The Big Bang: A Larger Baseball Universe Starting From Nothing in 1857

[tm1681]

These posts might be a little wordy and weird, but hey what the heck I'm having fun with it to pass downtime and hopefully some of you are too...

[tm1681]

JOHN MCGOWAN RETIRES
MOST DECORATED PITCHER EVER CALLS TIME ON NBBO CAREER AFTER TEN SEASONS, EYES SENATE RUN

MILFORD, CONN. (Dec. 14, 1866) – The entire base ball world – players, coaches, executives, and fans alike – was left stunned this afternoon when telegrams and word of mouth hit the general public that John McGowan, the most decorated pitcher in the history of the National Base Ball Organization, had decided to retire from the sport and go into politics.

McGowan’s career, spanning ten seasons with St. John’s & Knickerbocker, ends as nothing short of legendary:

McGowan’s wins and winning percentage are unmatched, as is his career shutout total, and no other pitcher in NBBO history was the #1 starter for as many dominant teams as him. Yet, for all of his regular season excellence, his record in the postseason is even harder to believe:

All totaled, McGowan’s career accomplishments break down like this:

• 4x NBBO Champ (1857-58, 63, 65)
• 6x All-Star (1859-63, 65)
• 5x Team of the Year (1859-62, 65)

• 5x NEL Leader in Wins (1859-63)
• 4x Leader in Shutouts (1860, 62, 65, 66)
• 2x NEL Leader in WAR (1859-60)

• Career leader in Wins with 215 (Joe Cunningham 2nd w/ 184)
• Career leader in Win % with .710 (Paul Goehring 2nd w/ .683; min 1,000 IP)
• Career leader in ERA with 3.05 (Jim Creighton 2nd w/ 3.08; min 1,000 IP)
• Career leader in Complete Games with 218 (Joe Cunningham 2nd w/ 213)
• Career leader in Shutouts with 12 (Bernard Schmidt 2nd w/ 11)
• Career leader in RA/9 WAR with 67.6 (Carl Bancroft 2nd with 56.5)
• 2nd in Career WHIP with 1.25 (Jim Creighton 1st w/ 1.16; min 1,000 IP)
• 3rd in Career Hits/9 with 10.22 (Charlie Mitchell 1st w/ 10.12; min 1,000 IP)
• 3rd in Career Walks/9 with 1.05 (Jim Creighton 1st w/ 0.96; min 1,000 IP)
• 3rd in Career WAR with 46.4 (Bernard Schmidt 1st w/ 50.7)
• 5th in Career Innings with 2,680.0 (Joe Cunningham 1st w/ 2,868.0)

• Postseason leader in Wins with 27 (Rainer v. d. Hout & Grover Wright 2nd w/ 11)
• Postseason leader in Win % with .818 (three pitchers tied for 2nd w/ .800 (4-1); min 5 decisions)
• Postseason leader in Games Started with 37 (Rainer van der Hout 2nd w/ 24)
• Postseason leader in Complete Games with 27 (Grover Wright 2nd w/ 13)
• Postseason leader in Innings with 324.0 (Rainer van der Hout 2nd w/ 188.0)
• Postseason leader in WAR with 5.5 (Jim Creighton 2nd w/ 4.1)
• Postseason leader in RA/9 WAR with 11.0 (Rainer van der Hout 2nd w/ 3.9)
• 2nd in Postseason ERA with 2.72 (David Roberts 1st w/ 2.11; min 50 IP)
• 2nd in Postseason Strikeouts with 32 (Jim Creighton 1st w/ 59)
• One of three pitchers with a postseason Shutout (Peadar Daly, Eddie Morse)

Given the caveat that Jim Creighton likely has another decade left in his career, there is absolutely no pitcher that can come close to John McGowan’s list of achievements. Surely, nobody will best his three straight 5-0 Tucker-Wheaton Cup performances or his sixteen postseason victories between defeats. McGowan was 18-2 in the Round Robin era of the cup, and those four postseasons alone offer up a superior playoff resumé to that of any other pitcher who has ever held a ball.

The loss of McGowan leaves Knickerbocker in a bind, but they still have a top-ten pitcher in Peadar Daly and they also have a highly regarded 23-year-old named Grover Anderson who could become a top-tier talent if given a chance.

Milford native McGowan is reportedly eyeing a Senate seat as a Republican representing home state of Connecticut, but he will have to wait until at least 1868 to have his chance since the Connecticut State Congress just chose Orrin Ferry to be their newest senator over two-term Senate member Lafayette Foster. McGowan may need to wait his turn, as popular Connecticut governor William Buckingham is said to want to join the Senate and that means the legislators will likely choose him in the next Senatorial election. McGowan just might have to settle with being a state-level legislator to start with, but no doubt his combination of intelligence & leadership will see him placed in a very important position before long.

John McGowan gave the sport of base ball ten unforgettable seasons, and in time he will almost certainly be remembered as the greatest pitcher of the foundational days of the sport.

[jasg224]

Originally Posted by tm1681

These posts might be a little wordy and weird, but hey what the heck I'm having fun with it to pass downtime and hopefully some of you are too...

Still reading along! Not really rooting for any team but it's always fun to see what fictional scenarios other people come up with in OOTP.

[tm1681]

Originally Posted by jasg224

Still reading along! Not really rooting for any team but it's always fun to see what fictional scenarios other people come up with in OOTP.

Thanks!

[tm1681]

TEN YEARS OF BASE BALL
THE N.B.B.O. CELEBRATES A FULL DECADE OF EXISTENCE

NEW YORK CITY (Jan. 23, 1867) – Today marks ten years since the foundation of the National Base Ball Organization, and to mark the momentous anniversary there was a grand banquet at the St. Nicholas Hotel in New York City. In attendance were the commissioner, club ex-ecutives, front office members, player representatives, and other special guests.

Also present were the four players who have taken part in all eight All-Star Games…

• Willie Davis
• Edward Huntley
• Samuel Kessler
• Anthony Mascherino

…other players who have been nominated for Team of the Year five times…

• Konrad Jensen
• John McGowan

…and the eight players other than Huntley who have played all 700 games since the foundation of the competition:

• William Casilli
• Lawrence Craig
• Albert Gore
• William Johnson
• Albert Jones
• Thomas Maloney
• Leroy Weld
• John Williams

The honorees were presented with gifts such as high-end watches and well-tailored suits, and they were hailed as a group of men who embodied the spirit of the evolving sport.

It was a day of handshakes and pats on the back and speeches and toasts to a decade of organized base ball. At the onset of the NBBO nobody was confident that the organization would last, but after ten years of competition median attendance has risen from around 1,275 fans per game to roughly 2,000. Teams are stable; reportedly only 7/48 lost money last year and none lost more than $1,000. The talent coming into the N.B.B.O. from the independent realm keeps getting better, a testa-ment to the growing popularity of the sport. The stars of both leagues are becoming household names across the Northeast.

