Jacksonville Red Caps

Jacksonville Red Caps
Jacksonville Red Caps
Information
League	Negro American League (1938–1942);
Location	Jacksonville, Florida
Ballpark	Durkee Field (1938); Hardware Field (1939–1940); Durkee Field (1941–1942);
Established	1938
Disbanded	1942
Nickname(s)	Jacksonville Red Caps (1938); Cleveland Bears (1939–1940); Jacksonville Red Caps (1941–1942);

The Jacksonville Red Caps were a Negro league baseball team based primarily in Jacksonville, Florida. They played the Negro American League from 1938 until 1942.

History

The team was based in Jacksonville, Florida playing at Durkee Field in 1938. They moved to Cleveland in 1939 and became the Cleveland Bears, playing their home games at Hardware Field. They returned to Jacksonville as the Red Caps in 1941 for two seasons, dropping out of the NAL in July 1942.^[1] After the war, the Red Caps apparently continued as an unaffiliated Negro league team playing at Durkee Field.^[2]

League play

The Red Caps only played seven league games their first season, finishing 3-4.^[3] After transferring to Cleveland in 1939, the Bears (according to Negro leagues historian John Holway) had the best overall record in the NAL but were not awarded the pennant, finishing with a 22-4 record in league play. The Kansas City Monarchs finished with more victories, going 25-13, and, as per the tradition of the time, were thereby declared league champions.^[3] Later research shows the Bears with a 20-21 record in 1939, third in the NAL.^[4]

The Bears fell hard in 1940, finishing last in the league with a 6-16 record.^[3] Returning to Jacksonville, the Red Caps finished second from last with an 8-10 record in league play.^[3] They fared no better in 1942 season, going 2-6 before dropping from the league in July.^[3]

Players

MLB throwback jerseys

On June 28, 2008, in Pittsburgh, the Tampa Bay Rays and Pittsburgh Pirates honored the Negro leagues by wearing uniforms of the Jacksonville Red Caps and the Pittsburgh Crawfords, respectively, in an interleague game. The Pirates won the game, 4-3 in 13 innings.

References

^ "Jacksonville Red Caps". Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
^ "Jacksonville Baseball History". Jacksonville Suns. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Holway, John (2001). The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues: The Other Half of Baseball History. Fern Park, Florida: Hastings House Publishing. pp. 351, 359, 375, 383, 392. ISBN 0-8038-2007-0.
^ Seamheads.com, 1939 NAL standings, https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/year.php?yearID=1939&lgID=NAL&tab=standings

This article about a baseball team in Florida is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This Negro league baseball team article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] "Jacksonville Red Caps". Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Retrieved December 25, 2020.

[2] "Jacksonville Baseball History". Jacksonville Suns. Retrieved 2009-08-06.

[Holway-3] Holway, John (2001). The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues: The Other Half of Baseball History. Fern Park, Florida: Hastings House Publishing. pp. 351, 359, 375, 383, 392. ISBN 0-8038-2007-0.

[4] Seamheads.com, 1939 NAL standings, https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/year.php?yearID=1939&lgID=NAL&tab=standings

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Negro American League (1937–1962)
Pre-integration (1937–1948)	Atlanta Black Crackers/Indianapolis ABCs (IV) (1938–1939) Birmingham Black Barons (1937–1938, 1940–1962) Chicago American Giants (1937–1952) Cincinnati Tigers (1937) Cincinnati/Cleveland/Louisville Buckeyes (1942–1950) Detroit Stars (III) (1937) Indianapolis Athletics (1937) Cincinnati/Indianapolis Clowns (1943–1954) Toledo/Indianapolis Crawfords (1939–1940) Jacksonville Red Caps/Cleveland Bears (1938–1942) Kansas City Monarchs (1937–1962) Memphis Red Sox (1937–1959) St. Louis Stars (II) (1937) Indianapolis ABCs (II)/New Orleans–St. Louis Stars (1938–1941)
Post-integration (1949–1962)	Baltimore Elite Giants (1949–1951) Detroit Stars/Clowns/Detroit–New Orleans Stars (1954–1960) Houston/New Orleans Eagles (1949–1951) Louisville Clippers (1954) Mobile Havana Cuban Giants (1957) New Orleans Crescent Stars (1957) Newark Indians (1959) New York Cubans (1949–1950) Philadelphia Stars (1949–1952) Raleigh Tigers (1959–1962)
Years in parentheses are years as a full member in the Negro American League. Years as an associate team are not noted.