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

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NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION JUNE RECAP

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (July 1, 1870) – The calendar has hit the end of June and that means the NBBO has played sixty percent of its schedule, with the teams smack in the middle of Week Nine. Here are how things currently stand:

REGIONAL LEADERS (42 of 70 games played)

• BROOKLYN: Atlantic at 30-12 (Excelsior 4 GB)
• NEW YORK CITY: Knickerbocker at 32-10 (Gotham & Orange 8 GB)
• UPSTATE NY: Flour City at 27-15 (Utica 1 GB, Niagara 4 GB)
• COASTAL: Shamrock at 31-11 (Mass. Bay 1 GB, Quaker St. 5 GB)
• INLAND: Alleghany at 30-12 (Lake Erie, Sportsman’s, & Susquehanna 8 GB)
• NEW ENGLAND: St. John’s at 32-10 (Portland & S.o.t.O. 8 GB)

Three regions really opened up over the month of June. Knickerbocker & St. John’s saw their teams go from tied atop their regions – N.Y.C. & New England – to ahead by eight games, and thanks to an 18-4 June Alleghany went from a game behind Susquehanna in Inland to eight games in front.

In the other three regions, two leaders have been treading water while Shamrock has taken charge in Coastal. Atlantic was four games ahead of Excelsior at the end of May, and they remain four games ahead. Flour City was three games ahead of Niagara & Utica at the end of May, and the gap between them and Utica has closed while Niagara remains three back. Shamrock went 17-5 during June to move from 3rd place in Coastal to their traditional spot: 1st.

BATSMEN OF THE MONTH

• NYL: Fred Bartholomew (OF, F.C.) – .441 AVG, 1.051 OPS, 30 R, 45 H, 5 2B, 5 3B, 0 HR, 24 RBI, 3 BB, 8 SB, 1.2 WPA, 1.5 WAR
• NEL: Nelson Townsend (OF, StJ) – .463 AVG, 1.115 OPS, 39 R, 44 H, 7 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 21 RBI, 13 BB, 28 SB, 2.3 WPA, 2.1 WAR

Bartholomew makes it two greenhorns in two months taking BotM honors in the New York League, thanks to a fantastic June for the Upstate leaders. Townsend, who takes BotM for the 4th time, set a new record with seven hits in a nine-inning game on June 19th and currently leads the NBBO in OPS with a 1.078. Teammate Konrad Jensen hit .449 during the month.

PITCHERS OF THE MONTH

• NYL: Jim Creighton (EXC) – 11-2, 2.27 ERA, 111.0 IP, 9 CG, 1 SHO, 15 BB, 45 K, 1.12 WHIP, 2.7 WAR, 3.9 rWAR
• NEL: Thomas Smith (StJ) – 11-1, 3.03 ERA, 96.0 IP, 9 CG, 0 SHO, 9 BB, 21 K, 1.38 WHIP, 1.5 WAR, 2.1 rWAR

Creighton wins PotM for the 6th time, which actually feels low for him. The 4x MVP was simply outstanding in June. Smith pitched better in May, but that 11-1 record vs an mark 8-4 in May means this is where he wins PotM for the second time after helping St. John’s take control of New England.

GREENHORNS OF THE MONTH

• NYL: Fred Bartholomew (OF, F.C.) – NYL Batsman of the Month
• NEL: Ernest Duncan (P, SHA) – 8-1, 0.99 ERA, 81.2 IP, 8 CG, 0 SHO, 3 BB, 6 K, 0.87 WHIP, 1.2 WAR, 3.4 rWAR

As with Knick’s Louis Dyke in May, Bartholomew takes GotM since he took home NYL Batsman of the Month. Had Duncan pitched more – he’s Shamrock’s #2 P – he would have been PotM. Still, he had an absurd June for the Coastal leaders.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Average: .435 by Cormack Alexander (1B, Q.S.)
• OPS: 1.078 by Nelson Townsend (OF, StJ)
• Runs: 63 by Nelson Townsend (OF, StJ)
• Home Runs: 4 by Jackson Watts (OF, HAR)
• RBI: 62 by Tarmo Kuopio (1B, StJ)
• Stolen Bases: 51 by Walter Williams (CF, ATL)
• Batsman WPA: 4.17 by Nelson Townsend (OF, StJ)
• Batsman WAR: 3.1 by Nelson Townsend (OF, StJ)

• ERA: 1.68 by Gus Woods (NIA) over 144.2 IP
• Wins: 20 by Peadar Daly (KNI)
• Complete Games: 20 by Peadar Daly (KNI)
• Strikeouts: 88 by Jim Creighton (EXC)
• WHIP: 0.96 by Sammie Cato (KNI) over 141.0 IP
• Pitcher WAR: 5.7 by Jim Creighton (EXC)
• Pitcher rWAR: 6.9 by Peadar Daly (KNI)

• Total WAR: 7.9 by Jim Creighton (EXC)
• 1.9 batting, 0.2 baserunning, 0.1 fielding, 5.7 pitching

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CREIGHTON EARNS 250TH CAREER WIN
EXCELSIOR UNDERTAKES BIG 9TH-INNING RALLY TO CARRY STAR TO MILESTONE

BROOKLYN (July 6, 1870) – Jim Crieghton passed another major milestone on Wednesday afternoon, this one being career Win #250 after he and his Excelsior teammates defeated Nassau County by the score of 6-5. It wasn’t the easiest of victories for the legendary pitcher, as it took a four-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning for Excelsior to get the needed result for Creighton to join Gotham’s Carl Bancroft as the only pitchers with 250 career Wins.

Excelsior found themselves behind 5-2 after the end of the fourth due to untimely miscues by their fielders, and that was the last of the scoring through the middle of the ninth as both pitchers had been excellent. However, John Bateman reaching on an error by N.C. 3B Cecil Walker started a furious rally by the hosts, with Ralph Hunt singling in substitute James Beam to make the score 5-3, Joel Roethlisberger scoring on a Passed Ball to bring the score to 5-4, and star CF Obelix Tsiaris hitting a single that drove in Hunt & Roger Martin to win the game for Excelsior.

Creighton was excellent on the afternoon:

• BATTING: 2/3, 2B, 0 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB
• PITCHING: CG, 10 HA, 5 RA (1 ER), 1 BB, 6 K

The only blemish on Creighton’s performance was that he allowed N.C.’s All-Star LF William Gentilucci to hit safely in his 32nd consecutive game, with Gentilucci finishing 2/5 and holding his average at an NYL-leading .410.

A summary of Creighton’s pitching career, including his 1870 statistics (46 of 70 games played):

Creighton’s 1868 season, in which he went 29-11, set numerous pitching records, and led NYL batsmen in On-Base Percentage (.463) & OPS (.977), is considered the high-water mark for any individual season in the history of the sport. Between his pitching & batting, Creighton ended 1868 with a total WAR of 13.6 in the seventy-game season.

Creighton’s career accomplishments:

• 4x NYL Most Valuable Player (1863, 66-68)
• 8x NYL All-Star nominee at P (1862-69)
• 5x NYL Team of the Year nominee at P (1863, 64, 66-68)
• 6x NYL Pitcher of the Month
• 6x NYL Player of the Week

• 9x NYL leader in Strikeouts
• 7x NYL leader in K/BB Ratio
• 5x NYL leader in Pitching WAR
• 4x NYL leader in Innings Pitched
• 4x NYL leader in Complete Games
• 3x NYL leader in Wins
• 3x NYL leader in WHIP

• Total career WAR of 90.1 (14.5 batting, 76.6 pitching)
• NBBO single-season record holder in IP, CG, K, K/9, K/BB Ratio, Pitching WAR, & Total WAR
• NBBO career leader in Shutouts, Strikeouts, K/9, Pitching WAR, Pitching rWAR, & Total WAR

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KOHLBERG KEY AS K.C. WINS AT ATLANTIC
REACHES BASE SIX TIMES & SCORES FIVE TO LEAD TEAM TO ONE-RUN WIN AT LEADERS

BROOKLYN (July 9, 1870) – Kings County kept the pressure on Atlantic thanks to a one-run victory at the Capitoline Grounds on Saturday afternoon in the fourth game of the two teams’ Week Ten series:

The key man for Kings County was Theodore Kohlberg (2B), who reached base half a dozen times, played quality defense, and was the leadoff man for the team’s three-run rally in the eighth that saw them score the runs they needed to stay in front and win in the face of a late Atlantic outburst.

Kohlberg’s afternoon:

• T1: Triple to RCF off G. Vogelzang (R)
• T3: Reached via Base on Balls by G. Vogelzang (R)
• T4: 2-run Triple to LCF off G. Vogelzang (R)
• T6: Leadoff Single past 2B off R. Newbold (R)
• T8: Leadoff Single to LF off R. Newbold (R)
• T9: Reached via Base on Balls by R. Newbold
• TOTAL: 4/4, 2 3B, 5 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 8 TB, 91 GMSC

The performance by Kohlberg was the finest in what is turning out to be a career-best season for the eleventh-year infielder. Kohlberg raised his average to a career-high .363, his OPS to a career-high .951, and he currently leads all NBBO second basemen with 2.9 WAR through 49 games.

The win moved Kings County to 30-19, three games behind surprise Brooklyn leaders Atlantic and two behind main rivals Excelsior for second place.

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MALONEY BECOMES FIRST TO 1,500 HITS
M.B. LOSES, BUT STAR LF REACHES MAJOR MILESTONE IN THE PROCESS

PHILADELPHIA (July 15, 1870) – Massachusetts Bay didn’t have the best of afternoons as they were easily defeated 15-5 by American at Glenwood Field in Philadelphia, but they were able to exit while celebrating something as star OF Thomas Maloney became the first player in National Base Ball Organization history to break through the 1,500 Hit barrier for his career.

Maloney’s historic hit occurred while he was leading off the top of the fourth inning against American pitcher Charles Sturch, Maloney hitting a solid single to center field while the score was 8-1 in favor of American.

