Columbus baseball history is detailed here.
**Last Updated: 12/16/2025- Created page and updated Clippers game results.
General History
Baseball is the oldest continuously-played sport at the professional level in Columbus. It may have been played casually in some form as early as the 1840s, but the first known organized teams did not appear until a few decades later.
The 1860s seems to be when baseball really got going, though this period in baseball history hasn’t left tons of local records. We do know that one of the first significant teams in the city was named the Columbus Buckeyes, which had its first recorded game on April 6, 1866 at Parsons and Broad, then the site of the Franklin County Insane Asylum. At least 5 other teams formed in the city that same year- the Capitals, Olentangys, Athletics, Excelsiors and Stars. The Capitals and Buckeyes, specifically, seemed to have been the founding teams of organized baseball in Columbus, both in 1866. These were some of the Columbus teams that existed when the National League formed in 1876. It’s unclear if they had continued all of the previous decade uninterrupted, or if the later teams were different iterations.
We also know that the Cincinnati Red Stockings, considered the first professional baseball team, played games against Columbus teams prior to organizing professionally in 1869.
It’s been reported that the 1867 team played a Columbus team called the Union Railways, but I haven’t found official records of this. However, the team did come to the city for two games in 1868. On August 3 of that year, the team played either the Union Railways or the “Rail Road” (the exact name of the Columbus team seems lost). The Red Stockings beat the Columbus team 34-15. The following day, on August 4, 1868, Cincinnati played the Columbus Capitols, beating them 43-5. Both games occurred at Olentangy Park, a venue which preceded the later amusement park. It’s possible thate these were just exhibition games and were not part of any competitive schedule.
A young boy died as the result of injuries sustained in the July, 1875 collapse of a “shed” at the baseball field. Several other injuries occurred.
1875 featured the first documented organized team in the city, the Columbus Buckeyes. It was the first team to have the Buckeyes name, and it would be unrelated to Ohio State. Although some records have them beginning in 1876, a “Buckeyes” team is clearly playing games in Columbus in 1875, as described in this Dispatch article: 9-18-1875 Buckeyes vs. Milfords Game Report It is also known that this team struggled to exist early on, with the team disbanding and reforming with new players between August and September to finish out the season.
Columbus Buckeyes
Logo: None
Home Field: Unknown
Active: 1875-1877
Level: Minor
League: Not league affiliated 1875-1876. International Association of Professional Baseball Players 1877
History:
1875-1876: Not league affiliated, record unknown.
1877: 5th of 7 (9-11-2)
Additional Information: The team folded after the 1877 season.
Between the folding of the Columbus Buckeyes in 1877, it is unknown if other baseball teams of minor or professional level continued to exist otherwise. We do know that the formation of the next documented team would not be until the Ohio State Buckeyes in 1881.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Home Field: Trautman Field 1967-1997, Bill Davis Stadium- 560 Borrer Drive 1997-Present
Active: 1881-Present
Level: College
Conference: Big 10
History:
Ohio State Baseball Season Records
Ohio State Baseball Game Results since 1980.
Website: https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-basebl/
Additional Information: This is the the oldest continuous team with the name “Buckeyes” of any sport in the city at the college level or higher in the city.
April 14, 1883: The Columbus Dispatch mentions the formation of the Columbus Buckeyes team the previous evening. In the news, it mentions that “Work will begin at once, and soon we will have two first class ball clubs in the city…” The other club in reference is unknown.
Columbus Buckeyes
This was the 3rd team to have the “Buckeye” name for baseball, the second professionally. It seems that it had no direct association between the 1877 or 1887 teams, however. This team would occasionally play teams from other nascent leagues at the time, including those from the Northwestern League and the Interstate Association.
Home Field: Recreation Park 1.
Prior to May 1, 1883, Columbus played at what is referred to in archives as “Base Ball Park” on North High Street, though they likely meant the Woodward Avenue Park which was part of the Ohio State Fairgrounds.
