The Big Bang: A Larger Baseball Universe Starting From Nothing in 1857 - Page 7

tm1681 · 02-19-2024, 08:20 PM

SEVERAL MAJOR NEW RULES IN PLACE FOR 1862!
PITCHER’S BOX INTRODUCED; CALLED BALLS ADDED TO CALLED STRIKES; BAT SIZE REGULATED

NEW YORK CITY (Mar. 17, 1862) - The start of competitive base ball is six weeks away, and as players prepare to train ahead of the new season they will have some new rules & regulations to keep mind, thanks to the outcome of meetings of the National Base Ball Organization Executive Committee.

The last time the N.B.B.O.E.C. met to discuss changes to the sport was ahead of the 1858 season, when the Called Strike was introduced to cut down on the choosiness of batters while speeding up the pace of games. At the same the “Batter’s Line” was created so pitchers could have a more consistent point to aim to and thus umpires could have an easier time deciding what constituted a strike. This time, most of the discussion was about what to do on the pitcher’s side of things.

The introduction of the Called Strike was a success. Games were shorter, the pickiest of batsmen were forced into action, and the “wear & tear” on pitchers was reduced while general play and the amount of scoring were not greatly affected. However, pitchers still exhibited a tendency to deliver balls to generally unhittable places in an effort to goad excitable batters into easy misses. This seemed logical in practice, but not many hitters fell for such tricks and fans still had to suffer through the occasional ten-minute plate appearance as a result.

In early February, a question was posed to the N.B.B.O.E.C. by member Ryan Medley, the manager of Kings County B.B.C. That question was: “If a hittable pitch that a batter fails to swing at can be called a strike, why can’t a single unhittable pitch be called in a similar fashion?” It was a very good question – after the Called Strike was introduced, pitchers were still allowed to deliver several wayward balls before they were given their first warning by the umpire, and it took several of those before the batter was given a free base. Why not force the pitcher to deliver hittable balls, just as the batsman is forced to swing at them? It led to unanimous agreement: there would be Called Balls starting in 1862.

This led to another consideration. As of the start of the N.B.B.O.E.C. meetings, pitchers were to make their deliveries from no closer than a twelve-foot-wide line drawn exactly 45 feet from the front of home plate. Theoretically, if they wanted to pitch the ball from a step in front of second base they could, although nobody did. The committee wanted to tighten up where pitchers could deliver the ball from, and in the process spoke to the players and coaches who were members. The consensus among the members who view the sport at field level was that pitchers who do not deliver the ball from right on the line do so from, at most, several feet behind it.

The result was the creation of a second line that would be drawn exactly three feet behind the current one. With one twelve-foot line 45 feet from home plate and a second one 48 feet from home plate, the N.B.B.O.E.C. had created the “Pitcher’s Area”, inside which all pitches had to be delivered from.

This led to a third, but minor, change: pitchers would immediately be required to keep one foot on the ground, and take only one step, when delivering the ball. No jumps, leaps, or crow hops to shorten the distance to the plate.

With the addition of Called Balls to Called Strikes and a set area from which all pitches had to be delivered from, the thought was that the consistency and quality of the sport would increase, and at the same time the length of games would continue to shorten.

With seemingly all the focus of the meetings on pitchers, batters still received some attention. Up to this point, the N.B.B.O. policy regarding batting equipment was essentially “B.Y.O.B.”, or “Bring Your Own Bat”. There were no limitations on bat length, width, weight, or size, or even shape – it just had to be made of wood. If a man could hold it and swing it, he could use it in a game. Some bats were perfectly round, some were more oval-shaped, and some were flat-sided like cricket bats to maximize the efficiency of bunting. Some bats were wider than others, some bats were longer than others, and some bats were heavier than others. That was about to change, although in just one way.

Some members of the N.B.B.O.E.C. did not enjoy the antics of the select few who came to the plate with comically wide bats that made a swing and a miss nearly impossible. With that in mind, consensus was made on a uniform bat width decree for 1862: starting immediately, bats were to be no more than 2.5 inches in diameter.

That was the end of the business of the National Base Ball Organization Executive Committee for 1862, and it was very important business. Their changes, in summary:

• As a companion to the Called Strike rule of 1858, any pitch delivered to an area deemed unhittable by the Umpire shall be called an “Unfairly Pitched Ball”. After an initial warning to the pitcher, three further admonishments will result on in a free base for the batter.

• In addition to the 12’ wide Pitcher’s Line that is drawn 45’ from home plate, a second 12’ wide line shall be drawn 48’ from home plate. The resulting lines, and the area between them, shall be referred to as the “Pitcher’s Area”, and all deliveries from the pitcher must take place from within it.

• Pitchers must keep at least one foot on the ground at all times when delivering the ball to the batsman. In delivering a ball to the batsman, the pitcher is permitted to take one step.

• All bats used in a competitive game must be no more than 2.5 inches in diameter, verifiable upon request. Bats may continue to be any length, shape, or weight, although they still must be made solely of wood.

The rules of base ball continue to evolve, and this is unlikely to be the last of the changes.

tm1681 · 02-19-2024, 08:28 PM

THE 1862 N.B.B.O. PREVIEW
WRIGHT’S MOVE CHANGES NEW YORK; NEW RULES IN PLACE; A NEW PLAYOFF FORMAT

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (May 7, 1862) - The newest season of the National Base Ball Organization begins today, with the first two games taking place shortly after noon: Scranton at Susquehanna & Gotham at Mutual. But…before a ball is even put into play this year the N.B.B.O. will see some big changes.

Grover Wright stunned the baseball establishment after the end of the 1861 season when he announced, weeks after setting multiple N.B.B.O. records while leading Kings County to their second consecutive Tucker-Wheaton Cup triumph, he was moving with his family to Buffalo and joining Niagara B.B.C. That change of address has seemingly tilted the balance of power in New York base ball, and it will be reflected in the Writers Pool’s projected standings for the New York League.

Pitchers are no longer as free to try to goad batsmen into swinging at balls pitched well outside of hittable realms, as the N.B.B.O. Executive Committee has introduced the Called Ball to complement the Called Strike. This, in addition to a second Pitching Line that joins the existing one to make up the brand-new “Pitcher’s Area”, has been put in place to speed up games and force pitchers to be more honest in their deliveries.

Batters will see their work changed as well, although only slightly. Those who prefer to come to the plate with extremely wide bats are out of luck this season, as the first restrictions on wood bats have been put in place. Starting today bats must be no more than 2.5 inches in diameter although length, shape, & width are still open to whatever the player desires.

Finally, the playoffs will be radically different this season. After complaints from the two toughest regional championships – New York City & Coastal – the road to the Tucker-Wheaton Cup will now involve all six entrants being places in one group and playing each other twice, and the team with the best ten-game record lifting the cup.

As always, the Writers Pool has offered their prognostications & opinions on the season ahead, and they are below.

PROJECTED NEW YORK LEAGUE STANDINGS

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BROOKLYN		 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA
Excelsior		42	28	.600	--	485	419
Kings County	        39	31	.557	 3	503	434
Continental		38	32	.543	 4	472	453
Atlantic		37	35	.529	 5	467	503
Eckford			35	35	.500	 7	453	464
Empire			31	36	.443	11	467	507
Nassau Co.		31	37	.443	11	465	493
Bedford			29	48	.414	13	452	493

N.Y.C.			 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA
Orange			42	28	.600	--	574	461
Gotham			39	31	.557	 3	533	492
Mutual			39	31	.557	 3	565	529
Harlem			37	33	.529	 5	473	493
Knickerbocker	        34	36	.486	 8	460	477
Union			33	37	.471	 9	490	543
Hilltop			29	41	.414	13	401	452
Metropolitan	        29	41	.414	13	442	490

UPSTATE			 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA
Niagara			41	29	.586	--	605	511
Victory			40	30	.571	 1	525	495
Eagle			37	33	.529	 4	512	505
Flour City		36	34	.514	 5	552	527
Syracuse		36	34	.514	 5	511	533
Minuteman		34	36	.486	 7	480	504
Utica			34	36	.486	 7	514	481
Binghamton		23	47	.329	18	486	628

It is clear from a look at the projected standings that the Writers Pool believes Grover Wright’s move upstate has shifted the balance of power across the entire state of New York. Kings County is still expected to have a very good attack, but without Wright the Excelsior squad that features the still-maturing Jim Creighton are now favorites to take the more competitive Brooklyn Championship. Meanwhile, Niagara are favorites for the Upstate Championship after finishing third last year. New York City is expected to be extremely competitive as always, though it is quite a surprise to see the Knickerbocker Club expected to finish, nearly ten games out of first place. The main complaint about their squad is the lack of batting talent outside of Albert Jones and Zarek Polakowski.

PROJECTED NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE STANDINGS

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COASTAL		 	 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA
Shamrock		47	23	.671	--	503	398
Mass. Bay		45	25	.643	 2	594	452
American		39	31	.557	 8	552	491
Olympic			32	38	.457	15	454	537
Trenton Utd.	        32	38	.457	15	452	491
Newark			30	40	.429	17	461	506
Port Jersey		29	41	.414	18	529	571
Quaker St.		28	42	.400	19	461	559

INLAND		 	 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA
Reading Ath.	        44	26	.629	--	520	400
Alleghany		39	31	.557	 5	493	446
Merrimack M.	        39	31	.557	 5	473	439
Scranton		36	34	.514	 8	474	435
Susquehanna		36	34	.514	 8	450	456
Sportsman's		35	35	.500	 9	448	485
Lake Erie		29	41	.414	15	392	450
Pioneer			25	45	.357	19	383	503

N. ENGLAND	 	 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA
St. John's		48	22	.686	--	652	460
S.o.t.O.		42	28	.600	 6	512	458
Green Mtn.		37	33	.529	11	477	448
Granite			34	36	.486	14	486	485
Oceanic			32	38	.457	16	489	504
Portland	        30	40	.429	18	448	519
Cantabrigians	        29	41	.414	19	452	584
Quinnipiac		29	41	.414	19	472	529

Not surprisingly, Shamrock is expected back on top in Coastal. They were predicted to take it once again last year but finished 2nd to Trenton United. What is surprising is how top=heavy the Costal is expected to be, as the Writers Pool believes the two Boston clubs have pulled away from their big-city brethren in both talent & organization, and that includes the two Philadelphian clubs. Reading is expected to continue to perform well above their resources, but should they falter even a little bit then the Alleghany Club is expected to be right there and ready to take the Inland Championship. St. John’s, of course, is expected to win the New England Championship by more than a handful of games. This year, the Writers Pool expects their batsmen to score an eye-watering 9.3 runs per contest, easily the most in the N.B.B.O.

WRITERS POOL GENERAL OBSERVATIONS

When asked for general observations about the upcoming season, here were the main talking points offered up by the 48-member N.B.B.O. Writers Pool:

• The ten most talented batsmen in the N.B.B.O: Edward Huntley (SS, ORA), Anthony Mascherino (SS, G.M.), Konrad Jensen (RF, STJ), Willie Davis (CF, SUS), Samuel Kessler (3B, S.o.t.O.), William Johnson (CF, STJ), Jerald Peterson (3B, K.C.), Anderson MacGyver (2B, STJ), Leslie Arnett (2B, M.M.), Alistair Jones (CF, MUT)

• The ten best pitchers in the N.B.B.O: Jim Creighton (EXC), Grover Wright (NIA), Clydesdale Jackson (HAR), Carl Bancroft (UTI), Joe Cunningham (SHA), Jonathan Jenkins (KNI), Archie Green (G.M.), Raine v. d. Hout (ORA), John Brinson (ATL), William Jones (M.M.)

• The ten best newcomers in the N.B.B.O: Enda Reed (26 y/o 1B, SHA), Luther Tatum (24 y/o LF, NIA), Tibor Racz (27 y/o LF, M.B.), Archie Mask (26 y/o CF, EXC), Henry Brown (25 y/o SS, MET), Wagner Morris (24 y/o CF, BING), Jesse Monroe (29 y/o SS, SHA), Joe Devers (26 y/o 2B, HILL), Victor Hansen (23 y/o SS, AME), Lars Kelson (24 y/o CF, S.o.t.O.)

• Based on his ridiculous .521 average over 17 exhibition games in April, Willie Davis is the favorite to win the New England League Batsman of the Year for the third year in a row. It seems unthinkable that he could continue to improve with the bat, but Davis is 25 and it appears he has added to his extraordinary abilities. One has to think that it is only a matter of time before he goes back home to Philadelphia and plays for American or Quaker St.

• Shamrock B.B.C. is considered the most talented team in the N.B.B.O. and the favorites for the Tucker-Wheaton Cup. The W.P.’s Player Ranking Survey placed Shamrock in the top ten at seven positions: C (8th), 1B (2nd), 2B (3rd), LF (1st), CF (5th), RF (9th), and P (6th). Irish newcomer Enda Reed (1B) is expected to immediately establish himself as one of the best batsmen in the sport, while fellow newcomer Jesse Monroe (SS) is considered a potential Golden Glove winner.

• Grover Wright is, of course, the reason why Niagara B.B.C. is expected to win the Upstate N.Y. Championship. However, there are some questions about how quickly he will adjust to pitching in the most batter-friendly park in the entire N.B.B.O. Kings County’s Washington Park was not cavernous, but there is no other venue like the Greater New York Sporting Grounds. 3.5-star newcomer Luther Tatum – Contact 65, Gap Power 75 – is expected to be another new Niagara member to play a major role in a first-place finish in Upstate.

• Jim Creighton, now 21 years old, has continued to improve his control – now rated 70 as opposed to 45 two years ago – and this improvement in control of the ball should see him become the superstar that many thought he would become when Excelsior signed him. He is the main factor in Excelsior being projected to win the Brooklyn championship, although the improvement of second=year 3B Wesley Leone and the play of 3.5-star newcomer Archie Mask will also be factors.

• St. John’s appears ready to unleash Nelson Townsend, the five-star batting prospect signed ahead of the 1861 season. He started 16 April exhibition games at LF, with William Johnson starting those games in CF and five-year CF Richard Kenton benched. He’s just 21, but STJ manager Todd Rogers stated that Townsend will bat fifth in the order, right behind Anderson MacGyver. If the St. John’s coaches feel that Townsend is ready, then he is probably ready.

