Eugene Blues

{{Infobox Minor League Baseball

| name =Eugene Blues

| firstseason =1904

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| city =Eugene, Oregon

| logo =

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| class level =Class D (1904)

| league =Oregon State League (1904)

| majorleague =None

| nickname = Eugene Blues (1904)

| ballpark =Unknown (1904)

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| leaguenum =0

| leaguechamps =None

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The Eugene Blues were a minor league baseball club based in Eugene, Oregon. In 1904, the Blues played as members of the short lived Class D level Oregon State League. The 1904 Blues ended the shortened season in second place. The Blues were succeeded decades later in Eugene by the 1950 Eugene Larks of the Far West League.

History

Eugene began minor league play in 1904, when Oregon State League was formed for the 1904 season as a Class D level minor league.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=1904 Eugene Blues Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} The Oregon State League began play as a four–team league, with the league hosting franchises from Roseburg, Oregon (Roseburg Shamrocks), Salem, Oregon (Salem Raglans) and Vancouver, Washington (Vancouver Soldiers) in addition to Eugene.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=f0cb9f35|title=1904 Oregon State League|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/l-ORSL1/y-1904|title=1904 Oregon State League (OSL) on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14348248/1904-oregon-state-league-schedule/|title=1904 Oregon State League schedule|date=April 16, 1904|pages=5|via=newspapers.com}}

The league began play in controversy due to the Vancouver franchise. On May 18, 1904, the Vancouver Soldiers, with a 3–8 record, moved from Vancouver, Washington to Albany, Oregon to become the Albany Rollers.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/roster/t-vr15131/y-1904|title=1904 Vancouver Soldiers/Albany Rollers Roster on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}} This was because Oregon State League was not going to be admitted to the National Association until it vacated the Vancouver, Washington franchise, which was deemed to be in the territory of the Portland Browns franchise of the Pacific Coast League.{{Cite web|url=https://www.inlander.com/spokane/baseball-lore-nw-style/Content?oid=2178175|title=Baseball Lore, NW Style|first=Howie|last=Stalwick|website=Inlander}}

Eugene began the season with a 22–19 record, playing under managers Terry McKune and Frank DuShane. On July 6, 1904, the Eugene Blues franchise folded, with the Roseburg Shamrocks folding at the same time. Reduced to two teams, the Oregon State League immediately stopped play on that date. The Oregon State League never returned to minor league play.

The Eugene Blues ended the 1904 season in 2nd place, finishing 5.5 games behind the 1st place Salem Raglands in the final standings.{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball |editor-first1=Lloyd |editor-last1=Johnson |editor-first2=Miles |editor-last2=Wolff |edition=Third |publisher=Baseball America |date=2007 |isbn=978-1932391176}}

In 1950, the Eugene Larks were the next minor league team hosted in Eugene, Oregon, playing as members of the Far West League.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=1950 Eugene Larks Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}

The ballpark

The 1904 Blues were noted to have played at "The Palms."{{Cite web|url=https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn96088103/1904-06-21/ed-1/seq-8/ocr/|title=Eugene semi-weekly guard. (Eugene, Or.) 1904-190?, June 21, 1904, Image 8 « Historic Oregon Newspapers|website=oregonnews.uoregon.edu}}