The Big Bang: A Larger Baseball Universe Starting From Nothing in 1857 - Page 52

tm1681 · 02-12-2026, 08:20 PM

1878 NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION ALL-STAR GAME
TWENTIETH EDITION PLAYED AT THE NYAC GROUNDS; SUSQUEHANNA HAS RECORD FOUR STARTERS

NEW YORK CITY (July 22, 1878) – With three weeks left to play in the season, it’s time for the twentieth edition of the annual N.B.B.O. All-Star Game! Rules were the same as always:

• Places 1-6 in each team’s roster will go to the best pitchers in each league.
• The remaining 24 roster spots will consist of three players for every other position.

The game was given another new home this year. While New York City was hosting the All-Star festivities for far from the first time ever, defending New York League Champion New York Athletic Club was, with the game being played at the excellent N.Y.A.C. Grounds and its capacity of over 6,400.

The N.Y.L. roster was led by hosts N.Y.A.C. with five nominees, including both halves of their tremendous pitching duo: George Cerven & Charles “The Colossus” Rhodes. No other team sent more than three men to the game – another testament to the parity of talent among the league’s teams. The big omission: Victory SS Henry Nabors, who was missing the All-Star Game for just the second time in his thirteen N.B.B.O. seasons.

The N.E.L. was led by – no surprise – Susquehanna’s five nominees, including an All-Star Game record four starters: P William Hawk, 1B Joseph Jurski, SS Stephen Barley, & CF John Schultz. New England leaders Portland sent four to New York City, as did impressive Coastal newcomers Philadelphia Baseball & Cricket Club.

There were 25 first-time nominees in this year’s All-Star Game – thirteen from the New York League and a dozen from the Northeastern League. There were five Greenhorn All-Stars, although none of the handful started. Aside from P.B.C.C.’s four all-stars, the N.B.B.O. newcomers were also represented by one each from Lord Baltimore (CF Francis Beckham) & Squirrel Hill (3B Jerald Kinney).

Rosters for the 1878 NBBO All-Star Game were as follows, with starters marked in red:

So, how did this year's All-Star Game turn out?

For the third year in a row the Northeastern League reigned supreme thanks to their work during the early innings.

For the fourth year in a row the N.E.L. reigned supreme, and for the second straight year they came out on top thanks to excellent offensive work during the first half of the game.

It was the N.Y.L. who opened the scoring when Cruise hit a Triple with the bases full in B1. The N.E.L. responded quickly, scoring via Error in T2 before plating six runs in T3, thanks in no small part to two-run Triples by both McCrory & Haley, to take a 7-3 lead.

Faced with a four-run deficit, the N.Y.L. began to mount a comeback by scoring twice in B4 on run-scoring hits by van Zutphen (Double) & Calhoun (Single). However, the N.E.L. responded immediately with five runs during T5 – the key hit a two-run Single by Kirby – to take their lead to 12-5. That was the last of the scoring, and the N.E.L. had bested their New York rivals once again.

Since it was his big hit that primed the N.E.L. rally in the third inning and sent them on the way to victory, Cantabrigians LF William McCrory was named the All-Star Game’s Most Valuable Player:

• NEL LF William McCrory: 2/3 (3B), 1 R, 2 RBI, SB

The New York League player who had the most impact was Union SS William Cruise, thanks to his three-run Triple during the bottom of the opening inning:

• NYL SS William Cruise: 2/2 (3B), 1 R, 3 RBI

The pitchers of record were Francis Molinari with the Win, Elbert Kidd with the Loss, and Earl Quinn with the Save.

Attendance at the N.Y.A.C. Grounds was 6,429 and the weather was a perfect 78 degrees with clear skies. Fans couldn’t have asked for anything more, although the New Yorkers in attendance would like to see the New York League win the All-Star Game before too long lest the Northeasterners become unrepentant braggarts.

tm1681 · 02-14-2026, 02:30 AM

SPAUR HAS 5 HITS & 4 RUNS AS TIGER MAULS ORANGE
VETERAN BACKUP HAS FANTASTIC DAY AS APBL NEWCOMERS WIN BY BAKER’S DOZEN IN PHILLY

PHILADELPHIA, PENN. (July 23, 1878) - 3x champions of baseball Orange B.B.C. are trying everything they can to lift their season out of the deepest of pits, but their nightmarish 1878 continued with a shellacking at Tiger S.C. on Tuesday:

This contest was briefly competitive, with the score tied 1-1 after the end of the 2nd inning. Tiger then scored five times in B3, the rally-starter a two-run Single by C Raynard Steinbach, to take a 6-1 advantage. Orange took a run back in T4, but Tiger then scored five more times – Steinbach capping the rally with a three-run, Inside-the-Park Home Run – to take a commanding 11-2 lead. Additional runs in the 6th-8th by Tiger gave the game its final score of 15-2, which equaled Tiger’s largest victory of their first A.P.B.L. campaign: a 25-12 win at Massachusetts Bay on June 13th.

Steinbach’s two big hits were the crux of an excellent afternoon with the bat…

• TSC C Raynard Steinbach: 3/5 (HR), 1 R, 5 RBI, 6 TB

…but it didn’t earn him the Player of the Game honor. That went to 3B Franklin Spaur, who was standing in for the injured Harold McMichael:

• B2: 1-run Single to CF off B. Svensson
• B3: 1-run Single past 2B off B. Svensson (R)
• B4: 1-run Single to CF off B. Svensson (R)
• B6: Single past 2B off J. Dressman (R)
• B8: Single past SS off J. Dressman (R)
• TOTAL: 5/5 (all 1B), 4 R, 3 RBI, 89 GMSC

Spaur, who was a regular at 3B for Shamrock when he joined the A.P.B.L. in 1872 but has been a backup for four teams since then, was making just his sixth start of the season while regular 3B McMichael heals a sprained thumb. Spaur is known more for his defense than his bat, but on this day he certainly made the most of his chances at the plate.

The win moved Tiger to 25-42, which isn’t all that bad considering they are A.P.B.L. newcomers who went 4-18 during the opening month of the season. That 4-18 May means Tiger is 21-24 since the beginning of June, so the future is looking up.

The same cannot be said of Orange. The loss dropped them to 23-44, which sees the team at last place in the Metropolitan Conference after a last-place finish in 1877. For the second season in a row, everything that can go wrong for Orange has.

tm1681 · 02-14-2026, 02:33 AM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2B Jonathan Crow:

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

1B Mack Davis:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

tm1681 · 02-14-2026, 02:34 AM

ORANGE BATS FINALLY BREAK LOOSE IN ROCHESTER
LEAGUE’S WORST ATTACK BY A RUN PER GAME PUTS 20 ON THE BOARD AT FLOUR CITY

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (July 28, 1878) - It has been another long, tortuous, unlucky, and forgettable season for Orange B.B.C., but at least they were able to enjoy the final game of their series at Flour City on Sunday afternoon:

Entering the game with the A.P.B.L.’s worst offense in terms of Runs, Hits, Average, On-Base, Slugging, & OPS, the Orange lineup proceeded to set season highs in Runs, Hits, & Bases on Balls during a performance that started excellently with four runs in the opening inning, and subsequently saw the team score seventeen runs over the first six frames.

There were a number of excellent performances by the Orange batsmen on Sunday:

• ORA 1B Will Chaffin: 5/7 (2B), 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 SB
• ORA RF Jonathan Cobb: 2/7 (both 1B), 1 R, 3 RBI
• ORA 1B Walter Dudley: 3/6 (all 1B), 3 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB
• ORA 2B Joseph Reed: 3/6 (all 1B), 1 R, 1 RBI
• ORA SS Harold Roberts: 3/5 (2B), 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
• ORA C Everett Schreiber: 2/5 (both 1B), 4 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K

However, it should be noted that the man who took home Player of the Game honors was legendary 15x All-Star infielder Samuel Kessler of Flour City:

• FC 1B Samuel Kessler: 4/6 (3B), 3 R, 5 RBI, 6 TB, 80 GMSC

The win brought Orange back up to even with Tiger for last place in the Metropolitan Conference, and if they can use today’s result to spur their bats to action then Orange could realistically finish the season 6th. Flour City is 7th in the Colonial at 32-40 (12 GB), and with the way the standings currently are they could finish as high as 4th.

tm1681 · 02-14-2026, 02:35 AM

I have no earthly clue what happened in that Utica @ Flour City game. The leagues in my in-game universe have error rates, fielding percentages, and walk rates in-line with the real-life National League of 1875-1880, so the weather must have combined with the game engine to wreak havoc.

That and, given the NBBO has 48 teams compared to the 1878 National League's six, I suppose anything is possible.

tm1681 · 02-15-2026, 12:46 AM

SHAMROCK BESTS PT. JERSEY IN ONE-RUN DUEL
BURROUGHS TRIUMPHS OVER ATKINS TO GIVE SHAMROCK THREE-GAME LEAD AT END OF JULY

BOSTON (July 31, 1878) - Port Jersey visited the South End Grounds on Wednesday needing a win to stay above .500, but hosts Shamrock came out on top of a tense one-run affair to maintain their lead at the top of the Colonial Conference:

The game’s only run was scored in the bottom of the fourth, when Shamrock 2B Harold Groves sent 3B William Dickerson home on a grounder to the Pt. Jersey SS. It was an extremely tight affair after that, but the home side was able to hold the surprising newcomers off the scoreboard and take the victory.

The fielding was excellent in this one, with both sides committing just two Errors each (A.P.B.L.: 6.8 E/G, .850 FLD%) and two of five runners that attempted to steal bases being thrown out by the opposing C.

Of course, the final score being 1-0 meant the pitching was most excellent as well. The final lines for both starters:

• PtJ P Jonathan Atkins: L (11-17, 3.37), 8 IP, 5 HA, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• SHA P George Burroughs: CG SHO (20-13, 3.06), 4 HA, 1 BB, 4 K

The Shutout was Burroughs’ second in two weeks, after he held Niagara to a single hit at home on the 17th. It was also Burroughs’ 20th Win of the season, making him virtually guaranteed to be an All-Star.

The victory kept Shamrock three games ahead of both Niagara & St. John’s atop the Colonial Conference standings. The loss was Pt. Jersey’s fourth straight, which dropped them into a tie for fifth with Massachusetts Bay at 37-37 (9 GB).

tm1681 · 02-15-2026, 12:47 AM

TUCKER POWERS MINUTEMAN TO WIN AT BING’TON
LEADOFF MAN HAS SIX HITS AS ’76 CHAMPS STAY CLEAR OF UPSTATE RIVALS

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (July 31, 1878) - 1876 Tucker-Wheaton Cup champions Minuteman started their series at Binghamton looking to end July on a winning note so they could stay at least two games clear of Utica atop the Upstate Championship. The result was a solid win over their hosts:

The key inning was the sixth. After Binghamton’s five-run rally in B4 had cut Minuteman’s lead from 6-0 to 6-5, the 5th went by scoreless. Then, Minuteman stepped to the plate in T6 and scored half a dozen runs to go ahead by seven (12-5) and put a seal on the win.

The batsman who drove in the final two runs of the rally was leadoff man & LF Frank Tucker, who clubbed a two-run Single to LF off William Lewis. For Tucker, that key moment was part of a six-hit afternoon:

• T1: Leadoff Single to RF off C. Frees
• T2: Single past 2B off C. Frees (SB, R)
• T4: Leadoff Single to CF off C. Frees
• T5: Reached via Error by SS J. Lassitter
• T6: 2-run Single to LF off W. Lewis
• T7: 1-run Single to LF off W. Lewis
• T9: Leadoff Single to RF off W. Lewis
• TOTAL: 6/7 (all 1B), 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 SB

Also for Tucker, it was a welcome outburst of offensive production. A career .303 hitter (.748 OPS), Tucker entered Wednesday’s game at Binghamton batting a career-low .260 (.710 OPS) so far in 1878. The 6/6 effort raised his Batting Average to .275 (.734 OPS), with 83 Runs, 40 RBI, and 23 Stolen Bases through 61 games played.

