Baseball and Richmond: A History of the Professional Game, 1884-2000

Early baseball in Richmond, Virginia, was very much about business. The game was a means of promoting Richmond and its various industries and attractions, but it was plagued by instability as a result of competing interests fighting for control of its fortunes in the city and frequent changes in ownership also due to competing interests vying to make a profit in any way they could on the game. As time passed, baseball became more established and eventually found its place in the city. Richmond’s affiliation with baseball, from the years 1884 to 2000, is chronicled in this work. It covers the players and owners, and also comments on the relationship shared by the team and the city. It highlights baseball’s beginnings in Richmond in 1866, the first year of professional baseball in the city in 1884, the revival of the Virginia State League from 1906 to 1914, the Virginia League from 1918 to 1928 and the Eastern League in 1931 and 1932, the Richmond Colts and the Piedmont League in 1931 and 1932, and Richmond’s association with the International League beginning in 1954.