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

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I will let Post #1,000 be the one where I say that never did I think this would reach 1,000 posts in just a year or two. Hopefully people are enjoying it...

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ARM INJURY ENDS WILLIAM TIGHE’S CAREER
8x 20-GAME WINNER WAS NYL’S PotY IN 1875, THEN MVP IN 1876

ALBANY, N.Y. (June 8, 1878) - Minuteman #1 William Tighe took the ball to pitch at Eagle on in Upstate New York earlier this week, but he had to exit with after just 2/3 of an inning upon telling field manager William Sprecher that he felt something “rip” in his pitching arm while making a delivery to Eagle RF Jonathan Capehart.

With time having been given for any pain and swelling to go away Tighe found himself still unable to use his pitching arm and, faced with the realization that he’d suffered a catastrophic injury, the 40-year-old Tighe has decided it’s time to call time on his baseball career.

Tighe, a native of Philadelphia, entered the N.B.B.O. with St. John’s in 1865. Although he never won the Tucker-Wheaton Cup while in Providence, Tighe was 89-36 with a 3.48 ERA over four seasons pitching for St. John’s – he likely would have won N.E.L. Pitcher of the Year in 1866 had the award existed then – before he controversially left for Mutual ahead of the 1869 season. The decision to move to Mutual in New York City was a blunder for Tighe, who posted records of 18-17, 13-28, & 12-14 over three seasons in green & white, leading the N.Y.L. in Losses in 1870 while also posting a career-worst ERA.

Tighe left Mutual for Minuteman in 1872, and that put his career back on track. Tighe’s first five seasons in Albany:

• 1872: 23-17, 3.17 ERA, 35 K, 31 CG, 2 SHO, 1.27 WHIP, 5.4 WAR
• 1873: 21-19, 3.15 ERA, 21 K, 19 CG, 1.28 WHIP, 4.4 WAR
• 1874: 24-11, 3.23 ERA, 35 K, 24 CG, 1.33 WHIP, 6.5 WAR, A-S
• 1875: 27-16, 2.74 ERA, 35 K, 52 G, 358.2 IP, 27 CG, 1 SHO, 2 SV, 1.24 WHIP, 6.8 WAR, A-S, P.o.t.Y.
• 1876: 28-11, 2.44 ERA, 98 K, 31 CG, 2 SHO, 2 SV, 1.19 WHIP, 7.3 WAR, 10.6 rWAR, A-S, M.V.P.

After winning N.Y.L. Pitcher of the Year in 1875, Tighe’s career peaked in 1876, when he led the N.B.B.O. in Wins & rWAR, won a memorable Game Five in the Tucker-Wheaton Cup to bring Minuteman its first title, and took home N.Y.L. Most Valuable Player honors.
Tighe had a lackluster 1877 for Minuteman in which he was 14-17 with an ERA above 3.50. However, he was off to a brilliant start in 1878 – 9-3 with a 2.81 ERA over 102.2 innings – when he was struck down at Eagle.

The final word on Tighe’s career:

• 14 YRS: 279-190, 3.37 ERA, 489 K, 4,169.1 IP, 291 CG, 13 SHO, 3 SV, 1.31 WHIP, 1.2 K/BB, 75.0 WAR, 58.5 rWAR
• AVG: 20-14, 3.37 ERA, 35 K, 298.0 IP, 21 CG, 1 SHO, 0 SV, 1.31 WHIP, 1.2 K/BB, 5.4 WAR, 4.2 rWAR

• 1876 Tucker-Wheaton Cup winner
• 1875 N.Y.L. Pitcher of the Year
• 1876 N.Y.L. Most Valuable Player
• 6x N.B.B.O. All-Star (1866-67, 69, 74-76)
• 2x N.Y.L. Team of the Year (1875-76)

• 8x 20-game Winner (1866-68, 72-76)
• 3x league leader in Wins (1866, 75-76)
• 2x league leader in Complete Games & Shutouts (1866, 76)
• 1x N.Y.L. leader in RA/9 WAR (1875)

Tighe plans on going back home to Philadelphia to work in the private sector, and word is that he’ll look for a coaching job in the P.C.B.L. The team to hire Tighe will find themselves lucky to have the services of the decorated pitcher.

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BABE’S BRILLIANT BAT BASHES BUSHEL OF BASEKNOCKS
GOTHAM 2B BATS 5/6 WITH MULTIPLE RUNS & RBI IN BIG WIN AT EXCELSIOR

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (June 9, 1878) - Gotham entered the final game of its series against Excelsior at Carroll Park looking to climb back above the .500 mark, and they did so with an extremely impressive display during the late innings:

This was a tight game over the first five stanzas, as a Double by Gotham 2B Babe Johnson in T1 drove in the game’s only run to that point and pitchers Paul Krueger (GOT) & George Sturgis (EXC) looked excellent. Gotham then scored eight runs over the next two innings to break the game, and they eventually went ahead 12-0 in T9 before the Excelsior scored a bunch of late consolation runs.

Five Gotham batsmen finished the game with multiple hits. While greenhorn RF Harold Corso was 3/6 (2B, 2 R, 1 RBI), the leader of the Gotham pack was Johnson:

• T1: 1-run Double to RF off G. Sturgis
• T3: Single past 2B off G. Sturgis
• T5: Fly Out to RF (2 out)
• T6: 1-run Double to RF off G. Sturgis
• T8: Leadoff Single past 1B off E. Seabold (R)
• T9: 1-run Single past 2B off E. Seabold (R)
• TOTAL: 5/6 (2 2B), 2 R, 3 RBI, 7 TB

Johnson’s outburst raised the star infielder’s Batting Average to .362 (.929 OPS) with 15 Extra-Base Hits (12 2B, 3 3B) and 29 Runs Batted In through Gotham’s first thirty games in 1878, putting him on pace for his best season since 1872.

The eight-run win put Gotham back above .500 at 15-14, good for fourth place in the Metropolitan Conference. The loss knocked Excelsior back down to .500 at 15-15, which has them alone in fifth. A.P.B.L.-best Knickerbocker currently leads the conference with a 22-8 record (+56 RD).

