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

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LAW CRACKS 5 HITS & DRIVES IN 5 VS SYRACUSE
SYRACUSE SCORES IN EVERY INNING TO BEAT MINUTEMAN BY A DOZEN

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (May 30, 1867) – Syracuse BBC made light work of visiting Minuteman at the Salina Street grounds, scoring in each of their eight times to bat to win by twelve runs and bring both teams’ records to an even 11-11:

Minuteman offered up almost no resistance in the contest, with the hosts scoring multiple runs in each of the first seven innings before adding one more in the 8th for the proverbial cherry on top. Player of the Game honors went to CF Carson Law, whose outstanding performance saw him collect five hits & RBI each:

• B1: 1-run Single b/w SS & 3B off A. Richardson (SB, Run)
• B2: Fly Out to SS off A. Richardson
• B4: 2-run Single to CF off A. Richardson (Run)
• B5: Single to CF off T. Watkins
• B7: 1-run Double past 3B off T. Watkins (Run)
• B8: 1-run Single past 2B off T. Watkins
• TOTAL: 5/6, 2B, 3 R, 5 RBI, SB, 6 TB, 92 GMSC

Through 22 games Law is on pace to have his best campaign since his debut season in the NBBO, when he set the single-season RBI record with 90. Law is batting .392 with an OPS of .954 while he has tallied 23 runs, 17 RBI, and 12 steals.

Minuteman & Syracuse are two of four 11-11 teams in Upstate, and the entire region has a four-game spread from 1st to 8th.

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PIONEER SENDS SCRANTON TO THE SCRAPHEAP
SPRINGFIELD BOYS SCORE MORE THAN TWO DOZEN RUNS ON MEMORABLE DAY

SPRINGFIELD, MASS. (June 8, 1867) – Pioneer BC, last place in the Inland Championship each of the past two seasons, have made a surprisingly strong start to this season, and they continued that form in spectacular fashion on Saturday:

Pioneer’s 23-run demolition of visiting Scranton represented the largest margin of victory in the NBBO so far in 1867, and there was no shortage of players to thank for the result.

• Sylvester Grimard (P): CG, 1 ER, 3/4, 3 R, 4 RBI
• Lionel Gray (3B): 4/5, 2 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB
• Michail Darsigov (C): 3/4, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB
• Percy Koch (RF): 3/6, 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI
• Reardon Armstrong (LF): 4/6, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB
• Frank Thomas (SS): 2/5, 4 R, RBI, 2 BB

Still, there was one Pioneer star who shone brighter than the others, and that was 2B Michael Joyce:

• B1: Reached via Error by SS C. Milne (Run)
• B3: Double to LCF off A. Forman (Run)
• B4: Triple to CF off F. Ballard (Run)
• B4: 1-run Double to RF off V. Wilkes (Run)
• B5: Single past 2B off V. Wilkes (Run)
• B7: Single to CF off J. O’Connor (Run)
• B8: Fly Out to CF off J. O’Connor
• TOTAL: 5/7, 2 2B, 3B, 6 R, RBI, 9 TB, 81 GMSC

The massive victory moved Pioneer to 16-13, good for third place in the Inland Championship as they near the end of Week Six of the 1867 season. That is a lofty perch for the Pioneer, which has not finished better than 5th since 1860. Their recruitment of 5x All-Star Declan Brice and three quality newcomers – Armstrong, Gray, & Koch – has been a boon to the team’s fortunes, and with the team in the top third of the NEL in both Runs and Runs Allowed, it looks as if Pioneer’s fine run of form should continue.

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ST. JOHN’S SETS RECORDS AT QUINNIPIAC
STJ RECORDS LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY IN NBBO HISTORY; THREE BATSMEN HAVE 5+ RBI

NEW HAVEN, CONN. (June 14, 1867) – The first game of the series between New England’s top two teams was a close one, with Quinnipiac beating St. John’s 8-7 thanks to a 9th inning rally. The second game was a 10-2 St. John’s rout to even the series. Given the strength of the teams, the third game of the series almost defied both belief and description:

Incredibly, this was nothing more than a close 1-0 contest after three innings, but in the middle of the game St. John’s ripped Quinnipiac apart. Their 27-run margin of victory set a new NBBO record for single-game domination.

It should be noted that St. John’s received plenty of help from their hosts, as Quinnipiac pitchers walked eight batsmen and their fielders committed ten errors, with SS Roy Vreeken tallying five miscues by himself. Both of Quinnipiac’s regular pitchers – William Crane & Charles Darnell – took part in the record-setting loss. Crane (11-5, 3.12) pitched for 4.2 innings, allowing 10 runs (5 earned) on ten hits and two walks. Darnell (3-6, 3.84) entered for Crane and only lasted 2.0 innings, allowing 12 runs (2 earned) on seven hits while walking four St. John’s batsmen. Little-used P Samuel Baker then came in just to pull the team through to the end of the game, but he struggled as well.

There were three standout players for St. John’s here. First was 2B Thomas DiMola, who was 3/7 with a double, triple, three runs, and five RBI. Second was 1B Collin Henderson, who was 3/6 with two runs and six RBI. Third was Player of the Game Nelson Townsend, who battered Quinnipiac pitching:

• T1: Double to LCF off W. Crane (CS)
• T3: Single to LCF off W. Crane
• T5: Single b/w 1B & 2B off W. Crane (Run)
• T5: 1-run Single b/w 1B & 2B off C. Darnell (Run)
• T6: 3-RUN HOME RUN (Inside Park) to RCF off C. Darnell
• T7: 2-run Single past 1B off S. Baker (Run)
• T9: Reached via Base on Balls by S. Baker (Run)
• TOTAL: 6/6, 2B, HR, 5 R, 6 RBI, BB, 10 TB, 135 GMSC

Townsend’s was the performance of the season by a batsman; a simply amazing piece of work undertaken in New Haven.

There was another piece of history made during the afternoon. St. John’s CF and leadoff man William Johnson opened the game with a single but after that he was walked by Quinnipiac pitchers in each of his last five plate appearances, in the process becoming the first player in NBBO history to draw five Bases on Balls in a single game.

The victory, aside from bring an extraordinary event, moved St. John’s three games ahead of #2 Quinnipiac in the New England Championship.

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THE 1867 SEASON: THE HALFWAY POINT
KNICKERBOCKER BEST IN NBBO; ST. JOHN’S BEST IN NEL; THREE IN NEL BATTING .425 OR BETTER

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (June 17, 1867) – Half of the National Base Ball Organization schedule for 1867 has been completed.

So far this season the NBBO has remained top-heavy, but the regional championships are collectively closer than they were last year. One looks like it has all but been decided, two more have gaps of 4-5 games between 1st & 2nd place, and the other three have teams 1-2 games behind the leader.

Offense in the NYL is close to where it was last year, while the NEL has seen a notable increase in runs, average, and OPS – not a surprise given that the NEL now has thirteen of the top fifteen batsmen in the sport according to the Writers Pool.

James Burke has been every bit as good as advertised during his debut season with Shamrock, while five-star Niagara newcomer Monroe Munson has proven to be the #1 pitcher they needed even if results have been disappointing. Other newcomers, such as Gerhard Berg (1B, S.o.t.O.) and Harvey O’Donnell (C, CAN) have been outstanding.

Three players in the NEL are batting .425 or better, the NYL has the ERA, Strikeout, and Pitching WAR leaders, and it will be interesting to see if these trends – the NEL being the batting league and the NYL being the pitching/defense league – continue over the second half of the season.

