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

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GOTHAM & QUAKER ST. OPEN '78 WITH 33-RUN BARNBURNER
APBL NEWCOMERS COME OUT ON TOP THANKS TO FIVE HITS BY GREENHORN 3B

PHILADELPHIA (May 7, 1878) - Quaker State played their first game in the A.P.B.L. on Tuesday, hosting Gotham at the Philadelphia Cricket Grounds, and their maiden voyage into A.P.B.L. play was quite the affair:

There was action to be had throughout the entire game. Gotham exited the opening inning ahead 2-1, but eight Quaker St. runs from the 3rd-5th saw the hosts go ahead 9-4. Gotham responded with eight scores in the top of the 6th, with the big hit a two-run Triple by 1B Royal Altman. Gotham now ahead 12-9, Quaker St. came to bat in the bottom of the 6th and fired off seven runs of their own, with the key hit a two-run Single by Greenhorn 3B Jerry Rockford.

The twin rallies in the sixth inning left the score 16-13 to Quaker St. Gotham scored twice in T7 but was never able to draw level, as Quaker St. runs in the 7th & 8th put the hosts out of reach and into the Win column in their first A.P.B.L. game.

Overall, the day belonged to Greenhorns, as debutants from both teams put up excellent displays:

• GOT 3B Benjamin Crisp: 3/5 (all 1B), 1 R, 1 RBI
• GOT RF Harold Corso: 2/5 (both 1B), 1 R, 4 RBI
• QS RF Charles Aplin: 3/6 (2 2B), 3 R, 0 RBI
• QS 3B Jerry Rockford: 5/5 (2 2B), 1 R, 3 RBI

The star Greenhorn of the afternoon was Rockford, whose Single in the sixth was the key hit in the rally that put Quaker St. ahead for good. The 23-year-old, who joined Quaker St. after one season in the N.B.B.O. with Trenton United, couldn’t have done any better in his first game at the sport’s highest level.

For the Quaker St. team and the 4,100 fans in attendance, it was a day to remember.
Elsewhere on the A.P.B.L.’s opening day of games, two of the other three new teams didn’t fare as well as Quaker St., while one had a spectacular afternoon.

The other new Philadelphian outfit, Tiger Social Club, opened their A.P.B.L. existence at Kings County, and the game was a low-scoring contest. Tiger S.C.’s only run came during T5 on an Error, and with the game even 1-1 in B8 All-Star LF Fred Bartholomew hit a two-run Triple to give the hosts a 3-1 win.

In Boston, Port Jersey played their inaugural A.P.B.L. game next to the ocean at Massachusetts Bay. They started well, ahead 4-2 after the opening in and 6-3 after the third. However, Mass. Bay chipped away at the lead and, with the score 8-6 to the visitors, scored four times in B7 thanks to a pair of Doubles to win 10-8.

Also in Boston, Newark took on Shamrock at the famous South End Grounds to begin their A.P.B.L. tenure. The visitors from New Jersey started brilliantly, scoring five times in T1 on a Single and a pair of two-run Doubles. From there, Newark only got stronger and went ahead 15-1 by the end of the 5th before waltzing away with a 15-2 victory.

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O’SHEA HAS TRIO OF FIVES IN LANCASTRA VICTORY
VERETEAN 3B HAS FIVE HITS, RUNS, & RBI EACH IN SMASHING BRITTANIA HOME WIN

LANCASTER, PENN. (May 9, 1878) - Lancastra Britannia & Scranton B.C. played the second game of their season-opening series at James Buchanan Field in Southeast Pennsylvania on Thursday, and the hosts won it in a romp:

Lancastra wasted no time in putting Scranton to the sword, scoring five times in the opening inning. They grew the lead to 12-0 before the visitors scored their only runs of the game in T7, and then Lancastra responded with eight more runs over their last two times at bat to pour on the pain.

The hosts had some fine performances with the bat…

• LBR 2B Lennon Haley: 3/7 (all 1B), 1 R, 1 RBI
• LBR 1B Joseph Lindblom: 4/6 (all 1B), 1 R, 5 RBI
• LBR C William Zimmerman: 3/6 (2B), 2 R, 2 RBI

…but far and away their star of the day was sixth-year 3B Andrew O’Shea:

• B1: 2-run Single past 2B off W. Clayberg
• B3: Reached via 1-run Error by 3B L. Freeman (R)
• B4: Single past 2B off W. Clayberg (R)
• B6: Leadoff Triple to RCF off J. Feller (R)
• B7: 1-run Single past 1B off J. Feller (R)
• B8: 2-run Triple to RF off J. Feller (R)
• TOTAL: 5/6 (2 3B), 5 R, 5 RBI, 106 GMSC

For O’Shea, it was the third five-hit game of his career and his first since July 16, 1875 against Susquehanna. Compared to his other two five-hit games today’s out was far superior, the best game of O’Shea’s career.

Lancastra is starting 1878 off quite right, with wins of 14-3 and 20-2 against visiting Scranton over their opening two games.

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FRONTIER WALLOPS COLUMBIA BY NEARLY TWO DOZEN
VISITORS RACK UP 23 RUNS & 26 HITS IN BUFFALO WHILE PELHAM PITCHES THREE-HIT SHUTOUT

BUFFALO, N.Y. (May 10, 1878) - Frontier & Columbia entered the third game of their Week One series in Upstate New York even, and on Friday visiting Frontier took the series lead in extraordinary fashion:

This was a Buffalo beatdown from the opening pitch. Frontier was ahead 12-0 after the end of the third, and after two scoreless innings they piled on eleven more runs over the final four frames to inflict a 23-0 Shutout on their woeful hosts.

There were a number of fine batting performances from the Frontier lineup:

• FRO 1B Willis Michaelson: 3/7 (2B), 2 R, 1 RBI
• FRO CF George Whaley: 4/7 (3B), 4 R, 5 RBI, SB
• FRO 2B Elmer Haas: 4/6 (all 1B), 2 R, 3 RBI
• FRO RF John White: 3/6 (all 1B), 1 R, 3 RBI

On top of the stellar batwork, the Frontier lineup turned three Double Plays while they were out in the field.

