Western League (original)
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Most recent season or competition: 1900 |
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| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | February 11, 1885 |
| Inaugural season | 1885 |
| Ceased | 1900 |
| CEO | Ban Johnson (1894–1900) |
| Country | United States |
| Continent | North America |
| Last champion(s) |
White Stockings |
| Most titles | Indianapolis (4) |
The Western League of Professional Baseball Clubs, also called the Western League, was a minor league baseball league founded on February 11, 1885, and focused in the Midwestern United States.
After several failures and reorganizations, the most notable version of the league was organized by Ban Johnson on November 20, 1893. In 1900, the league was renamed the American League, and declared its major league status in 1901 against the older National League of 1876, which was centered in the American Northeast states.
Before its most notable incarnation in November 1893, the Western League existed in various forms. The League was formed as a minor league on February 11, 1885. The original clubs were located in Indianapolis‚ Kansas City‚ Cleveland‚ Milwaukee‚ Toledo and Omaha/Keokuk, Iowa. The Indianapolis Hoosiers won the first title with a record of 27–4–1.
The league failed at the end of the 1885 season, but it was reformed again before the 1886 season. In 1887, the league was dominated by Topeka's Golden Giants, a high-priced collection of major leaguers, including Bug Holliday, Jim Conway, Perry Werden and Jimmy Macullar, which won the title by 15½ games. The league failed again after playing a partial 1888 season, then was reformed again for the 1892 and 1893 seasons before folding temporarily again on June 20, 1893.
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