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KNICK TORCHES ST. JOHN’S IN PROVIDENCE
MANHATTANITES PUMMEL DEFENDING CHAMPS BY NEARLY TWENTY; HOSTS HELD TO TWO HITS

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (June 11, 1878) - Knickerbocker & St. John’s opened Week Six of the A.P.B.L. season at Olneyville Field on Tuesday, and the result wasn’t a classic contest but instead a beatdown by the visitors:

Knickerbocker ran out to a big early lead and never looked back. They scored seven times over the opening innings, and the visitors apparently felt a 7-0 wasn’t safe as by the middle of the sixth it was a 19-0 laugher, which was how the game ended.

Knickerbocker only needed fifteen Hits to score their nineteen Runs, but they still saw some standout performances from their lineup:

• KNI 3B Hugh Harris: 2/5 (2B, 3B), 2 R, 5 RBI
• KNI C Cale Jones: 3/5 (all 1B), 3 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB
• KNI SS Louis Johnson: 2/5 (HR), 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB
• KNI 2B Anthony Mascherino: 3/6 (all 1B), 4 R, 4 RBI

However, for all of Knick’s offensive prowess their Player of the Game was P Robert Goodman:

• KNI P Robert Goodman: CG SHO (10-5, 3.03), 2 HA, 0 BB, 1 K

As if pitching a two-hit Shutout wasn’t impressive enough, Goodman did so against a St. John’s team currently leading the A.P.B.L. in Runs, Batting Average, On-Base, OPS, Stolen Bases, & Batsman WAR. The performance left Goodman with a 10-5 record and 3.03 ERA through 130.2 innings so far in 1878.

The victory kept Knickerbocker two games clear atop the Metropolitan Conference at 22-8, while the loss left St. John’s alone in third place in the Colonial at 19-12, two games behind leaders Shamrock.

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AMERICAN DEMOLISHES NEWARK; BURKE THE STAR
4x CHAMPS SCORE 24 RUNS OVER MIDDLE INNINGS; BURKE & BUSBY BOTH DRIVE IN SIX RUNS

NEWARK, N.J. (June 11, 1878) - Newark was expected to struggle but still be competitive in their maiden A.P.B.L. season. However, that hasn’t been the case through the first six weeks of the season, and the beginning of Week Seven proved to be the low point for the A.P.B.L. newcomers:

This was a competitive game after the first three innings, with American ahead 4-1 and looking by no means assured of a victory. Then, over the next three innings they did the following:

• 4TH INN: 14 R, 9 H (1 2B), 6 E, 3 BB, 1 SAC BUNT, 19 BATTERS
• 5TH INN: 1 R, 2 H, 2 E, 6 BATTERS
• 6TH INN: 9 R, 6 H (3 2B), 3 E, 2 BB, 13 BATTERS
• 4-6 TOTAL: 24 R, 17 H (3 2B), 11 E, 5 BB, 1 SAC BUNT, 38 BATTERS

By the middle of the sixth inning, what had been a 4-1 game was now 28-1 in American’s favor – a three-inning deluge the team hadn’t pulled off even at the peak of their title-winning powers. Newark would score a consolation run in B9, and the visitors had earned themselves a 26-run victory.

There were a number of great performances by American on the afternoon:

• AME LF George Kassabian: 2/4 (both 1B), 2 R, 4 RBI
• AME 1B William Busby: 3/6 (2 2B), 3 R, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
• AME SS William Carrigan: 3/6 (all 1B), 3 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
• AME C Norman Kennemore: 4/7 (2B), 4 R, 4 RBI, 1/2 RTO
• AME P Jimmy Everhart: 2/7 (2B), 2 R, 2 RBI; CG (7-8, 3.02), 3 HA, 0 ER, 2 K

Still, none of those red-letter days were as spectacular as the one produced by American talisman James Burke:

• AME CF James Burke: 5/8 (all 1B), 4 R, 6 RBI, 2 SB, 98 GMSC

The five-hit day by Burke raised his Batting Average to an eye-watering .420 (.972 OPS) through 31 games, with 14 Extra-base Hits (11 2B, 3 3B), 36 Runs Batted In (104/90 G), 31 Stolen Bases (87/90 G), 3.0 WPA (8.7/90 G), & 2.1 WAR (6.2/90 G). American might not be the all-conquering powerhouse it was, but so far in 1878 Burke is on pace for his single best campaign yet, one which would earn him Batsman of the Year number five over the past six seasons.

American is 18-13, in third place and five games behind Metropolitan leaders Knickerbocker. Newark is now 8-23, which gives them both last place in the Colonial Conference (13 GB) and the worst record in the A.P.B.L.

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KNIGHT CRACKS HOMER, DRIVES IN SEVEN IN WIN
FLOUR CITY 2B STAR OF THE SHOW AS TEAM BEATS QUAKER ST. BY MORE THAN A DOZEN

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (June 12, 1878) - Flour City, having improved in recent weeks after a miserable start to 1878, went looking for their third straight win on Wednesday afternoon, and it didn’t take much effort against Quaker State to find it:

While Quaker St. did well to parry the hosts’ two-run opening inning with three runs in T2 – the key hit a two-run Home Run by 2B Charles Hull – it was all Flour City after that, with the upstate men scoring sixteen of the game’s final seventeen runs before exiting with an easy home victory.

Flour City had three batsmen collect two hits each – 1B Samuel Kessler, C Sam Shepherd, & 3B Werner Verstegen – but the undisputable Player of the Game was ninth-year Flour City 2B Ralph Knight:

• B1: Leadoff Single to LCF off W. Gifford (R)
• B2: 2-run Single past SS off W. Gifford
• B3: Line Out to SS (3 out)
• B5: 3-run Double to CF off W. Gifford (R)
• B6: 2-RUN HOME RUN to RF off W. Riley
• B8: Single to RCF off R. Christianson
• TOTAL: 5/6 (2B, HR), 3 R, 7 RBI, 9 TB, 111 GMSC

Knight’s seven Runs Batted In were a new season high in the A.P.B.L., as was his 111 Game Score – quite the afternoon for the veteran infielder. Knight’s bases-clearing Double was the big moments in Flour City’s rally in B5, his homer in B6 put the cap on the victory, and all totaled his five-hit performance raised his Batting Average to a team-high .350 (.793 OPS) with 14 Extra-base Hits (12 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR), and 27 RBI through 32 games, figures that put Knight on pace to attend his sixth All-Star Game.