Maloney has been one of the most consistent hitters in the NBBO since its inaugural season in 1857, one in which he was a regular for Shamrock as a 21-year-old. Aside from poor seasons in 1858 & 1864, Maloney’s average has always been between .350 & .400, he has typically driven in 50-60 runs per season, scored 70-80, and he has been a solid baserunner as well.

Maloney’s career stats after Friday’s game:

• 963 G: .358 AVG, .866 OPS, 995 R, 1,500 H, 283 2B, 82 3B, 10 HR, 771 RBI, 388 SB, 46.1 WPA, 32.1 WAR
• PER 70: .358 AVG, .866 OPS, 72 R, 109 H, 21 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 56 RBI, 28 SB, 3.4 WPA, 2.3 WAR

Maloney’s career accomplishments include:

• 1862 Tucker-Wheaton Cup winner w/ Shamrock
• 1865 NEL Batsman of the Year w/ Reading
• 2x NEL Batting Champion (1859, 65)
• 9x NEL All-Star nominee at OF (1859, 60, 62, 64-69)
• 4x NEL Team of the Year nominee at OF (1859, 60, 62, 65)

Thomas Maloney is currently batting .363 for a Massachusetts Bay team that is two games clear in first place in the Coastal Championship and looking at the distinct possibility of becoming Coastal champions for the first time after finishing the runner-up in four different seasons.

A return to the Tucker-Wheaton Cup would be a fitting end to the NBBO career of one of the competition’s most consistent stars, should Maloney move up to the APBL with Massachusetts Bay. He certainly deserves it.

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1870’S STAR PLAYERS NAMED
GAME GOING BACK TO PITTSBURGH AFTER ALLEGHANY WON THEIR FIRST NBBO TITLE LAST YEAR

NEW YORK CITY (July 18,1870) - There are three weeks left to play in the National Base Ball Organization season, and that means it’s time to name the All-Star rosters for 1870. Rules are the same as always:

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.

The game goes back to the Northeastern League and, even though they hosted just two years ago after their big venue expansion, Alleghany will be hosting the festivities again since they finally won their first Tucker-Wheaton Cup last year.

This year’s All-Star Game is not one for unfamiliar faces. There are record lows in both the number of first-time All-Stars and the number of Greenhorns named to the game, with the NYL having just four first-time nominees. The most surprising first-timer this year is Pioneer SS Lionel Gray, a career .298 hitter (.695 OPS) who has raised his average to .353 this year with an OPS well over 100 points above his career mark. While Gray is considered better as a 3B than he is at SS, Gray’s nomination to this year’s ASG is still much-deserved.

Last year’s champions, Alleghany, lead the way with five players who have been named to the NEL roster, while Knickerbocker & St. John’s, the top teams in each league, have four nominees each. This year’s big surprise, Atlantic, has two after having cooled off a bit during the month of July.

There will be six men playing in at least their tenth All-Star Game, as Willie Davis, Konrad Jensen, & Thomas Maloney are joining the 10x All-Star club with Edward Huntley, Samuel Kessler, & Anthony Mascherino.

Rosters for the 1868 All-Star Game are as follows:

NEW YORK LEAGUE ROSTERS

P: Jim Creighton (EXC/9th) – 26-7, 2.87 ERA, 136 K, 1.11 WHIP, 8.4 WAR
P: Peadar Daly (KNI/6th) – 25-6, 3.31 ERA, 22 K, 1.19 WHIP, 4.2 WAR
P: James Goodman (FC/5th) – 19-9, 2.72 ERA, 70 K, 1.32 WHIP, 6.9 WAR
P: Jonathan Jenkins (MET/2nd) – 20-10, 2.53 ERA, 21 K, 1.33 WHIP, 2.0 WAR
P: Monroe Munson (NIA/2nd) – 17-14, 2.41 ERA, 5 SHO, 1.17 WHIP, 4.1 WAR
P: James Peters (KC/2nd) – 20-10, 3.32 ERA, 37 K, 1.35 WHIP, 4.1 WAR

C: Morris Jennings (KNI/2nd) – .302, 7 XBH, 41 RBI, 2.79 C-ERA, 1.2 WAR
C: Oliver Lysiak (ATL/2nd) – .330, 14 XBH, 31 RBI, 3.16 C-ERA, 1.2 WAR
C: Everett Schreiber (ORA/3rd) – .396, 21 XBH, 1 HR, 46 RBI, 2.7 WAR

1B: Julius Bailey (FC/1st) – .356, 23 XBH, 3 HR, 43 RBI, 1.6 WAR
1B: Walter Dudley (ATL/4th) – .377, 23 XBH, 1 HR, 41 RBI, 1.9 WAR
1B: Garfield Koonce (KC/3rd) – 380, 30 XBH, 41 RBI, 2.8 WPA, 2.4 WAR
2B: Babe Johnson (GOT/2nd) – .354, 25 XBH, 47 RBI, 18 SB, 2.3 WAR
2B: Theo Kohlberg (KC/3rd) – .343, 24 XBH, 1 HR, 38 RBI, 2.9 WAR
2B: Ernest Lewis (NIA/4th) – .379, 13 XBH, 33 RBI, +10.3 ZR, 2.8 WAR
3B: Gil Cappelletti (EXC/3rd) – .329, 14 XBH, 0 HR, 53 RBI, 1.5 WAR
3B: Frank Darcy (EMP/2nd) – .332, 21 XBH, 37 RBI, 16 SB, 1.9 WAR
3B: Jerald Peterson (MIN/7th) – .363, 22 XBH, 2 HR, 52 RBI, 2.0 WAR
SS: Arthur Fisher (NC/1st) – .316, 21 XBH, 1 HR, 50 RBI, 1.5 WAR
SS: Edward Huntley (KNI/12th) – .340, 22 XBH, 47 RBI, 28 SB, 2.9 WAR
SS: Anthony Mascherino (ORA/12th) – .360, 21 XBH, 44 RBI, +15.4 ZR, 3.5 WAR

OF: Fred Bartholomew (FC/GH) – .391, 24 XBH, 55 RBI, 21 SB, 2.1 WAR
OF: Edward Donovan (KNI/3rd) – .332, 29 XBH, 37 RBI, 34 SB, 2.6 WAR
OF: Will Gentilucci (NC/2nd) – .419, 22 XBH, 1 HR, 41 RBI, 2.9 WAR
CF: Taliesin Buckley (NIA/7th) – .371, 25 XBH, 42 RBI, 51 SB, 3.6 WAR
CF: Hiram Majors (GOT/3rd) – .332, 20 XBH, 22 RBI, 21 SB, 2.7 WAR
CF: Obelix Tsiaris (EXC/5th) – .357, 23 XBH, 51 RBI, 28 SB, 2.5 WAR
OF: Jesse McClure (HILL/1st) – .389, 21 XBH, 32 RBI, 3.2 WPA, 2.2 WAR
OF: Reginald Roper (FC/3rd) – .396, 30 XBH, 59 RBI, 2.1 WPA, 2.7 WAR
OF: Clive Strachan (GOT/2nd) – .371, 19 XBH, 34 RBI, 42 SB, 2.5 WAR

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE ROSTERS

P: Thomas Bishop (OCE/1st) – 21-12, 2.99 ERA, 19 K, 1.24 WHIP, 3.2 WAR
P: James Dressman (PORT/GH) – 19-12, 2.49 ERA, 27 K, 1.22 WHIP, 4.4 WAR
P: Daniel Flynn (MB/2nd) – 22-8, 3.47 ERA, 24 K, 1.19 WHIP, 4.4 WAR
P: John Henry (ALL/2nd) – 24-5, 2.89 ERA, 28 K, 1.12 WHIP, 4.9 WAR
P: Tom Ricks (SHA/5th) – 21-12, 3.13 ERA, 27 K, 1.30 WHIP, 3.5 WAR
P: Thomas Smith (StJ/2nd) – 24-6, 2.77 ERA, 37 K, 1.29 WHIP, 4.2 WAR

C: Howard LeBouf (AME/1st) – .341, 11 XBH, 1 HR, 40 RBI, 1.5 WAR
C: Harvey O’Donnell (CAN/2nd) – .319, 17 XBH, 40 RBI, 3.12 C-ERA, 1.0 WAR
C: James Simon (SHA/2nd) – .305, 11 XBH, 49 RBI, 2.97 C-ERA, 1.0 WAR

1B: Cormack Alexander (Q.S./6th) – .413, 17 XBH, 1 HR, 55 RBI, 2.7 WAR
1B: Collin Henderson (ALL/5th) – .414, 29 XBH, 1 HR, 37 RBI, 3.3 WAR
1B: Tarmo Kuopio (StJ/2nd) – .384, 25 XBH, 1 HR, 74 RBI, 2.4 WAR
2B: Leslie Arnett (MB/9th) – .324, 18 XBH, 35 RBI, +10.5 ZR, 1.7 WAR
2B: Peter Boyce (AME/4th) – .317, 21 XBH, 23 RBI, +12.7 ZR, 2.5 WAR
2B: Everton Lyles (OCE/1st) – .343, 27 XBH, 1 HR, 42 RBI, 2.2 WAR
3B: William Dickerson (QS/2nd) – .418, 35 XBH, 64 RBI, 36 SB, 3.3 WAR
3B: Samuel Kessler (ALL/12th) – .363, 19 XBH, 1 HR, 48 RBI, 2.4 WAR
3B: Bertrand Sargent (SPO/1st) – .371, 17 XBH, 1 HR, 41 RBI, 2.2 WAR
SS: William Chapman (MB/1st) – .307, 9 XBH, 43 RBI, +14.8 ZR, 2.0 WAR
SS: Lionel Gray (PIO/1st) – .353, 14 XBH, 2 HR, 39 RBI, 1.4 WAR
SS: Gerald Strong (ALL/1st) – .283, 15 XBH, 42 RBI, +19.3 ZR, 2.1 WAR

OF: Royal Altman (ALL/6th) – .368, 19 XBH, 42 RBI, 25 SB, 2.0 WAR
OF: Konrad Jensen (StJ/10th) – .378, 16 XBH, 47 RBI, 49 SB, 3.1 WAR
OF: Thomas Maloney (MB/10th) – .358, 18 XBH, 47 RBI, 18 SB, 1.7 WAR
CF: James Burke (SHA/4th) – .369, 27 XBH, 51 RBI, 55 SB, 3.7 WAR
CF: Willie Davis (AME/10th) – .352, 24 XBH, 34 RBI, 30 SB, 2.9 WAR
CF: Ned Morganti (QS/2nd) – .365, 28 XBH, 39 RBI, 21 SB, 2.6 WAR
OF: Franklin Skaggs (MB/1st) – .371, 19 XBH, 40 RBI, 16 SB, 2.1 WAR
OF: Alfred Suber (LE/2nd) – .350, 21 XBH, 44 RBI, 17 SB, 2.0 WAR
OF: Nelson Townsend (StJ/8th) – .424, 27 XBH, 51 RBI, 53 SB, 3.9 WAR


Unlike in previous editions, starters will be determined the weekend before the All-Star Game is played.

