The (English) Baseball League (est. 1888): A History

[dynaboyj]

Wow. That -17 game score is a thing I didn't even know was possible.

[chucksabr]

Originally Posted by dynaboyj

Wow. That -17 game score is a thing I didn't even know was possible.

Giving up 13 hits and striking out nobody in 1⅔ innings will do that for your game score!

[chucksabr]

A Splendid Qualifying Match at Saltergate.

Grimbsy Town Win Spot in EOI Cup Series.

Grimsby Town and Chesterfield had each scored six runs in the first eight innings at Saltergate on Monday, and a fast and exciting game was to come to a climax. The EOI Cup winners of 1924 and the upstart from Lincolnshire matched attacks in the middle three innings after the pitchers' duel of the first three, and a reversion to same in the late innings, promised a thrilling finish, or else extra innings. The visitors, playing with more grit than polish, had drawn even in the fifth innings and took the lead in top of the sixth, only to “blow it” in the bottom of the innings, setting the stage for the finish.

A special one o’clock start on a day of labour still drew a full crowd of over 29,000 rabid Spireites supporters, who had had their fill of interest as the ninth innings commenced. After a comedy of errors had conceded a run to the Mariners in the top of the fourth, the brilliant young short stop Erskine thrilled the throng with a mammoth home run of well over 400 feet in Chesterfield’s half of the innings. Grimsby drew level with two singles, a twobee and a run-scoring out, but the Spireites scratched out a run on a hit batsman, sacrifice bunt, stolen base and ground ball out. Grimsby smacked three twobees in the top of their sixth, but squandered the lead on three hits in the bottom of the innings, the last on a questionable safe call by the home plate umpire on a beautiful throw from deep centre field directly to the catcher. A spirited discussion ensued for naught, and the stage had been set.

An eventful seventh innings saw Spireites fill the bases with runners only to strand them by way of a spectacular diving catch of a sure 3B off the bat of Annan by the Grimsby right fieldsman Whelan, the proprietor of an otherwise undistinguished glove. The teams traded runners in the eighth without scoring, and the momentous ninth innings commenced. First base man Jones flew out to right field and pinch batsman Pope struck out looking, but short stop Dick put Chesterfield on notice with a high, shallow home run that barely cleared the left field wall. After left fielder Stallone also struck out, the match was up to the Spireites.

Centre fieldsman Stanton was substituted for by Robertson, who grounded out to pitcher Johnson. But right fieldsman Fox lighted up the crowd with a sharply struck single, although he was forced out at second base on the ground ball by second baseman Maudlin. And then as though dictated by the laws of melodrama, the heroic Erskine stepped to the home plate. A hush washed over the heretofore boisterous crowd as they strove to provide maximum opportunity of concentration for the batsman. The first pitch was called strike one. The second pitch was lined hard into the leg side grandstand past third base, strike two. A ball was called, and then the roar of the crowd signalled a very long fly ball that went past the fence in the outfield, but foul by mere inches. The nervous Johnson threw the next pitch far outside, nearly past his catcher. But then his next pitch caught the middle of the plate and was hit squarely to the right side of centre field, back to the fence. Twenty nine thousands of throats roared in unison, only to be stilled suddenly as the tall Grimsby Town centre fieldsman Henderson leapt high above the fence and stole a home run that would have put Chesterfield back into the Cup tie for a second time in three seasons. Instead, it will be the Mariners travelling to Oldham for the inaugural match of the tie tomorrow, and even though his accomplishments to date are slight, Freddie Henderson will reign as the toast of Grimsby for quite some time, regardless of the outcome of the coming series.

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Baseball League 1926
First Division Results

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Baseball League 1926
EOI Cup Series

Grimsby Town defeated Oldham Athletic
Four Matches to Two

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Baseball League 1926
First Division Champions and EOI Cup Runners Up


Oldham Athletic Latics

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Baseball League 1926
EOI Cup Winners





Grimsby Town Mariners

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Baseball League 1926
First Division Table

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Baseball League 1926
First Division Team Batting and Pitching

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Baseball League 1926
First Division Award Winners


Baseballer of the Year: Andrew Kennedy




Batsman of the Year: Sam Parsons




Pitcher of the Year: Shikhar Pujara




Newcomer of the Year: Jimmy Watt

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Baseball League 1926
First Division League Leaders

Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders

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Baseball League 1926
First Division Top Game Performances

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Baseball League 1926
First Division Top 20 Batsmen and Pitchers

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Baseball League 1926
First Division Top Systems

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Baseball League 1926
First Division Financial Report

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Rare Ten Innings “No Hitter” for Walker.

Notts County pitcher Michael Walker, a Scottish pitcher of normally ordinary distinction, proved that on any given day, a man can become the one of the best pitchers the game of baseball has ever seen.

And so it was on Tuesday as Walker put out 29 of the 31 Sunderland batsmen he faced at Roker Park and did not concede even a single base hit during his performance. All the more remarkable was that ten innings were required for Walker to complete the feat, as his own Magpies colleagues were shut out by Reuben Ferry, who himself pitched brilliantly for ten innings.

But Ferry cracked in his tenth, walking Berryman to begin the frame, allowing him to get to second on a ground ball out and to third on a sacrifice bunt out, before yielding a run scoring two baser to Keith. Walker continued his dominating performance with a perfect tenth innings, retiring all three batsmen on a mere seven pitches to seal the special victory.

It was the first ten innings no hitter ever pitched in a Second Division match, as well as the first in the League since Frank Phillips of Port Vale conceded no base hits in ten innings for a two runs to nil First Division victory against Sheffield United in 1907. The one other instance of a ten innings no hitter took place in 1906, by Ed Kemp of Manchester United against Middlesbrough, unusual for the fact that Kemp actually lost that match to Boro by one run to nil.

[Ike348]

How many leagues are actually running in your game? Do you have a separate MLB and it's minor league system, and/or other European leagues? I'm just wondering because you mention players being snatched up to and from other leagues, and I don't know if those leagues are actually in your game, or cooked up by your imagination.

[chucksabr]

Originally Posted by Ike348

How many leagues are actually running in your game? Do you have a separate MLB and it's minor league system, and/or other European leagues? I'm just wondering because you mention players being snatched up to and from other leagues, and I don't know if those leagues are actually in your game, or cooked up by your imagination.

This is the story of the Baseball League, but there is also a non-League league that exists outside the League that does play within the game, but does not get reported on (except in extraordinary circumstances like this). That league serves as a jumping off point for new teams to enter the league so they have a history, rather than coming in cold and out of the blue. It is also a place for teams to go when they get voted out of the League.

I don't maintain any European or American leagues within the game itself, but that doesn't mean baseball played outside of Britain doesn't have an impact on the League itself. Sometimes it does.

[chucksabr]

Baseball League 1926
Second Division Results

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Baseball League 1926
Second Division Promoted Club

Watford Hornets