After a terrible 6-16 opening month, Flour City is 7-3 over their ten games so far in June and they’ve won six of their last seven. They are 13-19, which places them 7th in the Colonial Conference (8 GB).

Quaker St. is moving in the opposite direction. The result in Rochester was their fourth straight loss, leaving Quaker St. 11-21 (6th in Metro) and already a dozen games out of first place.

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DEMANDT SCORES TRIPLE FIVES AT KEYSTONE
FRANKFORD C FINISHES WITH FIVE HITS, FIVE RUNS, & FIVE RBI AS TEAM RUNS UP BLACKJACK SCORE

PHILADELPHIA (June 12, 1878) - Frankford Arsenal needed a victory at Keystone to stay one game behind East Philadelphia leaders Queen Village, and the result was an impressive victory against their under-500 opponents:

Frankford looked good over the early innings, racing out to a 4-0 lead by the end of the third. After a scoreless fourth Frankford put the game away, as a five-run fifth was followed by a pair in both the 6th & 7th before an eight-run eighth ran the visitors’ tally to 21, with a pair of Keystone rallies coming far too late to have any chance at influencing the outcome.

For the victorious visitors, this game was all about two players: leadoff man James Harris and new C Magnus Demandt, both of whom finished the game at the Fifth Street Grounds with five base hits:

Harris’ performance was a great one…

• FRA CF James Harris: 5/7 (3B), 3 R, 3 RBI, 7 TB

…but Demandt outdid Harris with a marvelous effort:

• T2: Leadoff Double to CF off Moses Smith (R)
• T3: 1-run Single past SS off M. Smith (R)
• T5: 1-run Double to CF off M. Smith (R)
• T6: 1-run Single past 2B off M. Smith
• T8: Reached via Error by P W. Brink (R)
• T8: 2-run Single past SS off J. Hanlon (R)
• TOTAL: 5/6 (2 2B), 5 R, 5 RBI, 7 TB, 106 GMSC

Demandt’s Game Score of 106 was one point off the 107 by Keystone RF Peter Hildebrandt (6/7, 4 R, 5 RBI), achieved ten days ago, for the P.C.B.L. season high. The 5/6 raised the C’s Batting Average to .361 (.772 OPS) with 21 Runs Batted In so far during the Dutchman’s Greenhorn season.

At 17-9, Frankford is tied for 2nd in East Philadelphia with Sons of Ben and one game behind leaders Queen Village. 11-15 Keystone sits alone in 6th, seven games behind Q.V.

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ST. JOHN’S GETS REVENGE FOR TUE. KNICK LOSS
48 HOURS AFTER LOSING TO KNICK 19-0 AT HOME, CHAMPS BEAT THEM BY TWENTY

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (June 13, 1878) - Two days ago Knickerbocker walked into venerable Olneyville Field and thrashed St. John’s in a 19-0 Shoutout, during which the defending A.P.B.L. could muster all of two Hits. This afternoon, St. John’s was able to exact revenge on their Tuesday tormentors:

Knickerbocker actually scored first – a Single by LF Clive Strachan drawing first blood for the Metro leaders. However, a tying run by St. John’s in B2 was followed by sixteen more over the next three innings to give the hosts a whopping 17-1 advantage. Four more runs in B8 gave St. John’s an extremely satisfying twenty-run win over the league’s #1 team.

It was a banner day for multiple members of the St. John’s lineup:

• StJ CF Rudolph Decker: 5/6 (2B), 5 R, 2 RBI, SB, 85 GMSC
• StJ C Frederick Drake: 3/5 (all 1B), 4 R, 1 RBI, BB, 1/2 RTO
• StJ LF Joseph Evans: 3/7 (all 1B), 2 R, 3 RBI
• StJ 1B Konrad Jensen: 4/7 (2B), 2 R, 2 RBI
• StJ SS George Pugatch: 4/6 (all 1B), 2 R, 3 RBI
• StJ 3B Eamonn Todd: 4/6 (2B), 2 R, 2 RBI

All totaled, St. John’s finished Thursday’s series ender with 28 Hits (4 2B), ten of them along with nine Runs coming against the man who held them scoreless with two Hits on Tuesday: Knick #1 Robert Goodman. The hit train against Knick left two St. John’s batsmen batting above .385 on the season: Jensen (.391, .937 OPS) & Evans (.388, .897 OPS).

The smashing win put St. John’s in a three-way tie atop the Colonial Conference with Niagara & Shamrock, all three teams 21-12. The loss pulled Knick down into a tie atop the Metropolitan with Kings County at 23-10, with those two tied for the league’s best record through 33 games.

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QUAKER ST’S MORGANTI HAS STELLAR DAY IN HOME WIN
LONGTIME QUAKER ST. CF HAS HOME RUN, FIVE HITS, & FOUR RBI IN WIN OVER REELING ORANGE

PHILADELPHIA (June 16, 1878) - Quaker State, who had lost six straight games before a Saturday home win against Orange, made it consecutive home victories thanks to large rallies in the 5th & 7th as they won by eleven:

For a brief moment Orange had the lead: 2-1 in T3 thanks to a Sacrifice Fly by 2B Charles Whitehead. Unfortunately for the visitors, three Quaker St. runs in B3 followed by six in B5 and six more in B7 left little doubt as to who would win the final game of the series. It certainly wasn’t going to be an Orange outfit that has been simply woeful this season.

Quaker St. had a pair of batsmen with three Hits.

• QS SS George Ellison: 3/5 (3B), 1 R, 3 RBI
• QS 1B William Theriault: 3/6 (all 1B), 2 R, 1 RBI

Another batsman had five, and that was thirteenth-year CF Ned Morganti:

• B1: Single past 2B off B. Svensson
• B3: 1-run Single to CF off B. Svensson (R)
• B5: 2-RUN HOME RUN (ItP) to RF off B. Svensson
• B6: Leadoff Single past SS off J. Dressman
• B7: 1-run Single past SS off J. Dressman (R)
• B8: Ground Out to SS (3 out)
• TOTAL: 5/6 (HR), 3 R, 4 RBI, 8 TB, 90 GMSC

It was his thrilling Inside-the-Park Home Run over the head of Orange RF Jonathan Cobb that put an exclamation point on Quaker St.’s rally in B5 and sent them on their way to victory. Morganti’s afternoon raised his Batting Average to .311 (.793 OPS) with 14 Extra-base Hits (9 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR) and 28 Runs Batted In through 35 games, which are fine marks so far in the debut season of the N.B.B.O. legend.

