Des Moines Demons
Encyclopedia
1925
In 1925 the Des Moines BoostersDes Moines Boosters
The Des Moines Boosters were a Western League minor league baseball team based in Des Moines, Iowa, USA that existed from 1908 to 1924. They won two league championships - their first in 1915 under manager Frank Isbell and their second in 1917 under Jack Coffey....
of the Western League
Western League (defunct minor league)
The Western League is a name given to several circuits in American minor league baseball. Its earliest progenitor, which existed from 1885 to 1899, was the predecessor of the American League...
became the Des Moines Demons. The club from Des Moines, IA broke in in fine form, winning the pennant with a 98-70 record, one game ahead of the Denver Bears. The Demons had six representatives on the All-Star team: First baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
Charles Stuvengen collected 229 hits, 18 of which were triples, to complement a .349, which was fifth in the Western League. Outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
Sam Langford
Sam Langford (baseball)
Elton "Sam" Langford was a Major League Baseball center fielder who played three seasons of professional baseball for the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians.-External links:...
hit .339 with a league leading 160 runs. Outfielder Pug Griffin
Pug Griffin
Francis Arthur "Pug" Griffin was a Major League Baseball player. He debuted in for the Philadelphia Athletics, playing mostly as a pinch hitter but also appearing in three games as a first baseman...
hit .320 with 23 home runs, catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
Homer Haworth hit .295, pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Herm Holshouser
Herm Holshouser
Herman Alexander Holshouser was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the St. Louis Browns in 1930.-External links:...
posted a record of 19-8 and pitcher Claude Thomas went 19-6. Leo Moon
Leo Moon
Leo Moon was a Major League Baseball pitcher for one season. He pitched 5⅔ innings in one game for the Cleveland Indians during the 1932 Cleveland Indians season.-External links:...
went 22-13 with 127 strikeouts on the season and tied for third in the league in wins and strikeouts. Left off of the All-Star team was the most productive hitter in the Triple Crown categories, Dutch Wetzel
Dutch Wetzel
Franklin Burton "Dutch" Wetzel was a right-handed outfielder who played for the St. Louis Browns from 1920 to 1921....
, who batted .353 and was second in the league with 32 homers.
1926
The Demons repeated as champions in 1926, winning another close race. Their 99-64 record gave them fewer wins than the Oklahoma City IndiansOklahoma City Indians
The Oklahoma City Indians were an American minor league baseball franchise representing Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, that played in the Texas League in 1909, 1933-42 and from 1946-57, and in the Western League from 1918-32...
, though they finished with two fewer losses and a half-game margin of victory overall. Oklahoma City claimed that other clubs (the Wichita Izzies, Lincoln Links
Lincoln Links
The Lincoln Links were a Western League and Nebraska State League baseball team based in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. They were affiliated with the St. Louis Browns from 1938 to 1939....
and Tulsa Oilers
Tulsa Oilers (baseball)
The Tulsa Oilers, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, were a minor league baseball team that existed on-and-off in multiple leagues from 1905 to 1976. For most of their history, they played at Oiler Park, which opened on July 11, 1934, and was located on the Tulsa County Fairgrounds at 15th Street and...
) threw games to Des Moines but Western League president Mike Sexton cleared all involved parties. Des Moines lost a Mid-Western Championship to the Three-I League champion Springfield Senators team by a three games to one margin. The Demons had been led by Moon (an All-Star with a 24-8 record) and Pat Malone
Pat Malone
Perce Leigh Malone was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees . Listed at 6' 0", 200 lb., Malone batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania.Malone was outstanding in his first three Major...
(28-13, second in the league in wins and first with 190 strikeouts) on the mound and Wetzel (.352 batting average, 18 home runs, sixth in average and tied for third with 394 total bases) and Griffin (an All-Star again with a .345 average and 18 homers). 40-year-old player-manager Shano Collins
Shano Collins
John Francis "Shano" Collins was an American right fielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox....
batted .315 with 14 home runs.
