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1864 T.W.C: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
THE REVAMPED T.W.C. GOES TO A PLAYOFF FOR THE FIRST TIME

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (Aug. 9-19, 1864) – The 1864 Tucker-Wheaton Cup was the third to use the Round Robin format. The 1862 edition saw Shamrock enter Gameday Ten with a one-game lead over St. John’s and clinch the cup with a dramatic home win over Alleghany. The 1863 edition saw St. John’s roll over the competition and clinch the cup on Gameday Eight. The 1864 edition saw St. John’s looking to repeat as cup champions against five teams with playoff experience – the first time there were no playoff debutants vying for the cup.

The three New York League entrants were all different from last year, though all three had postseason experience. Kings County won the Brooklyn championship for the sixth time in seven years and were two-time cup winners, New York City champions Gotham were playing extra baseball for the second time in three years, and Flour City made the playoffs in 1860 while clinching their spot in this year’s cup tournament on the final day of the season.

The three Northeastern League entrants all played for the cup last year. Port Jersey defied predictions and had the best record in the N.B.B.O. for the second consecutive season, Merrimack Mills rattled off a fifteen-game winning streak to break a three-way deadlock in the Inland Championship and run away with the pennant, and St. John’s remained the only team ever to finish atop the New England Championship, winning it by five games.

St. John’s were considered the favorites because they won the cup by three games last year and base ball experts have long since learned to never pick against them. However, Kings County had set a new record for runs in a season, Port Jersey was the best team in the N.B.B.O. by two games, Gotham won the regional championship with the most money and oldest clubs by seven games, Merrimack finished the season white-hot, and Flour City had a team built to bludgeon opponents to death.

The competition was more experienced than last year’s collection of St. John’s and five playoff newcomers. Would that make a difference, or would St. John’s raise the cup once again?


1864 TUCKER WHEATON CUP STANDINGS

TEAM				W	L	GB	 R	 RA	 RD
ST. JOHN’S (1)		        8	3	---	113	 75	+38
KINGS CO.			7	4	 1	108	 88	+20
GOTHAM				6	4	1.5	 77	 80	-3
PORT JERSEY			4	6	3.5	 71	 77	-6
MERRIMACK (2)		        3	7	4.5	 77	 98	-21
FLOUR CITY			3	7	4.5	 76	104	-28

1: STJ won the cup in a one-game playoff vs K.C.
2: M.M. & F.C. split; M.M. had superior Run Differential

Nelson Townsend (LF, STJ) – .491 AVG (26/53), 1.195 OPS, 7 2B, 1 3B, 18 R, 17 RBI, 11 SB
4x P.o.t.G, 231 OPS+, 215 WRC+, 1.42 WPA, 1.1 W.A.R. in 11 Games

St. John’s won it all again, but unlike last year’s stroll it took the men from Providence an extra game to repeat as champs.

This year’s cup was easily the most exciting one for neutral observers. While the top and bottom were quickly separated, the trio of Gotham, Kings County, & St. John’s were within a game of each other at the end of Gameday Eight and then all three were tied at 6-3 at the end of Gameday Nine. Kings Co’s defeat of Flour City combined with St. Johns’ win at Gotham on the final day meant the cup was back to a playoff, even if it was just a single game. Naturally, St. John’s used the historic game as yet another opportunity to make history of their own, lifting the cup for the fourth time in its eight years of existence.

For the second year in a row Port Jersey started in miserable fashion, again going 1-4 over the first five games. This time around, they righted a ship a bit over the second half to improve on last year’s 2-8 finish.

Merrimack City could never find their way, looking decent in going 2-3 over the first five games before sputtering out with some big losses on their way to a 3-7 finish.

Flour City started the cup 1-4 with a -26 Run Differential through five games, and that was basically the end of them. F.C. did better over the last five games, but it was still a very forgettable cup run for the team from Rochester.

The Most Valuable Player of the Tucker-Wheaton Cup was clearly Nelson Townsend, who put in the best performance of anyone in the three seasons of T.W.C. Round Robin play. He was far and away the cup leader in average and O.P.S while adding a cup-leading eighteen runs and four Player of the Game nominations. He also stole eleven bases in eleven games.

Townsend was not the only St. John’s M.V.P. candidate. Collin Henderson did not have a huge average (.321) but drove in 21 runs while scoring sixteen times. Konrad Jensen drew nine walks and scored fifteen runs while driving in fourteen and stealing a ridiculous fourteen bases. William Johnson hit .447 (21/47) with a 1.150 O.P.S. and thirteen R.B.I.

Among the losing teams, the best performer was Kings County outfielder Jesse Johnson. He earned two Player of the Game nominations while batting .370 with seventeen R.B.I. and thirteen runs over the eleven games he played in.