Here are the All-Stars from the best team in each league – Knickerbocker in the NYL & St. john’s in the NEL:

• KNICKERBOCKER (4): Daly, Donovan, Huntley, & Jennings
• ST. JOHN’S (4): Kuopio, Jensen, Smith, & Townsend

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

NEW YORK LEAGUE ALL-STAR DEBUTS

• P: None
• C: None
• IF: Bailey & Fisher
• OF: Bartholomew (GH) & McClure
• TOTAL: 4 All-Star Debuts

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE ALL-STAR DEBUTS

• P: Bishop & Dressman (GH)
• C: LeBouf
• IF: Chapman, Gray, Lyles, Sargent, & Strong
• OF: Skaggs
• TOTAL: 9 All-Star Debuts

This is by far the lowest amount of both first-time nominees and Greenhorns named to the All-Star game, especially with the New York League only having four first-timers.

The following All-Stars have been nominated ten or more times:

• 12x: Huntley, Kessler, & Mascherino
• 11x: None
• 10x: Davis, Jensen, & Maloney

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DUDLEY DEPLOYS LONG BALL AS ATLANTIC BEATS EXCELSIOR
4X ALL-STAR HITS CRUCIAL HOME RUN & DRIVES IN HALF A DOZEN TO PUT TEAM BACK IN 1ST

BROOKLYN (July 21, 1870) – In the midst of the series of the season in Brooklyn, Atlantic’s Walter Dudley put up perhaps the most important performance by an Atlantic player in years as they won a close game to stay in first place:

While Marcel Bresciani was 3/5 with four RBI and two Atlantic batsmen – Walter Banks & Martin Craven – had two hits, it was Dudley’s work with the bat that won the day at the Capitoline Grounds:

• B1: 2-run Single past 1B off L. Cochrane
• B3: Leadoff Single to LF off L. Cochrane (R)
• B4: 1-run Double to LF off L. Cochrane (R)
• B6: 2-RUN HOME RUN to LF off H. Allen (R)
• B8: Line Out to SS
• TOTAL: 4/5, 2B, HR, 3 R, 6 RBI, 8 TB, 96 GMSC

The two-run homer Dudley hit in the bottom of the sixth inning ended up being the difference between an Atlantic win and extra innings, and the victory moved Atlantic back into sole possession of first place in the Brooklyn Championship.

While periodic Atlantic defensive miscues allowed Excelsior to score seven times off starting pitcher Govaart Vogelzang, former Atlantic #1 Raymond Newbold excelled after allowing two runs as a substitute, allowing just one Excelsior batsman to reach base over the final two innings to secure the result.

There are three more games to be played between Atlantic & Excelsior this week, and the outcome of the three could well determine who ends up taking the title in Brooklyn for the 1870 season.

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GENTILUCCI’S STREAK STOPPED AT 42; TIES RECORD
NASSAU CO. ALL-STAR EQUALS CORMACK ALEXANDER FOR LONGEST HIT STREAK IN NBBO HISTORY

Brooklyn (July 22, 1870) – Outfielder William Gentilucci has been a shining light in an otherwise dreary season for 19-38 Nassau County BBC, the last-place team in the Brooklyn Championship.

Going into yesterday’s game against Empire at the Putnam Grounds, current NYL batting leader Gentilucci needed one hit to set the new NBBO record for longest Hitting Streak, but he failed in his objective and has to settle for a tie with Quaker State’s Cormack Alexander for the longest Hitting Streak on record.

The .413 hitter is now part of a five-man group that has had Hitting Streaks of forty or more games:

• 42 GAMES: William Gentilucci (NC) during 1870; ended July 21st
• 42 GAMES: Cormack Alexander (KC, QS) during 1867-68; ended May 23rd
• 41 GAMES: Franklin Petty (LE) during 1869; ended July 6th
• 41 GAMES: William McQuaid (FC) during 1862-63; ended June 29th
• 40 GAMES: Henry Nabors (VIC) during 1868-69; ended May 23rd

Gentilucci has been a steady batsman throughout the entire season, with averages of .419 in May, .411 in June, and .409 so far in July. His OPS has stayed between .950 and 1.000 each month, with his extra-base hitting remaining consistent as well.

While Gentilucci made the All-Star Game last season this has easily been the best year of his career, with the eight-year veteran on pace to set a career high for average by roughly seventy points and a career high in OPS by 110. The former Atlantic man might not have joined a more successful team when he left for Nassau County two years ago, but he definitely joined one that helped him find his swing.

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VICKERS HAS FIELD DAY IN DOUBLE-DIGIT CONT'L WIN
GREENHORN HAS FIVE HITS & FIVE RBI’S AS TEAM WINS BY THIRTEEN AT ECKFORD

BROOKLYN (July 22, 1870) – Continental BBC used brilliant offensive work late to get back to .500 at Eckford, scoring no less than fifteen times over the final three innings to win by double figures:

Seven members of the Continental lineup had multiple hits – Edwin Barr (2B), Lage Barlund (CF), Robert Basalyga (RF), Jacob Johnson (SS), Bryn Rasmussen (1B), William Vickers (LF), & Roel Woudenberg (C) – and Earl Quinn (15-18, 2.42, 4.4 WAR) allowed just two Earned Runs while pitching the complete game.

It was Vickers’ performance that earned him Player of the Game honors:

• T2: Line Out to 2B
• T4: Leadoff Double past 3B off C. Zier (R)
• T6: Single past 2B off C. Zier
• T7: 3-run Double past 3B off W. Shelley (R)
• T9: 1-run Single to RCF off C. Zier (R)
• T9: 1-run Triple to LF off S. Thierry
• TOTAL: 5/6, 2 2B, 3B, 3 R, 5 RBI, 9 TB, 92 GMSC

Vickers’ day at the plate was one of the ten best in the NBBO this season when going by Game Score, and the eye test gave him extremely high marks as well, as Vickers’ swing was true and he battered the ball all over the field.

The 5/6 raised the Greenhorn’s average back above .300 to .312, and his OPS back over .800 to .805. Vickers has exactly fifty RBI, and he is tied for the NYL lead in Extra-Base Hits with 33 (23 2B, 10 3B) – a fine debut season.

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ATLANTIC SWEEPS EXCELSIOR; TAKES COMMAND OF BROOKLYN
NBBO’S BIGGEST SURPRISE BEATS CREIGHTON THREE TIMES TO TAKE FOUR-GAME LEAD

BROOKLYN (July 20-24, 1870) – Excelsior had Atlantic right where they wanted them. Even though the most important series of the season in the Brooklyn Championship was taking place at Atlantic’s Capitoline Grounds, Excelsior had won nine of their previous ten games – their last game 16-3 vs Continental – and were expected to have Jim Creighton pitch three times against an Atlantic team that had just lost three of five games to under-500 Bedford.

The standings going into the series:

• #1: Excelsior at 37-18 (+160 RD)
• #2: Atlantic at 36-19 (1 GB; +105 RD)
• #3: Kings Co. at 34-21 (3 GB; +31 RD)

Kings County was playing at Bedford, and given the gap between the two teams three K.C. wins were likely there. Based on recent results it appeared as if Atlantic was looking at exiting the week in third place after having spent most of the season at the top.

The results:

• GAME 1: EXC 7-10 ATL – Walter Dudley (1B, ATL) 4/5, 2B, 1 R, 2 RBI, 5 TB
• GAME 2: EXC 9-11 ATL – Walter Dudley (1B, ATL) 4/5, 2B, HR, 3 R, 6 RBI, 8 TB
• GAME 3: EXC 6-11 ATL – Walter Dudley (1B, ATL) 3/4 (all 1B), 4 R, 1 RBI
• GAME 4: EXC 4-9 ATL – Euan Strachan (3B, ATL) 3/4 (all 1B), 2 R, 1 RBI
• GAME 5: EXC 6-9 ATL – Walter Dudley (1B, ATL) 3/5, 2B, HR, 1 R, 3 RBI, 7 TB

It was an incredible turn of events. Not only had Atlantic stopped red-hot Excelsior, but they had taken them out in a clean sweep while beating Jim Creighton three times. This wasn’t a result that anybody had anticipated.

The key man for Atlantic was clearly All-Star Walter Dudley, who had the week of his life in taking home four Player of the Game honors in five days. He hit 16/24 against Excelsior with a pair of Home Runs, thirteen RBI, an OPS over 1.700, 0.8 WPA, and 0.6 WAR over just five games. In no surprise at all he also earned NYL Player of the Week honors.

As for Creighton, it was one of the most frustrating weeks of his career. In 18.2 innings over three games, Creighton was 0-3 with an ERA of 8.68, allowing a whopping 36 hits to an Atlantic team that simply couldn’t miss against the sport’s premier pitcher. It was as if there was a seasoned witch in the stands that had put a hex on him, and it worked perfectly.

The standings after the weekend:

• #1: Atlantic at 41-19 (+123 RD)
• #2: Excelsior at 37-23 (4 GB; +142 RD)
• #3: Kings Co. at 36-24 (5 GB; +29 RD)

Kings County was only 2-3 at Bedford so Atlantic is now in control of the Brooklyn Championship, ahead by four games with just ten still to play in the 1870 season. Atlantic’s final two series are full of winnable games against Eckford (21-39) and Empire (26-34) while Excelsior & Kings County play each other in the final week, so if they allow Excelsior or Kings County to snatch the pennant then Atlantic will only have themselves to blame at the end of what has been an extraordinary season for a team that has always been somewhat good – 517-453 (.533) all-time – but never quite good enough.

