Charlie “Cy” Swain (1884-1918): Forgotten Home Run King; Died of Influenza

Cy Swain and Grave Marker

Plot 45, "Influenza Plot"

In the early decades of the twentieth century, before Babe Ruth redefined the long ball, West Coast fans had their own home run hero: Charles “Cy” Swain aka “Moose”. A native of Palo Alto, California, Swain was for a brief but shining time one of the best-known sluggers on the Pacific Coast. His powerful bat and larger-than-life personality made him a fan favorite, yet his career ended in tragedy and his life was cut short by the influenza pandemic of 1918. Today, his story is all but forgotten.

Swain’s baseball journey began in the Bay Area. His brother Ira played at Stanford University, and through that connection Cy was introduced to professional baseball. In 1904, San Jose manager Mike Steffani was looking for a shortstop and considered Ira Swain. But when Cy tagged along and impressed during workouts, Steffani declared: “I think young Cy is the best player. He acts like Truck Eagan to me.” Ira went home, and Cy stayed on the team.

Tall and powerfully built, Swain soon gained a reputation as a hard hitter—though he struck out often. He also developed a reputation for enjoying nightlife a bit too much. By 1907, while playing for Spokane in the Northwestern League, his penchant for drinking was well-known. When management sent him a contract with a temperance clause, Swain wired back: “Send me two of those; I may break one.”

Cy Swain's Vancouver Beavers baseball card

Despite battles with his weight, Swain’s bat kept him in demand. He played for Butte, Tacoma, and Vancouver, where he emerged as one of the league’s most dangerous sluggers. In 1910, while leading the Northwestern League in hitting, the Washington Senators offered $1,800 for his contract (roughly $60,000 in 2024 dollars). Vancouver manager Bob Brown turned the offer down, determined to win a pennant. Swain cooled off that summer, but still led the league with 11 home runs.

Washington eventually signed him in 1911, with scout Cliff Blankenship—famous for discovering Walter Johnson—vouching for him. In spring training, Washington reporters raved: “For a big fellow Swain is a wonder when it comes to covering ground in the outfield” and “Though a six-footer, weighing 200 pounds, he runs like a sprinter.” But illness sidelined him, and he was sent back to Vancouver.

There he rebounded, hitting .309 and leading the Beavers to a title. His finest season came in 1913 with Victoria: he blasted 34 home runs, smashing Ping Bodie’s West Coast record of 30. Newspapers marveled at his power, even as they noted Victoria’s tiny fences—270 feet to center field. Regardless, fans flocked to see him swing, and Swain stood as the undisputed home run king of the West.

Cy Swain obituary

Swain’s consistency earned him another promotion, this time to the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association. But fate intervened. On November 27, 1914, while working his off-season job with Pacific Telephone and Telegraph in San Francisco, he fell from a company truck and was run over. His right leg was crushed and had to be amputated. The San Francisco Chronicle lamented that his big league dreams were over.

The baseball community rallied to his aid. Benefit games in San Francisco and Tacoma drew thousands and raised over $4,000, which Swain used to open a cigar shop with former player Tommy Sheehan. He didn’t quit baseball, though—he organized the “Independents,” a barnstorming team of professionals that played winter exhibitions. In 1916, his squad traveled to Hawaii, facing military nines and even an All-Chinese team featuring Vernon Ayau.

Swain remained a visible figure in Bay Area sports even after his playing days ended. He, Sheehan, and Cliff Blankenship opened the Maryland Bowling Alleys in Oakland in 1918, diversifying his athletic interests into the fast-growing sport of bowling. Local papers noted that Swain remained as jovial and popular as ever, drawing friends from both the baseball and business worlds. 

But tragedy again intervened. In October 1918, Cy’s brother Ira died of the Spanish Flu. Just two weeks later, on November 4, Cy himself fell victim to the same pandemic. The Oakland Tribune mourned: “Charlie Swain, one of the most popular ball players in the history of the game in the West, died here last night, a victim of Spanish Influenza. Two weeks ago today Charlie’s brother Ira fell victim to the malady.” He was just 36 years old.

Ira Swain obituary

Ira Swain played shortstop for the Stanford baseball team and was elected captain. He also ran track and field, but never had much of a professional career. He is also buried in the Influenza Plot. 

Charlie “Cy” Swain’s life was marked by towering highs and devastating lows. He was a home run pioneer on the West Coast, briefly the region’s most feared power hitter, and a larger-than-life personality who embodied both the promise and pitfalls of early professional baseball. His post-baseball ventures in bowling and community sports showed a man unwilling to be defined by his accident.

Yet his early death and the lack of big league success consigned him to obscurity. A century later, Swain deserves recognition as one of California’s great early sports figures—a man who swung for the fences, both literally and figuratively, and whose legacy as the forgotten home run king still echoes faintly in the annals of baseball history.

Sources: Oakland Tribune, Baseball History Daily, Find a Grave, Bakersfield Californian, Fresno Bee, Society for American Baseball Research