Professional baseball graced downtown Waco in the form of Katy Park, in the block south of the current day Silos at Magnolia. Originally built in 1889, Katy Park hosted a Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate, the Baylor Bears, the Texas League champion Waco Navigators, a few independent teams and a host of Major League exhibition games.
Some of the notable games included:
In addition, Katy park also hosted
IN 1947, the Waco Dons featured Monty Stratton, a one-legged pitcher. Monty was an MLB level pitcher before losing his leg in a hunting accident. Monty famously threw a shutout in 1947 against the Paris Red Peppers. He would even run the bases while a batboy kept track of his wooden leg.
In 1953, Katy Park was destroyed by the Waco Tornado and not rebuilt. Today, Chip and Joanna Gaines have memorialized Katy Park and it has been reborn as a whiffle ball field at the Magnolia complex.
Sources and more info:
https://wacohistory.org/items/show/111
http://digitalballparks.com/Texas/Waco5.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katy_Park
On a side note: When I was at Baylor, my roommate and I lived in the apartments next to the FBC parking lot. We spent alot of summer nights hitting pop flies to each other on this field never knowing we were playing where Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe Lewis and Teddy Roosevelt stood.
Some of the notable games included:
- Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig led the 1929 Yankees against the Chicago Cubs in an exhibition game. There were so many people that officials let 1000 fans stand in right field where Babe Ruth would hit a double. Fans had to help recover the ball. During the game, Babe signed autographs while standing near the fans.
- The Detroit Tigers defeated the Waco Cubs
- The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Waco Cubs
- The Negro League Kansas City Monarchs played the Waco Black Cardinals in one of the first night games in Waco.
- In 1930, Gene Rye set a professional baseball record that stands to this day by hitting 3 home runs in the same inning including a solo, a two-run home run, and a grand slam.
In addition, Katy park also hosted
- a visit and speech by Teddy Roosevelt
- spring training for the 1912 Chicago White Sox
- a Joe Lewis pro boxing exhibition match - incidentally, Joe Lewis announced his retirement in Waco just before the match
IN 1947, the Waco Dons featured Monty Stratton, a one-legged pitcher. Monty was an MLB level pitcher before losing his leg in a hunting accident. Monty famously threw a shutout in 1947 against the Paris Red Peppers. He would even run the bases while a batboy kept track of his wooden leg.
In 1953, Katy Park was destroyed by the Waco Tornado and not rebuilt. Today, Chip and Joanna Gaines have memorialized Katy Park and it has been reborn as a whiffle ball field at the Magnolia complex.
Sources and more info:
https://wacohistory.org/items/show/111
http://digitalballparks.com/Texas/Waco5.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katy_Park
On a side note: When I was at Baylor, my roommate and I lived in the apartments next to the FBC parking lot. We spent alot of summer nights hitting pop flies to each other on this field never knowing we were playing where Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe Lewis and Teddy Roosevelt stood.