Here are the leaders of the six regional championships:

• Brooklyn: Excelsior at 24-11 (+78 Run Differential)
• N.Y.C.: Knickerbocker at 28-7 (+128 RD)
• Upstate: Syracuse at 23-12 (+34 RD)
• Coastal: Shamrock at 24-11 (+114 RD)
• Inland: Alleghany at 22-13 (+72 RD)
• New England: St. John’s at 25-10 (+121 RD)

General observations from the first half of the season, via the Writers Pool:

• Excelsior is on top of Brooklyn thanks to Jim Creighton, who might be having his greatest season. He is 14-7 with a 1.90 ERA, 55 Strikeouts, 4.6 Pitching WAR, a .380 Average, .918 OPS, and 1.2 Batting WAR. No other Excelsior player is batting over .320, and #2 pitcher Frank Huth has a 4.81 ERA.

Kings County is a game behind thanks to their revamped lineup. New RF James Hoyt is batting .315, new 2B Rossano Bessi is at .317, returned SS Per-Olaf Bakken is hitting .360 (1.5 WAR), newcomer 3B Leen van Rooij has 33 RBI, and fellow newcomer Alex Leininger (CF) is batting .354. They also have a #3-4 combo in Cormack Alexander & Carlton McShane who are batting .394 & .373.

• New York City looks like it is already over. While Knickerbocker did lose their first game against Mutual to end their 17-game winning streak and 19-1 start, they are an NBBO-best 28-7 with a +128 Run Differential that is on pace to better that of the 1859 St. John’s team. Knickerbocker leads the NYL in nearly every notable batting category that does not involve baserunning, and their only sub-300 batter is defensive specialist Jacob Johnson (2B). 3B Jerald Peterson is batting .382, while SS Edward Huntley is batting .356 an on pace to have a record-tying WAR of 5.8.

• Upstate, as always, is competitive and arguably strange. Syracuse is 9-1 over their last ten, but their 23-12 record is due to the same tricks they were pulling off last year. Syracuse is 3-0 in extra-inning games and 9-2 in one-run games, both marks best in the NBBO. Their Run Differential of +34 is easily the lowest of the six regional leaders.

If Upstate was sorted by Run Differential, the standings would be Syracuse in 1st, followed by Flour City, Binghamton, Minuteman, Utica, Niagara, Eagle, & Victory. Instead, Eagle is tied for 2nd and Flour City is 5th. The smallest clubs in the region, Binghamton & Eagle, are the two closest to Syracuse. Nothing is never normal in Upstate N.Y.

• Shamrock’s offense is only 11th out of 24 in the NEL (7.6 R/G), but they are allowing just 4.3 runs per game, a full run and a half less than any other team and a rate that would break the 1865 Knickerbocker team’s record. Still, Shamrock is in a dogfight with American because the Philadelphians boast a team batting average of .321 – 2nd in the NEL – and they have two players – 1B William Busby & 3B Werner Verstegen – batting over .400.

The rest of Coastal is a tightly-packed group of six teams and, shockingly eight-time bottom dwellers Olympic currently find themselves in 3rd place, although that could easily change.

• Alleghany is once again leading Inland with solid overall play – 4th in the NEL in Runs Scored and tied for 4th in Runs Allowed. They have been led by the devastating Royal Altman – more on him later – but 3B Samuel Kessler is batting .399 while 2B Arran Duffy & CF Arthur Waltrip are batting around .350.

There are two teams within a couple of games of Alleghany, just not the ones expected in preseason. Pioneer has shot up from consecutive last-place finishes thanks to the combination of former Kings Co. CF Declan Brice and a bunch of talented newcomers. It was thought Lake Erie would have a down year, but CF Franklin Petty has been brilliant, 2B James Caldwell is batting .340, and #1 P Bubba Mack has 12 wins.

• St. John’s is keeping the rest of New England at arm’s length with an offense that has a chance to become the first to score ten runs per game for an entire season. The legendary OF trio of Jensen, Johnson, & Townsend are all batting well over .300, with Nelson Townsend leading the way at .381. Jensen has 25 steals and a .471 on-base, while Johnson has drawn 28 bases on balls.

Sons of the Ocean are surprisingly four games back after losing both Albert Gore and Jerald Peterson, thanks largely to newcomer 1B Gerhardt Berg putting up one of the best debut seasons ever to this point. Quinnipiac is a handful of games behind because they are receiving fine contributions from numerous players – P William Crane (11-6, 3.40), 2B Ernest Lewis (.374, 1.5 WAR), SS Roy Vreeken (34 RBI), and OF Graeme Peel (.344, 34 SB, 1.4 WAR)

• James Burke has been every bit as good as advertised in Boston. Given his home park he would be a .400 hitter with nearly every other team, but he is still batting .392 with 52 runs, 28 RBI, 22 steals, 2.2 WPA, and 1.8 WAR. Monroe Munson, the five-star newcomer pitcher has been good for Niagara, going 11-8 with a 3.07 ERA and 3.5 WAR. Their results have been disappointing, but he has not.

• There are seven men batting over .400 at the halfway mark, all in the NEL. Three are batting .425 or better – Royal Altman (ALL), Gerhardt Berg (SotO), & Werner Verstegen (AME), with Altman & Berg seemingly guaranteed to finish over .400. Altman is batting .469 with a 1.135 OPS (208 OPS+), 55 runs, 48 RBI, 23 steals, 3.9 WPA, and 2.9 WAR – the best first half any batsman has ever had. Berg is batting .459 with a 1.072 OPS, 44 RBI, 3.9 WPA, and 2.1 WAR – a debut season that is overshadowing that of the heralded Burke.

• As great as Jim Creighton has been, there is a chance that he might be dethroned as NBBO Strikeout King this year. James Goodman is 12-9 for struggling Minuteman, but he has matched Creighton with 55 strikeouts. He also has a 2.56 ERA and 5.1 WAR, meaning he could become the first pitcher with 10+ WAR in a season.

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CONTINENTAL BEATS ATLANTIC IN 41-RUN THRILLER
TEAMS COMBINE FOR 40+ HITS & MORE THAN 25 ERRORS; RASMUSSEN TALLIES 5 HITS & 7 RBI

BROOKLYN (June 21, 1867) – The Capitoline Base Ball Grounds were host to the wildest contest of the NBBO season on Friday afternoon, with Continental & Atlantic hammering each other for nine innings:

The two teams totaled 41 runs, 44 hits, and 26 errors, with the last five innings featuring a torrent of runs.

After four innings it looked to all 2,000 in attendance like this would be a fairly normal game, the home favorites enjoying a 5-3 lead thanks to six early fielding errors by Continental. Then the offenses really let loose.

Continental scored five times in the top of the 5th thanks to six hits and four errors. After Atlantic responded with two in their turn at bat the score was 8-7 to Continental after five innings. The teams scored two runs each in the 6th before Continental scored four times in the top of the 7th – Andrew Brannon’s two-run single being the key moment – to take a 14-9 lead. Atlantic then scored twice to bring the deficit back to three runs heading into the 8th inning.

The 8th inning was the most action-packed of all. Continental came to bat and scored six runs on a combination of six hits, five fielding errors, two stolen bases, and a passed ball. The score now 20-11, Atlantic responded with seven runs on just four hits as Continental pitchers hit one batsman, sent three more to first base via balls, and let runners take bases twice on wild pitches. Continental then scored three times in the top of the 9th to seal the victory.

