The Knoxville Indians took up residence at Baldwin Park for a period of two years, starting what would become a lengthy and rich tradition in the Knoxville area. The orginal Knoxville professional baseball team packed the stands, drawing upwards of 3,000 cheering spectators, who paid roughly 75 cents to watch the games at Baldwin Park.

The Reds followed the Indians into the upper, eastern third of the state after a four-year baseball drought that began in 1898 and ended when play resumed in 1902. The Reds remained in place, thrilling early baseball fans in Knoxville for four seasons. No records for this team are available at the present time, but it is interesting to note that the squad played in three different associations over its four year existence, including the Appalachain League for two seasons (1902-03), the Tennessee-Alabama League (1904) and the Tennessee-Alabama-Georgia League (1905). Once again, however, what would become the ‘American Pastime’ couldn’t flourish in East Tennessee. The Reds ceased playing in 1906, leaving the Knoxville area without a baseball team until the 1909 season.

In 1909 the game returned to Knoxville in the form of the Appalachians of the South Atlantic League. Baldin Park, which served both the Indians and the Reds as Knoxville’s ballpark, was not the home of the newly formed Appalachians. Instead, the team made the move to Chilhowee Park, a stadium that would host minor legue baseball for the next six seasons. The 1909 edition of the Appalachians recorded a 52-60 mark, finishing fifth in the league. The team once again took part in the Southeastern Association, leaving the South Atlantic League after just one year. The 1910 Appalachians played Knoxville’s final season as a member of the Southeastern League, making the 1896 and 1897 Indians’ squads the only other teams to travel the Southeastern circuit.

Once again the Knoxville-area squad changed names, this time in 1911, reverting back to the Reds moniker. The 1911 season also saw another switch in league affiliations. The Reds joined the Appalachian League and, for the next eight seasons, Chilhowee Park hosted “Appy” League games. Those eight seasons would not be played one after the other, however, as the Reds’ run was short, lasting just four seasons from 1911 to 1914.

Baseball disappeared from the Knoxville area from 1915 to 1920.

The sport returned to the region again in 1921. The Pioneers resumed Knoxville’s membership in the Appalachian League and began playing at Caswell Park. The new location served the East Tennessee city’s needs for a very long stretch. Even though different stadiums and parks sat on the land, the physical location hosted minor league baseball through the end of the 1999 season.

Caswell Park hosted the Pioneers for four seasons until the team switched names, this time taking the name that the team is known by today, the Smokies. The newly named club didn’t stop at changing just its name, however, because the Smokies reteamed with the “Sally” league in 1925 for a completely new identity. The team managed to pound out five seasons in the hot Southern sun before the Great Depression of 1930 forced baseball to die away in the Knoxville area. The city tasted the success of three first-place seasons, with the “Appy” League in 1923 and 1924 and again in 1929 in the “Sally” League.

The “Sally” League Championship was hard earned for the Smokies, who defeated Asheville for the title. John Walker and L. Bates dominated on the hill during the championship run. The pair combined for a 48-20 record. Pitching alone doesn’t win championships, even though the team had more than enough. The 1929 championship squad also had plenty of offense. Elwood Smith, Boob McNair and Frank Waddey were team leaders who hit .322, .391 and .354, respectively during the championship run.