• The Alleghany Club has more overall talent, but the well-run Reading Athletic is projected to win the Inland Championship because they have top-five stars at three positions – Dag Nielsen at C, Stanford Topps at 3B, Leslie Wolf at RF – and some quality bats to support them. However, they have a couple of positions at which they are graded in the bottom quarter in the N.B.B.O. and their pitching is lacking, and that could be their undoing.

• The Orange Club is projected to be the New York City champions, but the reality is that N.Y.C. is a crapshoot. They have major issues at CF & RF, and at a couple of other positions they are just okay. The others projected in the top four – Gotham, Mutual, & Harlem – all have that same issue: great talent at some positions, okay at others, glaring holes at a couple. Any of them could finish first. Knickerbocker actually has the fewest weak spots, but their lineup is so tilted toward pitching & defense that nobody is sure where the offense will come from aside from the duo of Jones & Polakowski.

• The addition of the Called Ball should not lead to an explosion of offense because it will be offset a bit by limits on how wide bats can be. However, in Brooklyn & N.Y.C., which collectively have big parks and the best pitching, offense should be expected to increase quite a bit.

20_range · 02-20-2024, 12:58 PM

If there's no war, can I get a...

SLAVERY ABOLISHED WITHOUT BLOODSHED - PLANTATIONS BROKEN UP AND REDISTRIBUTED - SECESSIONIST CONSPIRATORS IMPRISONED

and for jasg

AUSTRIAN PRETENDER ARRESTED AT MEXICAN BORDER

jksander · 02-21-2024, 03:00 PM

Still fun following this

tm1681 · 02-21-2024, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 20_range

If there's no war, can I get a...

SLAVERY ABOLISHED WITHOUT BLOODSHED - PLANTATIONS BROKEN UP AND REDISTRIBUTED - SECESSIONIST CONSPIRATORS IMPRISONED

Yeah I have to think about what to do in 1865. I've already decided that my fictional universe doesn't need giant World Wars because...well...it's a fictional universe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 20_range

and for jasg

AUSTRIAN PRETENDER ARRESTED AT MEXICAN BORDER

haha

Quote:

Originally Posted by jksander

Still fun following this

Thanks!

tm1681 · 02-21-2024, 07:06 PM

SMITH PITCHES BASE BALL’S 2ND NO-HITTER!!!
ONLY MEN ATLANTIC #2 PITCHER ALLOWED ON BASE WERE DUE TO ERRORS

BROOKLYN (May 10, 1862) - The base ball season is less than one week old, and already fans have seen a historic performance thanks to pitcher Arthur Smith and the Atlantic B.B.C. defense. On Saturday afternoon against Nassau County, Smith and his Atlantic teammates combined to produce just the second No-hitter in the history of the sport:

Aside from allowing no hits Smith did not walk any batters, so the only Nassau County batsmen to reach base did so via error. Smith struck out one batter while the defense behind him collected fifteen fly ball outs and eleven ground ball outs. Atlantic did commit three errors – two by SS Theodore Kolberg and one by substitute Alva Yardley – but the average team commits four to five per game.

Unlike what happened in the only other No-hitter in N.B.B.O. history – Henry Gibson’s No-hitter for Eckford against Empire B.B.C. on May 23rd, 1858 – Smith & Atlantic did allow a run, as an error, passed ball, & sacrifice fly let Nassau Co. score once in the top of the third inning.

There were 2,526 Brooklynites at the Capitoline Baseball Grounds to witness the home team’s history-making performance, and for the fans it was an afternoon neither they nor Arthur Smith will soon forget.

tm1681 · 02-21-2024, 07:07 PM

KIESSLING KRAZY, KLUBS SIX HITS AT BEDFORD
CONTINENTAL CF GOES FOR THREE DOUBLES AND A TRIPLE IN 13-9 WIN

BROOKLYN (May 18, 1862) - Continental B.B.C. center fielder Arthur Kiessling was the hero of the day in the Bedford Grounds, as his six hits helped propel Continental to a 13-9 win at Bedford B.B.C. in Brooklyn Championship competition.

Kiessling did not just slap the ball around lightly. He finished with four extra-base hits on the day – three doubles and a triple – while pushing his batting average to .457 with thirteen runs scored through two weeks of play.

Kiessling’s afternoon at the plate:

• TOP 2: Leadoff Triple to RCF off James Kyle (scored)
• TOP 4: Leadoff Double to CF off James Kyle (scored)
• TOP 5: 1-run Double past 1B off James Kyle
• TOP 7: Leadoff Double to RCF off James Kyle (scored)
• TOP 8: Single to RCF off Lawrence Ewing
• TOP 9: 1-run Single to LF off Lawrence Ewing
• TOTAL: 6/6, 3 2B, 1 3B, 3 R, 2 RBI, 11 TB

Teammate Frank McPherson was 3/6 with a triple and three RBI, while Continental starting pitcher Tor Axelsen was 3/4 with a single RBI as well.

The result piled more misery on former Knickerbocker Club pitcher James Kyle, who allowed seven runs over six innings. He was 14-11 with a 3.62 ERA for the Knicks last year, but through five appearances this year he is 0-3 with a 6.03 ERA and 50 hits allowed in just 31.1 innings for his new club. Relief men Lawrence Ewing and Charles Beck did not fare any better, as they combined to allow six runs over the final three innings of the game.

jasg224 · 02-21-2024, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 20_range

and for jasg
AUSTRIAN PRETENDER ARRESTED AT MEXICAN BORDER

Great second French invasion reference hahaha

tm1681 · 02-24-2024, 04:36 PM

WALTRIP’S 39-GAME HIT STREAK SETS NEW RECORD
CROSS-SEASON STREAK FINALLY STOPPED ON WEDNESDAY AT PORT JERSEY

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (June 4, 1862) - This afternoon American B.C. won 9-4 at Port Jersey to bring their record in the Coastal Championship to 13-8. In the process every batter except one recorded a hit. Surprisingly, that batter was star center fielder Arthur Waltrip, who saw his record 39-game Hitting Streak come to an end as a result.

Waltrip’s 39 consecutive games with a hit bests the old record of 37 that was completed over the 1857 & ’58 seasons by Harold Miller of Union. Before Waltrip was able to set the new record, multiple players had been stopped 1-2 games short. Ironically, one of those players was Waltrip himself, who had a 36-game streak end in 1860. The other player who recorded a 36-game streak was St. John’s Anderson MacGyver, who also had his streak end early in 1860. The other player, Jerald Peterson of Kings County, had a 35-game Hitting Streak.

Waltrip’s two Hitting Streaks of 35+ games clearly show that he is one of the most consistent hitters in the N.B.B.O, although he was already regarded as such by many who observe the sport. The native of Glenville, N.Y, is a career .347 hitter and has earned 2.5+ WAR over 70 games in each of the past two seasons.

tm1681 · 02-24-2024, 04:41 PM

THE HALFWAY POINT
FAMILIAR FACES ON TOP IN NEW ENGLAND; NEW YORK IS WIDE OPEN

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (June 16, 1862) - The base ball season is halfway over, and as always things have not played out as they were expected to on paper before the season began. While the usual familiar faces are at the top of the standings in New England and much of New York is as wide-open as it has ever been, there are still surprises to be had.

General observations from the first half of the season:

• The biggest surprise is the team with the best record: Mutual B.B.C. at 26-9 in the cutthroat New York City Championship. Projected to go 39-31 by the Writers Pool, Mutual is currently six games clear in N.Y.C. thanks to the N.B.B.O.’s best defense and its second-best offense. Newcomer Leo Johnson took over at 1B for Charles Cannavaro a little over three weeks ago, and he has hit .438 across seventeen starts.

• Right up there with Mutual is Excelsior B.B.C., also 26-9 but considered second in record due to Run Differential (+36 vs. Mutual’s +84). Excelsior is five games clear in Brooklyn, but their place is more precarious as their attack is only 11th in the N.Y.L. in Runs Scored and 18th in Batting Average. Their 16-4 home record is the N.B.B.O.’s best, and Jim Creighton, on a pace to blow away his own strikeout record, now looks like the superstar he was projected to be.

• Unsurprisingly, preseason favorites Shamrock B.B.C. have the Northeastern League’s best record at 24-11, thanks to the league-best pitching duo of Joe Cunningham and Frank Freitag. The two have combined for a 2.65 E.R.A., best for a starting pair in the N.E.L. Shamrock’s defense is also #1 in the N.E.L., as every member of the lineup has been a positive in the field.

• Niagara, thought to be an N.Y.L. favorite, is instead part of the usual Upstate dogfight at 20-15 (4th) and two games out of first, with Syracuse (22-13), Utica (21-14), and the surprising Eagle (21-14) in front of them. Niagara started off strong, but their form has slipped as Grover Wright has struggled heavily in losing four of his last five starts – his E.R.A. over the month of June sitting at 5.64 over 60.2 innings.

• St. John’s is once again first place in the New England Championship, but New England is the tightest it has ever been after 35 games. STJ is tied with Green Mountain, while Portland and Sons of the Ocean are just one game back at 20-15. They are receiving excellent hitting from new starter Nelson Townsend and 1B Collin Henderson, but Anderson MacGyver is hitting one hundred points under his career average, Konrad Jensen fifty, and John McGowan has not been pitching his best.

• Alleghany was sitting pretty atop the Inland Championship a week ago, but four losses in five games have pulled them back into a tie with Merrimack Mills. Preseason favorites Reading are seventh at 16-19. Alleghany’s best player has been 2B Willie Smith, while Merrimack has been led by former Green Mtn. outfielder Alexander Hedrick.

• Offense in both leagues is up by 0.3 runs per game so far this season. Walks are up slightly due to the new “Called Ball” rule, and the new rule has caused batsmen to be more aggressive at the plate.

• Niagara B.B.C. is the best-hitting team in the N.B.B.O, with a .335 average and what would be a record-setting O.P.S. of .795. Thanks to their home venue Niagara does not have the highest O.P.S.+ in the competition (Orange at 117), but they have a trio of .350 hitters and are led by Arvi Hämäläinen at .442.

• Shamrock B.B.C. has allowed thirty fewer runs than any of the 47 other teams, and their 2.57 team E.R.A. is 0.40 better than any other team. Their pitching duo of Cunningham & Freitag have not been the best in the sport when it comes to things like walks and strikeouts – far from it – but combined they are allowing more than a hit per game less than anyone else. Of course, the Shamrock defense has played no small part in that success.

• Niagara first baseman Arvi Hämäläinen was moved to the leadoff spot in their batting order due to the quality contact he makes, even though his footspeed is just average. The results so far: he leads the whole N.B.B.O. in Average (.442), On-Base (.509), O.P.S. (1.080), Hits (65), Runs (101), and O.P.S.+ (182).

Those are just some of the observations from the first half of the N.B.B.O. season. No doubt the second half will provide plenty of excitement, especially in the subdivisions where there are four or five teams very close to first place.

tm1681 · 02-27-2024, 07:16 PM

1862 STAR PLAYERS ANNOUNCED
ALL-STARS GAME ROSTERS EXPANDED TO MAKE FOR A LARGER EVENT

NEW YORK CITY (July 21, 1862) - The rosters for the latest edition of the National Base Ball Organization All-Stars Game were announced during a luncheon at the St. Nicholas Hotel in New York City this midday.

The telegrams that were sent out to the press reminded everyone of one important fact about this year’s contest: rosters have been expanded from twenty men to a full thirty, with three players for each position and place in the standard pitching rotation now up for selection instead of the two that were selected in each of the three previous editions of the A.S.G. The change was decided on early in the season, as organization executives felt that with two dozen teams in each league recognizing a pair of standout players at each position was not enough.

There are also two points of emphasis to the above decision:

• Not all of the thirty players on each side will play
• All teams do not have to be represented – the A.S.G. is still for the “best of the best”

Players have decided that the captains of any unrepresented teams will still travel to The Elysian Fields for the game, as it represents a great opportunity for prominent members of the playing class to get together and talk shop shortly before the end of the season.

Rosters for the 1862 All-Stars Game are below:

NEW YORK LEAGUE ROSTERS

P: Jim Creighton (EXC) – 18-8, 3.05 ERA, 242.0 IP, 20 CG, 0 SHO, 16 BB, 67 K, 1.14 WHIP, 3.9 WAR, 6.6 R9-WAR
P: Henry Gibson (MUT) – 17-8, 3.28 ERA, 228.0 IP, 18 CG, 1 SHO, 33 BB, 30 K, 1.33 WHIP, 4.1 WAR, 4.5 R9-WAR
P: Carl Bancroft (UTI) – 16-11, 2.74 ERA, 226.1 IP, 18 CG, 2 SHO, 34 BB, 34 K, 1.27 WHIP, 4.2 WAR, 5.4 R9-WAR
P: Harry Nilsson (GOT) – 18-7, 3.61 ERA, 247.0 IP, 19 CG, 0 SHO, 47 BB, 32 K, 1.46 WHIP, 3.8 WAR, 6.1 R9-WAR
P: Oscar Hall (K.C.) – 16-10, 3.17 ERA, 236.0 IP, 18 CG, 0 SHO, 34 BB, 38 K, 1.33 WHIP, 4.6 WAR, 5.1 R9-WAR
P: Grover Wright (NIA) – 15-10, 3.77 ERA, 227.0 IP, 17 CG, 0 SHO, 20 BB, 35 K, 1.44 WHIP, 5.7 WAR, 3.8 R9-WAR

C: Jackson Smith (NIA) – .362/.395/.446, 45 R, 87 H, 11 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 51 RBI, 14 BB, 1 SB, 1.1 WPA, 1.5 WAR
C: James Hoddle (F.C.) – .361/.383/.435, 46 R, 83 H, 15 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 40 RBI, 7 BB, 1 SB, 1.7 WPA, 1.5 WAR
C: Ruby Watson (EXC) – .294/.369/.358, 36 R, 64 H, 12 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 33 RBI, 26 BB, 2 SB, 1.6 WPA, 1.3 WAR

1B: Arvi Hämäläinen (NIA) – .403/.477/.544, 78 R, 91 H, 14 2B, 6 3B, 2 HR, 29 RBI, 30 BB, 9 SB, 2.5 WPA, 3.0 WAR
1B: Julius Weinert (BED) – .366/.387/.477, 42 R, 86 H, 16 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 46 RBI, 6 BB, 0 SB, 3.4 WPA, 1.8 WAR
1B: John Bateman (SYR) – .349/.368/.493, 42 R, 75 H, 16 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 30 RBI, 6 BB, 1 SB, 2.3 WPA, 1.5 WAR

