The Chronicle
June 1873
Edition 3.5
The Black Sheep Of Brooklyn
Miracle Turnaround In Works From 2nd Place Eckfords
As an expansion team in 1872, it was a curious choice for the new club to be based in Brooklyn, where the pennant winning Atlantics already were the toast of the town. Adding to the inaspicious response was the product on the field as the Eckfords lost 47 games last season and won only 13 leaving manager Shamar Pate with little to build on. The Eckfords almost held a comical aura from press and fans, where they were the but of jokes and the worst seemed to be certain.
But in baseball and new spring brings a new season and something under the surface was happening to this team. The players never stopped believing that a turn around would come and as the neighborhoods prepared for another big season from the Atlantics, the Eckfords were preparing a major revival.
The season did however start in familiar fashion in April with the team losing all five of its games including a 7-4 loss to the Atlantics. However in May the club put together their first ever four game winning streak and on May 3rd they beat the Atlantics for the first time by a score of 7-1. In May and June Pate's team went 12-6 and are now only 1.5 games back in a tight American League.
Two offensive players have brought new life. Bob Addy is the dynamic leadoff hitter who is hitting .394 and has earned the nickname as Magnet for his play in the outfield. Oscar Bielaski is hitting .333 with 20 RBI in the middle of the order and has worked very hard to prove he can be an elite hitter. Maybe the biggest help has come from the mound where 22 year old starter Frank Buttry, who lost 33 games last season, has a 2.34 ERA and four wins already. He is showing the talent that everyone was sure that he had.
It really is a great story for a club to believe in itself and fight back to respectability. People are beginning to notice in Brooklyn and yes, the Eckfords for the moment even have a better record then the Atlantics as we head into June. Baseball has a tendency to write its own scripts when spring turns into summer.
Bill Boyd Gives Mutuals Exactly What They Need
Local Kid A Big Part Of New York's Renewed Hope
After winning the pennant in 1871, the Mutuals had a down year in 1872 with many calling their good season a simple fluke. There is little doubt that the club and manager Joe Lemmens needed something to get them back on track and renew the fire in the roster.
The Mutuals drafted a 20 year old local kid from New York City named Bill Boyd and inserted him at third base from opening day. The results could not have gone better as Boyd has been the most talked about rookies in the game and has hit .351 with 23 RBI and an .821 OPS. Boyd is playing like he has been there before and the New York faithful are loving their local boy and his rough New York grit.
The fire Boyd has brought to the team has influenced other Mutual stars into big seasons. Cal McVey finally has some pressure off of him and he is excelling hitting .434 to lead the league proving his swing is as good or better then most. He did have his hitting streak halted at 36 games to stay tied for the alltime mark. Even more impressive has been the turnaround of pitcher Candy Cummings who now uses his slurve ball more smartly and has used some new pitches to make him more rounded. Cummijgs is 12-4 with a 1.94 ERA and 11 strike outs to his name.
The Mutuals do have their hands full as they sit in second behind a very good Baltimore club that has won 18 games already. New York has done it before however, and with a bright eyed rookie on the roster, the fire is back in the Big Apple.