1918 Vancouver, Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley
1918 BC Interior
1918 Vancouver Island
1918 Vancouver Senior Baseball prologue
With the Great War winding down in 1918, returning servicemen increased player availability and a second senior-level circuit, the City Baseball League, was revived in Vancouver as things got rolling in May. A shipbuilding contractor, J. Coughlan & Sons, sponsored teams in both the Commercial League, which operated continually throughout the World War 1 years, and the resurrected City League.
Unexpectedly, a third loop entered the scene in late July. The upstart International League of Vancouver, brand new on the landscape, encompassed four teams, one of which was the all-Japanese group of diamondeers, the Asahis.
Vancouver City Baseball League
The revived City Baseball League, in mothballs since the 1912 season ended, began as a six-team loop for the first half of the 1918 season. The Hudson’s Bay team struggled to get to the end of the first-half schedule and dropped out in late July. The American Can Company entry also chose not to enter the mix for the last-half of the season, leaving just four clubs to battle it out for league supremacy, the teams sponsored by the three daily newspapers in Vancouver plus the Coughlan’s shipbuilding entry. For whatever reason, no second-half activity ever got underway leaving the Vancouver Province team, first-half winners, as overall de facto champions for 1918.
Final Standings W L Pct.
Vancouver Province 8 1 .889
Vancouver Sun 6 3 .667
Coughlan’s 6 3 .667
Cancos 4 6 .400
Hudson’s Bay 3 7 .300
Vancouver World 1 8 .111
Vancouver Commercial Baseball League
Opening as a five-team circuit once again, the established Commercial Baseball League saw three clubs begin the campaign under different sponsorship. Replacing the Arnold & Quigley, Malkin’s and Snider & Brethour entries of 1917 were franchises granted to the Delmonico Cafe, J. Coughlan & Sons as well as the Central Club.
In mid-June, the two weak sisters of the loop, the Centrals and Purdy’s, amalgamated, reducing the number of teams within the association to four. Managers from both the defunct squads stepped down and the merged group of baseballers, known as the Purdy-Centrals, brought in a new field skipper.
Final Standings * W L Pct.
Coughlan’s 16 6 .727
Purdy-Centrals 14 10 .583
National Biscuit Company 12 10 .545
Delmonico Cafe 4 16 .200
* standings not adjusted for games involving disbanded entries, Central Club and Purdy’s
No intra-league playoffs
No involvement in any provincial playdowns
Vancouver International Baseball League
The American Can Company, usually called the Cancos, deserted the City Baseball League after its first-half concluded and joined the four-team neophyte International League as an original entry. Shortly after the late-starting loop began, however, they dropped out and were quickly replaced by a team sponsored by Ross & Howard Iron Works.
Playing from late July until the end of September, the Hanbury’s aggregation and the Asahis finished in a dead heat for top spot in the circuit. Hanbury’s annexed the initial league crown with a sudden-death 5 to 4 victory over the Nippons in a playoff showdown that took place on the first weekend of October.
(April 19) The Japanese Asahi team blanked the American Can squad 3-0 Friday behind the shutout pitching of Yoshioka.
Yoshioka (W) and Kitagawa
Mattix (L) and Morion
(May 9) Coughlan's City League squad defeated the Asahi Japanese baseball team 7 to 3 in an exhibition game at the Powell Street grounds Thursday.. It was a pitchers' battle until the sixth inning when Couglan's cracked the pill for seven hits to bring in five runs.
(May 29) The Daily Province team of the City League downed the Asahi Japanese nine 8 to 5.
(July 8) The Japanese Asahis defeated the Province 8 to 5 in an exhibition game Monday.
(July 22) The new International Baseball League opened Monday at the Powell Street grounds with Hanbury's scoring a 10 to 8 decision over the Asahi team. The game featured the power hitting of Ebenezer Mortimore who cracked two home runs.
(July 29) Cancos of the International Baseball League shaded the Japanese Asahis 3 to 0 at the Powell Street grounds Monday. Nahena fired a three-hitter for the shutout compiling sevens strikeouts with just one bases on balls. Yoshioka pitched a fine game for the Asahis giving up just five hits with six strikeouts but his teammates made eight errors. Centre fielder Eddie Kitagawa of the Asahis was the game's top hitter with a pair of doubles. Ruth had a two-bagger for the winners.
Yoshioka (L) and Y.Kitagawa
Nahena (W) and Baker
(August 12) Yoshioka held Ross & Howard to three hits Monday as the Asahis produced a 4-1 victory with just four hits of their own. A three-run fifth inning proved to be the difference.
Abran (L) and S.Masel
Yoshioka (W) and Y.Kitagawa
(October 5) Hanbury's edged the Asahis 5-4 Saturday in a playoff to determine the champions of the Vancouver International League. The teams had tied for first place at the end of the regular schedule. Shortstop Ab Mortimer led the winners with a triple and double, two stolen bases and three runs scored. . After falling behind 4-3, Hanbury's scored a pair in the sixth for the tying and winning runs. J,. Brown held the Asahis to six hits in twirling the victory.
J.Brown (W) and Daniels
H.Kitagawa, Yoshioka and Y.Kitagawa