The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward

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Below are the top-rated batters in the world entering the 1888 season. The largest contract is Minnesota C Emil Gross at $172,000 total value. The highest yearly salary is Milwaukee RF Paul Hines at $26,600.



Below are the top-rated pitchers in the world.

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The two-time defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox leads the American League East Division at 17-10 through April. Baltimore is second at 14-13 with Cleveland and New York both 13-14. In the AL West, Milwaukee leads at 16-11 with both Detroit and Kansas City at 15-12. Chicago and Minnesota are both 14-13. Boston did get bad news as 1886 first round pick SP Bill Sowders suffered a torn flexor tendon, out for the next calendar year and possibly longer.

The Red Sox DH Sam Thompson was AL Batter of the Month with a .354 average, 35 hits, 6 home runs, 27 RBI, and 24 runs. Milwaukee’s Lady Baldwin was Pitcher of the Month with a 1.31 ERA, 4-1 record, and 30 strikeouts in 48 innings. However, Baldwin developed elbow inflammation from his last start and is expected to be out until mid-June. The Brewers also had Rookie of the Month in SP John Nelson. The #19 pick from 1887 had a 3.86 ERA over 39.2 innings with 25 Ks and a 3-1 record.

Louisville has the National League’s best record after April at 17-10 atop the NL West Division. Both New Orleans and St. Louis are tied at 14-13. Pittsburgh holds the NL East advantage at 16-11 ahead of Brooklyn (15-12), Boston (14-13), and Buffalo (14-13).

Philadelphia RF Charlie Duffee was NL Batter of the Month with a .283 average, 10 homers, 21 RBI, and 28 runs. The Colonels had the top pitcher in Charlie Daniels with a 6-0 record, 3.24 ERA, and 28 Ks in 41.2 innings. Louisville also had Rookie of the Month John Vactor, who picked up nine saves with a 1.69 ERA and 4 Ks over 10.2 innings.

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By the end of May, Boston’s lead in the American League East Division was up to six games. The Red Sox had the AL’s top mark at 35-20, with Baltimore (29-26), New York (28-27), and Cleveland (27-28) next in the division. The AL West was a complete tossup through two months with Kansas City first at 30-25. Milwaukee, Minnesota, and Detroit were each only one behind at 29-26 and Chicago was two back at 28-27.

AL Batter of the Month was Baltimore RF Bug Holliday with a .411 average, 9 home runs, 27 RBI, and 20 runs. The Orioles also had Pitcher of the Month Mike Mattimore with a 5-0 record, 1.78 ERA, and 27 strikeouts in 55.2 innings. Cleveland pitcher Harry Staley, the #3 pick from the draft, was Rookie of the Month with a 3.43 ERA over 42 innings with 16 Ks.

In other notables, Milwaukee’s Jumbo Schoeneck had a six-hit game on May 23 against Detroit. Cleveland’s George Van Haltren hit for the cycle on May 16 facing Philadelphia. In bad news for the Red Sox, free agent SS Mike Moynahan will be out four months with a severely strained hip. The Spiders also saw SP Dan Casey out for the year with shoulder inflammation.

Pittsburgh had the best record in the majors at 37-18 atop the National League East Division. The Pirates went 21-7 in May, putting them 7.5 games ahead of Buffalo and nine up on both New York and Boston in the East. St. Louis leads the West at 33-24 with Indianapolis next at 31-24 and a steep drop to the next three teams each at 25-30. Louisville led after April, but the Colonels were a lousy 8-20 in May.

Giants 1B Dan Brouthers added another NL Batter of the Month plaque to his trophy case, hitting .510 in May with 51 hits, 7 homers, 33 RBI, and 24 runs. Pitcher of the Month was Indianapolis’ Perry Werden with a 1.57 ERA, 6-1 record, and 25 Ks in 63 innings. New York had the top rookie in reliever John Fitzgerald, who had a 0.75 ERA over 12 innings with 4 Ks.

The Cardinals two-way player Henry Boyle is out for the season as he deals with post-concussion syndrome. Brooklyn two-way star Bob Caruthers is also out 3-4 months due to shoulder inflammation.

