1871 re-imagined

[RMc]

There were no changes atop the top two leagues in '85, with the Red Stockings taking their fourth straight pennant and Resolute grabbing their sixth consecutive flag:



The Maryland club of Baltimore charged into the Centennial Cup playoffs, led by home run-hitting sensation Dave Orr, who sent an astounding 42 baseballs to perdition in 1885. The 24-year-old has already clubbed 96 taters in just his three years in the league!

One thing is for sure: The Elizabeth Resolutes will NOT defend their AA title in 1886 -- because they, Baltimore and Middletown are being "promoted" to the National circuit. Taking their place in the AA will be first-year squads from Detroit and Richmond, as well as the chronically underperforming Brown Stockings, who have had 10 losing seasons out of 11.

Speaking of St. Louis...in the Onion...er, Union, Cardinals owner Henry Lucas was so annoyed that his team was upset in the Union Cup Final that he changed the team name to the "Maroons" and ordered all-new uniforms. "Things will be different next year," Lucas vowed. And things were different for St. Louis in 1885 -- with many of the other UA teams signing star players, the Maroons came in third in the pennant race:

[RMc]

CENTENNIAL CUP

Cincinnati - BYE

Cleveland 4, Newark 2 (CLE: Creighton 4-hitter)
Newark 6, Cleveland 4 (NWK: 6-run sixth)
Cleveland 5, Newark 4 (It looked like Forest City's season was going to end prematurely, as they were trailing, 5-4, going into the bottom of the ninth. But Cleveland struck back: after George Bird reached on an error and came all the way around on a Sy Sutcliffe double, Montgomery Scott* lined a double down the first base line to give Cleveland the win.

Boston 5, Philadelphia 3 (BOS: Tomas Gorman 2 H 2 RBI)
Philadelphia 14, Boston 7 (PHI: 20 hits; Bud Fowler 5 H 4 RBI)
Philadelphia 8, Boston 0 (PHI: Jim Whitney 3-hit shutout)

Cleveland 6, Philadelphia 1 (CLE: Creighton 5-hitter, 3 hits batting)
Cleveland 7, Philadelphia 4 (CLE: Creighton bases-clearing triple in 7th)
Cleveland 6, Philadelphia 4 (CLE: Creighton 4 H 2 RBI. Oh, and the sumbitch pitched and won the game, too)



*[Editor's note: The real Scott (first name unknown) played 13 games for Baltimore of the AA in 1884. (Yes, I named him "Montgomery". You're welcome, fellow Trekkies!]

[RMc]

AMERICAN CUP

Middletown 5, Morrisania 2 (MID: John Fischer 5-hitter, 0 ER)
Middletown 8, Morrisania 1 (MID: Larry Corcoran 3-hitter; Dan Patterson 3 H, 3 RBI)

Toledo 9, Baltimore 6 (TOL: 5-run 5th; BAL: Dave Orr HR)
Baltimore 3, Toledo 2 (BAL: Orr go-ahead RBI single in 8th)
Baltimore 10, Toledo 7 (BAL: Orr HR, 3 RBI)


Middletown 10, Baltimore 7 (MID: Curt Welch 4 H, 4 R)
Middletown 5, Baltimore 1 (MID: Corcoran 2-hitter)
Baltimore 6, Middletown 2 (BAL: Foghorn Bradley 3-hitter)
Middletown 4, Baltimore 3 (MID: Franklin Lang go-ahead 2 RBI triple in 6th; BAL: Orr HR, 45th of season)



UNION CUP

Chicago 3, Altoona 2 (ALT: 2 in top of 9th; CHI: Frank Cox pinch-hit game-winning single)
Altoona 5, Chicago 2 (ALT: 3 runs in 10th; Andy Swan 2 RBI double)
Chicago 5, Altoona 0 (CHI: Tom Lee 3-hit shutout)

St. Louis 3, New York 2 (STL: 2 in 9th; Doggie Miller game-winning RBI single)
St. Louis 3, New York 2 (STL: Guy Hecker 3 H, 2 R)


St. Louis 8, Chicago 3 (STL: Harry Stovey 3-run homer, 4 RBI)
Chicago 6, St. Louis 5 (CHI: Joe Doyle 3 H, triple)
Chicago 2, St. Louis 0 (CHI: Milo Lockwood 5-hit shutout)
Chicago 7, St. Louis 1 (CHI: Sam Kimber 8-hitter; Tom Lee 2 RBI double)

[LansdowneSt]

Originally Posted by RMc

I wanted to upload the quickstart, but I can't figure out how: it won't let me upload entire folders, just individual files. (Li'l help?) And I wanted to upload the NABBP stats, but the xls file is more than 1 MB, and that's apparently the limit. Grr.

