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

[Lord Byron]

Originally Posted by tm1681

Thanks!

I thought about doing such a thing, but logistically...it's difficult to make work with the game engine. If you wanted to make it like World War I & II where the league played on through while players volunteered to serve, you'd have to mess with the Injury File a bit and probably add in some special descriptions since it's a fictional league.

I'm pretty sure there are people who know more about that than me, although I have messed with the injury file before because there are some repeats and some that don't work right (EX: Post-consussion syndrome having zero connection to a concussion itself).

If this was five years ago, I'd try it. However, as part of the aftermath of the stress surrounding my daughter's birth that I've talked about here (Infected C-Section plus digestion issues with the baby) I'm dealing with bleeding ulcers AND now long covid while remote working part-time and being the primary caretaker for the kiddo.

It's just a question of having the extra spare time and energy for something like that. Some days I feel like it, other days...oh no.

That's OK--don't worry about it...

Like the start of this, BTW...

[a_bit_of_a_misnomer]

Originally Posted by tm1681

In the first version of this game I started back in OOTP22, the highest-scoring team actually scored TEN runs per game. However, ERAs aren't that far off modern norms because the amount of fielding errors mean a lot of runs are considered "unearned".

I have adored reading about and playing in your universe! Is there any chance you'd be able to make a quick start for the new universe? Even if I could just get the settings, I'd really appreciate it!

[tm1681]

Originally Posted by Lord Byron

That's OK--don't worry about it...

Like the start of this, BTW...

Thanks again!

Originally Posted by a_bit_of_a_misnomer

I have adored reading about and playing in your universe! Is there any chance you'd be able to make a quick start for the new universe? Even if I could just get the settings, I'd really appreciate it!

My plan is to do a Quickstart once it's 5-7 years in - probably the last year before free player movement - so the game engine has had plenty of chances to create new players and the clubs have both their Senior & Reserve rosters filled. Shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks.

I did just save the game as a Template, though.

[tm1681]

NEW FOR 1858: THE “CALLED” STRIKE!

NEW YORK CITY, March 15 (1858) – The second season of the N.B.B.O. begins in seven weeks, and with it will come a new rule: the Called Strike!

During meetings of the National Base Ball Organization Executive Committee, held over the past few days and led by Knickerbocker B.B.C. president Doc Adams, the only major topic at hand was pace of play. Agreement was nearly unanimous that the choosiest batsmen in the sport were single-handedly causing games to last longer than necessary, because of their dogged insistence that the pitcher should deliver a ball precisely fit to their particular type of swing while also taking into account venue, time of day, wind speed, humidity, and anything else that might affect the flight of the spherical object.

The solution reached by the N.B.B.O.E.C. was a simple one: let the umpire call a strike on the batter if he watches a perfectly hittable pitch sail by. There were discussions on drawing up exact parameters of a “Strike Zone” that could be enforced by all umpires, but this was where unanimous agreement broke down. Instead, a rough framework on the definition of a “hittable pitch” was reached.

Using the player-members of the Executive Committee as proverbial guinea pigs at Gotham’s Red House field, eventual agreement was reached that any pitch crossing an area of the plate within arm & bat reach of the batter is, by definition hittable, and thus called a strike if the batter doesn’t partake. What, exactly, does that mean? Again, no exact parameters were set, but loose definitions were officially put into the rulebook:

• The highest pitch at which a batter can reasonably swing is shoulder height
• The lowest pitch at which a batter can reasonably swing is roughly shin height (one foot above ground)

The inside & outside bounds of what could be considered a hittable pitch were going to be more difficult to identify since there is no set area in which the batter must stand when a pitch is delivered.

 
All the Executive Committee was able to do with regards to the left & right bounds of the area of what could & should qualify as a Called Strike was state that “Any pitch between the shoulders and the shins that the batter can swing at with a reasonable reach shall be called a strike, via umpire’s discretion, if the batter does not swing at it.”

Such a definition will leave a lot of leeway to game umpires in deciding what constitutes a strike, but with batters standing on a simple line to take their turn against the pitcher there was no other way to make the new rule without altering the Ground Rules of the sport itself. Still, the Executive Committee, including player-members, were satisfied with the work they had done, and the new “Called Strike” rule will go into effect for the 1858 season.

Will the Called Strike rule cut down the time of games? Absolutely. Will the Called Strike rule result in more arguments between players and adjudicators? Almost certainly. Will the Called Strike rule lead to changes that allow umpires to call balls faster? There was no indication of that at the Executive Committee meetings, but it cannot be long. Will the Called Strike rule lead to more strikeouts? This change was aimed at the most persnickety batsmen and, given how easy it currently is to make contact with the ball, it is again unlikely the average fan will see their team strike out more than once per game next season.

In any event, called strikes are here and they are here to stay!