There were many notable performers on this day, but Player of the Game honors went to Continental OF Bryn Rasmussen:

• T1: 1-run Double to LCF off R. Newbold
• T3: 1-run Ground Out to 1B off R. Newbold
• T5: 1-run Single to LF off R. Newbold (Run)
• T6: 1-run Double to LCF off R. Newbold (Run)
• T7: 1-run Single b/w 1B & 2B off W. White
• T8: 1-run Ground Out to 2B off B. Chastain
• T9: 1-run Single to RF off B. Chastain (Run)
• TOTAL: 5/7, 2 2B, 3 R, 7 RBI, 7 TB, 102 GMSC

Aside from his five hits in seven RBI, Rasmussen produced a historical oddity in that he was the first player in NBBO history to drive in runs in seven different plate appearances in the same game.

At the other end of the performance spectrum was the Atlantic defense, which committed a team record sixteen errors. No fewer than eight of their players made miscues in the field, with SS Henry Fitzgerald and OF William Gentilucci committing four each. They even had a substitute get in on the act, with sub Thomas Pippen booting two balls in the outfield.

The result left both teams at 17-21, a full ten games behind 1st-place Excelsior in the Brooklyn Championship.

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NETTLES COMPLETES NBBO’S 4TH NO-HITTER
S.O.T.O. PITCHER’S FEAT IS FIRST IN FIVE YEARS & SECOND OF NETTLES’ CAREER

NEW BEDFORD, MASS. (June 22, 1867) – The diehard fans of the Sons of the Ocean were treated to base ball history on Saturday afternoon in their team’s ten-run victory over visiting Quinnipiac:

In the 11-1 win, pitcher Harry Nettles authored the fourth No-Hitter in the history of the NBBO and its first in five years.

This was the first no-hitter in which the victims scored runs, as the top of the 2nd saw Quinnipiac send a runner across home plate thanks to an error, passed ball, a sacrifice bunt, and a sacrifice fly – the ultimate in small ball.

Aside from the 2nd inning hiccup it was smooth sailing for S.o.t.O., and Nettles sealed the no-no with a six-pitch finale in the top of the 9th. The crowd gave a standing ovation, and celebrations commenced on the field at New Bedford Commons.

Harry Nettles does not look like a historically-gifted pitcher at first glance. He has a three-star rating from the Writers Pool, has never made an All-Star Game, has won twenty games once in his five NBBO seasons, and is S.o.t.O.’s #2 pitcher behind former Green Mountain ace Ben Bailey. Yet, incredibly this was the second no-hitter of Nettles’ career as he was the author of the NBBO’s previous no-no, which occurred on August 3, 1862, when he was pitching for Empire BBC against Bedford during his debut season.

The list of NBBO No-Hitters now looks like this:

Harry Nettles may not have the career accolades or talent of pitchers like Jim Creighton, John McGowan, or Grover Wright, but he can boast of something that none of the three have to their name: a no-hitter – not just one, but two!

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5 HITS & 6 RBI FOR NASSAU CO’S PAULSEN
CENTER FIELDER WAS DRIVING FORCE BEHIND HOME SIDE’S DOUBLE-DIGIT WIN OVER ATLANTIC

BROOKLYN (June 27, 1867) – Atlantic BBC & Nassau County entered their tilt at the Long Island Base Ball Grounds a game apart in the standings, but both exited 18-24 (10 GB) thanks to a big Nassau Co. home victory:

It was an easy afternoon for the hosts, with the game effectively over after the 2nd inning thanks to proficient Nassau Co. batsmanship. N.C. received four hits from Cecil Walker and three hits from 2B Jesse Monroe & OF Riso Sperner, but the clear N.C. player of the game was CF Lewis Paulsen:

• B1: 2-run Single past 2B off O. Sorensen
• B2: 1-run Single past SS off O. Sorensen (Run)
• B4: 1-run Single to CF off B. Chastain
• B6: 1-run Triple to CF off B. Chastain (Run)
• B8: 1-run Single to CF off B. Chastain
• TOTAL: 5/5, 3B, 2 R, 6 RBI, 7 TB, 96 GMSC

Paulsen, in his sixth year as a member of Nassau Co., has been struggling in his first season as a member of the senior squad, batting just .191 with 12 RBI in 39 starts at CF before Thursday’s outburst. This could be the start of better things for the 25-year-old.

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HARLEM SCORES 9 IN 10TH TO WIN AT GOTHAM
VISITORS SEND 14 MEN TO PLATE IN FATEFUL INNING; 3B RAFFERTY TALLIES 5 HITS & 4 RBI

NEW YORK CITY (June 30, 1867) – Sunday afternoon’s game between Harlem & Gotham at the famed St. George Cricket Grounds needed extra innings, but visiting Harlem made absolutely sure that one extra inning was all that was needed:

With the score 9-8 to Harlem in the bottom of the 9th, Gotham C Alistair Hewitt singled in substitute Lee Kelly to even the score. As it turned out, all Hewitt’s heroics did was delay Gotham’s loss by one memorable inning, as Harlem came up to bat in the 10th and did the following:

• BAT 1: S. Keys hit Single b/w 1B & 2B off D. Flynn
• BAT 2: H. Severson reached via Error by P D. Flynn
• BAT 3: J. Watts hit 2-run Single b/w 1B & 2B off D. Flynn (R: Keys & Severson)
• BAT 4: C. Todd reached via Base on Balls by D. Flynn
• BAT 5: G. McBeth hit Single past 2B off D. Flynn
• BAT 6: G. Green hit 1-run Single b/w SS & 3B off D. Flynn (R: J. Watts)
• BAT 7: J. Rafferty hit 1-run Single b/w 1B & 2B off D. Flynn (R: C. Todd)
• BAT 8: J. Butler reached via Error by SS A. Arnold (R: G. McBeth)
• BAT 9: C. Nicholas hit 1-run Single to LF off D. Flynn (R: G. Green)
• BAT 10: S. Keys Fly Out to CF off D. Flynn
• J. Rafferty Run via Passed Ball
• BAT 11: H. Severson hit 1-run Sac Fly off D. Flynn (R: J. Butler)
• BAT 12: G. Noto hit Single to CF off C. Gegenheimer
• BAT 13: C. Todd reached via Base on Balls by C. Gegenheimer
• C. Nicholas Run via Passed Ball
• BAT 14: G. McBeth Ground Out to 1B off C. Gegenheimer
• TOTAL: 14 BATTERS, 9 RUNS, 7 H (all Singles), 2 BB., 2 E, 3 PB, 2 LoB

One of the seven hits in the top of the 10th was a run-scoring single by 3B John Rafferty, which capped off a big afternoon for the third-year Harlem player. Rafferty finished the day 5/6 (all singles) with two runs and four batted in, a performance that raised his average to .324 at the end of Week Nine of his first season as a regular in the NBBO.

The result moved Harlem above .500 at 23-22, while Gotham fell to 20-25. The win also put Harlem alone into 2nd place in the New York City Championship, but they sit a whopping thirteen games behind the seemingly untouchable Knickerbocker.

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MALONEY BLASTS FIVE HITS ON CONSECUTIVE DAYS
MASS BAY OUTFIELDER 10/10 OVER THURS. & FRI.; BELTS HOMER & DRIVES IN SIX ON FRIDAY

BOSTON (July 11-12, 1867) – The 1867 season has not at all gone as expected for Massachusetts Bay BC, as the perennial Coastal Championship contenders (6x top-three finisher) find themselves in last place with the second-worst record in the Northeastern League in the middle of Week Eleven.

However, the past couple of days have provided the team with one very notable bright spot, and that bright spot has been the batsmanship of start outfielder Thomas Maloney.

