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tm1681 · 11-14-2025, 07:00 AM

FOUNDERS’ CUP VII: LEGENDARY OFFENSE v LEGENDARY PITCHING

BROOKLYN & PROVIDENCE (Aug. 21-26, 1877) – Last year’s Founders’ Cup saw American take on surprise Colonial Conference champions Niagara. The resulting series was no contest – American beat Niagara in the first Founders’ Cup sweep to take their fourth A.P.B.L. title in five years, and it left people wondering when, or if, they would be toppled.

As it turned out, it only took one year for American to fall off their highest of pedestals, going from 1st to 3rd (10 GB) in the Metropolitan Conference in 1877. The two teams above them, Excelsior & Knickerbocker, took part in an epic pennant race during which the two teams spent nearly three full months never more than two games apart from each other, and the pennant wasn’t taken until the penultimate day when Jim Creighton beat Knickerbocker at the Elysian Fields.

On the other side would be an old, familiar foe: St. John’s, who ended a club-record playoff drought of three years after winning the Joseph Evans sweepstakes and seeing Konrad Jensen’s productivity tick back up thanks to a move from the outfield to First Base. The team had not only made it back to a place where they felt a spot should be reserved for them, but they had returned to their traditional roles of leading the league in Runs, OPS, and Stolen Bases.

On paper, this was a FANTASTIC matchup. It was an offense vs pitching battle. There were legends on both sides: Jensen & Townsend on St. John’s and Creighton on Excelsior. There were outstanding young players on both teams. Both outfits went 57-33, with St. John’s gaining Home Field Advantage only due to Run Differential. It looked to be about as even of a series as a neutral could possibly conjure up.

Speaking of neutrals, the sentimental favorite in the Founders’ Cup would be Excelsior. This was their first postseason trip since 1867, before the league split. This was also the first time Jim Creighton was on one of the last two teams standing in the battle to be crowned champions of baseball, and many would be hoping he’d finally lift a major trophy.

St. John’s was used to such sentiment, however. They were the 14x New England & 5x N.B.B.O. champions before the league split, they won the first Founders’ Cup, made the next two after that, and were generally used to being hated by all they competed against. People cheering for the other team? They couldn’t care less. They were focused on the same things they’d always done under Field Manager Todd Rogers since the inception of the N.B.B.O. in 1857: beating the best of the best with patience at the plate, solid contact with the bat, and dizzying aggression on the basepaths.

ST. JOHN’S KEY PLAYERS

• Joseph Evans (LF): .393, .947 OPS, 104 R, 160 H, 30 2B, 11 3B, 88 RBI, 20 BB, 25 SB, 5.3 WPA, 4.3 WAR
• Konrad Jensen (1B): .362, .871 OPS, 122 R, 145 H, 24 XBH, 1 HR, 77 RBI, 31 BB, 102 SB, 5.8 WPA, 4.9 WAR
• Rudolph Decker (CF): .329, .783 OPS, 89 R, 130 H, 31 XBH, 1 HR, 85 RBI, 11 BB, 59 SB, 3.3 WPA, 3.7 WAR
• Howard Burns (P): 27-13, 3.65 ERA, 88 K, 360.0 IP, 27 CG, 2 SHO, 6.3 K/BB, 1.30 WHIP, 6.7 WAR, 6.2 rWAR
• Thomas Smith (P): 27-16, 3.03 ERA, 65 K, 371.2 IP, 29 CG, 3 SHO, 1.4 K/BB, 1.28 WHIP, 5.0 WAR, 7.6 rWAR

EXCELSIOR KEY PLAYERS

• Troy Oberst (LF): .370, .922 OPS, 114 R, 152 H, 34 2B, 13 3B, 80 RBI, 22 BB, 10 SB, 6.2 WPA, 4.4 WAR
• Elijah Hill (3B): .345, .797 OPS, 88 R, 150 H, 25 2B, 10 3B, 90 RBI, 2 BB, 5 SB, 5.6 WPA, 3.2 WAR
• Boyd Myers (CF): .330, .790 OPS, 92 R, 145 H, 35 XBH, 1 HR, 81 RBI, 10 BB, 3 SB, 4.7 WPA, 3.0 WAR
• Jim Creighton (P): 27-14, 3.38 ERA, 133 K, 359.0 IP, 23 CG, 2 SHO, 4.4 K/BB, 1.33 WHIP, 6.5 WAR, 2.6 rWAR
• Elmer Seabold (P): 23-16, 3.44 ERA, 150 K, 368.2 IP, 30 CG, 1 SV, 2.3 K/BB, 1.39 WHIP, 6.4 WAR, 3.4 rWAR

FOUNDERS’ CUP FORMAT & PREDICTION

SEEDING

• #1: St. John’s (57-33, +180 RD)
• #2: Excelsior (57-33, +119 RD)

FORMAT

• HH-AAA-HH Schedule
• One day off after Game Two & Game Five
• #1 seed (St. John’s) has Home Field Advantage

PREDICTION

• St. John’s (34-11 Home) beats Excelsior 4-3

As far as many in the Writers Pool were concerned, this series was a toss-up. St. John’s had the league’s best record for much of the year, but that was because the other two fifty-win teams were in the other conference, with Excelsior fending off an incredible challenge from Knickerbocker to win the Metropolitan Conference title. As it stood, the only thing separating the two was the fact that St. John’s was the team playing four games at home, should all four be required.

Neutrals wanted Excelsior to win, while the slightest of advantages made St. John’s the slightest of favorites. Would Jim Creighton finally win his first championship, or would St. John’s go back to the top of the baseball world for the first time in six “long” years?