The victory, combined with Utica’s 10-4 loss at Eagle, moved Minuteman to three games clear atop the Upstate New York standings at 37-24. With a 28-33 mark, Binghamton is joint-sixth with Eagle, both teams nine games behind Minuteman.

tm1681 · 02-15-2026, 12:47 AM

AMERICAN BASEBALL JULY RECAP

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (July 31, 1878) – July is turning into August, and it is time to play out the final few weeks of the regular season. Here is how each of the four competitions stand:

A.P.B.L. STANDINGS

COLONIAL – Shamrock no longer looks like Fool’s Gold, as a +47 RD during their impressive July run kept them atop the conference. St. John’s remains right behind with the league’s best RD, so with sixteen games left it would be of little surprise if the defending champions finish in first. That said, don’t sleep on Niagara, who also had a very good July thanks to their defense & pitching.

Mass. Bay was the best of the rest, but a poor first two months meant a 16-10 July with a +53 RD only has them tied for 5th. Alleghany’s offense crashed while William Trowbridge was out for 10 days due to injury, and they’re now too far back to be a pennant threat. Pt. Jersey lost their last four in July, finally looking like an expansion team. Flour City is treading water and not much of a problem. Newark is having a miserable debut season.

METROPOLITAN – The top three are identical to the end of June in terms of position and Games Back after all went 14-12 during July. However, Knick has to run a bit of a gauntlet to end the season because their first three series after the All-Star Game are vs St. John’s, at Kings Co., and at Shamrock. If they survive, Knick will be the Metropolitan champs. American plays vs Newark, at Excelsior, and at Mass. Bay out of the break, so they have a fair chance to close the gap over the next two weeks.

Gotham had a strange July: 13-13 with a -58 RD, scraping by in wins and getting hammered in losses. Still, they’re in fourth. Defending Metro champs Excelsior had a poor July, and they’re out of the running. Quaker St. showed signs of life during a .500 July and moved out of last place. Things are going as planned for Tiger, with the lineup developing around the brilliance of Martin Prince. Things are DEFINITELY NOT going as planned for Orange.

A.P.B.L. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMAN OF THE MONTH
Nelson Townsend (RF, StJ) – .475, 1.095 OPS, 41 R, 56 H, 7 2B, 2 3B, 16 RBI, 11 BB, 29 SB, 4.3 WPA, 2.1 WAR

PITCHER OF THE MONTH
Howard Burns (StJ) – 9-5, 1.92 ERA, 43 K, 107.2 IP, 8 CG, 3.9 K/BB, 1.16 WHIP, 2.3 WAR, 1.4 rWAR

GREENHORN OF THE MONTH
Alexander Hammond* (CF, GOT) – .339, .847 OPS, 30 R, 43 H, 10 2B, 5 3B, 20 RBI, 3 BB, 13 SB, 1.5 WPA, 1.0 WAR
*Hammond was also G.o.t.M. for June

An absolutely absurd month from inaugural B.o.t.Y. Townsend. Others had more Extra-Base Hits & RBI, but aside from that Townsend led the league in ten categories from the leadoff spot in the St. John’s order: AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, OPS+, H, R, SB, WPA, & WAR. In the end, this was possibly the most dominant month from a batsman in A.P.B.L. history.

There was a pair of nine-Win Pitchers during July: Burns and Niagara’s Tomoharu Mukai. Mukai had the better record at 9-4 and the better WHIP at 1.05, but Burns’ statistical output was superior in every other area, and because of that he earned P.o.t.M. for the third time in his career.

Hammond repeats as G.o.t.M., and thus becomes favorite for Greenhorn of the Year, with another fine overall month with the bat. Quaker St. SS George Ellison had a higher Average (.388) but only five Extra-Base Hits and a dozen fewer runs (18 vs 30). Mass. Bay P Everett Arrington had an 8-3 record but his ERA was 4.14, so he was also passed up.

A.P.B.L. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .397 by Garfield Koonce (1B, Kings Co.)
OPS: .943 by Konrad Jensen (1B, St. John’s)
Home Runs: 3 by twelve different batsmen
Runs Batted In: 100 by George Kassabian (LF, American)
Runs: 113 by Nelson Townsend (RF, St. John’s)
Stolen Bases: 76 by James Burke (American)
Batsman WPA: 7.0 by Nelson Townsend (RF, St. John’s)
Batsman WAR: 4.6 by Anthony Mascherino (2B, Knick)

Wins: 26 by Bertram Landreth (Knick) & Tomoharu Mukai (Niagara)
ERA (50+ IP): 2.37 by Bertram Landreth
Strikeouts: 131 by Jim Creighton (Excelsior)
Complete Games: 29 by Bertram Landreth & Tomoharu Mukai
WHIP (150+ IP): 1.08 by Harper Cundiff (Alleghany)
Pitcher WAR: 6.8 by Jim Creighton
Pitcher rWAR: 8.7 by Tomoharu Mukai

N.B.B.O. REGIONAL LEADERS

BROOKLYN: Atlantic at 38-23 (Eckford & Empire 3 GB; Cont’l 5 GB; Bedford & Nassau Co. 7 GB)
NEW YORK CITY: New York Athletic Club & Union at 41-20 (Metro 5 GB)
UPSTATE N.Y.: Minuteman at 37-24 (Utica 3 GB; Frontier 4 GB; Victory 7 GB; Syracuse 8 GB)
COASTAL: National at 41-20 (Maryland 3 GB; Trenton Utd. 4 GB; P.B.C.C. 7 GB)
INLAND: Susquehanna at 46-15 (Lancastra 3 GB)
NEW ENGLAND: Portland at 43-18 (Quinnipiac 7 GB)

BROOKLYN – Atlantic was 13-8 in July while both Eckford & Empire were 11-10, and thus their lead atop Brooklyn has grown from one game to three with nine to play. Atlantic hosts Nassau Co. this week before ending the season at Empire. Empire hosts Star before visiting Atlantic, and Eckford plays at 4th-place Continental before visiting last-place Marathon (15-46) to end the season. Eckford has the schedule advantage, but is that enough to overcome a three-game gap?

NEW YORK CITY – N.Y.C. remains a three-team race, but it’s now closer to two after N.Y.A.C. went 15-6 during July & Union was 14-7 to leave both tied for first and Metro a week of wins behind them with all others eliminated. The New York City pennant will be decided during the final week, when Union, 20-10 at home, hosts N.Y.A.C. at the Morrisania Grounds.

UPSTATE N.Y. – Minuteman was a pedestrian 11-10 during July, but they remain three games out in front because of the parity among the upstate teams. They play at Binghamton (28-33) this week and won the opener, while ending the season at Syracuse. The schedules of Utica and Frontier are roughly equal in difficulty to Minuteman’s, so the ’76 champions should take the pennant.

COASTAL – The pendulum swung back the other way. National was 14-7 during July while Maryland was just 10-11, so D.C.’s team has retaken the lead. They host Trenton Utd. this week before ending the season vs Lord Baltimore (26-35), while Maryland hosts Bunker Hill (27-34) and then plays at Brighton (20-41). Trenton Utd. hosts Diamond State (21-40) to end the season. Maryland has the easiest schedule, but as with Eckford in Brooklyn it’s a question of whether they’ll be able to make up a three-game deficit with it.

INLAND – The two-team race is going straight to the wire. Susquehanna was a blistering 16-5 during July but Lancastra was 15-6, so just three games separate them with nine left on the schedule. Susquehanna hosts Lake Erie (19-42) this week and then plays at Scranton (32-29), while Lancastra hosts Merrimack Mills (28-33) and then plays at Pioneer (30-31). Advantage: Susquehanna.

NEW ENGLAND – Portland used an N.B.B.O.-best 17-4 July to take total control of New England, with only Quinnipiac remaining in slight contention for the pennant. Portland, 23-7 at home, hosts Quinnipiac this week and won the opener by the score of 12-6, so it’s just a matter of time before they clinch their sixth pennant in eight years.

N.B.B.O. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMEN OF THE MONTH
NYL: Francis Smith (CF, MET) – .408, 1.042 OPS, 31 R, 42 H, 13 XBH, 2 HR, 24 RBI, 3 BB, 10 SB, 1.3 WPA, 1.3 WAR
NEL: William McCrory (LF, CAN) – .440, 1.087 OPS, 32 R, 44 H, 7 2B, 3 3B, 23 RBI, 15 BB, 19 SB, 2.3 WPA, 1.6 WAR

PITCHERS OF THE MONTH
NYL: Jacob Wesolowski (SYR) – 10-3, 2.24 ERA, 17 K, 104.2 IP, 8 CG, 2.1 K/BB, 1.27 WHIP, 2.4 WAR, 2.9 rWAR
NEL: Francis Molinari (PORT) – 11-2, 2.61 ERA, 33 K, 107.0 IP, 9 CG, 1.6 K/BB, 1.38 WHIP, 1.8 WAR, 2.8 rWAR

GREENHORNS OF THE MONTH
NYL: Lee Thompson (3B, STAR) – .381, .844 OPS, 16 R, 32 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 11 RBI, 5 BB, 0 SB, 1.0 WPA, 0.7 WAR
NEL: Kelly Stingley (P, DS) – 8-3, 3.45 ERA, 41 K, 107.0 IP, 8 CG, 2.3 K/BB, 1.51 WHIP, 2.7 WAR, 2.8 rWAR

N.B.B.O. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .400 by Lucas Maxwell (2B, Susquehanna)
OPS: 1.013 by Leroy Moore (RF, P.B.C.C.)
Home Runs: 3 by Felix Charles (RF, Scranton) & Jemke van Zutphen (2B, STAR)
Runs Batted In: 86 by Frederick Pike (2B, P.B.C.C.)
Runs: 95 by John Schultz (CF, Susquehanna)
Stolen Bases: 81 by Speedy Brown (CF, Continental)
Batsman WPA: 6.2 by Leroy Moore (RF, P.B.C.C.)
Batsman WAR: 3.9 by Lennon Haley (2B, Lancastra)

Wins: 31 by William Hawk (Susquehanna)
ERA (150+ IP): 2.01 by George Cerven (N.Y.A.C.)
Strikeouts: 132 by Charles Rhodes (N.Y.A.C.)
Complete Games: 26 by John Faulkner
WHIP (150+ IP): 1.11 by George Cerven (N.Y.A.C.)
Pitcher WAR: 9,3 by Charles Rhodes
Pitcher rWAR: 9.9 by William Hawk

COASTAL CONFERENCE

LEADER: Olympic at 41-20 (Essex & Highlander 8 GB)

Olympic was 13-8 during July but the competition behind them really bunched up, with the teams in 2nd-5th beating up on each other and Olympic exiting the month eight games in the clear as a result. The leaders play at Highlander this week before finishing the schedule vs Capitol City (25-36), and with a Magic Number of two it won’t be long before they collect their first ever piece of champion’s silverware in 22 seasons of baseball.

C.C. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMAN OF THE MONTH
Euan Graham (1B, BRI) – .381, 1.013 OPS, 25 R, 37 H, 11 XBH, 1 HR, 21 RBI, 10 BB, 2 SB, 1.8 WPA, 1.5 WAR

PITCHER OF THE MONTH
William McClure* (HIGH) – 8-1, 1.93 ERA, 11 K, 98.0 IP, 6 CG, 2 SHO, 1.6 K/BB, 1.12 WHIP, 1.3 WAR, 1.6 rWAR
*McClure was also P.o.t.M. for June

C.C. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .345 by Euan Graham (1B, Bridgeport)
OPS: .871 by Euan Graham
Home Runs: 3 by three different batsmen
Runs Batted In: 65 by Noah Skiles (2B, Olympic)
Runs: 87 by Everton Pauline (LF, Olympic)
Stolen Bases: 50 by Everton Pauline
Batsman WPA: 4.2 by James Baker (1B, Essex Co.)
Batsman WAR: 2.9 by John Schoessow (3B, Lynn)

Wins: 21 by William McClure (Highlander)
ERA (150+ IP): 2.27 by Carl Bancroft (Olympic)
Strikeouts: 116 by Robert Murphy (Bridgeport)
Complete Games: 21 by William McClure
WHIP (150+ IP): 1.18 by Walt Harper (Sportsman’s)
Pitcher WAR: 7.9 by Carl Bancroft
Pitcher rWAR: 7.8 by Carl Bancroft

P.C.B.L. LEADERS

EAST: Frankford at 43-18 (Queen Village 1 GB; Sons of Ben 8 GB)
WEST: Overbrook at 40-21 (Penn & Schuylkill 6 GB; Merion 7 GB)

EAST – Frankford’s 16-5 July was just a bit better than Queen Village’s 15-6, so the 4x East champs are back where they belong late in the season. They host Keystone (24-37) and Spartan (26-35) to finish the schedule, while Queen Village plays at Minerva (34-27) and Sons of Ben. Based solely on that, the pennant should go to Frankford Arsenal.

