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MUTUAL MAULS HARLEM WITH DOZEN IN 4TH
MASSIVE RALLY LEADS TO TWENTY-RUN VICTORY; WOLF & TERRIEN COMBINE FOR 11 HITS

NEW YORK CITY (June 30, 1876) - Harlem B.C.C. is in the midst of what is extremely likely to end up the worst season in team history, and the pain continued with a massive loss to Mutual at Mt. Morris Square on Friday afternoon:

It was a manageable 4-1 game after the end of the 3rd inning, but Mutual came to bat in the top of the 4th and proceeded to score a dozen Runs on eight Hits, with no less than eight Errors by Harlem out in the field providing Mutual no shortage of aid during their lengthy rally. With the game now 16-1 in favor of the visitors, the rest of the proceedings were a simple matter of filling out the scorecard.

In the victory, Mutual leadoff man Hagen Peck was 4/6 – all Singles – with four Runs and a pair of RBI. However, he was outdone by a pair of his teammates, who each had 5+ Hits.

First was Mutual RF Robert Wolf, an 1874 All-Star:

• T1: Fly Out to 1B (2 out)
• T3: Leadoff Double past 3B off E. Henry (R)
• T4: 1-run Infield Single to 2B off E. Henry (R)
• T4: 2-run Single to CF off S. O’Brien (R)
• T6: Reached via Fielder’s Choice at 2B (2 out)
• T7: 2-run Single past 2B off S. O’Brien
• T9: Single past 2B off H. Oliver
• TOTAL: 5/7 (2B, 6 TB), 4 R, 5 RBI, 95 GMSC

However, he was one-upped by Mutual 3B Ellis Terrien, a 2x Team of the Year nominee:

• T1: Reached via Base on Balls by E. Henry
• T3: 1-run Single past SS off E. Henry (R)
• T4: 1-run Single past SS off E. Henry (R)
• T4: 1-run Single past 3B off S. O’Brien (R)
• T6: Single past 2B off S. O’Brien
• T7: 1-run Single past 3B off S. O’Brien
• T9: 1-run Single past SS off H. Oliver
• TOTAL: 6/6 (all 1B), 3 R, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 109 GMSC

If going by Game Score, Wolf’s performance was one of the ten best by so far this season and Terrien’s was #1. Wolf is batting .329 (.769 OPS) with 29 RBI through 38 games, and he has an outside chance at being named to his second All-Star Game. Terrien is batting .339 (.792 OPS) with 34 RBI, and he’s having his best season since he was an All-Star in 1872.

Meanwhile, how bad have things become for Mutual? Their #1 Pitcher is 1872 N.E.L. Greenhorn & Pitcher of the Year Earl Henry, who was 30-11 with a 2.01 ERA and 6.2 WAR for Susquehanna during his historic debut season. After three years with a 69-37 cumulative record and 2.64 ERA for Susquehanna, Henry joined Harlem for the 1875 season. He was only 13-19 last year, but had a 3.14 ERA and respectable secondary numbers. This year? Henry is 4-17 with a 5.67 ERA and an almost unbelievable 26-to-8 BB/K total. It is entirely possible that Henry will go from being the best regular P in the N.B.B.O. to its worst in a span of five seasons, and his historically bad season has coincided with a 12-26 (Win %: .316) start by Harlem, which is easily on pace to beat the worst single-season record of 28-42 (.400) that they’ve experienced three times.

Mutual is in no great shape themselves. Their win was impressive but they are still second-to-last in New York City at 16-22, nine games behind leaders Union of Morrisania.