The Eastern Shore Baseball League

This is the second book from Arcadia Publishing that covers the history of the Eastern Shore Baseball League (ESHL). Eastern Shore baseball fans watched over three eras of class D professional baseball for 15 years, from 1922 to 1949. Many players, such as Don Zimmer, Mickey Cochrane, Red Ruffing, and Sid Gordon, came through the ESHL on their way to the major leagues. There were also many players that played and managed in this league who were former major-league players, including Gene Corbett, Ducky Detweiler, Val Picinich, and Joe Becker, to name a few. Eastern Shore League: Extra Innings, along with Eastern Shore League, will give baseball and history fans a more comprehensive understanding of the league.

Between 1922 and 1949, the citizens of Delmarva enjoyed watching baseball the way it was meant to be played. Loyal Eastern Shore baseball enthusiasts were blessed to witness three eras of professional class "D" baseball, supporting their favorite teams, including the Parksley Spuds, Salisbury Indians, and Dover Orioles. The local faithful cheered on homegrown legends such as Frank "Home Run" Baker and Jimmie Foxx, both destined for enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

By 1900 Maryland's Eastern Shore, along the western side of the Delmarva Peninsula, was acknowledged in the national press as a hotbed of baseball activity. By the 1920s the game was fully ingrained into local community life, central to the summer social season among the towns and villages that measured their worth by the quality of their teams. Providing fresh insight into early 20th century baseball at its grassroots, this book explores the Chesapeake Bay region as a case study for the enthusiasm (and hubris) the game brought to rural American life, in context with national trends and influences.

In the summer of 1937 the Salisbury Indians, a Class D minor league team in rural Maryland, achieved national celebrity playing one of the most amazing comeback seasons in baseball history. Starting with 21-5, the club allegedly violated the Eastern Shore League's rules by fielding more than four players with professional experience. Forfeiting their 21 wins and plummeting to the bottom of the standings, they went on to win 59 of their last 70 games, capturing the league pennant and playoffs championship. This game-by-game account chronicles the extraordinary pitching and relentless hitting of one of the greatest minor league teams ever assembled, under the redoubtable leadership of D'Arcy "Jake" Flowers.