Lincoln Stars (baseball) - Founding and Inaugural Season

Founding and Inaugural Season

In 1914, Jess and Ed McMahon, brothers who had previously founded the Lincoln Giants, formed the Lincoln Stars. In the team's first summer, its roster included second baseman William Parks, left fielder Jap Payne, power-hitting first baseman Bill Pettus, and catcher Bill Pierce.

In the fall of 1914, the Lincoln Stars toured Cuba. A number of players were recruited from the Lincoln Giants, including manager and center fielder Spottswood Poles, pitchers Dick Redding and Dizzy Dismukes, catcher Louis Santop, and left fielder Jules Thomas. In 14 games played against Habana and Almendares between October 9 and November 2, the Stars won 4, lost 9, and tied 1. Researcher Gary Ashwill has tabulated complete statistics for 13 of the 14 games. In a pitching-dominated series, the Stars' top hitters in these games were Poles, who hit .313, and Santop, who hit .289. Redding had 2 wins and 3 losses with a 2.59 total run average and 32 hits, 17 walks, and 27 strikeouts in 48⅔ innings pitched. Both of Redding's wins were shutouts—a 4-hit, 1–0 victory over Habana on October 15 and a 3-hit, 3–0 win over the same team on October 19.