The 1894 Season
Posted 07-29-2017 at 03:14 PM by bjohn13
Opening Day Lineup
C Lave Cross
1B Jake Beckley
2B Lou Bierbauer
3B Jospeh Herr
SS Tommy Corcoran
LF Willie Keeler
CF Billy Hamilton
RF Duke Farrell
SP Charlie Buffington
Most Common Lineup
C Lave Cross
1B Jake Beckley
2B Lou Bierbauer
3B Joseph Herr
SS Tommy Corcoran
LF Willie Keeler
CF Duke Farrell
RF Billy Hamilton
Pitching Staff
SP Charlie Buffington
SP Ed Beatin
SP Cy Young
SP Nat Hudson
SP Brickyard Kennedy
RP George Boone
RP Gus Williams
RP Win Mercer
April
Brooklyn started the 1894 season just trying to find an identity. All history and tradition was discarded when McCarthy and Drew were traded in the offseason, and Brooklyn was opting to go with a more defensive oriented lineup.
The results in April were mixed. Offensively, Brooklyn ranked last or second to last in just about every offensive category. Defensively, about the only thing Brooklyn was doing well was avoiding giving up bases on balls. Still, they managed to win 8 of their last 11 in the month to finish April at .500.
Jake Beckley and Billy Hamilton both hit over .400 for the month, and Cy Young finished the month with a 2.57 ERA.
May
By mid-May, it had become obvious that the 1894 season was going to be a hitter’s paradise. By the end of May, there were still five players hitting over .400.
Lave Cross lead Brooklyn with a .396 clip at the end of May. Brooklyn also seemed like they gave up on trying to convert Billy Hamilton into a center fielder, as he spent most of the month of May in right field.
In the rotation, the good news was that the Grooms seem to have finally found their number three pitcher in the rotation, as Cy Young led the team in wins by the end of May. The bad news was that stalwarts Ed Beatin and Charlie Buffington both had ERAs over 4.00.
Brooklyn finished the month of May six games below .500, 13 ½ games out of first place.
June
1894 All Star Rosters
Things turned around for Brooklyn in June, as the Grooms recorded their first month over .500 in well over a year. Cy Young continued to pitch well. He finished June leading the team with 11 wins. Meanwhile, Lave Cross led the offense with a .396 batting average. Cross, Hamilton, and Beckley all contributed OBPs in excess of .900 on the season. Brooklyn pulled to within a game of .500 before losing their last game on the month, but they still trailed the Phillies by 17 games.
Brooklyn’s fortunes would probably be reversed if they could beat the Phillies. Brooklyn’s record against Philadelphia was 1-11 as of the end of June.
July
Brooklyn battled more injury issues in July. At one point, Billy Hamilton and Tommy Corcoran were the only two starters in the lineup for a period of six games. For those six games, the team fielded a lineup with a cumulative batting average under .200. The defense and pitching made some huge improvements, though, and Brooklyn almost managed .500 ball for the month, finishing the season at 14-15.
The month of July did provide Brooklyn fans with a pretty good reason to be excited. In yet another year plagued by blown saves, a rookie named Win Mercer made his Major League debut by showing dominance out of the bullpen. By the end of July, he had become the team’s workhorse reliever logging 20 innings with an ERA under 2 and a WHIP under 1. The Grooms were planning on getting him some action from the rotation by August, but the quartet of starters the team was featuring were all pitching too well to demote. Charlie Buffington, Ed Beatin, Cy Young, and Nat Hudson all had good months.
August
August was a good month for Brooklyn, but it was a little too late. Cy Young ended up finishing the year with 200 2/3 innings pitched, which makes him the first Brooklyn pitcher other than Buffington and Beatin to make it to the 200 innings pitched mark since the inaugural 1884 season. Charlie Buffington won the National League Player of the Month award by going 4-1 with a 2.37 ERA in the month of August. On the offensive side of the ball, Lave Cross led the team in hitting despite not becoming eligible until the last day of the season. Despite the powerhouse quintet of Cross, Hamilton, Bierbauer, Beckley, and Keeler, Brooklyn finished the season fifth in the NL in hitting.
The injuries in July likely contributed to that. Shorstop Bill Clymer ended the season with a .133 batting average in 218 at bats. That has to be some kind of record.
1894 Standings
1894 Hitting Leaders
1894 Pitching Leaders
1894 Team Hitting
1894 Team Pitching
1894 Brooklyn Batting Statistics
1894 Brooklyn Pitching Statistics
World Series
The Detroit Tigers were set to face the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1894 World Series. For Detroit, it was the second post season appearance for both teams with Detroit winning the championship in 1885 with Philaelphia losing to the White Sox in 1890.
Detroit was anchored by a potent lineup featuring Buck Ewing, Darby O’Brien, Fred Hartman, George Becker, and Dan Shannon. Their pitching staff was a little suspect, but excellent pitching from 19-game winner Jack Lynch and closer Pat Whitaker showed that they could be dominant from the mound from time to time.
