1908 Honolulu League: The Saints stumble

In this post I'll give a game-by-game account of the 1908 Honolulu League and recount some of its statistics at the end, just as I did for the 1907 Honolulu League. 

A little information about the league: The Honolulu League consisted of four teams; three, the St. Louis Saints, Kamehameha, Punahou, were alumni teams of Honolulu prep schools. The fourth was Diamond Head, an athletic club, nicknamed the Jewels. The league played doubleheaders every Saturday at the League Grounds in Honolulu. Its season was typically divided into two nine-game halves. 

The 1908 Honolulu League opened its season May 3rd. The great star Barney Joy was back with the St. Louis Saints after his season with San Francisco, the doubleheader was well-played, and the crowd was by all reports large and appreciative. 

"The crowd was an enthusiastic one, particularly in the makai bleachers. All the old fans and rooters were on deck and many new ones."

And this is how they rooted:

Advertiser, 1908-5-03, p.3.

But those who cheered for the St. Louis Saints, reigning champions of the Honolulu League, must have been sorely disappointed on opening day. The Punahous, the worst team in the league in 1907, shut out the Saints 4-0 on the strength of Bill Hampton's pitching. 

The Saints had recovered their great star Barney Joy, who instead of signing with the National League's Boston Doves, who owned him, demanded a contract too great for him and elected to stay home in Hawaii but that stroke of luck would avail them nothing if his teammates could not hit. 

Strangely, Joy, who had won 17 games the previous year for the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League, did not pitch on opening day, and would not pitch in a league game until the second half of the season. Jimmy Williams, who had not pitched in the League since 1906, pitched in his stead on opening day; he did well but the Saints' defense was poor behind him. The only bright spot of the game for the Saints came in the fourth; their star left fielder En Sue threw out Jack Kia at the plate, who had been trying to stretch a triple into a home run.

Evers, who had played shortstop so beautifully for the Saints in 1907, was now playing with the Diamond Heads. The Jewels had also retained their captain and shortstop from last year, Eddie Fernandez, who in 1907 hit .328 and was probably the best player in the league. Fernandez, who was a better slugger than fielder, moved over to first base to make room for Evers. Akoni Louis, the Saints' right fielder, and Joe Fernandez, the Saints' left fielder, also signed with the Jewels. 

Bolstered by the former Saints, and having retained all their stars from 1907, the Diamond Heads began their season by beating Kamehameha 5-3. Eddie Fernandez "did some mighty good base-running and handled his team well. Evers, at short, put up a crack game and made some beautiful stops."

Sadly, I have no illustrations with which to spice this account of the 1908 season. The Honolulu Advertiser's cartoonist who had enlivened the sports pages with his work in 1907 was gone. At the same time the Advertiser ceased to publish pictures of Honolulu League players. A great loss.

On May 9th the Punahous and Diamond Heads won again. For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. The Advertiser had predicted a day before that a big crowd was looked for, but it was a sparse crowd that saw the afternoon's interesting games. 

The Punahous scored two runs in the first inning off Kamehameha's star pitcher Dick Reuter. Reuter gave up just one more hit the rest of the game but the damage was done; Punahou pitcher Bill Hampton limited the Kams to one run and two hits and the Punahous had won again. 

The second game began with a bang when the Diamond Heads scored three runs off Andy Bushnell in the first inning, all unearned. After the first inning Bushnell and Bill Chillingworth traded zeroes to the game's end, and the final score was Diamond Heads 3, St. Louis 0. After having only been shutout once in 1907, the Saints had been shutout in their first two games of the season. They were still a fine-hitting team on paper, but at the plate they were wheat before the pitcher's scythe. 

The Saints' fortunes turned abruptly on May 16; facing Dick Reuter of Kamehameha, who had previously been "pitching grand ball," they scored 14 runs on 13 hits, nine errors, eight stolen bases, and a walk. The Saints themselves played errorless ball, and their pitcher, the eighteen-year-old future major leaguer Johnnie Williams, held the Kams to a scanty two runs and five hits. Barney Joy went 5 for 5. 

In the second game the two undefeated teams, the Diamond Heads and the Punahous, battled. The Diamond Heads scored two runs in the first inning and never looked back, winning by a final score of 3-1. Bill Chillingworth and Bill Hampton both pitched fine games, but the Punahous were weak with men on base. The Jewels' catcher, Sam "Phony" Davis, did his part, giving "perhaps the best exhibition of throwing to bases that has ever been seen in Honolulu."