[RMc]

...there's no way New Orleans would have a major league team in the 1880s...or anytime before the 1960s, really. It's too far south, and too...um...Confederate, if you get my meaning.

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The two-time defending World Series champion remained the American League’s top team with a 52-30 record at the all-star break. Baltimore kept pace with them through June, 4.5 back in the AL East at 48-35. The rest of the division is below .500 and a dozen or more games away. The Orioles lead the AL in scoring with 495 runs. Washington actually has the fewest allowed at 349, but they’ve also scored the least (335) and thus are in last place.

Five of the six AL West teams were within two games of each other entering June. At the break, Minnesota holds the lead at 47-36 with both Detroit (45-38) and Kansas City (44-38) within striking distance. Both Milwaukee and Chicago dropped below .500 with the Brewers in particular going a mediocre 10-17 in June.

Detroit 3B Duke Farrell was AL Batter of the Month with a .385 average, 11 home runs, 31 RBI, and 24 runs for the second-year switch hitter. Baltimore’s I. O’Connell was the top pitcher with a 1.01 ERA in 53.2 innings with 28 Ks and a 6-0 record. #1 draft pick Scott Stratton for Washington was Rookie of the Month as he had a 2.23 ERA in 44.1 innings with 16 strikeouts and a 3-2 record.

Pittsburgh had the best record in baseball by a healthy margin, leading the National League East Division by 15 games at 58-25. The Pirates were 20-7 in June including an 11-game winning streak. They lead the majors in runs scored (495) and fewest allowed (303) with a remarkable +192 run differential. St. Louis grew its lead in the NL West to five games at 49-34, thanks to a sub-.500 month by Indianapolis. The Clowns at 44-39 while Louisville is up to third at 42-41. The Colonels bounced back from their abysmal May by going 17-10 in June.

Louisville OF Jimmy Ryan was NL Batter of the Month, hitting .378 with 34 hits, 7 homers, 31 RBI, and 20 runs. Chicago’s Ted Kennedy was Pitcher of the month with a 5-0 record, 2.16 ERA, and 31 Ks in 50 innings. Colonels 2B Dan Shannon was Rookie of the Month with a .393 average, 2 homers, and 7 RBI.



The first no-hitter in nearly two full years came on June 10 from Pittsburgh’s Frank Hoffman. The 26-year old second-year righty did it against Buffalo with 8 strikeouts over 101 pitches. He walked the first batter he faced, then retired the next 27 batters consecutively. Hoffman’s 2.44 ERA is third-best in the majors among qualifiers.



Two-time Pitcher of the Year Charlie Geggus with New Orleans suffered a torn rotator cuff in mid-June. The 26-year old Pelicans ace is estimated for an 11 month recovery time.

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Originally Posted by RMc

...there's no way New Orleans would have a major league team in the 1880s...or anytime before the 1960s, really. It's too far south, and too...um...Confederate, if you get my meaning.

New Orleans was actually the 10th largest city in the US in 1880 so population wise it was bigger than most of the other Midwest teams. NO actually was generally a top 15-20 sized city for a long while and didn't drop out of the top 20 firmly until the 1980s. For that era, it is less of a stretch population wise than a Kansas City or Indianapolis.

Geographically yes it is more of a stretch but it's a fake alternate history so some liberties can be taken. In that era, the only other city large enough to make sense with the others in the game is San Francisco, which obviously is more illogical from the geographic sense. Even with the closer together teams, they wouldn't have been able to play the schedule in true reality considering the transportation limitations of the era anyhow.

Same with the sim being an integrated world where we pretend things weren't so horribly racist. That's part of the challenge too of doing a game with real players instead of completely fictional ones, since a depressingly large number of real life players were bigots, abusers, and/or scumbags. Obviously that baseline was more skewed in the 19th Century and a large chunk of those guys in real life also were hopeless alcoholics. That's one of the big joys for me with my World's Game fictional universe where you can imagine humanity not being nearly as awful as the real thing.

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Below are the rosters for the 1888 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Detroit 3B Duke Farrell won the Home Run Challenge, defeating Phillies RF Charlie Duffee 9-8 in the final round. Farrell leads the majors at the break with 31 homers in his second season.



