In the spring of 1908, manager/first baseman Frank Chance and pitcher Orval Overall of the Cubs agreed to take part in the first tour of Japan by Major League players.
Both subsequently backed out, as did all American and National League stars. Eventually, only 4 fringe big leaguers made the trip, along with 8 players from the Pacific Coast League. They still managed to go 17-0 against Japanese teams between Nov. 22 and Dec. 6.
MLB players did not play in Japan again for exactly 5 years, until Dec. 6, 1913, when the White Sox and Giants squared off in Tokyo to begin the international portion of an ambitious around-the-world journey.
The teams already had played 30 games in the United States. They faced another only once in Japan, with the White Sox winning, 9-4. The next day, the combined teams routed Keio University, 16-3.
Then the big leaguers went on to Shanghai, China; Hong Kong; Manila, the Philippines; Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, Australia; Ceylon (now Sri Lanka); Cairo, Egypt; Naples and Rome, Italy (all 3 games rained out); Nice, France; Paris (all 4 rained out); and London.
Each team had a 12-man roster, including 3 pitchers, of whom 2 actually were from their big league club. The third Sox hurler was from the Browns; the Giants' third, from the Sox: top prospect Red Faber, who would make his big league debut in 1914 and play his entire 20-year career for the Sox, winning 254 games and a plaque in the Hall of Fame.
Of the Giants' 9 position players, only 3 were employed by New York: Fred Merkle, Larry Doyle and Jim Thorpe.
There were only 2 such Sox, Tommy Daly and Buck Weaver.
The rest of the rosters featured 3 Cardinals, 2 Browns, 2 Phillies, a Pirate, a Red, Senator, a Tiger and future Hall of Famer Tris Speaker of the Red Sox.
There were no Cubs, however. So it was not until the next American visited Japan, in 1920, that a player on the Cubs' payroll became the first to play on a field in Japan.
That historic Cub is about as obscure as anyone in team history. An account of the 1920 tour by John J. Harney at the website of the Society for American Baseball Research, says the player "was so unknown, even on the West Coast, that in reports of the tour they would refer to him simply as 'Catcher Gomes.' "
His full name was Everett Gomes, and you won't find it in the list of 2,248 players for the Cubs since 1876, first season of the National League. That's because he never appeared in a regular- or post-season game as a Cub.
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Other than his name and position, there is no biographical information about Gomes at baseball-reference.com or similar websites.
But in 1921, the Springfield, Mo., Evening Union, published one of a series of "Tabloid Sketches of the New Major Leaguers" syndicated by Thompson Feature Services. That entry in the series began:
The earliest reference to Gomes in contemporary newspapers available online was in the Oregon Daily Journal, based in Portland, on Dec. 3, 1917. It said that the manager of the city's PCL team, Walter McCredie "has signed Everett Gomes, a semi-pro catcher of Los Angeles, for a spring tryout. Gomes is a short, chunky lad.
"The Beaver boss is of the opinion that the days of big catchers are over and that in the future receivers modeled after Ray Schalk of the White Sox will star on the ball fields."
Schalk is listed as having been 5 foot 9 and weighing 165 pounds.
On Feb. 26, The Oregonian said that Gomes "is considered a comer in Southern California and would likely make the team." But he did not. The Sunday Oregonian of March 31 said that, according to a letter received from McCredie, "Gomes did not appeal to the Portland manager and was given the 'gate.' "
Gomes returned to Los Angeles, where he played for semi-pro teams, then joined the local team in the professional California Winter League.
In January of 1919, Gomes was among 3 players signed by a Carl Sawyer, captain of the Minneapolis Millers of the Class AA American Association.
A March 25 item in the Minneapolis Journal described Gomes as being 23 years old, then said, "He looks like he has possibilities, but needs developing." On March 30, it said he "needs considerable more seasoning." On April 9, it declared that Gomes "will be released or used in a trade."
But Gomes stayed with the Millers. In a June 11 game against Indianapolis, he made "three hits, all clean, caught an excellent game and is valuable material in the making, according to everybody hereabouts."
Four days later, in its Sunday edition, a column of baseball notes in the Star Tribune included:
Everett Gomes, youthful catcher, has many of the qualifications that go to make a catching star, but Everett needs much more experience before he will be able to rank with the best of them.
Gomes can hit and throw and run and isn't afraid of blocking a runner or getting into the thick of the play. Last week, against Columbus, Gomes showed his gameness. He tagged Roy Massey out at the plate on a close play and suffered a hand badly cut from Massey's spikes as the former Miller redhead slid lustily into the plate.
The wound bled freely, but Gomes went right on with his catching, even with the scarlet drops pouring from the cut fingers.
With the coming of Jack Henry, Gomes undoubtedly will be placed for more experience, but the Millers intend to have first call on him.