Level: Professional
Years: 1883-1884
League: American Association
League Rank and Record
1883: 6th of 8 (32-65)
1884: 2nd of 13 (69-39)
Columbus Buckeyes Season and Game Stats
Columbus Buckeyes Player Stats
Columbus Buckeyes in 1884.
Current Status: Defunct. The team declared bankruptcy and folded after the 1884 season. The team merged with the Pittsburgh Alleghenys for the 1885 season.
Columbus Buckeyes/Columbus Senators
The exact origins of this team are convoluted at best. A Columbus Buckeyes team formed under the Ohio State League in 1887. The Ohio State League changed its name to the Tri-State League in 1888., but the Ohio State League continued separately. The team did change leagues quite often in the early days, and with those changes, the team name would also waffle between the Buckeyes and the Senators before becoming the latter permanently in 1897.
Home Field: Recreation Park 2 at 270 E. Whittier Street, Neil Park
Level: Minor
Years: 1887-1888, 1895-1930
League: Ohio State League (1887),
Tri-State League (1888), Inter-State League (1895) Western League (1896-1899), Inter-State League (1900),Western Association (1901), American Association (1902-1930)
League Rank and Record
1887: 5th of 9 The exact record reported on some site is 50-55, but records from archives suggest a record of 50-2-60 *As the Columbus Buckeyes*
The 1887 team, which had one of the earliest Black baseball players, J. Higgins.
1888: 3rd of 9 (64-50) *As the Columbus Senators*
1895: 5th of 8 (28-31) *As the Columbus Buckeyes*
1896: 7th of 8 (52-88) *As the Columbus Buckeyes*
1897: 2nd of 8 (89-47) *As the Columbus Senators from this point on*
1898: 5th of 8 (73-60)
1899: 4th of 8 (63-62)
1900: 6th of 8 (58-78)
1901: 7th of 8 (54-86)
1902: 7th of 8 (58-78)
1903: 6th of 8 (56-84)
1904: 2nd of 8 (88-61)
1905: 1st of 8 (100-52)
1906: 1st of 8 (91-57)
The Senators in 1906.
1907: 1st of 8 (90-64)
1908: 3rd of 8 (86-68)
1909: 7th of 8 (80-87)
1910: 3rd of 8 (88-77)
1911: 3rd of 8 (87-78)
1912: 3rd of 8 (98-68)
1913: 4th of 8 (93-74)
1914: 4th of 8 (86-77)
1915: 8th of 8 (54-91)
1916: 7th of 8 (71-90)
1917: 4th of 8 (84-69)
1918: 2nd of 8 (41-32) Shortened season due to the Spanish Flu Pandemic.
1919: 6th of 8 (70-84)
1920: 7th of 8 (66-99)
1921: 8th of 8 (69-96)
1922: 8th of 8 (63-102)
1923: 4th of 8 (79-89)
1924: 7th of 8 (75-93)
1925: 8th of 8 (61-106)
1926: 8th of 8 (39-125)
1927: 8th of 8 (60-108)
1928: 7th of 8 (68-100)
1929: 6th of 8 (75-91)
1930: 6th of 8 (67-86)
Current Status: Defunct. The team was acquired by the St. Louis Cardinals and became the Columbus Red Birds after the 1930 season.
June 7, 1887- The Columbus Dispatch mentions two local teams playing each other the previous day. The Columbus Business College and the Capital City Commercial college teams play at the “Barracks grouns” with the Business College winning 7-2. It’s unclear if these “college” teams were seasonal or just played a few friendly games.
Another team mentioned that month is the Columbus Drummers. It is unknown at what level they played.
Columbus Solons/Columbus Reds
Home Field: Recreation Park 1, location unknown.