The American League continued its dominance of the All-Star Game, now winning the first five over the National League. The 1888 edition had an 11-8 final in New Orleans’ Heinemann Park. Red Sox DH Sam Thompson was the MVP, going 3-3 with 3 RBI and a run.

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The American League East Division race has tightened significantly after a rough 9-15 record by Boston since the all-star game. The Red Sox ended July on a five-game losing streak, while Baltimore was 13-11 since the break. Part of their struggles came from a strained rib cage muscle for MVP Charlie Ferguson, putting him out a month. Boston still holds the lead at 61-45, but the Orioles are right there at 61-46. Cleveland has been hot at 15-9 since the break and a 9-1 mark to end the month. The Spiders at 55-52 are 6.5 games back and seemingly are in the fight.

The best record since the break in all of Major League Baseball was Milwaukee at 18-6. The Brewers ended the month with a four-game sweep of Minnesota, putting them three games out of first in the AL West. The Twins at 60-47 still hold the top spot with Milwaukee 57-50, Kansas City 54-52, and Detroit 54-53. Both the Royals and Tigers saw losing records in July and lost round. St. Louis at 39-67 has the worst record in MLB.

Twins C Emil Gross was AL Batter of the Month in July with a .407 average, 7 home runs, 25 RBI, and 17 runs. Milwaukee’s Lady Baldwin was the top pitcher going 6-0 in 55 innings with a 1.64 ERA and 36 strikeouts. Spiders pitcher Harry Staley was Rookie of the Month as the #3 pick had a 1.83 ERA in 44.1 innings with 26 Ks.

Pittsburgh remains by far the top squad overall at 71-36 atop the National League East Division. New York is a distant second at 58-49. Meanwhile, the NL West had a major shakeup with St. Louis squandering their five-game lead at the break. Since then, the Cardinals were a putrid 7-16 to drop to 56-50. Indianapolis meanwhile went a strong 15-9 and ended July on a six-game win streak. The Clowns at 59-48 are 2.5 ahead of 56-50 St. Louis and four ahead of 55-52 Louisville.

Brooklyn C Jack Clements took NL Batter of the Month on a .362 average, 9 homers, 24 RBI, and 20 runs. Indianapolis’s Pete Meegan was Pitcher of the Month with a 5-1 record, 1.67 ERA, and 26 Ks over 54 innings. The Dodgers also had the top rookie in #6 pick John Weyhing, who struck out 24 in 35.2 innings with a 3-1 record.

Pirates righty Adonis Terry had an eventful month. On the good side, he threw a no-hitter on July 8 with 7 Ks and 2 BB versus Buffalo. Both no-hitters in 1888 have been by Pittsburgh players against the Bison, as Frank Hoffman did it last month. Unfortunately for Terry, he suffered a torn back muscle later in July, ending his season.



Boston’s Mike Tiernan had a 26-game hitting streak, which is the third-longest streak thus far in MLB history. In injury news, Braves SP Jim Devlin suffered a torn rotator cuff on July 28, which is expected to put the former first round pick out four months.

[RMc]

Same with the sim being an integrated world where we pretend things weren't so horribly racist. That's part of the challenge too of doing a game with real players instead of completely fictional ones, since a depressingly large number of real life players were bigots, abusers, and/or scumbags. Obviously that baseline was more skewed in the 19th Century and a large chunk of those guys in real life also were hopeless alcoholics. That's one of the big joys for me with my World's Game fictional universe where you can imagine humanity not being nearly as awful as the real thing.

I hear ya, brother. My own real-life dynasty (which I've been shamefully ignoring of late) also lacks a colour line, with a Black pitcher becoming a star in Richmond, of all places. And fewer tragic endings: Jim Creighton doesn't die young, for one thing.

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Originally Posted by RMc

I hear ya, brother. My own real-life dynasty (which I've been shamefully ignoring of late) also lacks a colour line, with a Black pitcher becoming a star in Richmond, of all places. And fewer tragic endings: Jim Creighton doesn't die young, for one thing.

