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THIRTY-ONE-RUN UNION RUNS RECORD TO 8-2
SIXTEEN-RUN FOURTH IS MAIN EVENT IN 28-RUN VICTORY; GREENAWALT HAS SIX HITS

NEW YORK CITY (May 20, 1877) - Metropolitan B.B.C. is off to their worst start in eight years, and that bad start was made infinitely more miserable on Sunday afternoon at the Morrisania Grounds:

It didn’t start out as a spectacular beating by Union. The hosts’ batsmen went down 1-2-3 in both of the opening two innings, but with the game tied 1-1 after the top of the fourth Union came to bat and did the following:

• UNI #2 William Cruise (SS): Single to RF
• UNI #3 Edward Severson (1B): Triple to RCF (R: Cruise)
• UNI #4 Nicholas Hardingham (CF): Fly Out to RF (1 out)
• UNI #5 Clarence Stringer (RF): Reached via Squeeze Bunt (R: Severson)
• UNI #6 Herbert Ray (3B): Reached via Error by 3B
• UNI #7 Melvin Greenawalt (2B): Infield Single to 2B
• UNI #8 Edward Koch (P): 1-run Single past SS (R: Stringer)
• Fielding Error by LF (R: Ray)
• UNI #9 Austin Pearce (C): Reached via Base on Balls
• Wild Pitch (R: Greenawalt)
• UNI #1 Harvey Fox (LF): Reached via Error by SS
• UNI #2 William Cruise (SS): 1-run Single past SS (R: Koch)
• UNI #3 Edward Severson (1B): 1-run Single to RCF (R: Pearce)
• UNI #4 Nicholas Hardingham (CF): 1-run Single past 2B (R: Fox)
• Throwing Error by CF (R: Cruise)
• MET: P Dominik Wolfe substitutes in for George Layman
• UNI #5 Clarence Stringer (RF): Reached via Base on Balls
• UNI #6 Herbert Ray (3B): 1-run Single past SS (R: Severson)
• Fielding Error by LF (R: Hardingham)
• UNI #7 Melvin Greenawalt (2B): 2-run Single past 2B (R: Stringer, Ray)
• UNI #8 Edward Koch (P): Ground Out to 2B (2 out)
• UNI #9 Austin Pearce (C): Reached via Base on Balls
• UNI #1 Harvey Fox (LF): 1-run Single past 2B (R: Greenawalt)
• UNI #2 William Cruise (SS): Single past 2B
• Fielding Error by CF (R: Pearce)
• UNI #3 Edward Severson (1B): Reached via Error by 3B (R: Fox)
• UNI #4 Nicholas Hardingham (CF): Hit into Fielder’s Choice at 2B (3 out)
• TOTAL: 16 Runs, 12 Hits (11 1B, 1 3B), 7 Errors, 1 Wild Pich, 21 Batters

What had been a 1-1 tie was now a 17-1 Union lead, and the hosts quickly proved that they didn’t expend all of their energy during the bottom of the fourth. Union added tallied four runs in the 5th, five in the 6th, two in the 7th, and three more in the 8th for a total of 31 on two dozen base hits.

It was obviously Union’s day. They scored those 31 Runs on “just” 24 Hits, while visiting Metropolitan needed a dozen base hits to bring just three men across home plate. The man of the afternoon for rampant Union? Normally light-hitting 2B Melvin Greenawalt:

• B3: Leadoff Single to LF off G. Layman (R)
• B4: Infield Single to 2B off G. Layman (R)
• B4: 2-run Single past 2B off D. Wolfe (R)
• B5: 1-run Single to CF off D. Wolfe (R)
• B6: Double to RCF off K. Allan (R)
• B7: Single past 2B off K. Allan (R)
• B8: Pop-fly Out to 3B (1 out)
• TOTAL: 6/7 (2B, 7 TB), 6 R, 3 RBI, 107 GMSC

It’s not a terrible surprise that a Union batsman would collect six hits given their output, but Greenawalt, who hit .236 last year (.547 OPS) with just 24 Runs Batten In over 62 starts at 2B being the man to do it was a total shock.

The 28-run margin if victory was a Union team record, and the result ran their record to 8-2 after the end of Week Two of the N.B.B.O. season. Meanwhile, Metropolitan is 2-8 and off to their worst start to a season since 1869, two years before the league split.