For a third straight week the Jewels had taken the lead from the start of the game and never relinquished it; they now stood alone in first place with a 3-0 record. 

On May 23, for a second straight week, the Saints and Diamond Heads won. The Saints scored five runs off the previously dominant Punahou pitcher Bill Hampton. Barney Joy continued his torrid hitting by socking two doubles, and Andy Bushnell pitched a fine game. 

The Diamond Heads beat the Kams 8-3 in the second game. For a second straight week Dick Reuter was lit up, giving up ten hits and walking six Jewels. His defense didn't help him out, either, as his shortstop Miller made three errors. Bill Chillingworth "pitched a well nigh perfect game," the former Saints' star Akoni Louis made three hits, and catcher Sam "Phony" Davis threw out four base-runners. 

On May 30 Robert "Clown" Leslie returned to the mound for the Diamond Heads after a few months' absence from Honolulu. He faced the St. Louis Saints and did well, giving up one run on four hits, but his delivery prompted the Saints to badger umpire Bert Bower that Leslie was balking. When Barney Joy told him that in the sixth inning, Bower replied that Leslie was not balking. Barney Joy replied "You're playing," a phrase was which apparently disrespectful because Bower threw Joy out of the game for using it and fined him $5. 

Kamehameha beat Punahou 9-5 in the second game for their first win as Reuter struck out 10 Pun batters. It was a close game until the 7th inning when the Kams scored six runs off Main, a new man who the Puns were trying out. Bill Hampton closed the game with his customary grace, but Main's mediocrity had left the Puns with no chance to win. 

Two home runs - the first of the 1908 season - were hit in the first game of June 6th. Punahou center fielder Jack Kia hit a two-run homer "almost to the cigar sign" in the second inning off Bill Chillingworth, and Diamond Head catcher Sam Davis hit a two-run shot himself in the sixth inning off Bill Hampton, tying the game at 5-5. In the seventh inning Diamond Head starter Bill Chillingworth, who had been pitching a fine game all things considered, was removed in favor of "Clown" Leslie, who blew the game. Leslie allowed only one hit in his three innings of duty but walked six, and the two runs he allowed in the eighth inning meant the ballgame. The Jewels rallied in the ninth but were only able to score one run, and the final score was Punahou 7, Diamond Head 6. It was the Diamond Heads' first loss of the season. 

Evers made a great play at short and Eddie Fernandez "played his usual heady game"; it was not their fault that the Jewels lost in the end. 

The second game of June 6th was a tight, well-played game, won by Kamehameha over St. Louis by the score of 2-1. The Kams scored an unearned run in the first and a second run in the fifth when their right fielder John Fern hit a triple and was driven in by pitcher Dick Reuter. Reuter played a great game all-around, going 2-for-2 at the plate with a stolen base and striking out 13 Saints. 

The Advertiser noted that Kamehameha left-fielder "MacKenzie, champion sprinter of the territory, was there with some phenomenal bursts of speed between bases."

The annual track & field championship of Hawaii was held on March 21, 1908, and MacKenzie had been one of the brightest stars. Running for Kamehameha, he won the 100 yards with a time of 10.2 seconds, and according to the Advertiser tied the world record in the 50 yards with his mark of 5.2 seconds, a record En Sue had previously set. (Running for the Chinese Athletic Club, En Sue finished third in the final having gotten out to a bad start.) McKenzie also jumped 21' 7", and in the Advertiser's eyes had earned the title of "best and most versatile athlete in the Territory, and he is only a boy at that." But he was only a fair baseball player, hitting .179 in 1908, an acceptable but unremarkable batting average for Honolulu League standards. He did lead the league in at-bats, batting 1st or 2nd in every game he played in. 

A number of other Honolulu League players starred in the meet. Oscar Jones, Kamehameha catcher and holder of the island record for the twelve-pound shot put, set a new record for the sixteen-pound shot put by throwing it 38' 6.75". A. Lota, Kamehameha third baseman and pitcher, set a new record in the 120 yard hurdles with a mark of 17.2 seconds. Charlie Lyman and William Desha also competed for Kamehameha in the 100 yards. Kamehameha won the meet by 18 points; only the Y.M.C.A. came close. 