Anyway, the universe is about to explode with lots more leagues and teams -- the number of available players will double in 1884 and double again in 1887 -- so I'm going to take a wider view and try not to get tied up in too much minutiae.

The folder to zip and upload is the one in stats/quickstart_games. Based on size, you'll need a file hosting site like mediafire.com or maybe share via a Google Drive to hold the .zip file.

[RMc]

On the morning of September 17, 1862, Union Army General Joseph K. Mansfield led his troops in the Battle of Antietam. The horrific battle was ultimately a victory for the Union, but Mansfield was killed. Four years later, the General's grand-nephew, sixteen-year-old Ben Douglas Jr., started a ballclub in Mansfield's home of Middletown, Connecticut and named it after the Civil War hero. After playing other amateur teams in Connecticut, they joined the American Amateur Association in 1871 and turned pro with the rest of the AA in 1876.

But it wasn't until 1885 the Mansfields had a chance to win a Cup. Their opponents? The two-time defending champion Resolute club of Elizabeth, New Jersey.

After splitting the first two contests of the best-of-seven Cup Final in the Garden State, the clubs came up north to Connecticut to split two more games. In front of a packed house at Mansfield Grounds for Game 5, Resolute notched runs in each of the first three innings, with the home side getting two of their own, then tying the game in the sixth on light-hitting Nick Scharf's RBI triple. It stayed 3-3 after nine innings, then in the tenth, Curt Welch singled, stole second and went to third on a groundout. Up stepped Scharf again, who delivered a single to win the game, 4-3, and give Mansfield a 3-2 series lead.

But Resolute got that name for a reason: they scored three runs in the second inning, and that was all they would need as 33-game winner held Middletown to three hits in a 3-1 victory. Series tied!



So...it was one game for all the marbles, at Waverly Fairgrounds, Resolute's home ground. Middletown took a quick 1-0 lead in the first, and it stayed that way until the fourth, when they loaded the bases against Elizabeth hurler George Knight. Up stepped Frank Freeman, who hit Knight's first pitch over the wall in right-center field for a grand slam and a 5-0 lead. The rest was just a formality as Mansfield won, 8-1, to take the Cup back to the Nutmeg State.

[RMc]

In the 1880s, Detroit was known as Thunder City, thanks to the endless trains rolling through the town day and night. (Detroit would soon get a different, much longer-lasting nickname, thanks to a guy named Henry.) They joined pro ball in 1884, with the Wolverines of the Union Association; the following year, the National loop expanded to the city and promptly kicked the UA club out of their ballpark at Brady and Brush streets -- even asserting that they were the real Wolverines! Legal challenges followed, and the newly named "Tigers" would hurriedly build their own field, Bennett Park, at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull.

The two clubs proceeded to go in opposite directions: the NA Tigers were an awful 37-83, 18th place, and were relegated to the American Association. Meanwhile, the Wolverines won the UA pennant, and in the Union Cup Final, they would face...not the Maroons.

Yep. For the second year in a row, the St. Louis club would not win the Cup that young Henry Lucas bought and paid far, as his Maroons were beaten in the semifinals by the Chicago Colts. The teams split the first two in Detroit, then split the next two in Chicago, creating a similar situation to the American Cup Final. The Wolves broke serve in Game 5 in the Windy City with a 6-4 win, setting up Game 6 in Detroit. Tied at three going into the bottom of the ninth, Charlie Baker slammed a double, then stole third, putting the Cup-winning run just 90 feet away. After the next two batters were intentionally walked, setting up a play at every base, Colts hurler Milo Lockwood bore down on batter Charlie Ganzel. The Wolverines catcher also dug in, and Lockwood's 1-1 pitch was inside -- too far inside, as it hit Ganzel, bringing home Baker and the Cup to Detroit!