Yeah and it is fascinating to learn about some of these people especially this far back where I'm completely unfamiliar. Like Charlie Ferguson, whose been an MVP two-way guy in this game, the real guy was dead at age 25 to typhoid fever.



Both American League divisions had lead changes in August. In the East, Baltimore not only passed two-time defending World Series champ Boston, but grew their lead to five games. The Orioles were a dominant 22-7 for the month, including taking three of four over the Red Sox. Boston was a decent 17-13, but now faces the possible end of their four-year division title streak. Baltimore is 83-53 with Boston 78-58 and one more four-game series between them hosted by the O’s. Cleveland at 69-67 is firmly out of the hunt.

Milwaukee meanwhile passed Minnesota in the West with a 21-8 August for the Brewers. The Twins did still take three of four to end the month against Milwaukee, but that only barely got them above .500 in August. The Brewers are 78-58 with Minnesota 75-61 and Kansas City a distant third at 70-66. Milwaukee does host the Twins in the final four games of the season.

AL Batter of the Month went to Baltimore RF Bug Holliday with a .376 average, 10 home runs, 27 RBI, and 20 runs. Milwaukee’s Red Ehret was the top arm with a 5-2 record, 2.51 ERA, and 29 strikeouts over 43 innings. Washington’s Charlie Petty was the top rookie and a new arrival, getting traded from Kansas City last month. He had a 3.43 ERA and 21 Ks in 39.1 innings.

Former all-star pitcher Peek-A-Boo Veach just can’t catch a break. The Washington ace missed all of 1887 to a torn UCL, then missed a big chunk of 1888 to a herniated disc. Veach was pitching well in the summer for the Nationals, but in early August suffered a torn labrum. Officials fear he’ll be out at least 12 months.

August saw five different AL players with a 20+ game hitting streak. The longest was Boston’s Cap Anson at 28 games, falling one short of Billy Taylor’s record 29 from 1884. Minnesota’s Thomas Gorman made it 25 games; both Chicago’s Jocko Milligan and Cleveland’s Henry Moore went 22, and Baltimore’s Tommy Tucker went 21. All but Milligan’s streaks were ended between August 27-29.



Pittsburgh’s dominance continued in the National League East at 88-48, giving the Pirates a strong chance to pass the 1884 White Sox for the most wins in a season at 102. New York (74-61) and Boston (72-63) aren’t having bad seasons, but both need a major collapse from Pittsburgh to make the playoffs. It was at least a notable turnaround for the Giants, who took last in the East last year.

The NL West remained a three-team race with little shifting once August was complete. Indianapolis holds first at 76-60, followed by St. Louis 2.5 back at 73-62 and Louisville three away at 73-63. The Colonels ended the month going 8-2 in their last ten. The Clowns host the Cardinals in the final four-game series of the season. Louisville still faces the other two mid-month as well.

Boston LF Mike Tiernan was NL Batter of the Month on a .416 average, 17 home runs, 33 RBI, and 31 runs. He’s four away from having four consecutive 40+ homer seasons to start his career. St Louis’s Charley Radbourn was Pitcher of the Month as Old Hoss saw a 7-0 record, 2.60 ERA, and 32 Ks over 55.1 innings. Pittsburgh’s George Borchers was Rookie of the Month with 11 Ks and a 3-0 record over 18.1 innings.

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Fans were excited for possible close division races for September in the American League, but both winners pulled away and took first place by ten game margins. In the East, the four-year reign for Boston has ended, as well as their quest for a third consecutive World Series win. Baltimore was 16-10 in September while the Red Sox were 10-15, which included the Orioles taking three of four in their last series hosting Boston.

At 99-63, Baltimore earned the top seed. The Red Sox finished 89-73 with Cleveland third at 87-75. This was a franchise-best for the Spiders. New York at 75-87 had its first-ever losing season, followed by Washington (71-91) and Philadelphia (68-94).

The Orioles led the Majors with 932 runs scored and led the AL with a +144 run differential. Baltimore also set new AL team records with a.455 slugging percentage and 191 home runs. Despite their lackluster record, the Nationals allowed the AL’s fewest runs at 686.