1927
Collins tied for the team lead with 11 home runs and hit .331 at age 41 in 1927 but the team fell to third at 82-72. Langford returned and led the league in hitting (.409), triples (28) and steals (31, tied for the lead with Wilbur Swansboro). He was tied for fourth in doubles (47), second in hits (250) and fourth in total bases (377). Joining him on the All-Star team were C Joe SprinzJoe Sprinz
Joseph Conrad Sprinz was a Major League Baseball catcher who played for three seasons. He played for the Cleveland Indians from 1930 to 1931 and the St...
who batted .314, utility man Al Van Camp
Al Van Camp
Albert Joseph Van Camp was a backup first baseman/left fielder in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox . Listed at 5' 10", 175 lb., Van Camp batted and threw right-handed...
who hit .309 with 11 home runs and pitcher Fred Ortman who went 21-11. Claude Davenport
Claude Davenport
Claude Edwin Davenport was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played from with the New York Giants. He batted and threw right-handed.He was born in Runge, Texas and died in Corpus Christi, Texas....
, who went 21-10, and Ortman tied for second in the league in wins; Davenport was also second in innings worked at 289.
1928
The bottom fell out for Des Moines in 1928 as they finished last in the first half (28-50) and last overall (62-98). The one bright spot was Van Camp's hitting, as he was fifth in the league with 19 triples, hit .351 and led the club with 15 homers. Three pitchers lost 16 or more games.1929
The next year brought a slight improvement to 72-86 and 7th place in the 8-team Western League. A player named Circle, whose full name is unknown, hit 26 homers, which was fifth in the Western League.1930
The 1930 campaign saw Des Moines return to the first division with a 77-71 record and fourth-place finish. Van Camp was fourth in the circuit with a .344 average and fifth with 18 homers. All-Stars were first baseman Jim OglesbyJim Oglesby
James Dorn Oglesby was an American Major League Baseball first baseman, appearing in three games for the Philadelphia Athletics during the season.-References:...
who hit .308 with 100 RBI, outfielder Stan Keyes who hit .340 with 35 HR, 358 total bases and 140 RBI was an All-Star as well. He was 6th in average, first in homers, RBI and total bases, fifth in runs with 123 and he tied for third in the league with 18 triples. Pitcher Bud Tinning
Bud Tinning
Lyle Forrest "Bud" Tinning was a major league pitcher for the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1930s.-Early Minor League Career:...
, who went 16-11 with a 4.39 ERA, was an All-Star as well.
1931
Des Moines duked it out with the Wichita AviatorsWichita Aviators (baseball)
The Wichita Aviators were a minor league baseball team that existed from 1929 to 1932. Based in Wichita, Kansas, they played in the Western League. In 1930 and 1931, they were affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and in 1932 they were affiliated with the Chicago Cubs...
throughout the 1931 season. The Demons went 39-26 to finish second in the first half, three games behind Wichita, then won 55 of 80 second-half contests to finish six and a half games ahead of the Aviators. In the championship, the Demons won four of six games. All three 1930 All-Stars returned and again made the All-Star team - Oglesby hit .341 which was 5th in the league to go along with 119 runs, 106 RBI, 200 hits (second-most) and 278 total bases (fifth); Tinning went 24-2 with a league-leading 3.11 ERA and was second in wins and first in winning percentage; Keyes won the Triple crown
Triple crown (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, a player earns the Triple Crown when he leads a league in three specific statistical categories. For batters, a player must lead the league in home runs, run batted in , and batting average; pitchers must lead the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average...
with a .369 average, 38 homers and 160 RBI, which were 22 more than anyone else. He also led with 401 total bases (111 more than the next player) and 203 hits. Joining them as All-Stars were outfielder Mike Kreevich
Mike Kreevich
Michael Andreas "Mike" Kreevich was an American Major League Baseball player who was primarily an outfielder during the 1930s and 1940s. He was born in Mount Olive, Illinois, and batted and threw right-handed.-Career:...
who hit .329, and P Jack Knight
Jack Knight (baseball)
Elmer Russell "Jack" Knight was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Born in Pittsboro, Mississippi, he played from 1922–1927, pitching in 72 games for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Braves.He worked as a minor league manager for several years after...
who went 17-7 with a 3.30 ERA, which ranked second in the league. Jim A. Grant went 12-11 with a 3.48 ERA, the fifth-best mark, while Johnny Niggeling
Johnny Niggeling
John Arnold Niggeling was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was a knuckleball specialist who pitched for nine seasons with the Boston Bees/Braves, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Browns and Washington Senators.Born in Remsen, Iowa, Niggeling broke into the majors at the age...
was 17-12 with a 3.65 ERA.