2B: Joe Bentley (NIA) – .373/.422/.459, 51 R, 87 H, 12 2B, 4 3B, 0 HR, 47 RBI, 21 BB, 6 SB, 3.4 WPA, 2.1 WAR
2B: Hamish Barclay (GOT) – .344/.279/.498, 60 R, 85 H, 20 2B, 6 3B, 2 HR, 55 RBI, 13 BB, 12 SB, 2.3 WPA, 2.0 WAR
2B: Edward Sax (VIC) – .365/.386/.401, 43 R, 91 H, 9 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 42 RBI, 9 BB, 6 SB, 1.7 WPA, 1.5 WAR

3B: Theodore Cooke (EMP) – .370/.376/.463, 42 R, 80 H, 18 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 43 RBI, 3 BB, 3 SB, 1.9 WPA, 1.6 WAR
3B: Leroy Weld (MET) – .316/.363/.440, 49 R, 74 H, 10 2B, 8 3B, 1 HR, 38 RBI, 16 BB, 4 SB, 1.7 WPA, 1.4 WAR
3B: Frazer Daly (MUT) – .380/.439/.437, 60 R, 87 H, 11 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 29 RBI, 17 BB, 1 SB, 2.2 WPA, 2.0 WAR

SS: Ed Huntley (ORA) – .413/.456/.558, 62 R, 100 H, 19 2B, 8 3B, 0 HR, 48 RBI, 22 BB, 27 SB, 2.7 WPA, 3.9 WAR
SS: P.O. Bakken (K.C.) – .350/.402/.457, 68 R, 89 H, 17 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 31 RBI, 18 BB, 15 SB, 2.6 WPA, 2.4 WAR
SS: Will Strausbaugh (N.C.) – .346/.358/.407, 54 R, 85 H, 11 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 28 RBI, 6 BB, 21 SB, 1.7 WPA, 1.8 WAR

CF: Taliesin Buckley (GOT) – .386/.415/.562, 72 R, 97 H, 20 2B, 12 3B, 0 HR, 51 RBI, 10 BB, 40 SB, 2.6 WPA, 3.2 WAR
CF: Declan Brice (K.C.) – .329/.368/.440, 54 R, 77 H, 13 2B, 5 3B, 1 HR, 41 RBI, 11 BB, 16 SB, 1.2 WPA, 2.3 WAR
CF: Charles Haynes (UTI) – .355/.408/.442, 68 R, 89 H, 14 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 44 RBI, 17 BB, 27 SB, 2.1 WPA, 2.0 WAR

OF: Luther Tatum (NIA) – .368/.398/.486, 50 R, 91 H, 7 2B, 8 3B, 2 HR, 53 RBI, 12 BB, 36 SB, 2.4 WPA, 1.9 WAR
OF: Ralph Hunt (ORA) – .360/.391/.475, 62 R, 85 H, 18 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 52 RBI, 14 BB, 1 SB, 1.7 WPA, 1.8 WAR
OF: William Lantz (ORA) – .345/.378/.459, 42 R, 79 H, 12 2B, 7 3B, 0 HR, 52 RBI, 8 BB, 3 SB, 1.4 WPA, 1.4 WAR
OF: John Carlton (UNI) – .344/.378/.440, 58 R, 83 H, 11 2B, 6 3B, 0 HR, 46 RBI, 6 BB, 6 SB, 2.4 WPA, 1.8 WAR
OF: Hiram Majors (ATL) – .307/.325/.440, 54 R, 74 H, 23 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 41 RBI, 6 BB, 19 SB, 2.1 WPA, 1.9 WAR
OF: James Robertson (SYR) – .362/.430/.413, 41 R, 85 H, 4 2B, 4 3B, 0 HR, 32 RBI, 27 BB, 1 SB, 3.4 WPA, 1.8 WAR

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE ROSTERS

P: Frank Freitag (SHA) – 19-6, 3.00 ERA, 222.0 IP, 20 CG, 0 SHO, 40 BB, 17 K, 1.18 WHIP, 2.9 WAR, 5.9 R9-WAR
P: Archie Green (G.M.) – 16-8, 3.72 ERA, 232.1 IP, 18 CG, 0 SHO, 29 BB, 23 K, 1.36 WHIP, 4.6 WAR, 4.7 R9-WAR
P: Harold Perry (T.U.) – 18-7, 3.33 ERA, 235.0 IP, 15 CG, 1 SHO, 43 BB, 29 K, 1.37 WHIP, 2.6 WAR, 5.1 R9-WAR
P: Willie Hall (PORT) – 17-8, 3.75 ERA, 230.2 IP, 15 CG, 0 SHO, 42 BB, 27 K, 1.42 WHIP, 2.9 WAR, 5.2 R9-WAR
P: Joe Cunningham (SHA) – 15-11, 3.05 ERA, 233.0 IP, 19 CG, 3 SHO, 44 BB, 27 K, 1.27 WHIP, 3.4 WAR, 5.7 R9-WAR
P: John McGowan (STJ) – 16-7, 3.63 ERA, 228.1 IP, 16 CG, 3 SHO, 32 BB, 24 K, 1.41 WHIP, 3.7 WAR, 3.9 R9-WAR

C: Joe Feuerstein (PORT) – .307/.333/.452, 41 R, 70 H, 18 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 45 RBI, 7 BB, 3 SB, 1.7 WPA, 2.2 WAR
C: Roy Jacobson (SCR) – .358/.395/.430, 34 R, 64 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 39 RBI, 9 BB, 0 SB, 3.1 WPA, 1.2 WAR
C: Alistair Hewitt (G.M.) – .321/.352/.401, 50 R, 76 H, 15 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 32 RBI, 11 BB, 4 SB, 1.5 WPA, 1.3 WAR

1B: Boudewijn Mulder (P.J.) – .414/.455/.484, 54 R, 89 H, 15 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 43 RBI, 7 BB, 4 SB, 2.7 WPA, 2.4 WAR
1B: Arthur Holton (T.U.) – .366/.416/.433, 45 R, 82 H, 13 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 48 RBI, 17 BB, 2 SB, 1.3 WPA, 1.9 WAR
1B: Oliver Collins (Q.S.) – .345/.382/.429, 44 R, 82 H, 11 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 44 RBI, 12 BB, 4 SB, 3.3 WPA, 1.5 WAR

2B: Daragh Adams (SHA) – .336/.366/.481, 53 R, 81 H, 22 2B, 5 3B, 1 HR, 50 RBI, 10 BB, 3 SB, 2.5 WPA, 1.7 WAR
2B: Leslie Arnett (M.M.) – .351/.374/.427, 46 R, 87 H, 17 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 29 RBI, 6 BB, 6 SB, 1.0 WPA, 2.3 WAR
2B: Willie Smith (ALL) – .358/.411/.482, 50 R, 81 H, 20 2B, 4 3B, 0 HR, 37 RBI, 19 BB, 13 SB, 2.1 WPA, 2.0 WAR

3B: Samuel Kessler (S.o.t.O.) – .361/.406/.504, 54 R, 86 H, 17 2B, 7 3B, 1 HR, 41 RBI, 14 BB, 8 SB, 2.9 WPA, 2.6 WAR
3B: Joe Dalton (NEW) – .358/.384/.447, 47 R, 81 H, 18 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 42 RBI, 6 BB, 6 SB, 1.6 WPA, 1.8 WAR
3B: Finlay McIntosh (QUI) – .328/.350/.424, 40 R, 75 H, 14 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 45 RBI, 9 BB, 2 SB, 2.5 WPA, 1.5 WAR

SS: Anthony Mascherino (G.M.) – .333/.374/.440, 60 R, 84 H, 17 2B, 5 3B, 0 HR, 45 RBI, 16 BB, 17 SB, 2.3 WPA, 3.6 WAR
SS: Albert Gore (GRA) – .342/.360/.449, 49 R, 80 H, 20 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 38 RBI, 6 BB, 33 SB, 1.7 WPA, 2.0 WAR
SS: Victor Hansen (AME) – .340/.361/.429, 67 R, 91 H, 11 2B, 5 3B, 1 HR, 33 RBI, 8 BB, 22 SB, 3.3 WPA, 1.6 WAR

CF: Willie Davis (SUS) – .393/.442/.512, 63 R, 96 H, 19 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 46 RBI, 23 BB, 36 SB, 3.3 WPA, 2.5 WAR
CF: Arthur Waltrip (AME) – .357/.380/.468, 63 R, 90 H, 16 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 48 RBI, 9 BB, 20 SB, 4.5 WPA, 2.1 WAR
CF: Carl Meacham (PIO) – .325/.390/.457, 64 R, 79 H, 16 2B, 8 3B, 0 HR, 29 RBI, 26 BB, 22 SB, 4.1 WPA, 1.9 WAR

OF: Andy Bidwell (SUS) – .368/.414/.502, 62 R, 93 H, 11 2B, 10 3B, 1 HR, 32 RBI, 14 BB, 28 SB, 2.9 WPA, 2.5 WAR
OF: Nicholas Howard (Q.S.) – .374/.392/.504, 50 R, 89 H, 14 2B, 7 3B, 1 HR, 48 RBI, 9 BB, 22 SB, 2.9 WPA, 1.9 WAR
OF: Nelson Townsend (STJ) – .348/.393/.476, 63 R, 79 H, 17 2B, 6 3B, 0 HR, 44 RBI, 14 BB, 33 SB, 3.0 WPA, 2.0 WAR
OF: Clive Wise (S.o.t.O.) – .338/.411/.432, 49 R, 79 H, 12 2B, 5 3B, 0 HR, 34 RBI, 29 BB, 17 SB, 2.0 WPA, 2.1 WAR
OF: Thomas Maloney (SHA) – .355/.387/.479, 63 R, 83 H, 19 2B, 5 3B, 0 HR, 34 RBI, 11 BB, 24 SB, 2.9 WPA, 2.0 WAR
OF: Ilkka Kivivuori (REA) – .407/.417/.517, 43 R, 85 H, 8 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 38 RBI, 5 BB, 8 SB, 1.6 WPA, 2.0 WAR

tm1681 · 02-27-2024, 07:25 PM

EMPIRE’S NETTLES PITCHES NO-HITTER!!!
BROOKLYN CLUB’S #1 PITCHES 2ND NO-NO OF 1862

BROOKLYN (Aug. 3, 1862) - Base ball fans waited nearly four years between the sport’s first No-hitter, authored by Henry Gibson on May 23 of 1858, and its second one, completed by Arthur Smith not even a week into the new season. They did not even have to wait for three months to see the third one, as Empire Club’s Harry Nettles no-hit Bedford in The Putnam Grounds on Sunday afternoon.

Nettles walked one and struck out one in the history-making effort, while the defense behind him was superb. Empire committed just one error while completing eleven ground ball outs & fifteen fly ball/bound outs.

The result was put away early, as Empire scored six runs before the end of the fourth inning. From there, all eyes of the 2,200 or so in attendance were on Empire in the field as they inched closer and closer to the historic result. The moment that scared fans the most came in the top of the eighth, when Bedford’s All-Star first baseman Julius Weiner reached on a ground ball. However, the Empire third baseman had made an errant throw and the play was ruled an error instead of a hit.

In the top of the ninth Bedford sent the bottom of the batting order to the plate, and from there three easy outs put Beford B.B.C. and Harry Nettles into the history books.

tm1681 · 02-28-2024, 12:17 PM

NORTHEAST TAKES THE A.S.G. IN EXTRA INNINGS
JACOBSON DRIVES IN WINNING RUN, GORE WINS M.V.P.

THE ELYSIAN FIELDS (Aug. 4, 1862) - The annual National Base Ball Organization All-Stars Game was a tight affair that needed extra innings to decide a winner, with the N.E.L. taking the contest 5-4 in ten innings.

After the first half of the game was over, it looked like the Northeastern stars would take an easy victory as they enjoyed a 4-1 lead after five innings thanks to single runs in every inning but the third. Three more scoreless innings followed and the N.E.L. was up 4-1 going into the ninth. It was then that the N.Y.L. mounted their comeback:

• Hiram Majors: leadoff Single
• Charles Haynes: Single
• Julius Weinert: Single
• Arvi Hämäläinen: Sacrifice Fly (Majors scores, 4-2)
• Oscar Hall: 1-run Single (Haynes scores, 4-3)
• John Bateman: Failed Squeeze Play, runner out at home
• Frazer Daly: Single (Hall scores, 4-4)
• Edward Sax: Ground out to 2B

That left the score tied 4-4. The N.E.L. went down in order in the bottom of the ninth, and the game went to extra frames looking like the N.Y.L. had all the momentum. They tried their own Squeeze Play with one out in the tenth, which also failed and left them scoreless in the top half of the inning. In the bottom half, star Scranton catcher Roy Jacobson came to bat after a double by Willie Hall and a single by Clive Wise, and he proceeded to hit a single of his own that sent Hall home and won the A.S.G. for the Northeastern League.

Jacobson won the game, but it was Granite Club shortstop Albert Gore who took the M.V.P. honors after going 2/2 with one R.B.I. and a stolen base. He was one of two players in the game to have multiple hits, with the other being Atlantic Club outfielder Hiram Majors.

It was another successful All-Stars Game event for the N.B.B.O. There were officially 15,292 in attendance at the Elysian Fields, with all proceeds once again going to charitable causes in the New York City metropolitan area. The expansion of A.S.G. rosters from twenty to thirty players seemed to be a success, as fans were able to see more of their favorites in uniform and players used the day as an informal meeting to discuss important events involving the sport.

"The American National Game of Base Ball", a color lithograph made by Currier & Ives in 1866.

tm1681 · 02-28-2024, 12:20 PM

TWO .400 HITTERS IN 1862!
HAMALAINEN IN THE N.Y.L. & MULDER IN THE N.E.L. SHARE HONORS; THREE OTHERS CLOSE

BUFFALO, N.Y. & JERSEY CITY, N.J. (Aug. 11, 1861) – The 1862 National Base Ball Organization season came to a close yesterday afternoon, and the season ended with one player in each league hitting over .400: Niagara Club’s Arvi Hämäläinen in the New York League at .421 – a new N.B.B.O. record along with his .486 On-Base and 1.038 O.P.S. – and Port Jersey’s Boudewijn Mulder in the Northeastern League at .416.

