Independence Producers facts for kids

The Independence Producers were a baseball team from Independence, Kansas. They were part of the minor leagues. Minor league teams help players get ready for Major League Baseball. The Producers played from 1921 to 1925 and again from 1928 to 1932.

They played in different leagues. From 1921 to 1924, they were in the Southwestern League. In 1925, they joined the Western Association. They also played in the Western Association from 1928 to 1932. The 1921 Producers team was very special. It was named one of the 100 greatest minor league teams ever. Famous players like Cy Blanton and Glenn Wright played for the Producers. Glenn Wright even made a rare "unassisted triple play" in a Major League game in 1925.

Baseball Under the Lights

The First Night Game

Independence, Kansas, holds a special place in baseball history. A historical marker says the first official night game in "Organized Baseball" happened there. This game was played on April 28, 1930. The Independence Producers played against the Muskogee Chiefs.

What is "Organized Baseball"? It means all the teams that are part of Major League Baseball (MLB). It also includes all the minor league teams connected to MLB. Games in Organized Baseball must follow specific rules. The Commissioner of Baseball is in charge of all these teams and games.

Early Night Games

Playing baseball at night was a new idea. An experimental night game happened in 1880. This was between two department store teams. It took 50 more years for Organized Baseball to allow night games.

There were a few exhibition night games before 1930. These were played by Organized Baseball teams. One was in 1909 and another in 1927. But these games did not count in the league standings. In 1929, a team president from Des Moines, Iowa, said his team would play night games in 1930. However, the first official minor league night game actually took place in Independence, Kansas.

Independence Leads the Way

The Independence Producers were a "Class C" minor league team. They bought special lights from the Giant Manufacturing Company. They put these lights on tall towers around their baseball field. This made Independence the first place to have professional night baseball.

By the end of the 1930 season, 38 minor league teams had lights on their fields. Independence was not the first team to play *any* night baseball game. But they were the first to play an *official* minor or major league night game. They were also the first minor or major league team to install permanent lights on their field.

Proving the History

Many stories exist about the Independence night game. Some people claimed the lights were temporary or borrowed. But researcher Larry Bowman looked at old documents. He found newspapers from 1930. These papers showed how the lights were planned, bought, and built. They also described the game itself.

More historic documents and photos are in the National Register of Historic Places form for the stadium. All 55 night baseball games played in Independence in 1930 were recorded.

Bob Rives, another researcher, said Independence "was the world leader in baseball field lighting." He also noted that the Producers' pitcher made the first pitch under lights in a regular season game. Jan Sumner, who visited Independence in 2014, agreed. He said the lights were permanent. The team played 55 home night games in 1930.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame recognizes Independence for playing the first night game in Organized Baseball. The Smithsonian also credits Independence for the first official minor league night game. Even newspapers like the Chicago Tribune have stated this fact.

However, The Sporting News has disagreed with this claim. They point to earlier professional games, like one in 1896. It is true that in 1930, some teams, including Negro league teams, used portable lights. They played night games regularly.