Just Half a Season
It was one of the shortest-ever prairie baseball seasons.
The new league, the Western International League, lasted just a few weeks, folding in mid-June. A playoff, between Calgary and Edmonton, was held after the circuit had disbanded. Calgary won the best-of-seven playoff in five games.
Calgary's Arthur Schinkel hit .354 to take the batting title. Al Miller, with a 7-2 record, was the top hurler.
Four of the players from the abbreviated campaign went on to play in the major leagues - Jimmy Marquis of Vancouver, John Kerr of Calgary, and Charlie Barnabe and Eddie Kenna of Edmonton.
There were eight players who had earlier experience in the big leagues, four from Calgary - Carl Manda, Carl Zamloch and manager Bill Rodgers. Two, Pat Kilhullen and Roy Grover, were veterans of the Western Canada League. The others were Bert Whaling of Edmonton and Mose Solomon of Vancouver.
Above, left to right - Carl Zamloch, Bill Rodgers, John Kerr
Left to right - Mose Solomon, Charlie Barnabe, Eddie Kenna
1922 marked the beginning of the Saskatoon Exhibition Tournament, an event of major impact in Saskatchewan. The highly anticipated tourney ran until 1969. One of the outstanding efforts this first season was a 24-strikeout performance by prairie legend Dodger Lewis, pitching for Rosetown. Conquest won the championship downing Rosetown 14-13 in the final.
With the demise of the professional W.C.B.L. following the 1921 season, the amateur baseball leagues in Saskatchewan's three most populous communities regained prominence during the summer of 1922. Saskatoon, Regina and Moose Jaw each had a city league from which a playoff champion was declared. In the Capital city, the Regina Elks defeated the Regina Winners in three straight games to claim the Northside League title. From the Hub City, the Saskatoon C.N.R. emerged as the champion. Somewhat late in the completion of their city league playoffs, the winning McKenzie-Stewart's of Moose Jaw were denied a shot at the provincial crown when Regina and Saskatoon went ahead with a north-south playoff series without including the Mill City representative. Moose Jaw team officials did not get wind of the Regina-Saskatoon playoff until after its completion and were predictably miffed at the snub. A challenge was then issued to the winning Regina Elks but it essentially fell on deaf ears as they received no backing from the provincial baseball association. With that turn of events, the Regina Elks maintained the Leader-Post trophy as Saskatchewan's senior baseball kingpins for 1922.
1922 PROVINCIAL FINALS
(September 2) The Regina Elks opened their best-of-five provincial playoff with the Saskatoon champion, Canadian National Railway team, by trouncing the visitors 11 to 6. In the second game of the Park de Young double-dip, the Railroaders from the Bridge City responded with a narrow 3 to 2 winning decision to knot the series.
Both teams exhibited their hitting skills in the opener which saw the Elks pound loser Lawson Atchison for 16 base hits while the Saskatonians lit up winning chucker Tommy Green for 13 safeties. Green had immense success at the plate, drilling a triple and three singles, in aiding his own cause on the mound. "Frenchy" Seguin pasted a long home run to go along with a double and single for the winners while teammate Fred Brundage amassed a double and a pair of singles. Saskatoon catcher Taylor drilled a circuit blast to go along with a brace of one-baggers. Third sacker Watkins followed with a double and two singles while Atcheson stroked three singles.
Atchison (L) and Taylor
Green (W) and Parker, Irvin (7)
The invaders from the north scored single tallies in the seventh and eighth innings of the follow-up game to erase a 2 to 1 deficit and eke out the series-tying win. Cliff Moses' second inning single drove in both Regina runs and gave the homesters the early lead. Saskatoon catcher Peters led all batters with four singles in four official trips to the plate. His batterymate, winning pitcher Merrill Falby, was no slouch at the platter either, cracking a trio of singles off losing twirler Webb Bird.
Falby (W) and Peters
Bird (L) and Irvin
(September 4) Spectacular heaving by Saskatoon's Lawson Atchison, who limited the Regina visitors to four hits, was the key in the Canadian National Railway 6 to 3 victory in game three of the provincial finals. The Queen City Elks captured the late game in the playoff doubleheader in Saskatoon by crushing the Railroaders 9 to 2.
Entering the bottom of the sixth inning in the matinee affair, the teams were tied 3 - 3 when losing twirler Tommy Green weakened, serving up five base blows good for three runs. Besides his stellar mound work, Atchison also led the northerners with the willow, pounding out a three-bagger and a single. Saskatoon second baseman Jack Art picked up a brace of singles while Regina catcher "Chum" Irvin led the Elks with a double and single.
Green (L) and Irvin
Atchison (W) Taylor
The visiting Reginans tied the series up at two games each when they manufactured 18 safeties off losing heaver Merrill Falby in the nightcap. Webb Bird tossed a five-hitter in cruising to the mound triumph. Five Reginans - Cliff Moses, Billy Molisky, "Chum" Irvin, Tommy Green and outfielder McIntyre - each had three base hits. One of Irvin's base blows went for two bases.
Bird (W) and Irvin
Falby (L) and Peters
(September 5) With the series tied at two games apiece, the fifth and deciding game of the Saskatchewan senior baseball series was played on a neutral diamond in the town of Craik. The cool weather and the stiff breeze blowing had no effect on the offensive prowess of the Regina Elks as they smothered the Saskatoon C.N.R. 11 to 2 to win the playoff affair three games to two. Webb Bird of the Antlered Herd handcuffed the Saskatonians on four hits to ring up his second win over Saskatoon in two days. Regina collected 14 base blows in total off loser Lawson Atchison and reliever Merrill Falby. Elks' outfielder Barker led the way with the stick, clubbing a triple and two singles. "Chum" Irvin had a double plus a pair of singles while Tommy Green stroked a trio of one-baggers.
Atchison (L), Falby (8) and Taylor
Bird (W) and Irvin