WEST – Overbrook wasn’t overpowering during July at 14-7, but they were still able to lengthen their West lead from two to six games as Schuylkill was 10-11. The leaders host Independence (23-38) and Merion to end the season, and it’s likely they’ll wrap up their first pennant this week.

P.C.B.L. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMAN OF THE MONTH
Ben Roberts (RF, QV) – .433, 1.028 WAR, 30 R, 42 H, 6 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 33 RBI, 3 BB, 1.4 WPA, 1.3 WAR

PITCHER OF THE MONTH
Bud Forster (MIN) – 9-1, 1.99 ERA, 56 K, 104.1 IP, 8 CG, 1 SV, 3.3 K/BB, 1.12 WHIP, 3.0 WAR, 3.0 rWAR

GREENHORN OF THE MONTH
Vance King (SS, BV) – .389, .965 OPS, 21 R, 35 H, 6 2B, 5 3B, 22 RBI, 2 BB, 0 SB, 0.9 WPA, 1.0 WAR

P.C.B.L. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .365 by Milton Foster (C, Queen Village)
OPS: .908 by James Harris (CF, Frankford)
Home Runs: 4 by Peter Miller (2B, Germantown)
Runs Batted In: 76 by George Oman (RF, Schuylkill)
Runs: 90 by James Harris
Stolen Bases: 52 by Jonathan Auriemma (2B, Minerva)
Batsman WPA: 6.2 by Jonathan Bagwell (1B, Germantown)
Batsman WAR: 3.8 by James Harris

Wins: 23 by Oliver Greene (Frankford)
ERA (150+ IP): 2.26 by Oliver Greene
Strikeouts: 141 by Oliver Greene
Complete Games: 24 by Oliver Greene
WHIP (150+ IP): 1.14 by Albert Smiley (Schuylkill)
Pitcher WAR: 6.6 by Robert Nygren (Overbrook)
Pitcher rWAR: 10.2 by Robert Nygren

tm1681 · 02-15-2026, 07:27 PM

BOTH TEAMS SCORE 20 IN BALTIMORE BARNBURNER
BATS AFLAME CAUSE BUNKER HILL & MARYLAND TO PLAY TEN INNINGS; O’FARRELL HAS SIX HITS

BALTIMORE, MD. (Aug. 3, 1878) - Maryland B.C. needed a home win over beatable Bunker Hill on Saturday to stay within three games of Coastal leaders National, but the visitors pushed them to the brink in a ten-inning classic:

The offense started immediately, with Bunker Hill SS John Harmon taking the game’s first pitch and hitting a Single through the infield with it. That started a five-run rally, and with two more runs in T2 Bunker Hill was ahead 7-0. The visitors responded to a Maryland run with two more in T3, and they were now ahead 9-1 and appearing to the 2,000+ in attendance to be in great shape for the away win.

Maryland came up to bat and scored twice in B3 via Error and Ground Out, plated four in B4 on a series of run-scoring Singles, and scored two more times in B5 on yet more run-scoring Singles to eliminate the visitors’ lead and tie the game 9-9.

Bunker Hill didn’t take long to respond. They scored once in T6 on a Single by 2B August Taylor, and they then put up a six-run rally during the lucky seventh – the key hit a run-scoring Double by PH Guy Steele – to take the lead back and bring a healthy 16-9 advantage into Maryland’s latter chances at the plate.

Maryland went scoreless in B7, and Bunker Hill did likewise in T8. The hosts then scored three runs in B8 – the big hit a two-run Single by C Maup van Soest – to make it a four-run game (16-12) heading into the ninth. However, Bunker Hill scored four runs of their own on a pair of two-run Singles to bring the lead back up to eight (20-12) and appear, once again, to be sure to take the victory at Cecil Calvert Park.

HOWEVER, Maryland came to the plate in B9 and unleashed an eight-run rally that was punctuated with a two-out, bases-loaded, three-run, game-tying Double by CF Enda O’Farrell to, incredibly, even the score at 20-20 and force extras.

Bunker Hill meekly went down 1-2-3 in T10. Maryland came up for their turn to bat and 1B Frank Miller led off with a Triple. He was driven in by a base hit from 2B Andrew Kendall, and Maryland exited with the unlikely 21-20 victory.

Going back to the Enda O’Farrell Double that tied the game in B9, it was part of an amazing day for the Maryland OF:

• B1: Single to LF off P. Oldaker
• B3: Leadoff Double past 3B off P. Oldaker (R)
• B4: 1-run Single past 2B off P. Oldaker (R)
• B5: 1-run Single to LCF off P. Oldaker
• B8: Leadoff Single past 1B off J. Ledden
• B9: Hit into Fielder’s Choice at 2B (R)
• B9: 3-run Double to CF off W. Beatty
• TOTAL: 6/7 (2 2B), 3 R, 5 RBI, 8 TB, 100 GMSC

It was the first five-hit game, let alone one with six, for O’Farrell, who is in his fourth season as a member of Maryland’s senior roster, all as a regular in the lineup. Even though O’Farrell didn’t make the All-Star Game he has a fine .342 Batting Average (.813 OPS) with 52 Runs Batted In and 2.4 WAR through 64 games in 1878.

The win kept Maryland three games behind first-place National in the Coastal Championship with six games to play. Bunker Hill is tied for fifth at 28-36.

tm1681 · 02-15-2026, 07:28 PM

1878 AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE ALL-STAR GAME
GAME GOES BACK TO ST. JOHN’S, WHICH LEADS WITH FIVE PLAYERS & FOUR STARTERS

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Aug 5, 1878) – There are fifteen games left to play in the season, and that means it’s time for the annual American Professional Baseball League All-Star Game!

Rosters for the A.P.B.L. Midsummer Classic aren’t the same as those in its N.B.B.O. counterpart:

• Twenty players per conference
• Roster places 1-4 go to pitchers – two for each rotation place
• Roster places 5-20 go to batsmen – two for each position

However, there was one rule change for this year. Due to the addition of four teams, while efforts were to be made to include players from every team it wasn’t a requirement that there be a representative from all sixteen A.P.B.L. teams.

There was one natural place to host this year’s game: Olneyville Field in Providence, home of defending champions St. John’s and newly renovated to a capacity of over 10,500.

The rosters for this year’s game saw 15/16 teams represented, and it was St. John’s that led with five All-Stars as “The Hydra” of Outfielders, led by Nelson Townsend, were far and away the best in the Colonial Conference. Four teams – Gotham, Kings Co., Knickerbocker, & Shamrock – sent four players each.

There were eight veterans making their first top-level All-Star Game appearance, as well as one Greenhorn. On the other hand, Jim Creighton was in A.S.G. #17, Konrad Jensen was in his 18th, and Anthony Mascherino was making his 19th. Other double-digit nominees included Nelson Townsend (14th), James Burke (12th), Franklin Petty (12th), & Royal Altman (11th).

With the Colonial Conference looking to win the All-Star Game for the third year in succession, these were the All-Star Game rosters, with total All-Star appearances between the pre-1871 N.B.B.O. & A.P.B.L. noted:

Here are the number of nominees who represented each team:

• ALLEGHANY: 2 (Meier & Strong)
• AMERICAN: 3 (Burke, Kassabian, & Petty)
• EXCELSIOR: 2 (Creighton & Hill)
• FLOUR CITY: 1 (Knight)
• GOTHAM: 4 (Altman, Johnson, LeBouf, & Quarles)
• KINGS CO.: 4 (Bartholomew, Gray, Koonce, & Williams)
• KNICK: 4 (Dyke, Goodman, Landreth, & Mascherino)
• MASS. BAY: 3 (Berg, Foster, & Stoffers)
• NEWARK: 1 (Valentine)
• NIAGARA: 2 (Mukai & Polk)
• ORANGE: None
• PT. JERSEY: 2 (King & Thompson)
• QUAKER ST.: 2 (Aplin & Williams)
• SHAMROCK: 4 (Burroughs, Dickerson, Groves, & Jessup)
• ST. JOHN’S: 5 (Burns, Decker, Evans, Jensen, & Townsend)
• TIGER S.C.: 1 (Prince)

It might seem unfair that a second-place St. John’s team had both the most All-Stars (five) and the most starters (four), but their offensive output across all three positions in the Outfield was simply superior to that of every other Colonial Conference team. To wit, the second Colonial CF, Mass. Bay’s Charles Foster, was batting .270 with an OPS well under .700.

Orange did have one player putting up All-Star production: 2B Charles Whitehead (.315, .703 OPS, 1.7 WAR), but having missed 15+ games due to injury at a position featuring both Babe Johnson and Anthony Mascherino meant he had nary a chance of being selected.

Of the veterans making their first Tier One All-Star Game, the biggest name present was American LF George Kassabian, whose 100 Runs Batted In through 75 games have him on pace to easily break the single-season record of 111 set by teammate Peter Boyce during American’s championship-winning 1875 season.

The only Greenhorn, Quaker St.’s Charles Aplin, was statistically superior to Franklin Petty at RF, but fan and player sentiment meant Petty got the start. Still, Aplin was more than happy just to be present.

As for the game itself, this was how it turned out

It took ten innings, but the Metropolitan Conference got the better of the Colonial for the first time in three years.

The Metro scored first with two runs during the opening inning on a pair of run-scoring Singles by James Burke & Garfield Koonce. There wouldn’t be a response until the bottom of the fourth, when the Colonial sent four across the plate, with run-scoring Triples by Joseph Evans & Gerald Strong plating the first and last of the runs.

The visitors took a run back straight away in the top of the fifth on a Passed Ball to make it a 4-3 game, and they tied the score two innings later when an Error allowed Jonathan Quarles to dash home from Third Base. That would be the last of the scoring in regulation, as both teams stranded men on Second Base in the ninth inning.

In T10, Robert Goodman came up with one out, and the pitcher reached via Error before moving over to third on another Error. With one out, Quarles hit a Sacrifice Fly that drove Goodman home to give the Metro a 5-4 lead. In T10 the other pitcher, Howard Burns, led off with a Single but was quickly stranded there as the next three batsmen were retired in just five pitches, and the Metropolitan Conference had their first All-Star Win since 1875.

There wasn’t a ton of offense in the All-Star Game, with just three players finishing with multiple base hits. One of them had three hits, and that player was Alleghany SS Gerald Strong, who took home M.V.P. honors as a result:

• COL SS Gerald Strong: 3/4 (3B), 1 R, 1 RBI, 5 TB

The men with two Hits were both Metropolitan starters: CF James Burke & 1B Garfield Koonce.

If there was an award for Defensive Player of the Game it would’ve gone to C Matthew Williams, as the Metro starter threw out 3/4 runners who attempted to steal bases against him.

It was a cloudy day in Providence, but the rain stayed away and the 10,969 in attendance at Olneyville Field were treated to a highly competitive All-Star Game.

tm1681 · 02-17-2026, 10:47 PM

BOLEY SURROUNDS ALL-STAR BREAK WITH FIVE-HIT GAMES
TIGER RF BATS 5/6 IN LAST GAME BEFORE ASG, THEN DOES IT AGAIN IN 1ST GAME AFTER ASG

BOSTON, MASS. (Aug. 9, 1878) - Massachusetts Bay visited Tiger Social Club in an A.P.B.L. encounter between one team mostly out of contention and another finishing their first season in the league. The result was a thrilling 13-12 win by Tiger S.C. in which they scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth to win it, with the game-winning base hit coming from RF Howard Boley.