Level: Professional
Years: 1889-1892
League: American Association (1889-1891), Western League (1892)
League Rank and Record
1889: 6th of 8 (60-78-2)
1890: 2nd of 9 (79-55-6)
1891: 6th of 9 (61-76-1)
1892: 1st of 8th (46-26)
Current Status: Defunct. The team was folded when the American Association merged with the National League after the 1891 season. The team would briefly be resurrected in the Western League as the Columbus Reds, but folded halfway through the 1892 season.
Newark (Name Unknown)
Home Field: Unknown
Level: Minor
Years: 1889
League: Ohio State League
League Rank and Record
1889: 3rd of 4 (8-11)
Current Status: Defunct. The team disbanded in September, 1889.
1890-1899
Including Ohio State, at least 3 teams of at least college level or higher played during this decade, but no new teams seem to have been founded.
The photo below is a bit of a mystery. Through the research, I have not been able to find a listed Columbus Buckeyes team in 1890. The Buckeyes that eventually became the Senators didn’t field a team in 1890, and the only other team known at the time was the Columbus Solons/Reds. The Columbus Metro Library system has this photo in their records, but the information lists it as being the Buckeyes, but that may also be incorrect. The plaque seen vaguely in the bottom of the center states “Columbus Semi-Professional Baseball Club”, but does not list a team name. So for now, until more details can be discovered, this photo will stand alone for the 1890-1899 period.
Columbus Buckeyes in 1890.
1900-1909
1902: The Columbus Senators become a charter member of the American Association of Professional Baseball Players (later the American Association), a minor league that ran during two periods, 1902-1962 and 1969-1997.
1905: The wooden stadium at Neil Park, located on Cleveland Avenue across from Fort Hayes in Columbus, is demolished and replaced with a steel and concrete version. It would be the first baseball stadium constructed of those materials in the United States.
Lancaster Lanks
Home Field: Unknown
Level: Minor
Years: 1905-1912
League: Ohio-Pennsylvania League (1905-1907), Ohio State League (1908-1911), Tri-State League (1912)
League Rank and Record
1905: 6th of 21 (36-37)
1906: 3rd of 8 (73-66)
1907: 4th of 8 (72-62)
1908: 1st of 6 (92-57)
1909: 5th of 6 (53-53) Disbanded during season.
1910: 5th of 6 (55-82)
1911: 7th of 8 (53-84)
1912: 4th of 8 (15-19 in Lancaster, 59-52 full season)
Current Status: Defunct. The team moved to Atlantic City, New Jersey on June 18th, 1912.
Newark Newks
Home Field: Unknown
Level: Minor
Years: 1905-1912, 1915
League: Ohio-Pennsylvania League (1905-1907), Ohio State League (1908-1910), Central League 1911, Ohio State League (1911-1912), Buckeye League (1915)
League Rank and Record
1905: 8th of 21 (37-46) *As the Newark Idlewilds*
1906: 6th of 8 (65-74) *As the Newark Cotton Tops*
1907: 2nd of 8 (86-53) *As the Newark Newks*
1908: 5th of 6 (74-75)
1909: 6th of 6 (46-64) Disbanded in August.
1910: 4th of 6 (55-82)
1911: 5th of 8 (72-65) Team moved to Piqua in June. Grand Rapids moved to Newark.
1912: 3rd of 6 (70-68) *As the Newark Skeeters*
1915: 4th of 6 (14-24) *As the Newark New Socks*
Current Status: Defunct. The Buckeye League disbanded in July, 1915.
1910-1919
Columbus Cubs
Home Field: Unknown
Level: Minor
Years: 1913
League: Inter-State League
League Rank and Record
1913: 4th of 8 (37-38)
Current Status: Defunct. The league disbanded in July, 1913.
1917- On Opening Day at Neil Park, wood bleachers originally built in 1900 collapse from the weight of too many spectators, injuring dozens.
1920-1929
Columbus Buckeyes
Home Field: Neil Park
Level: Professional
Years: 1921
League: Negro National League
League Rank and Record
1921: 7th of 8 (25-38)
Current Status: Defunct. The team folded after the 1921 season.
