In 1898 Charles Comiskey’s St. Paul Saints, the best team in the Western League, lost an exhibition game in Duluth to the local nine. The Duluth Dukes prevailed that day behind the pitching of Roy Patterson, who was rewarded with a Saints contract the following year. In 1900, when the Saints moved to Chicago to become the White Sox, the Boy Wonder from St. Croix Falls, WI, was the team’s best pitcher. When the American League declared itself a major league in 1901, Patterson was on the mound April 24 in the league’s first game. Since the day’s other games were rained out, Patterson became the AL’s first winning pitcher, downing the Cleveland Blues 8-2. He was 20-16 that season, 19-14 the next. After his ML career ended in 1907, Patterson spent a decade with the Minneapolis Millers (American Association).