The Diamond Heads were anxious to win June 13th against Kamehameha. Their 5-1 record was just a game ahead of Punahou's 4-2; a second loss could mean sharing first with Punahou, and anything could happen after that. (Kamehameha and St. Louis were both 2-4, practically eliminated from the first half pennant race.)

The start of their game was delayed by an hour due to by the tardiness of some of Kamehameha's players, but the Diamond Heads were not dismayed. They got off to a roaring start, scoring two runs in the first and four in the second. But after that Kam pitcher Dick Reuter settled down and no-hit the Jewels for the rest of the game, and Jewel pitcher Bill Chillingworth fell apart. After having been no-hit by Chillingworth for the first four innings the Kams broke loose. They scored four runs in the fifth, another in the six, and a final two in the eighth to come from behind to win 7-6. They made twelve hits in the last five innings. 

The second game of June 13th was called off by rain - and it was a lucky thing for the Saints, for they were missing En Sue, Jimmy Williams, and catcher Louis Soares. 

The crowd was "better than usual" - an ominous phrase - on June 20th. What there were of the fans watched Diamond Head beat St. Louis 8-6 in the first game. Though Leslie beat the Saints, he "allowed himself to be rattled by the rooters" and walked seven batters. Eddie Fernandez played a spectacular game for the Jewels, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs scored, and flawless play at first.

After having thrown three straight good games, Dick Reuter was practically annihilated in the second game: though he struck out ten batters, Punahou made ten runs and fourteen hits off him. Bill Hampton pitched a fine game, allowing the Kams only one run and four hits, and pulled off some spectacular base running in the ninth inning. 

Hampton hit a harmless ground ball and after running halfway down the first base line turned back, as if in despair. The fielder, thinking his job was done, threw the ball back to the pitcher instead of the first baseman. This accomplished, the heady Hampton turned right around and made first base. The umpire called him safe, and while the Kams argued with the umpire he took second and third base. 

The first half of the season closed on June 27 before an "average crowd." Kamehameha beat St. Louis 3-0 in the first game. After Reuter had been hit so terribly the previous week he was replaced in the box by A. Lota, who scattered seven hits and three walks over nine scoreless innings. The Advertiser suggested that Reuter was benched only to give him a rest now that the Kams had no hope for the first half, not because he was demoted in any way, but I wonder. 

Oliver Jones, Kamehameha's catcher, hit a solo home run "over the left field fence for the longest hit of the season" in the fifth inning. With that he had collected a home run in all three of the Honolulu League seasons I have compiled statistics for, 1906-08, the only player to do so. 

Part of the reason for the Saints falling prostrate before the typically mediocre Lota was that they lacked their customary line-up. "Jimmy Williams, En Sue and Aylett were missing from the ranks of the Saints yesterday. Plada and Markham were given a chance to shine, but their brilliancy isn't known to have affected anyone's eyesight." But the Saints' usual line-up didn't gleam much either; their record for the first half was 2-6. The Advertiser eulogized: "How are the mighty fallen. Poor old Saints!"

As always, the Diamond Heads got off to a great start in the second game, scoring three runs in the first inning against the Punahous. But Bill Hampton blanked them the rest of the way and Leslie, despite striking out 13 Puns, allowed two runs in the fifth and blew the game by allowing another two in the 9th. 

Bill Hampton helped his own cause with his chutzpah: "In the first of the fifth Hampton bluffed his way to first on three balls. There is little of that kind of work done here compared with what happens at a Coast game."

There wasn't very much spirit in the stands apart from the ever-loud Jack Doyle: "Doyle's voice gave out and thereafter a gloom pervaded the bleachers which could be cut with a knife." 

On that cheerful note the first half ended.

The first half's final standings ran as follows:

Diamond Head, 6-3
Punahou, 5-3
Kamehameha, 4-5
St. Louis, 2-6

The second half of the season would not start until September. In the meantime two college teams from west and east, Keio University of Japan and Santa Clara University of California, converged upon Hawaii, and played a series of games with the teams of the Honolulu League dubbed the Triangular Series. The series was a lot more lively than the regular Honolulu League, and I'm planning to write a post on it soon. 

The second half opened on September 5 before a "miserably slim crowd." After two months of games between the visiting teams and miscellaneous combinations of the locals, Honolulu's fans were surfeited with baseball and had no passion left for the League. 

The first game of the doubleheader was not very competitive as Punahou beat Diamond Head 8-1. Many regular players were missing from both line-ups. Alfred Castle, Punahou coach and former Harvard star, pitched for Punahou and struck out seven batters, allowing only five hits and walking none. 

