This Month In Baseball
September 1877
Edition 7.7
Brainard To Retire At End Of Season
Count Of The Mound Leaves Strong Legacy
This offseason the league was stunned when the Philadelphia Centennials traded respected ace pitcher Asa Brainard to the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds were ecstatic to add such a veteran arm to their rotation and the 'Count" did not disappoint posting a fine season and helping the Reds stay close in the pennant race. Brainard has a 17-10 record with a 2.83 ERA in 30 starts and has been dependable and resilient for the team.
Still this week the 36 year old who has amassed 107 career wins decided to head back to his hometown of Albany New York upon the end of the campaign. Brainard says that he has given everything that he had to the game and that his time to live a simple life has come. Asa threw over 2000 innings in his career and struck out 228 batters. He spent most of his time playing for losing teams and twice lead the league in losses. His guile on the mound however is something that wont be soon forgotten and is the reason the right hander earned the nickname of Count.
There is still some hope for the Reds who sit three games behind Philadelphia in the standings. It would be quite the prize for the veteran to finish his playing days competing in the World Series, something he has never experienced. Brainard jus may be the highest profile player thus far to announce his retirement, although Al Spalding of Boston is all bit retired even if he has not made it official appearing in only 13 games this season.
Larkin Throws 19 Innings In Win
Twenty One Year Old Sets New Standard In Longevity
Its one thing to throw a complete game, which is what most all of the great arms in the game expect to do on any given day. Its a complete other thing to do what Terry Larkin did this month in a 4-3 victory for the Philadelphia Centennials over Keokuk. The game itself was very noteworthy as the two teams battled for 19 full innings and almost 5 hours before Philadelphia won it. It was the longest game in league history.
The Centennials have not had the best of seasons, but they have been a club that plays hard and is eager to be competitive. Depth has been an issue all season and on this day, manager Lew Carl had little or no options other then Larkin to throw the complete game. As the game wore on however many wondered if the kid could really keep going. The 80 degree temperature at Centennial Grounds surely didnt help.
But by all accounts, as the game progressed, Larkin became more determined to stay in the game and earn the win. Everyone in the park looked at the dugout in anticipation before the start of every inning to see if the pitcher would come out for another try. On this day Larkin would let no one take his place, even if he threw 30 innings.
The exhausted lad was finally rewarded by his teammates with the very late win. The numbers however are astounding as Larkin threw 216 pitches and faced 66 batters. Surely this game will be remembered for a long while and likely will never be repeated on a baseball field again.
The heart and determination on this day of Terry Larkin, will also not be forgotten as his personal outstanding season continues, showcasing a 2.00 ERA in 43 starts and now totaling 382 innings for the season.