[tm1681]

In case anyone's wondering, here's what the attached PDFs look like, using that 28-5 Shamrock B.C. win as an example:

[jksander]

Originally Posted by tm1681

Thanks again!

My plan is to do a Quickstart once it's 5-7 years in - probably the last year before free player movement - so the game engine has had plenty of chances to create new players and the clubs have both their Senior & Reserve rosters filled. Shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks.

I did just save the game as a Template, though.

Definitely want to try it as a quickstart when it's available Looks pretty sweet.

[RMc]

Looks great, but why not use real players? Marshall D. Wright's book, The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857–1870, has a lot of data from the pre-NA era.

Also, are we gonna get a quickstart sometime?

[jksander]

Originally Posted by RMc

Looks great, but why not use real players? Marshall D. Wright's book, The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857–1870, has a lot of data from the pre-NA era.

Also, are we gonna get a quickstart sometime?

He answered that above ... quickstart coming after he gets through six or seven years to make sure everything is working the way it should

[tm1681]

Originally Posted by RMc

Looks great, but why not use real players? Marshall D. Wright's book, The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857–1870, has a lot of data from the pre-NA era.

I've talked about this more in the mod forum and it's on the previous page, but again:

I'm currently battling bleeding ulcers - ulcerative colitis that isn't under control - because I have also long covid and the two basically feed off each other (SLOWLY geting better), and I'm doing that while working remotely part time and being the primary caretaker of a three-year-old while my wife teaches.

Energy is quite finite for me, and I'm able to do what I can because all my work is project-based instead of hourly-based. I set my own work schedule and do all this during downtime. I think I can feel confident in saying that I've had a wild three years even by Covid timeline standards.

Basically it's gone like this:

• Feb. 2020: Got a surprise positive pregnancy test even though we were told we'd likely only conceive via IVF because of an old illness my wife went through.
  
  
• May 2020: Lost 90% of my work as a sports data & information researcher due to Covid shutting down soccer all over the place.
  
  
• October 2020: Child was born via C-Section that became infected after everyone was home from the hospital. Wound had to be ripped back open an packed twice daily at home to minimize contact w/ random people during the height of the pandemic, because...well...what's an infected wound going across someone's abdomen to a virus like Coronavirus? Probably a party.
  
  
• November 2020: Child developed an issue where she spat up after every other feeding - was bad enough to need Pediatric intervention. In the meantime, I had to stay up at night to try to put back in her what she threw up during the day.
  
  
• January 2021: Wife goes back to work teaching but it's Hybrid in-class/remote teaching. Problem: she's a specialty teacher at a K-8 who basically gets to write her own curriculum, so she has zero guidance on who to modify things for a hybrid environment. Stress 15/10.
  
  
• March 2021: I start notice bouts of internal bleeding after close to six months of sleeping 3.5-4 hours (per my smartwatch) a night to make sure the child had been fed enough after all her spitting up.
  
  
• May 2021: Scope at a GI Clinic makes it look like someone had taken a scouring pad to my internal organs & labs show I'm anemic due to the internal bleeding episodes. Diagnosed as "etxremely likely case of Ulcerative Colitis".
  
  
• June 2022: I'd turned a corner - labs looked much better and last scope showed marked improvement everywhere. Then I finally caught Covid, which brought all the internal bleeding and energy issues back to step one. Because my immune system was fighting two things at once, it took me a month to recover and I got Long Covid that made it feel like my lungs were randomly on fire.
  
  
• Since then: I've slowly regained some work while also slowly recovering from the two diagnoses. Some days I feel fine, but other days I barely want to move.

It's been...quite interesting.

[tm1681]

NEW FACES FOR YEAR TWO OF THE N.B.B.O.

NEW YORK CITY, May 4 (1858) – The second season of National Base Ball Organization play begins tomorrow afternoon, and with that brings the end of the sport of base ball’s first offseason. There wasn’t much in the way of player movement from club to club, but every club brought in new players – either young prospects recently finished with school or locals & immigrants from lesser-known teams who made the grade during preseason training.

Below are ten newcomers who Northeastern base ball writers expect to have a major impact over the upcoming season. (Ratings shown in 20/80 Scale & in CURRENT/POTENTIAL format)

ANDERSON MacGYVER – 2B, St. John’s – 23 y/o, 5’7”, 155 lbs. from New York City – Grade: 5.0 stars

• BATTING: Contact 75/75, Gap 65/65, Eye 55/55, Avoid Ks 75/75
• DEFENSE (INF): Range 60, Error 60, Arm 55, DP 65
• POSITIONS: Second Base 60/65, Shortstop 55/55
• OTHER: Speed 50, Stealing 80+, Baserunning 80, Sac. Bunt 50, Bunt for Hit 40
• SUMMARY: Recruited from an informal club in N.Y.C., MacGyver hit over .400 during preseason and has the look of a player who could win the batting title in his first season. Outstanding baserunner whose instincts make a serious threat despite average speed. Defense is okay. Believed to be a hard worker and a vocal leader.

