[tm1681]

THE 1861 PLAYOFF FIELD IS SET!
ONCE AGAIN, ONLY ONE CHAMPIONSHIP DECIDED BY MORE THAN FIVE GAMES

NORTHEAST U.S.A (August 5, 1861) – The 1861 National Base Ball Organization season ended yesterday afternoon – Sportsman’s at Susquehanna being the final game to finish. Once again the six city & regional champions make the playoffs, and five of the six were chiseled in before the final day. Like last year, only one championship was decided by more than five games, but unlike last year no team won fifty or more games.

BROOKLYN – Kings County (49-22) ended the final week with a nine-game lead over Bedford, having long since asserted dominance over Brooklyn. They finished first – their fourth straight pennant – by those same nine games over Bedford.

NEW YORK CITY – Gotham (41-29) had a two-game lead over Orange and a three-game lead over Mutual going into the final week. They held everyone at bay to finish first by two over Orange by four over Knickerbocker & Mutual. This is the first time that base ball’s oldest existing club has made the N.B.B.O. playoffs.

UPSTATE – Syracuse & Utica were tied going into the final week. Syracuse won their first game, Utica lost their first, and both teams won their least four meaning that Syracuse (47-23) clinched the Upstate pennant by one game on the final day.

COASTAL – Port Jersey was tied with Trenton United for first two weeks ago, but their 2-8 finish allowed Trenton (44-26) to take the Coastal pennant by five games over Port Jersey & Shamrock.

INLAND – Reading was ahead of Alleghany by one game and Merrimack Mills by three going into the final week, but a 1 4 finish combined with five Alleghany wins meant the Pittsburgh club (46-24) took Inland by three games over Merrimack Mills & Reading.

NEW ENGLAND – At the halfway point St. John’s was tied for first with Green Mountain, but yet again STJ (49-21) pulled away and took New England – their fifth pennant in a row – by five games over Green Mtn. & Sons of the Ocean.

Here is what the 1861 playoffs, which begin tomorrow, will look like:

NEW YORK LEAGUE

Semi-Final: #3 Gotham Base Ball Club (N.Y.C: 41-29) vs. #2 Syracuse Base Ball Club (Upstate: 47-23)
Championship: Gotham or Syracuse vs #1 Kings County Base Ball Club (Brooklyn: 48-22)

NEW ENGLAND

Semi-Final: #3 Trenton United (Coastal: 44-26) vs. #2 Alleghany Baseball Club (Inland: 46-24)
Championship: Trenton Utd. or Alleghany vs #1 St. John’s Baseball Club (New England: 49-21)

TUCKER-WHEATON CUP

Northeastern League Champions vs New York League Champions

With no team having won fifty games this year, there is no solid favorite to take the Tucker-Wheaton Cup. That said, there are three hot teams going into the playoffs. Alleghany ended the season with seven wins in a row, and Syracuse with five wins in a row. St. John’s had won eight of nine before ending the season with a loss that mattered none, so they should be thrown into the mix as well.

The only team in legitimately worrying form going into the playoffs is Gotham, who went 4-6 over the season’s final two weeks. That might not be a surprise given that the team’s fortunes this season have rested on the shoulders of roughly half a dozen first-year players who were all highly talented, but untested.

If going by #1 seeds, then the Tucker-Wheaton Cup will likely be a repeat of last year. However, past years have shown that anything can happen.