During Thursday’s 13-2 home win Maloney ran the table against Quaker State pitching:

• B1: Single to LF off L. Zimmerman (SB)
• B4: Double to RCF off L. Zimmerman (Run)
• B5: Leadoff Double past 1B off L. Zimmerman (Run)
• B6: 1-run Double past 2B off L. Zimmerman
• B8: Single past SS off P. Charles (Run)
• TOTAL: 5/5, 3 2B, 3 R, RBI, SB, 8 TB

The next day Mass. Bay beat Quaker St. 13-8, and Mr. Maloney was even better:

• B1: 2-RUN HOME RUN (Inside Park) to CF off J. Jenkins
• B2: 2-Run Single past 2B off J. Jenkins (Run)
• B3: 1-Run Single past SS off P. Charles
• B5: Single past SS off P. Charles
• B7: 1-Run Single to LF off P. Charles
• TOTAL: 5/5, HR, 2 R, 6 RBI, 8 TB, 101 GMSC

The result of Thomas Maloney’s two-day batting binge was that he had become the first player in NBBO history to belt five base hits in consecutive games. In the process, the six-time All-Star raised his average from .332 to .361 and his OPS from .851 to .926. The .332 average Maloney started Week Eleven with was the second-worst of his career, but his work over Thursday & Friday has likely guaranteed the 1865 NEL Batsman of the Year his seven All-Star Game selection.

Massachusetts Bay faces an uphill battle just to finish the season in their usual place in the top half of the Coastal Championship standings, but at least for the past two days the team, and one player in particular, has performed the way they have always hoped to.

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1867’S STAR PLAYERS NAMED
GAME RETURNS TO THE ELYSIAN FIELDS; KNICKERBOCKER TIES RECORD WITH SIX NOMINEES

NEW YORK CITY (July 15, 1867) - There are three weeks left to play in the National Base Ball Organization season, and that means that it is time to send out the rosters for the annual All-Star Game, which were finalized at NBBO headquarters in New York City this morning. Roster rules, once again, are the same as they were last year:

Rosters for the upcoming All-Star Game will be thirty men per side again this season:

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

Since the All-Star Game was held in a Northeastern League venue – Boston’s South End Grounds – last year, it is the New York League’s turn to host this year, and that means the game returns to the Elysian Fields in Manhattan. It is assumed that there will be a crowd of over 15,000 on hand for the All-Star Game when it takes place two weeks from today.

The 1867 All-Star Game will feature a record-low 22 first-timers, but at the same time a record-high seven first-year players. The newcomer who will have the most eyes on him is Shamrock’s James Burke, but there is a pair of NEL newcomers in the game currently batting over .400: S.o.t.O.’s Gerhardt Berg and Cantabrigians’ Harvey O’Donnell. The most welcomed debut will probably be that of Knickerbocker’s Charlie Greaves, who has made the ASG for the first time after spending the previous seven years as a regular in the outfield for Massachusetts Bay. Over on the NEL side, Oceanic 3B William Booth is making his ASG debut in his seventh season as an every-game member of the Oceanic lineup.

Not surprisingly, the three best teams in the NBBO dominate the rosters. #1 Knickerbocker has a record-tying six players, #2 Shamrock will be sending five, and #3 St. John’s has four whose train tickets have been purchased for the trip to Manhattan for the game on the 29th. One big surprise is that 26-29 Empire has three players going to the All-Star Game.

Rosters for the 1867 All-Star Game, with starters highlighted in red, are as follows:


NEW YORK LEAGUE ROSTERS

P: Grover Anderson (KNI/1st) – 17-0, 2.89 ERA, 16 K, 2.5 WAR
P: Carl Bancroft (SYR/4th) – 18-8, 2.61 ERA, 39 K, 5.3 WAR
P: Jim Creighton (EXC/6th) – 23-10, 1.93 ERA, 90 K, 6.9 WAR
P: Peadar Daly (KNI/3rd) – 22-8, 2.90 ERA, 15 K, 5.0 WAR
P: James Goodman (MIN/3rd) – 18-15, 2.73 ERA, 84 K, 7.1 WAR
P: Monroe Munson (NIA/New) – 18-10, 2.87 ERA, 25 K, 5.7 WAR

C: Earl Feingold (UTI/2nd) – .323, 16 XBH, 50 RBI, 0.9 WAR
C: Kenneth Harvey (KNI/1st) – .338, 22 XBH, 55 RBI, 1.9 WAR
C: Oliver Lysiak (ATL/1st) – .310, 11 XBH, 37 RBI, 1.2 WAR

1B: Cormack Alexander (K.C./4th) – .403, 34 XBH, 59 RBI, 2.7 WAR
1B: Walter Driscoll (MIN/3rd) – .330, 14 XBH, 34 RBI, 30 SB, 2.1 WAR
1B: Mario Fusilli (SYR/2nd) – .399, 23 XBH, 37 RBI, 1.8 WAR
2B: Leslie Arnett (GOT/6th) – .329, 14 XBH, 33 RBI, +12.4 ZR, 2.0 WAR
2B: Ilari Marino (ORA/1st) – .338, 20 XBH, 42 RBI, 1.3 WAR
2B: William Strausbaugh (EMP/3rd) – .298, 17 XBH, 29 RBI, +13.6 ZR, 1.7 WAR
3B: Dennis Hunt (EMP/3rd) – .342, 24 XBH, 48 RBI, 1.7 WAR
3B: Charles Schuster (FC/3rd) – .345, 16 XBH, 51 RBI, 1.2 WAR
3B: Cecil Walker (NC/2nd) – .313, 21 XBH, 46 RBI, 1.0 WAR
SS: Per-Olaf Bakken (KC/5th) – .360, 23 XBH, 51 RBI, 2.4 WAR
SS: Edward Huntley (KNI/9th) – .385, 35 XBH, 55 RBI, 30 SB, +19.5 ZR, 4.7 WAR
SS: Henry Nabors (VIC/2nd) – .315, 18 XBH, 40 RBI, 1.3 WAR

OF: Ilkka Kivivuori (EMP/4th) – .393, 12 XBH, 45 RBI, 2.0 WAR
OF: Carlton McShane (KC/1st) – .359, 31 XBH, 48 RBI, 1.7 WAR
OF: Bryn Rasmussen (CON/New) – .365, 20 XBH, 50 RBI, 1.8 WAR
CF: Taliesin Buckley (NIA/4th) – .337, 27 XBH, 48 RBI, 33 SB, 2.0 WAR
CF: Charlie Greaves (KNI/1st) – .367, 27 XBH, 50 RBI, 2.1 WAR
CF: Obelix Tsiaris (FC/2nd) – .365, 16 XBH, 48 RBI, 1.5 WAR
OF: Jerald Peterson (KNI/6th) – .372, 22 XBH, 59 RBI, 2.2 WAR
OF: Francis Smith (MET/New) – .335, 20 XBH, 44 RBI, 2.3 WAR
OF: William Sylvester (HILL/1st) – .322, 25 XBH, 41 RBI, 22 SB, 1.7 WAR


NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE ROSTERS

P: Ben Bailey (SotO/3rd) – 18-11, 3.67 ERA, 46 K, 3.1 WAR
P: William Crane (QUI/1st) – 17-11, 3.40 ERA, 32 K, 4.6 WAR
P: Bubba Mack (LE/1st) – 19-10, 3.94 ERA, 23 K, 3.2 WAR
P: Tom Ricks (SHA/2nd) – 22-10, 2.87 ERA, 31 K, 4.5 WAR
P: Thomas Smith (SHA/1st) – 15-4, 2.55 ERA, 11 K, 2.8 WAR
P: William Tighe (STJ/2nd) – 21-7, 3.97 ERA, 17 K, 4.1 WAR