The Frontier Shutout was pitched by fifth-year #1 Edward Pelham:

• FRO P Edward Pelham: CG SHO (2-0, 1.80), 3 HA, 0 BB, 2 K

Incredibly, Pelham cranked out just as many base hits on his own as he allowed to Columbia over the entire game:

• FRO P Edward Pelham: 3/5 (all 1B), 1 R, 2 RBI

It was quite the afternoon for the men from Oswego.

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SQUIRREL HILL TAKES 1ST WIN IN EPIC AT SUSQUEHANNA
INLAND NEWCOMERS OUTLAST DEFENDING CHAMPIONS IN 45-RUN EXTRAVAGANZA

WILKES-BARRE, PENN. (May 11, 1878) - Over the first three games of the season-opening series between N.B.B.O. newcomers Squirrel Hill and champions Susquehanna there were no surprises. The first three games ended with wins of 9-1, 17-13 (17-6 after B8), & 20-5 by the 2x Tucker-Wheaton Cup champions. With that in mind, cue Game Four:

There were roughly 1,725 in attendance at Review View Field, and the contest they witnessed was simply unbelievable.

It was visiting Squirrel Hill that raced out to an amazing start, scoring no less than NINETEEN times over the first three innings, with the big moment a Grand Slam after two out in T3 by CF Jonathan Mills, to take a seemingly unassailable 19-4 lead. After Squirrel Hill scored run #20 in T4, Susquehanna began their comeback in earnest, scoring twice in the 4th, three times in the 5th, and half a dozen times in both the 6th & 7th. With Squirrel Hill putting up just one further run during that time, the score was now tied 21-21.

Following a scoreless 8th, Squirrel Hill came to bat in the 9th and scored three times after the first out was recorded, with a two-run Single by 1B James Holyfield plating the visitors’ go-ahead runs. All the cup winners could do in B9 was see themselves retired in 1-2-3 order, and Squirrel Hill had earned perhaps the most memorable maiden victory in baseball history.

The victors pulled off a baseball first, for Squirrel Hill had two members of the lineup with seven RBI each:

• SH 1B James Holyfield: 4/7 (2 3B), 3 R, 7 RBI, 90 GMSC
• SH CF Jonathan Mills: 4/7 (2B, HR), 3 R, 7 RBI, 95 GMSC

As a first-year member of the N.B.B.O. Squirrel Hill likely won’t win many games in 1878, so their 24-21 win at the defending cup champions in the fourth game of the season may well stand as the best of their inaugural campaign.

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BINGHAMTON PLATES 14 IN 6TH TO BEAT EAGLE
HOSTS SCORE ALL OF THEIR RUNS AT ONCE TO TAKE THIRD VICTORY OF OPENING WEEK

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (May 11, 1878) - Binghamton entered the fourth game of their series against Eagle ahead 2-1 thanks to two wins to open the season. After losing 6-4 on Saturday, Binghamton got back on track thanks to a huge inning:

With the score 7-0 after T6 and the contest looking like it would go to Eagle and even the series, the Binghamton men stepped up to bat in B6 and did the following:

• EAG: Haywood Birch pitching
• BING: P Jonathan Anfuso reached via Base on Balls
• BING: CF Alex Leininger hit Single to LCF (Anfuso to 2B)
• BING: SS Veljko Gojkovic hit Single to LCF (Bases loaded)
• BING: 1B Matthew Reeves Hit by Pitch (EAG 7-1 BING, Bases loaded)
• BING: 2B Joseph Lassiter reached via Base on Balls (EAG 7-2 BING, Bases loaded)
• EAG: 1-run Wild Pitch by Haywood Birch (EAG 7-3 BING, Reeves to 3B, Lassiter to 2B)
• BING: C Edmond Price reached via Error by SS (Bases loaded)
• BING: RF Edward Everage reached via 2-run Error by CF (EAG 7-5 BING, Price to 3B)
• BING: LF Hugh Stevenson hit 1-run Single past SS (EAG 7-6 BING, Everage to 3B)
• BING: 3B Edward Schwab reached via Base on Balls (Bases loaded)
• BING: P Jonathan Anfuso hit into Fielder’s Choice at HP (1 out, Bases loaded)
• BING: CF Alex Laininger hit 1-run Single to LCF (EAG 7-7 BING, Bases loaded)
• EAG: 1-run Passed Ball by C (EAG 7-8 BING, Anfuso to 3B, Leininger to 2B)
• BING: SS Veljko Gojkovic reached via Error by SS (Bases loaded)
• EAG: Jesse Knudsen replaced Haywood Birch at P
• BING: 1B Matthew Reeves reached via Base on Balls (EAG 7-9 BING)
• BING: 2B Joseph Lassiter hit 1-run Sacrifice Fly to CF (EAG 7-10 BING)
• BING: C Edmond Price hit Single past 1B (Gojkovic to 3B, Reeves to 2B)
• EAG: 1-run Throwing Error by RF (EAG 7-11 BING, Reeves to 3B, Price to 2B)
• BING: RF Edward Everage hit 1-run Single past SS (EAG 7-12 BING, Price to 3B)
• EAG: 1-run Fielding Error by CF (EAG 7-13 BING, Everage to 2B)
• BING: LF Hugh Stevenson hit 1-run Single past SS (Everage to 3B)
• EAG: 1-run Fielding Error by CF (EAG 7-14 BING, Stevenson to 2B)
• BING: 3B Edward Schwab struck out (3 out)
• TOTAL: 14 R, 7 H, 6 E, 1 SF, 3 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP, 1 FC, 1 WP, 1 PB, 18 Batsmen

And with that, what had been a 7-0 Eagle lead that looked a sure win was now a 14-7 Binghamton advantage going into the late innings. Eagle scored twice in the 7th and once more in the 8th, but that was all the scoring they could muster as Binghamton’s mighty inning propelled them to victory.