Hämäläinen was the best hitter in the New York League for the entire season – his worst month of batsmanship coming in June when he hit “only” .378 with a .968 O.P.S. He spent much of the season as Niagara’s unconventional leadoff hitter, and the change in lineup position clearly paid off. His season totals:

• .421/.486/.552, 1.038 OPS (169 OPS+), 98 R, 122 H, 18 2B, 7 3B, 2 HR, 43 RBI, 32 BB, 16 SB, 3.5 WPA, 4.0 oWAR

Mulder was not the overall N.B.B.O. Batting Champion, but he did do something that had never been done before: he hit .400 or better in every month. Mulder hit .419 in May, .425 in June, .400 in July, and .429 over eight games in August. Whereas Hämäläinen had made great strides in his second season, Mulder was a fifth-year first baseman for Port Jersey who had slowly improved and made the All-Stars Game in 1861. His season totals:

• .416/.455/.505, .960 OPS (156 OPS+), 68 R, 116 H, 18 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 50 RBI, 8 BB, 4 SB, 3.5 WPA, 3.3 oWAR

Three players came agonizingly close to the .400 mark. In the N.Y.L, perennial star Edward Huntley of the Orange Club sat at .398 going into the final week but just could not move his average a couple of points higher, finishing at .397 while leading the league in Hits (123) and Total Bases (170). In the Northeastern League the heartbreak was much worse, as both Ilkka Kivivuori of Reading and two-time defending Batsman of the Year Willie Davis entered the final weekend over .400. Kivivuori was 1/6 over his last two games while Davis was 2/8, and the players finished at .399 and .397 respectively.

tm1681 · 02-28-2024, 12:21 PM

THE 1862 T.W.C. FIELD IS SET!
ALL SIX REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS DECIDED IN FINAL WEEK; THREE BY 1-2 GAMES

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (Aug. 11, 1862) – Another season of play in the National Base Ball Organization has come to its end, and this one just might have been the most exciting one yet. All six regional championship subdivisions were decided in the final week of play, with only the Coastal Championship being decided by more than three games (five).

There were no truly dominant teams this season, and every regional championship except New England saw four or more teams finish with a record over the .500 mark. While the first edition of the revamped Tucker-Wheaton Cup will feature many familiar faces, none of the six entrants had an easy time making it there.

BROOKLYN – The biggest stunner of the six saw Brooklyn – in 4th place at 22-18 on July 1 – go 22-8 over their last thirty games to shove aside Atlantic, Empire, and long-standing #1 Excelsior to take top spot by three games the season after Grover Wright left. The Excelsior collapse was positively tragic. They were 35-15 & six games clear with four weeks left to play, only to 6-14 over the remaining schedule as their weak batting (16th in Runs, 19th in AVG) finally caught up to them.

NEW YORK CITY – Going into the final week of play, Orange had a one-game lead over Mutual and a two-game lead over Gotham. They went 4-1 to keep the other two at bay and win the N.Y.C. title. Mutual, which was 33-17 in mid-July, went 9-11 over their last twenty games to fall from 1st to 3rd.

UPSTATE – Incredibly competitive as always, the trio of Utica, Syracuse, & Niagara were a game apart going into the final week of play. Utica had the lead by one game, and mediocre play from all three teams let them win Upstate by two games in the end. Niagara failed to win Upstate for the first time even though they had Grover Wright and the best offense in the NBBO (.340 AVG, 8.5 R/G). Their batsman-friendly venue just might be both the ultimate blessing AND curse.

COASTAL – Dubbed the cup favorites in preseason, Shamrock never had a giant lead in the Coastal Championship but it was always a comfortable one. They enjoyed a 3-5 game lead for much of the season and kept it around five before clinching the pennant in the opener of the final week of play.

INLAND – Alleghany was 7th in Runs Scored & 3rd in Runs Allowed in the N.E.L, but that only added up to a 41-29 record and they were only able to clinch the Inland title with two days left in the season, seeing off a challenge from surging Susquehanna. Still, Alleghany was in first place from July 7th onward.

NEW ENGLAND – With four weeks to play St. John’s & Green Mountain were tied for 1st place at 30-20. St. John’s then proceeded to do what they typically do late in the season, going 14-6 over the last four weeks of play to take New England by three games over G.M. and five over Sons of the Ocean, with Portland falling out of the picture thanks to a 14-21 second half.

With the playoffs set to begin it is important to remember that there are no playoff series this year, with one ten-game group final taking place instead. This came about due to dissent from clubs in the tougher regional championships last offseason, and the irony of it is that if there were playoffs this season the Shamrock Club would have finally earned the #1 seed they were claiming they had been unfairly denied by virtue of playing in the Coastal Championship.

Here are the entrants:

TUCKER-WHEATON CUP

BROOKLYN CHAMPION: Kings County Base Ball Club (44-26)
NEW YORK CITY CHAMPION: Orange Base Ball Club (44-26)
UPSTATE N.Y. CHAMPION: Utica Base Ball Club (41-29)
COASTAL CHAMPION: Shamrock Baseball Club (45-25)
INLAND CHAMPION: Alleghany Baseball Club (41-29)
NEW ENGLAND CHAMPION: St. John’s Baseball Club (44-26)

FORMAT: Each team plays every other team twice, for a total of ten games. The team with the best record wins the cup. Extra games will be played if there is a tie for 1st.

Whether the cup consists of one large group or a single series, the baseball on offer in this edition should be fascinating. Shamrock had the best record in the entire N.B.B.O. this season at 45-25, which represents the fewest wins ever for the #1 overall team. Three others were 44-26, and the other two were 41-29.

While Shamrock can lay a claim to having the most talented team, just as the Writers Pool did in preseason, the difference between them and the other five competing for the cup is very thin, and because of that it will really be anybody’s guess as to who will lift the cup this year.

tm1681 · 03-01-2024, 08:04 PM

THE 1862 TUCKER-WHEATON CUP
ROUND ROBIN FORMAT MAKES ITS DEBUT

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (Aug. 13-23, 1862) – The 1862 version of the Tucker-Wheaton Cup was something new: a Round Robin competition put in place after issues came to a head during the previous offseason. There would still be six teams, but this year all six would play each other twice, with every team playing a total of ten games to decide the National Base Ball Organization champion.

While the cup’s format was new, the teams taking part were most definitely not. St. John’s was playing extra baseball as they had been every other year of the N.B.B.O.’s existence, Kings County was in the postseason for the fifth year in a row, Alleghany & Shamrock were in a playoff environment for the fourth time, and Orange was making its second trip to the postseason, with two second place finishes in New York City to their name. Only Upstate New York champions Utica, who had finished second in each of the previous three seasons, were playoff debutants.

There was speculation that the entire T.W.C. would take place at various venues in Brooklyn & New York City, but ultimately it was decided that the game would take place at the teams’ venues after logistics with the newly booming passenger train industry were worked out. This would give the teams five true home games and five away games, and with all the teams playing in familiar environments it would ensure the baseball played would be of the highest standard.

The Writers Pool’s favorite for the cup in the preseason poll was also the team with the best record in the N.B.B.O. during the season: Shamrock Baseball Club. Thus, they were seen as the favorites to win the cup. However, the six teams involved were four wins apart during the season, so if Shamrock were favorites they were not the overwhelming ones.

Would the new format of the Tucker-Wheaton Cup lead to a more interesting finale to the base ball season? Would a further playoff be needed to whittle apart teams tied for the lead after ten games? Here is how the first Round Robin version of the Tucker-Wheaton Cup went:

1862 TUCKER WHEATON CUP STANDINGS

Code:

TEAM		W	L	GB	RF	RA	 RD
SHAMROCK	8	2	--	71	64	 +7
ST. JOHN’S	7	3	1	86	70	+16
UTICA		5	5	3	61	66	 -5
KINGS CO.	4	6	4	68	71	 -3
ORANGE		3	7	5	69	65	 +4
ALLEGHANY	3	7	5	52	71	-19

M.V.P: William Johnson (CF, STJ) – .432 AVG (19/44), 1.149 OPS, 4 2B, 3 3B, 21 R, 6 RBI, 5 BB, 10 SB, 5x P.o.t.G.

The preseason favorite and regular season #1 went on to finish first in the Tucker-Wheaton Cup as well, no extra games needed. Shamrock did not have the best offense or largest Run Differential in the T.W.C. – that went to St. John’s thanks to some huge wins – but they won their last five games to come out on top. Conversely, Alleghany lost their final five to finish in last place on Run Differential

Even though Shamrock lifted the cup, the award for individual M.V.P, surprisingly, went elsewhere. Shamrock was led by Thomas Maloney, who hit 19/45 (.422) with seven doubles, sixteen runs, nine R.B.I, and the double that clinched the cup for the Bostonians. However, St. John’s stalwart William Johnson was absolutely outstanding, scoring more than two runs per game (21), stealing ten bases without being caught, hitting well over .400 (.432; 19/44), and earning Player of the Game honors in five of the last six St. John’s games in the T.W.C. He was, without question, the star player of the competition.

If there were to be an award for Best Pitcher, it would also have gone to a St. John’s player. Shamrock’s Hannigan Miller was 3-0, but he walked thirteen batters while striking out three and had an E.R.A. near 4.00. Pitching mate Joe Cunningham had an E.R.A. near 2.50 in 49 innings, but he was only 2-2. Meanwhile, St. John’s’ John McGowan won five of his six starts – the only pitcher to go 5-0 – while striking out a cup-high nine batters and enjoying a 2.89 E.R.A. over 53 innings of work.

While the general assumption is that defense and pitching are better when the best teams play, teams scored 6.8 runs per game in the cup competition, which was just 0.1 runs per game below the regular season average. St. John’s had far and away the best offense in the T.W.C. They were the only team to have more than one player with 10+ R.B.I, and they had three: Nelson Townsend (14), Konrad Jensen (11), and Collin Henderson (10).

GAMEDAY ONE

UTI 2-4 ALL – P.o.t.G: Eddie Morse (P, ALL) – CG, 7 H, 2 R, 0 ER 2 K
SHA 4-1 K.C. – P.o.t.G: Joe Cunningham (P, SHA) – CG, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER 2 K
ORA 6-10 STJ – P.o.t.G: Konrad Jensen (RF, STJ) – 3/5, 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI

The first game of the revamped Tucker-Wheaton Cup was Utica at Alleghany in Pittsburgh Recreation Park. There was not much excitement, but Alleghany got the job done by scoring twice in the first and never trailing in their 4-2 win. Shamrock at Kings County was a similar affair, with Shamrock scoring twice in the top of the first and leading the whole way in their 4-1 win. Orange at St. John’s was where the excitement was. St. John’s scored six times over the first two innings, but an Orange rally made it 6-4 halfway through the contest. The hosts responded with four runs over the sixth & seventh, and that put the win to bed.

GAMEDAY TWO

ORA 4-5 ALL – P.o.t.G: Milton Eckhart (LF, ALL) – 3/4, 2 RBI, 2 SB, 1 OF AST
K.C. 13-3 STJ – P.o.t.G: Soren Thomsen (RF, K.C.) – 5/6, 2 2B, 3 R, 4 RBI, 1 SB
SHA 8-7 UTI – P.o.t.G: Warren Boltz (3B, UTI) – 4/4, 2B, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI

The shocker of Gameday Two was easily Kings County over St. John’s. The game was 1-1 after four innings, but K.C. responded with three runs in the fifth, four in the sixth, and four in the eighth to knock the hosts asunder. Each of the first five K.C. batsmen in their lineup had multiple hits, and they were led by Soren Thomsen with five. Alleghany beat Orange thanks to five runs in the first three innings, and they needed just six hits to do it. Henry Fowler’s two-run single in the third put the hosts over the top. In Utica, the hosts tried their best to take down Shamrock but they kept having to play from behind, and that meant a brilliant performance from Warren Boltz was wasted in a one-run loss.

GAMEDAY THREE

ALL 5-14 ORA – P.o.t.G: Fabio Lovato (2B, ORA) – 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI
STJ 9-6 K.C. – P.o.t.G: Konrad Jensen (RF, STJ) – 3/5, 3B, 2 R, 4 RBI, 1 SB
UTI 6-3 SHA (10 Inn.) – P.o.t.G: Carl Bancroft (P, UTI) – 10 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 K

The big surprise of the afternoon came in Boston. It was not simply that Utica scored three in the tenth to win at Shamrock, but that the best team in the N.B.B.O. was held to a pair of hits by Carl Bancroft and the Utica defense. Utica themselves only needed four hits to win thanks to the hosts’ nine fielding errors. St. John’s reversed the home embarrassment of the previous day with a big win at K.C., with a five-run rally putting them up 9-3 going into the bottom of the eighth. Alleghany scored first at Orange, but it was all Orange from there as Alleghany pitchers walked half a dozen hitters and their fielders committed eight errors in a very forgettable day.

GAMEDAY FOUR

STJ 6-11 ORA – P.o.t.G: Barnes Koot (CF, ORA) – 4/5, 2B, 3 R, 1 RBI, 2 SB
ALL 4-6 UTA – P.o.t.G: Fred Fowler (LF, UTI) – 3/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB
K.C. 10-11 SHA (10 Inn.) – P.o.t.G: Enda Reed (1B, SHA) – 3/6, 2B, 3B, 3 R, 3 RBI

Orange opened Gameday Four with a five-run win over St. John’s. They were led by Barnes Koot’s 4/5 with a double and three runs, but William Lantz was also 4/5 and superstar Ed Huntley was 3/5 with four R.B.I. Utica led from the bottom of the first onward in their win over Alleghany, in which they were led by Fred Fowler while both Peter Sweet & Charles Haynes were 2/4 with a run & R.B.I each. K.C. at Shamrock was a thrilling end to the day. The two teams combined to score fifteen runs from the 7th-9th, leaving the score 10-10 ahead of Extra Innings. In the bottom of the tenth, Shamrock Pinch Hitter MacArtan Kennedy singled in Player of the Game Enda Reed to win it.

GAMEDAY FIVE

ORA 4-6 UTI – P.o.t.G: Alonzo Reese (1B, UTI) – 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI
K.C. 4-6 ALL – P.o.t.G: Joe Blake (ALL) – 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB
SHA 4-10 STJ – P.o.t.G: William Johnson (CF, STJ) – 3/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 SB

Utica was a little fortunate to win 6-4 over Orange to open Gameday Five. Alonzo Reese had a big day, but their defense committed six errors that the visitors were unable to capitalize on. Carl Bancroft did not make any major mistakes, and that kept Utica just in front. Joe Blake had a fine day for Alleghany, but it was their four-run rally in the bottom of the eighth that put them over the top against Kings County. An error, a walk, and five singles in the inning propelled the hosts to victory. St. John’s win over Shamrock looked lopsided, but it was a four-run bottom of the eighth that sealed the win.

