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FIVE SUPERSTAR PERFORMANCES IN NBBO ON WED.
THREE PLAYERS FINISH WITH FIVE HITS INCLUDING PAIR OF TEAMMATES, TWO MORE HAVE 9 RBI

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (July 24, 1878) - Wednesday’s action in the N.B.B.O. saw a number of players put forth absolutely brilliant performances, and batsmen in three games in particular stood out.

In Upstate New York, Binghamton hosted Frontier and won by the score of 11-5, with the catalyst of their offensive attack being All-Star 1B Bernard Puckett:

• B1: 1-run Infield Single to 3B off E. Pelham
• B3: Double past 1B off E. Pelham
• B5: 1-run Triple to LCF off E. Pelham (R)
• B6: 1-run Single to RCF off E. Pelham
• B8: Double to CF off E. Graf (R)
• TOTAL: 5/5 (2 2B, 3B), 2 R, 3 RBI, 9 TB

The five-hit outing raised Puckett’s average to .395 (.954) on the season with 53 Runs Batted In, making him the potential New York League Batsman of the Year.

The result left both Binghamton tied for last in Upstate at 25-31 (8 GB), with Frontier falling to two games behind leaders Minuteman at 31-25 (2nd).

In New England, the Cantabrigians had a field day at home against their visitors from New Hampshire: Granite B.C. They began the game with five runs in B1 and never let up, leaving with a win by the score of 24-2. As part of the massive triumph, Cantabrigians had two players finish with five hits each.

2B Jonathan Crow:

• B1: 2-run Double to LF off A. Rice (R)
• B2: 1-run Single to LF off A. Rice
• B3: Pop Fly Out to 1B (3 out)
• B5: 2-run Double to CF off J. Schlitz (R)
• B6: Single to LCF off H. Oliver
• B7: 1-run Single to RCF off H. Oliver
• TOTAL: 5/6 (2 2B), 2 R, 6 RBI, 7 TB, 92 GMSC

1B Mack Davis:

• B1: 1-run Single past SS off A. Rice (R)
• B2: 1-run Double to RCF off A. Rice (R)
• B3: Single past 2B off A. Rice (R)
• B5: Single to RF off J. Schlitz
• B6: Ground Out to 2B (1 out)
• B7: 1-run Single past SS off H. Oliver (R)
• TOTAL: 5/6 (2B), 4 R, 3 RBI, 6 TB

The twin five-hit games moved both batsmen over .300 on the season – Crow to .309 (.718 OPS) with 56 RBI through 56 games, and Davis to .305 (.706 OPS) with 45 RBI.

The win gave Cantabrigians a 26-30 mark, which places them fifth in New England (13 GB). Granite is in last at 17-39.

The final game of note occurred back in Upstate New York, and it was perhaps the most bizarre game in N.B.B.O., and baseball, history.

Columbia & Utica went into their game at Conkling Field knowing there would be rain, but the two teams entered the contest determined the finish it no matter what. That meant they played through a downpour and multiple rain delays, and the result was the most thoroughly inexplicable Box Score anybody had ever seen:

Neither team could hold onto the ball (Remember: fielders played without proper gloves until close to 1900.). The 35 Errors by Columbia were by far the most ever in a single game, and the 52 total Errors were also easily a new record. The catchers committed multiple Passed Balls, the pitchers were responsible for more than a dozen Bases on Balls, and no fewer than half a dozen batsmen were hit by pitches. The original attendance was 2,213, but by the end of this game the number of people left in the stands could have probably been counted by hand.

Of course, the 45 runs scored by victors Utica were a new baseball record, although one might be tempted to put an asterisk next to every notable event in this game. That includes the fact that two Utica batsmen, Ed Davis & Fox Ellis, finished the game with nine Runs Batted In each, also an N.B.B.O. first:

• UTI SS Edward Davis: 4/7 (2B), 7 R, 9 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 BB, 5 TB, 137 GMSC
• UTI 3B Fox Ellis: 3/6 (all 1B), 3 R, 9 RBI, SAC FLY, SAC BUNT, 92 GMSC

One might wonder how “Foxman” Ellis drove in nine runs with just three Singles to his name. In addition to gaining RBI’s via Sacrifice Bunt & Sacrifice Fly, on two occasions the scorer judged that, with fewer than two out, Ellis had reached base via Error but the man who scored would have crossed the plate had the defense completed the play, and thus gave Ellis RBI’s on those occasions as well. The nine-RBI haul left Ellis with an N.Y.L.-leading 73, and with a lead of nine over second place he’s now the clear favorite for his third N.Y.L. RBI crown.

It was quite a day in the N.B.B.O. on Wednesday, with two games featuring excellent batwork and a third that defied simple description. Hopefully the remainder of the two-plus weeks left in the season contains more of the same.