𝗥𝗜𝗢 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗘 𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗬 𝗕𝗔𝗦𝗘𝗕𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗥𝗜𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗥𝗬 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟭𝟵𝟮𝟬'𝗦~𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘 𝗩𝗦 𝗦𝗔𝗡 𝗕𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗢

 

By Rene Torres

By the 1920s many of the towns in the Lower Rio Grande Valley provided baseball teams that participated in organized semipro leagues.

The Brownsville team played on a dusty diamond on the outskirts of town.

To the local fans, it was a chicken wire stadium whose playing boundaries were marked off with ropes looped between posts. 

Fans had a choice, either sitting in the stands, standing along the first and third base lines, or watching from their cars, which they could park side by side along the outfield boundary line. The games were popular and usually drew healthy crowds.

The 1925 season was not any different than previous years. The teams were well matched, each with their own local talent, when things suddenly changed.

Archrival San Benito had hired a former big-league pitcher who would often strike out opposing batters—being able to pitch every Sunday, placed his team in an unbeatable situation.

The Brownsville team had suffered several embarrassing losses at the hands of the San Benito Saints. Brownsville fans demanded that the mayor and city commission come up with a solution to equalize matters. This was serious enough that the mayor formed a committee to look for a new coach.

The baseball committee soon approached Fred W. Rusteberg. Fred, they said, “You are the man that can produce a winning team”. 

Fred Rusteberg

Fred took the challenge and soon let it be known around the state that he was looking for new talent. His efforts resulted in recruiting several former professional and major college players.

One of those recruits was a tall cocky eighteen-year-old from Italy, Texas.

The guest introduced himself to Fred as Art Shires. “What can you do?” Fred asked. “I’m a home run hitter” replied the guest and “I’ll play for expenses until you figure I’m worth a salary”. Without hesitation and without knowing it, Fred acquires his future star.

Hearing about the new home run hitter on the roster, it was standing room only for a Sunday single game against the Saints. With the magic sounds of the local Santa Cecilia Band arousing the crowd, spectators filled the base lines and cars lined the perimeter of the outfield. “Play Ball batter up” screamed the umpire, as the home team took the field with Shires at first base.

After striking out the first two batters as usual, the San Benito pitcher walked the third, and Art Shires, the new cleanup hitter, was up to bat. The crowd murmured in anticipation of what this new player might do.

On the first pitch, Shires took a disfiguring swing—hitting the ball high over the cars in the outfield. The crowd roared its approval, and a hat was passed around collecting contributions for the feat. It was a game where a strike out and a home run brought equal cheer.

The game went into extra innings—in the 10th Shires came to bat again. He was given a standing ovation as he came to the plate. With two strikes on him, Art was nervous at the plate.

Sensing a quick strikeout, the pitcher decided to throw a sucker pitch to humiliate his adversary. As the “blooper” barely reached the plate, Shires took one step forward and hit it out of the ballpark for the winning run.

As he crossed home plate he was mobbed by the fans and later presented with a bushel of money dumped into a basket by the hat full. “Great game!” said the manager to his new star. “By the way, what kind of salary were you expecting?” “A bushel or two a game,” replied Shires with a grin.

Since there was no contract to keep him in Brownsville—Art “The Great” Shires disappeared, only to be seen again on the roster of the 1928 Chicago White Sox.

His major league debut was as successful as his debut in Brownsville. He stroked four hits including a triple in his first major league game. He played for 4 years in the major leagues and finished with a .291 lifetime batting average. Art ended his career with the Boston Braves in 1932.

The Brownsville win over San Benito was a story book victory. But one game doesn’t make a season. The San Benito Saints demonstrated to be one

of the strongest teams in the Rio Grande Valley between 1924 and 1927.

The Saints also participated in the Rio Grande Valley League of 1931—a class “D” professional league that included the McAllen Palms, La Feria Nighthawks, Harlingen Ladds, and Corpus Christi Seahawks.

I remind baseball fans that America’s game is controlled by outs. Out of your seat and you miss out—three strikes and your out—make no outs and time is endless.

See you at the park!

Editor’s Note: Excerpts from this story were taken from a letter written by Fred W. Rusteberg to his children.

Photo: Fred W. Rusteberg—The new coach in town

Photo: Art Shires