The second game was a great one: Lota of Kamehameha and Barney Joy of the St. Louis Saints matched each other 0-0 until the twelfth inning when the Kams finally scored. Joy, who had only begun pitching again in the Triangular series, gave up just three hits and struck out ten in defeat. The Kams turned three double plays after having turned just one all first half. Lota had picked up where he had left off at the end of the first half - throwing shutouts - and his scoreless streak was now at 21 innings.

His streak would pause there. The Honolulu League would play no more games in 1908; fan interest was dead. The Honolulu League would not begin play in 1909 until August, and then only played a six-game schedule. In 1910 it was superseded by the Oahu League. 

The final standings of 1908:

                          W L RS RA
Punahou             6  3   43  29
Diamond Head   6  4   47  40
Kamehameha     5  5   32  51
St. Louis             2  7   27  29

I'm not sure which team deserved the championship, Diamond Head for winning the first half or Punahou for having the best all-around record. Formerly invincible, St. Louis was the only team to finish below .500. They scored the fewest runs in the league by five, and fourteen of their runs came in a single game.

Even stranger than St. Louis scoring half its season's runs in one game was Diamond Head's dominance in the first inning. They scored fifteen of their forty-seven runs in the first inning. The only game in which they failed to score in the first was that of June 6th.

Statistical notes: 

The 1908 Honolulu League was incredibly pitcher-friendly: the league batting average was a scanty .188, and the league slugging percentage was .247. 

Barney Joy led the league in batting average with a mark of .387, and tied Bill Hampton for the lead in slugging percentage with .452. Bill Hampton just hit .258, but three of his eight hits were triples. 

Eddie Fernandez, Diamond Head first baseman, was the best all-around player, leading the league with 14 hits, 13 runs scored, 16 total bases, and 10 stolen bases. 

Akoni Louis, whom the Jewels had snatched from the Saints, hit .344. 

Nani Lemon hit .257 and led the league with four doubles. The Advertiser said of him on June 7th that "Lemon is the same finished player that he ever was. He seems to improve with age, if anything."

Sam Davis, Diamond Head catcher, hit a homer, a triple, a double, and no singles in thirty at-bats. 

The top ten in batting:
.387, Barney Joy, utility, St. Louis, 12 for 31
.379, Harry Bruns, left field, Punahou, 11 for 29
.378, Eddie Fernandez, 1b, Diamond Head, 14 for 37
.344, Akoni Louis, outfield, Diamond Head, 11 for 32
.281, Olmos, right field, Diamond Head, 9 for 32
,259, George Bruns, utility, St. Louis, 7 for 27
.258, Bill Hampton, p-if, Punahou, 8 for 31
.257, Nani Lemon, center field, Kamehameha, 9 for 35
.250, Evers, shortstop, Diamond Head, 8 for 32
.250, Charles En Sue, left field, St. Louis, 7 for 28

Dick Reuter led the league in losses (5), strikeouts (59), innings (70), games started and games (8), hits (60), runs (51), and complete games (8). In other words, the same categories he led the league in in 1907. His 6.56 RA was the worst by 2.47 of anyone who pitched in more than one game.

His replacement, Lota, set a new league record with his RA of 0.00. 

Bill Hampton of Punahou led the league in wins with 5:  he had a 5-2 record, 2.71 RA, and gave up just 34 hits while striking out 44 batters in 63 innings.

Bob Leslie led the league in walks with 26 but allowed just 16 hits - he only pitched in 33 innings. 

Barney Joy only pitched in one game but because it was an extra-inning game and his team only played nine games, he actually qualified for rate statistics. He led in WHIP, with 0.42. 

The fielding was about the same as 1908; the league average went up a tick, from .918 to .919. The Saints had the highest fielding percentage (.936), just like 1907, but they turned the fewest double plays (2) - they had turned thirteen in 1907. Punahou had the second highest fielding percentage (.925), Kamehameha followed them with .912, and Diamond Head, despite its excellence in batting and pitching, brought up the rear in fielding with a mark of .906. 

Here's a link to the stats I compiled if you're interested: https://1drv.ms/x/c/007874164ce0374a/EXOK7cacst5Eg-m0rEmFTi0BKC6oGyRV__l9JnzNUnnZJg?e=o4fKPW