[Nick Soulis]

THE CHRONICLE
Edition 1.10

October 15, 1871

Final



Pike Is Batting Champ
Troy Comes Up Short For Pennant But Pike Is Tops

It was a difficult finish to a good season for the Troy Hamaykers and manager Lip Pike. The Troy club was battling for the pennant all season long but came up short in the end to their close rivals from New York, the Mutuals. The season really came down to an October battle at the Haymakers Ground where the Mutuals prevailed by a tight score of 6-5 and took home the flag.



Pike of course is also one of the best swingers in the league and his ability in the middle of the Troy batting order was a big part of the 19 Troy wins. Pike finished tops in batting average to become the first batting title recipient in professional baseball. Pike hit .462 with 68 hits that also lead the league; he also scored 53 runs and stole 14 bases. Right behind Pike was George Bechtel of Fort Wayne who hit .462 and lead the league with 16 doubles.

Matthews Triple Crown Of Pitching
Matthews Best In All Major Pitching Categories For Senators

At 19 years old, Bobby Mathews was suppose to take a back seat to some of the more experienced arms in the league. Playing for the most dominant club in the land however as well as the best offense must have changed the young mans confidence and the results soon would follow.

Mathews started in all 32 games and lead the league in almost every category including the big three of wins, strikeouts, and ERA. Mathews also lead the league in innings pitched with 259 as manager Nick Young had all the confidence that his ace would get the job done. The stalwart won 21 games with a 3.54 ERA and 21 strikeouts. He also lead the league in WHIP, WAR, and OBA.

Now Mathews prepares for the biggest stage, as the first ever World Series beckons as his Senators look to become champions.

Senators Heavy Favorites To Win Series
New York Will Have its Work Cut Out in First Of Its Kind



The culmination of the first season that has already been considered a success, comes with the final battle of the two best teams in the land in what is being called the first ever World Series.

The Washington Senators will host four of the seven games and are what it seems like everyone's favorite to make easy work of the New York rivals. Lead by Ross Barnes and Deacon White, the Washington club is relentless on offense and punishes opponents as they lead in almost every offensive numbers. Young Bobby Mathews will look to produce on the big stage as the pitcher showing a maturity well past his years.

Their opponents will be the famous New York Mutuals. The history of this club goes back to the origins of the game itself and what more appropriate club to win the pennant and play for it all then the Mutuals? New York took the pennant from their rivals from Troy and did so with a resolve at the end of the season where they went 14-3 to end the season. Cal McVey is a legitimate star in the league while Dave Eggler and George Heubel both drove in over 30 runs and can really do damage.

Washington took three of four in their head to head matchups this season, but none of that matters as the clubs battle for the right to be the first historic champions. All the experts seem to have picked the Senators as winners before the first pitch is thrown, lets see is the games themselves say the same story.