1932
The 1932 Demons finished third in the first half (36-30) but skidded down to 35-42 in the concluding segment of the season. Oglesby made his third All-Star team in a row and finished fifth in the league with 19 triples. Jim hit .385 with nine homers and 86 RBI.1933
Des Moines won the most games in the Western League in 1933 at 81-47 but finished one and a half games behind the leader in both halves of the season. All-Star outfielder Leo Ogorek, who hit .321, led the league with 60 stolen bases and was fourth with 108 runs scored. Pitcher Al Gizelbach went 18-10, placing him fifth in wins, fourth in winning percentage and third with 203 strikeouts. Roy Hudson, who hit .348 with 16 homers and Mort CooperMort Cooper
Morton Cecil Cooper was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals...
, who went 7-5 both split the season between Des Moines and the Muskogee Oilers.
1934
An unusual situation occurred in 1934 when Des Moines, the St. Joseph SaintsSt. Joseph Saints
The Saint Joseph Saints were a Western Association and Western League baseball team based in St. Joseph, Missouri, USA. They were affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1930, the Chicago Cubs in 1940 and the New York Yankees in 1954.They won three straight league championships, from 1933 to...
and Sioux City Cowboys all posted identical 36-23 first-half records and none won the second half (Des Moines was 32-33, behind St. Joseph and ahead of Sioux City). A four-team playoff resulted with Des Moines facing the second-half champion Davenport Blue Sox
Davenport Blue Sox
*Location: Davenport, Iowa*League: Three-I League ; Mississippi Valley League ; Western League *Affiliation: Brooklyn Dodgers 1936-1937*Ballpark: Municipal Stadium 1931-1937-Year-by-year record:...
while the Saints and Cowboys squared off. Davenport beat the Demons three games to one to advance to the finals. Ogorek, who hit .316, again stole the most bases with 38, tied for the hit lead (164, also a 3-way tie) and was tied for second with 108 runs. Hudson hit .318 and led the loop with 94 RBI and Fabian Gaffke
Fabian Gaffke
Fabian Sebastian Gaffke was a right fielder who played in Major League Baseball between and for the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians . Listed at 5' 10", 185 lb., Gaffke batted and threw right-handed...
hit .311 and was second with 93 RBI, tied for fourth with 163 hits, second with 17 triples, tied for fourth with 15 homers and first with 269 total bases.
1935
The Western League eliminated the split-season format in 1935 and the Demons finished third at 58-55. In the playoffs they were swept in three games by the Saints. Ogorek hit .317 and was among the leaders in outfield fielding percentage (.984, third-best), steals (25, 2 behind the leader), hits (144, third-best) and runs (92, one behind the leader) while August Luther, who hit .306, was third in homers at 15 and second with 14 triples. Claude PasseauClaude Passeau
Claude William Passeau was an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. From through , Passeau played with the Pittsburgh Pirates , Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs . He batted and threw right-handed...
was the staff ace at 20-11 and led the Western League in wins, strikeouts (239) and innings hurled (244).
