Gus Munch in Chicago, 1907 - Picture Series Part II

Gus Munch, center, pitched for amateur clubs in St. Paul and had a brief stint with the St. Paul Saints before he became a member of the 1897 Fargo Divorcees. Munch went on to pitch several years for amateur teams in the Chicago area throughout the first decade of the 20th Century. 

SDN-052551, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago History Museum.

Munch pitched primarily for the Chicago West Ends amateur team in the early 1900s. In this 1906 photo, Munch is pictured below wearing a dark shirt, along with teammates with the West Ends emblem on their shirts. He is the fourth man from the left. 

SDN-051940, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago History Museum.

Former Fargo Pitcher Gus Munch Dies at Age 87 - 8/31/1963

See more about the baseball career of Gus Munch here. His career path was unlike any other player of the 1897 Red River Valley League.

Sporting News, August 31, 1963

On This Date: Four Pitchers and No Luck

July 9, 1897 

True to form, the Divorcees returned to their familiar offensive funk in game three of their series against Grand Forks. The club managed just four singles against the Senators starter Hoar. With that performance, Gus Munch’s chances were doomed from the start, but the Fargo lefty was not sharp anyway and asked to be removed after surrendering four runs in the third inning. Fargo would use three more men to pitch before the game was done, including position players John Murphy and Bill Zink. The GFPD observed “Four of Fargo’s pitchers were killed and over the grisly corpses Grand Forks piled eleven runs and hits innumerable…” (July 10) The use of four pitchers in a nine inning game was exceptionally rare during this era of baseball and shows just how disastrous the outing was for the Divorcees. As a result of the ever-changing lineup, Deacon Phillippe found himself called upon to play left field later in the game. The Fargo defense did not help matters by committing seven errors, but homeruns from Joe Marshall and catcher Jake Bouchert were more than enough to lift Grand Forks to an 11-0 victory. All things considered, the final score could have been much worse.

116 Years Ago Today

The F-M Redhawks of the American Association just completed a 6-3 comeback win against the rival Winnipeg Goldeyes on a 9th inning grand slam from Jeremiah Piepkorn. The win keeps the Redhawks in first place in their division, as they seek another playoff appearance.

The Fargo Divorcees were in a much different situation 116 years ago today. Despite a great pitching performance from Gus Munch, Fargo fell to rival Moorhead 4-2 in 16 innings. Postseason hopes were non-existent for the 1897 squad, not only because of their poor record, but because the Red River Valley League had folded just days earlier.

Fargo baseball fans should be grateful for the relative stability of the minor leagues of today.

Metaphorically Speaking

The baseball accounts from the dead-ball era were often unusually and excessively descriptive. The writing certainly played an important role regarding perceptions of baseball in an era before radio and television. The newspaper descriptions about the games of the Red River Valley League are a key piece in understanding the flavor of the league. Here are some of the more entertaining gems:

During the summer of 1897, several pitchers who struggled to control their pitches were deemed to be "as wild as a March hare" by the Sunday Argus. Among the out of control rabbits were Wahpeton-Breckenridge's Ollie Berg, Grand Forks pitcher Charlie Hutton, and Fargo's Gus Munch. On a separate occasion, during a particularly poor weather day in which Ollie Berg surrendered 15 runs, the weather was described as "being as wild and wooly as Berg's delivery."*

Solid pitching performances elicited even richer descriptions. Deacon Phillippe was credited for being "as steady as a clock" in a game in late June. Wahpeton-Breckenridge pitcher O'Donnell's alertness in a game in late May caused The Moorhead Independent to credit him for watching base runners "like a hungry hyena".** Moorhead's Pike Mullaney was complimented for a start in which he "shot the ball over the plate with Denzer-like steam," a reference pitcher Roger Denzer, who threw for the St. Paul Saints and Chicago Colts in 1897.*** Moorhead's other ace, Bob Brush, pitched an impressive game allowing hits and runs "as scarce as mosquitoes in January."**** Perhaps the most creative embellishment of a pitcher's dominance came courtesy of the Sunday Argus. The paper remarked that Pike Mullaney's pitching against the Wahpeton-Breckenridge club "had the Methodists feeling around as aimlessly as pedestrians trying to escape the Fargo street sweeper, or huge cats from whose muzzles the whiskers had been cleanly shaven."*****

*The Moorhead Independent June 11, 1897
**Independent May 28, 1897
***Independent June 25, 1897
****Independent June 11, 1897
*****Sunday Argus May 30, 1897

On This Date: Lucky 13 for Munch; Phillippe Hit Hard in Loss

Sept. 6, 1897 - Gus Munch took the mound for the Brainerd, MN team as they hosted Staples, MN. In a 9-5 Brainerd win, the crafty young lefty allowed just three hits and struck out an impressive 13.