There were roughly 1,460 in attendance at the Vestal Avenue Grounds, and for a memorable half-inning they were treated to quite a show by the home team.

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Well, that was quite the opening week. If the rest are like this I don't know if I'll be able to keep up!

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GREENHORN CRISP HAS 5 HITS & 5 RBI AT FLOUR CITY
NEW GOTHAM 3B HAS BRILLIANT AFTERNOON AS TEAM WINS WITH RALLY IN 7TH

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (May 14, 1878) - The new-look Gotham team went 4-2 over the first week of the A.P.B.L. season, and they fancied their chances to go to 5-2 at struggling Flour City to open Week Two. The result in Upstate New York:

It was a quality contest. Flour City drew first blood with three runs in B1, and after the teams put up competing two-run rallies in the 2nd it was 5-2 to the hosts. Gotham drew level over the next two innings before pulling ahead in the 6th with another two-run rally to bring the score to 7-5.

The next inning would be the key to the game. In B6, Flour City came to bat and scored four times – the rally capped by a two-run Single from PH Ralph Callahan – to go ahead 9-7. However, Gotham came to bat in T7 and did Flour City one better with a five-run rally sparked by a two-run Single from greenhorn 3B Benjamin Crisp, and that saw Gotham ahead 12-9 when they were retired. The teams scored one run each after that, and Gotham exited Riverside Park the victors.

The Player of the Game was Crisp, who was excellent in his seventh career outing:

• T2: 1-run Single past 3B off J. Goodman
• T3: 1-run Single past 2B off J. Goodman
• T6: Leadoff Double to RF off J. Goodman (R)
• T7: 2-run Single past SS off J. Goodman (R)
• T8: 1-run Single to RF off O. Holt
• TOTAL: 5/5 (2B), 2 R, 5 RBI, 89 GMSC

The three-run win moved Gotham up to 5-2, while listless Flour City is 1-6 through their first seven games.

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APBL NEWCOMERS PT. JERSEY BLANK ST. JOHN’S
ATKINS PITCHES SHUTOUT AS JERSEY CITY OUTFIT COMPLETES BEST WIN OF INAUGURAL APBL SEASON

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (May 17, 1878) - Port Jersey began their home series against St. John’s on Friday with St. John’s having lost all three of their games at American to start the week. The hosts hoped to take advantage of the champions’ poor form, and they did just that:

The result was the most impressive win by Pt. Jersey so far in their first A.P.B.L. season, as not only was it a Shutout victory but it was a Shutout against what has historically been the most highly-regarded offensive unit in the sport.

The man of the hour for Pt. Jersey was P Jonathan Atkins, who joined the team for A.P.B.L. play after five seasons in the Philadelphia City League with Merion B.C.C.:

• PtJ P Jonathan Atkins: CG SHO (3-1, 1.64), 6 HA, 0 BB, 1 K

Just four St. John’s batsmen took hits off Atkins: LF Jonathan Evans & 1B Konrad Jensen had two each, while 2B Cletus Cannon (3B) & SS George Pugatch finished with one each.

The 36-year-old Atkins is off to a great start considering his move up from the P.C.B.L. to an A.P.B.L. expansion team. He’s 3-1 with a 1.64 ERA through 44 innings of work as Pt. Jersey’s #2.

The result left both teams at 6-4 and tied for third in the Colonial Conference. After losing their opener 15-2, Shamrock has gone 8-1 over their last nine games and tops the standings at 8-2.

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DAY HAS A FIELD DAY AT BUNKER HILL
VETERAN C HAS 5 HITS, 4 RUNS, & 4 RBI AS DIAMOND ST. WINS BATTLE OF NBBO NEWCOMERS

BOSTON (May 23, 1878) - Coastal Championship newcomers Diamond State & Bunker Hill met for the second game of their Week Three series at Bunker Hill Field on Thursday, with the team from Delaware coming out on top:

The Bostonians started the game in fine fashion, sending four across the plate in B1 on three separate run-scoring Singles. However, Delaware would soon gain control of the game and go on to score nine straight runs over the next six innings before Bunker Hill was able to score twice in B7 to make it a 9-6 game. Diamond St. scored twice more in T8 to move their lead back up to five (11-6), and that sealed the result as a late Bunker Hill rally came up short.

The hero for Diamond St. was new C Jonathan Day, a 3x All-Star who only signed with the team three days ago:

• T2: 1-run Triple to CF off P. Oldaker (R)
• T4: Leadoff Single to CF off P. Oldaker (R)
• T5: 1-run Single past 2B off P. Oldaker
• T6: 1-run Single to CF off P. Oldaker (R)
• T8: 1-run Single past SS off J. Ledden (R)
• TOTAL: 5/5 (3B), 4 R, 4 RBI, 96 GMSC

Day appears to have acclimated himself quite well to his new club and squadmates, as through two games in a Diamond St. jersey he’s reached base eight times, batting 7/9 (.778) and reaching once via Base on Balls.

Unfortunately for Delaware St., the win was only their third of the season. They are 3-9 while Bunker Hill fell to 2-10 with the loss, with the pair taking up the bottom two places in the Coastal Championship standings.

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VALENTINE HAS APBL’S FIRST SIX-HIT GAME OF ‘78
ALL-STAR RF POUNDS FORMER TEAM AS NEWARK WINS IN MANHATTAN

MANHATTAN (May 23, 1878) - Newark ended their first-ever series against Orange at the Upper Manhattan Grounds on Thursday, looking to take the series 2-1. They were able to withstand a 5th-inning rally to get the job done:

After two scoreless innings to open the game Newark jumped out to the lead, with two runs in the third and four more in the fourth putting them ahead 6-0. However, Orange put five past Home Plate in B5 thanks to a series of Newark fielding misadventures to make it a one-run game (6-5) and force Newark to work hard for a result.