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NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION JULY RECAP

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (Aug. 1, 1870) – It is Monday, the first day of August. There is exactly one week of play left in the NBBO season, and it is time to see how things stand with five games left to go:

REGIONAL LEADERS (65 of 70 games played)

• BROOKLYN: Atlantic at 45-20 (clinched)
• NEW YORK CITY: Knickerbocker at 48-17 (clinched)
• UPSTATE NY: Flour City at 43-22 (clinched)
• COASTAL: Massachusetts Bay & Shamrock at 44-21 (no other teams in contention)
• INLAND: Alleghany at 46-19 (clinched)
• NEW ENGLAND: St. John’s at 49-16 (clinched)

There was a relative lack of drama in July, with five of the six regional titles being sewn up by the end of the month. This year’s darlings, Atlantic, were the last to do with their win and Excelsior & Kings Co.’s losses on Sunday. Rarely has there been this little in the way of pennant chase excitement to be had going into the final week of the season.

All eyes are on Boston for the final week. Shamrock plays at home against 18-47 Olympic, while Mass. Bay plays at 28-37 Newark. The schedule favors the traditional Coastal champions, but M.B. ended last week in better form by winning their last three games while Shamrock lost their last two.

BATSMEN OF THE MONTH

• NYL: Reginald Roper (OF, FC) – .476 AVG, 1.126 OPS, 26 R, 49 H, 9 2B, 3 3B, 0 HR, 27 RBI, 7 BB, 0 SB, 1.6 WPA, 1.6 WAR
• NEL: William Dickerson (3B, QS) – .485 AVG, 1.213 OPS, 28 R, 49 H, 10 2B, 5 3B, 1 HR, 22 RBI, 5 BB, 16 SB, 1.9 WPA, 2.0 WAR

It was going to take a lot to beat Atlantic’s Walter Dudley after the two weeks he put forth in the middle of the pennant race, and Roper managed that by batting over .475 to become FC’s second straight BotM winner. Somehow, Dickerson was even better than Roper as he smashed the ball all over the place for Quaker State.

PITCHERS OF THE MONTH

• NYL: James Goodman (FC) – 11-2, 1.68 ERA, 123.0 IP, 12 CG, 0 SHO, 15 BB, 34 K, 1.12 WHIP, 3.0 WAR, 5.9 rWAR
• NEL: John Henry (ALL) – 11-3, 2.07 ERA, 117.1 IP, 12 CG, 1 SHO, 12 BB, 13 K, 1.03 WHIP, 2.0 WAR, 4.1 rWAR

Goodman was back to his form from last year during the month of July. He was a little high on walks, but outside of that he was fantastic as FC clinched the Upstate title again. For the second year in a row Henry is peaking at the end of the season, and with a good final week he’ll become the first pitcher to win 30 games in a season twice.

GREENHORNS OF THE MONTH

• NYL: Edward Koch (P, UNI) – 6-6, 2.68 ERA, 111.0 IP, 6 CG, 0 SHO, 3 BB, 5 K, 1.42 WHIP, 2.1 WAR, 1.5 rWAR
• NEL: John Faulkner (P, TU) – 10-5, 2.97 ERA, 115.0 IP, 9 CG, 0 SHO, 11 BB, 4 K, 1.16 WHIP, 1.5 WAR, 3.1 rWAR

Koch was only 6-6 in July, but that was largely because he’s supported by a Union attack that’s in the bottom third of the NYL. He’s been very good so far in his debut season, and Koch deserved GotM. Faulkner had a lower ERA in June (2.15, 109.9 IP) but he was the man who got results for Trenton Utd. in July, and for that he took GotM.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Average: .427 by Nelson Townsend (OF, StJ)
• OPS: 1.048 by Nelson Townsend (OF, StJ)
• Runs: 97 by Nelson Townsend (OF, StJ)
• Home Runs: 5 by Jackson Watts (OF, HAR)
• RBI: 87 by Tarmo Kuopio (1B, StJ)
• Stolen Bases: 67 by James Burke (CF, SHA)
• Batsman WPA: 5.89 by Nelson Townsend (OF, StJ)
• Batsman WAR: 4.6 by Nelson Townsend (OF, StJ)

• ERA: 1.86 by Gus Woods (NIA) over 217.2 IP
• Wins: 28 by Peadar Daly (KNI), John Henry (ALL), & Thomas Smith (StJ)
• Complete Games: 30 by Peadar Daly (KNI)
• Strikeouts: 152 by Jim Creighton (EXC)
• WHIP: 1.01 by Sammie Cato (KNI) over 141.0 IP
• Pitcher WAR: 9.5 by Jim Creighton (EXC)
• Pitcher rWAR: 11.0 by Peadar Daly (KNI)

• Total WAR: 12.2 by Jim Creighton (EXC)
• 2.3 batting, 0.3 baserunning, 0.1 fielding, 9.5 pitching

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ATLANTIC TAKES PENNANT; CRASHES BIG CLUBS’ PARTY
WIN AT ECKFORD W/ EXCELSIOR & K.C. LOSSES MAKES ATLANTIC BROOKLYN CHAMPS FOR 1ST TIME

BROOKLYN (July 31, 1870) – Atlantic BBC went into Sunday having won three of the first four games of their series at Eckford of Greenpoint, and they knew that a win in the finale combined with losses by Excelsior & Kings County meant that they would be crowned Brooklyn champions for the first time. Atlantic did their part:

It was a dominant victory, one in which Walter Dudley again came up with a masterful performance:

• Dudley (1B): 4/5, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, 5 TB

A week after going 16/24 with a pair of Home Runs in the all-important series against Excelsior, Dudley’s performance against Eckford “slipped” to 13/23 (.565) with a mere eight RBI compared to his thirteen the previous week.

Olaf Sorensen (24-8, 2.83, 3.9 WAR) pitched the full game, allowing just one Earned Run. He has now earned the Win in eight of his last ten games, and Sorensen is making everyone who took part in the selection process regret not picking him to take part in this year’s All-Star Game.

With Kings County needing a win to stay alive in Brooklyn their offense was dead on arrival against 22-42 Nassau County, totaling just four base hits in a miserable 5-1 home loss that took them out of contention.

That meant it was all up to Jim Creighton and Excelsior, who were taking on 31-33 Bedford at home. However, they too played very poorly, losing 7-4 against the visiting underdogs with Creighton allowing eleven hits and four Earned Runs.

With the results in, Atlantic was atop the Brooklyn standings by six games with five left to play. After two runner-up finishes and three times taking the #3 spot, Atlantic are officially Brooklyn champions for the first time, and they’ve become the first team other than Excelsior or Kings County to take the Brooklyn pennant since way back in the NBBO’s inaugural season, when Nassau County went 44-26 to beat Atlantic by one game.

Atlantic may not be the only team to make its postseason debut this year, as Mass. Bay is tied with Shamrock atop the Coastal standings, but they will be the only team in the Tucker-Wheaton Cup who will not be moving to the new American Professional Baseball League next year. There is little doubt the smaller clubs of the NBBO will be cheering them on when cup competition begins next week.

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NYL TAKES ALL-STAR GAME IN PITTSBURGH BY TWO
NYL REPEATS AS WINNERS IN FRONT OF MORE THAN 17,000; MASCHERINO NAMED MVP

PITTSBURGH (Aug 1, 1870) – The New York League won the National Base Ball Organization All-Star Game for the second year in a row, using multiple-run rallies in the 2nd, 5th, & 8th innings to take the contest at Recreation Park:

NEW YORK LEAGUE STARTERS

• P Jim Creighton (EXC), C Everett Schreiber (ORA), 1B Walter Dudley (ATL), 2B Theodore Kohlberg (KC), 3B Jerald Peterson (MIN), SS Anthony Mascherino (ORA), LF William Gentilucci (NC), CF Taliesin Buckley (NIA), RF Reginald Roper (FC)

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE STARTERS

• P Thomas Smith (StJ), C Howard LeBouf (AME), 1B Collin Henderson (ALL), 2B Everton Lyles (OCE), 3B William Dickerson (QS), SS Gerald Strong (ALL), LF Konrad Jensen (StJ), CF James Burke (SHA), RF Nelson Townsend (StJ)

The NYL took the lead early with a three-run rally in the second inning, the runs scored on a combination of sacrifices and errors. The NEL evened the score in the fourth with a double by Cormack Alexander, a single by Peter Boyce, and a sacrifice. After that the NYL took control, scoring the next five runs before a last-ditch rally by the NEL in the bottom of the ninth inning fell short.

There were no standout performances in Pittsburgh, so the Most Valuable Player award went to Orange’s legendary shortstop Anthony Mascherino by virtue of the fact that he was the only player with multiple hits and an RBI. His day:

• Mascherino (SS, ORA): 2/3 (both 1B), 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB

The game was played in front of a fantastic crowd of 17,639 at Pittsburgh’s Recreation Park.

The All-Star Game will be back in New York next year, but one has to wonder how different it will look after nearly big club currently in the NBBO has left for professional baseball.

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HENRY REPEATS AS 30-GAME WINNER
BECOMES 1ST TO WIN 30 GAMES IN A SEASON TWICE; STJ'S SMITH JOINS 30-WIN CLUB

ERIE, PENN. & PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Aug 6, 1870) – Two pieces of baseball history were crafted on Saturday afternoon, as the fourth & fifth 30-Win seasons in baseball history were completed.

First up: John Henry against Lake Erie at the Tenth Street Grounds. Alleghany was ahead 11-4 by the end of the fifth, and that was more than enough for them to coast to a 12-8 win to raise Henry’s record to 30-7.

Not only did the victory make Henry a 30-game winner, but it makes him a 30-game winner in consecutive seasons and the first pitcher in NBBO history to win thirty games in a season twice, consecutive or not.

