[PHOTOS] What Happened To Iowa’s MLB Team?
It's been a heck of a year for baseball and Iowa. After seeing the success of this summer's game in Dyersville, I was left wondering...
Why doesn't Iowa have its own major league team?
It only took me one deep dive into the research...and going to an MLB game to find out that Iowa did have a team back in the day.
There are plenty of minor league teams, like the Waterloo Bucks that have a loyal local following. From how enthusiastic the fanbase for these league teams and the success of the 'Field of Dreams' game, the MLB officials would have to be out of their minds NOT to consider giving Iowa their own team.
It turns out, that more than a hundred years ago, we kind of already did.
In the late 1800s, Sioux City combined its Corn Palace festival with an exhibition game against the Chicago Colts. This team would become the famed MLB Chicago Cubs in 1903.
After some league controversy, several attempts to get a team together for the Western League, and some national/state crisis' the Sioux City Cornhuskers formed and joined the association in 1894.
The Cornhuskers led the entire season, averaging about 10.5 runs per game. In the end, they wound up finishing second in the league. This success cemented their status in the league for a few years.
The next year the team ended up winning the title of league champions. Some of the major players on this team include Bill Hart. This pitcher led the entire league in earned run average (ERA) and came in third for victories during his time on the team.
The success of the team didn't last for long though. In 1895, following their successful season the team was actually replaced by the St. Paul Apostles and sold to Charles Comiskey.
After the Western League changed to the American League Cominsky brought the Apostles to Chicago and renamed them the Chicago White Sox. That's right! The Chicago White Sox used to play for Iowa.
The team proudly shares this information before every game. It reads,
"Before they were the Chicago White Sox, they were the Sioux City (Iowa) Cornhuskers until 1894 when Charles Cominskey purchased the franchise and moved it to St. Paul, Minnesota."