[RMc]

It all started in 1857, when a 16-year-old boy named James Creighton, already one of the top cricketers in Brooklyn, formed a baseball club called Young America. Now, nearly three decades later, the man they call "Diamond Jim" has (almost single-handedly) made baseball the National Pastime. And for seemingly the umpteenth time, Creighton and Cleveland Forest City was back in the Centennial Cup Final, and strongly hinting that he would retire if Forest City won. Standing in their way? The three-time defending Cup champion Red Stockings.

The pennant-winning Reds would snatch the opener at the Palace of the Fans in Cincinnati, scoring twice in the opening inning off Ed Morris. Forest City equalized in the fifth, but Cincy went back in front to stay in the bottom of the inning with a RBI single by Jim O'Rourke. Bill Atwater later clubbed a two-run homer and Red Stockings held on to win, 6-2.

Creighton pitched Game 2, and was not-so-sharp (at least by his own standards), allowing three runs and seven innings. This mattered...not at all, as Big Jim had four hits and drove in six -- including a grand slam in the ninth -- to seal a 11-3 victory.

The Cup Final moved to Cleveland for Game 3, and Forest City spotted the Reds a 3-1 lead before equalizing in the sixth on Frank Fennelly's triple. Cleveland settled matters by scoring thrice in the seventh, keyed by Montgomery Scott's 2 RBI single. CFC wins, 6-3, and leads the series, 2-1.

The fourth game was nearly over before it started, as you-know-who stepped into the pitcher's box for Forest City. Creighton allowed just five hits, not allowing a Red Stocking past second base, for a 5-0 win. It was Big Jim's fifth win of the playoffs, his 25th in Cup play, his 40th of 1885 overall, and the 427th victory (in all games) in his 15-year Association career. Would it be his last?

Game 5 almost didn't happen: the contest had to be held up by police for over an hour as an estimated 50,000 people jammed downtown Cleveland, trying to get into Forest City Park and get one last look at Creighton and his ballclub. Cincy scored first, but Cleveland quickly put the game away with four runs in both the third and fifth innings. Come the ninth inning, and CFC starter Joe Blong was cruising along with a 8-2 advantage. But when the Reds put together and uprising, touching the tiring hurler with three runs to make a 8-5 ballgame, there were many in the crowd shouting to "put Jim on the mound!" But Creighton, holding court in left field, stayed put. Two out and two on, with top slugger George Gore coming to bat with a chance to tie the game, and perhaps even send the Cup Final back to Cincinnati!

Gore fouled off a pitch...then another, and another. And another. And another! The tension was unbearable...until Gore swung again...and lifted an easy fly to left field. Creighton didn't even have to move, gloving the ball to clinch Cleveland Forest City's sixth Centennial Cup and ninth championship.



Will this be Jim Creighton's last game...?

[Lord Byron]

Jim Creighton is a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame here...

[RMc]

Jim Creighton is a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame

Jim Creighton is the Hall of Fame...literally. The Shrine of the Eternals at the James Creighton Baseball Hall of Fame has been created, with the legendary hurler as its first inductee:



Eventually, an actual Hall will be built in Hoboken, New Jersey, home of the original Knickerbockers club.

Here are Big Jim's final numbers:

[RMc]

Of course he won both. Again. How could he not...?!




Meanwhile. the AA MVP was John O'Rourke of Elizabeth, narrowly defeating (by 12 first-place votes to 8) home run-hitting sensation Dave Orr of Baltimore. The Pitcher of the Year was O'Rourke's resolute (and Resolute) teammate George Derby.

In the UA, Harry Stovey of St. Louis was the MVP, with Charles "Lady" Baldwin of Detroit taking pitching honours, ("Lady" got that nickname because he didn't smoke or drink. Times have changed.)

[Editor's note: I was all set to retire Creighton manually when I discovered the game had already done it for me! I thought for sure he'd be allowed to play until he was at least 50! (Hey, Gordie Howe did it!)]

