In 1885 the Athletics of San Jose was the first semi-professional baseball team to play in the city. The team played one season as part of the California State League, one of several incarnations of such a league.
They played league games against the Haverly’s of San Francisco, Unions of Sacramento and other team. According to the San Jose Mercury News they also took on other notable team’s like Santa Clara University and Greenwood and Moran club from Oakland.
The manager was a man named Keat Bascom, who hustled to get the team going. The two most notable players were pitcher Lewie Redmond and first baseman Al Ewing, whose brother Buck Ewing was a famous catcher with the New York Gothams, later to become the Giants.
Various newspapers covered the Athletics’ 1885 season, but coverage was not robust and many games outcomes were not recorded. The Athletics played almost all their games at Agricultural Park, which seems to also have been referenced as the “race track” and the “fairgrounds.”
1885 Athletics of San Jose
| Game | Score | Date | Venue |
| at University of Pacific | L, 8-10 | 5/2/1885 | University grounds |
| vs Occidentals | ? | 5/24/1885 | Agricultural Park |
| vs Fat Men’s Nine | ? | 5/31/1885 | Agricultural Park |
| vs Stars | W, 32-5 | 6/7/1885 | Agricultural Park |
| vs ?? | L, “disastrous defeat” | 6/14/1885 | ? |
| vs Enterprise Club of SF | L, 21-7 | 6/21/1885 | Agricultural Park |
| vs Santa Clara | ? | 6/28/1885 | ? |
| vs Stars | ? | 9/ 6/1885 | race track |
| vs College Nine | L, 6-10 | 9/17/1885 | ? |
| vs Santa Claras | W, 12-10 | 9/27/1885 | race track |
| vs Santa Claras | L, 5-10 | 10/18/1885 | race track |
| vs Oakland Oaklands | W, 12-2 | 10/25/1885 | race track |
| vs Dirigos (U o P freshmen) | W, 15-9 | 10/31/1885 | race track |
| vs Greenwood & Moran | ? | 11/1/1885 | Agricultural Park |
| Record | 4-5 (5 unknown) |