Throwing Fastballs: Cyril Hork Was a Pitcher

My grandfather, William Cyril Hork, played baseball in Hamilton, Montana, as a young man, probably following the footsteps of his older brothers, Albert, Frank, and Tony, who also played. I found several accounts of his games in the Missoulian, Anaconda Standard, and Ravalli Republic newspapers.

The first article covered a Boy Scout team and Cyril was one of the pitchers.[1]

In the next article, Cyril is pitching for the high school team, beating the high school in Victor 8 to 3. “Besides twirling a splendid game, Hork rapped out two clean hits. In the ninth frame, with three on and none out, the youngster tightened up and retired the side.”[2]

For the Memorial Day celebration, Cyril was the pitcher for the Knights of Birmingham (Masons) against the Valley Mercantile Company.[3] A follow-up article showed they won 3 to 1. Cyril got a double, stole a base, and struck out nine players. The whole article gave play-by-play results, but shown here is the box score.[4]

He continued playing for this league team and their team beat the Knights of Pythias, 11 to 6.[5]

His team even traveled to other cities, as this article shows he and Harry South, Jr. traveled to Mullen, Idaho to play.[6]

Cyril’s team did not always win, as this article shows. He was wild and gave up twelve hits in this game, although he had pitched no-hitters previously.[7]

In 1921, he played for Bell & Reinbold, a used car dealership in Hamilton, in the City baseball league games.[8]

In 1922, he played for Naylor & Wheeler, a plumbing company.[9]

There were no more baseball articles about Cyril. He married in November 1922 and probably ended his baseball “career” to take care of his new family. None of the newspapers had photos, but it is nice to see box scores that give some details about the game, and the articles that gave play-by-play information about each inning are most interesting.

#52Ancestors-Week 25: Fast

This is my sixth year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/) at Generations Cafe. I write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

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[1] “Baseball,” The Missoulian, 19 April 1914, p. 10.

[2] “Hork Beats Victor by Fine Pitching for Hamilton Team,” The Missoulian, 10 Apr 1914, p. 6.

[3] “Memorial Day to be Observed on Monday,” Ravalli Republic, 20 May 1920, p. 1.

[4] “City League Opens with a Close Score,” Ravalli Republic, 4 Jun 1920, p. 1, col. 2.

[5] “Hamilton News,” Anaconda Standard, 3 Jul 1920, p. 3, col. 1 & 2.

[6] “Hamilton News,” Anaconda Standard, 8 Aug 1920, p. 3, col. 2.

[7] “Hamilton News,” Anaconda Standard, 8 Aug 1920, p. 3, col. 3

[8] “City League Teams are Ready to Start,” Ravalli Republic, 13 May 1921, p. 1.

[9] “Played Tie Game,” Ravalli Republic, 25 May 1922, p. 1.

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