Perfectos Win Griswold Trophy Ball

As I mentioned last week, the St. Louis Baseball Historical Society presented the Merrit W. Griswold Championship Trophy Ball to the winner of a tournament played between area vintage base ball clubs.  The tournament was held Saturday and the Brown Stockings, Unions, Cyclones and Perfectos all vied for what we hope will become a treasured St. Louis baseball tradition.

Brown Stockings vs. Perfectos

The Griswold Trophy Ball is a recreation of the trophy ball awarded by Griswold and the Cyclone Base Ball Club of St. Louis to the Morning Star Base Ball Club of St. Louis in 1860, commemorating the Morning Stars victory over the Cyclones in the first match game ever played in St. Louis.  Griswold took the game ball from the match, had it gilded and inscribed with the date of the match, the two participants and the score.  Throughout the 1860s, the ball was awarded to the club that claimed the championship of St. Louis and came to represent baseball excellence in the city.  One of the goals of the St. Louis Baseball Historical Society is to revive this tradition and to bring awareness to the contributions of Merritt Griswold to the history of St. Louis baseball.

The St. Louis Perfectos Base Ball Club won the round-robin tournament and were the first recipients of the Griswold Trophy Ball.  Steve Pona, founder, president and generalissimo of the St. Louis Baseball Historical Society had the pleasure and honor of awarding the trophy to the club.

Congratulations to Steve, who worked hard to put all of this together, and, of course, congratulations to the Perfectos.