losses.[3][2]

Cleveland Green Sox owner Matthew Bramley had plans for the 1914 Cleveland Green Sox that never materialized. Bramley had an option for a piece of property on Euclid Avenue between East 47th and East 49th streets as a site for a new ballpark. But the financial obligations of building a new stadium, coupled with a Federal League franchise fee were major financial obstacles.[2]

After the 1913 season, Cleveland did not return for the Federal League’s 1914 season. Besides finances, a final factor was another team coming to Cleveland for the 1914 season. On February 16, 1914, Cleveland Naps owner Charles Somers announced that the Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association (owned by Somers) were relocating to Cleveland to share League Park with the Cleveland Naps. This move was made by Somers to compete with the Federal League potential presence in Cleveland. With the new minor-league Cleveland Spiders being established as the second team in Cleveland, Bramley and the Federal League folded the 1914 Cleveland Green Sox franchise. The Federal League played as an eight–team major league in 1914, before permanently folding after the 1915 season amidst an antitrust lawsuit that eventually went to the Supreme Court of the United States.[2][10][15]

Luna Park's entrance

The 1913 Cleveland Green Sox played home games at Luna Park. Luna Park had been owned since 1908 by Green Sox owner Matthew Bramley. Luna Park was an amusement park and sports facility that was located on the east side of Cleveland in the Woodland Hills neighborhood. Luna Park in opened in 1904. There was a chain of Luna Park amusement parks throughout the country, all built and opened by Frederick Ingersoll, owner of the Ingersoll Construction Company. Bramley purchased Luna Park from Frederick Ingersoll. The Cleveland Luna Park grew to include a 20,000 seat football field called the "Luna Bowl" and a baseball field. After the Green Sox, Negro league baseball teams Cleveland Stars (1932), Cleveland Giants (1933), and Cleveland Red Sox (1934) also played at Luna Park. The short–lived 1912 Cleveland Forest City club of the United States Baseball League had used Luna Park the year before the Green Sox. Luna Park was located on a 35-acre site bordered by Woodhill Road, East 110th Street, Woodland Avenue, and Ingersoll Avenue. Luna Park was greatly affected by the depression and prohibition, closing in 1938. Later, the site became home of the Woodhill Homes housing development, which was built in stages in the 1940's and still exists today.[16][11][2][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]

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