The records after Gameday Five were as follows:

Code:

TEAM		W	L	GB	RF	RA	RD
UTICA		3	2	--	27	23	+4
SHAMROCK	3	2	--	30	34	-4
ST. JOHN’S	3	2	--	38	40	-2
ALLEGHANY	3	2	--	24	30	-6
ORANGE		2	3	1	39	32	+7
KINGS CO.	1	4	2	34	33	+1

With five of the six teams within a game of each other, the cup was truly up for grabs.

GAMEDAY SIX

UTI 8-5 ORA – P.o.t.G: Alonzo Reese (1B, UTI) – 3/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB
ALL 8-9 K.C. – P.o.t.G: John Francis (LF, K.C.) – 2/5, 3 R, 2 RBI, 1 SB, 1 BB
STJ 9-10 SHA – P.o.t.G: William Johnson (CF, STJ) – 4/5, 3B, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB

Ninth-inning rallies were the Special of the Day in Gameday Six. In the Upper Manhattan Base Ball Grounds, Utica scored twice in the top of the ninth to ensure their victory: an 8-5 result in which Alonzo Reese was P.o.t.G. for the second game in a row. Over in Brooklyn, Kings County scored three times in the bottom of the ninth to beat Alleghany 9-8, with Declan Brice’s two-run single winning the contest. In Boston, Shamrock found themselves down 9-8 to St. John’s with one out in the bottom of the ninth when Pinch Hitter Henry Rosendahl hit a two-run single to put the win in Shamrock’s hands.

GAMEDAY SEVEN

SHA 9-5 ALL – P.o.t.G: Thomas Maloney (LF, SHA) – 3/5, 2 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB
ORA 10-4 K.C. – P.o.t.G: Edward Huntley (SS, ORA) – 2/3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 3 SB
STJ 10-7 UTI – P.o.t.G: Godfrey White (SS, STJ) – 3/5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 DEF DP

Shamrock opened Gameday Seven with a 9-5 win in Pittsburgh – seven runs over the 3rd-5th were more than enough as five Shamrock players, including pitcher Hannigan Miller, had multiple hits. The Orange Club made easy work of Kings County, with every member of the lineup getting hits and Ed Huntley stealing three bases against the misfiring arm of K.C. catcher Brannigan Williams. St. John’s at Utica was also over early, with the visitors ahead 10-3 after five innings and strolling over the finish line.

The win for Shamrock was a huge one. It left them the first sole leaders of the competition with a record of 5-2.

GAMEDAY EIGHT

STJ 12-6 ALL – P.o.t.G: William Johnson (CF, STJ) – 2/4, 2B, 4 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB
SHA 10-8 ORA (10 Inn.) – P.o.t.G: Thomas Maloney (LF, SHA) – 3/5, 2 B, 2 R, 1 RBI
K.C. 6-7 UTI – P.o.t.G: Peter Sweet (RF, UTI) – 4/5, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI

St. John’s victory at Alleghany was all about the seventh inning, in which the visitors scored eight runs on five hits, four walks, and one fielding error. It was pure torture for the hosts, and St. John’s was glad to inflict it. Orange had the upper hand going into the ninth against Shamrock, up 8-7. However, Shamrock scored once in the ninth on a Damion Brown single and twice in the tenth via Thomas Silke double to remain the leaders of the T.W.C. at 6-2. There were dueling ninth-inning rallies in the game in Utica. Kings County came up in the top of the ninth down 5-4 and scored runs on two singles to take a 6-5 lead, but Utica turned that straight around with two runs of their own on a Wyatt Flanders single to win the game.

The result in Utica means that Kings County was the first team eliminated from cup contention.

GAMEDAY NINE

ALL 4-5 STJ – P.o.t.G: William Johnson (CF, STJ) – 2/4, 2 2B, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 SB
UTI 9-10 K.C. (11 Inn.) – P.o.t.G: Declan Brice (CF, K.C.) – 3/6, 2 2B, 1 R, 3 RBI
ORA 3-6 SHA – P.o.t.G: Walter Williams (CF, SHA) – 2/5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 4 SB

A two-run single by Konrad Jensen in the bottom of the seventh put St. John’s ahead and ultimately gave them the win over Alleghany at home, with William Johnson & Nelson Townsend also having fine afternoons for the second-place team in the competition. In Brooklyn, Kings County did not look like a team with nothing to play for as they responded to a six-run rally from Utica in the eighth inning by holding steady until the eleventh, when they scored on a single by Will Kelly that won the game for them and eliminated Utica. Shamrock made it all look easy at home against Orange, scoring six times by the end of the third and walking the win home. They were hoping for a St. John’s loss that would have made them T.W.C. champions with one game left, but they were still sole leaders of the competition.

The standings after Gameday Nine were as follows:

Code:

TEAM		W	L	GB	RF	RA	 RD
SHAMROCK	7	2	--	65	59	 +6
ST. JOHN’S	6	3	1	74	67	 +7
UTICA		5	4	2	58	54	 +4
ORANGE		3	6	4	65	60	 +5
KINGS CO.	3	6	4	63	67 	 -4
ALLEGHANY	3	6	4	47	65	-18

There were two teams left in contention: Shamrock & St. John’s. If Shamrock won on Gameday Ten they were champions, but if they lost and St. John’s won there would be a one-game playoff.

GAMEDAY TEN

UTI 3-12 STJ – P.o.t.G: William Johnson (CF, STJ) – 2/4, 3B, 3 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB
ALL 5-6 SHA – P.o.t.G: Thomas Maloney (LF, SHA) – 3/5, 2B, 1 R, 2 RBI, GW HIT
K.C. 5-4 ORA (10 Inn.) – P.o.t.G: John Francis (LF, K.C.) – 2/5, 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI

St. John’s started the final day of the T.W.C. by doing exactly what they needed to do, beating Utica 12-3 and seeing the amazing William Johnson take P.o.t.G. honors for the fifth time in six games. Kings County beat Orange 5-4 in the game that mattered not, and from there all eyes were on the game in Boston as Shamrock took on Alleghany. The hosts had one hand on the cup thanks to a 4-3 lead heading into the ninth inning, but Joe Cunningham allowed a two-run triple to Charlie Rumbaugh to put Shamrock behind and make a playoff very possible. However, in the bottom half of the inning Shamrock’s batters went triple, double, double, with Thomas Maloney’s two-baser winning the Tucker-Wheaton Cup for Shamrock.

The cup was going back to the Northeastern League, and celebrations in the city of Boston began immediately after the game.

tm1681 · 03-05-2024, 06:29 PM

1862 NEW YORK LEAGUE REVIEW

NEW YORK LEAGUE SEASON SUMMARY

The 1862 New York League season was supposed to be dominated by upstart clubs, at least if the Writers Pool was to be believed. Excelsior, Orange, and Niagara were the three favorites to advance to the revamped Tucker-Wheaton Cup, and between the three they had made one playoff appearance over the five-year history of the N.B.B.O. Unfortunately for the favored trio, this was not to be.

The Brooklyn Championship was believed to be completely up for grabs after Grover Wright left Kings County to join Niagara. Excelsior was picked to finish 1st with a 42-28 record, while Bedford was the expected caboose at 29-41. That projected difference was the smallest since the N.B.B.O.’s inaugural season.

After a month, those projections mostly held true. Excelsior was at the top with a 13-7 record and four teams were within two games. The only real surprise was the unexpectedly poor Nassau County at 5-15. Halfway through the season Excelsior was in control with a league-best 26-9 record and a five-game lead, but in short order Excelsior’s season would suffer a total collapse. Over the second set of seven weeks, the Excelsior Club would go 15-20 while Kings County, solidly in third, would go 24-11 to shock everyone and win the Brooklyn Championship for the fifth consecutive year.

In contrast, the New York City Championship went exactly as predicted. Orange B.B.C. finished first, with Gotham, Mutual, and Knickerbocker the other three teams in the top half of the standings. That said, it was an exciting end to the season in N.Y.C. as Orange and Mutual were tied at 38-22 with two weeks left to play. Orange was able to break open a one-game lead heading into the final week, and from there won their final five games to take the pennant.

The Upstate Championship was supposed to be Niagara’s after they added Grover Wright and the N.B.B.O.’s most talented newcomer: Luther Tatum. Snakebitten Niagara, yet to make the postseason, was never in the lead. On June 1st they were a game behind Syracuse at 12-8, at the halfway mark they were actually in 4th at two games behind Syracuse, and with two weeks left they were in 3rd and still a couple of games behind first place. Niagara could never close the gap.

Instead, it would be Utica’s year. They spent much of the season hovering near first place before tying for the lead with three weeks to play. From that point on they were the best team in Upstate, won the championship by two games, and Utica would be making their first appearance in the postseason.

Of course, there were no league playoffs this year, with the three regional champions advancing directly to the Tucker-Wheaton Cup. Unfortunately, the three New York League teams did not fare well, with the three teams placing third, fourth, and fifth.

Utica’s Tucker-Wheaton Cup started off poorly, with an away loss against Alleghany and a home loss against Shamrock. They were able to turn things around quickly, winning their next three games to become one of four 3-2 teams halfway through the competition. They then beat Orange to go 4-2, but from there the Upstate Champions lost three of their last four games, closing out their cup run with a 12-3 loss at St. John’s.

Kings County had a forgettable Tucker-Wheaton Cup. Rooted at the bottom of the standings nearly the entire way, K.C. lost four of their first five games. Even though they were two games out at the halfway mark of the competition, the team looked completely out of contention. K.C. then lost two of their next three to fall to 2-6 and become the first team eliminated. K.C. was able to salvage something from the T.W.C., as they won the last two games in extra innings: a 10-9 win vs Utica in 11 innings and a 5-4 win at Orange in ten.

Orange had arguably the unluckiest Tucker-Wheaton Cup. They were 3-7 but finished 5th thanks to a positive Run Differential of +4. Their wins were all big: a 14-5 win vs Alleghany, an 11-6 win vs St. John’s, and a 10-4 at Kings County. The cumulative score in those three games was 35-15. Five of Orange’s seven losses were by 1-2 runs, with only their 10-6 loss at St. John’s on Gameday one being truly lopsided. Orange lost twice in Extra Innings, and with more luck they would have finished in the top two.

After its teams had taken home the Tucker-Wheaton Cup in each of the previous three seasons, this was not the New York League’s year. The Northeastern League had the two most talented teams in the sport, and they came out on top.

When it came time to give out the annual awards for excellence, there was one clear candidate for N.Y.L. Batsman of the Year: Niagara B.B.C’s Arvi Hämäläinen. The Finnish first baseman had a solid first season in 1861, batting .362 with six Home Runs (led N.Y.L.) and 59 R.B.I. For year two, Niagara manager Ray McNew decided to make Hämäläinen an unorthodox leadoff hitter. Hämäläinen is not quick and does not have a lot of gap power, but what he can do is be patient at the plate and frequently make solid contact with the ball. The results: Hämäläinen set N.B.B.O. records for Average (.421), On-Base (.552), and O.P.S. (1.038) while also leading the N.Y.L. in Walks (32) & Runs (98). He was B.o.t.Y. with more than two-thirds of the vote.

There were two other outstanding batsmen in the N.Y.L. who stood above the rest, but just not as tall as Hämäläinen. Orange superstar Edward Huntley hit .390, led the league in Hits (123) & Total Bases (170), and easily led all batsmen in W.A.R. (4.6). He finished second. Hämäläinen’s teammate Joseph Bentley, the first N.Y.L. Batsman of the Year, finished in third thanks to a .390 average, an O.P.S. well over .900 (.927), and 63 R.B.I.

While Huntley was the runner-up for B.o.t.Y, he ran away with the N.Y.L. Most Valuable Player award. In addition to his prodigious hitting – his O.P.S. of .984 also broke the previous record of .977 by Joseph Forrest – he played Golden Glove defense at shortstop (+17.6 ZR) for the New York City champions. Nobody could hold a candle to that level of achievement.

The aforementioned Bentley of Niagara finished second thanks to a W.P.A. of 3.9 in addition to his excellent batsmanship in the middle of the Niagara lineup. Second-year Gotham center fielder Taliesin Buckley finished third. Buckley led the league in Triples (15) and Stolen Bases (47) while hitting .353 and finishing second to Huntley in W.A.R. (3.4).

While there were numerous quality newcomers in the New York League in 1862, contention for Newcomer of the Year came down to two batsmen and a pitcher:

• Niagara’s Luther Tatum was the most highly-regarded incoming signing of the winter: a four-star talent that a number of N.Y.L. clubs wanted and many figured would flourish in Niagara’s unique venue. He hit .366 with two Home Runs, sixty R.B.I., 47 Stolen Bases, and a W.A.R. of 2.3.

• Binghamton center fielder Wagner Morris was an unheralded local signing from an independent club, one who was presumed to be their opening day CF because the team was 24-46 last year. Instead, he hit .371 with 119 Hits, 53 R.B.I., 3.2 W.P.A. and a W.A.R. of 3.1.

• Harry Nettles was viewed as a decent addition to the Empire pitching rotation when the Philadelphian joined the club last October. In his first season Nettles was 18-15 with a 3.58 E.R.A, and more importantly he authored the third No-Hitter in N.B.B.O. history on August 3rd.

In the end, the voters gave the N.o.t.Y. award to Morris because he was a big surprise and his production came from perhaps the most important non-pitching position: center field. Nettles finished second – his No-Hitter was factored in – and Tatum finished third.

The two most memorable individual performances in the N.Y.L. in 1862 had to be the two No-Hitters pitched at opposite ends of the season. Not even a week into the season, Atlantic’s Arthur Smith completed the second No-Hitter in N.B.B.O. history when he completed the trick in an 8-1 win over Nassau County. On August 3rd, Harry Nettles pitched the N.B.B.O’s third No-Hitter in a 7-0 win over Bedford.

The best performance by a New York League batsman this season goes to Minuteman’s Samuel Pezzi. During his team’s July 5th home game against Binghamton, Pezzi hit 4/6 with a three-run double, a two-run double, and a three-run homer to tie the N.B.B.O. record for R.B.I. in a game with eight.