The sport of base ball has established itself as a legitimate pastime, and it is here to stay.

NBBO RECORDS

SINGLE SEASON BATTING LEADERS

Batting Average: .430 by Cormack Alexander (KC) in 1864
On-Base Percentage: .486 by Arvi Hämäläinen (NIA) in 1862
Slugging Percentage: .595 by Royal Altman (ALL) in 1866
On-Base + Slugging: 1.038 by Arvi Hämäläinen (NIA) in 1862

Games Played: 70 by more than 100 players, most recently in 1866
At-Bats: 346 by Obelix Tsiaris (FC) in 1864
Runs: 106 by Anderson MacGyver (STJ) in 1859
Hits: 138 by Cormack Alexander (KC) in 1864
Singles: 116 by Joseph Bentley (NIA) in 1857
Doubles: 35 by Jerald Peterson (SotO) in 1866
Triples: 16 by Raleigh Altstadt (MB) in 1863
Home Runs: 8 by Doc Matheson (SPO) in 1863
Total Bases: 185 by Royal Altman (ALL) in 1866
Runs Batted In: 90 by Carson Law (SYR) in 1864
Stolen Bases: 76 by Konrad Jensen (STJ) in 1866
Bases on Balls: 59 by Konrad Jensen (STJ) in 1866
Strikeouts: 67 by Henry Goodale (CAN) in 1866

Wins Above Replacement: 5.79 by Anthony Mascherino (GM) in 1861
Win Probability Added: 6.08 by Walter Dudley (PJ) in 1864


SINGLE SEASON PITCHING LEADERS

Earned Run Average (200 IP): 2.24 by Jim Creighton (EXC) in 1865

Wins: 30 by John Anderson (SCR) in 1857
Losses: 29 by John Roberts (OLY) in 1864
Win % (200 IP): .950 by Paul Goehring (STJ) in 1859 (19-1)
Win % (10 Decisions): 1.000 by Walter Stegall (SHA) in 1863 (16-0)
Games Pitched: 47 by Harry Nilsson (GOT) in 1859
Games Started: 37 by five pitchers, most recently in 1865
Complete Games: 30 by Grover Wright (KC) in 1861
Shutouts: 4 by four pitchers, most recently in 1861
Innings: 329.0 by Grover Wright (KC) in 1861
Hits Allowed: 453 by Lemuel Zimmerman (CAN) in 1864
Bases on Balls: 100 by Henry Enfield (SCR) in 1859
Strikeouts: 146 by Jim Creighton (EXC) in 1866

Bases on Balls per 9 IP (200 IP): 0.23 by Jim Creighton (EXC) in 1865
Hits allowed per 9 IP (200 IP): 8.18 by John McGowan (KNI) in 1865
Strikeouts per 9 IP (200 IP): 4.43 by Jim Creighton (EXC) in 1866
Walks + Hits / IP (200 IP): 0.97 by John McGowan (KNI) in 1865
Opponents’ Average (200 IP): .230 by Earl Quinn (SYR) in 1866
Opponents’ On-Base (200 IP): .248 by Peadar Daly (KNI) in 1865
Opponents’ Slugging (200 IP): .289 by Earl Quinn (SYR) in 1866
Opponents’ OPS (200 IP): .537 by Earl Quinn (SYR) in 1866

Wins Above Replacement: 9.13 by Jim Creighton (EXC) in 1865
Runs Allowed per 9 IP WAR: 12.5 by Jim Creighton (EXC) in 1863


CAREER BATTING LEADERS

Batting Average (1,000 PA): .370 by Willie Davis (SUS 1858-64, AME ‘65-66)
On-Base Percentage (1,000 PA): .443 by Konrad Jensen (STJ 1857-66)
Slugging Percentage (1,000 PA): .507 by Willie Davis
On-Base + Slugging (1,000 PA): .942 by Konrad Jensen

Games Played: 700 by nine different players
At-Bats: 3,208 by Arthur Waltrip (AME 1857-64, ALL ‘65-66)
Runs: 836 by William Johnson (STJ 1857-66)
Hits: 1,122 by Arthur Waltrip
Singles: 888 by Arthur Waltrip
Doubles: 235 by William Johnson
Triples: 73 by Samuel Kessler (SotO 1857-64, ALL ‘65-66)
Home Runs: 20 by Paul Kronenberg (SPO 1860-66)
Total Bases: 1,448 by Willie Davis
Runs Batted In: 560 by Jerald Peterson (KC 1857-64, SotO ‘65-66)
Stolen Bases: 507 by Walter Williams (SHA 1858-66)
Bases on Balls: 335 by Konrad Jensen

Wins Above Replacement: 42.60 by Anthony Mascherino (GM 1857-65, SHA ‘66)
Win Probability Added: 36.84 by Willie Davis


CAREER PITCHING LEADERS

Earned Run Average (1,000 IP): 3.05 by John McGowan (STJ 1857-63, KNI ‘64-66)

Wins: 215 by John McGowan
Losses: 163 by Albert Grimble (OCE 1857-63, QS ‘64-65, MET ‘66)
Win % (1,000 IP): .710 by John McGowan (215-88)
Games Pitched: 379 by Carl Bancroft (UTI 1857-62, EMP ‘63-66)
Games Started: 352 by Joe Cunningham (1857-64 SHA, ‘65-66 SUS)
Complete Games: 218 by John McGowan
Shutouts: 12 by John McGowan
Innings: 2,868.0 by Joe Cunningham
Hits Allowed: 3,549 by Bernard Schmidt (NIA 1857-64, NIA ‘65, SotO ‘66)
Bases on Balls: 525 by Joe Cunningham
Strikeouts: 616 by Jim Creighton (EXC 1860-66)

Bases on Balls per 9 IP (1,000 IP): 0.96 by Jim Creighton
Hits allowed per 9 IP (1,000 IP): 10.12 by Charlie Mitchell (EMP 1858-62, Soto ’63-65)
Strikeouts per 9 IP (1,000 IP): 2.65 by Jim Creighton
Walks + Hits / IP (1,000 IP): 1.16 by Jim Creighton
Opponents’ Average (1,000 IP): .259 by Jim Creighton
Opponents’ On-Base (1,000 IP): .284 by Jim Creighton
Opponents’ Slugging (1,000 IP): .339 by Charlie Mitchell
Opponents’ OPS (1,000 IP): .624 by Jim Creighton

Wins Above Replacement: 50.68 by Bernard Schmidt
Runs Allowed per 9 IP WAR: 67.6 by John McGowan


