By William “Skip” Deegans
In 1924, the Cincinnati Reds baseball team came to southern West Virginia to play exhibition games against local teams in Welch and Hinton. In Welch they played two games against the McDowell County All-Stars. For the Hinton game against the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) team, the Hinton Daily News anticipated 4,000 spectators would attend the game. The Reds brought their regular players who marched from the McCreery Hotel to the ballpark where they beat the local boys 9 to 1. The Hinton boys played a good game that was described as a “corker,” and the Cincinnati players were characterized as the “nicest boys that have played at Hinton this year.”
Although the Cincinnati Reds were paid to play exhibition games, it was financially advantageous for the Reds to play in southern West Virginia. Because of the proximity of Cincinnati to West Virginia and accessibility on the C&O railroad, the Reds had a solid fan base in the state. Moreover, southern West Virginia was a prime region for major and minor league recruits. Nearly every coal town had a team that was partly supported by the coal companies. Uniforms and equipment were commonly supplied by the companies as well as land for a baseball field. In some areas of the state leagues were formed that were one notch below the minor league. Teams were segregated, but would often play each other in exhibition games.
Interest in baseball diminished after World War II. Mechanization in the mines meant fewer men were employed and communities lost population. As television came to West Virginia, local baseball lost its standing as West Virginia’s favorite past time.
Sources: Hinton Daily News, West Virginia Public Broadcasting Service.