The most surprising team of the season was certainly Kings County. While Utica’s first-place finish in the Upstate Championship was its own surprise, they had been runners-up in each of the previous three seasons. It was widely assumed that Kings County would drop two or three places in the Brooklyn Championship standings after losing Grover Wright, and after finishing the first half of the season in third place their second half surge saw K.C. atop Brooklyn for the fifth season in a row. They also had the N.Y.L’s best Run Differential at +163.

With all entrants now having an equal chance to compete and win the Tucker-Wheaton Cup, it was clear that the New York League’s best were not the equal of their Northeastern League brethren. There are only so many things the clubs can do to make that change – especially given the highly competitive nature of all three championships – but hopefully the N.Y.L. can make a better showing of itself next year and back up the common opinion that it is home to the best base ball.

NEW YORK LEAGUE STANDINGS

Code:

BROOKLYN		 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA	  RD
Kings Co.		44	16	.629	--	558	395	+163
Empire (1)		41	29	.586	3	466	467	  -1
Excelsior		41	29	.586	3	455	430	 +25
Atlantic		38	32	.543	6	500	466	 +34
Eckford			34	36	.486	10	460	490	 -30
Continental		31	39	.443	13	428	451	 .23
Bedford			26	44	.371	18	422	489	 -67
Nassau Co.		25	45	.357	19	431	532	-101
 
N. Y. C.		 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA	  RD
Orange			44	26	.629	--	575	459	+116
Gotham			43	27	.614	1	555	447	+108
Mutual			42	28	.600	2	540	498	 +42
Knickerbocker	        36	34	.514	8	414	468	 -54
Harlem			34	36	.486	10	479	463	 +16
Union			32	38	.457	12	494	564	 -70
Metropolitan	        27	43	.386	17	448	517	 -69
Hilltop			22	48	.314	22	386	475	 -89


UPSTATE			 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA	  RD
Utica			41	29	.586	--	517	439	 +78
Niagara (1)		39	31	.557	2	597	507	 +90
Syracuse		39	31	.557	2	469	453	 +16
Eagle			36	34	.514	5	431	421	 +10
Victory			35	35	.500	6	497	454	 +43
Binghamton		32	38	.457	9	507	580	 -73
Flour City (1)	        29	41	.414	12	499	551	 -52
Minuteman		29	41	.414	12	433	545	-112

(1) = Won Head-to-Head Results tiebreaker

TUCKER-WHEATON CUP

UTICA BASE BALL CLUB: 3rd Place – 5-5 (61 R, 66 RA)

Game 1: UTI 2-4 ALL
Game 2: SHA 8-7 UTI
Game 3: UTI 6-3 SHA (10 Inn.)
Game 4: ALL 4-6 UTI
Game 5: ORA 4-6 UTI
Game 6: UTI 8-5 ORA
Game 7: STJ 10-7 UTI
Game 8: K.C. 6-7 UTI
Game 9: UTI 9-10 K.C. (11 Inn.)
Game 10: UTI 3-12 STJ

BEST PLAYER: Carl Bancroft – 4-2, 2.82 ERA, 51.0 IP, 5 CG, 0 SHO, 11 BB, 4 K, 1.14 WHIP, 0.6 WAR

KINGS COUNTY BASE BALL CLUB: 4th Place – 4-6 (68 R, 71 RA)

Game 1: SHA 1-4 K.C.
Game 2: K.C. 13-3 STJ
Game 3: STJ 9-6 K.C.
Game 4: K.C. 10-11 SHA (10 Inn.)
Game 5: K.C. 4-6 ALL
Game 6: ALL 8-9 K.C.
Game 7: ORA 10-4 K.C.
Game 8: K.C. 6-7 UTI
Game 9: UTI 9-10 K.C. (11 Inn.)
Game 10: K.C. 5-4 ORA (10 Inn.)

BEST PLAYER: John Francis – .404 (19/47), .949 OPS, 12 R, 6 2B, 0 3B, 9 RBI, 3 SB, 0.98 WPA, 0.6 WAR

ORANGE BASE BALL CLUB: 5th Place – 3-7 (69 R, 65 RA)

Game 1: ORA 6-10 STJ
Game 2: ORA 4-5 ALL
Game 3: ALL 5-14 ORA
Game 4: STJ 6-11 ORA
Game 5: ORA 4-6 UTA
Game 6: UTI 8-5 ORA
Game 7: ORA 10-4 K.C.
Game 8: SHA 10-8 ORA (10)
Game 9: ORA 3-6 SHA
Game 10: K.C. 5-4 ORA (10)

BEST PLAYER: Edward Lindsey – 2-2, 2.91 ERA, 34.0 IP, 4 CG, 0 SHO, 4 BB, 5 K, 1.26 WHIP, 0.7 WAR

NEW YORK LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Arvi Hämäläinen – 28 y/o 1B, Niagara B.B.C.

• .421/.486/.552, 1.038 OPS, 98 R, 122 H, 18 2B, 7 3B, 2 HR, 43 RBI, 32 BB, 16 SB, 3.5 WPA, 3.3 WAR
• Set N.B.B.O. records for Average, On-Base, & O.P.S.
• Edward Huntley (SS, ORA) 2nd – .397/.436/.548, 75 R, 123 H, 0 HR, 60 RBI, 24 BB, 29 SB, 3.0 WPA, 4.6 WAR
• Joseph Bentley (2B, NIA) 3rd – .390/.448/.479, 65 R, 114 H, 1 HR, 63 RBI, 30 BB, 9 SB, 3.9 WPA, 2.8 WAR

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Edward Huntley – 26 y/o SS, Orange B.B.C. (2nd M.V.P. award)

• .397/.436/.548, 75 R, 123 H, 23 2B, 12 3B, 0 HR, 60 RBI, 24 2B, 29 SB, 170 TB, +17.6 ZR, 3.0 WPA, 4.6 WAR
• Led N.Y.L. in Batter WAR for the fifth time; won fifth consecutive Golden Glove at SS
• Joseph Bentley (2B, NIA) 2nd – .390/.448/.479, 65 R, 114 H, 1 HR, 63 RBI, 30 BB, 9 SB, 3.9 WPA, 2.8 WAR
• Taliesin Buckley (CF, GOT) 3rd – .353/.381/.521, 85 R, 112 H, 15 3B, 56 RBI, 12 BB, 47 SB, 2.7 WPA, 3.4 WAR

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Wagner Morris – 24 y/o OF, Binghamton B.B.C.

• .371/.401/.477, .877 OPS, 84 R, 119 H, 18 2B, 8 3B, 0 HR, 53 RBI, 15 BB, 18 SB, 3.2 WPA, 3.1 WAR
• Led all N.Y.L. newcomers in Hits, Slugging, Total Bases, O.P.S, & W.A.R.
• Harry Nettles (P, EMP) 2nd – 18-15, 3.58, 284.1 IP, 2 SHO, 49 BB, 42 K, 1.43 WHIP, 4.5 WAR, NO-HITTER (Aug. 3)
• Luther Tatum (OF, NIA) 3rd – .366/.395/.476, 68 R, 116 H, 2 HR, 60 RBI, 14 BB, 45 SB, 2.7 WPA, 2.3 WAR

GOLDEN GLOVES

P: Clifford Holmes (CON, 1st) – 87 TC, 4 DP, 6 E, 2.5 RNG, +6.2 ZR, 1.15 EFF
C: John Plotts (HAR, 1st) – 129 PB, 30.3 CS%, 3.42 C-ERA, +8.5 ZR, 1.14 EFF
1B: John Bateman (SYR, 1st) – 739 TC, 57 AST, 26 DP, 13 E, +6.3 ZR, 1.10 EFF
2B: James Lovett (N.C, 1st) – 467 TC, 190 PO, 231 AST, 29 DP, 46 E, 6.3 RNG, +13.0 ZR, 1.09 EFF
3B: Fred Whaley (ECK, 4th) – 272 TC, 57 PO, 193 AST, 12 DP, 22 E, 3.6 RNG, +12.3 ZR, 1.12 EFF
SS: Edward Huntley (ORA, 5th) – 445 TC, 121 PO, 282 AST, 35 DP, 42 E, 5.8 RNG, +17.6 ZR, 1.15 EFF
OF: John Murphy (EXC, 2nd) – 216 TC, 199 PO, 1 AST, 0 DP, 16 E, 3.0 RNG, +9.1 ZR, 1.08 EFF
CF: Declan Brice (K.C, 2nd) – 310 TC, 278 PO, 14 AST, 1 DP, 18 E, 4.2 RNG, +8.6 ZR, 1.05 EFF
OF: Hiram Majors (ATL, 1st) – 248 TC, 221 PO, 3 AST, 0 DP, 24 E, 3.3 RNG, +8.0 ZR, 1.06 EFF

TEAM OF THE YEAR

P: Harry Nilsson (GOT, 1st) - 23-8, 3.59 ERA, 310.2 IP, 24 CG, 0 SHO, 58 BB, 38 K, 1.45 WHIP, 4.6 WAR, 7.8 R9-WAR
C: James Hoddle (F.C, 2nd) - .367/.385/.436, 55 R, 106 H, 18 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 49 RBI, 8 BB, 1 SB, 2.3 WPA, 1.6 WAR
1B: Arvi Hämäläinen (NIA, 1st) - .421/.486/.552, 1.038 OPS, 98 R, 122 H, 18 2B, 7 3B, 2 HR, 43 RBI, 32 BB, 16 SB, 3.5 WPA, 3.3 WAR, B.o.t.Y.
2B: Joseph Bentley (NIA, 4th) - .390/.448/.479, 65 R, 114 H, 15 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR, 63 RBI, 30 BB, 9 SB, 3.9 WPA, 2.8 WAR
3B: Kieran Bulock (UNI, 1st) - .364/.376/.435, 51 R, 103 H, 15 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 57 RBI, 7 BB, 3 SB, 2.3 WPA, 1.5 WAR
SS: Edward Huntley (ORA, 3rd) - .397/.436/.548, 75 R, 123 H, 23 2B, 12 3B, 60 RBI, 24 BB, 29 SB, 170 TB, 3.0 WPA, 4.6 WAR, M.V.P./G.G.
OF: William LaValliere (MUT, 2nd) - .364/.403/.504, 68 R, 102 H, 24 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 51 RBI, 11 BB, 8 SB, 2.8 WPA, 2.4 WAR
CF: Taliesin Buckley (GOT, 1st) - .353/.381/.521, 85 R, 112 H, 23 2B, 15 3B, 0 HR, 56 RBI, 12 BB, 47 SB, 2.7 WPA, 3.4 WAR
OF: Hiram Majors (ATL, 1st) - .332/.347/.463, 72 R, 102 H, 25 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 56 RBI, 7 BB, 24 SB, 3.4 WPA, 2.7 WAR, G.G.
MGR: Mason Ashworth (UTA) - 41-29 – Utica won their 1st Upstate championship; had finished 2nd previous three seasons

tm1681 · 03-05-2024, 06:45 PM

1862 NORTHEASTERN REVIEW

NORTHEASTERN SEASON SUMMARY

The 1862 Northeastern League season, as always, offered plenty of excitement, even if there are a few dominant teams that always come out on top. Once again, Shamrock was expected to win the Coastal Championship and St. John’s was expected to win the New England Championship. In the Inland Championship last season’s runner-up, Reading, was expected to win it by five games. Would it turn out that way?

Indeed, the Coastal Championship did “turn out that way”. Shamrock, declared preseason favorites for the Tucker-Wheaton Cup by the Writers Pool, was 16-4 with a four-game lead on June 1st. After a brief period in which the lead shrank to two games around the halfway point of the season the Bostonians quickly increased the gap atop the standings, and they were 5+ games ahead for the final three weeks of play. Shamrock finished 45-25, the best record in the N.B.B.O. In a pleasant surprise, American & Quaker St., finished 2nd & 3rd to end years of collective Philadelphia mediocrity.

The Inland Championship did not proceed as anticipated. Reading was 12-8 and one game behind Alleghany on June 1st, but they were 22-28 the rest of the season and finished in 5th place.

The team to top the Inland Championship was, once again, Alleghany. They were tied with Merrimack Mills at the halfway point and for two weeks after that, but the Pittsburgh outfit opened up a two-game lead with three weeks to play, increased it to five games with two weeks left, and finished in 1st by two. The 2nd-place team was a major surprise. Susquehanna was in last place at the halfway mark (15-20), but they were 24-11 over the second half. Had the season been just one week longer, they might have ended up Inland champions.

St. John’s, winners of all five New England championships, faced stiffer competition than ever in 1862. After half the season was over, they were tied with Green Mountain for first at 21-14 and were just one game ahead of both Portland & Sons of the Ocean. On July 15th St. John’s was still tied with Green Mtn, but they took the lead with three weeks of play left and never gave it back. The men from Providence would go 11-4 over their final fifteen games to ensure that they were kings of New England yet again. Also, once again Green Mountain and Sons of the Ocean were the two teams right behind them in the standings. One must think that sometime soon one of the two will finally take down St. John’s.

The radical changes to the format of the Tucker-Wheaton Cup meant that there were no league playoffs this year, or presumably going forward. That meant Alleghany, Shamrock, & St. John’s all went straight to the Tucker-Wheaton Cup and its new Round Robin competition. In the T.W.C, the New England League had the top two finishers, with Shamrock & St. John’s going 1-2. However, Alleghany finished in last place.

Shamrock did not have a hot start to the Tucker-Wheaton Cup – nobody did. They were WWLWL over their first games to be one of four 3-2 teams halfway through the competition, but the second half was where they shined. Shamrock won their last five games in the T.W.C, which included two ninth-inning rallies and a ten-inning victory, to finish 8-2 and bring the cup back to New England for the first time in four years.

Shamrock’s premier player in the competition was star outfielder Thomas Maloney. Over the ten games he was 19/45 (.422) with the bat, scoring sixteen runs, driving in nine, and hitting the game-winning double on Gameday Ten that clinched the cup. Teammate Walter Williams stole a cup-high thirteen bases, Enda Reed finished with eleven R.B.I, and pitcher Hannigan Miller was 3-0 over four starts.

St. John’s did not win the competition, but they were its most exciting team. They scored a cup-high 8.6 runs per game and had three players reach double figures in R.B.I: Nelson Townsend (14), Konrad Jensen (11), & Collin Henderson (10). No other team had more than one. They had the tournament M.V.P. in William Johnson, who hit .432 (19/44) and scored 21 runs in just ten games, while also stealing ten bases without being caught. Pitcher John McGowan was 5-0 over six starts with an E.R.A. under 3.00.

