Federal League

St. Louis Terriers History

By Patrick Mondout

The St. Louis Terriers were a baseball team in the short-lived Federal League of professional baseball from 1914 to 1915. The team played its home games in Handlan's Park.

At a glance... ST. LOUIS TERRIERS Franchise Facts Established 1913 (minor leagues) 1914 Disbanded 1915 Located St. Louis Owners Otto Stifel (1913-1915) E.E. Steininger (1913-1915) Phillip Ball (1914-1915) Lloyd H. Rickart (1915) Year by Year Results W L % 1914  62 89 .411 1915  87 67 .565 Affiliations Federal League (1913-1915) Postseason/Titles FL Titles (0) Nicknames St. Louis Terriers (1914-1915) aka St. Louis Miners (1914) aka St. Louis Brownies (1914) Ballparks Handlan's Park (1914-1915) Top Performances Single-Season Career

The 1914 team was managed by future Hall of Famer Mordecai 'Three Finger' Brown, but finished in last place, 25 games behind Indianapolis. Brown was traded to the Brooklyn franchise, presumably to strengthen the New York-area team that was so important to the struggling league's existence.

The Terriers were involved in the closest pennant race in Major League history in 1915, losing by .001 percentage point to the Chicago Whales on the final day of the season.

As part of the peace settlement with the American and National Leagues, Phil Ball and the other owners of the St. Louis Terriers were allowed to purchase the St. Louis Browns and to keep as many of the Terriers as they saw fit.

Federal League sources/bibliography:
The Federal League of 1914-1915 by Marc Okkonen.
The Formation, Sometimes Absorption and Mostly Inevitable Demise of 18 Professional Baseball Organizations, 1871 to Present by David Pietrusza.
May the Best Team Win: Baseball Economics and Public Policy by Andrew Zimbalist.
Total Baseball: The Ultimate Baseball Encyclopedia by John Thorn, et al.