Walter “Judge” McCredie went ahead with the scheduled spring series in California between his Portland Beavers and the Chicago American Giants despite criticism from Pacific Coast League (PCL) President Allan T. Baum and other league executives.
Much of the concern was the result of the Negro League team beating the Beavers four out of five games in the spring of 1913.
The results of the 1914 series were much different. Foster, and most of the rest of the pitching staff were injured, and catcher Bruce Petway missed most of the games with a bad ankle.
The series began in Santa Maria with an 11-inning 8 to 8 tie. “Smokey” Joe Williams, of the New York Lincoln Giants joined Rube Foster’s club for the series. The Beavers pounded him for 14 hits.
“Smokey” Joe Williams
Portland won the second game in Santa Maria 5 to 0. Harry Krause (who would win 22 games for Portland in 1914) shut out the American Giants on eight hits; Lee Wade struck out 9, but allowed 11 hits and took the loss. The Portland Oregonian said Krause’s:
“Southpaw slants and spitballs stood the Negro Giants, of Chicago, on their heads.”
The series moved to Santa Cruz.
Portland beat “Smokey” Joe Williams again in game 3; 6 to 2. The Santa Cruz Evening News said Williams “Had a nice curve, plenty of speed, but was a little wild.” The American Giants loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth, but 19-year-old rookie Elmer Hanson struck out pinch hitter Frank Duncan to end the game.
Watsonville was the site of the fourth, and final, game.
The Santa Cruz Evening News said while McCredie and Foster made the trip together to Watsonville, McCredie asked which pitcher Foster was starting the next day:
“Foster replied that he did not know, as all were ailing, one way or another.
“McCredie suggested that he (Foster) pitch. Foster said that he would pitch if McCredie would play, and an agreement was made.”
McCredie’s last season as a regular was 1909. After playing in 61 games in 1910, he had appeared in just eight games from 1911-1913.
“(McCredie and Foster) appeared on the ball field in uniform and the Portlanders went to bat first, big Foster began to pitch and retired the side…Then it was that McCredie got cold feet.
“He refused to carry out his side of the agreement to play, and all coaxing and teasing and jibes from both teams could not feaze him.”
Foster pitched five innings of one-hit ball, but in the sixth “Fatty weakened and Portland scored four runs.”
Rube Foster
After the final game The Oregonian said:
“Perhaps it was taking unfair advantage, but in the recent Beaver-Negro series the Portland Coasters knew in advance nearly everything the twirlers tossed up the plate.
“(James) Hi West and (Irv) Higginbotham were out on the coaching line every game stealing the catcher’s signs.”
The American Giants salvaged their West Coast trip in their series against Nick Williams’ Portland Colts. They won the opener on March 28 in Santa Rosa 6 to 0 behind a “Smokey” Joe Williams no-hitter. Williams struck out nine of Portland’s Northwestern Leaguers. The Oregonian said:
“Williams, a tall, rakish looking mulatto (Williams’ mother was a member of the Comanche nation) set the Colts down without a hit or a run.”
The American Giants committed two errors, including one by third baseman Bill Francis. The paper said:
“(Duke) Whitt rolled one infield grounder toward third that might have been construed a safety, but the scorers graciously agreed to swallow race prejudices. It was scored as an error.”
The series then went to Chico, California, and Medford and Grants Pass, Oregon, before finishing in Portland.
The Colts only managed one victory, beating the Giants 9 to 8 in Medford. Although the colts won the game The Oregonian said the highlights were two long home runs hit by American Giants shortstop John Henry “Pop” Lloyd, including “one of the longest hits ever seen on the local field.”
John Henry Lloyd
The American Giants continued the spring tradition of traveling west to play Portland teams through the 1916 season.
Walter “Judge” McCredie later created some doubt that playing Foster’s team was simply a business relationship and not an expression of his opinion of the color line in baseball. When he was criticised by PCL executives in 1914 he said: “the games are nothing more or less than training affairs.” Later that season his attempt to sign a Hawaiian player of Chinese decent named Lang Akana was thwarted by PCL officials and his own players who threatened to revolt. In 1915 McCredie was quoted in The Chicago Defender:
“I don’t think the color of the skin ought to be a barrier in baseball…If I had my say the Afro-American would be welcome inside the fold. I would like to have two such ball players as Petway and Lloyd of the Chicago Colored Giants who play out here every spring. I think Lloyd is another Hans Wagner around shortstop and Petway is one of the greatest catchers in the world.”
It wouldn’t be until 1917 that a Chinese player would play professional baseball.
Baseball History Daily 