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TWC XV: BRAVE NEW WORLD

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (Aug. 9-20, 1871) – The 1871 edition of the Tucker-Wheaton Cup was the first one since the National Base Ball Organization’s perennial postseason players had all left to form the APBL.

The only holdover from last year’s cup was Atlantic, but they weren’t the favorites. 58-12 juggernauts Quaker State, who’d had the best season in NBBO history, were everyone’s favorite to lift the cup. Metropolitan was back in cup contention for the first time since the first season of NBBO play in 1857. Syracuse, behind incredible late-season form, was in the postseason for the fourth time. Susquehanna was in the cup for the second time in three years. Portland was in after becoming just the second team other than St. John’s to take the New England pennant.

Going in, TWC XV felt to many like it would be little more than a coronation of Quaker State as the new kings of the NBBO. After all, not only did they have the best record in NBBO history but they were even better over the second half of the season (30-5) than they were during the first half (28-7).

Cup returnees Atlantic were definitely going to have a say about the above thanks to the NYL’s best offense, but there were also two teams that won 8-9 of their last ten games and were led by star #1 pitchers: Syracuse (8-2 last 10), led by Ashley Atkins (31-11, 3.16, 6.6 WAR), and Susquehanna (9-1 last 10), led by Elmer Seabold (29-13, 2.65, 5.7 WAR).

Metropolitan & Portland had some struggles over the second half of the season, but Metropolitan would be bringing NBBO Batting Champion Troy Oberst (.439, 1.054 OPS, 4.1 WAR) into the fray and Portland had star #1 James Dressman (29-10, 2.81, 6.4 WAR) they could rely upon when the going got tough.

It was out with the old and in with the new, and the main question was this: could anybody take down Quaker State and take up the cup instead of them?