TEAM RECORDS (BATTING & MISC)

Best Record: 57-13 by Knickerbocker 1865
Best Attendance: 104,222 (2,979 P/G) by Knickerbocker in 1865

Most Runs Scored: 645 (9.2 R/G) by Kings County in 1864
Highest Average: .340 by Niagara in 1862
Highest On-Base: .377 by Niagara in 1862
Highest Slugging: .434 by Flour City in 1863
Most Hits: 938 (13.4 H/G) by Niagara in 1862
Most Doubles: 177 by Alleghany in 1866
Most Triples: 57 by Orange in 1866
Most Home Runs: 29 by Sportsman’s in 1863
Most Bases on Balls: 204 (2.9 BB/G) by St. John’s in 1866
Fewest Strikeouts: 28 by Reading in 1864
Most Stolen Bases: 249 (3.6 SB/G) by St. John’s in 1866


TEAM RECORDS (PITCHING)

Fewest Runs Allowed: 317 (4.5 R/G) by Knickerbocker in 1865
Lowest Earned Run Average: 2.35 by Knickerbocker in 1865
Fewest Hits Allowed: 587 (8.4 HA/G) by Knickerbocker in 1865
Fewest Bases on Balls: 42 (0.6 BB/G) by Knickerbocker in 1866
Most Strikeouts: 190 (2.7 K/G) by Excelsior in 1865
Lowest Walks + Hits / IP: 1.00 by Knickerbocker in 1865

[20_range]

Originally Posted by jasg224

Still reading along! Not really rooting for any team but it's always fun to see what fictional scenarios other people come up with in OOTP.

Me too (I am rooting for the two Philadelphia teams because they never seem to get anywhere.)

And why only two NY has eighty

[tm1681]

Originally Posted by 20_range

Me too (I am rooting for the two Philadelphia teams because they never seem to get anywhere.)

And why only two NY has eighty

It's actually an interesting thing. When I was reading about baseball before 1871 before starting all of this, what I found was that not only was there a slightly different variant of baseball played in Philadelphia called "Town Ball", but cricket was still quite a bit more popular than baseball there in the 1860s.

[tm1681]

ALLEGHANY EXPANDS VENUE, JOINS LARGEST CLUBS
CLUB ADDS 10,000 SEATS TO PITTSBURGH’S RECREATION PARK AHEAD OF 1867 SEASON

PITTSBURGH (Mar. 11, 1867) – After a pair of disastrous seasons in 1863 & ’64 in which the team finished 27-43 & 24-46 and sunk to last place for the first time in club history, Alleghany president Richard Shaughnessy declared “Never again!” He led an overhaul of the roster for the 1865 season that saw the team finish with the biggest one-season turnaround in N.B.B.O. history: a 23-win improve-ment, a 47-23 record, and a place in the Tucker-Wheaton Cup. Alleghany repeated their 47-23 record last year, won the In-land Championship by five games, and reasserted their dominance over the Inland region.

To hopefully secure Alleghany’s place as Inland’s supreme club, Shaughnessy has set aside the last two years of the club’s profits, taken a loan from a local bank, and used the funds to add room for an extra 10,000 spectators to Pittsburgh Recre-ation Park, bringing its capacity from 7,639 to 17,639. This does not only make Alleghany’s venue the largest in the North-eastern League by more than 5,000 seats – American’s Glenwood Field holds 12,422 – but it will be the single largest venue in the sport of base ball for the 1867 season, larger than even the combination of Kings County’s Washington Park (13,353) and the mighty Elysian Fields (15,292), home to Knickerbocker.

(In real life, Pittsburgh’s Recreation Park, known for most of its existence as Union Park, was a multi-use ice skating park, municipal park, and baseball park before it was converted into a baseball stadium with a capacity of 17,000 in 1867 via new wooden grandstands. It would later host football, cycling, circuses, and track meets, among other events.)

The sparkling new wooden grandstand in Recreation Park is a definite statement of intent by Alleghany to become more than just cup fodder. They want to be where clubs like Knickerbocker, Shamrock, and St. John’s have been: at the very top of the sport.

Is there enough appetite for base ball in Pittsburgh to warrant such a large venue for important games? President Shaugh-nessy seems to think so and, even if there currently is not, the upward trajectory of his stewardship of the club may soon warrant it.

[tm1681]

THE AUDIT COMES IN; EVERYONE PUT ON NOTICE
COMMISSIONER’S AUDIT OF FINANCES FINDS ILLICIT PAYMENTS COMMONPLACE

NEW YORK CITY (Mar. 11, 1867) – During the Postseason Meeting last November, the NBBO commissioner let it be known that it was time for clubs to come forward and be honest about cash payments to players, and he had the backing of law enforcement to get to the bottom of the situation if anyone tried to stall or refuse to cooperate. The details of the investigation were revealed at the Spring Meeting of the NBBO Executive Committee, and those details were simultaneously stunning and unsurprising.

First up: discussion of the clubs. The investigation showed that EVERY ONE of the NBBO’s 48 clubs was paying somebody under the table. Some clubs, like Cantabrigians & Eagle, were only doing it for a few players. However, the most dominant clubs in the sport were handing out cash to half of their roster or more. During the previous season, three of the teams that made the Tucker-Wheaton Cup – Alleghany, Knickerbocker, & St. John’s – passed out more cash to players than all others, and two others – Excelsior & Shamrock – were in the top seven. The only cup team that did not flagrantly throw around cash was Syracuse, whose total spending outlay was 25th out of 48. The highest spenders were exactly who one would expect: cup teams or clubs from major metropolitan areas like American, Atlantic, & Orange.

When auditing the financials and bank statements from previous years, some truly eye-watering stuff came out with regards to the players. To keep him from leaving Green Mountain, Anthony Mascherino was given $1,000 in 1863, then $1,450 in 1864, and then a staggering $1,775 in 1865. That was not the $70 to $140 he was supposed to receive while playing in Vermont. Jim Creighton of Excelsior was another player who was receiving over $1,000 per season. Willie Davis was given a four-figure amount to leave Susquehanna for American in 1865. St. John’s was revealed to be paying Konrad Jensen $1,500 to play for them in 1867. Finally, Kings County was going to give Cormack Alexander $1,100 for the upcoming season.

The investigation found no fewer than 30 players who had been given at least $500 to play during the 1866 season and 26 more who were set to be paid $600 or more during the 1867 season, with every payment making the NBBO’s official stipend of $70 to $140 look at best like a suggestion, and at worst like a joke.