In Indianapolis, the Minneapolis Millers faced a tough test in a doubleheader against the first place Indians. After being blown out in the first game 14-1, the Millers hoped their luck would turn with Deacon Phillippe on the mound in game two. It was not to be, as Phillippe surrendered 16 hits, and the defense behind him committed eight errors. The Indianapolis club scored just six earned runs, but Phillippe put an additional five men on base with walks. Being swept in the doubleheader by a combined score of 30-6, Minneapolis fell to a record of 40-84.

St. Paul Globe Sept. 7, 1897 p.5 "Munch's Good Record"; "Millers Drop Two"

Player Profile: Gus Munch

Gustave E. “Gus” Munch made his Fargo debut on July 8, 1896 in an 8-7 ten inning loss against Crookston. The young left-hander went eight innings in the box for the Fargo club, giving way to manager/pitcher Lee Roberts, who pitched the final two innings. Despite giving up three runs in the eighth inning, Munch left the game with his team ahead 7-6, having struck out an impressive twelve Crookston players. The Crookston club scored once in the ninth to tie the score, and Ignatius Comiskey scored the game winning run after leading off the tenth inning, as he reached home on a triple and a throwing error.

The 1896 season was the beginning of a long career for Munch in professional, semi-pro, and amateur baseball in the Midwest. Leading up to the 1897 season, Munch was considered among the best young talent in the St. Paul area. The St. Paul Globe touted him as a “robust young fellow, with plenty of speed and good curves, and …a disposition to play ball.” (3-28-97)  He began the season with the St. Paul Saints of the Western League, pitching well in an exhibition win in mid-April. With this impressive performance, the fans were anxious to see the talented twirler make his regular season debut against the Minneapolis Millers on May 16. It was not a happy ending for Munch or the 5,500 home fans in attendance, as the Saints were pummeled 16-5. Munch was hit hard by the Millers, but didn’t receive any help from his defense, which committed an atrocious 11 errors. Despite only allowing five earned runs, the St. Paul Globe still was not convinced that Munch was ready to compete against the talent of Western League.

Munch’s poor debut for the Saints meant more seasoning in the Red River Valley League, and the beneficiary was the Fargo club. Munch made his 1897 debut for the Divorcees on June 4, facing the Grand Forks Senators in Fargo’s home opener. He pitched well, striking out nine men and allowing just eight hits, but the Senators’ F. W. Harris (a.k.a. Myers) was the better pitcher on that cold Friday afternoon in Fargo. Harris walked seven, and the Senators committed five errors, but Harris surrendered only two hits in the 4-2 Grand Forks win.

Munch pitched the remainder of the season with Fargo, and after the RRVL disbanded, he bounced around the region playing for town teams. On September 6, he was in the box for Brainerd, MN in a contest against Staples, MN. Munch was impressive and struck out 13 in his team’s win.  Later that month, Munch led the West Superior, WI amateurs to the interstate championship against the club from Marquette, MI. Impressively, the young lefty pitched complete games on both Saturday and Sunday in front of 3,000 excited fans.

Throughout the next decade, Munch played mainly for amateur teams in the Upper Midwest, including clubs from his home town of Chicago. Showing immense talent as a crafty left-handed pitcher, Munch’s best pitch was his curveball, and he also had a solid fastball and respectable changeup in his pitching repertoire. His deceptive sidearm delivery further fooled batters, who struck out against Munch often. He likely would have made the major leagues if he had devoted himself to baseball full-time. Instead, Munch was more satisfied with his job at a street lighting company in Maywood, IL. In 1900, he was treasurer of the company, and would eventually become its president. Seemingly not wanting to be tied to a contract with any single baseball club, Munch instead rented out his services to the highest bidder.

Munch became a coveted commodity for any club wanting to beef up its roster for a big game or series. This led him to appearances with amateur, semi-pro, and professional clubs in St. Paul, Chicago, Davenport, IA, Minneapolis, and Springfield, IL. During this stretch, Munch flirted with the idea of playing major league baseball, drawing strong interest from ­­­the New York Highlanders of the American League and their manager Clark Griffith. Though he never appeared in a major league game, Munch became part of a series in 1907 in Chicago that drew great interest in that city and beyond. Interestingly, his greatest moments in baseball would result from the dominance of Chicago’s talented all-black team, the Leland Giants.