For Boley, the clutch hit completed a unique accomplishment: five-hit games on either side of the All-Star Game break:

• (8/1; TIG 13-8 KNI) TIG RF Howard Boley: 5/6 (2B), 2 R, 1 RBI, 6 TB
• (8/9; MB 12-13 TIG) TIG RF Howard Boley: 5/6 (all 1B), 3 R, 3 RBI

Boley joined Tiger S.C. during the winter from Reading Athletic Club in the N.B.B.O., and he’s become a dependable batsman in the spot immediately behind superstar SS Martin Prince in the lineup. His Batting Average has improved each month, from .286 (.605 OPS) in May, to .304 (.696 OPS) during June, to .336 (.713 OPS) in July, and he’s batting 10/12 (.833) through the two games that have been played so far in August.

The 24-year-old showed signs that he could be a fine professional hitter when he played for Reading last year in his Greenhorn season, and it looks like the $1,000 Tiger paid Reading for his services has been worth it, given the way Boley has improved throughout the season.

The loss dropped Mass. Bay to 37-39. They are 6th in the Colonial Conference and ten games behind leaders Shamrock with fourteen left to play. Tiger is 29-47, and their focus for the rest of the season is to try to avoid finishing last in the Metropolitan Conference. They are currently one game ahead of basement dwellers Orange & Quaker St.

tm1681 · 02-17-2026, 10:48 PM

NEWARK STUNS AMERICAN IN A DOUBLE-DIGIT SHUTOUT
RATICAN FINALLY SHOWS WHY HE WAS NBBO’S BEST AS AMERICAN LOSES AGAIN TO APBL’S WORST

PHILADELPHIA, PENN. (Aug. 10, 1878) - With the A.P.B.L.’s worst team, Newark, visiting American as the A.P.B.L. resumed after its All-Star break, it was presumed that American would win all three games. However, Newark shocked their hosts with a 13-9 win in the opener, and on Friday they pulled off an absolute stunner and battered the 4x champions:

American never had a chance. Newark scored four times in T1 on a Passed Ball, a run-scoring Single by 3B William Ioffe, and a two-run Single by C Charles Singer. American went down scoreless in B1, and it was a sign of things to come.

After two scoreless innings, Newark plated runs in five of their last six trips to the plate – 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, & 9th – to take an incredible 12-0 lead. American couldn’t even muster up a consolation run in B9, and Newark had exited with the league’s most unlikely Shutout victory of the season.

For Newark #1 John Ratican, it was finally a showcase of the talent that earned him N.E.L. Pitcher of the Year honors and the belief that he was the N.B.B.O.’s best Pitcher last year:

• NEW P John Ratican: CG SHO (13-29, 4.36), 7 HA, 1 BB, 4 K; 2/4 (both 1B), 2 R

Not only was Ratican excellent with the ball, but he was also 2/4 with the bat against fine American #1 Jimmy Everhart, and he came around to score after both base hits.

There were high hopes that Ratican could drag Newark to a decent record in their inaugural A.P.B.L. season after his historic 1877 in the N.B.B.O. (29-9, *1.84 ERA*, 133 K, 1.02 WHIP, 10.1 WAR, 11.4 rWAR), but 1878 simply hasn’t gone according to plan for the talented #1. While Ratican has showed fine command of the ball (295.1 IP, 28 BB, 98 K), he’s allowed loads of base hits (12.9 HA/9, 1.52 WHIP) and has suffered an ERA well over 4.00 as a result. Perhaps his Sophomore season will go to expectation now that he has a full season of facing A.P.B.L. batsmen behind him.

In spite of the back-to-back wins Newark is just 24-53 (.312), the worst record in the A.P.B.L. by five games. Meanwhile, the highly unlikely losses have left American eight games behind Metropolitan leaders Knickerbocker with just thirteen left to play. These last two losses may have effectively ended their season.

tm1681 · 02-17-2026, 10:48 PM

WAGNER BLASTS SIX HITS IN PENULTIMATE GAME
VETERAN MERION CF HAS CAREER-BEST DAY WITH BAT IN BIG WIN AT OVERBROOK

PHILADELPHIA, PENN. (Aug. 10, 1878) - With two games left to play in the P.C.B.L. season Overbrook has the West Philadelphia pennant in their hands, so the home support won’t have been too bothered by a big loss they took to visiting Merion on Saturday afternoon at the Columbia Avenue Grounds:

With the home side busy preparing to face either Frankford Arsenal or Queen Village next week for the Philadelphia championship, Merion took a 2-1 lead at the start of the third inning and ran it up to 11-1 by the time they finished batting in T4. Overbrook scored a run in B4 to get back to within single digits, but the 1874 Liberty Bell Classic winners scored nine unanswered runs over the next three innings to make it a 20-2 game, and the result was set in stone.

Merion had a trio of batsmen with 3-4 Hits – 3B William Bolerjack (4/6), C Levi Gibson (3/6), & RF Clifford Martin (3/6) – but none of the three could touch the work of veteran CF Wallace Wagner:

• T1: Single past 3B off W. Marrs
• T3: Infield Single to SS off W. Marrs (R)
• T4: Infield Single to 3B off W. Marrs (R)
• T5: 1-run Single to CF off W. Denman
• T6: Pop Fly Out to 2B (3 out)
• T7: 1-run Single past 2B off R. Speck
• T9: 1-run Triple to RCF off R. Speck
• TOTAL: 6/7 (3B), 2 R, 3 RBI, 8 TB

It was the first six-hit game in the career of Wagner, who has three previous five-hit games to his credit during the course of his seven-year career that goes back to the P.C.B.L.’s inaugural season. With one game to play, Wagner is batting .317 (.771 OPS) with 86 Runs, 2 Home Runs, 47 Runs Batted In, and an impressive 3.4 WAR in 1878.

Overbrook has a seven-game lead in West Philadelphia, and tomorrow’s finale will be a tuneup for the Liberty Bell Classic. The winner of East Philadelphia – Frankford or Queen Village – will have Home Field Advantage in the L.B.C. Merion will finish fifth in the West regardless of tomorrow’s result.

tm1681 · 02-17-2026, 10:49 PM

NEW YORK CITY GOES TO A PLAYOFF ONCE AGAIN
NYAC & UNION END SEASON 45-25; THIRD TIME THIS DECADE PENNANT GIVEN IN ONE-GAME PLAYOFF

NEW YORK CITY (Aug. 12, 1878) - It just wouldn’t be a normal season in the N.B.B.O. with the New York City pennant race being close & exciting, and this year was no different.

Although there were only three teams in the running – Metropolitan, New York Athletic Club, & Union – for more than half the season, yet again it took until the last week of games and after until a pennant winner was decided.

Going into the 1878 season’s final week, New York City’s top three looked like this:

1: New York Athletic Club at 43-22
2: Union of Morrisania at 42-23 (1 GB)
3: Metropolitan B.B.C. at 38-27 (5 GB)

Metropolitan was, going strictly by mathematics, alive, but the fact that N.Y.A.C. & Union were playing each other during the final week meant that, in reality, they had no chance of taking the pennant.

With N.Y.A.C. & Union in a showdown for the 1878 N.Y.C. title, the scenarios looked like this:

• N.Y.A.C. finished first if they won 3-5 games in the series
• Union finished first if they won 4-5 games in the series
• The teams would go to a one-game playoff if Union won 3/5 in the series

Union had Home Field Advantage, and at the start of the series they certainly made the most of it:

• GAME 1: NYAC 2-4 UNI – UNI P Edward Koch: CG W (19-12, 3.05), 5 HA, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• GAME 2: NYAC 10-11 UNI – UNI LF Harvey Fox: Game-winning 2-run Single in B9
• GAME 3: NYAC 9-12 UNI – UNI RF Clarence Stringer: 3/4 (2 2B), 2 R, 2 RBI, SB

By opening the series with three straight wins, Union had not only taken the N.Y.C. lead but they had put themselves on the brink of taking their third pennant:

1: Union of Morrisania at 45-23
2: New York Athletic Club at 43-25 (2 GB)
3: Metropolitan B.B.C. at 40-28 (5 GB; eliminated)

With the pennant on the line, N.Y.A.C. woke up and took an impressive victory at the Morrisania Grounds:

• GAME 4: NYAC 9-4 UNI – NYAC 2B Lacy LeGendre: 2/4 (both 1B), 1 R, 4 RBI

That meant there were two possibilities on the final Sunday of play: Union wins and goes to the playoffs, or N.Y.A.C. wins and the two teams play again on Monday. The result:

• GAME 5: NYAC 14-7 UNI – NYAC RF Jack Anastasio: 3/5 (2B), 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 3 SB

N.Y.A.C. were tremendous with their season again on the line. After the first three innings went by scoreless, the visitors sent five men across the plate in T4 and never looked back, taking a lead as large as 14-5 before Union scored a pair of consolation runs in B9.

That meant the final New York City standings looked like this:

1: New York Athletic Club at 45-25 (+166 RD)
2: Union of Morrisania at 45-25 (+132 RD)
3: Metropolitan B.B.C. at 41-29 (4 GB; +43 RD)

Perhaps more importantly, N.B.B.O. bylaws stated that in the event a one-game playoff was needed the team with the better head-to-head record would host. That meant Union, who went 7-3 vs N.Y.A.C. during the season, would be the home team for Monday’s pennant decider.

And how did the one-game playoff turn out?

It wasn’t a typical outing from the team that allowed the fewest Runs per game in the N.B.B.O., but a win is a win and with their 12-7 triumph N.Y.A.C. had repeated as New York City champions.

The visitors were in control throughout. They opened scoring right away with run-scoring hits from RF Jack Anastasio (2B) & 3B Nicholas Turnbull (1B) in the first inning, and from there they gradually added on runs until they had a 12-0 lead midway through the seventh. Union put up a valiant seven-run rally in B8, but by then the deficit was far too large to overcome considering an opposition known for its stinginess.

As for New York City on the whole, not only was it the third time in the 1870s that a one-game playoff was needed to decide the champion – Union defeated Mercury in 1872 and Metropolitan beat Harlem in 1873 – in 1874 the pennant was decided on the final game of the regular season. On top of that, in three other seasons the margin between 1st & 2nd was less than five games.

The region from which the game the public knows as Baseball sprung forth has also consistently been its most exciting to follow.

tm1681 · 02-17-2026, 11:35 PM

THE LOWER TIER POSTSEASON IS SET
SUSQUEHANNA LEADS THE WAY IN THE NBBO; QUEEN VILLAGE HAS HFA IN THE LIBERTY BELL CLASSIC

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (Aug. 13, 1878) - Now that the New York City playoff has been decided, the season for the leagues below the A.P.B.L. is complete and it’s time for postseason play.

Here are the seedings in each league:

TUCKER-WHEATON CUP PLAYOFFS (N.B.B.O.)

• N.Y.L. #1: New York Athletic Club at 46-25 (+171 RD)
• N.Y.L. #2: Atlantic B.B.C. at 44-26 (+161 RD)
• N.Y.L. #3: Minuteman B.B.C. at 43-27 (+94 RD)

• N.E.L. #1: Susquehanna B.C. at 51-19 (+224 RD)
• N.E.L. #2: National B.C. at 48-22 (+170 RD)
• N.E.L. #3: Portland B.C. at 48-22 (+164 RD)

• All series are best-of-five; N.E.L. has Home Field Advantage in final

Mighty Susquehanna, winners of 50+ games in four of the past five seasons, enter the playoffs with both the N.B.B.O.’s best Won-Loss Record and its best Run Differential, and thus they are the favorites to take the cup.

COASTAL BASEBALL CONFERENCE

• CHAMPIONS: Olympic B.C. at 47-23 (+125 RD; Sportsman’s B.C. 8 GB)

Starting with that incredible 16-2 May, Olympic were wire-to-wire champions in the inaugural season of the C.B.C.

LIBERTY BELL CLASSIC (P.C.B.L.)

