Halloween Baseball Shirts: Witches, Reapers, Devils and Pirates
Long before anyone thought to put a pumpkin on a T-shirt, minor league baseball was already naming teams after witches, reapers, devils and undertakers. These are the Halloween baseball shirts for people who would rather wear a real piece of history than a costume: nine defunct clubs from the 1890s through the 1950s, each with an original design and a story that actually happened.
Order by October 19 for delivery in time for Halloween. Every design is available as a tee, hoodie and crewneck, so you can dress for the party or for the weather.
The Nine Teams
Wichita Witches (Kansas, 1912 to 1922). The best alliterative nickname in baseball history, with no known origin beyond sounding right next to Wichita. The 1917 club lost 87 games and still burned through three managers, including Hall of Fame shortstop Bobby Wallace. Our design puts a witch on a broomstick swinging a bat across a full harvest moon.
Springfield Reapers (Ohio, 1909 to 1917). Named for the city's reaper and mower factories, which grew so large that Springfield called itself the Champion City. The Reapers won an Ohio State League title in 1911 before stepping up to the Central League. The hooded figure on the shirt is the other kind of reaper, scythe and all.
Des Moines Undertakers (Iowa, 1902). Named for the offseason profession of manager Joe Quinn, the first Australian to play major league baseball, who ran a mortuary when he was not running a ballclub. The team finished seventh in the Western League, but the name has outlived every pennant winner of that era.
Clay City Red Devils (Kentucky, 1959 onward). A semi-pro club in the Central Kentucky Baseball League, playing a short summer schedule against the Mount Olivet Demons, the Mt. Sterling Hustlers and the Sherburne River Rats. Our design closely follows the logo the team actually wore.
Des Moines Demons (Iowa, 1925 to 1926 and 1959 to 1961). The first Demons won back-to-back Western League pennants, edging the Denver Bears by a single game in 1925. The name returned in 1959 as a Phillies affiliate whose first baseman Cal Emery hit .323 with 27 homers and 129 RBI on his way to league MVP.
Brunswick Pirates (Georgia, 1951 to 1958). A Pittsburgh farm club that won the 1953 Georgia-Florida League title and produced a 265-strikeout season, a 27-win season and, in 1952, a $2,000 bonus outfielder named Mario Cuomo, whose career ended with a beaning and who went on to serve three terms as Governor of New York. The shirt flies a skull and crossbones over a full-rigged ship.
Waco Pirates (Texas, 1948 to 1956). The 1952 Pirates went 29-118, one of the worst records in professional baseball history. The next May an F5 tornado destroyed downtown Waco and Katy Park with it, sending the team on the road for the rest of the season. A survivor's shirt in every sense.
Deadwood Metropolitans (South Dakota, 1891 to 1892). Gold-rush baseball from the town that buried Wild Bill Hickok. The Black Hills League was organized partly to curb the fighting and gambling that came with town-team ball, and the Black Hills Daily Times still reported a brawl on the field in 1890. Deadwood is the most haunted town name in the catalog.
San Francisco Mission Wolves (California, 1914). A team that got its name by accident: sportswriters called the Sacramento club the Wolves after manager Harry Wolverton, and when the franchise moved to San Francisco's Mission District to finish the 1914 season, the nickname stuck. The design shows a lone wolf howling at a crescent moon.
Shop the Halloween Nine
Every product on this page ships from the United States and is printed on demand, so order by October 19 to be safe for October 31. Each team also has its own collection page with the full history and every shirt, hoodie and crewneck we make for that club.
Wichita Witches · Springfield Reapers · Des Moines Undertakers · Clay City Red Devils · Des Moines Demons · Brunswick Pirates · Waco Pirates · Deadwood Metropolitans · San Francisco Mission Wolves