What was going on was not Amateurism, but “Shamateurism”. At the same time, what exactly could the commissioner do about it? Was he going to throw every notable metropolitan-based club out of the competition? Was he going to ban every single star player? Was he going to demand repayments of possibly tens of thousands of dollars from individual clubs? Every avenue of punishment seemed impossible on its face, because every club had at least one player who was being given more than the maximum stipend of $140. Eagle, the NBBO’s smallest club, only had two such players, but they still had two.

There was some good news. When the commissioner threw down the gauntlet on the issue of player payments in November, it spooked the clubs that were spending the most money under the table. While the celebrated James Burke did end up with Shamrock, the front office gave him $600 when in winters past such a talented player might have received $1,000 or more. Another example was Per-Olaf Bakken, who was paid more than $800 by Kings County three years ago but after the investigation was announced was only given about 2/3 of that amount to come back to the club after two seasons with Orange. Of the 25 players who were making the most under-the-table cash, only two were with new clubs for 1867, another sign that November’s announcement had an effect on the behavior NBBO front offices.

In the end, the commissioner and his top men told every club that an illicit financial arms race could not continue. While he would not ban those involved since it would basically mean throwing out more than half the clubs and roughly 1/3 of the players in one fell swoop, it was time for the most flagrant rule-flaunting to stop. Furthermore, he also stated if upcoming seasons showed that the clubs were making enough money that the best players were still being paid handsomely, then it just might be time for a radical reconsideration on how the sport is run.

[tm1681]

RULE CHANGES & CLARIFICATIONS FOR 1867
BALL SIZE DISCUSSED; PITCHER’S AREA & MOVEMENT CLARIFIED; BAT LENGTH DISCUSSED

NEW YORK CITY (Mar. 13, 1867) – The NBBO Executive Committee took the first two days of its 1867 Spring Meeting to undertake the difficult discussion of payments to players. With that out of the way, it was time for the normal business of the NBBOEC: changes to rules, regulations, & schedules, of which there were three notable events.

First up: discussion on the size of the ball. Until this point, there could be a noticeable variance in size from ball to ball when playing a game. The ball was to weigh from 5.5 to 6 ounces, but the circumference of the ball could be anywhere from 8 to 11 inches, a 37% difference. The standards of the game ball were tightened a bit, with the NBBECO writing the following:

“The ball must weigh not less than five and one-half, nor more than five and three-fourths ounces, avoirdupois. It must measure not less than nine and one-half, nor more than nine and three-fourths inches in circumference. It must be com-posed of India rubber and yarn, and covered with leather, and, in all match games, shall be furnished by the challenging club, and become the property of the winning club as a trophy of victory.”

The standard weight of the ball had been tightened further so there could be very little variance, but the regulation circumference of the ball was REALLY tightened up. Instead of a possible three-inch variance from ball to ball, there would now be a maximum possible difference of 1/4 inch.

Also in the updated regulation ball rules: the visiting team would provide game balls instead of the home team – the home team already had their advantage – and every ball had to be composed of India rubber & yarn with a leather covering.

Why were the changes to the ball so important? For one thing, they gave base ball the look of a more formally organized sport. If the centerpiece of the sport itself could vary so much from day to day, game to game, or venue to venue, it would continue to give off the appearance of a loosely organized, only somewhat serious competition. With the makeup of the ball itself now having rigorous standards, the sport itself was now becoming more formally regulated.

Second on the docket: the movement of the pitcher and the dimensions of his space to pitch from. Up to this point, pitchers had to deliver the ball from somewhere between two lines drawn a set distance from home plate, first 45’ & 48’ in 1862 and then 45’ & 49’ in 1863. Both lines were 12’ wide. This area was known as the Pitcher’s Area.

The NBBOEC cut the width of the Pitcher’s Area in half, from 12’ to 6’, while keeping the distance of the lines from home plate the same. This meant that pitchers could no longer deliver the ball to the batsman from a noticeable angle, but to make up for it the pitchers were given something new: the pitcher could move around inside the area prior to delivering the ball instead of choosing one point and staying there until the pitch out of his hand.

The new size of the Pitcher’s Area would offer benefits to both pitchers and batters alike, while standardizing the playing of the sport a bit more.

There were not many pitchers that used the extreme edges of the 12’ Pitcher’s Area, at least not the star pitchers, so this change would not have a massive effect on the game.

The third, and final, matter of discussion: bats. Five years ago, bats were regulated for the first time. Until the spring of 1862 a batsman could bring pretty much anything he wanted to the plate so long as it was made of wood – any length, any width, any shape, any weight – but then the NBBOEC decreed that bats could be no more than 2.5 inches in diameter. Some clubs wanted there to be tightening of the bat regulations similar to those of the game ball, again so the sport would take on a more formal, uniform look. Others argued that so long as the players furnish their own equipment they should be allowed to bring in whatever kind of bat they fell comfortable swinging, provided it met the diameter requirements. The latter won the discussion, and work to perhaps curtail bat length was tabled for another year.

In the end, the NBBOEC discussions were productive, with the following being made official:

1. Variance of game ball weight was reduced from 5.5-6 oz. to 5.5-5.75 oz.
2. Variance of game ball circumference was reduced from 8-11 in. to 9.5-9.75 in.
3. Game balls must all be made an India rubber & yarn core
4. Game balls must all have a leather outer covering
5. The width of the Pitcher’s Area was cut in half, from 12’ to 6’
6. Pitchers could move around the Pitcher’s Area before making a delivery to the batsman

The new regulations were sent out to every club with the expectation that all 48 would be well-versed on them far before the start of the 1867 season in May. The discussion on bat length was already inked in as item number one for the NBBOEC Spring Meeting in 1868.

[tm1681]

PLAY BALL! THE 1867 NBBO PREVIEW
TRIO OF TEAMS TIPPED TO WIN 50; STJ EXPECTED TO SET RECORDS; BROOKLYN TO BE VERY CLOSE

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (May 1, 1867) – Year number eleven of the National Base Ball Organization begins this afternoon, with the first pitch of the season occurring just after 1:00 PM in Hartford where Oceanic hosts Green Mountain.

The new season comes with some changes. For the people of Pittsburgh, Alleghany BC’s venue, the Recreation Grounds, has been expanded by 10,000 seats to become the largest in the sport. For pitchers, the width of the Pitcher’s Area has been cut in half but they may now move around before delivering the ball. For everyone, standards for the game ball have been tightened up so that balls have a more uniform size & weight on a game-to-game basis.

The 1867 season is expected to be something a bit closer to the seasons before last year. The Writers Pool has projected three teams to win 50+ games – Knickerbocker, Shamrock, & St. John’s – but three of the six regional championships are expected to be decided by less than a handful of games. One region in particular, Brooklyn, is projected to have the top five teams finish within three games of each other.