In T6 William Valentine connected with the game’s key hit, an Inside-the-Park Home Run over the head of the Orange LF that righted the Newark ship. That was their run in the 6th, and with lone runs in the 7th, 8th, & 9th they had a 10-5 lead and the win in hand.

For Valentine, the Home Run was part of a fantastic afternoon against his former team:

• T1: Single past SS off A. Miller
• T3: Infield Single to 2B off A. Miller (R)
• T4: 1-run Single past SS off A. Miller
• T6: LEADOFF SOLO HOME RUN (ItP) to LF off A. Miller
• T7: Infield Single to SS off J. Smith
• T9: Single to LCF off J. Smith
• TOTAL: 6/6 (HR), 2 R, 2 RBI, 81 GMSC

Valentine, who spent five seasons with Orange (1873-77) and made two All-Star Games during that time, has played brilliantly over his first two and a half weeks in a Newark uniform, batting .420 (.979 OPS) with six Extra-Base Hits (4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR), fourteen Runs Batted In (84 RBI/90 G), and 0.7 WAR (4.1 WAR/90 G).

The win has Newark in a three-way tie for 6th in the Colonial Conference at 5-10, while the loss moved Orange down to 6th in the Metropolitan Conference at 6-9.

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LYNN’S CURRY STARS IN WILD GAME AT OLYMPIC
TEAMS COMBINE FOR 47 RUNS IN EASILY THE MOST EXCITING GAME TO DATE IN THE CC

PATERSON, N.J. (May 23, 1878) - Olympic entered Thursday 11-0 over the first eleven games in their new home, the Coastal Conference. They finally lost, and it took a wild afternoon of baseball against visiting Lynn to make it happen:

Long story short, there were rallies all over the place. Lynn scored five times in the 1st, four in the 4th, three in the 5th, four in the 6th, five in the 7th, and three more times in the 8th. Olympic scored twice in the 3rd, five times in the 4th, twice in the 5th & 6th, and put up an eight-run rally in the 8th to cut a 26-12 deficit to 26-20.

The batsmen had a field day at Great Falls Park:

• LYNN LF William Fair: 5/7 (2 2B, 3B), 2 R, 5 RBI, 9 TB
• LYNN CF Charlie Kleinman: 4/7 (2B, 3B), 3 R, 3 RBI
• LYNN 1B Claude Shaw: 4/6 (2 2B), 1 R, 4 RBI, 1 BB, SB
• LYNN 3B John Schoessow: 3/6 (2B), 4 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
• OLY CF Charles Darling: 3/7 (all 1B), 2 R, 5 RBI
• OLY RF James Emmert: 3/7 (all 1B), 1 R, 1 RBI
• OLY 3B Theodore Foote: 3/5 (2B), 3 R, 1 RBI
• OLY SS Art Munstermann: 3/6 (all 1B), 4 R, 1 RBI

One man not included in the above list managed to outdo all of them, and that was Lynn RF Clifton Curry:

• T1: 2-run Single past 2B off H. McGrath (R)
• T2: 1-run Ground Out to 2B (2 out)
• T4: Double to RF off H. McGrath (R)
• T5: Reached via Error by CF C. Darling (R)
• T6: 3-run Triple to RCF off F. McMillan (R)
• T7: 2-run Double to RCF off L. Morris (R)
• T8: 1-run Double to RF off L. Morris (R)
• TOTAL: 5/7 (3 2B, 3B), 6 R, 9 RBI, 10 TB, 137 GMSC

It was a truly unbelievable performance by the Greenhorn, one made all the more unbelievable by the fact that it was only his second game in a Lynn uniform after signing with the club on May 20th. After going 0/2 in his Lynn debut, Curry apparently decided that he needed to make quite the impression in Game #2.

Olympic remains clear atop the C.C. standings at 11-1, two games ahead of Essex Co. & Sportsman’s.

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RICHARDS BLASTS SIX HITS IN SYRACUSE WIN
SYRACUSE SS ADDS HANDFUL OF RBI IN HOME WIN OVER BINGHAMTON; DUFFY ALSO HAS FIVE RBI

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (May 24, 1878) - Syracuse entered the third game of their Upstate New York series against Binghamton looking to go above the .500 mark, and they did so very easily:

With the score 1-1 going into B2, Syracuse scored once in the 2nd, nine times in the 3rd, and four more times in the 4th to turn a tie game into a 15-1 laugher. It didn’t get any better for Binghamton, as the hosts piled on eight more runs in B8 to take a 24-3 lead before the visitors scored a consolation run in the 9th.

Syracuse saw RF Lon Duffy have an efficient day with the bat, driving in five Runs on just two base hits, but their star player was first-year regular SS Christopher Richards:

• B1: 1-run Double to LCF off C. Frees
• B3: 1-run Single past SS off C. Frees (R)
• B3: Single to RCF off W. Lewis
• B4: 2-run Single to LCF off W. Lewis
• B6: Fly Out to LF (1 out)
• B8: 1-run Single to RCF off W. Lewis
• B8: Single to RF off J. Barnes
• TOTAL: 6/7 (2B), 1 R, 5 RBI, 86 GMSC

Richards, in his third season with Syracuse, is making the most of his first chance to be a member of the lineup. He’s batting .429 (.977 OPS) with 17 Runs Batted In (92 RBI/70 G) and 0.9 WAR (4.6 WAR/70 G) through thirteen games in 1878.

The win moved Syracuse into a tie for 3rd place upstate at 7-6, while Binghamton is in 7th at 5-8.

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TWO SHUTOUTS IN THE APBL ON WEDNESDAY
KINGS CO’S GRAY, MASS. BAY’S HOBBELINK HOLD OPPONENTS SCORELESS IN MIDWEEK ACTION

PITTSBURGH & BOSTON (May 29, 1878) - There were eight games played across the A.P.B.L. on Wednesday, and two of them ended in Shutouts.