In the April, 1927 edition of Columbus This Week magazine, an article mentions the inauguration of the Central Ohio Baseball League for “amateur and semi-pro baseball teams”. It’s unclear what teams were included, or if the league ever really materialized.
1930-1939
Columbus Red Birds
Home Field: Red Bird Stadium (Cooper Stadium)
Level: Minor
Years: 1931-1954
League: American Association, affiliate of St. Louis Cardinals
League Rank and Record
1931: 4th of 8 (84-82)
1932: 2nd of 8 (88-77)
1933: 1st of 8 (101-51)
Redbirds in 1933.
1934: 2nd of 8 (85-68)
1935: 3rd of 8 (84-70)
1936: 6th of 8 (76-78)
1937: 1st of 8 (90-64)
1938: 7th of 8 (64-89)
1939: 7th of 8 (62-92)
1940: 2nd of 8 (90-60)
1940 Columbus Redbirds
1941: 1st of 8 (95-58)
1942: 3rd of 8 (82-72)
1943: 3rd of 8 (84-67)
1944: 5th of 8 (86-67)
1945: 8th of 8 (63-90)
1946: 8th of 8 (64-90)
1947: 5th of 8 (76-78)
1948: 4th of 8 (81-73)
1949: 7th of 8 (70-83)
1950: 3rd of 8 (84-69)
1951: 8th of 8 (53-101)
1952: 7th of 9 (68-85)
1953: 7th of 8 (64-90)
1954: 4th of 8 (77-76)
Current Status: Defunct. The Cardinals moved the team to Omaha before the 1955 season.
Columbus Blue Birds
Home Field: Neil Park
Level: Professional
Years: 1933
League: Negro National League
League Rank and Record
1933: 6th of 6th (11-18)
Current Status: Defunct. The team was incorporated into the Akron Black Tyrites team midway through the 1933 season before finally moving to Cleveland.
Columbus Elite Giants
Originally the Nashville Elite Giants, this team was the last attempt to have Negro League baseball in Columbus.
Home Field: Neil Park
Level: Professional
Years: 1935
League: Negro National League
League Rank and Record
1935: 4th of 8 There are 3 different sources for the record of the team: 16-17, 29-24 and 17-13.
Current Status: Defunct. The team moved to Washington, DC before the 1936 season.
1940-1949
Newark Moundsmen/Newark Yankees
Home Field: Arnold Park
Level: Minor
Years: 1944-1951
League: Ohio State League (1944-1947), Ohio-Indiana League (1948-1951)
League Rank and Record
1944: 2nd of 6 (71-58)
1945: 6th of 6 (57-82)
1946: 4th of 8 (74-65)
1947: 7th of 8 (64-76)
1948: 5th of 8 (65-74)
1949: 6th of 8 (65-72)
1950: 2nd of 8 (89-49)
1951: 2nd of 5 (49-31)
Current Status: Defunct. The Ohio State League disbanded in 1947, but the Ohio-Indiana League was formed with most of the same teams the following year, with the team renamed the Newark Yankees in 1948. The team left the league in July, 1951.
1950-1959
Columbus Jets
Home Field: Jets Stadium (Cooper Stadium)
Level: Minor
Years: 1955-1970
League: International League– affiliated with the Kansas City Athletics (1955-1956) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1957-1970)
League Rank and Record
1955: 7th of 8 (64-89)
1956: 7th of 8 (69-84)
1957: 7th of 8 (69-85)
1958: 4th of 8 (77-77)
1959: 2nd of 8 (84-70)
1960: 5th of 8 (69-84)
1961: 1st of 8 (92-62)
1962: 5th of 8 (80-74)
1963: 5th of 10 (75-73)
1964: 6th of 8 (68-85)
1965: 1st of 8 (85-61)
1966: 2nd of 8 (82-65)
1967: 4th of 8 (69-71)
1968: 2nd of 8 (82-64)
1969: 4th of 8 (74-66)
The Columbus Jets in 1969.