C: Joe Feuerstein (PORT/7th) – .309, 12 XBH, 30 RBI, 1.4 WAR
C: Albert Goddard (SotO/1st) – .296, 10 XBH, 31 RBI, 1.0 WAR
C: Harvey O’Donnell (CAN/New) – .417, 22 XBH, 44 RBI, 2.1 WAR

1B: Gerhardt Berg (SotO/New) – .427, 29 XBH, 59 RBI, 2.8 WAR
1B: William Busby (AME/1st) – .411, 29 XBH, 6 HR, 72 RBI, 3.2 WAR
1B: Walter Dudley (PJ/3rd) – .373, 20 XBH, 47 RBI, 2.0 WAR
2B: Peter Boyce (AME/2nd) – .330, 23 XBH, 31 RBI, 1.7 WAR
2B: James Caldwell (LE/2nd) – .356, 9 XBH, 32 RBI, 1.6 WAR
2B: Ernest Lewis (QUI/3rd) – .341, 20 XBH, 46 RBI, +11.3 ZR, 1.9 WAR
3B: William Booth (OCE/1st) – .365, 28 XBH, 45 RBI, 2.0 WAR
3B: Samuel Kessler (ALL/9th) – .386, 37 XBH, 40 RBI, 23 SB, 2.8 WAR
3B: Werner Verstegen (AME/1st) – .378, 23 XBH, 37 RBI, 2.1 WAR
SS: Theodore Kohlberg (SUS/2nd) – .335, 22 XBH, 39 RBI, 35 SB, 1.8 WAR
SS: Anthony Mascherino (SHA/9th) – .361, 24 XBH, 59 RBI, +15.9 ZR, 3.0 WAR
SS: Calum Milne (SCR/New) – .355, 23 XBH, 57 RBI, 2.1 WAR

OF: Royal Altman (ALL/3rd) – .467, 28 XBH, 60 RBI, 30 SB, 4.1 WAR
OF: James Burke (SHA/New) – .397, 34 XBH, 54 RBI, 42 SB, 3.0 WAR
OF: Thomas Maloney (MB/7th) – .361, 25 XBH, 45 RBI, 2.1 WAR
CF: William Johnson (STJ/3rd) – .369, 29 XBH, 43 RBI, 29 SB, 3.2 WAR
CF: Franklin Petty (LE/2nd) – .336, 30 XBH, 58 RBI, 2.5 WAR
CF: Walter Williams (SHA/1st) – .358, 25 XBH, 35 RBI, 43 SB, 2.2 WAR
OF: Edward Donovan (PJ/2nd) – .384, 23 XBH, 28 RBI, 55 SB, 2.3 WAR
OF: Konrad Jensen (STJ/7th) – .371, 27 XBH, 65 RBI, 37 SB, 3.4 WAR
OF: Nelson Townsend (STJ/5th) – .397, 33 XBH, 62 RBI, 39 SB, 3.2 WAR


The following players will be making their first All-Star Game appearances:

NEW YORK LEAGUE ALL-STAR DEBUTS

• P: Grover Anderson & Monroe Munson
• C: Kenneth Harvey & Oliver Lysiak
• IF: Ilari Marino
• OF: Charlie Greaves, Carlton McShane, Bryn Rasmussen, Francis Smith, & William Sylvester
• TOTAL: 10 All-Star Debuts (record low)

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE ALL-STAR DEBUTS

• P: William Crane, Bubba Mack, & Thomas Smith
• C: Albert Goddard & Harvey O’Donnell
• IF: Gerhardt Berg, William Booth, William Busby, Calum Milne, & Werner Verstegen
• OF: James Burke & Walter Williams
• TOTAL: 12 All-Star Debuts

Knickerbocker, currently the NBBO’s best team at 44-11, leads all teams with a record-tying six nominees: Anderson, Daly, Greaves, Harvey, Huntley, & Peterson. Shamrock, who has the NBBO’s next-best record at 40-15, leads the NEL with five: Burke, Mascherino, Ricks, Smith, & Williams. St. Jonh’s, currently 40-15 on pace to be the first team ever to score 700 runs in a season, has the next-most with four: Jensen, Johnson, Tighe, & Townsend.

There are a record-low 22 players making their All-Star Game debuts this year, with the New York League featuring their lowest number of debutantes ever at just ten out of their thirty players. Only one of the NYL’s dozen infielders, Marino, is going to the contest for the first time, while eight of the twelve are going to the All-Star Game for at least the third time. The Northeastern League’s 12 All-Star Game debuts are the same amount as last year.

There are a record seven newcomers in this year’s All-Star Game – three representing the New York League and four from the Northeastern League. Monroe Munson, Bryn Rasmussen, & Francis Smith are the NYL newcomers, while Gerhardt Berg, James Burke, Calum Milne, & Harvey O’Donnell are the NEL’s first-year players who made the All-Star Game.

One very notable omission is that of American CF Willie Davis. In a year of historically-great performance by the top outfielders of the Northeastern League, Davis’ .335 average, 43 RBI, 24 steals, and 1.7 WAR were not great enough, and he will miss the All-Star Game for the first time after having been selected for each of its first eight editions.

The All-Star Game is going back to The Elysian Fields for the first time in three years. The fans can hardly wait, and given the increase in offense this year it should be an extremely exciting contest.

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FC’S WINTER BELTS OUT 5 HITS, DRIVES IN 7
FIRST BASEMAN PUT IN THE PERFORMANCE OF HIS CAREER IN DRUBBING OF BINGHAMTON

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (July 19, 1867) – Flour City needed a win in Binghamton on Friday to make it back to the .500 mark (29-29), and they did just that with a double-digit victory in the Vestal Avenue Grounds:

It took a little while for the Flour City attack to start rolling, but once the 5th inning began their bats sparked to life and what was a close 3-1 contest turned into a rout.

Batsmen #2-7 in the Flour City all had multiple hits, with the group being led by 1B Burkhard Winter:

• T1: 1-Run Single b/w SS & 3B off R. O’Kirwan (CS)
• T4: Leadoff Single past SS off R. O’Kirwan (Run)
• T5: 1-Run Single b/w SS & 3B off R. O’Kirwan
• T6: 3-run Double past 3B off R. O’Kirwan (Run)
• T8: 2-run Double to RF off R. Oliver (Run)
• T9: Ground Out to 3B off E. Kirkman
• TOTAL: 5/6, 2 2B, 3 R, 7 RBI, 106 GMSC

The performance raised Winter’s average over the .340 mark to .342, and his seven runs batted in put him over a half-century with 51. With two and a half weeks to go, Winter is on pace to finish the season with his best batting numbers since his debut year in the NBBO with Metropolitan in 1863.

The win leaves Flour City in 3rd place in the Upstate Championship, seven games behind Syracuse with a dozen left to play. The loss puts Binghamton in a tie for 5th with Eagle, nine games behind the leaders.