The first Shutout took place at Pittsburgh’s Recreation Park, where Kings County beat Alleghany 6-0, with the visitors scoring lone runs in six different innings to get the better of their hosts and improve their record to 15-5.

The pitcher of the Kings Co. Shutout was Willie Gray, who excelled with both ball & bat:

• KC P Willie Gray: CG SHO (8-3, 2.08), 4 HA, 0 BB, 5 K
• KC P Willie Gray: 2/4 (both 1B), 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K

Gray was aided in his cause by the top of the K.C. order, as each of the first four men in the lineup – 2B Herman Stanley, RF Sig Siemens, 1B Garfield Koonce, & LF Fred Bartholomew – had two Hits each, and three of the four clubbed Extra-Base Hits.

Even though the win left Kings Co. 15-5, they remain 2nd in the Metropolitan Conference because white-hot Knickerbocker is currently 16-4. Alleghany sits at 5th place in the Colonial Conference at 10-10 (5 GB).

Over in Boston, it was Massachusetts Bay who completed the day’s other Shutout victory with a 7-0 home win over Orange. At the South End Grounds, Mass. Bay’s three-run rally in B2 that featured three run-scoring Singles was enough for the win as Drees Hobbelink, like Gray in Pittsburgh, was in fine form with both ball & bat:

• MB P Drees Hobbelink: CG SHO (4-6, 3.84), 3 HA, 2 BB, 4 K
• MB P Drees Hobbelink: 2/4 (both 1B), 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K

The Shutout win improved Mass. Bay’s record to 8-12, which is good for 6th in the Colonial. After starting the season 5-6, Orange has lost eight of their last nine games to fall to 6-14, which is tied for 6th in the Metropolitan and even with Flour City for the worst record of the non-expansion teams in the A.P.B.L.

Elsewhere in the A.P.B.L. on Wednesday, St. John’s hammered Gotham 18-3 at the St. George Cricket Grounds to go to 12-8, with Gotham falling to .500 at 10-10. It was never much of a contest, as the visitors scored half a dozen times in T1 and never let up. St. John’s received multiple base hits from five batsmen (Cannon, Evans, Jensen, Pugatch, & Todd), and Player of the Game honors went to SS George Pugatch (4/6, 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI).

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ATLANTIC DROPS THIRTY ON MARATHON
4x BROOKLYN CHAMPS SHOW HOSTS NO MERCY AT THE WILLIAMSBURG GROUNDS

BROOKLYN (May 31, 1878) - Atlantic ended their three-game losing streak on Thursday with an outstanding 23-12 win at Marathon, and they hoped to build on that to end May in fine fashion on Friday. To say they did that is an understatement:

This game was even (3-3) after two innings, but after that Atlantic scored 27 of the game’s last 29 runs in a spectacular rout.

For most of the Atlantic lineup it was a fantastic afternoon:

• ATL SS Ben Gagliardi: 3/8 (all 1B), 3 R, 2 RBI
• ATL LF Herb Verrett: 3/4 (all 1B), 5 R, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 96 GMSC
• ATL 1B Jackson Wright: 4/7 (2 2B), 4 R, 7 RBI
• ATL RF MacKenzie Wilson: 2/7 (both 1B), 3 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
• ATL C Michael Jones: 1/6 (1B), 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB
• ATL 3B John Stoneman: 4/8 (all 1B), 3 R, 3 RBI
• ATL CF George Gregory: 4/6 (all 1B), 4 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, SB
• ATL 2B Roy Beattie: 5/7 (all 1B), 4 R, 3 RBI, SB, 81 GMSC
• ATL P Olaf Sorensen: 1/3 (1B), 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K
• ATL P Olaf Sorensen: CG W (4-4, 1.93), 9 HA, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Herb Verrett took Player of the Game honors, as even though he “only” had three base hits his four walks meant he reached base seven times, and the ten Bases on Balls drawn by Atlantic was a team record in their 21+ seasons in the N.B.B.O.

The 26-run victory meant Atlantic ended May as part of a three-way tie atop the Brooklyn championship with Bedford & Nassau County at 11-7. Marathon, just 24-46 last season, is off to a 5-13 start that has them in last place.

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AMERICAN BASEBALL MAY RECAP

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (May 31, 1878) – It is the last night of May. All of the competitive baseball for the month has been completed, and here is how each of the four competitions look:

A.P.B.L. STANDINGS

COLONIAL – Shamrock has been buoyed by a 9-0 away record, so don’t expect them to continue their current pace for much longer. St. John’s had a five-game losing streak (May 14-18) that sullied an otherwise fine opening month. Pt. Jersey has been a HUGE surprise, winning games by manufacturing runs (R: 5th, AVG: 11th, OPS: 12th). Niagara had a good debut month from Norman and excellent pitching from Mukai, and they look like contenders. Alleghany is playing great defense as always, but the bottom half of their lineup has struggled. Mass. Bay went WWWW to end the month, with the trio of Berg, Fisher, & Stoffers batting extremely well. Newark has seen fine pitching from Ratican and brilliance from Valentine, but the N.B.B.O. holdovers in their lineup have struggled. Flour City has the league’s second-worst fielding, and combined with a mediocre offense it means wins have been few and far between.

METROPOLITAN – Knick looks fantastic thanks to the league’s best Defensive Efficiency and pitching that’s allowing 1.4 Runs/Game fewer than any other team. Kings Co. finally has a contender, one that has been led by Koonce’s .421 AVG. So far, American has been able to overcome the loss of Prince due to Busby & Burke both batting .395+. Gotham has been inconsistent, usually looking great in wins and terrible in losses, but P.C.B.L. import Krueger has done okay as their new #1. Excelsior has issues – offense has regressed from the end of last year and Creighton had the worst month of his career (5-7, 4.66). Quaker St. has been a team in which half of their regulars have looked good and the other half have struggled. Orange looks miserable, with three regulars (Chaffin, Cobb, Crosby) batting below .200 and two (Dudley, Reed) batting below .215. Tiger has REALLY struggled, but due to scheduling quirks they’ve only played 3/22 games at home.