• #1 SEED: Queen Village at 50-20 (+218 RD)
• #2 SEED: Schuylkill B.C. at 47-23 (+157 RD)
• Series is best-of-five

An 8-2 finish over the final two weeks saw Queen Village fend off Frankford Arsenal and finish with the league’s best record, giving them the home field advantage for the L.B.C.

The playoffs are here, and they should offer up plenty of excitement.

tm1681 · 02-19-2026, 03:07 AM

JOURNEYMAN FILLS UP THE BOARD IN BUFFALO
GOTHAM’S BACKUP C HAS FIVE HITS & SIX RBI DURING MEMORABLE AFTERNOON AT NIAGARA

BUFFALO, N.Y. (Aug. 17, 1878) - Niagara is in the thick of the Colonial Conference pennant race while Gotham is all but mathematically eliminated in the Metropolitan, but it was the visitors from New York City who took the win on Saturday:

Much of the action took place late, with both teams scoring three times in the eighth inning before Gotham sealed the victory with a three-run ninth. While their collection of quality batsmen all had base hits during the game, the center of Gotham's offensive production in Upstate New York was a most unlikely source: backup C Franklin Penrod.

• T2: 1-run Single to RF off T. Mukai
• T4: 2-RUN HOME RUN to RF off T. Mukai
• T6: Single past 2B off T. Mukai
• T8: 1-run Single past SS off T. Mukai (R)
• T9: 2-run Double to CF off M. Yarber (R)
• TOTAL: 5/5 (2B, HR), 3 R, 6 RBI, 9 TB, 108 GMSC

Penrod’s day with the bat was the fourth-best by anyone in the A.P.B.L. this year when going by Game Score.

Just how unlikely was Penrod’s career day in Buffalo? Penrod is a seven-year veteran who joined Gotham in 1875 and has made less than sixty starts for them since then, with his presence at the #8 position in the lineup marking his fourteenth start during 1878. Penrod entered the game with a Batting Average of .189 (.478 OPS) through 57 Plate Appearances, and his 5/5 day raised his career A.P.B.L. Batting Average to .223 (.508 OPS) with six Doubles, two Home Runs, and 42 Runs Batted In over nearly four seasons with Gotham after joining when he was let go by Minuteman in the N.B.B.O. Penrod’s career WAR in the A.P.B.L., including today’s output: -0.4.

Penrod’s afternoon is certainly the most unlikely 100+ Game Score in the A.P.B.L.’s short history. If Niagara comes up one game short in their quest to make it back to the Founders’ Cup, they’ll have this bizarre afternoon to look to as a big reason.

tm1681 · 02-19-2026, 03:08 AM

KNICK SURVIVES GAUNTLET; COLONIAL TOO CLOSE TO CALL
KNICK GOES 6-3 VS KC, SHAMROCK, & ST. JOHN’S; COLONIAL TOP THREE SEPARATED BY TWO GAMES

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (Aug. 19, 1878) - There’s one week left to play in the 1878 A.P.B.L. season, and with the way the standings currently look it appears that one conference is about to be decided while the other is simply too close to call.

In the Metropolitan Conference, everybody was watching Knickerbocker coming out of the All-Star break due to the nine-game gauntlet they had to run, consisting of series vs Kings County, Shamrock, & St. John’s. Do well, and the Metro was theirs. Slip up against three of the five best teams in the league, and the Metro would be wide open again.

Knick’s first series was its most favorable one: a home set against St. John’s. The results…

GAME 1: StJ 5-6 KNI – KNI: 5 Runs during 8th-9th; GW Hit by C Cale Jones
GAME 2: StJ 5-6 KNI – KNI C Cale Jones: GW Hit in B9
GAME 3: StJ 6-9 KNI – KNI LF Clive Strachan: 3/5 (2B, HR), 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 SB, 7 TB

It was a clean sweep – an extremely difficult sweep, but a three-game sweep nonetheless. The opener saw a fantastic fightback from Knick. Behind 5-1 going into B8 the hosts scored four times to tie the game, and then in B9 Jones hit a run-scoring Triple to win it. They won by the same score under the same circumstances the next day, with Jones’ run-scoring Double in B9 giving Knick a second straight walk-off victory. Game Three was won thanks to three runs in B7 and an outstanding performance by veteran OF Clive Strachan.

Next was the most important series: three games at second-place Kings County…

GAME 1: KNI 8-15 KC – KC C Carl Nevers: 4/5 (2 2B), 1 R, 6 RBI, 2/3 CS
GAME 2: KNI 4-3 KC (12) – KNI C Cale Jones: 2/5 (both 1B), 3 RBI, GW SAC FLY, 1/2 CS
GAME 3: KNI 5-10 KC – KC 2B Herman Stanley: 2/4 (2B), 3 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB

Kings County did what they needed to do and took 2/3 from visiting Knick. The opener wasn’t as close as the score suggested, as K.C. was ahead 15-4 going into the ninth. Game two was a nail-biter, with the teams trading runs during the 7th, 8th, 9th, & 10th, before Jones came through with his third game-winning RBI in five days. The finale was another solid K.C. home win in which the hosts took an early 3-0 lead and never trailed.

That left the final series: three games at Colonial Conference leaders Shamrock…

GAME 1: KNI 7-10 SHA – SHA 1B Frank Bulger: 3/4 (2B), 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 SB
GAME 2: KNI 7-1 SHA – KNI P Robert Goodman: CG W (25-16, 3.08), 6 HA, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
GAME 3: KNI 8-6 SHA – KNI: 6 Runs in T9 (was KNI 2-5 SHA); GW Hit by 1B Cormack Alexander

Knick struggled during the opener in Boston, with repeated defensive miscues dooming them to their third multi-run loss in four games. However, they bounced back with a 7-1 win in the middle game thanks to excellent pitching by Goodman. The series ender had an incredible finish: half a dozen runs by Knick in T9 – this time the big hit a two-run Single by Alexander – to stun Shamrock and take the series.

In the end, it took some incredibly tense & thrilling finishes to get there but Knickerbocker managed to go 6-3 during the toughest nine-game run any A.P.B.L. team had experienced all season. More importantly, even though Kings County went 2-1 against Knick they were 2-4 over their other six games during the same stretch, which meant that the top of the Metropolitan standings had gone from this…

1: Knickerbocker at 49-26
2: Kings County at 46-29 (3 GB)

…to this…

1: Knickerbocker at 55-29 (Magic #: 2)
2: Kings County at 50-34 (5 GB)

…with one week remaining in the season. Kings Co. had squandered their series win against Knick, and with the leaders about to play Quaker St. (34-50) the pennant race now appears to be all but over.

Incredibly, the Colonial Conference is offering up even more excitement.

With both Shamrock & St. John’s having to go against top teams last week they played around .500 baseball, and as a result Niagara was able to sneak up the standings and turn the Colonial into what will be a three-way sprint to the finish:

1: Shamrock at 50-34 (+62 RD)
2: Niagara at 50-34 (+57 RD)
3: St. John’s at 48-36 (2 GB; +178 RD)

Unfortunately for St. John’s, the A.P.B.L. doesn’t do anything straight out of fantasy land use the Mathematician’s “Pythagorean” Win-Loss formula to determine the standings, or else it would look like this:

1: St. John’s 52-32 (best in A.P.B.L.)
2: Shamrock at 46-38 (6 GB)
3: Niagara at 46-38 (6 GB)

Why the eight-game discrepancy between where St. John’s is in the standings where they should be when factoring Run Differential? They are an uncharacteristic 9-13 in one-run games this year and 2-5 in Extra Innings. Meanwhile, Shamrock is 10-7 in close contests and Niagara is even better at 15-7. Knickerbocker is the best “one-run” team in the league at 13-5.

The three teams’ schedules over the final week look like this:

• SHAMROCK: at St. John’s, at Orange (33-51)
• NIAGARA: at Pt. Jersey (43-41), vs Kings Co.
• ST. JOHN’S: vs Shamrock, at Quaker St. (34-50)

Obviously, the HUGE series will be Shamrock at St. John’s in Rhode Island on Tuesday-Thursday. If St. John’s can take 2/3 off the co-leaders then it opens up the very real possibility of a three-way tie to end the season. It’s hard to say if any of the three teams has a clear schedule advantage when it comes to the final week of play, but Niagara does have the toughest pair of opponents out of the three.

There is protocol for what to do in the event of a three-way tie after all games have been played. In the 1867 N.B.B.O. season Alleghany, Pioneer, & Susquehanna all finished 40-30 in the Inland Championship. It was agreed that the teams would be sorted by head-to-head record against the other two. The team with the best head-to-head record, Alleghany, waited to host the winner of the game between Pioneer & Susquehanna in a one-game playoff to determine the Inland champion. The same happened in West Philadelphia during the second season of the P.C.B.L. after a three-way tie between Mercantile, Merion, & Schuylkill at 39-31. A similar format will be used if Niagara, Shamrock, & St. John’s all finish tied for first place.

With one week left in the A.P.B.L. season, one incredible pennant race looks to be coming to a close and the other appears to be headed toward a finish about as exciting as one could imagine.

tm1681 · 02-20-2026, 08:42 PM

THE SIXTH LIBERTY BELL CLASSIC
QUEEN VILLAGE TAKES ON OVERBROOK IN AN ATTEMPT TO AVENGE LAST YEAR’S FAILURE

PHILADELPHIA, PENN. (Aug. 13-17, 1878) – The fifth Liberty Bell Classic was won by the team everyone expected to win it: Philadelphia Baseball & Cricket Club. However, it took all five games and a walk-off win in Game Five for P.B.C.C. to beat upstart Queen Village. P.B.C.C. then left for the National Base Ball Organization after three years of .700 baseball.

Queen Village is back in this year’s L.B.C., a surprise to a Writers Pool that had them finishing at .500 and in the middle of the East when it was time to jot down preseason predictions. The other contestant was not a surprise. Overbrook was the co-favorite to win the West, and they took the pennant by seven games over the other co-favorite: Schuylkill.

However, it was Queen Village who would have Home Field Advantage for the L.B.C. as they had the league’s best record by three games over Overbrook and East runners-up Frankford Arsenal. The East champions finished the season on a tremendous 8-2 run, and won their last two games by scores of 14-8 and 25-9 at fourth-place Sons of Ben (37-33).

A brief summary of the two halves of the Liberty Bell Classic…

EAST PHILADELPHIA – Frankford Arsenal looked like they would be back in the L.B.C. after a year off, having taken a one-game lead over Queen Village by the end of July. Instead, Queen Village’s brilliant August form saw them gain four games on Frankford over the final nine, and they were in the Philadelphia final for the second consecutive season.

QUEEN VILLAGE KEY PLAYERS

• Milton Foster (C): .361, .819 OPS, 91 R, 120 H, 20 2B, 1 3B, 73 RBI, 10 BB, 2.80 C-ERA, 4.0 WPA, 3.0 WAR
• Ben Roberts (3B/RF): .354, .824 OPS, 80 R, 110 H, 10 2B, 7 3B, 1 HR, 63 RBI, 8 BB, 3 SB, 4.0 WPA, 2.2 WAR
• Graham Gross (P): 25-7, 2.82 ERA, 64 K, 325.1 IP, 21 CG, 1.7 K/BB, 1.8 K/9, 1.29 WHIP, 4.7 WAR, 8.2 rWAR

WEST PHILADELPHIA – Overbrook had the West lead for the entire second half of the season, growing it from one game at the midway point to its highest and final margin of seven games by the final week of the season. They made it to the L.B.C. for the first time thanks to a top-three offense and the league’s most talented P: Robert Nygren.

OVERBROOK B.C. KEY PLAYERS

• James Niven (1B/OF): .336, .842 OPS, 71 R, 96 H, 17 2B, 10 3B, 58 RBI, 15 SB, 3 SB, 3.2 WPA, 1.9 WAR
• William Hill (RF): .332, .762 OPS, 90 R, 106 H, 17 XBH, 2 HR, 59 RBI, 6 BB, 23 SB, 3.8 WPA, 1.5 WAR
• Robert Nygren (P): 23-11, 2.54 ERA, 92 K, 333.2 IP, 21 CG, 0 SHO, 4.8 K/BB, 1.27 WHIP, 7.4 WAR, 10.0 rWAR

Even though Overbrook was the preseason favorite that made the L.B.C., it was Queen Village who would enter as favorites to take it because they had the league’s best record, the #1 offensive attack, and the strongest finish of any P.C.B.L. team save Mercantile, who won their last six games. Could the team that won a whole fifteen games more than projected make up for last year’s bitter disappointment and lift the cup this time around?