COLLIN HENDERSON – 1B, St. John’s – 24 y/o, 5’7”, 160 lbs. from Fraserburgh, Scotland – Grade: 4.5 stars

• BATTING: Contact 75/75, Gap 70/70, Eye 60/70, Avoid Ks 70/70
• DEFENSE (INF): Range 55, Error 60, Arm 35, DP 55
• POSITIONS: First Base 50/50, Second Base 55/55
• OTHER: Speed 50, Stealing 70, Baserunning 60, Sac. Bunt 80+, Bunt for Hit 80+
• SUMMARY: St. John’s signed him from a club in Boston. In preseason looked like a player who could lead the N.E.L. in both average & extra-base hits. Runs the bases well and will steal off less-attentive pitchers. Can flip a coin onto the ground and place a bunt on it. Very intelligent and works tirelessly.

 
PER-OLAF BAKKEN – SS, Kings Co. – 25 y/o, 5’7”, 170 lbs. from Växjö, Sweden – Grade: 4.5 stars

• BATTING: Contact 60/65, Gap 50/55, Eye 65/65, Avoid Ks 45/60
• DEFENSE (INF): Range 70, Error 65, Arm 60, DP 75
• POSITIONS: Shortstop 65/65, Second Base 70/75
• OTHER: Speed 50, Stealing 70, Baserunning 80, Sac. Bunt 65, Bunt for Hit 55
• SUMMARY: Was playing in New York City when K.C. invited him to preseason training. Looks like a very good hitter but could be even better. Great on defense – can cover the middle of the infield effortlessly. Great runner who will rarely be caught between bases. Only lived in the U.S. for a few years, but has adapted well.

WILLIAM LaVALLIER – OF, Utica – 25 y/o, 5’11”, 175 lbs. from Montreal, Canada – Grade: 4.5 stars

• BATTING: Contact 75/75, Gap 65/65, Eye 55/55, Avoid Ks 75/75
• DEFENSE (INF/OF): Range 30 INF/45 OF, Error 50 INF/65 OF, Arm 45 INF/60 OF, DP 20
• POSITIONS: Left Field 55/55, Right Field, 45/50, First Base 45/45
• OTHER: Speed 45, Stealing 60, Baserunning 75, Sac. Bunt 65, Bunt for Hit 55
• SUMMARY: Was playing in upstate N.Y. during the summer while living in Canada the rest of the year. Great hitter – nearly .500 the last week of preseason so he looks more than ready for the N.B.B.O. Fielding is okay – Range below average, arm decent, but at least he has good hands. Very smart baserunner.

CALLUM BARR – CF, Atlantic – 25 y/o, 5’7”, 165 lbs. from Glasgow, Scotland – Grade: 4.0 stars

• BATTING: Contact 55/55, Gap 60/60, Eye 55/55, Avoid Ks 65/65
• DEFENSE (OF): Range 70, Error 60, Arm 55
• POSITIONS: Center Field 70/70, Left Field 80/80, Right Field 45/70
• OTHER: Speed 70, Stealing 75, Baserunning 80, Sac. Bunt 55, Bunt for Hit 45
• SUMMARY: Only hit .222 (8/36) in preseason but has the defensive ability and speed on the bases to positively affect games even if he isn’t hitting well. Looks like a very rangy center fielder. Extremely good baserunner – stole five times w/o being caught in preseason and took extra bases on several teammates’ hits. Works very hard.

JOSEPH FORREST – OF, Quinnipiac, 30 y/o, 5’7”, 155 lbs. from New Haven, CT – Grade: 4.0 stars

• BATTING: Contact 75/75, Gap 60/60, Eye 55/55, Avoid Ks 70/70
• DEFENSE (INF/OF): Range 45 INF/45 OF, Error 45 INF/45 OF, Arm 55 INF/60 OF, DP 50
• POSITIONS: Left Field 50/50, First Base 45/50, Second Base 35/40, Third Base 40/40
• OTHER: Speed 45, Stealing 45, Baserunning 50, Sac. Bunt 65, Bunt for Hit 50
• SUMMARY: Was playing for a smaller club in New Haven when Quinnipiac told him to come on over for preseason. Looks like he’ll hit for a very high average and a decent amount of power. Instincts aren’t great, either on defense or on the basepaths.

ARCHIE GREEN – P, Green Mtn., 29 y/o, 5’7”, 170 lbs. from Aberdeen, Scotland – Grade: 4.0 stars

• PITCHING: Stuff 55/55, Movement 70/75, Control 65/65
• DEFENSE (P): Range 30/30, Error 30/30, Arm 50/50, Overall 50/50
• OTHER: Stamina 55/55, Hold Runners 20/20
• SUMMARY: Was playing elsewhere in Vermont before he was invited to preseason. Looks to have very good control over the ball and can do just enough with it to make solid contact difficult to come by.

