Kankakee Kanks

Minor league baseball first came to Kankakee when the Kankakee Kays joined the Northern Association in 1910. They Kankakee Kays were charter members of the Northern Association along with the Clinton Teddies, Decatur Commodores, Elgin Kittens, Freeport Pretzels, Jacksonville Jacks, Joliet Jolly-ites and Muscatine Pearl Finders.[1]

On July 11, 1910, the Kankakee Kays were in 3rd place at 34–24 when the franchise disbanded. The Elgin Kittens franchise disbanded on the same day. The Northern Association completely disbanded on July 17, 1910. Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Casey Stengel made his professional debut for the Kays on May 10, 1910. At age 19, Stengel hit .251 with one home run in 59 games for Kankakee.[2][3][4]

After the Kankakee Kays folded, Kankakee gained another team in 1912. The Clinton Champs from Clinton, Iowa, members of the Illinois-Missouri League, moved the franchise to Kankakee on May 16, 1912, playing the remainder of the 1912 season as the Kankakee Kanks. The Clinton/Kankakee team finished 56–56 overall, 4th in 1912, with a 54–51 record in Kankakee. Kankakee played with Illinois-Missouri League members Canton Highlanders, Champaign Velvets, Lincoln Abes, Pekin Celestials and Streator Speedboys.[5][6]

Continuing play in the 1913 Illinois-Missouri League, the Kanks finished with a 35–51 record and were in 3rd in the final standings. In their final season, the Kankakee Kanks were 14–33, and on their fourth manager of the 1914 season, when the franchise permanently disbanded on July 3, 1914. The Lincoln Abes franchise folded the same day. The Illinois-Missouri League finished the 1914 season without the two teams, but permanently disbanded after the 1914 season.[7][8][6]

In talking about playing in Kankakee Casey Stengel said, "We did not draw (fans) and getting paid was quite an adventure." Stengel claimed he had received only half of his $135 per month when Kankakee had folded in July, 1910. Years later, at his birthday party in 1956, the Kankakee Federal Savings and Loan Association presented Stengel with a check. The check was for $483.05, calculated off the original $67.50 owed, plus interest over 46 years. Stengel donated the gift to the Kankakee Little League.[9]

Kankakee played at a ballpark adjacent to the grounds of the Kankakee State Hospital. At the time, patients of the hospital would watch games from their windows. The hospital location is 100 E. Jeffery Street.[4][10]

Kankakee Kanks players
Kankakee Kays players

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