GAME ONE (Fitzwater Field – ATT: 3,936)
OVER 7-5 QV – OVER 1B James Niven: 2/5 (2B), 1 R, 2 RBI, GW HIT

The West champs rushed out to a quick lead in the opener, with five runs during the first two innings giving them a 5-0 lead. Queen Village would gradually work their way back into the contest, evening the score in the seventh. The visitors won it in the ninth when Niven hit a two-run Double off star Queen Village P Graham Gross.

GAME TWO (Fitzwater Field – ATT: 3,906)
OVER 8-4 QV – OVER RF William Hill: 3/5 (all 1B), 1 R, 2 RBI

Overbrook raced out to another quick lead, and this one held the rest of the way. After the teams traded pairs of runs during the opening inning, Overbrook scored five times during T2 on four different run-scoring Hits and an Error to take a 7-2 lead. Queen Village scored once in B3 but four runs was the closest they could get, and Overbrook was one game from taking their first Philadelphia title.

GAME THREE (Columbia Ave. Grounds – ATT: 4,306)
QV 7-6 OVER – QV 3B James Stober: 3/4 (3B), 2 RBI, 5 TB, GW HIT

Queen Village had to win to keep their season alive, and they did just that with some late runs at Overbrook. Behind 6-5 going into T8 the visitors scored twice, with Stober’s Triple putting Q.V. ahead with what proved to be the game-winning run as fine pitching by substitute Jameson Jenkins preserved the lead.

GAME FOUR (Columbia Ave. Grounds – ATT: 4,300)
QV 3-2 OVER – QV P William Johannessen: CG W, 7 HA, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

And now the visitors had won all four games of the series. This was a tense & tight affair, with neither side scoring more than once in a single inning. Overbrook scored a run in B7 on a Single by 3B Bruno Fiorentino, but A.P.B.L. & N.B.B.O. veteran Johannessen held firm after that to force a Game Five back at Fitzwater Field.

GAME FIVE (Fitzwater Field – ATT: 3,910)
OVER 8-2 QV – OVER P Robert Nygren: CG W, 5 HA, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

It would figure that with the final game of the P.C.B.L. season featuring two of the league’s five best pitchers one of them would carry his team to the Liberty Bell Classic title, and that’s exactly what happened as Robert Nygren, the league’s most naturally gifted #1, put together an outstanding performance to bring Overbrook their first city championship. Not only did Nygren hold the league’s #1 offense to two Runs and five Hits, but he was 2/2 (both 1B) with the bat and laid down a trio of Sacrifice Bunts to help move Overbrook teammates around the bases.

And with that ended a most bizarre L.B.C., one in which the away team won all five games. Not that the victors would care about such an oddity as they paraded the cup around the Overbrook neighborhood.

LIBERTY BELL CLASSIC MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
OVER 1B/CF James Niven – .318 (7/22), 5 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 7 RBI, 1 SB, 0.9 WPA, 0.2 WAR, 1x P.o.t.G.

This was by no means a heavy-hitting series. No regular batsman hit higher than Niven’s .318, which was equaled by teammate Cornelius Gibson. Niven also led all players with seven Runs Batted In. There were plenty of shouts for Nygren to receive the M.V.P. honor due to his performance in Game Five, but that was his only quality performance in three outings while Niven was a consistent player over the course of the five games.

For Niven, it was a great end to what had been a fine Greenhorn season (.336, .842 OPS, 71 R, 58 RBI, 1.9 WAR).

LIBERTY BELL CLASSIC SUMMARY

tm1681 · 02-20-2026, 08:49 PM

TWC XXII: FAMILIAR FACES IN FAMILIAR PLACES

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (Aug. 14 to Sep. 5, 1878) – After taking an extra day to sort out who won New York City, the N.B.B.O. season is over and it’s now time for the 22nd edition of the Tucker-Wheaton Cup playoffs.

The 21st edition of the Tucker-Wheaton Cup saw Susquehanna crowned N.B.B.O. champions for the second time in four years with a dominant victory at New York Athletic Club in Game Five of the final, that coming after a 54-win season during which they set records for Runs (11.0 R/G) and Run Differential (+326). They are back, as are runners-up N.Y.A.C. and two other teams from last year’s field: Atlantic & Portland.

In the New York League, Atlantic was able to fend off a two-pronged challenge from stalwarts Eckford and surprising Empire to take their third straight Brooklyn pennant. New York City went to a playoff for third time this decade, with N.Y.A.C. handing Union the most bitter of failures, as the men from Morrisania had a two-game lead with two left to play and proceeded to lose two straight to N.Y.A.C. at home and then the playoff, which was also at the Morrisania Grounds. Minuteman was able to overcome the loss of William Tighe, with former Nassau Co. P Frank Keeler in stepping admirably. That meant they were able to see off second-half challenges from Frontier & Utica to make it to the playoffs for the second time in three years.

In the Northeastern League, it was National who became the first of the remnants of A.P.B.L. expansion to take the Coastal pennant after playing arguably their best baseball over the final four weeks of the season, beating Maryland & Trenton Utd. by 4-5 games. In the Inland Championship, Susquehanna was able to run away from a valiant chase by Lancastra to finish with the competition’s best record and earn the chance to defend their cup title. In New England, it was more of the same as a Portland team that played thoroughly dominant baseball during July, and has now finished over .500 for ten straight seasons, finished well ahead of the rest of the pack to make it to the playoffs for the sixth time this decade.

Would newcomers National or 1876 champs Minuteman reign supreme? Or would the 1878 Tucker-Wheaton Cup look a lot like it did in 1877?

OVERVIEW

BROOKLYN – Atlantic had the lead at the start of the second half and kept it, but it wasn’t easy. Eckford & Empire were a few games behind them almost the entire rest of the season, and thanks to three wins at Empire during the final week they were able to beat Eckford by two games to take their fifth pennant.

ATLANTIC KEY PLAYERS

• Ben Gagliardi (SS): .340, .753 OPS, 75 R, 105 H, 16 XBH, 1 HR, 61 RBI, 32 SB, +17.3 ZR, 5.1 WPA, 3.2 WAR
• Michael Jones (C): .372, .825 OPS, 72 R, 113 H, 12 2B, 1 3B, 66 RBI, 15 BB, 2.89 C-ERA, 4.6 WPA, 2.4 WAR
• Olaf Sorensen (P): 23-10, 2.74 ERA, 57 K, 335.0 IP, 21 CG, 1 SHO, 1.3 K/BB, 1.17 WHIP, 5.5 WAR, 7.7 rWAR

NEW YORK CITY – As mentioned, New York City was decided via one-game playoff after N.Y.A.C. won two games with their backs to the wall at first-place Union to end the season and force the extra contest, which they then won at Union. The defending N.Y.L. champions will be looking to avenge last year’s five-game loss in the cup final.

NEW YORK ATHLETIC CLUB KEY PLAYERS

• Manuel Romeiras (CF): .301, .753 OPS, 79 R, 104 H, 18 2B, 9 3B, 56 RBI, 23 BB, 80 SB, 3.5 WPA, 3.0 WAR
• Charles Rhodes (P): 24-14, 2.29 ERA, 147 K, 342.0 IP, 27 CG, 2 SHO, 5.4 K/BB, 1.17 WHIP, 10.6 WAR, 8.5 rWAR
• George Cerven (P): 20-6, 2.10 ERA, 95 K, 248.1 IP, 20 CG, 1 SHO, 3.4 K/BB, 1.16 WHIP, 6.1 WAR, 7.6 rWAR

UPSTATE N.Y. – Like Atlantic, ’76 cup winners Minuteman had the lead for the entire second half but had to spend the final seven weeks fending off challenges by a couple of teams – Frontier & Utica – who were within arm’s length. They played fine baseball at the most important time, going 7-3 over their final ten games to finish four ahead of Utica.

MINUTEMAN KEY PLAYERS

• Jules Thomas (SS): .339, .812 OPS, 98 R, 113 H, 24 XBH, 1 HR, 74 RBI, 33 SB, +10.7 ZR, 4.2 WPA, 3.1 WAR
• John Hanson (3B): .362, .850 OPS, 82 R, 124 H, 14 2B, 13 3B, 1 HR, 83 RBI, 7 BB, 5.7 WPA, 2.0 WAR
• Frank Tucker (LF): .280, .730 OPS, 96 R, 92 H, 12 2B, 15 3B, 44 RBI, 20 BB, 24 SB, 3.7 WPA, 1.5 WAR

COASTAL – National played their best baseball at the end of the season, going 14-7 during July and winning all five games vs Lord Baltimore during the final week to take the pennant by four games over Maryland and five over Trenton Utd. This is both their first season over .500 and their first trip to the playoffs.

NATIONAL KEY PLAYERS

• James Kinney (3B): .335, .820 OPS, 80 R, 116 H, 16 2B, 13 3B, 1 HR, 72 RBI, +12.3 ZR, 3.7 WPA, 3.3 WAR
• Walter Little (RF): .309, .806 OPS, 81 R, 96 H, 17 2B, 13 3B, 60 RBI, 24 BB, 12 SB, 3.4 WPA, 2.3 WAR
• Ben Lauppe (P): 28-12, 2.41 ERA, 122 K, 351.1 IP, 28 CG, 1 SHO, 1.9 K/BB, 1.17 WHIP, 6.1 WAR, 10.4 rWAR

INLAND – Susquehanna was able to keep a fantastic Lancastra side 3-5 games behind them for the entire second half of the season before finishing with their fourth 50-win campaign in five years. The N.B.B.O.’s #1 team is looking to repeat as cup winners, and they’ll be the favorites to do so given that the N.E.L. has home field for the final this year.

SUSQUEHANNA KEY PLAYERS

• John Schultz (CF): .354, .865 OPS, 106 R, 122 H, 21 2B, 10 3B, 61 RBI, 17 BB, 42 SB, 4.2 WPA, 3.8 WAR
• Stephen Barley (SS): .345, .855 OPS, 74 R, 109 H, 23 2B, 13 3B, 77 RBI, 16 SB, +19.1 ZR, 3.7 WPA, 3.6 WAR
• William Hawk (P): 32-9, 2.22 ERA, 101 K, 345.0 IP, 27 CG, 5.6 K/BB, 2.6 K/9, 1.21 WHIP, 8.7 WAR, 9.8 rWAR

NEW ENGLAND – Portland was thankful they had a lead of 7-9 games on the competition at the end of July, because Sons of the Ocean won nine straight before losing their final game of the season. That cushion meant Portland still won New England by six over S.o.t.O., their sixth pennant in eight years since the league split.

