Youngstown Steelmen
The Youngstown Steelmen, based in Youngstown, Ohio, take their name from the city's long history as a major steel-producing center in the Mahoning Valley. The club succeeded the Youngstown Indians, who had finished last in the Ohio-Pennsylvania League in 1909, after new owners W.R. Terry and Paul Powers took over and renamed the team.
The Steelmen struggled in their first season under the new name, going 55-67 for seventh place in 1910, but rebounded to 82-50 and second place in 1911, behind only the Akron Champs. Shortstop Everett Scott played for Youngstown across these years; he later set the major league record for consecutive games played with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, a streak of 1,307 games that stood until Lou Gehrig broke it in 1933.
Youngstown moved up to the Class B Central League in 1912 and came within three games of the pennant, finishing 74-54 to the Fort Wayne Railroaders' 77-52. The Steelmen spent 1913 in the Interstate League before returning to the Central League for a final season in 1915.
The Steelmen name was not used again, though Youngstown returned to the Central League once more in 1932 as the Buckeyes.
The Central League itself was a Class B circuit that ran, often sporadically, from 1903 into the 1930s (with a later 1948-51 revival), fielding teams mostly from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