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EMPIRE SCORES 11 IN 7TH TO STUN EXCELSIOR
EMPIRE OF LAVALLIERE HAS 5 HITS & RBI EACH; EXCELSIOR COMMITS 11 ERRORS IN LOSS

BROOKLYN (July 20, 1867) – After six innings in Carroll Park on Saturday the Brooklyn Championship leaders, Excelsior, looked headed for a win thanks to their 7-3 lead over Atlantic. Then, Empire came to bat and turned the game on its head:

Excelsior #2 pitcher Franklin Leonard (6-7, 3.70, 1.3 WAR) was having a decent afternoon before the fateful 7th inning, but everything fell apart in short order:

• BAT 1: C. Barr Ground Out to 1B off F. Leonard
• BAT 2: W. Strausbaugh reached via Error by 3B W. Leone
• BAT 3: D. Hunt reached via Base on Balls by F. Leonard
• BAT 4: I. Kivivuori hit 1-run Single past 2B off F. Leonard (R: Strausbaugh)
• BAT 5: W. LaValliere hit 2-run Double to CF off F. Leonard (R: Hunt & Kivivuori)
• BAT 6: L. Bradford hit 1-run Single b/w 1B & 2B off F. Leonard (R: LaValliere)
• Bradford to 2B on Fielding Error by OF U. Schneider
• BAT 7: W. McCaskey hit Single b/w SS & 3B off F. Leonard
• BAT 8: M. Bryant Ground Out to SS off F. Leonard
• Bradford Run via Wild Pitch
• BAT 9: N. Guilford hit Single past 2B off F. Leonard
• McCaskey run via Throwing Error by CF A. Mask
• BAT 10: C. Barr hit 1-run Double past 3B off J. Roberts (R: Guilford)
• BAT 11: W. Strausbaugh hit Single to LF off J. Roberts
• BAT 12: D. Hunt reached via Error by 2B B. Lovette (R: Barr)
• BAT 13: I. Kivivuori hit 1-run Double to LCF off J. Roberts (R: Strausbaugh)
• BAT 14: W. LaValliere hit 2-run Single to RCF off J. Roberts (R: Hunt & Kivivuori)
• LaValliere to 2B on Throwing Error by OF U. Schneider
• BAT 15: L. Bradford Fly Out to CF off J. Roberts
• TOTAL: 15 BATTERS, 11 RUNS, 9 HITS (3 2B), 5 E, 1 BB, 1 WP

Leonard was not helped at all by the efforts of his Excelsior teammates in the field, who committed five errors during the top of the 7th, two of which allowed runs to score.

The key man in the Empire rally was corner outfielder William LaValliere, who had two hits and three RBI in the top of the 7th. For the afternoon, LaValliere was 5/6 with a double, triple, three runs, five batted in, and a final Game Score of 92, the second-best by an Empire player this season.

Kings County won 18-12 at Nassau County, so Excelsior’s lead in the Brooklyn Championship shrank to four games. Empire is all but eliminated from Tucker-Wheaton Cup contention, their 29-30 record placing them nine games behind Excelsior with eleven left to play.

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KNICKERBOCKER TAKES THRILLER OVER MUTUAL
JONES & PETERSON PUT IN STAR PERFORMANCES; KNICKERBOCKER CLINCHES NYC CHAMPIONSHIP

NEW YORK CITY (July 20, 1867) – Mutual made things exciting late, but in the end first-place Knickerbocker won an extremely exciting contest at the Elysian Fields on Saturday, clinching the New York City Championship in the process:

After scoring twice in the 6th Knickerbocker was ahead 15-7 and looked to have the win in the bag and all sealed up. However, Mutual roared back with five runs in the 7th to make a game of it before the hosts scored an insurance run and held on from there to clinch the New York City Championship with eleven games left to play in the season.

The day was dominated by two Knickerbocker batsmen: 6x All-Star Jerald Peterson and 1858 BotY & MVP Albert Jones. Peterson was fourth in the Knick lineup and did the following with the bat…

• B1: 1-Run Single past 1B off J. Davis (Run)
• B3: 2-Run Single to RF off J. Davis (Run)
• B4: Fly Out to 1B off J. Davis
• B5: 2-run Single past 2B off B. Franklin (Run)
• B7: Leadoff Double to LCF off R. Seals (Run)
• TOTAL: 4/5, 2B, 4 R, 5 RBI, 91 GMSC

While Jones was right behind him in the order and this:

• B1: 1-Run Single past 2B off J. Davis (SB)
• B3: 1-Run Triple to RF off J. Davis (Run)
• B4: 2-Run Triple to RCF off J. Davis
• B5: 1-Run Single b/w 1B & 2B off B. Franklin
• B7: 1-Run Single b/w 1B & 2B off R. Seals
• TOTAL: 5/5, 2 3B, 1 R, 6 RBI, SB, 89 GMSC

The win not only clinched the NYC pennant for Knickerbocker but it moved their record to 46-14, the best in the NBBO by four games – Shamrock & St. John’s are 42-18 – with ten games left to play. They will be going to the Tucker-Wheaton Cup for the third year in a row, and it looks extremely likely that they will finish as the #1 team in the NBBO for the second time in three seasons, an incredible achievement for the club given that they compete what is supposed to be the NBBO’s toughest region.

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DALY GOES FOR 5 HITS & 6 RBI AS AMERICAN CLUBS TRENTON
PHILADELPHIANS BEAT BOTTOM-DWELLERS BY 15 TO STAY WITHIN 5 GAMES OF SHAMROCK

PHILADELPHIA (July 24, 1867) – American BC has a number of All-Stars in their ranks – Peter Boyce (2x), William Busby, Willie Davis (8x), & Werner Ver-stegen – but on Wednesday their star player was OF Frazer Daly as they pummeled last-place Trenton United at Glenwood Field.

Trenton United started the game off well enough, going up 6-1 thanks to a five-run attack in the 1st and another run in the 2nd. However, eleven runs on nine hits by American in the bottom of the 2nd put an end to any thoughts Trenton had of pulling an upset in Philadelphia, and from there the hosts kept piling on runs until they had 22 by the end of the 6th.

American had a number of fine performances…

• W. Davis (CF): 3/5 (all Singles), 3 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB
• G. Monroe (C): 3/6 (all Singles), 2 R, 2 RBI
• W. Verstegen (3B): 4/7 (all Singles), 4 R, 2 RBI, SB
• F. Westwood (P): CG, 11 HA, 7 RA (1 ER), 2 BB, 1 K, 2/5, 3 R, RBI

…but OF Frazer Daly took Player of the Game Honors thanks to an excellent day with the bat:

• B1: 1-Run Single to LF off R. Dozier
• B2: 1-Run Infield Single off R. Dozier (Run)
• B3: Leadoff Double to RF off E. Bryant (Run)
• B4: 2-Run Single past SS off E. Bryant (Run)
• B5: 2-Run Single b/w SS & 3B off E. Bryant
• B7: J. Olson enters as PH w/ the score 22-6 to AME
• TOTAL: 5/5, 2B, 3 R, 6 RBI, 103 GMSC

The fifteen-run win kept American five games behind Shamrock in the Coastal Championship with nine games to play. Meanwhile, Trenton United dropped to 23-38, three games out of 7th and likely to finish last for the second season in a row.

