San Mateo once had a baseball team called the Blues, which was consistently ranked among the top semi-pro teams in Northern California. Fitzgerald Field at San Mateo Central Park off El Camino Real is named for the manager of the Blues, which, in its formative years more than a century ago, played on a diamond at what is now the Martin Luther King Center, a popular recreation hub that recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.
The Blues were an amateur team, sponsored by a newspaper called the San Mateo News Leadership when they debuted at the MLK Center site north of downtown in 1898, a time when just about every Peninsula city fielded a baseball squad. Historian Alan Hynding wrote in “From Frontier to Suburb” that “town clubs from Redwood City, San Mateo, Half Moon Bay, and later South City, competed against each other.” It should be noted that recreational opportunities were limited at a time when people worked upwards to 60 hours a week, so baseball was a big draw.
The Blues moved to Central Park when it opened in 1922, becoming the first municipal park in San Mateo County. In 1924, the Blues took a step up and joined the semi-pro California State League, a circuit that included the Modesto Reds and Santa Cruz Padres.
The Blues took the league crown several times in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1927, the team had a record of 29 wins, 3 losses. One year the Blues came close to beating the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League. The San Francisco team won 3-2, but the Blues outhit the Seals 8-3.
The dynamo behind the Blues’ success was Justin Fitzgerald, a native of San Mateo who played for Santa Clara University before becoming a fielder with such major league teams as the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies. Early in his career in the big leagues, however, he suffered an arm injury that made it difficult to throw the ball as far and as fast as needed. Fitzgerald was still a good hitter, which he proved when he moved to the Pacific Coast League where he played with Portland and later San Francisco, spending eight successful seasons with the Seals.
According to Mitch Postel’s “History of San Mateo,” the Seals’ home field was ideal for him because its short right field fence meant shorter throws. “His weak arm was much less a detriment, and his hitting continued to be sharp,” Postel wrote. In 1916, Fitzgerald won the PCL batting championship with a .316 average.
Fitzgerald managed the Blues from 1924 until 1935 when he returned to Santa Clara University as coach. He also served as on the San Mateo City Council from 1933-1937. The Blues played at Central Park until 1941 when World War II halted a time out. Play resumed in 1948 under manager Paul Thiebaut and lasted until 1978 when the team disbanded.
Fitzgerald died in 1945 from a stomach disorder at the age of 52. After his death, just about everyone started calling the Central Park field Fitzgerald Field, which became the official title in 1960. More than a thousand people attended the field’s dedication Aug. 21, 1960. According to Postel, San Mateo Times sports editor Harvey Rockwell described Fitzgerald as “quiet, studious, gentlemanly and tolerant with a kind sense of humor,” adding that his players “felt a personal allegiance” to Fitzgerald. Today, a plaque near the stadium entrance honors Fitzgerald, recalling him as an “inspiration to the youth of San Mateo.”
The Rear View Mirror by history columnist Jim Clifford appears in the Daily Journal every other Monday. Objects in The Mirror are closer than they appear.
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