THOMAS SILKE – C, Shamrock, 23 y/o, 5’10”, 170 lbs. from Haverhill, NH – Grade: 4.0 stars

• BATTING: Contact 55/55, Gap 45/45, Eye 40/40, Avoid Ks 70/70
• DEFENSE (C/INF): Ability 70 C, Arm 60 C, Range 50 INF, Error 55 INF, Arm 50 INF, DP 25
• POSITIONS: Catcher 70/70, First Base 50/60
• OTHER: Speed 35, Stealing 55, Baserunning 50, Sac. Bunt 50, Bunt for Hit 35
• SUMMARY: Another Irish American for Shamrock B.C. Young but very advanced catcher who will make fewer mistakes than most. Will be a better batsman than most other backstops. Can also play first base if needed.

WILLIE SMITH – 2B, Alleghany, 26 y/o, 5’7”, 150 lbs. from Falmouth, MA – Grade: 4.0 stars

• BATTING: Contact 70/70, Gap 55/55, Eye 65/75, Avoid Ks 75/75
• DEFENSE (INF): Range 50, Error 60, Arm 40, DP 60
• POSITIONS: Second Base 55/55, First Base 45/50
• OTHER: Speed 50, Stealing 55, Baserunning 60, Sac. Bunt 65, Bunt for Hit 55
• SUMMARY: Traveled to Western PA to try out for Alleghany and proceeded to hit 18/36 (.500) in preseason. Looked very comfortable with the bat. Stealing & baserunning are above average, as is bunting. Hands are good on defense but is a little stiff, and that makes range an issue.

 
GROVER WRIGHT – P, Kings Co., 27 y/o, 6’0”, 200 lbs. from Brooklyn – Grade: 4.0 stars

• PITCHING: Stuff 60/60, Movement 75/75, Control 65/65
• DEFENSE (P): Range 45/45, Error 40/40, Arm 45/45, Overall 70/70
• OTHER: Stamina 80/80, Hold Runners 55/55
• SUMMARY: Beefy – not many six-footers or two-hundred-pounders in the 1850s, and he’s both in one. That means he has the stamina to pitch all day long without getting tired. Believed to use four different grips when pitching and has fine ability to make the ball move enough to make it difficult to hit hard.

St. John’s, the defending N.B.B.O. champions, brought in the two highest-rated newcomers for 1958 so they could have both a frightening outfield AND a frightening infield. It almost goes without saying, but they are now the obvious favorites the hoist the Tucker-Wheaton Cup again.

There is also one very interesting young player in Pennsylvania that the writers have collectively been telegramming one another about:

WILLIE DAVIS – OF, Susquehanna – 21 y/o, 5’10”, 180 lbs. from Philadelphia – CUR/POT: 2.5/4.5 stars

• BATTING: Contact 50/70, Gap 60/75, Eye 50/55, Avoid Ks 35/70
• DEFENSE (OF): Range 70, Error 65, Arm 40
• POSITIONS: Left Field 65/80, Center Field 55/65, Right Field 25/65
• OTHER: Speed 75, Stealing 70, Baserunning 80, Sac. Bunt 75, Bunt for Hit 65
• SUMMARY: Decided to play for a somewhat smaller club in PA instead of American or Quaker St. in his home city, and it looks like the decision paid off. Hit .341 with nine steals (0 CS) in preseason and was rewarded with an outfield spot and the #4 place in the batting order. Has the potential to be an elite hitter. Excellent outfielder, even with a weak arm. Outstanding baserunner.

[tm1681]

PLAY BALL! IT’S OPENING DAY!

NORTHEASTERN U.S.A., May 5 (1858) – Season number two of the National Base Ball Organization will see its first pitch thrown at just after noon today, when Sons of the Ocean visits Portland B.C. in Portland, Maine and Gotham B.B.C. takes on Mutual B.B.C. in New York City. Near the end of the preseason, the 50+ writers who cover the league and its individual clubs were asked to predict how the season would go, and collectively here are how their responses averaged out:

NEW YORK LEAGUE PREDICTED STANDINGS

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE PREDICTED STANDINGS

As one can see, after adding the two most highly-rated newcomers to the league over the offseason St. John’s B.C. is expected to be the best team in the N.B.B.O. by some margin. The writers anticipate them to score nearly NINE runs per game, with a cumulative total of nearly fifty more than any other team. Their predicted Run Differential of nearly +190 is also expected to be the best by a considerable distance. On paper, it would appear that the only way they will fail to lift the Tucker-Wheaton Cup this year is if they play well below expectations. Other than that, the main thing of note is that the writers expect all eight teams in the Upstate Championship to finish within ten games of each other. That should make for very exciting baseball in greater New York state.

