OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - The Simplest Beginnings: From Amateurism in 1857, to Pro Ball (1870), Int'l Ball, & More

tm1681 · 06-17-2023, 07:29 PM

THE PRAIRIE LEAGUE GOES TO A ONE-GAME PLAYOFF

During 1897, of the five semi-professional member leagues of the National Base Ball Organization the Prairie League had the most competitive season from top to bottom. Perhaps that was because the league had only ten teams instead sixteen or twenty like the Northeastern circuits, but the standings after the final day spoke for themselves:

Kansas: 61-47 (.565)
Wichita: 61-47 (.565)
Des Moines: 59-49 (.546, 2 GB)
Sioux City: 58-50 (.537, 3 GB)
Lincoln: 54-54 (.500, 7 GB)
Dubuque: 54-54 (.500, 7 GB)
Council Bluffs: 52-56 (.481, 9 GB)
St. Joseph: 51-57 (.472, 10 GB)
Davenport: 45-63 (.417, 16 GB)
So. Missouri: 45-63 (.417, 16 GB)

To contrast, in the NEBA’s eight-team New England Championship the Vermont Green Stockings (77-35) were forty-six games better than last-place Portland (31-81), and in the ten-team namesake side of the Northeastern League there was a forty-one game gap between #1 Philadelphia (71-43) and #10 Delaware (30-84).

In a league that relatively competitive, it should come as no surprise that the Prairie League championship had to be decided by a one-game playoff. What’s more: Wichita was chosen to host via a flip of the coin as the two teams tied for first place – the Wranglers and the Kansas Blue Stockings – won six of the twelve games against each other during the 108-game season.

So, the day after the end of the regular season in early September, the two Kansan members of the Prairie League squared off to decide who could boast of being the PL champions for 1897. The result: the Kansas Blue Stockings went home champions thanks to an outburst of six runs over the seventh and eighth innings.

The man named Player of the Game was Kansas starter Charles Pinkney, who didn’t have the best of seasons (15-20, 4.40 ERA, 1.72 WHIP) but came up huge with the PL title on the line, going the distance and striking out six Wichita batters while throwing 151 pitches. First baseman Harry McDonald also had a big game, going 3/5 with a stolen base and four RBI, including a bases-loaded double in the seventh inning that was the key point of the Blue Stockings’ late-game rally. Light-hitting catcher Dan Klingenhorn (.213 AVG, .567 OPS, -1.6 batting WAR) stunned the hosts by hitting a two-run homer in the top of the eighth that put the game away for Kansas.

The victory gave the Blue Stockings their first Prairie League championship since joining the PL in 1890. One more and they’ll catch up to the elder Kansan side they had just defeated.

06-17-2023, 07:29 PM	#52
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,081	THE PRAIRIE LEAGUE GOES TO A ONE-GAME PLAYOFF During 1897, of the five semi-professional member leagues of the National Base Ball Organization the Prairie League had the most competitive season from top to bottom. Perhaps that was because the league had only ten teams instead sixteen or twenty like the Northeastern circuits, but the standings after the final day spoke for themselves: Kansas: 61-47 (.565) Wichita: 61-47 (.565) Des Moines: 59-49 (.546, 2 GB) Sioux City: 58-50 (.537, 3 GB) Lincoln: 54-54 (.500, 7 GB) Dubuque: 54-54 (.500, 7 GB) Council Bluffs: 52-56 (.481, 9 GB) St. Joseph: 51-57 (.472, 10 GB) Davenport: 45-63 (.417, 16 GB) So. Missouri: 45-63 (.417, 16 GB) To contrast, in the NEBA’s eight-team New England Championship the Vermont Green Stockings (77-35) were *forty-six* games better than last-place Portland (31-81), and in the ten-team namesake side of the Northeastern League there was a forty-one game gap between #1 Philadelphia (71-43) and #10 Delaware (30-84). In a league that relatively competitive, it should come as no surprise that the Prairie League championship had to be decided by a one-game playoff. What’s more: Wichita was chosen to host via a flip of the coin as the two teams tied for first place – the Wranglers and the Kansas Blue Stockings – won six of the twelve games against each other during the 108-game season. So, the day after the end of the regular season in early September, the two Kansan members of the Prairie League squared off to decide who could boast of being the PL champions for 1897. The result: the Kansas Blue Stockings went home champions thanks to an outburst of six runs over the seventh and eighth innings. The man named Player of the Game was Kansas starter Charles Pinkney, who didn’t have the best of seasons (15-20, 4.40 ERA, 1.72 WHIP) but came up huge with the PL title on the line, going the distance and striking out six Wichita batters while throwing 151 pitches. First baseman Harry McDonald also had a big game, going 3/5 with a stolen base and four RBI, including a bases-loaded double in the seventh inning that was the key point of the Blue Stockings’ late-game rally. Light-hitting catcher Dan Klingenhorn (.213 AVG, .567 OPS, -1.6 batting WAR) stunned the hosts by hitting a two-run homer in the top of the eighth that put the game away for Kansas. The victory gave the Blue Stockings their first Prairie League championship since joining the PL in 1890. One more and they’ll catch up to the elder Kansan side they had just defeated.