Early Cuyahoga Falls Baseball

Baseball was the first organized athletic activity promoted in Cuyahoga Falls. Beginning in the 1870s, nearly every community had a town baseball team and was very active as a part of each community, and exerted community pride.

The Cuyahoga Falls baseball team was known as the “Suburba’s” and their home field was in back of the houses on the southwest corner of Broad Blvd. and Allen Street (now Sixth Street). Broad Blvd ended where 7th Street is today and west of that was all farmland.

Cherry Lane, located in back of the homes on the south side of Broad Boulevard, ran from Allen Street (Sixth) to Duncan’s sandbank. The sandbank was located on the north side of present Broad Boulevard between what is today 12th and 13th Streets.

The ballpark had a grandstand behind home plate. The entrance was over Cherry Lane from Allen Street. There were also bleachers at first and third bases with a fence along the east and north sides of the field from the grandstand out three hundred feet.

Storky Edafelt, the home team’s star pitcher, was a legend in his own time and our team was highly respected in all district baseball circles.

The Falls High School also had a baseball team and used the same field. Although they were not known as “Black Tigers” at that time they did have black uniforms.

Suburbra Park was removed in 1916 for home development and the Cuyahoga Falls community grew. With the field gone the baseball team disbanded.

Jim Brodie an old Suburbra star third baseman organized the Falls Majestics in 1928. Jim owned a home appliance store on Front Street and sold Majestic Radios. Jim built a grandstand on Harrington Field on the west side of Oakwood Drive just north of Roosevelt Avenue. The team played outstanding baseball.

Zoning regulations caused him to move his field to the southeast corner of Bailey Road and Treap Street on the far east side of the Falls.

Jim brought some baseball players up here from Georgia to strengthen his team, then the depression caused him to go out of business in 1935, and the team disbanded.

Another local baseball team of the early 1900′s was not a Cuyahoga Falls team but played their home games within the present boundaries of the city. They were the “Underhill Reds.”

Made up of Portage and Northampton Township men, they played in George Babb’s pasture that today would be the southwest corner of Sackett Avenue and 20th Street where McDonald’s is located today.

During that time, 20th Street was then the west corporation line of Cuyahoga Falls as well as the west line of Walter Adam’s farm. Along the fence line were blemished sewer pipes piled up for about 500 feet belonging to the Camp Brothers company. The pasture used for baseball was lower than Sackett Street with the home plate about 400 feet south of Sackett and 300 feet west of corporation line.

The “Underhill Reds” were a top flight baseball team and had a large following. The game attendance was large enough to eat up two half bushels of bagged popcorn and two half bushels of bagged peanuts. Eric Thompson and Bob Medkeff sold the popcorn and peanuts to the crowds.

One of the novelties of the team was the bat used by Franz Zizick. He cut down a hickory tree and made his own bat on his lathe.

Over the years Cuyahoga Falls has had many baseball teams in many age groups and classes, with many having outstanding records. Several Falls boys have signed big league contracts. Some of these boys in the past are Dain Clay, Randy Richards, and Jimmy Sams.

Half a baseball field was adopted for playing size with a six inch out seam mush ball adopted for play. It was rightfully labeled a finger breaker. National rules for softball were established in 1930.

The league made up of service clubs, churches, business sponsored teams and the local fireman who played on the Falls High Athletic field on Thomas Court and thrived during the depression days while furnishing free entertainment for large crowds.

Today there is more opportunity for boys, girls and adults to play ball in Cuyahoga Falls than the most enthusiastic baseball bugs could have ever hoped for.

Adapted from an article written by Eric Thompson. Cuyahoga Falls Photos are used with permission of the Cuyahoga Falls Library, Local History Room.

And for those of you that are interested, the 1884 baseball rules: 

By 1884 rules, any ball that lands in foul territory and bounces into fair territory is still in play. 

Some other 1884 rules are listed below:

THE FIELD AND EQUIPMENT

* The ball to be furnished by home team, and to be given to winning club

* On the appeal of either captain, a new ball may be called for if the one in play is out of shape, or cut so badly as to expose yarn.

* Bats must be of wood, up to 2.5 inches in diameter, up to 42 inches long

FIELD MANNERS

* The batting side is to remain seated on bench except batters and runners. Two players after batter must have bat in hand.

* Substitutes may be used only in event of illness or injury, with the permission of the opposing captain. We recommend leniency regarding injuries, real or feigned.

* Pitcher to be fined from ten to fifty dollars if umpire deems him to be throwing at batter intentionally.

THE UMPIRE

* Only captain and his assistant may address the umpire regarding points of play for any reason. Violators to be fined five dollars.

* Any person insulting the umpire (player or spectator) must be promptly ejected.

* “The umpire shall not reverse his decision on any point of play upon the testimony of any player engaged in the game, or upon the testimony of any bystander.”

* Umpire is particularly encouraged to fine players for loafing while taking the field, for failing to keep bats in racks, straying from bench, for intentionally distracting fielders, using indecent or improper language to any person.

[ The 1884 fines are strictly enforced and donated to a mutually agreed upon charity.]

PITCHING AND BATTING

* Batters may call for a high ball or a low ball.

* Foul balls are not counted as strikes.

* Foul balls caught off rebound from any object are not outs.

* Batter is entitled to take first base after six balls – provided he does it on the run. He may be thrown out if he walks to base. The same is true of runners forced to other bases on a walk, or moving forward on a balk. They have free passage only if they run.