Milwaukee continued to roll by going 19-7 in September, repeating atop the West at 97-65. The Brewers had the best record of any team at the all-star break going 58-21, making up for being five below .500 at the break. Minnesota was second at 87-75, having gone 40-39 in the second half. Next was Kansas City (81-81) and Detroit (78-84), who both struggled in the back end after being in the mix early. Chicago at 75-87 posted its first losing season, while St. Louis had the AL’s worst record at 65-97.

AL Batter of the Month in September was Cleveland LF Henry Moore with a .441 average, 2 homers, 21 RBI, and 22 runs. His Spiders teammate Fred Tenney was the top pitcher with a 6-0 record, 56 innings, 38 strikeouts, and a 0.80 ERA. It was a clean sweep for Cleveland with SP Harry Staley as Rookie of the Month, going 5-0 with a 2.02 ERA and 22 Ks in 53.1 innings.



Detroit’s Duke Farrell became the third player in MLB history with a 50+ home run season. His 51 was one short of Hugh Duffy’s 1886 record. Baltimore LF Pete Browning earned his second batting title with a .361 average. His teammate Bug Holiday had the best OPS at 1.028. It is ultimately a wide-open field for the AL’s MVP. Milwaukee’s Lady Baldwin won the ERA title at 2.24. Pitcher of the Year is also competitive with New York’s Bert Dorr as the WARlord (7.9) and Minnesota’s Toad Ramsey as the strikeout leader (272).

Kansas City’s Billy Shindle set the single-season record with 92 stolen bases. Cleveland’s Henry Moore broke his own record for singles with 183. He led the majors with 238 hits, second-most all-time behind Dave Orr’s 252 from 1884.

On top of their terrible season, the Athletics got terrible news in late September. Two-way star Jim Whitney, a three-time all-star, suffered a partially torn UCL. The injury is severe enough that doctors think he’ll be out 12 months, likely missing most or all of the 1889 season. The Twins also saw their second-year pitcher Ed Beatin with a partially torn UCL late in the year, although his doctors think he could be back by the spring.

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Pittsburgh easily claimed the best record in Major League Baseball, but they fell one short of the MLB wins record after going .500 in September. The Pirates earned their first National League East Division crown at 101-61, beating out Boston (92-70), New York (89-73), and last year’s winner Buffalo (85-77). Pittsburgh’s +209 run differential was tied for the third-best thus far in MLB history. They were second in both runs scored (896) and fewest allowed (687) in the NL.

The Giants had them beat by one run for most scored and set a franchise wins record. The Braves have posted three consecutive 90+ win seasons, but they are second place for repeat seasons. Pittsburgh did get some bad news entering the playoffs as pitcher Matt Kilroy suffered a torn flexor tendon. Doctors do think the former first round pick will be back by spring 1889.

Fans expected a tight race in the NL West down the stretch, but it was anti-climactic as Indianapolis won by seven games. The Clowns were 11-1 to start September and finished 19-7 for the month, finishing 95-67 for their second division title (1985). Defending NL champ St. Louis was 15-12 in the month, taking second at 88-74. Louisville meanwhile had a weak finish, dropping to a distant third at 82-80.

The Clowns and Cardinals are the only NL teams to have winning seasons each of MLB’s five seasons so far. St. Louis’s 651 runs allowed were the fewest in MLB. It was a sharp collapse for Cincinnati, who won 83 games the prior year. At 59-103, the Reds had the worst record in the majors and tied for the worst-ever in the NL. Cincy allowed 916 runs, a new NL worst. New Orleans meanwhile set new NL worsts for team batting average (.234), runs (620), and hits (1286).

Boston LB Mike Tiernan was the final NL Batter of the Month with a .359 average, 11 home runs, 31 RBI, and 31 runs in September. Indianapolis’s Perry Werden was Pitcher of the Month with a 1.59 ERA over 51 innings, 5-0 record, and 21 strikeouts. New Orleans reliever Fred Stoutenburg was Rookie of the Month with a 2.63 ERA over 13.2 innings.



Werden had a record-breaking season, setting new bests (162 IP required) for ERA (2.11), WHIP (0.85), and opponent’s OPS (.496). His .189/.266/.496 triple slash also were new records for OBP/SLG, while the AVG was second-best. Werden was also the leader in wins (26-6) and WAR (7.2), making him an obvious choice for Pitcher of the Year.

