Professional baseball began in Greenwood in 1910 with our team&'s entry into the Class D Cotton States League. Led by manager Woody Thornton, Greenwood clinched the pennant over Jackson on the final day of the season. In 1911, Greenwood fell to fifth place in the Cotton States League. Manager Thornton was the leading hitter,batting .316 and tying for the league lead with ten triples. By 1912, the Cotton States League, was being played in two halves, with the winners of each half to play for the league championship.
The Greenwood Scouts were the winner of the second-half. The Vicksburg Hill Billies, first-half winner, was not available for the playoffs. Greenwood did not field a team in 1913, and the whole Cotton States League disbanded until 1921 because of World War I.
Greenwood was included in the new Mississippi State League in 1921. The split season was again employed, with Greenwood winning the first half and Clarksdale winning the second half. In the playoffs, manager Charles Bell's Greenwood team won the league championship over Clarksdale in five straight games. Kane, Greenwood-Meridian, was the league's leading batter with a .355 mark. Other leading hitters for Greenwood were Tom Toland, .327, and Hugh Critz, .298. With the addition of the Vicksburg Hillbillies and Greenville Bucks in 1922 the league grew to six clubs as the Cotton States League named restored.
The Greenwood Indians won the right to play in the championship by winning the second-half of the divided season and then beat the Meridian Mets, winners of the first-half, four games in a row.
In 1923, the Laurel Lumberjacks and Hattiesburg Hubmen were added to the Cotton States League and the split season was eliminated. Attendance was bad from the start and the directors of the league voted to end the season on July the 24th. The Greenville Bucks were declared champion with the Laurel Lumberjacks tied with the Greenwood Indians for second place.
Greenwood dropped from the Cotton States League until 1934 when, in the middle of the second-half, the Shreveport team was shifted to Greenwood. By now the league was operating as the Class C, Dixie League and was divided into two leagues, the East Dixie, of which Greenwood was a member, and the West Dixie.
In 1935, the Helena Seaporters and Columbus Bengals were added to the league. Columbus was unable to finish the first-half and was replaced by Cleveland, MS. The Greenwood Chiefs were last in the first-half and next to last in the second-half. Leading batter for Greenwood was HOF member, Walter "Smokey" Alston with a .326 mark.
The original Cotton States League name was restored for the 1936 season. The Greenwood Dodgers, under manager Frank Brazil, edged the Greenville Bucks by one game to win the top spot in the the league. Leslie Horn was Greenwood's leading batter at .328 and Tom Ferrick turned the league's best ERA, 2.17
El Dorado won the 1937 Cotton States League playoffs for the second straight season with the Greenwood Dodgers in the third spot with 76 wins and 62 losses. Glen Stewart was selected as the league's top 2B.
In 1938, the Greenwood Dodgers finished 7th with a 55-83 record, as the Greenville Bucks won the the regular league championship and Monroe won the playoffs. July 26th, was Eddie Amelung night. Bob Salveson played 2B, 3B, and SS and did an excellent job at all three positions.
Greenwood finished in 3rd place in the 1939 regular season, at 77-63, and proceeded to defeat the Clarksdale Red Sox and Hot Springs Bathers for the Shaughnessey title. Eddie Amelung established a new league record for triples with 23.
Greenwood's bright spot in 1940 was a no-hit game by Edward "Pat" Malone against Hot Springs. Greenwood finished the season in 7th place. With the coming of World War II, Greenwood would not have another team until 1947, when they became a farm team for the Brooklyn Dodgers. The league was reorganized for the 1947 season and the race was mostly a two-club affair. Greenwood won 92 games to tie the league high mark. They lost only 38, a new low. In the playoffs, Greenwood Dodgers beat the Clarksdale Planters and Greenville Bucks. Mervin Dornburg was Greenwood's leading batter. Bob Duchaney had 15 triples to lead all clubs, and Russ Opplinger had 21 victories.
The Cotton States League gained full strength in 1948 with the addition of the Natchez Indians and Pine Bluff. But once again, it was the Greenwood Dodgers leading the way with their second championship in a row. The Hot Springs Bathers defeated the Greenwood Dodgers in the playoffs 4 games to 3. Labe Dean of Greenwood set a new Cotton States League low in ERA at 1.34. The Cotton States League's first all-star game was played in Greenwood.
Greenwood continued it's Cotton States League superiority by winning the division three years in a row during the 1949 season. The Dodgers won 84-56 to land the top spot again, but lost to Pine Bluff in the playoffs. Tommy Graham, Pine Bluff Cardinals, and Elwood May, Greenwood Dodgers, both were 20 game winners.
The Pine Bluff Judges won the league crown in 1950 as Greenwood fell to fifth place at 69-69. Future New York Yankee Ryne Duren of the Pine Bluff Cardinals, led the league with 233 K's. Lou Landini of Greenwood was chosen as the league's all-star catcher.
In 1951, the Greenwood Dodgers finished in second place in the regular season and was eliminated in the playoffs by Pine Bluff. The official all-star team included Greenwood Dodgers players Fred Waters and Carl Tumlinson. Tumlinson hit a HR in the all-star game and Greenwood Dodger pitcher Hugh Moxley was the winning pitcher as the Mississippi all-stars beat the Ark-La all-stars.