[RMc]

After Jim Creighton's retirement as a player to become both manager and team president of the Cleveland Forest City club, news came out of the Union Association that they weren't dead yet.

Despite the AA and NA's vow to "crush" their loop, the UA announced that they were more solvent than ever, out-drawing National teams in Detroit and Pittsburgh; even the self-proclaimed "Giants" had a higher attendance than the AA Unions, playing in their tiny park in Morrisania. So, the UA asked if they could be part of the AA-NA agreement to swap teams, to create a "baseball pyramid". This was firmly rejected, as the big boys called the Union "a tiny little minor league, with only twelve clubs!"

So...the Union looked to remedy this by adding four new clubs. One was in Philadelphia, which raised eyebrows; the others were in Canada, which made shocked the established leagues to the core. "This is the All-American game, not a game for foreigners!" thundered one owner. Still the new clubs were added to the UA lineup: the Philadelphia Phillies, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Montreal Royals and the London Tecumsehs of London, Ontario.



[Editor's note: While London, Ontario seems an unlikely place for a big-league baseball team, the real Tecumsehs go back to 1868 and played at what is now called Labatt Park: the oldest ballpark in continuous use in North America.]

[RMc]

On Opening Day in Cleveland, a sellout crowd cheered wildly for their new manager, the one and only Jim Creighton. As the game (eventually won by Tri Mountain of Boston, 6-2) wore on, the crowd got progressively quieter -- knowing that the club was missing its better hitter and its best pitcher.

As it happened, Forest City never quite got on track in '86, struggling near the .500 mark all season. They won nine of their last ten to make a run for a Cup playoff spot, but in the end they had to settle for sixth place -- the first time CFC would not play for the Centennial Cup since the trophy's founding in 1875.

Meanwhile, the Red Stockings made it six pennants in a row by holding off Newark; Dave Orr socked an NA record 29 homers, but it wasn't enough to give Baltimore a winning record; and the other former AA clubs also were in the bottom half of the standings, with Middletown barely missing a return trip to the AA.



In the American, the National club copped the pennant and will join their capital brethren, the Olympic club in the NA in '87; Indianapolis edged out Providence on the last day of the season to make the Cup playoffs; and the Philly Centennials finished a disatrous 18th and were outdrawn by not just Athletic, but also by the brand-new Phillies club of the UA!



In Chicago, the Colts raced to the Union pennant, with the first-year Phillies also finishing in the money; Paul Hines and Amos Cross led tiny Altoona to a Cup playoff spot; and there was a stolen base boom leaguewide, as Chicago's Ed Andrews nabbed a pro record 130 bags.

[RMc]

CENTENNIAL CUP

Boston 8, Newark 7 (BOS: Loses 7-run lead, wins in 9th on error)
Boston 6, Newark 4 (BOS: Veteran stars Woolverton and Galliker 2 RBI each)

Brooklyn 7, Washington 4 (BKN: Gedney go-ahead 2 RBI single in 6th)
Washington 15, Brooklyn 7 (WAS: Fisler 3-run homer; Milligan 5 RBI)
Brooklyn 13, Washington 12 (WAS: 6-run 9th to tie; BKN: Aaron Clapp game-winning single)


Boston 13, Brooklyn 12 (BOS: Jack Glasscock walk-off HR)
Boston 7, Brooklyn 6 (BOS: 3 hits, triple, 2 RBI)
Boston 7, Brooklyn 3 (BOS: 4 runs in 9th)



AMERICAN CUP

Indianapolis 6, Worcester 2 (IND: 6-run 8th)
Indianapolis 6, Worcester 2 (IND: Thomas Tinney 2 hits 2 RBI)

Syracuse 9, Brooklyn 8 (SYR: Jack Clements 4 hits 3 RBI)
Syracuse 9, Brooklyn 7 (SYR: 7-run 7th)


Syracuse 12, Indianapolis 9 (SYR: Clements 4 H; IND: John Ward 2 HR)
Indianapolis 11, Syracuse 3 (IND: Ward HR, 3 RBI)
Indianapolis 4, Syracuse 1 (IND: Ward 7-hitter, RBI)
Indianapolis 11, Syracuse 3 (IND: Mert Hackett 2nd HR in 2 games, 3 RBI)



