⚾️ Nashville Baseball History: The Nashville Americans

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With all this talk about the Nashville Stars bringing an MLB team to Nashville, I figured I would dive into the history of baseball in Nashville and the team known as the Nashville Americans.

The origins of baseball in Nashville are a bit mysterious, but rumor has it that during the Civil War, Union soldiers taught the game to local Nashvillians. The games were played north of the Capitol Building in a ballpark called Sulphur Springs Park, also known as Athletic Park. The earliest we can track down an organized baseball game was September 1867.

In 1885, professional baseball came to Nashville. This team was the Nashville Americans out of the Southern League. Times were a lot different then. The normal paycheck for members of this team was $50-$60 a month with some earning a little more. Pitchers threw the ball underhand and it took seven balls to be issued a walk. Umpires could issue fines and for one year, the bats were flat on one side.

This excerpt on milb.com lists some of the players from that team: “Nashville's opening-day lineup for 1885 included: Leonard Sowders, first base; James Hillery, third base; John Cullen, second base; Joe Werrick, shortstop; Alexander Voss, pitcher; Rhue, left field; Diestel, center field; Tony Hellman, catcher and Bryan, right field. Bryan was also Nashville's manager. Player-managers were common for this age.”

Click the link below to read more about one of the oldest teams in Nashville history!

📚 Read more about how the team did here: https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-18235116

Hueston Nelson | Publisher | The Nashville Grapevine