The team to watch this year is St. John’s. The base ball observers of New England appear to be unusually terrified of them, and they have projected the men from Providence to equal Knickerbocker’s 1865 win-loss mark and have a record-breaking Run Differential in the process.

Celebrated Newcomers are expected to go straight to star status, with the already famed James Burke of Shamrock and Monroe Munson of Niagara projected in the top three talents in the NBBO at batter & pitcher respectively.

Hopefully for the fans, this season is a more competitive one than last. In the case of three of the six regions it looks like the fight for the pennant should be a long & difficult one, and ideally the teams of New York City and the Atlantic Coast can push Knickerbocker & Shamrock to their limits. Time will tell, and if all goes according to plan after the commissioner put clubs on notice over cash payments to players then it will indeed be a far more competitive season.

WRITERS POOL GENERAL OBSERVATIONS

These are the teams that the Writers Pool has named the favorites to advance to the Tucker-Wheaton Cup:

• BROOKLYN: Excelsior – 41-29, 495 R, 399 RA (four teams 1-3 GB)
• NEW YORK CITY: Knickerbocker – 51-19, 599 R, 365 RA (Orange 10 GB)
• UPSTATE: Niagara & Utica – 44-26, +100-120 RD (Flour City 4 GB)
• COASTAL: Shamrock – 50-20, 551 R, 345 RA (Port Jersey 8 GB)
• INLAND: Alleghany – 41-29, 636 R, 506 RA (three teams 1-4 GB)
• NEW ENGLAND: St. John’s – 57-13, 699 R, 390 RA (Sons of the Ocean 18 GB)

Five of the six postseason favorites won their regional championships last year. Niagara last won the Upstate Championship in 1863, while Utica last won it in 1861.

When asked for other observations about the upcoming season, here were the main talking points offered up by the 48-member N.B.B.O. Writers Pool:

• The twenty most talented batsmen in the NBBO: Konrad Jensen (OF, STJ), James Burke* (OF, SHA), Nelson Townsend (OF, STJ), Edward Huntley (SS, KNI), Anthony Mascherino (SS, SHA), Willie Davis (CF, AME), Royal Altman (OF, ALL), Peter Boyce (2B, AME), Samuel Kessler (3B, ALL), William Johnson (CF, STJ), Thomas Maloney (OF, MB), Everett Schreiber (C, ORA), Gerhardt Berg* (1B, SotO), Franklin Petty (CF, LE), Werner Verstegen (3B, AME), Cormack Alexander (1B, KC), Henry Nabors (SS, VIC), Mario Fusilli (1B, SYR), Isaac Kelly (3B, ECK), Francis Smith* (OF, MET) – * represents Newcomer

• The ten most talented pitchers in the NBBO: Jim Creighton (EXC), Monroe Munson* (NIA), Raymond Newbold* (ATL), Frank Keeler* (NIA), James Goodman (MIN), Tom Ricks (SHA), Elmer Seabold (SUS), Grover Wright (CON), Olaf Sorenson* (ATL), Fred Richards (ALL) – * represents Newcomer

• The ten best newcomers in the N.B.B.O: James Burke (26 y/o OF, SHA), Monroe Munson (24 y/o P, NIA), Frank Keeler (23 y/o P, NIA), Raymond Newbold (35 y/o P, ATL), Olaf Sorenson (26 y/o P, ATL), Gerhardt Berg (24 y/o 1B, SotO), Francis Smith (22 y/o OF, MET), Paul LaGuerre (26 y/o 1B, KNI), Lee Taylor (25 y/o P, SPO), Harvey O’Donnell (24 y/o C, CAN)

• The ten best reserve squad prospects in the NBBO: Charles Sturch (22 y/o P, QS), George Cerven (21 y/o P, GOT), William Dickerson (20 y/o 3B, QS), Troy Oberst (20 y/o OF, MET), William Spears (20 y/o P, PJ), William Hatch (18 y/o P, GRA), Willie Gray (23 y/o P, FC), Charles Washer (19 y/o OF, MB), Fred Lydon (21 y/o CF, TU), Edward Pillsbury (21 y/o P, KNI)

• Brooklyn has the potential to be the most exciting regional championship fight in NBBO history. Thanks to winter improvements made by various clubs, the quartet of Bedford, Continental, Eckford, & Kings County are all expected to finish within three games of favored Excelsior, making for a five-way race to the pennant.

• Knickerbocker’s surprising recruitment of five-time All-Star 3B Jerald Peterson, with two-time Team of the Year 3B Hugh Harris moving to OF as a result, has made Knickerbocker the clear favorites in NYC. They are considered to have top-five players at four positions: Paul LaGuerre at 1B (4th), Jerald Peterson at 3B (4th), Edward Huntley at SS (1st), & Hugh Harris at RF (5th). None of the 47 other teams can match that level of top-end talent.

• No surprise – Upstate is expected to be a fierce dogfight once again. Niagara are co-favorites because of their addition of two five-star indy pitchers: Frank Keeler & Monroe Munson. Utica are the other co-favorites because of continuity from their 42-28 team of last year. The only change in their lineup is at CF, where promising 23 year-old William Buschmann takes over. Flour City is expected to be a close 3rd because of their typically dominant offense. Defending champions Syracuse are expected to finish around .500 and in 4th place.

• After last year’s dominance, Coastal is considered Shamrock’s to lose after the addition of James Burke. Their defense is second to nobody, and Burke’s debut season should add plenty to their attack. If another team gives them serious competition it is likely to be American, due to a lineup that features Peter Boyce, Willie Davis & Werner Verstegen.

• Alleghany is expected to top Inland for the third season in a row, but by a closer margin this time. There are questions about their #2 pitcher role, and the trio of Merrimack, Sportsman’s, & Susquehanna all have some serious offensive talent and thus should have the ability to keep Alleghany within arm’s length.

• On paper, New England should be a party for St. John’s due to the talent that left other teams. The WP has projected them to match the 1865 Knickerbocker team’s 57-13 record. They have also been projected to score 699 runs (9.9 R/G) – a record – and finish with a Run Differential of +309 (+4.4 R/G) – another record.

• James Burke hit .310 during preseason exhibition games, but the WP thinks he has what it takes to hit .400 during his debut season in Boston. He will be batting leadoff in the Shamrock order, and with his speed and the talent behind him in the order pitchers will want to avoid walking him at all costs, giving him plenty of good pitches to hit.

• Even though they play in one of the biggest Pitcher’s Parks in the NBBO, Knickerbocker is projected to have three of the ten best batsmen in the NYL this season thanks to the additions of 1B Paul LaGuerre and 3B Jerald Peterson.