1970: 2nd of 8 (81-59)
The final Columbus Jets team in 1970.
Current Status: Defunct. The team moved to Charleston, West Virginia before the 1971 season.
Columbus Clippers
Home Field: Cooper Stadium(1977-2008), Huntington Park (2009-Present)
Level: Minor
Years: 1977-Present
League: International League– affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1977-1978), New York Yankees (1979-2006), Washington Nationals (2007-2008) and Cleveland Indians/Guardians (2009-Present)
Website: https://www.milb.com/columbus/
League Rank and Record
Individual Clippers Games Results since 1999.
1977: 7th of 8 (65-75)
1977 Clippers team.
1978: 7th of 8 (61-78)
1978 Clippers team.
1979: 1st of 8 (85-54)
1979 Clippers team.
1980: 1st of 8 (83-57)
1980 Clippers team.
1981: 1st of 8 (88-51)
1982: 2nd of 8 (79-61)
1983: 1st of 8 (83-57)
1983 Columbus Clippers
1984: 1st of 8 (82-57)
1985: 3rd of 8 (75-64)
The 1985 team.
1986: 6th of 8 (62-77)
1987: 2nd of 8 (77-63)
1988: 5th of 8 (65-77)
1989: 3rd of 8 (77-69)
1990: 2nd of 8 (87-59)
1990 Clippers team.
1991: 1st of 8 (85-59)
1992: 1st of 8 (95-49)
1993: 3rd of 10 (78-62)
1993 Clippers team.
1994: 3rd of 10 (74-68)
1995: 4th of 10 (71-68)
1996: 1st of 10 (85-57)
1997: 2rd of 10 (79-63)
1998: 12th of 14 (67-77)
1999: 1st of 14 (83-58)
2000: 8th of 14 (75-69)
2001: 9th of 14 (67-76)
2002: 12th of 14 (59-83)
2003: 4th of 14 (76-68)
2004: 3rd of 14 (80-64)
2005: 5th of 14 (77-67)
2006: 9th of 14 (69-73)
2007: 11th of 14 (57-85)
2008: 7th of 14 (69-73)
2009: 13th of 14 (57-85)
2010: 4th of 14 (79-65)
2011: 1st of 14 (88-56)
2012: 6th of 14 (75-69)
2013: 8th of 14 (71-73)
2014: 2nd of 14 (79-65)
2015: 1st of 14 (83-61)
2016: 3rd of 14 (82-62)
2017: 6th of 14 (71-71)
2018: 5th of 14 (73-67)
2019: 1st of 14 (81-59)
2020: Season canceled due to Covid-19.
2021: 13th of 20 (59-68)
2022: 4th of 20 (85-64)
2023: 17th of 20 (68-79)
2024: 3rd of 20 (80-68)
2025: 15th of 20 (60-79) As of 9/15/2025
Current Status: Active
Since 1979, the Clippers have surpassed 500,000 in attendance 36 times, the most for any Minor League team. 2024 was the 18th consecutive year to surpass the 500,000 mark, not counting 2020 when Covid canceled the season.
1990-1999
Lancaster Scouts
Home Field: Beavers Field
Level: Minor
Years: 1993-1994
League: Frontier League
League Rank and Record
1993: 6th of 8 (22-33)
1994: 6th of 8 (25-39)
Current Status: Defunct. The team moved to Evansville, Indiana to become the Evansville Otters after the 1994 season.
Newark Buffalos/Newark Bison
Home Field: Don Edwards Park
Level: Minor
Years: 1994-1995
League: Frontier League
League Rank and Record
1994: 5th of 8 (26-35)
1995: 2nd of 8 (39-29)
Current Status: Defunct. The Buffalos, which was a misspelling, became the Newark Bison in 1995 before moving to Kalamazoo, Michigan before the 1996 season.