Why did they fail to win the cup? St. John’s were one of the four 3-2 teams at the halfway mark, and they won their last four games to finish 7-3. The difference between Shamrock lifting the cup and St. John’s doing so was the two teams’ matchup on Gameday Six in Boston. St. John’s scored two runs in the top of the ninth to take a one-run lead, but Shamrock came right back in the bottom half and scored two to win. The entire Tucker-Wheaton Cup came down to that single inning.

Alleghany was actually one of the four 3-2 teams halfway through the competition, then everything fell apart as they lost their last five games. Three were by a single run each – 9-8 at Kings County, 5-4 at St. John’s, & 6-5 at Shamrock – but a loss is still a loss, and Alleghany finished with a record of 3-7 and a cup-worst Run Differential of -19.

The N.E.L’s Batsman of the Year award had four outstanding candidates, and it led to lengthy discussion:

• Port Jersey first baseman Boudewijn Mulder had been a quality player and an All-Star in 1861, but his batsmanship rose several notches in 1862. He led the N.E.L. with a .416 Average & .455 On-Base, and his .960 O.P.S. was third.

• Sons of the Ocean’s Samuel Kessler hit a career-high .389 while leading the league in Slugging (.535) and O.P.S. (.973). He had 33 Extra-Base Hits and his 3.7 W.A.R. was second to Anthony Mascherino.

• Two-time defending B.o.t.Y. Willie Davis of Susquehanna did not defend or run the bases as well as he has in previous seasons, but he still led the league in Total Bases (165) while batting .397 with a .972 O.P.S. and 47 Stolen Bases.

• Center Fielder Arthur Waltrip of American had a record-setting 39-game Hitting Streak that ended on June 4th. He led the league in Hits (126) & Total Bases (165) while batting .387 with a W.A.R. of 3.5.

What made the discussion so lengthy was that no candidate was on a first=place team that could separate them from the rest of the pack, none led the N.E.L. in numerous offensive categories, and all four had pros and cons to their candidacies.

It was an incredibly close vote, but the Writers Pool decided that Kessler, with his superior Slugging, O.P.S, & W.A.R, deserved the award over the Batting Champion, the two-time winner, and the new Hitting Streak record holder. Kessler finished first, Mulder second, Davis third, & Waltrip fourth. Davis’ season from the plate was just as good as his previous two, but having been caught stealing a league-high sixteen times helped knock his W.A.R. down from 4.4 to 3.1, and in the vote he was essentially being judged against his previous two years’ worth of work.

While Waltrip finished fourth in the B.o.t.Y. vote, he came up aces in the Most Valuable Player vote. Waltrip did not have the highest W.A.R, which went to Anthony Mascherino once again at 4.9. He did not have the highest W.P.A, which went to Carl Meacham of Pioneer at 5.6. What he did have was a 39-game Hitting Streak, a .387 average, the N.E.L. lead in Hits & Stolen Bases, the second-best W.P.A. at 4.8, and the third-best W.A.R. at 3.5.

For the third time, Anthony Mascherino was the M.V.P. runner-up. He led the N.E.L. in W.A.R. for the fifth time, but so much of that figure is tied up in his extraordinary defense (+29.6 ZR, 1.20 EFF) that the real shame is that there is not an award for the best defensive player in the league. Star St. John’s center fielder William Johnson finished third.

For perhaps the first time, the N.E.L’s crop of newcomers did not measure up to those from the other league. There were only three N.E.L. newcomers who featured as starting pitchers for their teams, and the only one to pitch more than two hundred innings was Pioneer’s Francesco Sorrentino (262.2), who was 12-20 with a 4.42 E.R.A.

The above meant that N.E.L. Newcomer of the Year would be a batsman, and the clear choice there was Reading outfielder Ilkka Kivivuori. Kivuvuori was not the most highly-touted N.E.L. newcomer at the start of the season – that distinction went to Shamrock’s Enda Reed – but he finished his first season batting an agonizing .399 after entering the final weekend over .400. The Writers Pool believed that earned Kivivuori N.o.t.Y. even though Reed was the starting first baseman for the cup champions. Enda Reed (.350 AVG, 1 HR, 49 RBI, 2.1 W.A.R.) finished second in the vote, and Oceanic’s fine young outfielder Hamilton Harwood (.356 AVG, 0 HR, 57 RBI, 1.7 WAR) finished third.

The most notable individual performance in a Northeastern League game this season was by Konrad Jensen on August 3rd. In the 14-10 win by St. Johns, Jensen was 4/5 with a pair of home runs, three runs scored, half a dozen R.B.I, and a pair of stolen bases. Jensen’s performance dipped a bit in 1862, but on this day he was magnificent.

There were no giant surprise teams in the N.E.L. this season. All three regional championship winners were familiar faces, and most of the teams in 2nd-4th place were expected to be there. Quaker St. in the Coastal finished 40-30, winning twelve games more than expected, so if there was one major surprise it would be them.

In the end, the Northeastern League proved they had the best teams in the sport when Shamrock & St. John’s combined to go 15-5 in the Tucker-Wheaton Cup, taking the top two spots and showing the snobs in New York City that the best base ball was played in New England. With the amount of talented youth the two employ, they might be the two most talented teams in the N.B.B.O. for some time.

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE STANDINGS

Code:

COASTAL			 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	RA	  RD
Shamrock		45	25	.643	--	516	396	+120
Quaker St.		40	30	.571	5	489	493	  -4
American		39	31	.557	6	514	469	 +45
Trenton Utd.	        36	34	.514	9	517	478	 +39
Port Jersey		33	37	.471	12	470	489	 -19
Mass. Bay		32	38	.457	13	509	542	 -33
Newark			30	40	.429	15	470	521	 -51
Olympic			25	45	.357	20	437	534	-117

INLAND			 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	RA	  RD
Alleghany		41	29	.586	--	485	428	 +57
Susquehanna		39	31	.557	2	512	461	 +51
Scranton		38	32	.543	3	488	499	 -11
Merrimack M.	        37	33	.529	4	500	475	 +25
Reading Ath.	        34	36	.486	7	510	500	 +10
Sportsman’s		32	38	.457	9	395	418	 -23
Pioneer			31	39	.443	10	461	495	 -34
Lake Erie		28	42	.400	13	427	502	 -75

N. ENGLAND		 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	RA	  RD
St. John’s		44	26	.629	--	575	443	+132
Green Mtn.		41	29	.586	3	526	491	 +35
S. o. t. O.		39	31	.557	5	512	464	 +48
Portland (1)	        34	36	.486	10	484	517	 -33
Granite			34	36	.486	10	447	466	 -19
Cantabrigians	        32	38	.457	12	477	541	 -64
Oceanic			31	39	.443	13	455	483	 -28
Quinnipiac		25	45	.357	19	485	556	 -71

(1) = Won Head-to-Head Results tiebreaker

TUCKER-WHEATON CUP

SHAMROCK BASEBALL CLUB: 1st Place – 8-2 (71 R, 64 RA)

Game 1: SHA 4-1 K.C.
Game 2: SHA 8-7 UTI
Game 3: UTI 6-3 SHA (10 Inn.)
Game 4: K.C. 10-11 SHA (10 Inn.)
Game 5: SHA 4-10 STJ
Game 6: STJ 9-10 SHA
Game 7: SHA 9-5 ALL
Game 8: SHA 10-8 ORA (10 Inn.)
Game 9: ORA 3-6 SHA
Game 10: ALL 5-6 SHA

BEST PLAYER: Thomas Maloney – .422 (19/45), 1.015 OPS, 16 R, 7 2B, 0 3B, 9 RBI, 4 SB, 1.29 WPA, 0.7 WAR

ST. JOHN’S BASEBALL CLUB: 2nd Place – 7-3 (86 R, 70 RA)

Game 1: ORA 6-10 STJ
Game 2: K.C. 13-3 STJ
Game 3: STJ 9-6 K.C.
Game 4: STJ 6-11 ORA
Game 5: SHA 4-10 STJ
Game 6: STJ 9-10 SHA
Game 7: STJ 10-7 UTI
Game 8: STJ 12-6 ALL
Game 9: ALL 4-5 STJ
Game 10: UTI 3-12 STJ

BEST PLAYER: William Johnson – .432 (19/44), 1.149 OPS, 21 R, 4 2B, 3 3B, 6 RBI, 10 SB, 0.98 WPA, 0.9 WAR

ALLEGHANY BASEBALL CLUB: 6th Place – 3-7 (52 R, 71 RA)

Game 1: UTI 2-4 ALL
Game 2: ORA 4-5 ALL
Game 3: ALL 5-14 ORA
Game 4: ALL 4-6 UTI
Game 5: K.C. 4-6 ALL
Game 6: ALL 8-9 K.C.
Game 7: SHA 9-5 ALL
Game 8: STJ 12-6 ALL
Game 9: ALL 4-5 STJ
Game 10: ALL 5-6 SHA

BEST PLAYER: Willie Smith – .390 (16/41), 1.005 OPS, 13 R, 2 2B, 2 3B, 4 RBI, 1 SB, 0.31 WPA, 0.5 WAR

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Samuel Kessler – 26 y/o 3B, Sons of the Ocean

• .389/.438/.535, .973 OPS, 69 R, 117 H, 23 2B, 9 3B, 1 HR, 59 RBI, 23 BB, 13 SB, 2.8 WPA, 3.7 WAR
• Top five in N.E.L. in AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, H, XBH, RBI, WAR; won M.V.P. in 1861
• Boudewijn Mulder (1B, P.J.) 2nd – .416/.455/.505, 68 R, 116 H, 1 HR, 50 RBI, 8 BB, 4 SB, 3.5 WPA, 2.7 WAR
• Willie Davis (CF, SUS) 3rd – .397/.443/.529, 80 R, 124 H, 2 HR, 54 RBI, 27 BB, 47 SB, 3.9 WPA, 3.1 WAR

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Arthur Waltrip – 30 y/o CF, American B.C.

• • .387/.406/.506, .912 OPS, 84 R, 126 H, 23 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 63 RBI, 11 BB, 26 SB, 165 TB, 4.8 WPA, 3.5 WAR
• Set N.B.B.O. record with 39-game Hitting Streak
• A. Mascherino (SS, G.M.) 2nd – .333/.369/.462, 77 R, 109 H, 56 RBI, 18 BB, 22 SB, +29.6 ZR, 3.2 WPA, 4.9 WAR
• William Johnson (CF, STJ) 3rd – .345/.378/.469, 70 R, 111 H, 31 2B, 48 RBI, 16 BB, 35 SB, 4.1 WPA, 2.5 WAR

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Ilkka Kivivuori – 26 y/o LF, Reading Athletic

• • .399/.416/.502, .918 OPS, 56 R, 105 H, 12 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 43 RBI, 8 BB, 11 SB, 1.4 WPA, 2.0 WAR
• Batting Average was over .400 going into final weekend of the season
• Enda Reed (1B, SHA) 2nd – .350/.409/.453, 60 R, 96 H, 1 HR, 49 RBI, 27 BB, 21 SB, 1.9 WPA, 2.1 WAR
• Hamilton Harwood (CF, OCE) 3rd – .356/.375/.455, 67 R, 111 H, 27 XBH, 57 RBI, 12 BB, 27 SB, 2.5 WPA, 1.7 WAR

GOLDEN GLOVES

P: Ben Bailey (G.M, 1st) – 88 TC, 2 DP, 6 E, 2.6 RNG, +8.0 ZR, 1.15 EFF
C: Thomas Silke (SHA, 1st) – 106 PB, 29.1 CS%, 2.94 C-ERA, +10.0 ZR, 1.08 EFF
1B: Collin Henderson (STJ, 2nd) – 809 TC, 58 AST, 32 DP, 17 E, +4.4 ZR, 1.06 EFF
2B: Leslie Arnett (M.M, 2nd) – 467 TC, 180 PO, 258 AST, 35 DP, 29 E, 6.4 RNG, +20.3 ZR, 1.22 EFF
3B: Finlay McIntosh (QUI, 1st) – 296 TC, 80 PO, 185 AST, 11 DP, 31 E, 3.8 RNG, +6.3 ZR, 1.05 EFF
SS: Anthony Mascherino (G.M, 6th) – 469 TC, 103 PO, 321 AST, 25 DP, 45 E, 6.0 RNG, +29.6 ZR, 1.20 EFF
OF: Albert Rogers (GRA, 1st) – 230 TC, 193 PO, 7 AST, 3 DP, 30 E, 2.9 RNG, +6.2 ZR, 1.09 EFF
CF: Winford Kerry (T.U, 1st) – 336 TC, 275 PO, 10 AST, 4 DP, 51 E, 4.1 RNG, +5.8 ZR, 1.03 EFF
OF: Edward Eisen (SPO, 1st) – 237 TC, 205 PO, 7 AST, 3 DP, 25 E, 3.3 RNG, +8.2 ZR, 1.07 EFF

TEAM OF THE YEAR

P: John McGowan (STJ, 4th) - 23-7, 3.63 ERA, 290.1 IP, 22 CG, 3 SHO, 37 BB, 32 K, 1.34 WHIP, 5.1 WAR, 5.7 R9-WAR
C: Joe Feuerstein (PORT, 2nd) - .293/.391/.429, 46 R, 84 H, 18 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 58 RBI, 9 BB, 4 SB, 2.7 WPA, 2.0 WAR
1B: Boudewijn Mulder, (P.J, 1st) - .416/.455/.505, 68 R, 116 H, 18 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 50 RBI, 8 BB, 4 SB, 3.5 WPA, 2.7 WAR
2B: Daragh Adams (SHA, 2nd) - .320/.353/.441, 64 R, 98 H, 24 2B, 5 3B, 1 HR, 64 RBI, 13 BB, 5 SB, 2.9 WPA, 1.6 WAR
3B: Samuel Kessler (S.o.t.O, 5th) - .389/.438/.535, .973 OPS, 69 R, 117 H, 23 2B, 9 3B, 1 HR, 59 RBI, 23 BB, 13 SB, 2.8 WPA, 3.7 WAR, B.o.t.Y.
SS: Anthony Mascherino (G.M, 4th) - .333/.368/.462, 77 R, 109 H, 26 2B, 8 3B, 0 HR, 56 RBI, 18 BB, 22 SB, 3.2 WPA, 4.9 WAR, G.G.
OF: Thomas Maloney (SHA, 3rd) - .353/.384/.495, 80 R, 107 H, 23 2B, 10 3B, 0 HR, 42 RBI, 13 BB, 28 SB, 3.2 WPA, 2.7 WAR
CF: Arthur Waltrip (AME, 1st) - .387/.406/.506, 84 R, 126 H, 23 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 63 RBI, 11 BB, 26 SB, 165 TB, 4.8 WPA, 3.5 WAR, M.V.P.
OF: Nelson Townsend (STJ, 1st) - .349/.392/.476, 76 R, 102 H, 20 2B, 7 3B, 1 HR, 56 RBI, 17 BB, 43 SB, 3.3 WPA, 2.7 WAR
MGR: Jimmy Longstreet (SHA) - 45-25 – Shamrock had #1 record in the N.B.B.O. & won their first Tucker-Wheaton Cup

tm1681 · 03-25-2024, 06:52 PM

TOP TALENT IS MOVING TO BROOKLYN & N.Y.C.
NEARLY EVERY CLUB IN BROOKLYN & N.Y.C. CHAMPIONSHIPS HAVE MADE MAJOR ADDITIONS

BROOKLYN & NEW YORK CITY (Mar. 16, 1863) - Spring is lurking around the corner, and that means the base ball season is just six weeks away.