NL MVP is a much tougher battle with the likes of Tiernan, Dan Brouthers, King Kelly, and others in the hunt. Tiernan’s .743 slugging percentage set a new single-season record (502 PA required). Pittsburgh’s Abner Dalrymple set a new record with 16 triples. Chicago’s Billy O’Brien is expected to win Reliever of the Year again, breaking his own records again for saves (36) and games (68).

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The 1888 American League Championship Series was guaranteed to crown a first-time pennant winner. It was the second chance for Milwaukee, who lost 4-1to Boston the prior year. This was Baltimore’s first shot having dethroned the two-time defending world champion Red Sox in the AL East. The Brewers and Orioles had split their six games in the regular season. Baltimore finished with two more wins and thus had home field advantage for the series.

The Brewers opened the series with a 6-3 road win thanks to a five-run third inning. The big swing of the inning was a three-run home run by former MVP Denny Lyons.



Baltimore held on 5-4 in game two to even the series as it shifted to Wisconsin. Milwaukee got the tying and winning runs on base in a two-run ninth inning, but couldn’t bring them in.



The Orioles led 5-0 after five innings on five consecutive solo spots. Milwaukee rallied, tying the game on a four-run eighth inning. In the bottom of the ninth, Lyons got on via a four pitch walk. He stole second, then got to third on an error. Tip O’Neill then got an infield single that brought home Lyons for a 6-5 walkoff win.



The Brewers absolutely unloaded with a ten-run sixth inning en route to a 12-5 game four victory, putting them one away from the pennant. Milwaukee hit for the cycle in the inning with a homer, three doubles, one triple, and three singles. #9 hitter Dave Drew was 4-4 with three RBI and two runs, including a two-run homer in the sixth.



Milwaukee locked up the pennant in front of the home crowd at Borchert Field, defeating the Orioles 8-2 in game five. Red Ehret had a complete game win, scattering nine hits with one walk and eight strikeouts. 1B Denny Lyons was the series MVP, going 8-22 with 1 homer and 9 RBI.

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Indianapolis was looking to be the first National League team to win the pennant twice, having also beaten Brooklyn back in the 1885 League Championship Series. Pittsburgh was making their first NLCS trip and was the favorite with home field advantage. However, the Pirates notably looked middling in the final month following their dominant first half. They had split their six regular season games against the Clowns.

The game one pitcher’s duel went to Indianapolis’s Hardie Henderson over Pittsburgh’s Mark Baldwin in a 3-1 Clowns road win. Over 8.2 innings, Henderson gave up only two hits and an unearned run, walking five with five strikeouts. Jack Rowe was 3-4 with a double, triple, run, and two RBI.



Indianapolis was up 3-0 early in game two, but Pittsburgh’s three-run bottom of the sixth inning evened it up. It stayed there until the top of the tenth inning with the Clowns scoring on a sacrifice fly. The first two Pirates went down in the bottom half, but the next two earned walks. King Kelly then came up with a two RBI walkoff double, giving Pittsburgh the 5-4 win to even the series.



The Clowns scored six runs in the second inning, a cushion that held in a 7-3 win in their first home game of the series.



Indianapolis took game four 6-3 for the 3-1 series lead. Jack Lynch on the mound allowed two runs over seven innings with six hits and four strikeouts.



In game five, Indianapolis clinched the NLCS at home on an 11-5 win over Pittsburgh. The Clowns came out firing with a six-run first inning with three more in the second. Hardie Henderson struck out 11 over 7.1 innings on the mound and was 3-3 at the plate with two RBI. Indianapolis hit three homers in the game. Catcher Jack Rowe was series MVP, going 8-20 with one homer and four RBI.

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The fifth World Series featured two of Major League Baseball’s smaller market teams. Indianapolis had been there before, having defeated the Chicago White Sox back in 1885. It was the first trip for Milwaukee, who had home field advantage with two more wins than the Clowns. Both squads had been the underdogs in their respective LCS matchups.