Meanwhile, Orange is mired in misery. Even though they are allowing the third-fewest Runs in the A.P.B.L. (6.6 RA/G) their record has dropped to 12-24 thanks to an offense that ranks last by more than half a Run per game (5.3 R/G), last in Average (.223) by 22 points, last in On-Base (.256) by 15, last in Slugging (.288) by 19, and last in OPS (.543) by no less than 35 points versus the team ranked 15th (Newark at .578). Last season was the worst in team history, but this one is shaping up to be some measure below that.

The win lifted Quaker St. to 13-23, good for sixth place in the Metropolitan (12 GB) and three games ahead of fellow Philadelphian newcomers Tiger Social Club (10-26; 15 GB).

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MYERS THE MAN IN EXCELSIOR HOME WIN
SOPHOMORE CF HAS CAREER DAY TO PROPEL HOSTS TO NINE-RUN WIN OVER NEWARK

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (June 19, 1878) - Excelsior opened Week Seven of A.P.B.L. play with a 9-7 home win against Newark to move them above .500, and Wednesday offered up a repeat result, with the hosts putting up an impressive display:

Excelsior opened the scoring with three runs in B1 – a two-run Double by CF Boyd Myers the key moment. Newark took the lead in T3 with four runs thanks to a pair of two-run hits by CF Thomas Fetterman (Single) & 1B Charles Laczkowski (Triple). Excelsior took the lead back in B3 on a two-run Home Run by RF Christopher Morton and they never looked back, as eleven unanswered runs from the 3rd-5th gave them a 14-4 lead that Newark would never threaten.

Morton had the game’s big hit, but it was Myers who had the game’s big performance:

• B1: 2-run Double to LF off T. Stewart (R)
• B3: Leadoff Single to CF off T. Stewart (R)
• B4: 1-run Triple to LCF off T. Stewart (R)
• B5: 1-run Double past 1B off A. Lowden (R)
• B7: Single to LF off A. Lowden (R)
• B8: Ground Out to P (3 out)
• TOTAL: 5/6 (2 2B, 3B), 5 R, 4 RBI, 9 TB, 99 GMSC

For Myers, it was a badly needed outing that could bring his season out of the doldrums. Going into Wednesday’s win Myers was batting just .225 (.555 OPS) on the season, rating as a Replacement Level player at CF. That level of production is a far cry from his Greenhorn season last year: .330 AVG, .790 OPS, 35 XBH, 81 RBI, 2.9 WAR, All-Star. He’ll need to hit well if Excelsior is to succeed over the rest of the season.

Excelsior is now 20-18, good for fifth place out of eight teams in the Metropolitan Conference (7 GB). Newark is 11-27 and has the worst record in the A.P.B.L.

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FOUR EXCELSIOR MEN CLUB FIVE HITS VS NEWARK
QUARTET OF STAR PERFORMERS LED BY SS CHESSMAN, WHO SET APBL RECORD WITH 9 RBI

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (June 20, 1878) - Yesterday, Excelsior had an easy time of it against Newark at Carroll Park thanks to a five-hit game by CF Boyd Myers. Today, his teammates decided to bat around in a crushing victory:

Unlike yesterday, Newark never had a lead and never came close to having a lead. Excelsior scored four in B1, and after two runs each in the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th it was 10-0. Newark got on the scoreboard in T5, but Excelsior responded to the visitors’ pair of scores with a seven-run rally, and it was 17-2. From there it was just a matter of filling out the scorecard.

Excelsior finished the game with an A.P.B.L. season high of 31 Hits, so it should surprise nobody that they saw a number of star performances from their batsmen:

• EXC 2B Sam Jackson: 5/7 (2B), 3 R, 2 RBI, 6 TB
• EXC LF Troy Oberst: 5/7 (2 2B), 3 R, 2 RBI, 7 TB
• EXC CF Boyd Myers: 4/7 (2B), 3 R, 3 RBI, 4 TB
• EXC 3B Elijah Hill: 3/7 (all 1B), 3 R, 2 RBI
• EXC 1B Gil Cappelletti: 5/7 (all 1B), 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 K

One would think that Player of the Game honors would go to one of the trio of batsmen who had five Hits against Newark, but there was a fourth five-hit man who had a historic day at the plate: second-year SS J.B. Chessman.

• B1: 2-run Single to RF off J. Ratican
• B3: Leadoff Infield Single to SS off J. Ratican (R)
• B4: 2-run Double to LF off J. Ratican
• B5: 2-run Single past SS off A. Lowden (R)
• B6: 3-RUN HOME RUN to LF off T. Berlinghieri
• B7: Reached via Error by 3B C. Ramer
• B8: Line Out to P (3 out)
• TOTAL: 5/7 (2B, HR), 3 R, 9 RBI, 9 TB, 121 GMSC

Chessman’s nine Runs Batted In set a new A.P.B.L. high mark for RBI in a game, and his 121 Game Score was a new season high. Like Myers’ performance yesterday, Chessman’s enormous afternoon could be a turning point for his 1878 season, as going into the game he was batting just .235 (.532 OPS) with 20 RBI, both figures on pace to finish well below his Greenhorn season last year.

The result saw Excelsior remain at 5th in the Metropolitan, but they moved one game closer to 4th-place Gotham. Newark remains the worst team in the A.P.B.L. by one game.

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COASTAL NEWCOMERS CONTEST 39-RUN THRILLER
PBCC & BRIGHTON GO TEN INNINGS & COMBINE FOR 47 HITS IN BOSTON

BOSTON, MASS. (June 27, 1878) - Two of the N.B.B.O.’s six new teams, Philadelphia B.C.C. & Brighton, met at Rogers Park in Boston this afternoon and took part in an absolutely thrilling affair that went ten innings:

P.B.C.C. started the game in great shape, with seven runs over the first two innings granting them an early 7-2 lead. Two more runs in T4 made it 9-2 and put them in great shape for an away win, but Brighton put up an eight-run rally in response to take a 10-9 lead. The hosts grew the lead to 13-9 in B5, but then P.B.C.C. took the lead back with a five-run rally in T6 that made it a 14-13 contest. Brighton then forced the lead to change hands once again with four runs in B6, making it a 17-14 game heading into the late innings.

