George Marston
The first recorded baseball game in San Diego was played on Saturday, May 6, 1871, at the plaza in Old Town. Colorfully named teams such as the Lomas, Coronadas, Bon Tons, Eckfords, Pacifics, and the Dolly Vardens sprang up between Old Towners, New Towners, and Point Lomans.
George Marston (standing far right) was a baseball player from his boyhood days in Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin, where he was the youngest member of the renowned Beloit Olympian Base Ball Club.
Joining San Diego's Coronada team in 1874, Marston scored 3 runs and beat the Lomas 35 to 27 in a July game. By 1878, local baseball had fizzled out some; Marston was instrumental in reviving San Diego baseball with the development of a formal, organized club, the 'Olympians,' which developed into the Bay City Base Ball Club.
Photo courtesy Marston Family Collection |