Writers were also given the chance to predict who they think will take home this season’s awards, including the newest piece of hardware: the Newcomer of the Year award, given to the best player who completes his first full year of senior-level N.B.B.O. play.

NEW YORK LEAGUE AWARD FAVORITES

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR

FAVORITE: Joe Bentley – 2B, Niagara B.B.C.
SECOND: Walt Driscoll – 1B, Mutual B.B.C.
THIRD: Chester Ellis – OF, Atlantic B.B.C.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

FAVORITE: Edward Huntley – 3B, Orange B.B.C.
SECOND: Jerald Peterson – 3B, Kings County B.B.C.
THIRD: Albert Jones – CF, Knickerbocker B.B.C.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

FAVORITE: William LaVallier – OF, Utica B.B.C.
SECOND: Per-Olaf Bakken – SS, Kings County B.B.C.
THIRD: Callum Barr – CF, Atlantic B.B.C.

GOLDEN GLOVES

P: Willie Kitson (Harlem), C: John Plotts (Harlem), 1B: Albert Canepa (Hilltop), 2B: Henry Ciccone (Metropolitan), 3B: Edward Huntley (Orange), SS: William Reasner (Syracuse), OF: George Anderson (Union), CF: Callum Barr (Atlantic), OF: William Bennett (Eagle)

TEAM OF THE YEAR

P: Carl Bancroft (Utica), C: James Hoddle (Flour City), 1B: Walt Driscoll (Mutual), 2B: Joe Bentley (Niagara), 3B: Leroy Weld (Metropolitan), SS: Carl Keener (Minuteman), OF: Chester Ellis (Atlantic), CF: Albert Jones (Knickerbocker), OF: Chatham Richter (Gotham)
 

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE AWARD FAVORITES

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR

FAVORITE: Fred Fowler – OF, Massachusetts Bay B.C.
SECOND: Arthur Waltrip – OF, American B.C.
THIRD: Collin Henderson – 1B, St. John’s B.C.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

FAVORITE: William Johnson – OF, St. John’s B.C.
SECOND: Samuel Kessler – 3B, Sons of the Ocean
THIRD: Daragh Adams – 2B, Shamrock B.C.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

FAVORITE: Collin Henderson – 1B, St. John’s B.C.
SECOND: Anderson MacGyver – 2B, St. John’s B.C.
THIRD: Leslie Wolf – OF, Reading Athletic Club

GOLDEN GLOVES

P: Jonathan Case (Newark), C: Jimmy Reardon (Trenton United), 1B: Collin Henderson (St. John’s), 2B: Willard Krone (Port Jersey), 3B: Jerrick Stoner (St. John’s), SS: Anthony Mascherino (Green Mountain), OF: William Hunt (Reading), CF: James Dennard (Oceanic), OF: Lester Chadwick (Massachusetts Bay)

TEAM OF THE YEAR

P: Morton Heglestad (St. John’s), C: Joe Feuerstein (Portland), 1B: Collin Henderson (St. John’s), 2B: Daragh Adams (Shamrock), 3B: Samuel Kessler (Sons of the Ocean), SS: Albert Gore (Granite), OF: Fred Fowler (Massachusetts Bay), CF: Raleigh Altstadt (Sportsman’s), OF: Arthur Waltrip (American)

[tm1681]

BONNER SNAGS 1ST CYCLE OF 1858!

BROOKLYN, May 14 (1858) – The first Cycle of the 1858 National Base Ball Organization season has been hit by Continental B.B.C. outfielder Thomas Bonner, who did it this afternoon during his team’s 12-11 home win over Eckford of Greenpoint.

Bonner’s day with the bat:

• B 2ND: Leadoff Double off L. Chilcott
• B 4TH: 2-RBI Inside-the-Park Home Run off L. Chilcott
• B 6TH: Leadoff Triple off L. Chilcott
• B 7TH: RBI Single off L. Chilcott
• B 8TH: Single off K. Jackson
• TOTAL: 5/5, CYCLE, 4 R, 3 RBI, 11 TB

As part of his fantastic day at plate, Bonner's single in the seventh inning formed part of the seven-run Continental rally that turned the contest from 11-5 in Eckford’s favor to 12-11 with Continental on top. The result left both teams at 4-4 in the middle of the second week of the season.

Bonner's Cycle is the second in the history of the N.B.B.O.

[tm1681]

MILLER’S RECORD HITTING STREAK ENDS!

NEW YORK CITY, May 15 (1858) – Union B.B.C. of Morrisania slapped Hilltop B.B.C. of Yonkers around at Nodine Hill park this afternoon, winning 14-3 behind sixteen hits from their batsmen.