After a scoreless seventh, P.B.C.C. plated four runs in T8 on a series of Singles and a Wild Pitch to go ahead 18-17 – yet another lead change. Brighton then took the lead back AGAIN in B8 when SS Warner Harwell hit a run-scoring Double. P.B.C.C. would even the score with two out in T9 when star RF Leroy Moore hit a clutch Single to make it a 19-19 game.

Brighton wasted loaded bases in B9, and in T10 P.B.C.C. wasted a leadoff Triple by C Harrison Hearst to leave the score even at 19 all. In the bottom of the tenth, after the leadoff batsman was retired the next three men to bat hit Singles, with PH Alex Collins winning the game thanks to his liner to CF that drove in fellow PH Walter Boyd.

It was a fantastic game, and with came numerous fantastic performances:

• PBCC 1B Wilbur Graff: 3/6 (all 1B), 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB
• PBCC 3B Charles Hunt: 4/7 (3B), 1 R, 5 RBI
• PBCC RF Leroy Moore: 4/7 (all 1B), 2 R, 1 RBI
• PBCC 2B Frederick Pike: 3/6 (all 1B), 4 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, SB
• BRI 3B Enjar Billes: 3/5 (all 1B), 4 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, SB
• BRI SUB Alex Collins: 3/5 (all 1B), 1 R, 1 RBI
• BRI RF Jonathan Fraker: 5/7 (3B), 4 R, 4 RBI
• BRI LF Peter Reeves: 3/7 (all 1B), 2 R, 1 RBI
• BRI 1B Remi Scrovegni: 3/6 (all 1B), 1 R, 5 RBI, 1 BB
• BRI C Ellis Smith: 3/7 (all 1B), 2 R, 1 RBI, 1/3 RTO

Of the ten men, including one substitute, who had 3+ Hits on the afternoon, it was Fraker who took home Player of the Game honors with his five-hit, four-run, four-RBI performance.

The loss was a tough one for Philadelphia B.C.C., but they are still having an excelling debut season in the N.B.B.O. as they sit in third place in the Coastal Conference with a 22-15 record, five games behind leaders Maryland. Brighton hasn’t fared so well, as the win “improved” their record to 12-25 and a tie for last place with Diamond State.

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AMERICAN BASEBALL JUNE RECAP

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (June 30, 1878) – June is about to roll over into July, and that means the four competitions that make up the baseball landscape have just crossed the midway point. Here are how matters stand:

A.P.B.L. STANDINGS

COLONIAL – The conference is very tight after the top five teams had records ranging from 12-14 to 15-11 during June. Shamrock looks like potential Fools Gold’s as their 29-19 record has a +10 run Differential attached to it, suggesting 25-23 would be a fairer mark for them right now. St. John’s looks the opposite, as they were only 13-13 in June but had a +67 RD. Alleghany is the team to watch right now, as they had the best June of the five thanks to league-best fielding. Pt. Jersey is continuing their surprisingly good debut season, but recent form suggests they’re about regress back to expectations. Niagara is again having offensive issues but staying in the race thanks to fine defense & pitching.

Mass. Bay is tailing off thanks to a league-worst fielding unit that is undoing fine offensive work. Flour City had a MUCH better June but is still stuck in 7th thanks to that dreadful 6-16 start. Newark’s quality N.B.B.O. players have yet to adjust to life in the A.P.B.L.

METROPOLITAN – Knickerbocker is the class of the league right now. Their offensive ranks only 9th/16 but their pitching is 1st and their defense 2nd, and that has translated to a 21-6 home record. Kings Co. stayed close thanks to a 17-9 June, but with a -6 RD during the month they’re looking similar to Shamrock: a fortunate team (1-Run: 9-1) that may soon be due for a dip in form. American & Gotham both went 15-11 in June thanks to high-potency offense. James Burke remains the league’s most exciting player, and Babe Johnson is on pace to have his best season in several years.

Excelsior managed to make it to .500 at the end of the month, but 13th-ranked fielding is keeping them from greater heights. Tiger’s collection of veterans has come together, and the result was a nice, over-500 June with Martin Prince on pace for 5.4 WAR. Orange’s attack is a walking corpse with seemingly no hope. Quaker St.’s 2-10 record in one-run games is making their debut season much tougher than it already figured to be.

A.P.B.L. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMAN OF THE MONTH
Joseph Evans (LF, StJ) – .398, .951 OPS, 32 R, 49 H, 7 2B, 4 3B, 29 RBI, 6 BB, 4 SB, 1.1 WPA, 1.6 WAR

PITCHER OF THE MONTH
Bertram Landreth* (KNI) – 10-3, 1.96 ERA, 39 K, 115.0 IP, 13 CG, 4.9 K/BB, 0.97 WHIP, 2.0 WAR, 4.7 rWAR

GREENHORN OF THE MONTH
Alexander Hammond (GOT) – .346, .837 OPS, 32 R, 44 H, 13 2B, 2 3B, 11 RBI, 2 BB, 16 SB, 1.3 WPA, 1.3 WAR

*Landreth was also Pitcher of the Month for May.

Garfield Koonce, the current B.o.t.Y. favorite, had a higher Average (.419) & OPS (.968), but the W.P. decided that Evans’ superior Run (32 to 24) & RBI (29 to 26) totals earned him the monthly batsman honor. Excelsior RF Christopher Morton led the league in OPS (.997) but had a relatively small fifteen RBI during June.

Landreth repeated as P.o.t.M. thanks to a ten-win June with a sub-2.00 ERA and excellent secondary numbers. Teammate Robert Goodman had higher WAR (2.5) but was 8-4. Alleghany’s Harper Cundiff had a better record at 10-2, but Landreth was far superior in every other category. James Goodman (FC) led the league in WAR (2.6) but was only 5-8.