The Phillies were the exact opposite. Fueled by a potent defense and the league’s number one pitching staff, the offense actually ranked sixth overall in the National League. Mike Grady, Mike Griffin, and Dummy Hoy all had great seasons, but the true greatness of this team came from the pitching dominance of Frank Mountain combined with the consistency of Jouett Meekin and Jack Sharrott.
Game one featured Frank Mountain against Jack Lynch. Mountain didn’t have his greatest outing, giving up 4 runs in six innings, but Lynch was knocked from the game in the fourth inning after giving up six runs, and the bullpen just couldn’t close the flood gates. Fred Hartman was 4 for 4 with a home run for Detroit, but it wasn’t enough. Tommy Tucker, Dummy Hoy, Mike Grady, Herman Long, and Tom Gettinger all had three hits for the Phillies as they routed Detroit 12-5.
Game two ended up being more of the same. Detroit’s Mickey Hughes was knocked from the game in the fourth inning after giving up 8 runs while Philadelphia’s Jouett Meekin went the distance for the victory. Herman Long had four hits and Justin Grim had four RBIs for the Phillies as they went on to rout Detroit again by the score of 9-4.
After losing the first two games at home, very few people gave Detroit a chance at coming back. However, Duke Esper was able to put together a good outing in game three, giving up only one unearned run in seven innings. Jack Sharott also pitched well, giving up only one unearned run in 7 1/3. Detroit scored two runs in the ninth, both off of sacrifice flies, to give Detroit a 3-1 win.
Frank Mountain took the mound again in game 4 against Jack Lynch, and both pitchers again had some struggles. Lynch lasted 5 2/3 giving up 7 runs, though, and Mountain made it through 8 allowing 5 runs. Mountain was the hero of the game, though, as he drove in 2 with a triple in the 6th to break up a 4-4 tie. He would go on to score, giving Philadelphia a 7-4 lead. Philadelphia would go on to win 7-6 to take a 3-1 lead in the series.
Detroit was never really in game five. Jouett Meeking gave up only one unearned run and went the distance for his second victory of the series. Dummy Hoy and Mike Grady both scored 3 times as Philadelphia went on to win 9-1 and clinch the series. Herman Long won the series MVP, going 11 for 22 with 8 RBIs.
Awards
Amateur Draft
1. Joe Corbett P
2. Andy Boswell P
3. Dan Coogan SS
4. Jack Warner C
5. Walter Thornton P
6. Ike Samuels 3B
7. Larry Battam* 3B
Brooklyn was not able to sign Larry Battam.
Offseason Moves
Brooklyn didn’t make any moves in the offseason, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. They engaged in talks for third baseman Shorty Fuller and center fielders Harry Lyons and Mike Griffin. Once the Grooms made it clear that Duke Farrell wasn’t available, though, teams tended to back off.
C Lave Cross
1B Jake Beckley
2B Lou Bierbauer
3B Jospeh Herr
SS Tommy Corcoran
LF Willie Keeler
CF Billy Hamilton
RF Duke Farrell
SP Charlie Buffington
Most Common Lineup
C Lave Cross
1B Jake Beckley
2B Lou Bierbauer
3B Joseph Herr
SS Tommy Corcoran
LF Willie Keeler
CF Duke Farrell
RF Billy Hamilton
Pitching Staff
SP Charlie Buffington
SP Ed Beatin
SP Cy Young
SP Nat Hudson
SP Brickyard Kennedy
RP George Boone
RP Gus Williams
RP Win Mercer
April
Brooklyn started the 1894 season just trying to find an identity. All history and tradition was discarded when McCarthy and Drew were traded in the offseason, and Brooklyn was opting to go with a more defensive oriented lineup.
The results in April were mixed. Offensively, Brooklyn ranked last or second to last in just about every offensive category. Defensively, about the only thing Brooklyn was doing well was avoiding giving up bases on balls. Still, they managed to win 8 of their last 11 in the month to finish April at .500.
Jake Beckley and Billy Hamilton both hit over .400 for the month, and Cy Young finished the month with a 2.57 ERA.
May
By mid-May, it had become obvious that the 1894 season was going to be a hitter’s paradise. By the end of May, there were still five players hitting over .400.
Lave Cross lead Brooklyn with a .396 clip at the end of May. Brooklyn also seemed like they gave up on trying to convert Billy Hamilton into a center fielder, as he spent most of the month of May in right field.
In the rotation, the good news was that the Grooms seem to have finally found their number three pitcher in the rotation, as Cy Young led the team in wins by the end of May. The bad news was that stalwarts Ed Beatin and Charlie Buffington both had ERAs over 4.00.
Brooklyn finished the month of May six games below .500, 13 ½ games out of first place.
June
1894 All Star Rosters
Things turned around for Brooklyn in June, as the Grooms recorded their first month over .500 in well over a year. Cy Young continued to pitch well. He finished June leading the team with 11 wins. Meanwhile, Lave Cross led the offense with a .396 batting average. Cross, Hamilton, and Beckley all contributed OBPs in excess of .900 on the season. Brooklyn pulled to within a game of .500 before losing their last game on the month, but they still trailed the Phillies by 17 games.
Brooklyn’s fortunes would probably be reversed if they could beat the Phillies. Brooklyn’s record against Philadelphia was 1-11 as of the end of June.