Throughout the summer of 1907, the Leland Giants had dominated all competition in Chicago, leading the team to look for a more challenging opponent. As a result, a group of “All-Professionals” from the Chicago area was assembled by former major leaguers “Turkey” Mike Donlin and Jimmy Callahan. The select group of ballplayers would play a seven game series against the best team in the city not named the Cubs or White Sox. Negro League innovator Rube Foster was the star of the series, which went to the Giants four games to two. Foster was on the mound for all four of his team’s wins, pitching four complete games while allowing just seven runs to the All-Professionals. Though he didn’t face Foster head-to-head, Gus Munch pitched brilliantly in the two victories by the All-Professionals. In game two of the series, Munch scattered seven hits in a complete game win, 6-2. In that game, he picked off two runners, demonstrating another deceptive piece in his collection of pitching tricks. In game five, Munch was even more dominant, surrendering just two hits and striking out seven Giants in a 3-1 win. Despite Munch’s efforts, Rube Foster's Leland Giants became the “undisputed champions of Chicago” (p.115)

Fargo Forum and Daily Republican

July 3, 1896 “At the Ball Park” p. 8

July 9, 1896 “Played Ten Innings” p. 4

St. Paul Globe

February 14, 1897 p.9 “Drafting Local Ball Talent”

March 28, 1897 p. 8 “ ‘Commy’ Has Signed Munch – The ‘Packers’ Star Pitcher of a Year or So Ago”

May 17, 1897 p. 5

Sept. 7, 1897 p. 5 “Munch’s Good Record”

Sept. 28, 1897 p. 5 “Munch Was the Twirler”

The Sporting News

May 8, 1897

May 22, 1897 p.3

Andrew “Rube” Foster: A Harvest on Freedom’s Fields by Phil S. Dixon. p.109, 114-116

On This Date: Munch Shuts Down Moorhead

August 5, 1897 - Left-hander Gus Munch held Moorhead to just four hits and one run and struck out eight as the Divorcees stopped a three game skid with a 5-1 win. The Fargo lineup put three runs on the board in the first inning against Moorhead's Ed Jess, sparked by a home run from center fielder Hopkins on the first pitch of the game. Errors by the Barmaids' middle infielders led to two more tallies for Fargo in the first.

A three game weekend series between the crosstown rivals would wrap up the season for Fargo, Moorhead, and the now defunct Red River Valley League.

Fargo Forum and Daily Republican August 6, 1897 "The Wind-Up" p.4

On This Date: Munch Battles Jess for 16 Innings

Monday, August 2, 1897 - Despite Josh Reilly's erratic play, which ultimately meant the end of his career in Fargo, the Divorcees played well against the recent league champions from Moorhead. After three innings, the two teams were tied 2-2, but it would require thirteen additional innings to break the deadlock. For Fargo, Gus Munch started and pitched the entire sixteen innings, scattering nine hits and allowing four runs, just one of which was earned. Ed Jess was the marathon twirler for Moorhead, also going the distance, allowing eight hits and two runs, with neither run earned. Former Fargo outfielder Charles Jahnke helped break the tie in the sixteenth, doubling off Munch, moving to third on a sacrifice, and scoring on a Jack Page triple. Page later scored on an error by Fargo shortstop Bill Zink, one of four the husky Iowan made on the day. The contest was an exciting opener for the new version of the Red River Valley League.
 
Also on August 2, the Grand Forks Senators expected to host the Wahpeton-Breckenridge team, now set to be sponsored by the city of Crookston, MN. Manager Ed Corbett telegraphed the Senators in the morning, indicating he would not be able to have his team in Grand Forks to play the opening game until Tuesday afternoon. Though the series was scheduled to begin Monday, the W-B team's transfer apparently was not yet completed. To make up for lost time, the two teams would play a doubleheader Wednesday.

In other news, Lee Roberts was scheduled to return to pitch for the Fargo team August 4 or 5.


Fargo Forum and Daily Republican August 2, 1897 p.4 "Notes"; August 3, 1897 p.4 "Stuff Is Off" and "Sixteen Innings - 4 to 2"

On This Date: Munch Mows Down Moorhead

July 11, 1897 - Gus Munch held the Barmaids to just four hits and Peaceful Valley Brown stole two bases and scored twice as the Divorcees took a 6-1 exhibition win. Moorhead had Charles Lamont on the mound, and he struggled, walking five and uncorking three wild pitches before he was removed in favor of Andy Anderson after just two innings of work. Surprisingly, despite Lamont's wildness, Fargo managed just two runs in the first two innings. The Barmaids, who started former Divorcee Charles Jahnke in center field, were also sloppy in the field. The team had seven defensive miscues, led by Bob Brush's three errors at second base.

Interestingly, Bob Brush would be the only Moorhead player from the 1897 team to ever play in the major leagues. He appeared in two games for the Boston Doves of the National League in 1907, going hit-less in two at bats. The Doves finished 47 games behind the Chicago Cubs, who won 107 games and swept the Detroit Tigers four games to none in the World Series. That same year, thirty-five year old Charles Deacon Phillippe won 14 games for the second place Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League, who finished 17 games behind the Cubs.

Fargo Forum and Daily Republican July 12, 1897 p.4