Hammond made up for a .223 May (.572 OPS) with an excellent June during which he led Greenhorns in AVG, XBH, SB, WPA, & WAR. For the second straight month, Quaker St. RF Charles Aplin came up just short – a .345 AVG, .850 OPS, 16 RBI, and 1.1 WAR was good but not good enough. May G.o.t.M. William Norman hit just .257 (.617 OPS) with 18 RBI.

A.P.B.L. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .420 by Garfield Koonce (1B, Kings Co.)
OPS: .966 by William Busby (1B, American)
Home Runs: 3 by three different batsmen
Runs Batted In: 58 by George Kassabian (LF, American)
Runs: 72 by Nelson Townsend (RF, St. John’s)
Stolen Bases: 47 by James Burke (American)
Batsman WPA: 3.7 by James Burke
Batsman WAR: 3.0 by Anthony Mascherino (2B, Knick)

Wins: 19 by Bertram Landreth (Knick)
ERA (100+ IP): 1.93 by Bertram Landreth
Strikeouts: 89 by Jim Creighton (Excelsior)
Complete Games: 20 by Bertram Landreth
WHIP (100+ IP): 1.02 by Harper Cundiff (Alleghany)
Pitcher WAR: 4.7 by Jim Creighton
Pitcher rWAR: 6.7 by Bertram Landreth

N.B.B.O. REGIONAL LEADERS

BROOKLYN: Atlantic at 25-15 (Eckford & Empire 1 GB; Bedford & Nassau Co. 5 GB)
NEW YORK CITY: Union at 27-13 (N.Y.A.C. 1 GB; Metro 3 GB; Baltic & Hilltop 8 GB)
UPSTATE N.Y.: Minuteman at 26-14 (Eagle & Frontier 4 GB; Victory & Utica 6 GB)
COASTAL: Maryland at 28-12 (National 1 GB; Philadelphia B.C.C. 3 GB; Trenton Utd. 4 GB)
INLAND: Susquehanna at 30-10 (Lancastra 2 GB; Merrimack 9 GB; Scranton 10 GB)
NEW ENGLAND: Portland at 26-14 (Oceanic, Quinnipiac, & S.o.t.O. 4 GB; Green Mtn. 6 GB)


BROOKLYN – The region is airtight at the top, with three teams within a game of each other shortly past the season’s midway point. Atlantic & Eckford as two of the three is no surprise, but Empire, with one top-three finish over the pervious twelve seasons, certainly is. Bedford & Nassau are in mediocre form (L10: 4-6 & 3-7), but at five games back both teams remain a threat.

NEW YORK CITY – N.Y.C. looks a three-team race. Union vaulted themselves up into 1st with a 17-5 June that featured numerous lopsided wins. N.Y.A.C. fell to 2nd as their splendid pitching couldn’t overcome lineup issues on the way to a 13-9 month. Metro won 12 of 15 to end June, including a ten-game win streak (6/12-6/23), to put themselves right in the middle of the pennant chase

UPSTATE N.Y. – Minuteman was able to overcome the career-ending injury suffered by William Tighe 3+ weeks ago to have a 14-8 month and stay atop Upstate. Frontier being tied for 2nd is no shock, but Eagle, 7th-8th for the last ten years, being the other team in the 2nd-place tie ABSOLUTELY IS. Utica & Victory are hovering around .500 with teams that don’t excel at any single thing.

COASTAL – Maryland’s 16-6 June was better than National’s 13-9, so they took over 1st place with National now right behind them. The big danger: P.B.C.C., who aside from a three-loss run mid-month was 15-4 in June and looked brilliant in attack. Trenton Utd. is lurking in 4th thanks to good defense and a very surprising .400 hitter in Orville Usher. Four newcomers round out the standings.

INLAND – This is a two-team race. Susquehanna is, once again, scoring 10+ runs per game to lead the N.B.B.O., but Lancastra’s +147 Run Differential is identical to theirs, suggesting that, based on form to date, this pennant race could go all the way to the final week. The teams have one series remaining against each other, which will be played at Lancastra to start off July.

NEW ENGLAND – Once again Portland’s All-Star pitching duo of Dressen & Molinari have carried them to the top of the standings. Behind them, Oceanic has been led by likely All-Star RF Luther Fairburn (.368, .851 OPS, 37 RBI), Quinnipiac has a set of fielders ranked top-five in the N.E.L., and S.o.t.O. has star 1B Jesse Craig batting .387 and glove wizard Peter Jones already with a +26.5 ZR.

N.B.B.O. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMEN OF THE MONTH
NYL: Herb Verrett (LF, ATL) – .393, .993 OPS, 28 R, 42 H, 7 2B, 6 3B, 33 RBI, 4 BB, 4 SB, 1.5 WPA, 1.2 WAR
NEL: Leroy Moore (RF, PBCC) – .404, .972 OPS, 36 R, 46 H, 6 2B, 5 3B, 38 RBI, 4 BB, 1 SB, 2.9 WPA, 1.3 WAR

PITCHERS OF THE MONTH
NYL: Olaf Sorensen (ATL) – 8-1, 2.39 ERA, 17 K, 109.0 IP, 8 CG, 1 SHO, 1.3 K/BB, 1.16 WHIP, 1.6 WAR, 3.6 rWAR
NEL: William Hawk (SUS) – 13-2, 1.95 ERA, 37 K, 115.2 IP, 11 CG, 9.2 K/BB, 1.11 WHIP, 2.7 WAR, 4.4 rWAR

GREENHORNS OF THE MONTH
NYL: Colm McLean (1B, COL) – .372, .826 OPS, 20 R, 35 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 14 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SB, 0.7 WPA, 0.6 WAR
NEL: Scott Conway (LF, REA) – .371, .935 OPS, 34 R, 43 H, 5 2B, 6 3B, 14 RBI, 9 BB, 8 SB, 1.8 WPA, 1.1 WAR

N.B.B.O. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .421 by Lucas Maxwell (2B, Susquehanna)
OPS: .972 by Joseph Jurski (1B, Susquehanna)
Home Runs: 3 by Felix Charles (RF, Scranton)
Runs Batted In: 62 by Frederick Pike (2B, P.B.C.C.)
Runs: 71 by Wilbur Graff (1B, P.B.C.C.)
Stolen Bases: 46 by Speedy Brown (CF, Continental)
Batsman WPA: 4.7 by Leroy Moore (RF, P.B.C.C.)
Batsman WAR: 2.8 by Lennon Haley (2B, Lancastra) & Peter Jones (SS, S.o.t.O.)

