The very first National Association game was played at the lavishingly-named
The Grand Duchess in Fort Wayne, Indiana on May 1, 1871. The Cleveland Forest Citys beat the home club, 2-0 -- and set the stage for decades of disappointment in the town once named Kekionga (or, in the language of the Miami tribe, "blackberry bush"). The Keks (pronounced "Keeks") came in eighth that first season...which would be their best finish for
14 years! The very name "Kekionga" became a by-word for "last place", as Fort Wayne finished in the NA cellar eleven times in 13 years (luckily, there was no relegation in those days!).
Things improved by 1885, when Fort Wayne had their first winning record, and in 1888-90, the Keks made three straight Cup appearances, gaining the semifinals in 1888 and '89. In 1891, their record of 70-50 and third-place finish were both the best in club history. In the first round, Fort Wayne proceeded to knock off the Atlantic club of Brooklyn, two games to one, with Roger Connor taking MVP honours.
In the semifinals, though, the National club of Washington took two of the first three games of the best-of-five, and it looked like the Fort Wayne dream would die in the second round yet again. But Alex Voss tossed a four-hit shoutout in Game 4 as the Keks edged the Nats, 1-0, on Lave Cross' RBI single in the eighth. And in the decider, Milo Lockwood picked up where Voss had left off, befuddling National batters, shutting them out on seven hits in the first eight innings. Meanwhile, the Kekionga offense ripped Curley Maloney and two change pitchers for 12 hits in a 14-3 mauling, with Arthur Smith socking three doubles and Cross driving in three runs.
Can the loveable losers bring home the Centennial Cup? Stay tuned! (Or, uh...keep reading those newspapers...!)