• Thomas Maloney could have a tremendous debut season with Mass. Bay. He is a .357 career hitter after ten seasons playing home games in pitcher’s parks and neutral parks for Shamrock & Reading, but his new home of Oceanside Park has a LHB AVG Factor of 1.161, the biggest of any venue in the NBBO. This could be his second .400 season.

• After his performance with both ball and bat in the Tucker-Wheaton Cup last year, Excelsior is going to have Jim Creighton be the NBBO’s first two-way player this season. He will be their #1 pitcher while playing 1B the other game. His career AVG of .341, OPS of .805, and WAR of 5.4 are the best batting marks for any pitcher.

• Kings County is expected to see an improvement of a dozen wins or more this season thanks to numerous offseason additions: 2B Romano Bessi from Mass. Bay, 3B Leen van Rooij from indy ball, SS Per-Olaf Bakken back from Orange, CF Alex Leininger from indy ball, & OF James Hoyt from Knickerbocker. They did not get Jerald Peterson to return with Bakken like they had hoped, but K.C. should be a much better team.

• If James Burke fails to live up to expectations, then this year’s best new batsman might be Mitchell Schwarz, a 2B who will bat leadoff for Flour City and could make good use of their friendly confines for right-handed batsmen.

• Taliesin Buckley had a very good second half to the 1866 season, and the WP thinks that as a result his second season with Niagara could be one in which he is the very best batsman in the NYL.

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BUSBY CLUBS TWO HOMERS, DRIVES IN 7 IN WIN
AMERICAN 1B RULES THE DAY IN EIGHT-RUN HOME WIN OVER MASS. BAY

PHILADELPHIA (May 2, 1867) – It is only the second day of the season, but American BC has already seen one of its players pull off a rare achievement thanks to a two-HR game by one of its batsmen in a big win over visiting Mass. Bay:

The star of the show in Glenwood Field was easily American 1B William Busby, who became the eighth player in Northeastern League history to hit two home runs in a single game. That was not all he did on the afternoon:

• B1: Fly Out to SS off N. Moses
• B3: 1-Run Single to LCF off N. Moses
• B4: 3-RUN HOME RUN (In the Park) to LCF off N. Moses
• B5: 3-RUN HOME RUN (In the Park) to RCF off A. Shaw
• B7: Single past 2B off A. Shaw
• TOTAL: 4/5, 2 HR, 2 R, 7 RBI, 10 TB, 101 GMSC

Busby’s outburst against Massachusetts Bay did not set or even tie the American record for homers in a single game, as former American – current Victory – catcher Friedrich Becker became the first and only player in NBBO history to hit three homers in a game on June 30th, 1860 when he hit three inside-the-park home runs against Olympic BBC.

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5 HITS, 6 RBI FOR HUNT IN BIG ORANGE VICTORY
ORANGE’S #3 BATSMAN BATTERS WOEFUL MUTUAL PITCHING AS ORANGE RUNS UP THE SCORE

NEW YORK CITY (May 3, 1867) – Mutual BBC is trying to make up for a dreadful 1866 campaign, but in just their third game of the new season Orange decided to remind them why they finished in last place with an absolute drubbing at the Upper Manhattan Baseball Grounds in which numerous batsmen took on starring roles:

There were a multitude of outstanding performances by members of the Orange team. Leadoff man Will Chaffin (3B) was 4/6 with three runs and a triple, #3 batter Hawk Peterson (1B) was 4/6 with a pair of doubles, five runs, and four RBI, and #6 batter Jake Johnson (SS) was 4/6 with another pair of doubles and six RBI. However, none of them could match the performance of #4 batter and ten-year club veteran Ralph Hunt (RF):

• B1: Ground Out to SS off R. Seals
• B2: 1-run Single b/w 1B & 2B off R. Seals (scored)
• B3: 2-run Single b/w SS & 3B off G. van den Ham (scored)
• B4: 2-run Single b/w 1B & 2B off G. van den Ham (scored)
• B6: 1-run Single past SS off G. van den Ham
• B8: Infield Single off B. Franklin (scored)
• TOTAL: 5/6 (all singles), 4 R, 6 RBI, 106 GMSC

Hunt’s outburst was the exclamation point for three brilliant days of batting by Orange. Over the first three games of the season they have collected 18, 20, & 23 hits off Mutual pitching for a total of 61 (20.3 H/G).

As for Mutual, they have been outscored 46-18 over their three games and look good for another last-place finish in New York City.

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HISTORIC 9TH GIVES NEWARK “BATTLE OF NEW JERSEY”
VISITORS RUN 16 PAST PLATE IN TOP OF THE 9TH TO TAKE INCREDIBLE VICTORY

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (May 5, 1867) – After eight innings hosts Port Jersey were ahead 14-12 over Newark in the fifth and final game of another edition of the “Battle of New Jersey”. Newark then came to bat and reeled off the largest ninth inning rally in National Base Ball Organization history to turn the contest upside down and take the series four games to one:

On June 27th of last year, Pioneer became the first team to score 10+ runs in the ninth to secure a win by scoring exactly ten at Lake Erie in their final time at bat. This rally, featuring twenty batsmen and two home runs, put that one to shame:

• BAT 1: A. Lewter reached via Error by SS H. Bettman
• BAT 2: J. Midge reached via Base on Balls by A. Blatnik
• BAT 3: W. Spangler hit Single past 2B off A. Blatnik
• BAT 4: A. Jones hit 1-run Single to CF off A. Blatnik (Lewter R)
• J. Midge Run via Throwing Error by CF S. Guzik
• BAT 5: D. McGinty reached via Base on Balls by A. Blatnik
• BAT 6: E. England hit 1-run Single past SS off A. Blatnik (Spangler R)
• BAT 7: W. Van Buren hit 2-run Double to LF off A. Blatnik (McGinty & England R)
• A. Jones Run via Passed Ball
• BAT 8: J. Wallace hit Single past SS off A. Blatnik
• BAT 9: I. Moore hit 1-run Single past 2B off A. Blatnik (Van Buren R)
• BAT 10: A. Lewter hit 1-run Double to RCF off A. Blatnik (Wallace R)
• BAT 11: J. Midge hit 3-RUN HOME RUN to LF off J. McLean (Moore, Lewter, & Midge R)
• BAT 12: W. Spangler reached via Error by SS H. Bettman
• BAT 13: A. Jones reached via Base on Balls by J. McLean
• BAT 14: B. King (PH for D. McGinty) Fly Out to CF off J. McLean
• BAT 15: E. England hit Single past 2B off J. McLean
• BAT 16: W. Van Buren hit 1-run Single past 1B off J. McLean (England R)
• W. Spangler Run via Passed Ball
• A. Jones Run via Wild Pitch
• BAT 17: J. Wallace hit 2-RUN HOME RUN (Inside the Park) to RCF off J. McLean (Van Buren & Wallace R)
• BAT 18: I. Moore hit Triple to RCF off J. McLean
• BAT 19: A. Lewter Fly Out to LF off J. McLean
• BAT 20: J. Midge Ground Out to 1B off J. McLean
• TOTAL: 20 BATTERS, 16 RUNS, 12 H (7 1B, 2 2B, 3B, 2 HR), 3 BB, 3 E, 2 PB, 1 WP, 1 LoB

It was an incredible half-inning for Newark, who clubbed five extra-base hits and became the first team in NBBO history to hit two home runs in the same inning.

