Regional Baseball Matches and Leagues – Eirball.org – Baseball and Softball in Ireland Statistics Archive

Report

A U.S. County Court Judge, Arthur O’Dea, whose grandparents were from Woodford, Co. Galway, arranged the first ever exhibition match of Baseball in Galway in August 1970. The match took place at Parkmore, Tuam, and involved teenagers from the locality, some of whom picked up the game fairly quickly. The Judge had hoped to have set up a League by the time he travelled back to Berger County, New Jersey, where he was from.

He left a set of Baseball bats with the Christian Brothers in Tuam and by September the boys in the Youth Club were playing regularly. He had also hoped to organise a match in New Jersey the following year between Irish and American teams, and had promised the boys if they were championship standard he would bring them to the United States in 1971 for the match.

References:

Sources:

[1] Anon. (1970) “The Judge socks it to them!” Evening Herald. Tuesday, August 18, 1970. pg. 18

[2] Anon. (1970) “U.S. judge brings Baseball to Galway”. Tuam Herald. Saturday, August 15, 1970. pg. 1.

[3] Anon. (1970) “Tuam Youth Club”. Tuam Herald. Saturday, September 19, 1970. pg. 6.

Result

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	World Series 1903
1903	Lennons (Illinois)	18	Whytes (Indiana)	1
	Re-enactment 2003
06.2003	Lennons	3	Whytes	12

Baseball Ireland World Series (1903) Re-enactment 2003 [Ref: 1]

Report

South Roscommon witnessed its first ever game of Baseball in June 2003, on the 100th Anniversary of the World Series of 1903 between the Lennons of Joliet, Illinois and the Whytes of Indiana. The Amateur World Series was won by the Lennons by a score of 18-1, a feat which was acknowledged by the baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, New York in 1963.

The re-enactment was played behind the Heritage Centre in Drum, Co. Roscommon, featuring family members of the original Whytes and Lennons teams, and didn’t go according to script, with the Whytes regaining some family pride with a 12-3 victory.

Tony Whyte was manager of both teams, and the large attendance were not put out by the Final score, enjoying the game and occasion, despite the Irish contingent not knowing the finer points of the rules like their American counterparts, who were large in numbers.

The Lennons were 1-0 up after the first innings, but the tactically superior Whytes were 9-1 up going into the fourth, but the Lennons were still hopeful of victory, and introduced two substitutesfrom the USA: Jonathan Burke from Boston and Brian Lennon from California. However, Mark Lennon’s impressive Home Run in the fourth was not enough as they were 12-3 down going into the closing stages, and failed to score in their final innings. [Ref: 1]

Baseball World Series (1903) Reenactment 2003 – Whytes and Lennons Line Up for Match [Ref: 1] Picture: P. Devanny

Teams

Lennons	Whytes
Adrian Hughes Lennon	Adrian Millen
James Lennon	Tom Seerey
Eamon Lennon	Mark Whyte
Adrian Lennon	Darra Egan
Brian Lennon	Owen McManus
David Lennon	Tony Whyte
Mark Lennon	Edward Egan
Alan Hughes Lennon	Seamus McManus
Pascal Lennon	Scott Kahler
Cathal Lennon	Romy Currid
Robert Lennon
Sub: Jonathan Burke
Sub: Brian Lennon

Baseball Ireland World Series (1903) Re-enactment 2003 teams [Ref: 1]

Officials

Chief Umpire	Ed Burke (USA)
Commentator	Harold Lynan Webber
Presenter of Medals	Fr. Ray Milton

Baseball World Series (1903) Re-enactment 2003 Officials [Ref: 1]

References

Newspapers

[1] Coyne, Declan (2003) “Historic Baseball Game didn’t go according to script as the Whyte’s out-run the Lennons!” Roscommon Champion. Friday, June 27, 2003. pg. 29