UNION CUP

St. Louis 6, Wilmington 3 (STL: Doggie Miller, 3 hits 2 runs)
Wilmington 1, St. Louis 0 (WIL: Frank Grant HR in 9th; Jocko Flynn 6-hit shutout)
St. Louis 6, Wilmington 1 (STL: Guy Hecker 4-hitter, RBI)

Philadelphia 5, Altoona 1 (PHI: Cyclone Miller 5-hitter 0 ER, RBI)
Altoona 2, Philadelphia 0 (ALT: Patrick Horan 2-hit shutout)
Altoona 5, Philadelphia 1 (ALT: 4 in 5th; Lee Daniels 2 RBI-single)


Altoona 4, St. Louis 2 (ALT: Charles Alcott 3 hits, HR)
St. Louis 6, Altoona 4 (STL: Bid McPhee 2 hits, 3 runs)
Altoona 3, St. Louis 2 (ALT: McLaughlin BB, 2 SB, scored on ground out in 10th)
Altoona 4, St. Louis 2 (ATL: Pat Horan 6-hitter, 2 RBI)

[RMc]

In their six years in the American Association, the Indianapolis Hoosiers had made the Cup playoffs only once, in 1881, and had tumbled to 19th of 20 clubs in 1885. In '86, Indy improved to their best record to 68-52 and qualified for the Cup playoffs with a win on the last day of the season -- and then upset Worcester and Syracuse to qualify for their first American Cup Final.

Their opponent would be the National club of Washington, DC, clinching their first pennant and earning their eighth Cup playoff spot. Many predicted a four-game sweep...and they were right.

The Nats never had a chance, shut out by John Ward in the opener at National Park, 4-0, then were crushed, 7-3, in Game 2, thanks to Thomas Tinney's four hits and four RBI. Back in Indiana, though, Washington looked like they were getting back into things as Pretzels Getzein shut out the Hoosiers through eight innings and clung to a 1-0 lead. But Indy got two runners on, and -- boom! -- Ed Crane hit a three-run homer for a 3-1 win and a 3-0 lead. In Game 4, the Hoosiers jumped to a 6-0 lead, lost it, then won the Cup, 7-6, on Bill Kienzle's game-winning hit.

[RMc]

With a population of around 25,000, Altoona, New Jersey, is one of the smallest towns with a pro baseball team. (In fact, it's so small -- ha! -- you actually thought it was in New Jersey and not Pennsylvania, didn't you...?!)

Anyway, after keeping Henry Lucas' St. Louis Maroons out of the Cup Final, the Mountain City club went into Chicago and split two games with the Colts; they were shut out, 2-0 in the opener but took a wild, 8-7 win in the second game as Dave Driscoll hit a bases-clearing triple in the eighth. In Game 3, with seemingly the entire town jammed into Altoona's ballpark, Mountain City won, 6-5, thanks to Charles Alcott's go-ahead 2 RBI single in the 8th. But the Colts raced to two wins in Pennsylvania, evening the series with a 5-2 win in Game 4 and a 4-1 victory in the fifth game, behind Chicago hurler Tom Lee's seven-hitter.

Altoona had a difficult mission: they had to win the Windy City...twice. In Game 6, Mountain City trailed, 3-2, after seven, but tied the game on a bobbled ground ball in the eighth then went ahead in the ninth on Nick Scott's RBI single. All even!



In the finale, Altoona's Mike Mansell socked a two-run homer in the opening inning, but Colts pitcher Sam Kimber settled down while his teammates scratched out two runs of their own. In the eighth, Altoona greeted KImber with three straight hits, including a 2 RBI single by Paul Hines to make it, 4-2, Mountain City. That was how it ended, so little Altoona took the Union Cup!

[RMc]

Once upon a long ago, the famed Cincinnati Red Stockings, after losing money on their cross-country tour of 1870, seriously considered folding up operations and distributing their players to other clubs. Harry Wright, the Red Stockings' legendary player and manager, was set to go to Boston and start a new Red Stockings team in Beantown. This did not sit well with the pro club already in Boston, the Tri Mountains, who claimed that the new National Association had promised them a spot in the loop. After much wrangling, the Board of Directors of the Cincinnati club decided to return for 1871, "on a contingency basis" and make the new NA a ten-club group.