PORTLAND KEY PLAYERS

• Edward Donovan (1B): .341, .856 OPS, 97 R, 106 H, 24 XBH, 1 HR, 67 RBI, 35 BB, 54 SB, 3.8 WPA, 3.1 WAR
• Albert Noyes (LF): 367, .850 OPS, 84 R, 117 H, 10 2B, 12 3B, 66 RBI, 6 BB, 16 SB, 5.0 WPA, 2.6 WAR
• Robert Dressen (P): 22-9, 2.55 ERA, 47 K, 278.2 IP, 21 CG, 1 SV, 2.5 K/BB, 1.29 WHIP, 5.7 WAR, 6.3 rWAR

TUCKER-WHEATON CUP FORMAT & NOTES

SEEDING

• N.Y.L. #1: New York Athletic Club at 46-25 (+171 RD) – 2nd appearance (1877)
• N.Y.L. #2: Atlantic at 44-26 (+161 RD) – 5th appearance (1870-71, 76-77)
• N.Y.L. #3: Minuteman at 43-27 (+94 RD) – 4th appearance (1859, 65, 76), 1x winner (1876)

• N.E.L. #1: Susquehanna at 51-19 (+224 RD) – 7th appearance (1868, 71-72, 74, 76-77), 2x winner (1874, 77)
• N.E.L. #2: National at 48-22 (+170 RD) – 1st appearance
• N.E.L. #3: Portland at 48-22 (+164 RD) – 6th appearance (1871-74, 77)

FORMAT

LEAGUE SEMIFINALS

• #2 vs #3; #2 seed has Home Field Advantage
• HH-AA-H; day off after Game Two & Game Four

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

• #1 vs L.S.F. winner; #1 seed has Home Field Advantage
• HH-AA-H; day off after Game Two & Game Four

TUCKER-WHEATON CUP FINAL

• N.Y.L. champ v N.E.L. champ; N.E.L. has Home Field Advantage
• HH-AA-H; day off after Game Two & Game Four

The favorite to lift the cup will be Susquehanna in a repeat. They had the N.B.B.O.’s best record by three games, the best Run Differential by a bit over fifty, the best offense, and the N.E.L.’s best pitcher if not the N.B.B.O.’s best. The likeliest team to stop them will be N.Y.A.C. with their two-headed pitching behemoth and their brilliant defense.

tm1681 · 02-20-2026, 09:00 PM

NEW YORK LEAGUE SEMIFINALS

GAME 1: MIN 20-15 ATL – MIN 3B John Hanson: 3/5 (2 2B, 3B), 2 R, 5 RBI, HBP
GAME 2: MIN 8-11 ATL – ATL 1B Jackson Wright: 3/5 (2B), 2 R, 3 RBI
GAME 3: ATL 4-5 MIN – MIN SS Jules Thomas: 2/4 (both 1B), 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB
GAME 4: ATL 12-10 MIN – ATL 3B John Stoneman: 3/5 (HR), 1 R, 3 RBI, 6 TB
GAME 5: MIN 4-9 ATL – ATL RF Mackenzie Wilson: 3/5 (3B), 2 R, 3 RBI, 5 TB
SERIES M.V.P.: ATL RF Mackenzie Wilson – 11/24, 10 R, 4 2B, 2 3B, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 1x P.o.t.G.

The opener was a wild contest that the Upstaters won easily, enjoying a 20-11 lead before Atlantic plated some runs in B9. Hanson clubbed the ball all over the Capitoline Grounds, and two other Minuteman batsmen had three Hits. Atlantic evened the series in Game Two, scoring 11 Runs on 15 Hits, more than enough to win, against Frank Keeler before his exit in B6.

The first game in Albany was more to Minuteman’s liking. All of the scoring took place over the first four innings, with CF Jonathan Ovaska’s one-run Single proving to be the game-winner as both Pitchers were excellent the rest of the way. Game Four was to Atlantic’s liking, with the visitors plating three in T9, the winning hit a two-run Triple by C Michael Jones, to win a high-scoring affair and force a Game Five 48 hours later in Brooklyn.

It was Minuteman who took an early 3-0 lead in Game Five with three runs over the opening three innings, but then Atlantic woke up and scored during each of their final five turns at bat to take a five-run win and move on to the N.Y.L.C.S.

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE SEMIFINALS

GAME 1: PORT 7-2 NAT – PORT 1B Ed Donovan: 2/3 (both 1B), 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB
GAME 2: PORT 11-13 NAT – NAT CF Christos Pappas: 3/5 (HR), 4 R, 3 RBI, 1 SB, 6 TB
GAME 3: NAT 8-10 PORT – NAT RF Walter Little: 5/5 (2 2B), 2 R, 3 RBI, 7 TB
GAME 4: NAT 4-6 PORT – PORT CF John Ruppel: 1/3 (1B), 3 RBI, 2 BB
SERIES M.V.P.: PORT 1B Ed Donovan – 7/17, 9 R, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 6 SB, 1x P.o.t.G.

Portland won the opener in D.C. going away. They had a 4-2 lead after T5, and after some zeroes went up on the board they scored once in the eighth and twice more in the ninth to seal the victory. Game Two came down to the eighth, as National came up with the score even 10-10 and plated three runs on a series of Singles, including one by Pappas, to even the series.

Game Three in Maine saw Portland come out on top in spite of a fantastic performance by Little. The key: B7, during which Portland scored five times, the key hit a two-run Single by PH Earl Ludgate, to take a 10-7 lead that wouldn’t be threatened. National looked good for a while in Game Four before falling short. The score 3-3 after T7, Portland scored via Error in B7 to go ahead and then scored twice more on a Single by Ruppel in B8 to take a 6-3 lead and wrap up the series.

For National, it was an admirable first foray into playoff baseball.

NEW YORK LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

GAME 1: ATL 1-8 NYAC – NYAC CF Manuel Romeiras: 2/4 (3B), 2 R, 2 RBI, SB, 1 SB, 4 TB
GAME 2: ATL 2-7 NYAC – NYAC P George Cerven: CG, 3 HA, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
GAME 3: NYAC 15-11 ATL (10) – NYAC SS Peter James: 2/5 (both 1B), 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, GW HIT
SERIES M.V.P.: NYAC 3B Nicholas Turnbull – 6/14, 5 R, 6 RBI

N.Y.A.C. won the opener of the N.Y.L.C.S. rematch, with Charles Rhodes excelling in Game One for the second straight year (CG, 10 HA, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K). Romeiras led the way from the top of the order, and their defense was great. Game Two was more of the same, with N.Y.A.C. ahead 7-2 by the end of the fifth and holding firm from there as Cerven was outstanding and the fielding behind him was strong.

N.Y.A.C. finished the sweep at the Capitoline Grounds. It was an exciting contest that went to extras after Atlantic scored twice in B9 to level the score at 9-9. However, the visitors plated half a dozen in T10, with James’ two-run Single sparking the rally and sending N.Y.A.C. back to the Tucker-Wheaton Cup final.

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

GAME 1: PORT 10-14 SUS – SUS SS Stephen Barley: 4/5 (all 1B), 2 R, 2 RBI
GAME 2: PORT 6-8 SUS – SUS C Oliver Lysiak: 2/3 (HR), 1 R, 3 RBI, 5 TB, 1/2 CS
GAME 3: SUS 6-18 PORT – PORT LF Albert Noyes: 4/6 (2B), 3 R, 3 RBI, 1 SB, 5 TB
GAME 4: SUS 6-12 PORT – PORT LF Albert Noyes: 4/5 (2B, HR), 4 R, 2 RBI, 8 TB
GAME 5: PORT 1-11 SUS – SUS SS Stephen Barley: 3/5 (3B), 2 R, 3 RBI, 5 TB
SERIES M.V.P.: SUS SS Stephen Barley – 10/22, 6 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 9 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SB, 2x P.o.t.G.

The N.E.L.C.S. was also a rematch, and Susquehanna took a high-scoring opener with a nine-run barrage over the 5th & 6th that gave them a 14-5 lead. Barley was excellent, and talisman John Schultz hit 2/5 with a Home Run in the second inning. Portland started off well in Game Two, taking a 6-5 lead to the middle of the fourth. However, a two-run homer by Lysiak in B5 gave the hosts the lead and another run in B7 sent them on their way to victory.

Unlike last year, Susquehanna wouldn’t pummel Portland in an N.E.L.C.S. sweep. Ahead 6-5 going into B4, Portland scored four runs to go ahead 10-5 and from there added plenty of tallies to make sure there would be a Game Four. Then, Portland used another big rally to secure a Game Five. Ahead 5-4 going into B6, the hosts scored four times to take a 9-4 lead before adding three insurance runs in B8 to make sure the N.B.B.O.’s mightiest offense wouldn’t try any funny business. Noyes was brilliant again, and the series would go back to Pennsylvania.

It didn’t take long in Game Five for Susquehanna to ensure that the final would be a rematch against N.Y.A.C. They scored five times in B1 and had an easy time of it from there in a brilliant ten-run victory. On the other side, it was another tough defeat for 2x cup runners-up Portland.

TUCKER-WHEATON CUP FINAL

It was time for the final of Tucker-Wheaton Cup XXII.

There wasn’t much to discuss ahead of the 1878 final. It was a rematch of last year: New York Athletic club vs Susquehanna, and this time the defending champions would have Home Field Advantage. That meant Susquehanna were the favorites to repeat and lift the cup for the third time in five years, which would be an incredible considering they’re a “small” club from Wilkes-Barre, but N.Y.A.C. was here to avenge that Game Five loss they took in front of the home fans.

GAME ONE (River View Field in Wilkes-Barre, Penn. – ATT: 1,844)
NYAC 15-9 SUS – NYAC RF Jack Anastasio: 2/6 (2B, 3B), 4 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB, 5 TB

N.Y.A.C., known all year for its pitching & fielding, took the opener with their offense.

The visitors began the game with three runs straight from the first pitch. Susquehanna responded with six in B1, but N.Y.A.C. scored three more times to make it a 6-6 game in T3. After that N.Y.A.C. dominated, scoring nine of the game’s last twelve runs, with All-Star P’s Charles Rhodes & George Cerven combining to keep the N.B.B.O.’s best offense from threatening to take the opener with a massive comeback.

GAME TWO (River View Field in Wilkes-Barre, Penn. – ATT: 1,845)
NYAC 4-12 SUS – SUS P William Hawk: CG, 9 HA, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K; 2/4, 1 R, 1 RBI

Susquehanna returned the favor in Game Two.

After the N.Y.A.C. offense chased him from the opener in the fifth inning, William Hawk took the ball again to start Game Two and pitched much better. That meant once the Susquehanna attack found its legs N.Y.A.C. didn’t stand much of a chance, and the hosts had a 12-3 lead before N.Y.A.C. scored a consolation run in T9. Including Hawk, the hosts had five players finish with two Hits each.

This was an even series going to New York City.

GAME THREE (N.Y.A.C. Grounds in New York City – ATT: 6,675)
SUS 8-7 NYAC – SUS LF Walter Braden: 3/5 (all 1B), 3 R, 1 RBI

Susquehanna was able to hold on in New York City to place themselves on the cusp of title number three.

The visitors opened scoring on a Single by 3B Frank Carter in T2, then went ahead 2-0 on a Single by Braden in T3. They went up 5-0 in T5 thanks to a Single and two Errors, and it was 6-0 before the hosts clawed two runs back on Errors in B6. Susquehanna took those two runs back in T7 to make it an 8-2 game, and that turned out to be a lifesaver. N.Y.A.C. scored five times in B8 to make cut the lead to 8-7 but they stranded star CF Manuel Romeiras on third, and a 1-2-3 B9 meant Susquehanna had escaped with a 2-1 series lead.

GAME FOUR (N.Y.A.C. Grounds in New York City – ATT: 6,724)
SUS 2-9 NYAC – NYAC P George Cerven: CG, 7 HA, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K; 2/3

For the second consecutive year, N.Y.A.C. vs Susquehanna would go to Game Five.

N.Y.A.C. was in full control throughout. They scored three times in B1 on a series of Singles, and that was enough for the victory as Cerven was excellent with the ball in his hands. RF Jack Anastasio (2/4, 1 R, 3 RBI) had the best day of any N.Y.A.C. batsman, while Susquehanna 1B Joe Jurski hit 4/5 (2B, 1 R, 1 RBI) in defeat.

It would all come down to Thursday’s game back in Wilkes-Barre.

GAME FIVE (River View Field in Wilkes-Barre – ATT: 1,838)
NYAC 9-8 SUS – SUS LF Walter Braden: 3/5 (2B, 3B, HR), 3 R, 2 RBI, 9 TB

Game Five was a classic.

N.Y.A.C. opened scoring in the first, with two runs coming in on a Wild Pitch & Ground Out. Susquehanna made it 2-1 in B2 on a Double by Braden, then 3-2 in B3 via Error & Joseph Jurski Single, and then went up 7-2 in B4 when a Single by RF Karl Valentine was followed with Extra-base Hits from 3x N.E.L. M.V.P. John Schultz (2B), Braden (3B), & 2B Lucas Maxwell (2B). N.Y.A.C. was on the ropes, but they took one run back in T5 with LF Lawrence Calhoun’s Single.