July
Brooklyn battled more injury issues in July. At one point, Billy Hamilton and Tommy Corcoran were the only two starters in the lineup for a period of six games. For those six games, the team fielded a lineup with a cumulative batting average under .200. The defense and pitching made some huge improvements, though, and Brooklyn almost managed .500 ball for the month, finishing the season at 14-15.
The month of July did provide Brooklyn fans with a pretty good reason to be excited. In yet another year plagued by blown saves, a rookie named Win Mercer made his Major League debut by showing dominance out of the bullpen. By the end of July, he had become the team’s workhorse reliever logging 20 innings with an ERA under 2 and a WHIP under 1. The Grooms were planning on getting him some action from the rotation by August, but the quartet of starters the team was featuring were all pitching too well to demote. Charlie Buffington, Ed Beatin, Cy Young, and Nat Hudson all had good months.
August
August was a good month for Brooklyn, but it was a little too late. Cy Young ended up finishing the year with 200 2/3 innings pitched, which makes him the first Brooklyn pitcher other than Buffington and Beatin to make it to the 200 innings pitched mark since the inaugural 1884 season. Charlie Buffington won the National League Player of the Month award by going 4-1 with a 2.37 ERA in the month of August. On the offensive side of the ball, Lave Cross led the team in hitting despite not becoming eligible until the last day of the season. Despite the powerhouse quintet of Cross, Hamilton, Bierbauer, Beckley, and Keeler, Brooklyn finished the season fifth in the NL in hitting.
The injuries in July likely contributed to that. Shorstop Bill Clymer ended the season with a .133 batting average in 218 at bats. That has to be some kind of record.
1894 Standings
1894 Hitting Leaders
1894 Pitching Leaders
1894 Team Hitting
1894 Team Pitching
1894 Brooklyn Batting Statistics
1894 Brooklyn Pitching Statistics
World Series
The Detroit Tigers were set to face the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1894 World Series. For Detroit, it was the second post season appearance for both teams with Detroit winning the championship in 1885 with Philaelphia losing to the White Sox in 1890.
Detroit was anchored by a potent lineup featuring Buck Ewing, Darby O’Brien, Fred Hartman, George Becker, and Dan Shannon. Their pitching staff was a little suspect, but excellent pitching from 19-game winner Jack Lynch and closer Pat Whitaker showed that they could be dominant from the mound from time to time.
The Phillies were the exact opposite. Fueled by a potent defense and the league’s number one pitching staff, the offense actually ranked sixth overall in the National League. Mike Grady, Mike Griffin, and Dummy Hoy all had great seasons, but the true greatness of this team came from the pitching dominance of Frank Mountain combined with the consistency of Jouett Meekin and Jack Sharrott.
Game one featured Frank Mountain against Jack Lynch. Mountain didn’t have his greatest outing, giving up 4 runs in six innings, but Lynch was knocked from the game in the fourth inning after giving up six runs, and the bullpen just couldn’t close the flood gates. Fred Hartman was 4 for 4 with a home run for Detroit, but it wasn’t enough. Tommy Tucker, Dummy Hoy, Mike Grady, Herman Long, and Tom Gettinger all had three hits for the Phillies as they routed Detroit 12-5.
Game two ended up being more of the same. Detroit’s Mickey Hughes was knocked from the game in the fourth inning after giving up 8 runs while Philadelphia’s Jouett Meekin went the distance for the victory. Herman Long had four hits and Justin Grim had four RBIs for the Phillies as they went on to rout Detroit again by the score of 9-4.
After losing the first two games at home, very few people gave Detroit a chance at coming back. However, Duke Esper was able to put together a good outing in game three, giving up only one unearned run in seven innings. Jack Sharott also pitched well, giving up only one unearned run in 7 1/3. Detroit scored two runs in the ninth, both off of sacrifice flies, to give Detroit a 3-1 win.
Frank Mountain took the mound again in game 4 against Jack Lynch, and both pitchers again had some struggles. Lynch lasted 5 2/3 giving up 7 runs, though, and Mountain made it through 8 allowing 5 runs. Mountain was the hero of the game, though, as he drove in 2 with a triple in the 6th to break up a 4-4 tie. He would go on to score, giving Philadelphia a 7-4 lead. Philadelphia would go on to win 7-6 to take a 3-1 lead in the series.
Detroit was never really in game five. Jouett Meeking gave up only one unearned run and went the distance for his second victory of the series. Dummy Hoy and Mike Grady both scored 3 times as Philadelphia went on to win 9-1 and clinch the series. Herman Long won the series MVP, going 11 for 22 with 8 RBIs.
Awards
Amateur Draft
1. Joe Corbett P
2. Andy Boswell P
3. Dan Coogan SS
4. Jack Warner C
5. Walter Thornton P
6. Ike Samuels 3B
7. Larry Battam* 3B
Brooklyn was not able to sign Larry Battam.
Offseason Moves
Brooklyn didn’t make any moves in the offseason, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. They engaged in talks for third baseman Shorty Fuller and center fielders Harry Lyons and Mike Griffin. Once the Grooms made it clear that Duke Farrell wasn’t available, though, teams tended to back off.
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