Wins: 22 by William Hawk (Susquehanna)
ERA (100+ IP): 2.10 by George Cerven (N.Y.A.C.)
Strikeouts: 99 by Earl Quinn (Maryland)
Complete Games: 18 by William Hawk
WHIP (100+ IP): 1.10 by Charles Rhodes (N.Y.A.C.)
Pitcher WAR: 6.8 by Charles Rhodes
Pitcher rWAR: 7.1 by Earl Quinn

COASTAL CONFERENCE

LEADER: Olympic at 28-12 (Essex Co. 4 GB; Highlander 6 GB; Sportsman’s 7 GB)

Olympic wasn’t white-hot like they were in May – 12-10 vs 16-2 – but they’re still playing well and still atop the standings by a handful of games thanks to their tremendous offensive attack (9.9 R/G). Essex Co.’s league-best defense has them in 2nd, while Highlander’s 2nd-ranked offense has them in 3rd. League founders Sportsman’s have struggled with the bat.

C.C. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMAN OF THE MONTH
John Schoessow (3B, LYNN) – .376, .957 OPS, 20 R, 38 H, 11 XBH, 1 HR, 19 RBI, 9 BB, 1 SB, 2.1 WPA, 1.5 WAR

PITCHER OF THE MONTH
William McClure (HIGH) – 8-3, 2.59 ERA, 13 K, 94.0 IP, 5 CG, 2.2 K/BB, 1.22 WHIP, 1.5 WAR, 0.4 rWAR

C.C. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .353 by Hiram Trout (2B, Highland)
OPS: .847 by John Schoessow (3B, Lynn)
Home Runs: 3 by James Baker (1B, Essex Co.)
Runs Batted In: 51 by Noah Skiles (2B, Olympic)
Runs: 66 by Everton Pauline (LF, Olympic)
Stolen Bases: 37 by Everton Pauline
Batsman WPA: 3.5 by Noah Skiles
Batsman WAR: 2.0 by John Schoessow & Edward Welch (3B, Highland)

Wins: 14 by Carl Bancroft (Olympic)
ERA (100+ IP): 1.83 by Carl Bancroft
Complete Games: 14 by Carl Bancroft & Clarence Kessler (Essex Co.)
Strikeouts: 77 by Carl Bancroft
WHIP (100+ IP): 1.14 by Carl Bancroft
Pitcher WAR: 5.4 by Carl Bancroft
Pitcher rWAR: 5.8 by Walt Harper (Sportsman’s)

P.C.B.L. LEADERS

EAST: Frankford & Queen Village at 27-13 (Sons of Ben 1 GB; Minerva 7 GB; Pt. Richmond 8 GB)
WEST: Overbrook at 26-14 (Schuylkill 2 GB; Germantown & Merion 5 GB; Penn 6 GB)

EAST – Frankford & Queen Village are now tied atop the standings, with Q.V. making it clear they’re improved from last year’s squad that was fortunate to make the L.B.C. on a 41-29 record but just a +45 RD. They have the league’s best offense, with Frankford ranked 2nd. S.o.B. is right behind the duo with fine pitching & defense and a star Greenhorn in Henry Yoder. Meanwhile, the offense of preseason favorites Minerva simply hasn’t come together.

WEST – Overbrook is #3 on offense and #1 in Runs Allowed, making them the P.C.B.L.’s best team in both record and general dominance at the end of June. However, Schuylkill are two games back thanks to expert baserunning and fortunate results. Germantown & Merion are both a handful of games behind – Germantown thanks to their defense and Merion thanks to their offense. Penn is lurking with the league’s best Team Zone Rating.

P.C.B.L. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMAN OF THE MONTH
James Harris (LF, FRA) – .419, 1.028 OPS, 37 R, 49 H, 14 XBH, 1 HR, 26 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SB, 1.6 WPA, 2.0 WAR

PITCHER OF THE MONTH
Oliver Greene (FRA) – 9-3, 2.12 ERA, 38 K, 110.1 IP, 9 CG, 2.9 K/BB, 1.21 WHIP, 1.9 WAR, 1.6 rWAR

GREENHORN OF THE MONTH
Henry Yoder* (LF, SoB) – .375, .899 OPS, 30 R, 39 H, 6 2B, 3 3B, 16 RBI, 6 BB, 21 SB, 2.7 WPA, 1.0 WAR

*Yoder was also Greenhorn of the Month for May.

P.C.B.L. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .374 by James Harris (LF, Frankford)
OPS: .931 by James Harris
Home Runs: 3 by Sylvester Rubin (CF, Overbrook)
Runs Batted In: 48 by George Oman (RF, Schuylkill)
Runs: 60 by James Harris
Stolen Bases: 37 by Henry Yoder (LF, Sons of Ben)
Batsman WPA: 4.7 by Jonathan Bagwell (1B, Germantown)
Batsman WAR: 2.7 by James Harris

Wins: 14 by Oliver Greene (Frankford)
ERA (100+ IP): 2.00 by Henry Brown (Merion)
Complete Games: 15 by Bud Forster (Minerva)
Strikeouts: 78 by Oliver Greene (Frankford)
WHIP (100+ IP): 1.07 by Michael Ellis (Mercantile)
Pitcher WAR: 4.5 by Robert Nygren (Overbrook)
Pitcher rWAR: 6.2 by Robert Nygren

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EXCELSIOR SCORES FIVE IN 9TH TO BEAT FLOUR CITY
DEFENDING METRO CHAMPS COME UP BIG WITH BACKS TO WALL; OBERST CRACKS FIVE HITS

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (July 3, 1878) - After eight innings at Carroll Park on Wednesday afternoon Flour City looked like they would take a victory at Excelsior. However, their hosts had other ideas:

Scoring started in the opening inning, when Flour City plating a pair in T1 on a Fielder’s Choice & Error and Excelsior responded with a pair of their own in B1 on Singles by LF Troy Oberst & 3B Elijah Hill. After two empty innings, the hosts took the lead in B4 with another pair of runs and extended their lead to 6-2 in the 5th with a third pair of scores.