None of the sixteen hits came from third baseman Harold Miller, which was a huge surprise as it put an end to his record hitting streak of 37 games that had gone back to last season. Miller was the only Union player without a hit but he did score a run, and after the game didn’t seem fussed that he went hitless since his team won by more than ten. He came into the game so hot with the bat that today’s 0/6 lowered his average to .381 through nine games, and he’s driven in eight runs as well.

The Morrisania team is off to an excellent start, having won six of their first nine games to go to the top of the New York City Championship.

[tm1681]

GIBSON PITCHES BASE BALL’S FIRST NO-HITTER!

BROOKLYN, May 23 (1858) – In a sport where the average team is collecting eleven hits per game so far in 1858, it would seem impossible for a team to go an entire game without getting even one. However, that is exactly what happened on Sunday afternoon inside the Manor House Baseball Grounds in Brooklyn, as Eckford pitcher Henry Gibson and the defense behind held Empire to nothing in the National Base Ball Organization’s first No-Hitter!

The entire team became eerily silent in the sixth inning after they had built a 10-0 lead, because they realized there was an outside chance that the seemingly impossible could happen. Once the impossible did indeed happen, it was chaos on the field as the players mobbed Gibson on the mound.

There were two Empire batters who reached against Gibson:

T 4TH: 1B Walter Banks reached via error by SS William Gilbers
T 9TH: C Arthur Patterson reached via Base on Balls

Only one Empire batter struck out – third baseman Percy Walsh – so the other 26 outs were all up to the fielders to make. There were fourteen ground-ball outs and twelve fly-ball outs, so today’s no-hitter was a genuine team effort.

To give one an idea of just how unlikely the event was, Empire came into the game with 150 hits and a .291 team Batting Average through fourteen games. On top of that, the previous low for hits in a game by any of the 48 teams in the N.B.B.O. so far this season was three. Nonetheless the no-hitter still happened, and over two thousand Eckford fans were in attendance to see a truly amazing piece of base ball history.

[tm1681]

KUHN MAKES HISTORY WITH FIRST TWO-HR GAME!

UTICA, NY, June 15 (1858) – Another slice of base ball history was served up this afternoon in Utica in Upstate New York, when Utica B.B.C. catcher Scott Kuhn became the first player to hit two home runs in an N.B.B.O. game.

Utica won this afternoon’s contest against Eagle B.B.C. 13-4 at home in Roscoe Conkling Field and a number of teammates chipped in with multiple hits, most notably William LaValliere’s 3/5 effort with three runs scored. However, the center of attention was Utica’s catcher and his home-run-hitting exploits.

In the bottom of the fifth, Kuhn came to the plate against Eagle’s MacKenzie Anderson and led off the inning with an Inside-the-Park Home Run through the gap in left-center field. In the bottom of the seventh, Kuhn came to the plate against Eagle reliever Samuel Ramsey and hit a second Home Run over Conkling Field’s short, 302-foot left field fence to put his name into the base ball history books.

The two round-trippers were Kuhn’s only two hits of the day, and he also struck out once over four at-bats, but he and his Utica teammates had zero cares about the missteps. After the game was over the Utica team went to the nearby pub, where Kuhn was able to order whatever he wanted without having to fork over a penny.

[tm1681]

PAGE ON A RAMPAGE! 6 HITS, 3 DOUBLES!

NEW YORK CITY, June 24 (1858) – Thursday afternoon’s game between Mutual B.B.C. and Gotham B.B.C. at Red House was a wild affair. 3-2 to Gotham after three innings, the final was 17-10 to Mutual in a game that went crazy over the middle innings – Mutual scoring ten runs and Gotham five. Every Mutual starter except for pitcher Ed Bush had at least one hit, and nobody on Mutual had a better day than first baseman Clarence Page.

Page slapped his first hit right away in the top of the first inning and never stopped, going 6/6 on the day:

• T 1ST: Single off H. Nilsson
• T 3RD: Single off H. Nilsson
• T 4TH: RBI Single off H. Nilsson
• T 6TH: Double off E. Jewell
• T 8TH: RBI Double off E. Jewell
• T 9TH: 2-RBI Double off F. Miller
• TOTAL: 6/6, 3 2B, 4 R, 5 RBI, 9 TB

Page’s six hits and trio of doubles both tied New York League records, while his four runs and five RBI were Mutual B.B.C. highs for 1858. Page was one of seven Mutual players to commit errors – they committed nine in total – but thankfully it came nowhere close to having an affect on the result of the contest.

For his efforts on the day, Page’s average rose from .333 to .381 and he drove in runs ten through fourteen on the season.