1952 was to be the last year for professional baseball in Greenwood, which had it's origins back to 1910. The parent team, the Brooklyn Dodgers, decided not to operate a club in Greenwood in 1953. The record of the club had been excellent, but the income had been insufficient to cover operating expenses. Greenwood finished in 3rd place at 70-56 and lost in the playoffs to the Natchez Indians. John Tidwell batted .311 and John Forizs was 20-8, to lead the team in hitting and pitching. On August 8th, Karl Spooner struck out 19 batters to tie a CSL record.
Greenwood sent many players to the major leagues:
| Name | Year in Greenwood | Major League Team |
|---|---|---|
| Ollie Welf | 1910 | Indians |
| Ray Rolling | 1910-1912 | Cardinals |
| Horace Leverette | 1910-1911 | Browns |
| Sherrod Smith | 1911 | Pirates |
| Ed Irwin | 1911 | Detroit Tigers |
| Pat McGehee | 1911 | Detroit Tigers |
| Ollie Welf | 1911 | Cleveland Indians |
| Horace Leverette | 1911 | St. Louis Browns |
| Pol Perritt | 1912 | Cardinals |
| Dummy Murphy | 1912 | Philadelphia Phillies |
| Riggs Stephenson | 1920 | Indians |
| George Murray | 1920 | Yankees, Red Sox, Washington, Chicago |
| Hugh Critz | 1920-1921 | Reds, Giants |
| Red Lucas | 1921 | Reds, Pirates |
| Harry Kelley | 1923 | Senators |
| George Gill | 1934 | Browns, Tigers |
| Bud Bates | 1934 | Philadelphia Phillies |
| Benny McCoy | 1934 | A's, Tigers |
| Roy Cullenbine | 1934 | Tigers, Yankees, Browns, Dodgers |
| Walter Alston | 1935 | Cardinals |
| Oscar Judd | 1935 | RedSox, Phillies |
| Bob Scheffing | 1935 | Cubs, Reds |
| Tom Sunkel | 1935 | Cardinals, Dodgers |
| Bob Carpenter | 1936-1937 | Giants |
| Clem Dreisewerd | 1936 | RedSox |
| Tom Lanning | 1936 | Philadelphia Phillies |
| Tom Ferrick | 1936 | Browns, Yankees |
| Howie Moss | 1936-1937 | Reds |
| Glen Stewart | 1937 | Phillies |
| Jack Aragon | 1937 | Giants |
| Frank Mancuso | 1937 | Browns |
| Turkey Tyson | 1938 | Philadelphia Phillies |
| Bob Chipman | 1939 | Cubs, Braves |
| Fred 'Papa' Williams | 1939 | Cleveland Indians |
| Ray Moore | 1947 | Dodgers, Orioles, WhiteSox, Senators, Twins |
| Fred Waters | 1949 & 1951 | Pirates |
| Norm Larker | 1950 | Dodgers, Colt 45's, Braves, Giants |
| George Witt | 1950 | Pirates, Angels, Colt 45's |
| Dick Gray | 1951 | Dodgers, Cardinals |
| Chuck Templeton | 1952 | Dodgers |
| Karl Spooner | 1952 | Dodgers |
| Danny McDevitt | 1952 | Dodgers, Yankees, Twins, A's |
Former major league players who played in Greenwood:
| Name | Year in Greenwood | Major League Team |
|---|---|---|
| Orth Collins | 1911 | Yankees, Senators |
| George 'Scoops' Carey | 1911 | Baltimore(NL), Louisville(NL), Washington(AL) |
| Rebel Oaks | 1921 | Reds, Cardinals, Pittsburgh Rebels(FL) |
| Sam Vick | 1922 | Yankees, RedSox |
| Irv Stein | 1934 | Philadelphia Athletics |
| Carlos Moore | 1935 | Washington Senators |
| Dino Chiozza | 1936 | Phillies |
| Frank Brazil | 1936-1937 | A's |
| Elmer Yoter | 1938 | A's, Indians, Cubs |
| Fred Bennett | 1938 | St. Louis Browns, Pittsburgh Pirates |
| Bill Patton | 1938 | Philadelphia Athletics |
| Gerard Lipscomb | 1939-1940 | Browns |
| Walter Carson | 1940 | Indians |
| Jim Bivin | 1947-1949 | Phillies |
| Lou Rochelli | 1950-1951 | Dodgers |
Perhaps the two most famous former Greenwood players were Walter Alston and Hughie Critz. Alston played his first professional season in Greenwood in 1935 and was promoted to the parent St. Louis Cardinals for the 1936 season, where he struck out in the only at bat of his major league career. He was manager of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers for 23 seasons and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.
Critz played for Greenwood in 1920 and 1921, and after seasons in Memphis and Minneapolis, he was sold to the Reds for the 1924 season. He played there until he was traded to the New York Giants in 1930. Critz starred at 2B until he retired following the 1935 season. He played for the 1933 World Champion New York Giants.