However, it was an excruciating half-inning for Port Jersey and especially pitcher Alva Blatnik, who set new records by allowing ten runs – nine earned – on seven hits without retiring a single batter after entering at the start of the ninth.

Player of the Game honors went to Newark OF Iestyn Moore, who finished 5/7 with the bat with a pair of doubles, a triple, three runs, and five batted in.

The sheer ridiculousness of the top of the ninth inning of this contest at Hoboken & Oakland Park will be hard to top over the rest of the 1867 season.

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OCEANIC PITCHER HELPS HIMSELF, GOES 5/5 IN WIN
THOMAS BISHOP SLAPS FIVE SINGLES WHILE PITCHING ALL NINE INNINGS AT PORTLAND

PORTLAND, MAINE (May 8, 1867) – TOther than Jim Creighton, there are a scant few pitchers in the NBBO who can steadily support the batting lineup for their own cause while they are pitching for their team. Second-year P Thomas Bishop is not known to be one such pitcher, but in Portland on Wednesday he fit the bill in a ten-run Oceanic victory:

Oceanic exited William King Field easy winners thanks to Bishop’s pitching but Bishop also added excellence with the bat, ending every plate appearance in Portland with a single. His day in total:

• CG, 8 HA, 3 RA, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• 5/5 (all Singles), 1 R, 2 RBI

King is regarded to have a decent stroke for a pitcher, but nothing special. However, that has not stopped him from swinging the lumber like crazy over his first four starts, batting 11/21 (.688) with a double, four runs, and four RBI.

The win meant that Oceanic has won all six of their games so far in 1867, the best start to a season in club history. Does that mean they will keep pace with St. John’s in the New England Championship? Almost certainly not, but Oceanic has never finished higher than fifth in New England and has never finished a season over .500. They are due are a great season.

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BARCLAY CRACKS 6 HITS, 3 DOUBLES V SYRACUSE
NIAGARA 2B’S PERFORMANCE IN LOSING EFFORT WAS FIRST SIX-HIT GAME OF SEASON

BUFFALO, N.Y. (May 15, 1867) – Syracuse BBC won 15-13 at Niagara to improve their record to 5-6, but it was the hosts who had the Player of the Game thanks to the efforts of two-time All-Star 2B Hamish Barclay:

Syracuse was able to overcome an eight-run first inning by Niagara, in which their defense committed five errors and pitcher Carl Bancroft allowed just one Earned Run as a result, to win the contest. The tipping point was Syracuse’s seventh, in which four runs scored via error and two more scored on hits from Mario Fusilli & William Maier.

In a losing effort, Niagara 2B Hamish Barclay was the game’s best player, putting up the first six-game seen in the NBBO so far in the 1867 season:

• B1: Single to RF off C. Bancroft (scored)
• B1: 1-run Double to RCF off C. Bancroft
• B4: Leadoff Double to CF off C. Bancroft (stole 3B)
• B6: Double to LF off E. Morse (scored)
• B8: Single to RCF off C. Russell
• B9: 1-run Single b/w 1B & 2B off C. Russell
• TOTAL: 6/6, 3 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB, 9 TB, 76 GMSC

It has been a terrible start to the season for one of the two Upstate favorites, but maybe Barclay’s big day with the bat could be the spark that Niagara needs to bring their performance up to where it should be.

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CREIGHTON MAKES MORE HISTORY, STRIKES OUT 10
DOMINANT GAME AT ECKFORD MAKES HIM FIRST EVER TO STRIKE OUT 10 IN A GAME

BROOKLYN (May 17, 1867) – Jim Creighton added yet another chapter to his already enormous volume of historical achievements on Friday afternoon as he pitched Excelsior BBC to victory at the Manor House Base Ball Grounds:

Creighton was even more bewildering than usual with the ball in this game, allowing just two hits and a single run (earned) while pitching all nine innings. He also did something never seen in base ball. Creighton sat down ten Eckford batters via strikes, making him the first pitcher in the history of the sport to strike out ten or more batsmen in a single outing. Creighton already had the existing record for strikeouts in a single game: nine, which he set on Gameday Two of the 1865 Tucker-Wheaton Cup.

Creighton, who only turned 26 on April 15th, is the king of the pitching record books. He currently holds the following high – or low – marks for pitching performance:

• ERA in a Season (250 IP): 2.24 in 1865
• Strikeouts in a Game: 10 on May 17th, 1867 vs Eckford
• Strikeouts in a Season: 146 in 1866
• Strikeouts in a Career: 616
• BB/9 in a Season (250 IP): 0.23 in 1865
• BB/9 for a Career (1,000 IP): 0.96
• SO/9 in a Season (250 IP): 4.43 in 1866
• SO/9 for a Career (1,000 IP): 2.65
• K/BB in a Season (250 IP): 16.63 in 1865
• Walks + Hits / IP in a Career (1,000 IP): 1.16
• Opponents’ AVG in a Career (1,000 IP): .259
• Opponents’ OBP in a Career (1,000 IP): .284
• Opponents’ OPS in a Career (1,000 IP): .624
• Pitching WAR in a Season (250 IP): 9.13 in 1865
• RA/9 WAR in a Season (250 IP): 12.5 in 1863

When it comes to batting, Creighton also leads all pitchers in career Batting Average, On-Base + Slugging, Win Probability Added, and Wins Above Replacement.

As Creighton’s career continues, he is certain to stake his claim to more pitching records. At the very least, the career rec-ords for WAR & RA/9 WAR, which currently belong to Bernard Schmidt & John McGowan, will be his before long. He has won 20+ games in each of the past six seasons, so at the rate Creighton wins it seems a good bet that he will retire as the NBBO’s career leader in victories.

It seems impossible for Jim Creighton to keep improving his almost mythical pitching dominance, yet he does.

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BRAND RAPS 6 HITS IN EXCELSIOR VICTORY
NEWCOMER TALLIES HALF A DOZEN SINGLES; CREIGHTON WINS WHILE BELTING THREE DOUBLES

BROOKLYN (May 26, 1867) – Excelsior BBC received a pair of star performances in their nine-run home win over Atlantic at Carroll Park on Sunday that ran their record to 14-6, good for second place in the Brooklyn Championship:

The contest started off well enough for Atlantic, who exited the second inning ahead 6-0 thanks to four Excelsior fielding errors. Excelsior would then score the next thirteen runs before finishing up what turned out to be an easy victory.