Henry’s record over the past two seasons:

• 1869: 30-10, 3.35 ERA, 332.2 IP, 27 CG, 1 SHO, 29 BB, 44 K, 1.32 WHIP, 1.5 K/BB, 5.5 WAR, 6.3 rWAR
• 1870: 30-7, 3.05 ERA, 330.2 IP, 29 CG, 1 SHO, 28 BB, 31 K, 1.15 WHIP, 1.1 K/BB, 6.0 WAR, 8.6 rWAR

After washing out of Newark after the 1865 season, Henry has an 81-32 record since joining Alleghany in 1866, and his record since being made the Alleghany #1 ahead of the ’69 season is an incredible 60-17. He was considered an extremely unlikely 30-game winner last year, and now Henry’s pulled off the feat twice in succession.

Over in Providence at venerable Olneyville Field, St. John’s beat visiting Portland 3-0 with the hosts only collecting a handful of base hits. St. John’s #1 Thomas Smith pitched a Shutout, and in the process became the fourth member of the 30-Win Club, raising his record on the season to 30-8 with a 2.55 ERA.

Smith spent his first four seasons in the NBBO with Shamrock pitching in the shadow of their star #1, Tom Ricks. However, he was told he could find another club if he wished after his form went sideways in last year’s Tucker-Wheaton Cup, so he joined the sport’s most successful club, became a #1 of his own, and has authored one of the finest seasons a pitcher has ever had.

After the history made yesterday, here is the updated list of 30-win seasons in NBBO history:

• 1857: John Anderson (SCR) – 30-6, 2.30 ERA, 309.0 IP, 28 CG, 3 SHO, 41 BB, 25 K, 1.20 WHIP, 5.0 WAR
• 1869: James Goodman (FC) – 30-6, 2.00 ERA, 342.2 IP, 31 CG, 2 SHO, 26 BB, 132 K, 1.05 WHIP, 10.6 WAR
• 1869: John Henry (ALL) – 30-10, 3.35 ERA, 332.2 IP, 27 CG, 1 SHO, 29 BB, 44 K, 1.32 WHIP, 5.5 WAR
• 1870: John Henry (ALL) – 30-7, 3.05 ERA, 330.2 IP, 29 CG, 1 SHO, 28 BB, 31 K, 1.15 WHIP, 6.0 WAR
• 1870: Thomas Smith (StJ) – 30-8, 2.55 ERA, 332.1 IP, 31 CG, 1 SHO, 40 BB, 23 K, 1.22 WHIP, 5.7 WAR

Last year, the fact that there was one 30-win pitcher in each league meant the selection process for the first Pitcher of the Year awards was a simple one. However, with both 30-win pitchers this year residing in the Northeastern League the debate over whether Henry should repeat as NEL PotY or Smith would win the award is likely to be a fierce one. The statistics slightly favor Smith, but as with last year Henry was spectacular after June 1st, going 21-4 with an ERA of 2.73.

With award voting taking place in September, the decision on whether Henry or Smith wins the second NEL Pitcher of the Year award may come down to whichever one pitches better in the Tucker-Wheaton Cup, even if that is allegedly not supposed to factor into voters’ decision making.

In just two years the number of names in the 30-Win Club has gone from one to four, and one has to wonder whether a pitcher or two winning 30+ games each season will become the norm in the NBBO.

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MASS. BAY TAKES COASTAL ON FINAL DAY
BOSTON’S “SECOND” CLUB GOING TO TUCKER-WHEATON CUP FOR THE FIRST TIME

NEWARK, N.J. & BOSTON, MASS. (Aug 7, 1870) – Massachusetts Bay & Shamrock were tied for the lead in the Coastal Championship at 44-21 going into the final week of play, and thanks to 2-2 records in their respective series both teams remained tied for first place, with the Coastal Championship to be decided either on the final day of the season or via one-game playoff.

In Newark, Mass. Bay brought out #1 Daniel Flynn for the most important game in team history to battle a Newark offense rated in the middle of the Northeastern League pack. The result:

Mass. Bay struggled early but steadied themselves and pulled away late. After exiting the opening stanzas level with Newark 4-4, M.B. scored the final seven runs of the game while allowing just three Newark hits to get the result they required.

Leslie Arnett (2B) was excellent, batting 3/5 with a Double, Home Run, three runs scored, and three runs driven in. Stalwart veteran Thomas Maloney (LF) was 4/5 with a pair of Doubles, three Runs, and one RBI. George Carver (1B) was 2/5 while scoring a pair of runs. Flynn pitched the entire game and was excellent after his shaky first few innings.

In Boston, everything pointed to a Shamrock win. They were at home, their opponents were 19-50 Olympic, a team with the second-worst offense in the NEL & the NBBO’s worst record, and Shamrock had #1 Tom Ricks with the ball. HOWEVER…

After opening scoring via Sacrifice Fly in the bottom of the third, Shamrock then allowed Olympic to score three times on just one hit thanks to a series of errors, and all of a sudden it was 3-1 to Olympic. The visitors then made it 4-1 on a Ground Out in the top of the sixth before Shamrock scored twice to bring the score to 4-3 ahead of the late innings.

Shamrock’s season now depended on what happened over the next three innings against the worst team out of the 48 in the NBBO. Incredibly, what transpired was that Olympic scored one run in the seventh on a Wagner Morris single, a second run in the eighth thanks to a Shamrock fielding error, and they then held Shamrock scoreless to exit 6-3 winners. Considering the place, opponent, and importance of the game, this was arguably the most disastrous result in Shamrock history.

The results meant that Massachusetts Bay were Coastal champions. Boston’s “second” club had been the runner-up for the Coastal Championship four times and finished in third place four times, but after fourteen years of trying Mass. Bay could finally say they were the rightful pennant holders of the Coastal Championship. That they overtook cross-town rivals Shamrock on the final day to do it made the celebrations all that much sweeter.

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THE 1870 CUP FIELD IS SET
ST. JOHN’S HAS BEST RECORD; ATLANTIC & MASS. BAY ARE MAKING THEIR FIRST APPEARANCE

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (Aug 8, 1870) – Tucker-Wheaton Cup field is in place. The last edition of the cup before the American Professional Baseball League begins play, this will be the final hurrah in the NBBO for a handful of historic and venerated clubs, with one very notable exception that shocked everyone throughout the season.

The field was set even earlier than last year, with five of six regions decided before the end of July. Only the Coastal Championship needed the final week to decide its winner, and there the pennant winner was decided on the final day of play.

NEW YORK LEAGUE

BROOKLYN – Atlantic effectively won the Brooklyn Championship with their incredible five-game sweep of Excelsior, led by Walter Dudley, in mid-July before clinching at the end of the month. The only member of the field not invited to the APBL, Atlantic will be the neutral fan’s favorite at the TWC. This is Atlantic’s first ever postseason appearance.

KEY PLAYER: Walter Dudley (1B) – .415 AVG, .985 OPS, 75 H, 125 H, 32 XBH, 3 HR, 65 RBI, 3.89 WPA, 3.3 WAR

NEW YORK CITY – Knickerbocker had grown an eight-game lead in NYC by end of June and they kept it there, finishing in first place by eight games over both Gotham & Orange. They will be bringing the best pitching duo in the NBBO - Peadar Daly & Sammie Cato – and the best defense in the NYL to the cup as they attempt to win it for the third time in six years.

KEY PLAYER: Edward Huntley (SS) – .341 AVG, .856 OPS, 62 R, 105 H, 31 XBH, 59 RBI, 37 SB, +12.6 ZR, 3.9 WAR

UPSTATE N.Y. – Flour City didn’t go 55-15 again this year, but they were still very good late and turned a tie with Utica for the Upstate lead on July 2nd into a final gap of seven games over the second-place finishers. F.C. will, of course, be led by James Goodman, but they also have .400 hitter Reginald Roper and All-Star Greenhorn Fred Bartholomew.

KEY PLAYER: James Goodman (P) – 26-10, 2.57 ERA, 347.0 IP, 26 CG, 97 K, 1.29 WHIP, 2.9 K/BB, 8.8 WAR

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE

COASTAL – Massachusetts Bay figured they were headed to a one-game playoff after winning at Newark on Sunday, but were left stunned when the telegrams came in showing that Shamrock had lost at home to NBBO-worst Olympic. The postseason Greenhorns will be bringing six .330 hitters and All-Star #1 Daniel Flynn (26-12, 3.30, 5.5 WAR) to the cup.

KEY PLAYER: Daniel Flynn (P) – 26-12, 3.30 ERA, 322.0 IP, 3 SHO, 33 K, 1.20 WHIP, 1.7 K/BB, 5.5 WAR

INLAND – Alleghany started slow and ended in devastating fashion, going 36-9 over the last nine weeks of play. They have the usual stars – Royal Altman, Collin Henderson, & Samuel Kessler – but Gerald Strong has developed into an All-Star, Joe Thatcher has become a quality CF, and John Henry has won thirty games for the second season in a row.

KEY PLAYER: John Henry (P) – 30-7, 3.05 ERA, 330.2 IP, 1 SHO, 31 K, 1.15 WHIP, 1.1 K/BB, 6.0 WAR

NEW ENGLAND – St. John’s brings the best team in the NBBO to the cup. After reconfiguring their infield when Anderson MacGyver started showing his age (36), they became the best defensive team in the NEL in addition to having the best offense, and it led to a historic 30-8 season (2.55 ERA) by Thomas Smith with last year’s #1, John Brown, going 19-9.

KEY PLAYER: Konrad Jensen (OF) – .408 AVG, .996 OPS, 101 R, 125 H, 29 XBH, 55 RBI, 64 SB, 5.55 WPA, 4.7 WAR

THE 1870 TUCKER-WHEATON CUP

TEAMS: The six entrants to the Tucker-Wheaton Cup, sorted by record & run differential.