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DONOVAN THE STAR AS PORT JERSEY CRUSHES QUAKER ST.
ALL-STAR OUTFIELDER BATS 5/8 WITH MULTIPLE RUNS & RBI; P.J. SCORES 14 TIMES IN 3RD

PHILADELPHIA (July 25, 1867) – Port Jersey and Quaker State met for a late-season contest at the Philadelphia Cricket Grounds with both already eliminat-ed from TWC contention. After an even start, P.J. demolished their hosts:

Port Jersey came to bat in the 3rd inning and reeled off an epic stanza of offensive work, with help from Quaker St.:

• BAT 1: E. Donovan hit Triple to LCF off L. Zimmerman
• BAT 2: J. Morehouse hit 1-Run Single to RCF off L. Zimmerman (R: Donovan)
• BAT 3: W. Dudley hit Single b/w 1B & 2B off L. Zimmerman
• BAT 4: W. Montgomery hit 1-run Single to RCF off L. Zimmerman (R: Morehouse)
• BAT 5: L. Lucci hit 1-run Single to LF off L. Zimmerman (R: Dudley)
• Montgomery to 2B on Fielding Error
• BAT 6: H. Ray hit 2-run Single past 2B off L. Zimmerman (R: Montgomery & Lucci)
• Ray to 2B on Throwing Error
• BAT 7: S. Guzik hit Ground Out to 2B off L. Zimmerman
• BAT 8: H. Bettman reached via Base on Balls by L. Zimmerman
• BAT 9: M. Hundley hit 1-run Single past SS off L. Zimmerman (R: Ray)
• BAT 10: E. Donovan hit 1-run Single past SS off L. Zimmerman (R: Bettman)
• Donovan to 2B on Throwing Error
• BAT 11: J. Morehouse reached via Error by 3B E. Schenk
• BAT 12: W. Dudley reached via Base on Balls by L. Zimmerman
• Hundley Run via Passed Ball
• BAT 13: W. Montgomery hit 2-run Double to RF off P. Charles (R: Donovan & Morehouse)
• BAT 14: L. Lucci reached via Error by 1B R. Masters
• BAT 15: H. Ray hit 1-Run Ground Out to 3B (R: Montgomery)
• Dudley Run via Passed Ball
• BAT 16: S. Guzik reached via Base on Balls by P. Charles
• BAT 17: H. Bettman hit 1-Run Single to CF off P. Charles (R: Lucci)
• Bettman to 2B on Fielding Error
• BAT 18: M. Hundley reached via Base on Balls by P. Charles
• BAT 19: E. Donovan reached via Error by 3B E. Schenk (R: Guzik)
• BAT 20: J. Morehouse hit Fly Out to C off P. Charles
• TOTAL: 20 Batters, 14 Runs, 10 H (2B, 3B), 7 E, 2 PB, 4 BB

Seven errors, four bases on balls, and a pair of passed balls represent no less than thirteen mistakes by Quaker State in the top of the 3rd, the most unforced errors anybody can remember seeing a team make in one half-inning of an NBBO game.

The length of Port Jersey’s turn to bat in the 3rd allowed Ed Donovan to reach base three times, part of an excellent day:

• T1: Double past 1B off L. Zimmerman (Run)
• T3: Leadoff Triple to LCF off L. Zimmerman (Run)
• T3: 1-Run Single past SS off L. Zimmerman (Run)
• T3: Reached via run-scoring Error by 3B E. Schenk
• T5: 2-Run Single to CF off P. Charles (Run)
• T6: Single past SS off A. Nagy (Run)
• T7: 1-run Sac Fly to RF
• T9: Reached via run-scoring Error by SS E. Ehnot
• TOTAL: 5/8, 2B, 3B, 5 R, 4 RBI, 8 TB, 91 GMSC

Donovan’s day with the bat raised his average to .401 with a week and a half of game action left.

It has been another middling season for Port Jersey, but this afternoon was an afternoon to remember.

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MALONEY POUNDS OUT 5 HITS & 5 RBI IN MASS BAY WIN
7X ALL-STAR CLUBS THREE EXTRA-BASE HITS IN TEN-RUN VICTORY OVER NEWARK

BOSTON (July 27, 1867) – Massachusetts Bay is trying as hard as they can to avoid their first-ever last-place finish in the Coastal Championship – their worst finish is 6th – and they came closer to guaranteeing it with a big home win over Newark:

Visiting Newark was ahead 6-5 after the end of the 3rd but Mass Bay broke the game in the middle innings, outscoring Newark 10-2 to take a 15-8 lead into the late stages before gliding home with the victory.

As has happened many times this month, Mass Bay’s key player was 7x All-Star outfielder Thomas Maloney:

• B1: Single past 2B off C. Beck
• B2: 2-run Single to CF off C. Beck
• B4: Double to CF off C. Beck (Run)
• B5: Reached via Base on Balls by L. Ewing (Run)
• B6: 2-run Triple past 1B off L. Ewing
• B8: 1-run Triple to RCF off A. O’Grady (Run)
• TOTAL: 5/5, 2B, 2 3B, 3 R, 5 RBI, BB, 101 GMSC

Maloney’s performance raised his average over .360 for the first time all season, to .364. For the month of July Maloney is batting an absurd .471 with 30 runs, 24 RBI, and an OPS of roughly 1.200 in just 21 games.

The result left the team four games clear of last-place Trenton United with six remaining. Massachusetts Bay still has a chance to finish as high as 3rd in the Coastal Championship, and if Thomas Maloney continues to bat like he has over the past four weeks, for all of the team’s early struggles, then a top-three finish is possible.

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FOUR TEAMS A GAME APART IN INLAND WITH 5 TO PLAY
ALLEGHANY, LAKE ERIE, PIONEER, & SUSQUEHANNA FIND THEMSELVES IN A BRAWL TO THE END

ERIE, PA., PITTSBURGH, SPRINGFIELD, MASS., & WILKES-BARRE, PENN. (July 29, 1867) – Recent seasons in the NBBO have been dominated by top-heavy regional championships that have been clinched with a week or more to go, but this year’s Inland Championship is providing some of the old drama that many of the regions used to see on an annual basis.

With one week left to play, the Inland Championship standings look like this:

Never has a regional championship been this close going into Week Fourteen. At the start of the month Alleghany was clear atop Inland by three games, but thanks to questionable pitching the four teams were just three games apart on the 15th. Since then, the gaps between the four have tightened even further to the miniscule point they are at today.

Alleghany has been led by Royal Altman, who at .446 looks likely to break Cormack Alexander’s record for highest Batting Average in a season. Of course, Samuel Kessler (.385, 49 RBI, 28 SB, 3.3 WAR) & Arthur Waltrip (.383, 35 RBI, 2.6 WAR) are also having brilliant seasons.

Pioneer finished in last in 1866 and does not have Alleghany’s star power, but they have been led by Kings County import & 5x All-Star CF Declan Brice (.359, 39 RBI, 29 SB, 2.4 WAR) and P Thomas Paddock (22-17, 2.97, 24 K, 4.9 WAR).

Lake Erie has three All-Stars this year: 2B James Caldwell (.361, 40 RBI, 2.1 WAR), CF Franklin Petty (.330, 67 RBI, 2.9 WAR), and P Bubba Mack (23-12, 3.92, 3.7 WAR), who will unfortunately miss the final week due to a wrist injury.

Susquehanna has been led by repeat All-Star SS Thomas Kolberg (.318, 44 RBI, 41 SB, 2.1 WAR), but OF Thomas German (.343, 57 RBI, 30 SB, 1.6 WAR) and P Elmer Seabold (20-17, 3.48, 99 K, 5.8 WAR) have also excelled.

The Week Fourteen schedule for the four teams looks like this: leaders Alleghany will be playing five games at Sportsman’s, Pioneer and Lake Erie will play five games against each other at the Tenth Street Grounds in Erie, and Susquehanna will be at home for five games against Merrimack Mills.

Based on the schedule, Susquehanna has the advantage because Merrimack is 28-37 and 11-19 away from home. Alleghany will be playing a 32-33 Sportsman’s team that is always tough at home. Pioneer did take 4/5 games in their earlier series against Lake Erie, but that was at home so there is always the chance the reverse could happen this week.