[tm1681]

THE N.B.B.O. SEES ITS FIRST 1-0 GAME
AVERAGE TEAM SCORING 6.6 RUNS PER GAME IN 1858

BROOKLYN, July 1 (1858) – Since its inception last year, teams across the 48-member National Base Ball Organization have scored, on average, between six and sever runs per game. Last year’s average was 6.9, and so far in the 1858 season the average is 6.6. So, imagine the surprise of the 2,500 or so that showed up to Washington Park in Brooklyn when the contest pitting Empire against Kings County ended with just a single run scored:

Not only was a single run scored, but Kings County won the game thanks to a walk-off single by Pinch Hitter Will Simpson with one out in the bottom of the ninth. If K.C. hadn’t scored history would have been made anyway, as it would have been the first game in N.B.B.O. history to go scoreless into extra innings.

Empire was held to just a pair of hits – singles by Walt Banks & Bill Crosby – and the nine total hits was the lowest in a game this year. The two pitchers responsible for all the zeroes on the scoreboard: Empire’s Henry Harding and Kings County’s Cliff Holmes, though the two teams’ defenses were just as responsible since there was a total of one strikeout over the course of the game.

Today’s affair was a memorable one, although not for the usual reasons since the games spectators usually want to write home are the ones where both teams’ run totals are up into the double-digits.

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VICTORY WINS 19-3; WHITE SLAMS 6 HITS

BINGHAMTON, NY, July 15 (1858) – Victory B.B.C. is at the top of the Inland Championship for the second year in a row, and for good reason: offense that answers the call against teams they are superior to in talent. Today’s game in Binghamton was such a contest, and Victory responded by battering Binghamton B.B.C. by the score of 19-3:

The visitors clubbed 22 hits and leading the way was English third baseman Alistair White with six, marking the third six-hit performance in New York League history.

White’s day with the bat:

• T 2ND: Single of S. Battistoni
• T 4TH: RBI Single of S. Battistoni
• T 5TH: RBI Single off S. Battistoni
• T 6TH: RBI Single off S. Battistoni
• T 7TH: RBI Single off R. Plouffe
• T 9TH: Single off R. Plouffe
• TOTAL: 6/6, 2 R, 4 RBI, 6 TB

White’s performance moved his average up to .297 with a pair of home runs and 34 RBI on the season, while the Victory win left them 30-22 and atop the Inland Championship by two games over Syracuse.

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NASSAU CO.’s 17-GAME WIN STREAK ENDS

BROOKLYN, July 28 (1858) – In the bottom of the ninth of this afternoon’s Brooklyn Championship tilt between Nassau County B.B.C. and Kings County B.B.C., Kings Co. outfielder John Kelly hit an RBI single to win the game 10-9 after Nassau Co. had scored four runs in the top half of the inning to even the score.

The result put an end to the longest winning streak in the National Base Ball Organization’s short history, which had stood at seventeen consecutive wins by Nassau Co. until Wednesday’s walk-off loss. After a pair of losses to start the month of July, here is what Nassau Co. has done since:

• Sat. July 3rd: 9-4 win @ Atlantic – PotG: SS J. Couch (3/5, 2B, 2 R, RBI, SB)
• Sun. July 4th: 12-7 win @ Atlantic – PotG: OF J. Heilman (3/6, 2 2B, R, 4 RBI)
• Wed. July 7th: 5-4 win @ Continental – PotG: CON P J. Raisbeck (CG, 10 H, 5 R/2 ER, 5 K, 142 PIT)
• Thu. July 8th: 7-5 win @ Continental – PotG: C R. Watson (3/4, 2 2B, 1 R)
• Fri. July 9th: 6-2 win @ Continental – PotG: P F. Brown (CG, 4 H, 2 R/0 ER, 1 BB, 123 PIT)
• Sat. July 10th: 8-5 win @ Continental – PotG: 1B F. Holmes (2/4, 3 R, 1 BB)
• Sun. July 11th: 5-3 win @ Continental – PotG: P F. Brown (CG, 8 H, 3 R/ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 121 PIT)
• Wed. July 14th: 7-3 win vs Empire – PotG: 3B S. Wright (3/3, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI, BB)
• Thu. July 15th: 3-1 win vs Empire – PotG: P F. Brown (CG, 3 H, 1 R/0 ER, 1 K, 98 PIT)
• Fri. July 16th: 11-9 win vs Empire – PotG: OF J. Heilman (3/4, 2B, R, 3 RBI, BB)
• Sat. July 17th: 5-1 win vs Empire – PotG: CF W. Casilli (3/5, 2 RBI, SB)
• Sun. July 18th: 8-2 win vs Empire – PotG: P R. Rogers (CG, 7 H, 2 R/ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 108 PIT)
• Wed. July 21st: 12-7 win @ Eckford – PotG: CF W. Casilli (5/6, 3 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI)
• Thu. July 22nd: 6-1 win @ Eckford – PotG: P R. Rogers (CG, 6 H, 1 R/ER, 1 K, 106 PIT)
• Fri. July 23rd: 9-6 win @ Eckford – PotG: OF J. Murphy (5/5, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 SB)
• Sat. July 24th: 12-3 win @ Eckford – PotG: OF J. Murphy (3/4, 3 R, 3 RBI)
• Sun. July 25th: 12-7 win @ Eckford – PotG: OF J. Murphy (3/5, 2B, 3 R, BB)
• Wed. July 28th: 9-10 loss @ Kings Co. – PotG: 2B John Ames (3/3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, SB)