Faced with a four-run deficit, Flour City add yet another two-run rally to the game in T6 before following that up with three runs in T7 to take a 7-6 lead. They then scored three more times in T8, with 2B Ralph Knight’s two-run Home Run finishing the rally, to go ahead 10-6.

That was the score going into the bottom of the ninth, when Excelsior went straight to work on a rally thanks to Hill’s leadoff Single. SS J.B. Chessman & RF Christopher Morton followed with their own Singles to load the bases, and 1B Gil Cappelletti took advantage by hitting a two-run Single to make it 10-8. PH Jurgen Braun followed with another Single to drive in Morton and bring Excelsior within a run. Then, Edgar Pridgen tied the game on a grounder to 2B. After 2B Sam Jackson was hit by a pitch, Oberst took his bat and ended the game with a well-hit Single between the 1B & 2B that brought Braun home and gave Excelsior the 11-10 victory.

Oberst’s game-winning hit marked the end of a splendid afternoon:

• B1: 1-run Single past 2B off A. Bird (R)
• B3: Leadoff Single to RCF off A. Bird
• B4: 1-run Single to RF off A. Bird
• B6: Looking Strike Out (1 out)
• B8: Single past SS off A. Bird
• B9: Walkoff (1-run) Single past 2B off O. Holt
• TOTAL: 5/6 (all 1B), 1 R, 3 RBI, GW HIT

Oberst, who hit .370 (.922 OPS) last season, struggled mightily over the first two months of 1878, batting just .262 (.616 OPS) over his first 48 games. However, Oberst is 6/11 with a Home Run over his first two games in July so it could be a sign that he’s finally coming out of his season-long slump.

The walkoff win gave Excelsior a 26-24 record, good for 5th in the Metropolitan Conference at nine games behind leaders Knickerbocker. Flour City is 7th in the Colonial Conference with a 20-30 record that is nine games off Shamrock’s pace.

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KASSABIAN HAS FIVE HITS & FIVE RBI AT GOTHAM
AMERICAN LF LEADS THE WAY IN TEAM’S DOUBLE-DIGIT WIN AT ST. GEORGE CRICKET GROUNDS

NEW YORK CITY (July 10, 1878) - American & Gotham faced off at Red House on Wednesday afternoon in the middle game of their A.P.B.L. Week Ten series, and the result was a dominant victory by the visitors from Philadelphia:

It was American’s day from start to finish. The 4x A.P.B.L. champions scored six times during their first turn with the bats, the big moment being a two-run Single by LF George Kassabian. Gotham scored twice in T1 to make 6-2 put them within a Grand Slam’s distance, but after four innings of goose eggs American scored five times in the sixth to make it 11-2 and put an early seal in the victory. They then put up another six-run rally in T9 to take an 18-5 lead before Gotham’s consolation run gave American a dozen-run margin of victory.

Fifteen-year American 1B William Busby had himself a fine afternoon…

• AME 1B William Busby: 3/6 (2B, HR), 3 R, 4 RBI, 7 TB, GIDP

…but the guest of honor at the St. George Cricket Grounds was Kassabian:

• T1: 2-run Single past SS off P. Krueger (R)
• T2: Single past 3B off P. Krueger
• T5: Line Out to SS (1 out)
• T6: 1-run Double to RCF off P. Krueger (R)
• T8: 1-run Double to CF off C. Dempsey
• T9: 1-run Single past 1B off C. Dempsey (R)
• TOTAL: 5/6 (2 2B), 3 R, 5 RBI, 7 TB, 92 GMSC

Kassabian’s afternoon raised his Average to .332 (.797 OPS) with an even 20 Extra-base Hits (16 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR) and 75 Runs Batted In (121/90 G) through 56 games of the 1878 season. Home Run hero Busby is batting .323 (.813 OPS) with 17 XBH (14 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR) and 61 RBI.

The 18-6 win left American 33-23, good for 3rd in the Metropolitan Conference, while the loss left Gotham 30-26 and in 4th. Knickerbocker leads the Metro with the A.P.B.L.’s best record: 41-15.

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SIX-HIT FAIBURN GOES WILD AT CANTABRIGIANS
OCEANIC RF HAS CAREER DAY AS TEAM SENDS MORE THAN TWO DOZEN PAST HOME PLATE

CAMBRIDGE, MASS. (July 14, 1878) - Oceanic entered the final game of their series at Cantabrigians with one goal: win and get back to .500. Oceanic got the job done, and they did so in spectacular fashion:

This was never much of a contest at St. Peter’s Field. By the middle of the third inning Oceanic had a 7-0 lead, and even though Cantabrigians were able to take two runs back in B2 Oceanic would score the next four runs to go ahead 11-2. The hosts were able to put five runs in the board over B5 & B6 to cut the deficit to four, but Oceanic scored twice in the seventh, followed that with a massive eleven-run rally in T8, and the game was over.

Four Oceanic batsmen finished the game with three base hits…

• OCE 1B George Bartholomew: 3/7 (2B), 4 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 4 TB
• OCE CF Calle Forsman: 3/7 (2B, 3B), 3 R, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 6 TB
• OCE 2B Dewey Gaulden: 3/7 (all 1B), 3 , 3 RBI
• OCE SS Will Thompson: 3/6 (all 1B), 4 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB

…but one Oceanic batsman doubled their output with six: RF Luther Fairburn.

• T1: 2-run Single past 2B off J. Brown
• T2: 1-run Single to LF off J. Brown
• T4: Ground Out to SS (2 out)
• T5: 1-run Single to RF off J. Brown
• T7: Double to CF off B. Stanchfield (R)
• T8: 1-run Infield Single to 2B off B. Stanchfield (R)
• T8: 1-run Double to RF off J. Murphy (R)
• TOTAL: 6/7 (2 2B), 3 R, 6 RBI, 8 TB, 107 GMSC

Fairburn is having an excellent. The 6/7 performance on Sunday saw him leave Cambridge with a Batting Average of .372 (.873 OPS) with nine Doubles, seven Triples, and 47 Runs Batted In (66/70 G) through roughly 2/3 of the 1878 season.

Oceanic is an even .500 at 25-25, 4th in the New England Championship and nine games behind leaders Portland. Cantabrigians is 23-27 (11 GB) and right below Oceanic in the standings at fifth place.