The score stayed 7-3 until T8, when the visitors scored twice on Singles by 2B Lacy LeGendre & C Clarence Jamison to cut the deficit in half to two (7-5). After a scoreless B8, N.Y.A.C. stepped to the plate in T9 and completed an incredible comeback. PH Ed Carpenter hit a run-scoring Single to make it a one-run game (7-6), 1B Peaches Watson hit an Infield Single to tie it (7-7), and Jamison hit a two-run Single to put N.Y.A.C. in the lead by the score of 9-7. All nine of N.Y.A.C.’s Runs and all sixteen of their Hits had come against the surefire N.E.L. Pitcher of the Year: William Hawk.

Susquehanna came to bat in B9 and quickly made it 9-8 when the brilliant Braden led off the inning with a Home Run to Left Field, his third Extra-base Hit of the game. However, little-used substitute P Harvey Koch retired the next three batsmen in order, and N.Y.A.C. had become N.B.B.O. champions for the first time.

For New York Athletic Club, it was an extraordinary achievement. The entire organization had been founded in 1868, eleven years after the start of the N.B.B.O., so to go from nothing to having a championship-winning baseball team in the span of a decade signified the highest level of accomplishment.

TUCKER-WHEATON CUP MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
NYAC 1B Peaches Watson – 8 G, .353 (12/34), 6 R, 9 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB

Watson, N.Y.A.C.’s Greenhorn at 1B, took home Tucker-Wheaton Cup M.V.P. for his work in the final. After batting just 1/14 against Atlantic in the N.Y.L.C.S., Watson was a blistering 11/20 against Susquehanna, including 3/5 (2 R, 1 RBI) in the winner-take-all Game Five. Also, his seven Runs Batted In during the final were part of a three-way tie for series high with teammate Jack Anastasio and Susquehanna 1B Joseph Jurski.

Watson was okay during his first year in the N.B.B.O. (.307, .767 OPS, 45 RBI, 1.0 WAR), but he was excellent during the five most important games of N.Y.A.C.’s season.

If Susquehanna hadn’t allowed those four runs during the ninth inning of Game Five, then Jurski would’ve taken M.V.P.:

SUS 1B Joseph Jurski: 10 G, .386 (17/44), 14 R, 4 2B, 3 3B, 10 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB

TUCKER-WHEATON CUP FINAL SUMMARY

02-14-2026, 02:35 AM	#1025
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,599	I have no earthly clue what happened in that Utica @ Flour City game. The leagues in my in-game universe have error rates, fielding percentages, and walk rates in-line with the real-life National League of 1875-1880, so the weather must have combined with the game engine to wreak havoc. That and, given the NBBO has 48 teams compared to the 1878 National League's six, I suppose anything is possible. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 02-14-2026 at 02:38 AM.

02-20-2026, 08:49 PM	#1039
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,599	TWC XXII: FAMILIAR FACES IN FAMILIAR PLACES NORTHEAST U.S.A. (Aug. 14 to Sep. 5, 1878) – After taking an extra day to sort out who won New York City, the N.B.B.O. season is over and it’s now time for the 22nd edition of the Tucker-Wheaton Cup playoffs. The 21st edition of the Tucker-Wheaton Cup saw Susquehanna crowned N.B.B.O. champions for the second time in four years with a dominant victory at New York Athletic Club in Game Five of the final, that coming after a 54-win season during which they set records for Runs (11.0 R/G) and Run Differential (+326). They are back, as are runners-up N.Y.A.C. and two other teams from last year’s field: Atlantic & Portland. In the New York League, Atlantic was able to fend off a two-pronged challenge from stalwarts Eckford and surprising Empire to take their third straight Brooklyn pennant. New York City went to a playoff for third time this decade, with N.Y.A.C. handing Union the most bitter of failures, as the men from Morrisania had a two-game lead with two left to play and proceeded to lose two straight to N.Y.A.C. at home and then the playoff, which was also at the Morrisania Grounds. Minuteman was able to overcome the loss of William Tighe, with former Nassau Co. P Frank Keeler in stepping admirably. That meant they were able to see off second-half challenges from Frontier & Utica to make it to the playoffs for the second time in three years. In the Northeastern League, it was National who became the first of the remnants of A.P.B.L. expansion to take the Coastal pennant after playing arguably their best baseball over the final four weeks of the season, beating Maryland & Trenton Utd. by 4-5 games. In the Inland Championship, Susquehanna was able to run away from a valiant chase by Lancastra to finish with the competition’s best record and earn the chance to defend their cup title. In New England, it was more of the same as a Portland team that played thoroughly dominant baseball during July, and has now finished over .500 for ten straight seasons, finished well ahead of the rest of the pack to make it to the playoffs for the sixth time this decade. Would newcomers National or 1876 champs Minuteman reign supreme? Or would the 1878 Tucker-Wheaton Cup look a lot like it did in 1877? OVERVIEW BROOKLYN – Atlantic had the lead at the start of the second half and kept it, but it wasn’t easy. Eckford & Empire were a few games behind them almost the entire rest of the season, and thanks to three wins at Empire during the final week they were able to beat Eckford by two games to take their fifth pennant. ATLANTIC KEY PLAYERS • Ben Gagliardi (SS): .340, .753 OPS, 75 R, 105 H, 16 XBH, 1 HR, 61 RBI, 32 SB, +17.3 ZR, 5.1 WPA, 3.2 WAR • Michael Jones (C): .372, .825 OPS, 72 R, 113 H, 12 2B, 1 3B, 66 RBI, 15 BB, 2.89 C-ERA, 4.6 WPA, 2.4 WAR • Olaf Sorensen (P): 23-10, 2.74 ERA, 57 K, 335.0 IP, 21 CG, 1 SHO, 1.3 K/BB, 1.17 WHIP, 5.5 WAR, 7.7 rWAR NEW YORK CITY – As mentioned, New York City was decided via one-game playoff after N.Y.A.C. won two games with their backs to the wall at first-place Union to end the season and force the extra contest, which they then won at Union. The defending N.Y.L. champions will be looking to avenge last year’s five-game loss in the cup final. NEW YORK ATHLETIC CLUB KEY PLAYERS • Manuel Romeiras (CF): .301, .753 OPS, 79 R, 104 H, 18 2B, 9 3B, 56 RBI, 23 BB, 80 SB, 3.5 WPA, 3.0 WAR • Charles Rhodes (P): 24-14, 2.29 ERA, 147 K, 342.0 IP, 27 CG, 2 SHO, 5.4 K/BB, 1.17 WHIP, 10.6 WAR, 8.5 rWAR • George Cerven (P): 20-6, 2.10 ERA, 95 K, 248.1 IP, 20 CG, 1 SHO, 3.4 K/BB, 1.16 WHIP, 6.1 WAR, 7.6 rWAR UPSTATE N.Y. – Like Atlantic, ’76 cup winners Minuteman had the lead for the entire second half but had to spend the final seven weeks fending off challenges by a couple of teams – Frontier & Utica – who were within arm’s length. They played fine baseball at the most important time, going 7-3 over their final ten games to finish four ahead of Utica. MINUTEMAN KEY PLAYERS • Jules Thomas (SS): .339, .812 OPS, 98 R, 113 H, 24 XBH, 1 HR, 74 RBI, 33 SB, +10.7 ZR, 4.2 WPA, 3.1 WAR • John Hanson (3B): .362, .850 OPS, 82 R, 124 H, 14 2B, 13 3B, 1 HR, 83 RBI, 7 BB, 5.7 WPA, 2.0 WAR • Frank Tucker (LF): .280, .730 OPS, 96 R, 92 H, 12 2B, 15 3B, 44 RBI, 20 BB, 24 SB, 3.7 WPA, 1.5 WAR COASTAL – National played their best baseball at the end of the season, going 14-7 during July and winning all five games vs Lord Baltimore during the final week to take the pennant by four games over Maryland and five over Trenton Utd. This is both their first season over .500 and their first trip to the playoffs. NATIONAL KEY PLAYERS • James Kinney (3B): .335, .820 OPS, 80 R, 116 H, 16 2B, 13 3B, 1 HR, 72 RBI, +12.3 ZR, 3.7 WPA, 3.3 WAR • Walter Little (RF): .309, .806 OPS, 81 R, 96 H, 17 2B, 13 3B, 60 RBI, 24 BB, 12 SB, 3.4 WPA, 2.3 WAR • Ben Lauppe (P): 28-12, 2.41 ERA, 122 K, 351.1 IP, 28 CG, 1 SHO, 1.9 K/BB, 1.17 WHIP, 6.1 WAR, 10.4 rWAR INLAND – Susquehanna was able to keep a fantastic Lancastra side 3-5 games behind them for the entire second half of the season before finishing with their fourth 50-win campaign in five years. The N.B.B.O.’s #1 team is looking to repeat as cup winners, and they’ll be the favorites to do so given that the N.E.L. has home field for the final this year. SUSQUEHANNA KEY PLAYERS • John Schultz (CF): .354, .865 OPS, 106 R, 122 H, 21 2B, 10 3B, 61 RBI, 17 BB, 42 SB, 4.2 WPA, 3.8 WAR • Stephen Barley (SS): .345, .855 OPS, 74 R, 109 H, 23 2B, 13 3B, 77 RBI, 16 SB, +19.1 ZR, 3.7 WPA, 3.6 WAR • William Hawk (P): 32-9, 2.22 ERA, 101 K, 345.0 IP, 27 CG, 5.6 K/BB, 2.6 K/9, 1.21 WHIP, 8.7 WAR, 9.8 rWAR NEW ENGLAND – Portland was thankful they had a lead of 7-9 games on the competition at the end of July, because Sons of the Ocean won nine straight before losing their final game of the season. That cushion meant Portland still won New England by six over S.o.t.O., their sixth pennant in eight years since the league split. PORTLAND KEY PLAYERS • Edward Donovan (1B): .341, .856 OPS, 97 R, 106 H, 24 XBH, 1 HR, 67 RBI, 35 BB, 54 SB, 3.8 WPA, 3.1 WAR • Albert Noyes (LF): 367, .850 OPS, 84 R, 117 H, 10 2B, 12 3B, 66 RBI, 6 BB, 16 SB, 5.0 WPA, 2.6 WAR • Robert Dressen (P): 22-9, 2.55 ERA, 47 K, 278.2 IP, 21 CG, 1 SV, 2.5 K/BB, 1.29 WHIP, 5.7 WAR, 6.3 rWAR TUCKER-WHEATON CUP FORMAT & NOTES SEEDING • N.Y.L. #1: New York Athletic Club at 46-25 (+171 RD) – 2nd appearance (1877) • N.Y.L. #2: Atlantic at 44-26 (+161 RD) – 5th appearance (1870-71, 76-77) • N.Y.L. #3: Minuteman at 43-27 (+94 RD) – 4th appearance (1859, 65, 76), 1x winner (1876) • N.E.L. #1: Susquehanna at 51-19 (+224 RD) – 7th appearance (1868, 71-72, 74, 76-77), 2x winner (1874, 77) • N.E.L. #2: National at 48-22 (+170 RD) – 1st appearance • N.E.L. #3: Portland at 48-22 (+164 RD) – 6th appearance (1871-74, 77) FORMAT LEAGUE SEMIFINALS • #2 vs #3; #2 seed has Home Field Advantage • HH-AA-H; day off after Game Two & Game Four LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES • #1 vs L.S.F. winner; #1 seed has Home Field Advantage • HH-AA-H; day off after Game Two & Game Four TUCKER-WHEATON CUP FINAL • N.Y.L. champ v N.E.L. champ; N.E.L. has Home Field Advantage • HH-AA-H; day off after Game Two & Game Four The favorite to lift the cup will be Susquehanna in a repeat. They had the N.B.B.O.’s best record by three games, the best Run Differential by a bit over fifty, the best offense, and the N.E.L.’s best pitcher if not the N.B.B.O.’s best. The likeliest team to stop them will be N.Y.A.C. with their two-headed pitching behemoth and their brilliant defense. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here