A.P.B.L. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMAN OF THE MONTH
William Busby (1B, AME) – .395, .997 OPS, 21 R, 34 H, 7 XBH, 1 HR, 26 RBI, 16 BB, 0 SB, 1.5 WPA, 1.4 WAR

PITCHER OF THE MONTH
Bertram Landreth (KNI) – 9-1, 1.89 ERA, 34 K, 90.2 IP, 7 CG, 3.4 K/9, 6.8 K/BB, 1.18 WHIP, 1.6 WAR, 2.0 rWAR

GREENHORN OF THE MONTH
William Norman (1B, NIA) – .344, .759 OPS, 22 R, 33 H, 6 2B, 0 3B, 23 RBI, 3 BB, 1 SB, 1.5 WPA, 0.7 WAR

Two players had higher averages than Busby – Garfield Koonce (KC) with .421 & William Trowbridge (ALL) with .400 – but Busby’s extra-base power, his ridiculous sixteen walks in 22 games, and his league-high .997 OPS, earned him B.o.t.M. Another player with a B.o.t.M. shout: Rudolph Decker (StJ), who hit .381 with 28 RBI and 19 Stolen Bases.

Landreth was the only nine-Win P in May and he and an ERA under 2.00, so P.o.t.M. is his. Teammate Robert Goodman was 8-3 with a 2.70 ERA. The two other P’s with a chance at P.o.t.M. were Kings Co’s Willie Gray (8-3, 2.46, 37 K, 1.7 WAR) and Niagara’s Tomoharu Mukai (8-2, 2.46 ERA, 26 K, 1.9 WAR).

Charles Aplin (RF, QS) had a higher AVG & OPS, but Norman’s work for 14-8 Niagara earned him G.o.t.M. as he was the only Greenhorn with 20+ RBI. Aplin hit very well (.356 AVG, .826 OPS, 10 XBH) but only drove in nine runs from the #3 spot in the QS lineup. Benjamin Crisp (3B, GOT) led all Greenhorn batsmen in WAR at 0.7. Paul Krueger (GOT) was the best Greenhorn P (4-4, 2.76, 16 K, 1.0 WAR).

A.P.B.L. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .421 by Garfield Koonce (1B, Kings Co.)
OPS: .997 by William Busby (1B, American)
Home Runs: 3 by Royal Altman (1B, Gotham)
Runs Batted In: 32 by Fred Bartholomew (LF, Kings Co.)
Runs: 30 by Babe Johnson (2B, Gotham)
Stolen Bases: 21 by Konrad Jensen (1B, St. John’s)
Batsman WPA: 2.1 by Royal Altman
Batsman WAR: 1.7 by Anthony Mascherino (2B, Knick)

Wins: 9 by Bertram Landreth (Knick)
ERA (50+ IP): 1.59 by Thomas Smith (St. John’s)
Strikeouts: 49 by Jim Creighton (Excelsior)
Complete Games: 10 by Tomoharu Mukai (Niagara)
WHIP (50+ IP): 1.07 by John Ratican (Newark)
Pitcher WAR: 2.2 by Jim Creighton
Pitcher rWAR: 4.1 by Tomoharu Mukai

N.B.B.O. REGIONAL LEADERS

BROOKLYN: Atlantic, Bedford, & Nassau Co. at 11-7 (Cont’l 1 GB; Empire 2 GB; Star 3 GB; Eckford 4 GB)
NEW YORK CITY: N.Y.A.C. at 13-5 (Union 2 GB; Baltic & Metro 4 GB; Harlem & Hilltop 5 GB)
UPSTATE N.Y.: Minuteman at 12-6 (Columbia 1 GB; Frontier & Syracuse 2 GB, Eagle & Victory 4 GB, Utica 5 GB)
COASTAL: National at 14-4 (Maryland 2 GB; P.B.C.C. & Trenton Utd. 4 GB)
INLAND: Susquehanna at 15-3 (Lancastra 2 GB; Merrimack 5 GB)
NEW ENGLAND: Portland & S.o.t.O. at 12-6 (SAL 1.5 GB; CAN 2.5 GB; OCE & QUI 4 GB; GM 5 GB)


BROOKLYN – At least for the start of the season, some unusual contenders have joined Atlantic at the top of Brooklyn in Bedford & Nassau Co. Anything to break up the Atlantic-Eckford duopoly. Speaking of Eckford, perennial All-Stars Isaac Kelly & Louis Murray both hit below .300 as they went 7-11.

NEW YORK CITY – N.Y.A.C. went 13-5 in spite of the #20 offense in the N.Y.L. Why? Charles Rhodes had a 1.58 ERA over 97 innings and George Cerven had a 1.44 ERA over 62.2 innings. If their offense wakes up then the pennant race is over.

UPSTATE N.Y. – Columbia, 20-50 last year, had an excellent May to position themselves between Minuteman & Syracuse, who are both in the top three due to quality pitching. Favorites Utica went 7-11 due to sputtering offense.

COASTAL – Favorites National are hammering the opposition, but Maryland is right behind and Trenton Utd. remains competitive. No surprise: Philadelphia B.C.C. is the best of the new teams.

INLAND – Susquehanna is already threatening to run away with the pennant after a 15-3 May, but Lancastra and their N.B.B.O.-best +94 Run Differential are trying to keep up. Newcomers Squirrel Hill are 7-11 and looking competitive.

NEW ENGLAND – Portland, S.o.t.O., and Salem are, as was expected, the top three. All three teams have a batsman hitting .400+ and all three are playing good defense. The top seven are five games apart, so things can easily change.