11-14-2025, 07:00 AM	#963
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,672	FOUNDERS’ CUP VII: LEGENDARY OFFENSE v LEGENDARY PITCHING BROOKLYN & PROVIDENCE (Aug. 21-26, 1877) – Last year’s Founders’ Cup saw American take on surprise Colonial Conference champions Niagara. The resulting series was no contest – American beat Niagara in the first Founders’ Cup sweep to take their fourth A.P.B.L. title in five years, and it left people wondering when, or if, they would be toppled. As it turned out, it only took one year for American to fall off their highest of pedestals, going from 1st to 3rd (10 GB) in the Metropolitan Conference in 1877. The two teams above them, Excelsior & Knickerbocker, took part in an epic pennant race during which the two teams spent nearly three full months never more than two games apart from each other, and the pennant wasn’t taken until the penultimate day when Jim Creighton beat Knickerbocker at the Elysian Fields. On the other side would be an old, familiar foe: St. John’s, who ended a club-record playoff drought of three years after winning the Joseph Evans sweepstakes and seeing Konrad Jensen’s productivity tick back up thanks to a move from the outfield to First Base. The team had not only made it back to a place where they felt a spot should be reserved for them, but they had returned to their traditional roles of leading the league in Runs, OPS, and Stolen Bases. On paper, this was a FANTASTIC matchup. It was an offense vs pitching battle. There were legends on both sides: Jensen & Townsend on St. John’s and Creighton on Excelsior. There were outstanding young players on both teams. Both outfits went 57-33, with St. John’s gaining Home Field Advantage only due to Run Differential. It looked to be about as even of a series as a neutral could possibly conjure up. Speaking of neutrals, the sentimental favorite in the Founders’ Cup would be Excelsior. This was their first postseason trip since 1867, before the league split. This was also the first time Jim Creighton was on one of the last two teams standing in the battle to be crowned champions of baseball, and many would be hoping he’d finally lift a major trophy. St. John’s was used to such sentiment, however. They were the 14x New England & 5x N.B.B.O. champions before the league split, they won the first Founders’ Cup, made the next two after that, and were generally used to being hated by all they competed against. People cheering for the other team? They couldn’t care less. They were focused on the same things they’d always done under Field Manager Todd Rogers since the inception of the N.B.B.O. in 1857: beating the best of the best with patience at the plate, solid contact with the bat, and dizzying aggression on the basepaths. ST. JOHN’S KEY PLAYERS • Joseph Evans (LF): .393, .947 OPS, 104 R, 160 H, 30 2B, 11 3B, 88 RBI, 20 BB, 25 SB, 5.3 WPA, 4.3 WAR • Konrad Jensen (1B): .362, .871 OPS, 122 R, 145 H, 24 XBH, 1 HR, 77 RBI, 31 BB, 102 SB, 5.8 WPA, 4.9 WAR • Rudolph Decker (CF): .329, .783 OPS, 89 R, 130 H, 31 XBH, 1 HR, 85 RBI, 11 BB, 59 SB, 3.3 WPA, 3.7 WAR • Howard Burns (P): 27-13, 3.65 ERA, 88 K, 360.0 IP, 27 CG, 2 SHO, 6.3 K/BB, 1.30 WHIP, 6.7 WAR, 6.2 rWAR • Thomas Smith (P): 27-16, 3.03 ERA, 65 K, 371.2 IP, 29 CG, 3 SHO, 1.4 K/BB, 1.28 WHIP, 5.0 WAR, 7.6 rWAR EXCELSIOR KEY PLAYERS • Troy Oberst (LF): .370, .922 OPS, 114 R, 152 H, 34 2B, 13 3B, 80 RBI, 22 BB, 10 SB, 6.2 WPA, 4.4 WAR • Elijah Hill (3B): .345, .797 OPS, 88 R, 150 H, 25 2B, 10 3B, 90 RBI, 2 BB, 5 SB, 5.6 WPA, 3.2 WAR • Boyd Myers (CF): .330, .790 OPS, 92 R, 145 H, 35 XBH, 1 HR, 81 RBI, 10 BB, 3 SB, 4.7 WPA, 3.0 WAR • Jim Creighton (P): 27-14, 3.38 ERA, 133 K, 359.0 IP, 23 CG, 2 SHO, 4.4 K/BB, 1.33 WHIP, 6.5 WAR, 2.6 rWAR • Elmer Seabold (P): 23-16, 3.44 ERA, 150 K, 368.2 IP, 30 CG, 1 SV, 2.3 K/BB, 1.39 WHIP, 6.4 WAR, 3.4 rWAR FOUNDERS’ CUP FORMAT & PREDICTION SEEDING • #1: St. John’s (57-33, +180 RD) • #2: Excelsior (57-33, +119 RD) FORMAT • HH-AAA-HH Schedule • One day off after Game Two & Game Five • #1 seed (St. John’s) has Home Field Advantage PREDICTION • St. John’s (34-11 Home) beats Excelsior 4-3 As far as many in the Writers Pool were concerned, this series was a toss-up. St. John’s had the league’s best record for much of the year, but that was because the other two fifty-win teams were in the other conference, with Excelsior fending off an incredible challenge from Knickerbocker to win the Metropolitan Conference title. As it stood, the only thing separating the two was the fact that St. John’s was the team playing four games at home, should all four be required. Neutrals wanted Excelsior to win, while the slightest of advantages made St. John’s the slightest of favorites. Would Jim Creighton finally win his first championship, or would St. John’s go back to the top of the baseball world for the first time in six “long” years? __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-14-2025 at 07:14 AM.