Regardless of what happens, it will be a memorable end to the 1867 Inland Championship. Either Alleghany will win it for the third year in a row, Pioneer will complete a historic “Worst to First” run, Lake Erie will finally finish on top after being on bottom in six of the competition’s first seven seasons, or Susquehanna will make the TWC for the first time after being Inland Championship bridesmaids three times.

Here’s to late-season base ball!

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NEL’S 9TH-INNING RALLY WINS ALL-STAR GAME
LAKE ERIE 2B CALDWELL TAGS GAME-WINNING HIT; CANTABRIGIAN C O’DONNELL IS MVP

MANHATTAN (July 29, 1867) – Facing a 5-4 deficit going into the top of the 9th inning in the annual Midsummer Classic, the batsmen of the Northeastern League came through and powered the NEL to victory in the Elysian Fields:

In the bottom of the 7th, a single by Metropolitan OF Francis Smith drove in Flour City 3B Charles Schuster to put the New York League up 5-3. The NEL responded in the top of the 8th with a sacrifice fly by Port Jersey 1B Walter Dudley to bring the score to 5-4. That was where the score stood when Knickerbocker #1 Peadar Daly took the ball to start the 9th.

What followed was a heroic NEL rally. American 3B Werner Verstegen led off the 9th with a single, Port Jersey OF Edward Donovan reached via error, Susquehanna SS Theo Kolberg laid down a bunt single, and Shamrock OF James Burke hit a sac fly to bring home Oceanic’s William Booth, who was running for Verstegen. The score now tied, Lake Erie 2B James Caldwell hit a single to drive in Donovan and give the NEL a 6-5 lead. After a passed ball allowed Kolberg to score, Scranton SS Calum Milne doubled in Caldwell to make the score 8-5 in favor of the NEL.

The four runs in the top of the 9th were more than enough for the visitors. The NYL came to bat in the bottom of the 9th and scored via a passed ball, but that was all they could muster and the NEL had officially taken their revenge for last year’s 16-10 loss in Boston.

All-Star Game MVP honors went to Cantabrigians C Harvey O’Donnell, who was 2/2 with the bat including a double, two runs, and one RBI while catching the first five innings. He is the first MVP to come from a last-place team.

Attendance at the Elysian Fields was more than 15,000, with the now second-largest venue in the NBBO once again showing itself to be an excellent host for the All-Star Game festivities.

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ALLEGHANY RUNS RIOT IN 26-2 WIN AT SPORTSMAN’S
ALTMAN GOES 6/7 WITH 6 R & 5 RBI; KESSLER ADDS FIVE hits; WALTRIP belts GRAND SLAM

FALL RIVER, MASS. (Aug. 2, 1867) – After losing 9-2 on Thursday and falling back into a tie with Pioneer atop Inland, Alleghany knew they needed a positive result at Sportsman’s on Friday and they did just that in spectacular fashion:

The men from Pittsburgh started the scoring early and never stopped. They were up 3-0 after the 1st, 6-2 after the 3rd, 8-2 after the 4th, and 16-2 after the end of the 7th inning before piling on ten more runs for good measure.

The star performer for Alleghany in this game was the man certain to repeat as NEL Batsman of the Year, Royal Altman:

• T1: Single b/w SS & 3B off J. Marks (SB, Run)
• T3: 1-run Double to RCF off J. Marks (Run)
• T4: 1-run Double to RCF off J. Marks (Run)
• T6: 1-run Double to LCF off J. Marks (Run)
• T7: 2-run Single past 2B off H. Hartmann (Run)
• T8: Single b/w 1B & 2B off L. Stocks (Run)
• T9: Fly Out to CF off L. Taylor
• TOTAL: 6/7, 3 2B, 6 R, 5 RBI, SB, 9 TB, 121 GMSC

Altman’s was the best performance by an Alleghany batsman all year, and going by Game Score it was the second-best by a batsman in the NBBO in 1867 behind only Nelson Townsend’s effort on June 14 at Quinnipiac (6/6, 2B, HR, 5 R, 6 RBI).

Given that Alleghany scored 26 runs, Altman was far from the only Alleghany player who had a fantastic afternoon in Buffington Field. 3B Samuel Kessler was 5/7 (all singles) with four runs, an RBI, and a stolen base, 1B Walt Anderson was 4/7 with a double, triple, two runs, and four driven in, and C Ben Stiltner was 3/6 with a double and three runs scored.

The real show-stopper in Alleghany’s afternoon of delights came in the top of the eighth, when CF Arthur Waltrip picked up the bat after the first three batsmen of the inning reached base and hit an inside-the-park Grand Slam over the head of the opposing center fielder. After a very pedestrian start to 1867 Waltrip has hit over .460 since July 1st, and as of the end of this afternoon’s contest he was batting .379 for the season.

The 24-run margin of victory was a bit gratuitous, but it allowed Alleghany to stay in a tie for 1st place as Pioneer won 7-6 over Lake Erie thanks to their three-run rally in the bottom of the 9th in Springfield. It will be an incredibly tense weekend.

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INLAND CHAMPIONSHIP ENDS IN THREE-WAY TIE
ALLEGHANY, PIONEER, & SUSQUEHANNA FINISH SEASON 40-30; EXTRA GAMES NEEDED

PITTSBURGH, SPRINGFIELD, MASS. & WILKES-BARRE, PENN. (Aug. 5, 1867) – Somehow, over the first ten seasons of play in the National Base Ball Organization none of the six regional championships ever needed a 71st game to decide their champion. In season number eleven that has changed, and it has changed spectacularly.

On the final day of the season, the four games that took place in the Inland Championship were as follows:

• 1:00 PM: Alleghany 12-5 at Sportsman’s
• 1:20 PM: Lake Erie 7-0 at Pioneer
• 1:20 PM: Scranton 14-9 at Reading
• 2:00 PM: Merrimack 3-8 at Susquehanna

The results left the final Inland Championship standings looking like this:





This means that not only does the NBBO have its first ever tie for a regional championship, but it is a three-way tie at that. Leaders Alleghany were 3-2 during their final series at Sportsman’s. Pioneer & Susquehanna, who entered Week Fourteen one game back, both went 4-1 in their final series, with Pioneer winning four times at home against fellow contenders Lake Erie and Susquehanna winning four times at home against Merrimack.

Pioneer are the ones left ruing their result on the final day, as they had made things look easy over their first four games against Lake Erie and had a one-game lead before going limp on the final day, being shutout at home with the pennant on the line.

With three teams tied for first place, the process for an end-of-season tiebreaker is not straightforward. Aware of the possibility of a three-way, or even four-way, tie atop Inland ahead of the final week, NBBO headquarters sent out telegrams to all teams stating that in the case of a multiple-team tie atop the standings the status of the tiebreaking games would be determined by the teams’ head-to-head records against one another.

With that in mind, here is how Alleghany, Pioneer, & Susquehanna fared against each other in 1867:

• Alleghany: 7-3 v Pioneer, 5-5 v Susquehanna, 12-8 overall
• Pioneer: 3-7 v Alleghany, 5-5 v Susquehanna, 8-12 overall
• Susquehanna: 5-5 v Alleghany, 5-5 v Pioneer, 10-10 overall

Since Alleghany had the best head-to-head record of the three they will have Monday off, while Susquehanna will host Pioneer on Monday afternoon since they were second of the three teams in terms of head-to-head record. The schedule for the next two days looks like this:

• Monday, 1:05 PM: Pioneer at Susquehanna
• Tuesday, 1:05 PM: PIO/SUS at Alleghany

After Tuesday’s tiebreaker formally decides the Inland champion, the Tucker-Wheaton Cup will begin on Wednesday.