Game one saw a five-run Brewers explosion in the bottom of the second inning. The Clowns countered with three in the third inning, but Milwaukee matched. They shockingly rocked NL ERA champ Perry Werden, giving up eight runs in under three full innings. Indy got four back in the sixth, but the Brewers held onto a 10-8 win to start the series. RF Paul Hines was notably 4-4 with four runs, tying the single-game playoff record.



Indianapolis bounced back with better pitching to even the series on a 6-2 victory in game two. Pete Meegan tossed 7.2 innings with two runs, six hits, two walks, and three strikeouts.



Game three shifted to Indiana, but Milwaukee mauled the Clowns 11-1. The game was only 3-0 after the seventh inning, but the Brewers unloaded with a six-run eighth inning. Red Ehret tossed eight innings, giving up one run, five hits, and two walks with two strikeouts.



The Brewers got another road win, this time 7-2, to go ahead 3-1 in the series. After both scored twice in the first inning, Milwaukee had a four-run second inning. Buck Ewing was 2-4 with a homer and four RBI. John Henry tossed a complete game with six hits and two runs allowed.



Indianapolis forced the series back to Wisconsin, winning game five 7-4 to put the series at 3-2 Brewers. The Clowns went ahead on a four-run eighth inning with four singles and a hit batsmen.



The big inning in game six was the sixth, which had all five Clowns runs thanks to five singles, a double, and a walk. Milwaukee was only able to muster four, giving Indianapolis the 5-4 road win. Baseball fans quickly realized the World Series was special, as for MLB’s first five seasons, each Fall Classic needed all seven games.

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Game seven of the fifth World Series was Tuesday, October 16, 1888 on beautiful clear 50 degree afternoon in Milwaukee. Both teams traded the lead early on, staring with Indianapolis striking first. The Brewers matched in the second, but the Clowns went back up in the third. Milwaukee then got two runs in the fourth for their first lead at 3-2. That held until Indy’s solo home runs by Ed Crane and Jack Rowe put them up 4-3 in the sixth inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, the first two Brewers singled. Then, 1B Jumbo Schoeneck hit an absolute monster home run 474 feet to left-center, giving Milwaukee the 6-4 lead. Indianapolis wasn’t dead yet, getting a walk, single, and walk in the ninth to load the bases with one out. However, the next two batters had a fly out and strikeout, allowing Milwaukee to hold on to win game seven 6-4.



RF Paul Hines was the series MVP, leading the Brewers to their first-ever World Series ring. He went 12-26 with four RBI. Hines had seven doubles to tie the postseason record. Another postseason record came from Indy’s Perry Werden. Although he struggled on the mound, he stole 11 bases as a batter.

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The National League saw Indianapolis’s Perry Werden win both Most Valuable Player and Pitcher of the Year. He was unanimously the top pitcher and had enough two-way exploits with his pitching excellence to take MVP. The 27-year old Werden had 17 first place votes for MVP while New York 1B Dan Brouthers had four and Pittsburgh 3B King Kelly had three.

Werden set the new single-season ERA record for qualifying pitchers at 2.11 and was the leader in wins (26-6), quality starts (30), complete games (22), WHIP (0.85), and WAR (7.2). He tossed 281.2 innings with 127 strikeouts, 205 ERA+, and 77 FIP-. Also playing first base, Werden had 141 games, 160 hits, 76 runs, 32 doubles, 2 home runs, 73 RBI, 68 stolen bases, a .295/.342/.376 slash, 95 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR. In September, he signed a three-year, $70,200 extension, keeping him a Clown through 1991.

Another two-way guy was American League MVP in Cleveland’s George Van Haltren. He had 20 first place votes while Baltimore’s Bug Holliday had two. The 22-year old Van Haltren was in his second season and as an outfielder played 134 games with 163 hits, 101 runs, 16 doubles, 39 homers, 114 RBI, 37 steals, .310/.376/.575 slash, 160 wRC+, and 6.4 WAR. On the mound, “Rip” had a 3.71 ERA over 283.2 innings, 16-11 record, 248 strikeouts, 122 ERA+, 84 FIP-, and 4.8 WAR. His 11.2 combined WAR is third-most in MLB history for any player behind two efforts by Boston’s Charlie Ferguson.

