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1888 saw three shocking manager firings, showing how quickly fortunes can change and how fickle owners can be. The biggest stunner was Boston firing John McKelvey, despite his two World Series rings, four playoff trips, and three Manager of the Year awards in five seasons with the Red Sox. Boston missed the playoffs at 89-73 in 1888, which apparently was enough to get the boot despite back-to-back championships the prior two years.

The very first World Series had the two Chicago teams, but both managers from that 1884 encounter are now unemployed. The White Sox’s Kevin Mallett had seen playoff trips in his first three years, but back-to-back misses and a 75-87 season in 1888. The Cubs cutting of Samuel Yeatman was less surprising, as they had posted four losing seasons since their 1884 pennant.



A quieter draft had ten rounds worth of players. Cincinnati had the #1 overall pick and used it on SP Amos Rusie. The St. Louis Browns had the #2 pick for SP Frank Knauss. New Orleans notably had the #3 and #4 picks spent on C Jocko Halligan and SP Sadie McMahon.

Here are the top free agent signings entering 1889. 1B John Reilly got the biggest contract, joining the Browns at $54,000 over six years.



Elsewhere in the world: Incumbent president Grover Cleveland won the popular vote for the Democrats, but his Republican challenger Benjamin Harrison won the electoral college, making Harrison the 23rd president of the United States. Cleveland would be president until early March 1889. In late February, he signed the Enabling Act of 1889, making way to add four new states into the union: Washington, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.