The Cleveland Buckeyes were a professional baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 team that played in the Negro Leagues. They were established in 1942

1942 in sports

1942 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.Note — many sporting events did not take place because of World War II-American football:...

 in Cincinnati

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

 (Ohio being the Buckeye State). The following season, the team moved to Cleveland

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

, Ohio, where they played their games at League Park

League Park

League Park was a baseball park located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was situated at the northeast corner of Lexington Avenue and E. 66th Street in the Hough neighborhood. It was home to the National League Cleveland Spiders, the American League Cleveland Indians, and the Cleveland...

. While in Cleveland, the team achieved great success, including winning a pair of Negro American League

Negro American League

The Negro American League was one of the several Negro leagues which were created during the time organized baseball was segregated. The league was established in 1937, and continued to exist until 1960...

 championships (1945

1945 in sports

1945 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.Note — many sporting events did not take place because of World War II-American football:...

, 1947

1947 in sports

-American football:* Chicago Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Eagles 28-21 to win the NFL championship.-Association football:England* First Division – Liverpool win the 1946-47 title.* FA Cup – Charlton Athletic beat Burnley 1-0 after extra time...

) and a Negro League World Series

Negro League World Series

The Negro League World Series was a post-season baseball tournament which was held from 1924-1927 and from 1942-1948 between the champions of the Negro leagues, matching the mid-western winners against their east coast counterparts....

 title in 1945. In 1949

1949 in sports

-American football:* Cleveland Browns 21–7 San Francisco 49ers for the All-America Football Conference championship. After the 1949 season, the Browns, 49ers and original Baltimore Colts all joined the NFL for the 1950 season....

 the team moved again, to Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...

, but it was to no avail and the Louisville Buckeyes

Louisville Buckeyes

The Louisville Buckeyes were a professional baseball team based in Louisville, Kentucky which played in the Negro Leagues. In 1949 the Negro American League team moved from Cleveland, Ohio, where they had been known as the Cleveland Buckeyes, and changed their name...

 disbanded at the end of the season.

On May 20, 2006, in Cleveland, the Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

 and Cleveland Indians

Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...

 honored the Negro league teams by wearing the uniforms of the Homestead Grays

Homestead Grays

The Homestead Grays were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues in the United States. The team was formed in 1912 by Cumberland Posey, and would remain in continuous operation for 38 seasons. The team was based in Homestead, Pennsylvania, adjacent to Pittsburgh.-Franchise...

and the Cleveland Buckeyes, respectively, during an inter-league game, as well as displaying the names on the scoreboard. The Pirates won the game 9-6.

The League Park Society in Cleveland plans to field a new Cleveland Buckeyes team in 2010, calling League Park home. LPS secured the blessings of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and others before securing the rights to the name. The new team will wear a slightly updated version of the famous Buckeyes uniforms.