In the 1880s, Detroit was known as
Thunder City, thanks to the endless trains rolling through the town day and night. (Detroit would soon get a different, much longer-lasting nickname, thanks to a guy named Henry.) They joined pro ball in 1884, with the Wolverines of the Union Association; the following year, the National loop expanded to the city and promptly kicked the UA club out of their ballpark at Brady and Brush streets -- even asserting that
they were the
real Wolverines! Legal challenges followed, and the newly named "Tigers" would hurriedly build their own field, Bennett Park, at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull.
The two clubs proceeded to go in opposite directions: the NA Tigers were an awful 37-83, 18th place, and were relegated to the American Association. Meanwhile, the Wolverines won the UA pennant, and in the Union Cup Final, they would face...not the Maroons.
Yep. For the second year in a row, the St. Louis club would not win the Cup that young Henry Lucas bought and paid far, as his Maroons were beaten in the semifinals by the Chicago Colts. The teams split the first two in Detroit, then split the next two in Chicago, creating a similar situation to the American Cup Final. The Wolves broke serve in Game 5 in the Windy City with a 6-4 win, setting up Game 6 in Detroit. Tied at three going into the bottom of the ninth, Charlie Baker slammed a double, then stole third, putting the Cup-winning run just 90 feet away. After the next two batters were intentionally walked, setting up a play at every base, Colts hurler Milo Lockwood bore down on batter Charlie Ganzel. The Wolverines catcher also dug in, and Lockwood's 1-1 pitch was inside --
too far inside, as it
hit Ganzel, bringing home Baker and the Cup to Detroit!
