The Cleveland Green Sox were a baseball club based in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1913, the Green Sox were charter members of the Federal League. The Cleveland Green Sox were managed by Baseball Hall of Fame member Cy Young and played just the 1913 season before the franchise was folded. Finishing in second place, the Green Sox hosted home games at Luna Park. The Green Sox franchise was ultimately forced out in Cleveland when the major league Cleveland Naps relocated the Toledo Mud Hens to Cleveland for the 1914 season.
History
In 1912, baseball promoter John T. Powers formed an independent professional league known as the Columbian League. However, the withdrawal of one of the organization's primary investors caused the league to fail before ever playing a game. Undaunted, Powers tried again the following year, creating a new league with teams in Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Covington, Kentucky. He named the organization the Federal League, and served as its first president.
Because it did not abide by the National Agreement on player payment in place in organized baseball, the Federal League was called an "outlaw league" by its competitors. The Federal League's "outlaw" status allowed it to recruit players from established clubs, and it attracted many current and former players from the major as well as minor leagues. Powers initially served as president, but he was soon replaced by James A. Gilmore.
The 1913 Federal League began play as a six–team minor league. The Cleveland franchise was named the Green Sox. Cleveland joined the Chicago Whales, Covington Blue Sox, Indianapolis Hoosiers, Pittsburgh Filipinos and St. Louis Terriers in beginning Federal League play on May 4, 1913.
The Cleveland Green Sox became the second baseball team in Cleveland, behind the American League's Cleveland Naps, today's Cleveland Guardians. The 1913 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. The league played a 120-game inaugural season.
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.
In their only season of play, the 1913 Cleveland Green Sox finished in second place in the six–team Federal League standings. Cleveland ended the season with a 64–54 record, finishing 10.0 games behind the first place Indianapolis Hoosiers. The league held no playoffs. For the 46–year–old Cy Young, the 1913 season was his final managing position after a 511-win pitching career.
During the 1913 Federal League season, Gilmore replaced Powers as league president. 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.
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.