A competitive AL Pitcher of the Year race saw Minnesota’s Toad Ramsey on top with 12 first place votes. Milwaukee’s Lady Baldwin had eight and Cleveland’s Fred Tenney got four. Baldwin notably won the ERA title at 2.24. For the 24-year old Ramsey, he was the leader in strikeouts (272) and K/9 (9.0). Ramsey had a 2.79 ERA over 271 innings, 21-9 record, 165 ERA+, 70 FIP-, and 6.9 WAR.

Rookie of the Year had relatively underwhelming options. #1 pick Scott Stratton won it in the AL with 20 first place votes, while LF Ad Gumbert of Philadelphia had four. Stratton led in losses at 9-20, but that was a reflection of Washington being lousy as he had a 3.51 ERA in 256.1 innings, 123 Ks, 130 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 5.5 WAR. Stratton also had 1.5 WAR, .732 wRC+, and 109 wRC+ in 142 games playing the outfield. In the NL, Brooklyn’s John Weyhing got it with 19 first place votes to five for New Orleans’ Ed Mayer. Weyhing tossed 123.1 innings with a 3.87 ERA, 82 Ks, and 1.3 WAR.

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Below are the other award winners from the 1888 season. Few teams are using closers still, but Chicago’s Billy O’Brien has been the NL’s Reliever of the Year in five straight years. Even though St. Louis missed the playoffs in 1888, James McDermott won NL Manager of the Year for the third consecutive season. This matches Red Sox skipper John McKelvey for the most.



For Silver Sluggers, LF Pete Browning has won it all five years for Baltimore in the AL. Denny Lyons won his first at 3B after winning at 1B the prior three seasons. C Jocko Milligan and CF Hugh Duffy became three time AL winners. In the NL, LF Mike Tiernan, RF Jimmy Ryan, and 1B Dan Brouthers each became four-time winners.

As for Gold Gloves, Chicago’s Germany Smith has won five-in-a-row at shortstop in the AL. Philadelphia’s Dave Foutz won both as a pitcher and right fielder in 1888, giving him four total. His Athletics teammate John Kerins won his fourth as a catcher. In the NL, 1B Roger Connor won his fourth with the Cardinals. C Fred Carroll and CF Mike Griffin both won their third Gold Gloves with Buffalo.

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1888 saw three shocking manager firings, showing how quickly fortunes can change and how fickle owners can be. The biggest stunner was Boston firing John McKelvey, despite his two World Series rings, four playoff trips, and three Manager of the Year awards in five seasons with the Red Sox. Boston missed the playoffs at 89-73 in 1888, which apparently was enough to get the boot despite back-to-back championships the prior two years.

The very first World Series had the two Chicago teams, but both managers from that 1884 encounter are now unemployed. The White Sox’s Kevin Mallett had seen playoff trips in his first three years, but back-to-back misses and a 75-87 season in 1888. The Cubs cutting of Samuel Yeatman was less surprising, as they had posted four losing seasons since their 1884 pennant.



A quieter draft had ten rounds worth of players. Cincinnati had the #1 overall pick and used it on SP Amos Rusie. The St. Louis Browns had the #2 pick for SP Frank Knauss. New Orleans notably had the #3 and #4 picks spent on C Jocko Halligan and SP Sadie McMahon.

Here are the top free agent signings entering 1889. 1B John Reilly got the biggest contract, joining the Browns at $54,000 over six years.



Elsewhere in the world: Incumbent president Grover Cleveland won the popular vote for the Democrats, but his Republican challenger Benjamin Harrison won the electoral college, making Harrison the 23rd president of the United States. Cleveland would be president until early March 1889. In late February, he signed the Enabling Act of 1889, making way to add four new states into the union: Washington, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

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Below are the top-rated batters in pro baseball entering the 1889 season. The largest total contract remains Minnesota C Emil Gross at $172,000 with six years left to go. Boston’s Mike Tiernan notably signed a new eight-year, $162,600 extension with the Braves.



Below are the top-rated pitchers in the game. Baltimore’s Guy Hecker has the top overall single-year salary for 1889 at $31,000.