The Largest Single Game Crowds in Amateur BaseballHistory
The Los Angeles Dodgers own several major league attendance
records, including the largestcrowds to ever watch a regular season
game (1958), a World Series game (1959), and an exhibitiongame
(2008). However, until the late 1950s, it was games played at
Clevelands early 20th centuryBrookside Stadium and at two Olympic
sites that drew the largest number of spectators.
Telling's Strollers vs. Hanna's Cleaners, Brookside Stadium,
1914
In 1910, a group of Cleveland business owners formed the
Cleveland Baseball Federation to promoteadult baseball. Their
efforts were highly successful and by the outbreak of the First
World War theOhio City was unofficially recognized as the sandlot
baseball capitol of the world.
In September, 1914 two Cleveland teams, Tellings Strollers and
Hannas Cleaners, met in a threegame series at Brookside Stadium for
the right to advance to the national finals. The teams split
thefirst two games. Prior to the third game, the Cleveland Plain
Dealer announced that the final gamewould draw "the greatest
crowd...ever assembled for any event in Cleveland," predicting that
50,000to 70,000 spectators would attend.
The Plain Dealers estimate may have been conservative. If
post-game reports are to be believed,90,000 to 100,000 watched the
Strollers defeat Hannas Cleaners 8-3. Unfortunately, the actual
sizecould never be accurately determined since admission to the
game was free and no attempt wasmade to make an actual head
count.
Omaha Lexus vs. Clevelands White Autos, Brookside Stadium,
1915
The baseball attendance record lasted only a year. On October
10, 1915, an Omaha team sponsoredby Krug Brewery of that city met a
Cleveland team sponsored by White Motors in the nationalamateur
semi-finals, the winner to advance to San Francisco. The
error-plagued Nebraska nine lostto the Ohio club 11-6 in a game
that the Plain Dealer in a front page story the following day
claimeddrew a crowd of 100,000 to 115,000.
Like the game the year before, the attendance figure was only a
guesstimate. However, photos atthe Library of Congress of the 1914
game and the 1915 contest leave no doubt that the crowds werehuge.
Perhaps, as big as the audiences for two Olympic exhibition games
decades later.
The 1936 Berlin Olympics
In 1936 baseball appeared as an Olympic demonstration sport and
was to originally feature a gamepitting the United States against
Japan. However when the Asian team withdrew, a substitute gamewas
arranged between two American squads called the World Champions and
the U.S. Olympics.The two teams were organized by former major
league player Les Mann.
On August 12 the teams met in a seven inning game in front of
more than 90,000 spectators inBerlins Olympic Stadium. The World
Champions won the game 6-5 when Les McNeese hit a walk offhome in
the bottom of the final inning.
The 1956 Melbourne Olympics
Baseball was revived as a demonstration sport two decades later
when the Australian organizers ofthe games suggested a contest
between a U.S. team and one made up of Australian players. For
theAmerican team, promoter Bill Schroeder decided to choose
military personnel who were serving inthe Pacific. The Aussie group
consisted of that nations best players, many of whom also excelled
atcricket.
On December 1, 1956, the teams squared off at the Melbourne
Cricket Ground which also was thevenue for the track and field
events. The Americans prevailed 11-6 in a game shortened to
sixinnings. Although only a few thousand fans were present at the
start of the game, by its end thecrowd had increased to
114,000.
This figure is still the attendance record for a single amateur
baseball contest. Unfortunately, therecord must be accompanied by
an asterisk since most of the 100,000 plus later arrivals had
actuallycome to watch the track events that immediately followed
the game.
Sources: Omaha World-Herald, June 20, 2008Cleveland Plain
Dealer, March 3, 2007Baseball-reference.com
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