June 4, 1926
The Daily Journal Capital
Microfilm Roll: MN00270
On this day in Osage country, The Daily Journal Capital published an ad for an upcoming baseball game to take place in Pawhuska.
Baseball was and remains, a favorite sport of the Osage. An article from the Los Angeles Times, “Baseball’s Tribute to the American Indians,” speculates that the sport might have been introduced to American Indians as early as the Lewis and Clark expedition. However, the majority of Indians were most likely taught baseball during the early days of assimilation. Since their involvement, Indians have risen to the top of the baseball world.
John Leonard Roosevelt “Pepper” Martin (Osage), also known as the “Wild horse of the Osage,” born February 29, 1904, became one of these legends in the world of baseball. Martin was born in raised in a poor, farming family. Even as a boy, Martin worked hard to help his family put food on the table. In the little spare time that he had, Martin played baseball, at first in vacant lots, and later on a church ball team as a pitcher. In the 1920s, Martin also gave football a chance and played on the Hominy Indians team, a team that would later become famous for beating the New York Giants in a late December game.
Realizing that baseball was his true passion, Martin joined the professional league in 1924. He first joined the Guthrie team, a division of the Oklahoma State League, but it was not long before the team split apart. From there, Martin went on to play for several other minor league teams including one in Fort Smith, Arkansas. In 1928, Martin was invited to participate in a Cardinals’ training camp, where he would make his first impression on the Cardinals general manager, Branch Rickey.
The fall of 1931, proved to be Martin’s star season. Martin, at the age of 27, played for the Cardinals in the World Series against the Philadelphia Athletics. According to a New York Times article, “Martin had the kind of week that all athletes dream about, but few ever attain.” In the course of the series, Martin “tied a record with 12 hits….and his feet were fleet as he stole five bases on Mickey Cochran, the A’s star catcher.” Furthermore, Martin played a major role in obtaining at least three of the four wins of the Cardinals.
By the time of his retirement in the 1950s, Martin had played a total of sixteen years with the Cardinals and also spent time after the Cardinals playing in the international league for Havana. After his retirement, Martin dedicated his time working as a general manager for several minor league teams and later became involved in law enforcement.
Even today, Osages continue to follow in the footsteps of major leaguers such as Martin. In 2012, Osage little league players, Caleb Bruce and Brandon Mathes, played on the Oklahoma Ravens’ team who not only “won the 13AA division state title for the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA),” but went onto win the 2012 USSSA World Series championship (Ramon-Sauberan).
Morgan M. Guzman
“Baseball!” The Daily Journal-Capital. June 4, 1926 p. 8. Microfilm roll number MN00270. Sequoyah National Research Center, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Further Reading
“Baseball’s Tribute to the American Indians.” L.A. Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/aug/17/sports/sp-indianbaseball17 Date accessed April 9, 2018.
“John L.R. ‘Pepper’ Martin-Oklahoma City, OK.” Waymarking. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMAYAC_John_LR_Pepper_Martin_Oklahoma_City_OK Date accessed April 9, 2018.
King, Norm. “Pepper Martin.” Society for American Baseball Research. https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/81aa707b Date accessed April 9, 2018.
“Pepper Martin is Dead at 61; St. Louis Cardinal Star in 30’s.” New York Times. March 6, 1965, p. 25.
Redwine, Jim. “The Wild Horse of the Osage.” Mt. Vernon Democrat. http://www.mvdemocrat.com/content/wild-horse-osage Date accessed April 9, 2018.
Roman-Sauberan, Jacelle. “Osage Little League Baseball Players Win World Series.” Osage News. http://www.osagenews.org/en/article/2012/11/05/osage-little-league-baseball-players-win-world-series/ Date accessed April 9, 2018.
Stolzenbach, Corey. “Oklahoma’s Pepper Martin Inducted into Cardinals Hall of Fame.” McAlester News-Capital. http://www.mcalesternews.com/sports/oklahoma-s-pepper-martin-inducted-into-cardinals-hall-of-fame/article_9cdcf368-89b2-11e7-ade3-533422c563cc.html Date accessed April 9, 2018.