Since then, the Red Stockings had won five consecutive pennants and four Centennial Cups -- with a chance to win a fifth, against none other than Tri Mountains, who had made the playoffs nine times but had never hoisted the trophy.

In the opener, in front of a mad lot at the Palace of the Fans, Reds hurler Bob Black held Boston to four hits (and had three himself) in an 11-4 rout. In Game 2, Boston broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh by scoring twice on Reds errors, then added another trio in a 6-1 win and a tied Cup Final.

The third game was held at the ballpark in The Fens section of Boston (also called "Fen Way Park" by the locals). The Red Stockings quickly found that they had to tangle not just with the Tri Mountains, but also with their fanatical supporters called "The Royal Rooters", led by the imperious Michael "Nuf Ced" McGreevey. Owner of the Third Base bar (“the last place before home”), McGreevey was quick to argue and even quicker to slam his hand on the bar and say, “Enough said!” to clinch an argument.

In the game itself, 43-year-old Sam Woolverton, whose career dated back to the pre-Association days of 1866, socked an RBI single and a two-run triple, which turned out to be the difference in a 3-2 win. But the Red Stockings evened up the series in Game 4, as Dan Brouthers and Bill Black each hit a pair of doubles in a 14-6 victory.

Game 5 would be the last game in Boston for 1886, win or lose. Tri Mountain made sure it was a win as John Schappert, who had never thrown a shutout in his six-year career, held Cincy to seven hits – and no runs, as Boston won, 6-0, putting them a win away from the Cup. “Nuf said!” shouted McGreevey, stating drinks were on the house for the entire team.

A woozy bunch of ball players hopped on the stage coach for the sixth game in Cincinnati. Boston’s fielders – apparently still feeling the effects of the party – committed seven errors while Reds lead-off man John O’Rourke had three hits and two RBI in a 6-2 victory. Series tied!



For Game 7, Tri Mountains sent their 42-year-old ace George "The Charmer" Zettlein to the hill, against equally aged veteran Bill Atwater. But Zettlein failed to charm the Red Stockings lineup, allowing single runs in the second and third innings before Cincy exploded five times in fourth, keyed by Bill Black's bases-clearing double that made it 7-0, Reds. Jim Devlin smacked a two-run inside-the-park HR in fifth -- Devlin appeared to be out at the plate but the Reds did not argue, apparently thinking Boston had suffered enough. In the end, it was 10-2 beating, and the Red Stockings had their fifth Centennial Cup.



Back in Boston, though, Mike McGreevey refused to admit defeat. When chatting with a reporter, he pointed up to a high, empty shelf. "That's where the Cup is going next year!" he bellowed, slamming his hand on the bar. "'Nuf said...!"

[RMc]

Jim Creighton was no stranger to hardware, having won the MVP trophy -- excuse me, the Jim Creighton MVP Award -- and the Pitcher of the Year trophy on multiple occasions. In 1886, though, Creighton was there to hand them out, to Dan Brouthers of Cincinnati...



...and Eureka's Charlie Geggus.



In the American Association, Mike Moynahan of Providence won the MVP and Worcester's Bert Dorr took pitcher's honours, while the Union MVP award went to Paul Hines of Altoona, while Milo Lockwood of the Colts was voted top hurler.

[RMc]

Just two years after the National and American Association vowed to "crush" the Union Association, the third major league has expanded to 20 teams -- the minimum the NA and AA insisted would be necessary to cut a deal -- and now, the three major leagues will be in a "pyramid", with the top UA teams switching with the AA bottom-feeders at the end of the 1887 season, and thereafter. Added to the Union loop are the Lowell Chippies, Dayton Veterans, Grand Rapids Shamrocks and the Reading Actives:



Relegated from NA to AA: Minneapolis, Pittsburgh and Rochester.

Promoted from AA to NA: Washington Nationals, Worcester and Brooklyn Eckfords, giving both the nation's capital and the City of Churches two National Association clubs each.