At the start of the historic streak Nassau Co. was 24-19, tied with Eckford of Greenpoint for second place in the Brooklyn Championship and four games behind Kings Co. Incredibly, Wednesday’s loss at Kings Co. left them one game back in second place because Kings Co. has been 14-4 themselves since the Nassau Co. streak started.

The race for the Brooklyn Championship is now down to two teams with nine games left – Atlantic ten games back in third – but it should be quite a race to the finish.

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WILDEST GAME IN N.B.B.O. HISTORY ENDS 28-14!
NUMEROUS RECORDS SET; McKIERNAN HITS FOR CYCLE; MM GETS 9 EXTRA-BASE HITS

LOWELL, MA, August 4 (1858) – A little over 1,250 spectators in Lowell, Massachusetts went to P.T. Jackson Field on Wednesday afternoon to watch a game between Scranton B.C. and hometown Merrimack Mills, two teams simply playing out the rest of the schedule. What everybody received in exchange for their dimes was the craziest game in N.B.B.O. history:

If you’re counting, that’s 42 runs, 40 hits, 27 errors, and Merrimack Mills scoring 26 times by the end of the fifth inning. Scranton’s EIGHTEEN FIELDING ERRORS were easily the most in N.B.B.O. history, and word is the entire team threw the leather work gloves they use to field balls in the trash after the game was over. Scranton was also the first team ever to put up 10+ runs, 10+ hits, and 10+ errors in the same game. A Triple-Double, perhaps?

Where does one even begin with regard to individual performances in this game?

On the losing side, obviously Scranton’s eighteen-error afternoon must be the center of attention. Raymond Hoy, regarded as a decent backup third baseman, has had to take over for star shortstop John Nelson while he’s been out with an injury to his abdomen – Scranton doesn’t have a backup middle infielder. He’d been performing about as poorly as one would expect an out-of-position player to perform (NOTE: 3B rating is 50/80 but SS rating is 20/80) at a little over two errors per game, but on Wednesday afternoon he committed EIGHT errors at shortstop – far and away single-game records for both the position and any player. He did hit 3/5 with three RBI, but his “work” in the field more than undid any positives he brought to the plate.

Because of all the errors Scranton pitcher John Anderson, last year’s Northeastern League M.V.P., allowed THIRTEEN runs in 1.2 innings, but only two of them were Earned Runs. The eleven Unearned Runs he allowed were an N.B.B.O. record. Four Scranton pitchers combined to underhand 211 pitches to the Merrimack Mills batters, a record for a contest that did not go to extra innings.

The winning pitcher, Livingston Murphy, went 5.2 innings and allowed eleven runs, five of them Earned Runs. The eleven runs he allowed was its own record for runs allowed in a win. Since Scranton committed a never-before-seen amount of fielding blunders, the fact that two Merrimack Mills players – 3B Lee Humphreys & CF Charles McKiernan – each committed three errors will mercifully be forgotten. Almost lost in the focus on defensive futility seen over the course of the afternoon was the fact that Merrimack Mills center fielder Charles McKiernan hit the fourth Cycle in N.B.B.O. history. His day at the plate:

• B 1ST: RBI Double off J. Anderson
• B 2ND: Leadoff Single off J. Anderson
• B 2ND: Flyout to Center Field
• B 4TH: RBI Triple off N. Blach
• B 5TH: 2-Run Inside-the-Park Home Run off N. Blach
• B 5TH: RBI Double off N. Blach
• B 7TH: Removed for Pinch Hitter

There were too many standout batting performances to describe in full, so it would be better to simply list them all:

• MM: Charles McKiernan (CF, PotG) – 5/6, CYCLE (2 2B, 3B, HR), 4 R, 5 RBI, SB, 12 TB
• MM: Ollie Reeder (C) – 4/7, 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI
• MM: Charlie Garrett (2B) – 3/6, 2B, 4 R, 5 RBI
• MM: Lester Humphreys (3B) – 2/6, 4 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB
• MM: Lewis Knott (1B) – 2/6, 3 R, 2 RBI
• SCR: Allen Friedman (CF) – 3/4, 2B, 3B, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 SB
• SCR: Lou Springer (1B) – 2/6, 1 R, 4 RBI

To say that everyone in attendance got more than their dime’s worth in terms of entertainment might be the understatement of the year. It will likely be quite some time before the Northeastern baseball community sees another contest like this one.