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John "Jack" Henry, a 9-year Major League veteran, had been released by the Braves on June 5 and signed with the Millers.
On June 18, the Star Tribune reported that Gomes "left yesterday for Saskatoon, where he will play in the [Class C] Western Canada League."
He actually went to Regina, where he was the starting catcher for the rest of the season. In 64 games, he batted only .205, making 33 hits in 161 at bats. His data with Minneapolis are unknown.
Regina included Gomes in its list of players reserved for 1920, but he did not want to return. He wound up with the Springfield, Mo., Merchants of the Class D Western Association.
Over several days in mid-August, newspapers in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., all carried this one-paragraph item:
"Springfield, Mo., Aug. 14. -- The sale of Catcher Everett Gomes to the Chicago National League club was announced tonight by J. W. Sebough, business manager of the local Western Association club. Gomes is batting above the .300 mark."
The last sentence is not true. His average was just .229, with 97 hits in 424 at bats, including 11 doubles, 4 triples and 4 home runs. He also stole 16 bases.
An item in the Los Angeles Times on Sept. 2 said, "The price paid for Gomes is said to be $4,800." That is the equivalent of $74,599.33 today.
From the Springfield News-Leader of Saturday, Aug. 21:
"Everett Gomes, star backstop of the Midgets [sic], is to be sent to the Chicago National League club soon, according to word received yesterday by officials of the local club. The Cubs are suffering the loss of their famous catcher Wade [actually, Bill] Killefer, who has been injured, and have requested that the local club send Gomes without delay.
"The Midget management will make a definite answer to the Chicago request when the club returns from the trip Sunday. . .
"Should Gomes go to the Cubs at this date he would receive a world of experience in the big show because the Cubs' season ends October 6. This means that Gomes would be with the club more than a month and probably would be called up on step into a game."
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Gomes joined the Cubs on Aug. 26 in Chicago, where they lost the opening game of a series against Brooklyn, 5-3. Bob O'Farrell was the Cubs' catcher, as he would be for each of their next 22 games and all but 2 of their subsequent 12. Tom Daly took over for the second game of a pair of doubleheaders.
On Thursday, Sept. 2, on their way from Chicago to Pittsburgh, the Cubs stopped to play an exhibition game in Marion, Ohio.
"The Cubs lent the Marion town team a battery today and then defeated them, 3 to 1, in a snappy contest attended by Senator [Warren] Harding, Republican presidential nominee, and several thousand voters."
Daly caught for the local team, with Gomes behind the plate for the Cubs. Grover Cleveland Alexander threw the first 2 innings, then gave way to Joe "Zip" Jaeger, who would make his second and last big league appearance 3 days later at Pittsburgh.
Gomes made 2 of the 12 hits by the Cubs, whom the Tribune said "didn't try hard and hurried through the regulation nine rounds after being photographed liberally."
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Gomes went 1 for a 4, a single, in in a 10-5 win over the Pennsylvania Railroad team at Altoona, Pa. on Sept. 8. He did not take part in the Cubs' final 2 exhibition games, a 7-0 win at Peru, Ill., on Sept. 29 and a 5-4 loss at Joliet the next day.
Following the latter game, a man jumped on the running board of one of the cars that were to transport Cubs players to their hotel and shouted as Cubs shortstop Buck Herzog, "You're one of those crooked Chicago ball players. When are you going to confess?"
Herzog jumped out of the car and knocked the man to the ground. As they scuffled, another man took out a knife and slashed Herzog in the palm of his hand, on his knuckles and in the calf of his leg. The man then disappeared into the crowd.
Herzog, accused before a grand jury of fixing a game between the Cubs and Phillies in 1919, finished out the season. The charges against him were dropped, but he was waived by the Cubs and never played another big league game.
The Cubs lost their season finale, 4-3, at home to the Pirates on Sunday, Oct. 3. Gomes then headed for his home on the West Coast. "Before leaving," the Springfield News-Leader reported, "Gomes signed a contract to play with the Cubs during the 1921 season."
So, Gomes officially was a member of the Cubs when he was invited by promoter Gene Doyle to join the 1920 tour of Japan.
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As in 1908, the original plan had been for American and National League standouts to fill the rosters of the tour's teams. As in 1908, the plan fell apart. Buck Weaver of the White Sox bowed out after his role was revealed in throwing the 1919 World Series. Others withdrew for a variety of reasons, including George Sisler of the Browns.
The biggest remaining name was 11-year veteran Eddie Ainsmith, who would catch for the "Americans," while Gomes filled the role for the "Nationals."
Among the other lesser lights: Herb Hunter, an infielder and pinch hitter, who had played 5 games for the Cubs between Aug. 30, 1916, and May 5, 1917, going 0 for 7.