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In August 1893, the Federal Prison Baseball League at Leavenworth signed willing recruits in preparation for a game against the Eagle team of the City League. The game was organized as an attraction for the residents who enjoyed watching inmates play ball. Members of the St. Louis Federal club spent several hours practicing with the convicts under the guidance of the club’s physician who was a prisoners at Leavenworth some years back. “Give us a team that was sentenced just two days ago and we’ll transform them into the best on the field here or anywhere,” the St. Louis coach told a reporter for the Kansas City Times. “You’ll have an appreciative bleacher crowd,” the coach added about the residents expected to come to the game. “Some of these players are better than any big leaguer ever seen.” The Leavenworth prison team beat the Eagles seven runs to three.
To learn more about prisoners who played baseball read The Death Row All Stars: A Story of Baseball Corruption and Murder.