• #1: St. John’s – 52-18; +209 RD
• #2: Knickerbocker – 51-19; +215 RD
• #3: Alleghany – 50-20; +184 RD
• #4: Massachusetts Bay – 48-22; +176 RD
• #5: Atlantic – 48-22; +160 RD
• #6: Flour City – 47-23; +172 RD

FORMAT: Each team plays all others twice, once home and once away, for a total of ten games. The team with the best record wins the cup. A one-game playoff will be held at the St. George Cricket Grounds (Gotham) if there is a tie for 1st place. Head-to-Head record and Run Differential will be used as tiebreakers to determine other positions in the case of identical record.

SCHEDULE: The tournament is twelve days in length, teams receiving Monday & Tuesday off as they do during the season.

• Aug. 10-14: First half of TWC competition
• Aug. 15-16: Two days off
• Aug. 17-21: Second half of TWC competition
• Aug. 22nd: Playoff (if necessary)

The Writers Pool has been asked their collective opinion of what they expect from this year’s cup competition, and they have the teams in the following order:

• #1: Alleghany (27-8 2nd half; 9-1 last 10; 36-9 over last nine weeks; 1x cup winners)
• #2: St. John’s (26-9 2nd half, 6-4 last 10, 29-6 home record; 4x cup winners)
• #3: Knickerbocker (24-11 2nd half, 6-4 last 10, #1 in NBBO in RA; 2x cup winners)
• #4: Atlantic (24-11 2nd half, 7-3 last 10, #1 offense in NYL; 1st cup appearance)
• #5: Mass. Bay (22-13 2nd half, 7-3 last 10, WWW last 3, #1 average in NEL; 1st cup appearance)
• #6: Flour City (24-11 2nd half, 7-3 last 10, #1 average & OPS in NYL; 4th cup appearance)

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TWC XIV: THE END IS THE BEGINNING

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (Aug. 10-22, 1870) – The 1870 Tucker-Wheaton Cup was the final piece of normal business in baseball before the sport was to undergo major upheaval, with a dozen clubs leaving the National Base Ball Organization to form a fully professional competition. Five of the teams competing for the cup were leaving for the American Professional Baseball League: Alleghany, Flour City, Knickerbocker, Massachusetts Bay, & St. John’s. After the cup was over, they were moving on to bigger and better things.

However, there was one uninvited team – Atlantic of Brooklyn – that managed to see off a two-pronged challenge from Excelsior & Kings County to win the Brooklyn Championship for the first time. They were the favorites of every neutral fan with some kind of interest in the cup, because even though Mass. Bay was also in the postseason for the first time they were now “too big” for the NBBO.

St. John’s entered with the best record in the 1870 season, having won 50+ games for the sixth time in their fourteen NBBO seasons. However, they weren’t seen as the favorites because defending cup champions Alleghany went on an almighty tear after some early struggles, winning 36 of their last 45 games as #1 John Henry repeated his 30-win season from last year.

The above meant the 51-19 Knickerbocker team that had the best pitching and Run Differential in the NBBO was considered the third-best team in the field, such was the strength of the group competing in 1870. Flour City won eight fewer games than their history-making 55-15 team from last year, but most importantly they had James Goodman entering the cup in great form – 12-3, 1.88 ERA after July 1st – so that meant in the six games he would likely pitch they could beat anybody.

Mass. Bay didn’t have any superstar players this year, but instead they brought consistency. Six men in their lineup hit .330 or better, and the record of their #1, Daniel Flynn, in each of the first three months of the season was 9-3, 8-4, & 8-4. Cup darlings Atlantic had the most unheralded lineup of the group, but when they swept Excelsior to take a commanding lead in Brooklyn they proved they could beat the best of the best, and do it repeatedly.

It was time for the final T.W.C. before the league split. Who would conjure up the strength to lift this extra-special cup?

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GAMEDAY ONE (Wed. August 10th)

M.B. 9-10 KNI – Edward Huntley (SS, KNI): 2/3, 3 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB
ATL 5-12 StJ – Konrad Jensen (LF, StJ): 2/3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SB
ALL 5-2 F.C. – Royal Altman (LF, ALL): 2/5, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, SB

Mass. Bay opened their first ever cup game brilliantly, scoring five times in the top of the 1st. However, Knickerbocker took those five runs back by the end of the third and the score was 7-7 after the 4th. The teams traded runs in the 8th & 9th before a Johnnie Sands single with one out in the bottom of the 9th drove in Huntley to win the game for the hosts.

Atlantic faced a tough test for their first ever postseason game: playing at St. John’s. Their hosts showed them no mercy, scoring ten times over the first four innings on the way to an easy victory to open the cup. All nine St. John’s starters had hits, the team stole seven bases, and StJ #1 Thomas Smith allowed just one Earned Run over the nine innings.

Alleghany at Flour City was the Gameday One matchup everyone wanted to see as the battle between John Henry & James Goodman drew well over 5,000 to Riverside Park. It was Henry (CG, 9 HA, 0 ER, 3 K) who finished with the upper hand on Goodman (CG, 9 HA, 3 ER, 3 K) thanks to Altman’s homer in the 7th that increased the Alleghany lead from one to three.

GAMEDAY TWO (Thu. August 11th)

ALL 7-8 KNI – Louis Dyke (CF, KNI): 3/5, 2 3B, 2 R, 1 RBI
StJ 5-8 M.B. – Thomas Maloney (LF, M.B.): 4/5, 2 2B, 3B, 2 R, 4 RBI
F.C. 4-7 ATL – Walter Banks (LF, ATL): 2/4, 2B, 1 R, 2 RBI, SB

It was two games and two walkoff victories for Knickerbocker thanks to a crazy 9th inning at the Elysian Fields. Behind 6-4, Alleghany opened the 9th with three runs via Single, Fielder’s Choice, & Passed Ball to go ahead 7-6. The hosts responded by scoring on a Wild Pitch and then an Error (dropped throw) to win it. The 9th was hideous, but a win is a win.

Mass. Bay took their first ever cup win thanks to fine work by the middle of their order, especially 10x All-Star Maloney. Down 5-3 going into the 5th, M.B. would score the last five runs of the game and two run-scoring Extra-base Hits by Maloney were key moments in the team’s surge toward victory over the four-time champions.

The other playoff Greenhorns also took their first ever cup win, using a late rally to beat the Upstate champs. With the game level at 4-4, Atlantic came to bat in the 7th and scored a trio of runs on a Passed Ball, Single, & a Ground Out to go ahead 7-4. After that Atlantic #2 Govaart Vogelzang pitched well, and the hosts won by three.

Only two days in, there was just one undefeated team left – Knickerbocker – and one winless team left – Flour City.

GAMEDAY THREE (Fri. August 12th)

ALL 8-9 M.B. (10 Inn.) – Leslie Arnett (2B, M.B.): 4/6, 3 R, 1 RBI, GW HIT, DEF DP
F.C. 8-9 StJ – Nelson Townsend (RF, StJ): 3/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB
KNI 5-2 ATL – Sammie Cato (P, KNI): CG, 5 HA, 2 R/ER, 1 K; 2/3

The late-game jitters hit Alleghany again – odd considering they were the defending champs. Ahead 8-5 in the 9th they allowed one run via Error and two more via Single to see the game move on to the 10th. In the bottom of the 10th substitute P Perry Franklin failed to get an out, and Mass. Bay won the game when Arnett singled in George Carver.

The second game of the day game was decided in the 7th. Flour City came to bat with the score tied 7-7 and with one out Julius Bailey drove in Clarence Fetters to give the visitors the lead. St. John’s responded with two runs via Anderson MacGyver Double and a fielding miscue to take the lead back, and that was the last of the scoring in Providence.

All the scoring in the day’s final game was done during the first two innings. After that, with Knickerbocker up 5-2 Cato painted a masterpiece, allowing just a pair of hits over the final seven innings of the contest as he never looked to be in any trouble whatsoever and the visitors moved to 3-0.

GAMEDAY FOUR (Sat. August 13th)

KNI 13-3 M.B. – Lorik van Unen (3B, KNI): 3/5, 3B, 4 R, 1 RBI
F.C. 7-6 ALL – Gerald Strong (SS, ALL): 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB
StJ 11-5 ATL – Nelson Townsend (RF, StJ): 3/5, 2 2B, 4 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB

Knickerbocker put their hosts through thirty minutes of terror in the 5th, resulting in ten runs and an easy victory in Boston to move to 4-0. They saw three Hits from van Unen, Edward Donovan & Morris Jennings while #1 Peadar Daly, who really didn’t need that kind of run support, pitched a clean game (CG, 8 HA, 2 ER) to earn the Win and keep Knick undefeated.

And yet again Alleghany fell apart during the final innings. At home in Pittsburgh, they were ahead 6-5 going into the 9th when P Jonathan Scott allowed Flour City to score on a Double by Ralph Knight and a single by Fred Bartholomew to give F.C. the lead. Alleghany could only move a man to second base, and the defending champs were now 1-3.

It was an impressive win by St. John’s at Atlantic – rallies of three runs in the 2nd & 5th with two runs in the 3rd & 7th provided most of their scoring. Townsend was excellent again, the team stole five bases, and #2 P John Brown had a fine outing. As in Gameday One, Atlantic was dealing with a style of baseball they were not familiar with.

GAMEDAY FIVE (Sun. August 14th)

ATL 5-3 M.B. – J.P. Texier (2B, ATL) – 2/4, 2 2B, 3 R
ALL 6-4 StJ – Samuel Kessler (3B, ALL): 3/5, 2B, 1 R, 3 RBI, SB
KNI 2-4 F.C. – James Goodman (P, F.C.) – CG, 6 HA, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Atlantic took the victory in the first game between the two postseason first-timers. Olaf Sorensen (CG, 8 HA, 2 ER, 1 K) pitched well for the visitors, while Texier hit the ball hard and did good work on the basepaths. Euan Strachan & Walter Williams also had two hits. The result left both teams 2-3 – admirable marks for two teams in the cup for the 1st time.

Alleghany reversed whatever was crippling them in the late innings, for this time they won a game in the 9th inning, and they did at St. John’s. With the score 4-4 and two out, Royal Altman doubled in Arran Duffy to give Alleghany the lead before Kessler doubled in Altman. John Henry then set down St. John’s 1-2-3, and Alleghany was back in business.

