Indianapolis, IN

From BR Bullpen

Indianapolis (2000 population: 791,926), the state capital of Indiana, is located near the geographic center of the state and is also the seat of Marion County, IN.

It has not been a major league city outside the Negro Leagues since the Indianapolis Hoosiers played in the Federal League in 1914, but the city has a rich baseball history nonetheless. The Indianapolis Clowns and Indianapolis ABCs were legendary teams of the Negro Leagues. The minor league Indianapolis Indians played for years at Bush Stadium (named after major leaguer and Hoosier native Donie Bush), where the movie Eight Men Out was also filmed. They now play at Victory Field, a downtown retro-style park. The Indians were the only team to be a member of the American Association in every season of its second and third incarnations. Indianapolis will likely never again be a major league city though, in spite of being a candidate city for the expansions of 1993 and 1998, due to its proximity to Cincinnati, Ohio and Chicago, Illinois.

The city is also home to the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, the NBA's Indiana Pacers, the Indianapolis 500, and the NCAA Headquarters.

Teams that have played here[edit]

Years Team League Ballpark
1878 Indianapolis Blues National League South Street Park
1884 Indianapolis Hoosiers American Assocation
1885 Indianapolis Hoosiers Western League
1887-1889 Indianapolis Hoosiers National League
1890 Indianapolis Central Inter-State League
1892 Indianapolis Rainmakers Western League Ohio Street Park
1894-1899 Indianapolis Hoosiers Western League
1900 Indianapolis Hoosiers American League Washington Park
1901 Indianapolis Hoosiers Western Association Washington Park
1902-1962 Indianapolis Indians American Association Washington Park (1902-1931)
Perry Stadium/Victory Field (1931-1962)
1913-1919 Indianapolis ABCs Negro Leagues
1913-1914 Indianapolis Hoosiers Federal League Federal League Park
1920-1926, 1931 Indianapolis ABCs Negro National League Washington Park
1932 Indianapolis ABCs Negro Southern League ABCs Field
1933 Indianapolis ABCs Negro National League
1937 Indianapolis Athletics Negro American League ABCs Field
1938-1939 Indianapolis ABCs Negro American League ABCs Field
1940 Indianapolis Crawfords Negro American League ABCs Field
1944-1945 Cincinnati-Indianapolis Clowns Negro American League
1946-1950 Indianapolis Clowns Negro American League Victory Field
1963 Indianapolis Indians International League Victory Field
1964-1968 Indianapolis Indians Pacific Coast League Victory Field/Bush Stadium
1969-1997 Indianapolis Indians American Association Bush Stadium (1969-1996);
Victory Field (1996-1997)
1998-2019 Indianapolis Indians International League Victory Field
2021 Indianapolis Indians Triple-A East Victory Field
2022- Indianapolis Indians International League Victory Field
In 1942, the ballpark originally called Perry Stadium was renamed Victory Field. In 1967, it was renamed Owen Bush Stadium.
In 1997, the Indians moved into a new park, Victory Field, which was also the name of their previous home from 1942 to 1967.

Persons who were born here[edit]

Persons who died here[edit]

Players buried in Indianapolis[edit]

Crown Hill Cemetery[edit]

Floral Park Cemetery[edit]

Holy Cross Cemetery[edit]

Memorial Park Cemetery[edit]

Oaklawn Memorial Gardens[edit]

St. Joseph Cemetery[edit]

Washington Park East Cemetery[edit]

Educational institutions located here[edit]

Further Reading[edit]

  • Anthony Castrovince: "6 cities that nearly landed an MLB team", mlb.com, January 9, 2022. [1]
  • W.C. Madden: Baseball in Indianapolis, Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, SC, 2003. ISBN 9780738523101
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