Chicago Whales

Chicago Whales: (March 8, 1913 - December 22, 1915)

Win-Loss Record: 230-195-6-2 (.538)

Clinched Pennant: October 3, 1915, vs. Pittsburgh Rebels

Ballpark: Weegham Park (April 23, 1914 - October 3, 1915) (18,000)

Team History

Joe Tinker

The Chicago Whales, also known as the Chi-Feds, were the Chicago entry in the Federal League. They began play in 1913 while the circuit was still a minor league. In 1914, Charles Weeghman took over as the team's owner as the Federal League proclaimed itself a third major league.

During their brief existence, the Whales were the league's most successful club, finishing second in 1914 and winning a league title in 1915. Future Hall of Famer Joe Tinker managed the team both seasons, and outfielder Dutch Zwilling was the league's all-time leader in home runs with 29. Other notable Whales players included pitchers Claude Hendrix, Mordecai Brown, and George McConnell.

Beginning in 1914, the Whales played their home games at newly built Weeghman Park, later to be renamed Wrigley Field.

After the 1915 season, the Federal League reached a settlement with major league baseball in response to an antitrust suit. The Federal League ceased operations, but Weeghman was allowed to buy the Chicago Cubs of the National League. Tinker became the Cubs manager in 1916, and many of the team's stars, including Zwilling, Hendrix, Brown, and McConnell, also played for the Cubs, seeing varying degrees of success. The last surviving Whales player was Charlie Pechous, who died in 1980.

Related Sites

• Chicago Tribune coverage of the Whales first game at Weeghman Park

Source

• Peter Filichia: Green Cathedrals: The Ultimate Celebrations of All 273 Major League and Negro League Ballparks Past and Present, Addison Wesley Publishing Company (March 1993)
• Mark S. Sternman: "October 3, 1915: Chicago Whales clinch final Federal League title" SABR
• Robert Peyton Wiggins: The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs: The History of an Outlaw Major League, 1914-1915, McFarland © Jan. 1, 2008

See also:

• 1914 team summary
• 1915 team summary