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TWC XII: THE RETURN OF THE HOUSE OF ORANGE

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (Aug. 12-23, 1868) – The 1866 & 1867 editions of the Tucker-Wheaton Cup saw the same six teams contend for the NBBO championship – the group of six clearly a step above the rest that base ball had to offer. The 1868 edition of the cup would see a welcome change, with five of the six previous regional champions dethroned and two postseason debutantes qualifying for the competition.

The only returnee from last season was, of course, St. John’s, who made the cup with an NBBO-best 50-20 record and +197 Run Differential while breaking their own high-water mark for runs scored in a season. Along with them came five fresh entrants – a mix of former powers, long-delayed returnees, and first-time competitors.

The biggest name among the five new teams in this year’s cup was Kings County. The 2x cup winners (1860-61) were back in the postseason after watching Excelsior take the Brooklyn pennant in each of the previous three seasons. They were sporting the NYL’s best team batting average, reliable players at many positions, and a 28-9 #1 pitcher in James Peters.

Orange BBC was vying for the cup for the first time since 1862, with the ’59 cup winners overcoming Knickerbocker in the NYC Championship thanks to the NYL’s best pitching and defense. They were only 8th in runs and 13th in average in the NYL, but #1 Raynard Cordell was 27-8 with a league-best 2.35 ERA and they had two other All-Stars in 3B Will Chaffin and C Everett Schreiber.

Niagara was playing extra ball for the first time in five years. They used a hot second half and excellent offense (8.2 R/G) to come out on top of a tightly-packed Upstate New York Championship. They were led by star CF Taliesin Buckley, but Niagara had six other players with past or current All-Star Games on their resumés and they could boast of having the fastest team in the NYL.

American took down 7x Coastal champions Shamrock to make the cup playoff for the first time. They had record-setting power hitter William Busby, 8x All-Star Willie Davis, Peter Boyce, Werner Verstegen, and a bonafide #1 in newcomer Tom Hauser. This was an extremely dangerous team – one that had the best offense in the NBBO outside of St. John’s.

Susquehanna was also in the playoffs for the first time thanks to fantastic success in one-run games (13-4) and incredible pitching from young star Elmer Seabold. They lacked the star power of the other teams in the TWC field, but the fact that they beat out 7x pennant winners Alleghany to make the cup meant Susquehanna could not be taken lightly.

The favorites to take the cup were St. John’s, thanks to their status as the only 50-win team, their NBBO-best Run Differential, and their 27-8 record over the second half of the season. However, American almost matched St. John’s win for win over the final seven weeks, Kings County was 26-9 away from home, Orange was 30-5 in their home park, Niagara was already battle-hardened thanks to the Upstate NY pennant chase, and Susquehanna mastered close contests.

Would the perennial favorites win the Tucker-Wheaton Cup for the 5th time? Or was it going to be a wide-open cup competition in 1868?