Even though Knickerbocker was 4-0, in the end Flour City had little to worry about as Goodman was at his best. Aside from the two runs allowed in the 8th he looked like the Goodman of 1869, and that meant Sammie Cato’s effort for Knick (8 IP, 8 HA, 2 ER, 1 K) was tossed aside. It was the visitors’ first loss of the cup.

The standings after Gameday Five of the Tucker-Wheaton Cup were as follows:

TEAM			W	L	 R	RA	 RD
KNICKERBOCKER	        4	1	38	25	+13
ST. JOHN’S		3	2	41	32	 +9
ALLEGHANY		2	3	32	30	 +2
FLOUR CITY		2	3	25	29	 -4
MASS. BAY		2	3	32	41	 -9
ATLANTIC		2	3	24	35	-11

Before running into James Goodman on Gameday Five, Knickerbocker looked like the class of the competition. They had been excellent late in each of their first four games, and their pitching looked like an unsolvable problem. As it was, the whole field was separated by just two games.

Even though the two postseason first-timers, Atlantic & Massachusetts Bay, were occupying the bottom two places in the standings, they had still performed well. Atlantic’s two big losses were against a St. John’s team the likes of which they’d never dealt with before, and Mass. Bay’s only major blemish was one terrible inning against Knickerbocker.

The best player of the first half of the cup? It was clearly Nelson Townsend. In a competition that had been more defensive than last year’s to this point, Townsend didn’t seem to care, batting 11/23 (.478; 1.306 OPS) with half a dozen Doubles, one Triple, nine Runs, six RBI, and four Stolen Bases through five games.

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GAMEDAY SIX (Wed. August 17th)

ALL 3-5 ATL – Olaf Sorensen (P, ATL): CG, 7 HA, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
M.B. 2-4 F.C. – James Goodman (P, F.C.): CG, 7 HA, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
StJ 4-1 KNI – Konrad Jensen (LF, StJ): 2/5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 SB

This was Atlantic’s 1st signature postseason win, beating defending champions Alleghany when they had John Henry pitching and looking good. Atlantic was able to get to Henry in one inning, scoring all five of their runs in the 3rd on a series of three Singles and a Double, and from there they held on for a memorable victory at the Capitoline Grounds.

Mass. Bay had never faced a pitcher quite like Goodman before, and it showed. They were befuddled for much of the contest, and in the end the three runs Flour City scored during the first two innings were enough, although they added another late. Goodman added a hit, a walk, and a pair of runs in addition to his excellent pitching.

St. John’s needed to win at the Elysian Fields to prevent Knickerbocker from going two games ahead of the rest of the competition. Thomas Smith and the StJ defense responded with one of their best performances this year, allowing four base hits to the hosts and committing only two fielding mistakes while Jensen & Nelson Townsend did the rest with their bats.

The above results meant Knick & St. John’s were 4-2, Atlantic & Flour City were 3-3, and Alleghany & Mass. Bay were 2-4.

GAMEDAY SEVEN (Thu. August 18th)

ATL 8-7 F.C. – Walter Williams (CF, ATL): 2/3, 2B, 3B, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB
M.B. 3-5 StJ – Konrad Jensen (LF, StJ): 3/4, 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 SB
KNI 8-10 ALL – Carl Ippolito (2B, ALL): 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 DEF DP

Atlantic moved to 4-3 with the win in Rochester. The 4th was the decisive inning – Atlantic scoring five times, with the key hit being a two-run Triple by Walter Williams surrounded by a series of F.C. miscues that let in the other runs. One run in the 5th put Atlantic ahead 8-4, and that was enough as two Atlantic pitchers combined to defeat their hosts.

St. John’s won another low-scoring game, at least by their lofty standards. Down 2-0 going into the bottom of the 6th, StJ reeled off four runs to take the lead thanks in no small part to a series of four successful steals that had Mass. Bay absolutely rattled. From there, John Brown only allowed one further run and the 4x champs were 5-2.

Knickerbocker appeared in control in Pittsburgh, ahead 7-3 after six innings with Sammie Cato looking excellent again. A seven-run rally in the 7th by Alleghany, powered by five consecutive Singles with men on base, turned everything upside down, leaving Knick unable to recover and Alleghany preserving their slight chances of catching top spot.

The results put St. John’s alone at the top (5-2), with Atlantic & Knickerbocker a game back (4-3). Massachusetts Bay (2-5) was on the edge of elimination.

GAMEDAY EIGHT (Fri. August 19th)

ATL 10-7 ALL (10 Inn.) – Walter Williams (CF, ATL): 3/5, 2 2B, 1 R, 2 RBI, SB
F.C. 6-11 M.B. – Franklin Skaggs (RF, M.B.): 3/6, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB
KNI 9-2 StJ – Johnnie Sands (RF, KNI): 2/5, 2 2B, 1 R, 4 RBI

Who saw Atlantic being 5-3 after eight games in the cup? Nobody, yet there they were at 5-3 after sweeping the defending cup champions. The score was 7-7 after the 6th, and with no runs over the next three innings it was time for extras. In the 10th Atlantic scored on hits by Water Banks, Martin Craven, & Marcel Bresciani to take the lead and the win.

Mass. Bay more than made up for their first outing against James Goodman, taking ten runs off him over just five innings and building a 10-1 lead that the visitors weren’t going to erase. Skaggs was excellent, and five-run 8th aside M.B. #1 Daniel Flynn (CG, 8 HA, 2 ER, 1 K) had a fine outing to move his cup record to 2-2.

St. John’s won at Knickerbocker 48 hours prior, so Knick returned the favor by winning at St. John’s. Knick’s four-run rally to start the game, the key being Sands’ two-run Double, ended up more than enough as #1 Peadar Daly (CG, 5 HA, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K) set the team on a course for smooth sailing at Olneyville Field in Providence.

The results of Gameday Eight meant three teams were 5-3 and three were 3-5:

TEAM			W	L	 R	RA	 RD
KNICKERBOCKER	        5	3	56	41	+15
ST. JOHN’S		5	3	52	45	 +7
ATLANTIC		5	3	47	52	 -5
ALLEGHANY		3	5	52	53	 -1
MASS. BAY		3	5	48	56	 -8
FLOUR CITY		3	5	42	50	 -8

On paper, it looked like everybody was still in the competition. However, Gameday Nine would open with Atlantic playing Knickerbocker – two 5-3 teams. Somebody had to win, so that meant one of the two would move to 6-3 and eliminate Alleghany, Flour City, & Massachusetts Bay, whose ceilings were at 5-5.

GAMEDAY NINE (Sat. August 20th)

ATL 4-5 KNI (10 Inn.) – Lorik van Unen (3B, KNI) – 2/5, 2 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI, SB
STJ 11-6 F.C. – John Baddley (2B, StJ) – 3/6, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI
M.B. 9-10 ALL (10 Inn.) – Royal Altman (LF, ALL) – 3/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 SB

It was sheer agony for cup darlings Atlantic at the Elysian Fields. They did well to take four runs off an in-form Sammie Cato, and with most of the scoring done early the game went to extra inning tied 4-4. In the bottom of the 10th Gevaart Vogelzang allowed Cato to get a Single off him, and after a sacrifice Louis Dyke singled in Cato for the winning run.

St. John’s was aware a win was needed to keep pace with whoever won in New York City, and a six-run 5th inning made sure they did just that. It was classic St. John’s: three steals, seven hits, and men flying around the bases. That rally made the score 8-2, and St. John’s had the victory in the bag.

Mass. Bay & Alleghany knew they had been eliminated, but they still put on a fine show at Recreation Park. Loads of early scoring meant it was 9-8 to Alleghany after the 5th inning. An M.B. run on a Single by Hugh Harris was the lone run after that, and that meant extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th, Joe Thatcher doubled in Dag Nielsen for the winning run.

The standings after Gameday Nine:

TEAM			W	L	 R	RA	 RD
KNICKERBOCKER	        6	3	61	45	+16
ST. JOHN’S		6	3	63	51	+12
ATLANTIC		5	4	51	57	 -6
ALLEGHANY		4	5	62	62	  0
MASS. BAY		3	6	57	66	 -9
FLOUR CITY		3	6	48	61	-13

With everybody playing at the same time on Gameday Ten, each of the three teams still in contention would be playing separately against the teams already eliminated: Knick vs Flour City, St. John’s vs Alleghany, & Atlantic vs Mass. Bay. That meant Knickerbocker or St. John’s could win outright, there could be a two-way tie and a playoff, or there could be a dreaded three-way tie and playoff. Anything was possible regarding the top three.

GAMEDAY TEN (Sun. August 21st)

F.C. 2-11 KNI – Edward Huntley (SS, KNI): 3/5, 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI, DEF DP
StJ 14-9 ALL – Konrad Jensen (OF, STJ): 4/7, 3 R, 7 RBI, 1 BB, 103 GMSC
M.B. 11-10 ATL – Thomas Maloney (LF, M.B.): 4/5, 2 2B, 4 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, SB, OF AST

Knickerbocker did the needed thing and won by pounding Flour City during the middle innings – three runs in the 4th, three in the 5th, & four in the 6th combined with a masterful Peadar Daly outing meant they couldn’t be caught. Their attack was led by Huntley, because of course Huntley would come up big in an all-important postseason game.

St. John’s won in the Lucky 7th at Alleghany: seven runs thanks in no small part to a pair of two-run Singles by Jensen put them ahead 12-4. The hosts scored five times in the 8th, but StJ tacked on a couple of insurance runs in the 9th just to be safe. The St. John’s batsmen “only” stole two bases in Pittsburgh, but they drew a cup record eight Bases on Balls.

The second game between the two first-timers at the cup was a classic. There was plenty of action throughout and an insurance run by Mass. Bay in the 9th via Hugh Harris Triple needed to be cashed in, as Atlantic scored twice to make it 11-10 and had men on base in the bottom of the 9th before Richard Hahn was able to induce the final out.

The results meant this: Atlantic was out at 5-5, while Knickerbocker & St. John’s were tied at 7-3. An extra game at the St. George Cricket Grounds on Monday would be needed to decide the Tucker-Wheaton Cup winner & National Base Ball Organization champion for 1870.