N.B.B.O. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMEN OF THE MONTH
NYL: Declan Thomson (LF, HAR) – .402, 1.029 OPS, 25 R, 33 H, 6 2B, 5 3B, 20 RBI, 4 BB, 6 SB, 0.9 WPA, 1.0 WAR
NEL: Joseph Jurski (1B, SUS) – .452, 1.077 OPS, 25 R, 38 H, 2 2B, 4 3B, 24 RBI, 6 BB, 3 SB, 1.6 WPA, 1.4 WAR

PITCHERS OF THE MONTH
NYL: Charles Rhodes (NYAC) – 7-3, 1.58 ERA, 47 K, 97.0 IP, 10 CG, 7.8 K/BB, 0.96 WHIP, 3.4 WAR, 4.1 rWAR
NEL: Ben Lauppe (NAT) – 8-2, 1.85 ERA, 35 K, 97.1 IP, 9 CG, 1.5 K/BB, 1.20 WHIP, 1.6 WAR, 3.4 rWAR

GREENHORNS OF THE MONTH
NYL: George Spatz (LF, EMP) – .416, .986 OPS, 19 R, 37 H, 7 2B, 3 3B, 15 RBI, 4 BB, 4 SB, 2.0 WPA, 1.2 WAR
NEL: Everton Pickett (P, PBCC) – 6-3, 2.18 ERA, 15 K, 91.0 IP, 7 CG, 1.4 K/BB, 1.25 WHIP, 1.6 WAR, 1.6 rWAR

N.B.B.O. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .507 by Lucas Maxwell (2B, Susquehanna)
OPS: 1.141 by Lucas Maxwell
Home Runs: 3 by Felix Charles (RF, Scranton)
Runs Batted In: 31 by Frederick Pike (2B, P.B.C.C.)
Runs: 36 by Frank Tucker (LF, Minuteman)
Stolen Bases: 20 by Manuel Romeiras (CF, N.Y.A.C.)
Batsman WPA: 2.4 by Ben Gagliardi (SS, Atlantic)
Batsman WAR: 1.5 by Peter Jones (SS, S.o.t.O.)

Wins: 9 by John Faulkner (Lancastra) & William Hawk (Susquehanna)
ERA (50+ IP): 1.44 by George Cerven (N.Y.A.C.)
Strikeouts: 47 by Charles Rhodes (N.Y.A.C.)
Complete Games: 10 by Charles Rhodes
WHIP (50+ IP): 0.96 by George Cerven & Charles Rhodes
Pitcher WAR: 3.4 by Charles Rhodes
Pitcher rWAR: 4.1 by Charles Rhodes

COASTAL CONFERENCE

LEADER: Olympic at 16-2 (Essex Co. 4 GB; Sportsman’s 6 GB; Highlander 7.5 GB)

Olympic has finally found their level, and they’re thriving at it with a +100 Run Differential over just eighteen games. Sportsman’s hasn’t fared as well, but at least their future is looking up. Essex has been by far the best of the six teams new to league baseball thanks to the batting of 1B James Baker and the pitching of Clarence Kessler.

C.C. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMAN OF THE MONTH
Noah Skiles (2B, OLY) – .417, 1.038 OPS, 28 R, 35 H, 8 2B, 2 3B, 28 RBI, 4 BB, 2 SB, 2.3 WPA, 1.1 WAR

PITCHER OF THE MONTH
Clarence Kessler (ESX) – 7-1, 0.90 ERA, 17 K, 79.2 IP, 7 CG, 2.4 K/BB, 0.97 WHIP, 1.6 WAR, 3.9 rWAR

C.C. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .417 by Noah Skiles (2B, Olympic)
OPS: 1.038 by Noah Skiles
Home Runs: 1 by many different batsmen
Runs Batted In: 28 by James Holt (C, Olympic) & Noah Skiles
Runs: 36 by Charles Darling (CF, Olympic) & Everton Pauline (LF, Olympic)
Stolen Bases: 19 by Everton Pauline
Batsman WPA: 2.3 by Noah Skiles
Batsman WAR: 1.1 by Noah Skiles

Wins: 8 by Howard McCrath (Olympic)
ERA (50+ IP): 0.90 by Clarence Kessler (Essex Co.)
Complete Games: 7 by four different pitchers
Strikeouts: 36 by Howard McGrath
WHIP (50+ IP): 0.97 by Clarence Kessler
Pitcher WAR: 2.0 by Carl Bancroft (Olympic)
Pitcher rWAR: 4.1 by Walt Harper (Sportsman’s)

P.C.B.L. LEADERS

EAST: Frankford at 13-5 (Queen Village 1 GB; Pt. Richmond & Sons of Ben 2 GB; Keyston & Minerva 5 GB)
WEST: Merion & Overbrook at 11-7 (Germantown, Penn, & Schuylkill 1 GB; Bartram & Independence 3 GB)

EAST – Last year’s top two are back top the standings after the first month, but with the positions reversed. Instead of leading thanks to their perennially high-powered offense, Frankford is in 1st thanks to the league’s best pitching while it’s Q.V. who has the league’s best offense. Pt. Richmond & Sons of Ben have both shown powerful lineups.

WEST – Indeed the West has become a scramble after the departure of Philadelphia B.C.C. Merion’s start is a surprise – their new 23 y/o 1B is batting .400 – while Overbrook’s isn’t. Germantown is right behind the top two with a #3 offense, while Penn & Schuylkill have excelled in the field. Newcomers Bartram have started admirably.