1936
The 1936 edition of the Des Moines Demons went 33-33 to finish fifth in the first half of the revived split-season system. They were 31-31 and third in the second half in the six-team Western League. All-Stars were pitcher Hal Turpin who went 20-10 with a 2.74 ERA, centerfielder Jim AsbellJim Asbell
James Marion Asbell was an outfielder in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs. Nicknamed "Big Train," his career was a brief one, consisting of a single season, the Cubs' World Series year of 1938....
who hit .284 and catcher Hack Wilson, who hit .267. Asbell tied for fourth with 13 homers. Keyes returned to blast 20 homers (second-best in the league) with 233 total bases , which was fourth best. Van Camp came back with 148 hits (fifth in the league) and tied for the league lead with 14 triples. Turpin led the league in complete games (28) and wins, was second in innings (259), third in ERA and fifth with 124 strikeouts. Julio Bonnetti, who went 14-13 with a 2.56 ERA had the best ERA in the Western League that year.
1937
In 1937 Des Moines went 32-31 to finish second in the first half then went 25-31 in the second half as the league was crumbling. All-Stars were catcher Bus Payton who hit .276, utility man Walt Menke who hit .293 and southpaw pitcher Art McDougall who went 16-11 with a 4.02 ERA. McDougall led the Western League in complete games (24) and innings (233) and was third in wins while teammate Gil Gebo (11-15, 4.63) was fourth in innings (216), games pitched (36) and losses. Henry Martinez hit just .216 but led the team in homers (12, which ranked fifth in the Western League) and steals (28, which was third most). He struck out the most (107 times) as well. Bob Allaire hit 2.84 and was among the leaders in walks (95, tied for second) and runs (94, fourth-most) while leading with 34 steals. Harry Hughes, who hit .303, drew 109 walks, the most in the circuit. The Demons were affiliated with the St. Louis BrownsBaltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
in 1937.
The end of the Demons
After the Western League collapsed, Des Moines was without baseball for its longest stretch in the 20th century as the professional game did not return until 1947.The rebirth of the Demons: 1959
In 1959, the Demons name was revived after 31 years of non-usage. The new Des Moines Demons were a Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
farm club in the Three-I League. Managed by Chuck Kress
Chuck Kress
Charles Steven Kress was a first baseman in Major League Baseball. He played from 1947-1954 with the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers and Brooklyn Dodgers....
, they finished second in the first half (38-26) then won the second-half pennant (40-29) before falling to the first-half champion Green Bay Bluejays in the championship three games to one. Cal Emery
Cal Emery
Calvin Wayne Emery was a former Major League Baseball first baseman who played for the Philadelphia Phillies. He was 6'2", 205 pounds, and he threw and batted left-handed. Emery chose to attend Penn State University....
hit .323 and led the league with 281 total bases, 27 homers and 129 RBI.
1960
The next season Andy SeminickAndy Seminick
Andrew Wasal Seminick was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies between 1943 and 1951, and the Cincinnati Reds/Redlegs from 1952 through part of 1955, when he rejoined the Phillies for the rest of his career until...
took over as manager and the Demons went 64-74, tied for last in the Three-I. Jerry Reimer hit .331 with 18 home runs and led the league with 179 hits and 294 total bases. Ray Culp
Ray Culp
Raymond Leonard Culp was a pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies , Chicago Cubs , and Boston Red Sox ....
went 6-7 and had a 6.59 ERA, not indicative of his future big-league performance.
1961: The end of the Demons once more
The final year was a poor one. Kress was managing again and Des Moines finished last - by a wide margin, with a pitiful 37-93 record. They were so bad every other team in the Three-I League's final season of existence finished .500 or better. Five pitchers lost in double digits while no one won more than six contests. Dick Haines led the league with a .355 average while future big-leaguer Pat CorralesPat Corrales
Patrick Corrales , is a former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball who played from 1964–1973, primarily for the Cincinnati Reds, but also for the Philadelphia Phillies, St...
batted .309. The Demons name has not been used since that time by the Des Moines teams - when organized baseball returned to the city in 1969 the club was called the Iowa Oaks.
Sources
- Baseball Reference Bullpen
- Three-I League website by Bill Steinbacher-Kamp
- The Western League by W.C. MaddenW.C. MaddenW.C. Madden is a retired journalist, teacher and author who has written multiple books about baseball, including two about the AAGPBL. He has also written about the Western League and the College World Series...
and Patrick Stewart - Pat Doyle's Professional Baseball Player Database