Player of the Game went to newcomer Felix Brand, who became the first player in Excelsior history with six hits in a game:

• B1: Infield Single off R. Newbold
• B3: 1-run Single to CF off R. Newbold (scored)
• B4: 1-run Single past 2B off R. Newbold (scored)
• B5: 1-run Single to CF off B. Chastain (scored)
• B6: Single past SS off B. Chastain
• B8: Single to CF off B. Chastain (scored)
• TOTAL: 6/6 (all Singles), 4 R, 3 RBI, 97 GMSC

Of course, it would never be an Excelsior win without a notable performance from Jim Creighton. The NBBO’s biggest star did allow nine runs, but only two were earned because of the early errors. He also had a great day with the bat:

• W (9-3), 7.2 IP, 10 HA, 9 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• 4/5, 3 2B, 4 R, 1 RBI, 7 TB

Excelsior OF Uwe Schneider also added a 4/6 performance with two runs and three batted in.

As mentioned, the win improved Excelsior’s record to 14-6. Normally that would be good enough for top spot in Brooklyn after Week Four, but the resurgent Kings County sits at the top with a 15-5 mark.

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KNICKERBOCKER OFF TO A 19-1 START
1865 CUP WINNERS HAVE WON LAST 17; ALREADY LEAD NEW YORK CITY BY 8 GAMES

NEW YORK CITY (May 28, 1867) – In their third game of the season Knickerbocker BBC lost at home in ten innings to Harlem by the score of 7-6. They have not lost since.

During the two days between Week Four & Week Five of the 1867 schedule, people across the NBBO are wondering if Knickerbocker is already in the midst of a repeat of their historic 1865 season, in which they went an all-time best 57-13 and took home the cup. During that season Knickerbocker’s success came from the best pitching & defense the NBBO had ever seen to that point. So far this season, the team’s hold over New York City has come from a different source.

After four weeks of play Knickerbocker has scored 199 runs, one run short of ten runs per game and a full run per game more than any other team in the New York League. To put it simply, they are hitting the cover off the ball, destroying opposing pitching and leading the NYL in numerous offensive categories:

• Runs: 199 (9.9 R/G; Kings Co. 2nd w/ 179)
• Hits: 265 (13.2 H/G; Kings Co. 2nd w/ 243)
• Doubles: 55 (2.7 2B/G; Bedford 2nd w/ 54)
• Triples: 15 (0.7 3B/G; Nassau Co. also w/ 15)
• Bases on Balls: 50 (2.5 BB/G; Minuteman 2nd w/ 32)
• Average: .335 (Kings Co. 2nd w/ .316)
• On-Base: .377 (Kings Co. 2nd w/ .344)
• Slugging: .438 (Kings Co. 2nd w/ .417)
• OPS: .815 (Kings Co. 2nd w/ .761)

Two Knickerbocker batsmen – CF Charlie Greaves & C Kenneth Harver – are batting over .400. Superstar SS Edward Huntley has an OPS over 1.000. Every member of the lineup has at least 15 RBI, which puts all eight on a pace for 50+, something that has never happened for an entire lineup.

Knickerbocker’s four series so far have been at home versus Harlem, at Metropolitan, at Union of Morrisania, and home versus Gotham – no historically easy teams to beat.

Yet, Knickerbocker has scored some crushing wins already this season. They beat Harlem 14-6 in the season’s second game, they had wins of 13-1 and 9-1 against Metropolitan, they had a trio of five-run victories against Union, and they beat Gotham 13-1 on May 25th. Knickerbocker has a +97 Run Differential after just twenty games, a pace to easily beat the NBBO record.

Knickerbocker’s performance so far in 1867 means they are already EIGHT GAMES clear atop the New York City Championship. Already far behind them are Harlem at 11-9, Orange at 11-9, Hilltop at 10-10, and Metropolitan at 10-10. What should frighten New York even more is that the team’s next series is against 5-15 Mutual, which means there is a decent chance Knickerbocker could run their winning streak to an NBBO record 22 games and their overall record to 24-1.

It is already looking like Knickerbocker will take their third consecutive New York City pennant. It might be that the only question left is whether or not the rest of the NBBO can stop them at the Tucker-Wheaton Cup.

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KINGS COUNTY COMES BACK FROM 8 DOWN TO WIN!
K.C. SCORES 10 RUNS OVER FINAL TWO INNINGS TO BEAT NASSAU CO.; MCSHANE BATS 5/6

BROOKLYN (May 29, 1867) – Nassau County, Brooklyn’s last-place team, looked like they were going to leave Washington Park with a fantastic victory over Kings County on Wednesday, exiting the 7th inning with a seemingly unbeatable 15-7 lead over their hosts. However, Kings Co. had other plans:

There was plenty of action in this game – Nassau Co. supplying the early excitement and Kings Co. providing the late drama. The teams combined for 33 runs, 39 hits, and 23 errors, with the game lasting a whopping three hours and thirteen minutes.

Nassau Co., led by CF Douglas Williams’ five hits, three runs, double, & stolen base, chased pitcher Charles Matthews off the field after 3.2 innings and nine runs thanks in no small part to half a dozen K.C. fielding miscues. They continued scoring after #2 pitcher Walter O’Farrell entered in relief, and by the time the 7th was over they had that 15-7 lead.

Kings Co. woke up in the 8th. After sitting down the Nassau Co. batters 1-2-3 in the top half of the inning, Carlton McShane hit a double that started a five-run rally to decrease the K.C. deficit to three (15-12). N.C. scored one run in the top of the 9th, but that would just make the drama in the bottom of the 9th that much more exciting. Cormack Alexander scored on a Hanno Waldman ground out to make the score 16-13, McShane scored on an error to bring the score to 16-14, and Leen van Rooij scored on a passed ball to make it a 16-15 game.

With one out and runners on 2nd & 3rd base, three-time All-Star Willard Krone came to bat against Calum Henry and hit a single between two N.C. infielders. Alex Leininger scored from third, and Leslie Bjork raced around from second to score the winning run.

McShane was the star of the day for Kings Co., batting 5/6 with a double, three runs, one RBI, and a stolen base. However, Krone may have been the hero of the day. After entering as a pinch-hitter in the 8th, Krone was 2/2 with three RBI, including the game-winning hit.

The win moved Kings County to 15-6, keeping them on top of Brooklyn by one game, while the loss brought last-place Nassau County to 6-15.