PLAYOFF (Mon. August 22nd)

StJ 7-2 KNI at the St. George Cricket Grounds – Tarmo Kuopio (1B, StJ): 3/5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI

The playoff game to decide the champion of baseball was set for a 1:05 PM start time at the St. George Cricket Grounds. Knickerbocker would be the home team because, while the two split their pair of games during normal T.W.C. play, they had the higher Run Differential (+25 to +17).

Knickerbocker would have an advantage in that St. George is a fellow N.Y.C. venue (Gotham) they play at five times each season, but since it’s a cricket field it was something that the St. John’s players would have been familiar with. St. John’s would have an advantage in that they had cup playoff experience, taking part in the only other playoff needed to decide a cup winner in the Round Robin Era. Six St. John’s players – John Baddley, Konrad Jensen, William Johnson, Anderson MacGyver, Leo Pfeiffer, & Nelson Townsend – were part of the club when they beat K.C. 15-5 at the Elysian Fields to take the cup via playoff in 1864, and Johnson was 5/6 with four Extra-Base Hits in that game.

The game started with both teams scoring once in the 1st inning before St. John’s scored solo runs in the 3rd & 4th to take a 3-1 lead. That was the last of the run production until the top of the 8th, when singles by Kuopio, John Baddley (2B), & William White (C) sent four runs across the plate and gave StJ an unassailable 7-1 lead. John Brown, who was excellent, finished matters from there, and St. John’s had once again won the Tucker-Wheaton Cup.

And with that, the first era of the National Base Ball Organization ended as it had begun: with St. John’s being crowned champions in a dominant playoff victory over their New York foes. While that first cup win was in a best-of-five series against Victory BBC, it still seemed a fitting way to wrap up the pre-professional era of baseball. Now the five-time cup champions, it was time for St. John’s to go home and celebrate.

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FINAL 1870 TUCKER WHEATON CUP STANDINGS

TEAM			W	L	 R	RA	 RD
ST. JOHN’S*		8	3	84	62	+22
KNICKERBOCKER	        7	4	74	54	+20
ATLANTIC		5	5	61	68	 -7
ALLEGHANY**		4	6	71	76	 -5
MASS. BAY		4	6	68	76	 -8
FLOUR CITY		3	7	50	72	-22
*StJ won cup via playoff vs KNI
**ALL 1-1 vs MB, better Run Differential

They needed a playoff, but St. John’s took the cup for the fifth time, besting Knickerbocker in a winner-take-all tilt for the second time (Game 5 of the 1858 cup final) to earn the right to lift the trophy.

It wasn’t utterly dominant attacking baseball, but it was still classic St. John’s stuff. They had three men bat above .340 – Konrad Jensen (.458), John Baddley (.341), & Nelson Townsend (.396) – they stole nearly forty bases as a team, they moved runners around at will, and their pitching was excellent when it needed to be.

Knickerbocker was the best team over the first half, but three losses right in the middle of the competition tripped them up. Edward Huntley hit well (.333, 13 R, 10 RBI) but not at the historic level he did last year, Ed Donovan was excellent (.370, 10 R, 15 RBI), and Peadar Daly was nearly flawless (4-1, 2.02 ERA). This was their second straight runner-up finish.

Atlantic did extremely well for a team that had never been to the postseason before. They were still in contention for the cup on the final day, two of their losses were to eventual champion St. John’s, and they swept defending champions Alleghany. Martin Craven (.378, 9 RBI), and Walter Williams (.311, 15 R, 13 SB) were their best players.

Alleghany was totally undone by their late-inning yips in games 2-4, which were the difference between 4-6 and 7-3, the record they won the cup with last year. Royal Altman (.440, 17 R, 11 RBI, 10 SB) was flawless, Collin Henderson (.348, 8 RBI), did well, and if not for the above issues then John Brown (2-1, 1.44 ERA, 43.2 IP) would have been a standout star.

Massachusetts Bay performed admirably for a cup Greenhorn. Two of their losses were walkoffs away from home, and the only time they were beaten soundly was in the 13-3 loss to Knickerbocker on Gameday Four. George Carver (.375, 8 RBI) surprised as their best batsman, but Thomas Maloney (.279, 11 R, 11 RBI) & Hugh Harris (.333, 9 RBI) moved men around the bases.

For the second straight year Flour City’s potent offense turned into the weakest one at the cup, and for the second straight year it meant they had major issues whenever James Goodman (3-3, 3.45 ERA, 13 K) wasn’t pitching. All-Stars Julius Bailey (.308), Fred Bartholomew (.244), & Reginald Roper (.326) all hit well below their season averages.

1870 TUCKER-WHEATON CUP MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Konrad Jensen (OF, StJ) – .458 (22/48), 1.051 OPS, 2 2B, 1 3B, 14 R, 16 RBI, 5 BB, 14 SB
4x PotG, .486 wOBA, 190 OPS+, 1.12 WPA, 0.9 WAR over 11 Games

For much of the competition it looked like Nelson Townsend of St. John’s (.396, 16 R, 8 RBI, 6 SB) would finish as Most Valuable Player. However, a 4/18 run over the last four games opened the door for Jensen to take his second cup MVP award. Jensen didn’t hit the ball exceptionally hard – three of his 22 Hits were for extra bases – but he hit the ball where it needed to go and finished leading all Batsmen in Hits, RBI, Stolen Bases, & WAR.

Jensen’s postseason career, as of the end of the 1870 Tucker-Wheaton Cup:

• 100 G – .364 AVG, .920 OPS, 117 R, 156 H, 25 2B, 9 3B, 3 HR, 111 RBI, 58 BB, 86 SB, 208 TB, 7.69 WPA, 5.2 WAR
• PER 70 – .364 AVG, .920 OPS, 82 R, 109 H, 17 2B, 2 HR, 77 RBI, 40 BB, 60 SB, 146 TB, 5.38 WPA, 3.6 WAR

One performance that shouldn’t be forgotten is that of Alleghany outfielder Royal Altman

• 10 G – .440 AVG (22/50), 1.100 OPS, 17 R, 22 H, 6 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 0 BB, 10 SB, 1.90 WPA, 0.8 WAR

Had Altman and his Alleghany teammates not gone through such enormous late-game issues over those three days early in the competition, he may well have taken home the MVP trophy.

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1870 NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION REVIEW

WRITERS POOL OBSERVATIONS

This was a peculiar season. The influx of new pitching talent combined with the continued development of young pitchers led to teams scoring a full half a run less per game. At the same time a record six batsmen hit .400 or better for the season, Tarmo Kuopio (STJ) broke the single-season RBI record, Manuel Romeiras (HAR) became the first player with 20+ Triples in a season, and two players stole 70+ bases in the same season for the first time.

It was only fitting that the last season before the professional split ended the same way the inaugural season did: with St. John’s lifting the cup. The team didn’t have a ten-run-per-game attack like they did last year (8.6 R/G in ‘70), but their patience at the plate and aggressiveness on base made them the best in the NBBO once again.

The strangest thing to occur this season: the race for the NEL Batting Championship. After Quaker St. teammates Cormack Alexander & William Dickerson both hit 2/5 on the final day, Alexander finished the season batting .4183 with Dickerson at .4182. The NBBO Executive Committee decided a race that close between teammates should be called a tie.

The most underappreciated player this year: Knick #2 pitcher Sammie Cato. Green Mtn. let him leave after he ruptured a disk in his back last year, and he was 20-9 with a 2.03 ERA in his first year in New York City. He was overshadowed by Peadar Daly, didn’t pitch enough to come close to the league leaders in wins, and was beat out to the ERA title by 0.02. Still, Cato was consistently brilliant in 1870.

The next most underappreciated player might be Tarmo Kuopio of St. John’s. In his three NBBO seasons since replacing Collin Henderson at first base, he has had three of the four highest single-season RBI totals in NBBO history while batting .361 with an OPS of .844. That has only earned him two All-Star nods and a life as the fourth-best hitter on his own team.

Again, Mutual is perplexing. Including this season, their records for the last six years are 35-35, 20-50, 28-42, 21-49, 35-35, 21-49 – all over the place in a bad way. This is a team that was top four in NYC for all the first seven years of the NBBO.

Babe Johnson followed up his All-Star debut season as a regular with a splendid 1870. He struggled a bit with fielding at 2B, but he raised his average sixty points to .385, his OPS 150+ points to .994, and he had 3.6 WAR in seventy games.

Watch out for Ernest Dugas next year in the APBL. The 22-year-old Flour City man took over at CF for the final week, and while he hit poorly in the TWC he started all ten games and looked good in the field. He was the Writers Pool’s #1 batsman prospect at midseason, and he has the tools to be an outstanding batsman.

Who had a Shamrock Greenhorn pitching better than famed #1 Tom Ricks? Nobody, but Ernest Duncan was 21-6 with a 2.54 ERA while Ricks was 25-17 with a 2.93 ERA. Duncan had a lower WHIP (1.05 v 1.23), higher WAR when controlling for innings, and it was Ricks who took two losses against lowly Olympic that allowed Mass. Bay to snatch the Coastal pennant.

The Coastal should be all Quaker State’s next year. Presuming they retain their best players, the team has the two of the five best batsmen in the sport – Alexander & Dickerson – fine talents at several other positions, they have a great-looking 22-year-old C in Matt Williams, and Ross Gill is arguably the most talented P in the sport outside of Creighton & Goodman.

It will be interesting to see what happens to offense in the NBBO going forward. While the biggest clubs have nearly all of the top batsmen and most of the top pitchers, it’s young pitchers where the big clubs are really hoarding talent by keeping them in their reserve squads. Runs might spike upward in a couple of years.

It will be fascinating to see which teams emerge as the leaders in their regions next season after the APBL is up and running. St. John’s won New England thirteen times, Excelsior & Kings County combined to take Brooklyn a dozen times, the three teams leaving New York City (GOT, KNI, ORA) totaled ten NYC pennants, and Alleghany & Shamrock both finished atop their regions eight times. Mediums may need to be consulted in order to project the 1871 standings.