P.C.B.L. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMAN OF THE MONTH
Edward Smith (CF, GER) – .341, .904 OPS, 25 R, 31 H, 13 XBH, 1 HR, 23 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SB, 1.2 WPA, 1.0 WAR

PITCHER OF THE MONTH
Graham Gross (QV) – 7-2, 2.01 ERA, 15 K, 89.2 IP, 6 CG, 2.1 K/BB, 1.29 WHIP, 1.3 WAR, 2.2 rWAR

GREENHORN OF THE MONTH
Henry Yoder (LF, SoB) – .346, .856 OPS, 22 R, 27 H, 2 2B, 3 3B, 12 RBI, 7 BB, 16 SB, 1.0 WPA, 0.8 WAR

P.C.B.L. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .388 by William Pupillo (SS, Mercantile)
OPS: .920 by Benjamin Warnock (1B, Mercantile)
Home Runs: 2 by Sam Brown (LF, Mercantile) & William Kniffen (1B, Merion)
Runs Batted In: 25 by Edward Long (LF, Queen Village)
Runs: 27 by Alphonse Nelson (CF, Queen Village)
Stolen Bases: 16 by Henry Yoder (LF, Sons of Ben)
Batsman WPA: 2.4 by Jonathan Bagwell (1B, Germantown)
Batsman WAR: 1.1 by William Holcomb (SS, Queen Village) & Benjamin Warnock

Wins: 7 by three different pitchers
ERA (50+ IP): 1.72 by Charlie Greiner (Frankford)
Complete Games: 8 by Bud Forster (Minerva)
Strikeouts: 40 by Oliver Greene (Frankford)
WHIP (50+ IP): 1.04 by Jasper Austin (Schuylkill)
Pitcher WAR: 2.3 by Oliver Greene
Pitcher rWAR: 2.8 by Robert Nygren (Overbrook)

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TWO COMBINE FOR 11 HITS IN BIG KEYSTONE WIN
HILDEBRAND & RAMSEY BAT 11/13 TO LEAD TEAM TO 16-RUN VICTORY AT QUEEN VILLAGE

PHILADELPHIA (June 2, 1878) - Keystone & Queen Village ended their P.C.B.L. Week Four series at the Fitzwater Field grounds on Sunday afternoon, and Keystone put their hosts through the ringer:

This game was over early, with Keystone scoring eight times over the first two innings and gradually adding runs until they exited the contest with a sixteen-run victory over East Philadelphia’s second-place team.

Four Keystone batsmen had 3+ Hits. The first two:

• KEY 1B Charles Ross: 3/7 (all 1B), 1 R, 4 RBI
• KEY 2B Roland Smith: 4/6 (2 3B), 4 R, 4 RBI, SAC BUNT

The other two Keystone offensive stars were the players of the game. First was C Charles Ramsey…

• KEY C Charles Ramsey: 5/6 (all 1B), 1 R, 3 RBI, 1/2 RTO

…and the Player of the Game, RF Peter Hildebrand, is saved for last:

• T1: 1-run Single past 2B off W. Johannessen
• T2: 2-run Single to LF off W. Johannessen (R)
• T3: Ground Out to 1B (2 out)
• T5: 1-run Single past SS off W. Johannessen
• T6: 1-run Single to LCF off J. Jenkins (R)
• T8: Leadoff Single past 2B off J. Jenkins (R)
• T9: Single to RCF off J. Jenkins (R)
• TOTAL: 6/7 (all 1B), 4 R, 5 RBI, 107 GMSC

Sunday’s six-hit effort by Hildebrand means he currently has the two best performances by a P.C.B.L. batsman so far this season, with his 107 Game Score on Sunday besting his 97 on May 12th at Sons of Ben (5/6, 3 2B, 3 R, 5 RBI, 1 BB).

Hildebrand, now the P.C.B.L.’s most talented batsman after the departure of William Norman, is batting an even .400 (.966 OPS) on the season with 22 Runs Batted In (77 RBI/70 G) and 1.1 WAR (3.8 WAR) through four weeks of play.

Queen Village remains tied for 2nd in East Philadelphia with Sons of Ben in spite of the loss, while the win moved Keystone to 9-11 and a tie with Minerva for 5th place. Frankford least the East with a 15-5 record.

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JACKSON HAS FIVE HITS & FIVE RBI AT PT. JERSEY
EXCELSIOR 2B LEADS THE WAY FROM THE TOP OF THE LINEUP AS TEAM SCORES TWO DOZEN RUNS

JERSEY CITY (June 4, 1878) - Excelsior & Port Jersey opened Week Five of P.C.B.L. play in New Jersey at Hoboken & Oakland Park on Tuesday, and the defending Metro champs laid waste to the early season’s surprise team:

By scoring nine runs in the top of the 1st Excelsior put a very quick end to the contest, and their lead grew as large as 24-4 before Pt. Jersey scored two runs at the end of the game to lose by “only” eighteen runs.

Jim Creighton was Excelsior’s pitcher in the win, with the legend putting in a decent performance (CG, 11 HA, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 ER) as he desperately tries to get his season back on the tracks (6-8, 4.86), but it was Excelsior’s offense that starred in Jersey City.

Everybody in the Excelsior lineup aside from Creighton had multiple base hits, and it was leadoff & 2B Sam Jackson who sparked the Excelsior attack:

• T1: Leadoff Single past 2B off C. King (R)
• T1: 2-run Single to LF off C. King (R)
• T3: Line Out to SS (2 out)
• T5: Leadoff Double to RCF off D. Kunze
• T6: Grounds Out to 2B (3 out)
• T7: 2-run Single to RCF off D. Kunze (R)
• T8: 1-run Single past 2B off J. Caviness
• TOTAL: 5/7 (2B), 3 R, 5 RBI, 88 GMSC

Jackson’s performance was the third-best so far this season by an A.P.B.L. batsman, and it was much needed as the second-year 2B entered the game with a .223 AVG (.596 OPS). On Tuesday, Jackson raised his Batting Average to .252 (.652 OPS) with 19 Runs Batted In (68 RBI/90 G) through the first 25 games of the 1878 season.

Excelsior is 12-13, which is good for fifth place in the Metropolitan Conference at five games behind leaders Knickerbocker. The very surprising Jersey City team is 15-10, 3rd in the Colonial and three games behind leaders Shamrock.