Over the winter there was a bit more player movement than usual, as the amateurs of the N.B.B.O. are in no way beholden to the member clubs for life. Of the course of a typical base ball winter slumber the movement of men from city to city is rather random, but after the 1862 season and going into 1863 an interesting pattern emerged: star players moved to nearly every club in Brooklyn & New York City.

When it is said that nearly every Brooklyn & N.Y.C. club brought in a highly-regarded player over the winter it is not an exaggeration – twelve out of the sixteen signed players who have either excelled for other clubs in the past or are expected to immediately take on important roles in their first seasons as N.B.B.O. players. The transactions:

ATLANTIC (BROOKLYN)
C Alistair Hewitt from Green Mountain (2x All-Star, 1x R.B.I. leader)
3B Stanford Topps from Reading (1861 A-S, 12.0 W.A.R. over 420 career games)
OF William Gentilucci from Independent Ball (rated 3.5 stars)
OF James Robertson from Syracuse (2x A-S, .367 career AVG)

BEDFORD (BROOKLYN)
P Archie Green from Green Mtn. (1862 A-S, 3x 20-game winner, 1x Wins leader)

CONTINENTAL (BROOKLYN)
P Harold Perry from Trenton Utd. (2x A-S, 3x 20-game winner, 1x E.R.A. leader)

ECKFORD OF GREENPOINT (BROOKLYN)
OF Peter Sweet from Utica (10.2 career W.A.R. over 420 games)

EMPIRE (BROOKLYN)
P Carl Bancroft from Utica (3x A-S, 4x 20-game winner, 1x W.A.R. leader)

EXCELSIOR (BROOKLYN)
1B/2B Willie Smith from Allegheny (1862 A-S, .339 career AVG)
2B Benjamin Lovette from Independent Ball (rated 3.0 stars)
SS Pokse Uhlgren (Sweden) from Independent Ball (rated 3.0 stars)
OF Lester Chadwick from Mass. Bay (1x A-S, .404 AVG in 1861)

GOTHAM (NEW YORK CITY)
3B Joseph Dalton from Newark (1862 All-Star, .330 career AVG)
OF Luc Billon (France) from Independent Ball (rated 4.0 stars)

KNICKERBOCKER (NEW YORK CITY)
1B Mario Fusilli (Italy) from Independent Ball (rated 4.5 stars)
2B Lonnie Lester from Reading (1860 A-S, 1x Golden Glove)
CF Gregersen Rohrmann (Denmark) from Independent Ball (rated 4.5 stars)

METROPOLITAN (NEW YOK CITY)
3B Fred Stevens from Independent Ball (rated 3.0 stars)
OF Burkhard Winter (Germany) from Independent Ball (rated 3.5 stars)

MUTUAL (NEW YORK CITY)
P Willie Hall from Portland (2x A-S, 1x 20-game winner)

NASSAU COUNTY (BROOKLYN)
P Leon Hester from Independent Ball (rated 3.0 stars)
OF George Bendel from Independent Ball (rated 3.0 stars)

ORANGE (NEW YORK CITY)
P James Lott from Alleghany (2x A-S, 2x 20-game winner)
3B Frank Darcy from Port Jersey (.335 career AVG)

UNION OF MORRISANIA (BROOKLYN)
CF Curtis Bowman from Mass. Bay (1x A-S, 11.9 W.A.R. over 402 career games)

Most of the veterans switching teams are coming in off fine seasons, though there are a few who will need to re-prove themselves after struggling in 1862. Most notable among the players who will need a comeback season is Peter Sweet, who saw his Average drop by more than eighty points – his O.P.S. roughly 170 – last season.

Among the newcomers from independent base ball, the Knickerbocker club snagged the top two: Mario Fusilli and Gregerson Rohrmann. The pair is expected to immediately be among the top five in the N.B.B.O. at their positions, and adding them to the solid glove work of new second baseman Lonnie Lester it should lead to a much better season for one of the sport’s oldest clubs.

Reports on the best of the new players:

GREGERSEN ROHRMANN – CF, Knickerbocker – 26 y/o, 5’8”, 145 lbs. from Denmark – Grade: 4.5 stars

• BATTING: Contact 70/70, Gap 50/50, Eye 60/60, Avoid Ks 60/60
• DEFENSE (OF): Range 70, Error 55, Arm 55
• POSITIONS: LF: 60/80, CF: 65/65, RF: 30/70
• OTHER: Speed 65, Stealing 55, Baserunning 65, Sac. Bunt 60, Bunt for Hit 60
• SUMMARY: Danish OF spotted playing independent ball in N.Y.C. Able to do the two most important things quite well: make solid contact and patrol the outfield. His baserunning and field could improve a bit, and if they do then he could be a truly outstanding player.

MARIO FUSILLI – 1B, Knickerbocker – 25 y/o, 5’7”, 145 lbs. from Italy – Grade: 4.5 stars

• BATTING: Contact 75/75, Gap 65/65, Eye 55/55, Avoid Ks 65/65
• DEFENSE (INF): Range 50, Error 35, Arm 40, D.P: 30
• POSITIONS: 1B: 45/45
• OTHER: Speed 30, Stealing 50, Baserunning 50, Sac. Bunt 60, Bunt for Hit 35
• SUMMARY: Italian immigrant seen playing independent ball around New York last year. Looks like he will be an outstanding hitter. He is competent defending first base, which is usually good enough at that position. Known to be both hard-working and intelligent, which means that he should take direction very well.

LUC BILLON – LF, Gotham – 26 y/o, 5’8”, 160 lbs. from France – Grade: 4.0 stars

• BATTING: Contact 70/70, Gap 55/55, Eye 65/65, Avoid Ks 70/70
• DEFENSE (OF): Range 60, Error 65, Arm 50
• POSITIONS: LF: 65/65, CF: 45/45, RF: 45/60
• OTHER: Speed 55, Stealing 60, Baserunning 45, Sac. Bunt 55, Bunt for Hit 40
• SUMMARY: Spotted playing in Brooklyn last summer. Looks great with the bat – selective with pitches and smooth with his swing. Can steal bases, but running on a live ball is a little bit suspect. Safe hands in the outfield, and has enough range to cover either corner outfield position.

WILLIAM GENTILUCCI – LF, Atlantic – 28 y/o, 5’8”, 155 lbs. from Waterbury, Conn. – Grade: 3.5 stars

• BATTING: Contact 65/65, Gap 65/65, Eye 60/60, Avoid Ks 70/70
• DEFENSE (OF): Range 60, Error 50, Arm 50
• POSITIONS: LF: 65/65, RF: 60/60
• OTHER: Speed 55, Stealing 50, Baserunning 50, Sac. Bunt 50, Bunt for Hit 55
• SUMMARY: Played for an independent club in Connecticut before moving to Brooklyn to play for Atlantic. Fine all-around ball player – does nothing fantastically, but nothing poorly. Works hard and should be a reliable member of the Atlantic line-up.

BURKHARD WINTER – LF, Metropolitan – 28 y/o, 5’6”, 160 lbs. from Germany – Grade: 3.5 stars

• BATTING: Contact 70/70, Gap 60/60, Eye 45/50, Avoid Ks 70/70
• DEFENSE (OF): Range 65, Error 60, Arm 50
• POSITIONS: LF: 70/70, CF: 55/55, RF: 45/60
• OTHER: Speed 60, Stealing 65, Baserunning 75, Sac. Bunt 70, Bunt for Hit 65
• SUMMARY: German-born outfielder who was seen on various fields around Brooklyn & N.Y.C. last year. Can hit the ball quite hard and obtain a fair amount of extra-base hits. Decent speed. Can steal some bases and is an excellent baserunner. Has the range to play in the center of the outfield, but with Metro already having an established CF Winter will play LF.

With so much talent moving to the New York metropolitan area, it appears that Brooklyn & New York City will be the center of the base ball world in 1863. Shamrock over in Boston may still have the most talented team in the N.B.B.O, but the largest metropolitan area in the United States should be home to the most highly competitive base ball in existence.

tm1681 · 03-25-2024, 06:57 PM

NIAGARA’S VENUE RECEIVES NEW LOOK FOR 1863
GREATER N.Y. SPORTING GROUNDS WILL NO LONGER BE HITTER’S PARADISE

BUFFALO, N.Y. (Apr. 10 1863) - The 1862 season was supposed to be Niagara B.B.C’s year. They had recruited the N.B.B.O’s most prominent pitcher in Grover Wright, took on the best player from independent ball in Luther Tatum, and witnessed a historic season from New York League Batsman of the Year Arvi Hämäläinen. The result: Niagara finished second in the Upstate Championship at two games behind Utica, once again failing to move on to have the chance to compete for the Tucker-Wheaton Cup.

The thing that undid what was supposed to be Niagara’s dream season was its defense. Even though they had two of the five most dependable pitchers in the N.Y.L. – Bernard Schmidt & Grover Wright – the Buffalo-based team was in the bottom third of the league in both Runs Allowed at 7.1 per game and Opponents’ Average at .315. This happened even though the Niagara pitchers combined to walk 71 batsmen, a dozen fewer than any other team and twenty fewer than third-least.

While it is true that Niagara has never shown much in the way of excellence in defense, there was another factor in the team’s failure to reach the summit of the Upstate Championship, one that both giveth & taketh: The Greater New York Sporting Grounds, which featured the smallest playing surface in the N.B.B.O.

From the inaugural season to the end of last year, Niagara’s home park had the shortest left field & right field fences in the N.B.B.O, at 279’ & 258’ respectively. With neither side having a tall fence to make up for the short distance from home it meant that Niagara perennially led the N.Y.L. in Home Runs, and the fear of giving a batter a ball that could easily be belted over either fence intimidated pitchers into pitching differently than they normally would. This caused Niagara to annually be among the N.Y.L. leaders in Walks as well, and in 1862 they led the league with 143. All placed together, Niagara has been among the N.B.B.O. kings in offensive output every year of its existence – they have scored 500+ runs over 70 games every year – and in 1862 they led all 48 teams with 597 Runs (8.5 per game).

However, the same quirks of the Greater N.Y. Grounds that have benefitted Niagara batsmen so much have harmed their defensive efforts in a similar fashion. In five of the N.B.B.O’s six seasons Niagara pitchers have collectively allowed 500+ runs over the 70-game season, with 1860 being the only one in which they allowed fewer than seven runs per game. It was thought that Grover Wright would be the one pitcher who could find significant success pitching in the park in spite of its unique dimensions, but even he was hit hard there in his first year with Niagara. His E.R.A. shot upward from 2.46 to 4.05, his Hits Allowed rose similarly from 331 to 394 in fewer innings, and his W.H.I.P. increased from 1.12 to 1.49. That all occurred even though his Walk & Strikeout totals were in line with career averages. All signs pointed to the park having a significant influence on the outcomes of his pitching.

The Greater New York Sporting Grounds is just that, a community sporting complex & park. A venue for the sport of base ball was not originally part of its plan, but as the sport gained popularity room was made for a field so informal clubs in Buffalo could play there. After the continued frustration of last season, club President Thomas Spencer decided that it was time to reimagine the grounds with the rapidly increasing popularity of organized base ball in mind. He was given permission to reconfigure the field, and starting this season the playing surface will look quite different:

Code:

	
	  OLD	          NEW	           DIFF.
LFL	279 (17')	321 (10')	+42 (-7')
LF	360 (17')	395 (10')	+35 (-7')
LCF	447 (9')	430 (10')	-17 (+1')
CF	485 (9')	450 (10')	-35 (+1')
RCF	440 (9')	411 (10')	-29 (+1')
RF	339 (11')	379 (49')	+40 (+38')
RFL	258 (11')	297 (49')	+39 (+38')

CAP.	  8,113		  8,113		  NONE
AVG L	  1.165		  1.049		 -0.116
AVG R	  1.133		  0.994		 -0.139
DOUB’s	  1.013		  1.317		  0.304
TRIP’s	  1.094		  1.201		  0.107
HR’s L	  1.010		  0.641		 -0.369
HR’s R	  0.819		  0.594		 -0.225

While the deepest parts of the park have been made shorter, center field and the surrounding areas will not be the shortest in the N.Y.L, and if anything that means there will be fewer Inside-the-Park Home Runs hit. Left & right field have been drastically lengthened, with the end of right field now butting up against Buffalo’s Woodlawn Avenue. With that in mind, a large fifty-foot fence has been erected along the right field border, which will make doubles the new target of choice.
The changes to the Greater New York Sporting Grounds mean that Buffalo is no longer home to the average N.B.B.O. batsman’s best friend, with President Spencer hoping that the alterations will make Niagara’s home field more of a neutral venue for batter & pitcher alike. Mutual B.B.C’s Union Armory Grounds now has the shortest left & right field at 285’ each, and it should also become the most hit-friendly park. New York base ball fans wanting to see Home Runs will now likely have their best chance to do so at Mount Morris Square in Harlem.

Will the reconfiguration of the Greater New York Sporting Grounds result in Niagara B.B.C. – one of the two big clubs in Upper New York – moving on to post-season play for the first time? That is the hope of the front office. The Niagara batsmen might not like the field’s new look, but it is all for the greater good.

02-20-2024, 12:58 PM	#123
20_range All Star Starter Join Date: Nov 2022 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 1,294	If there's no war, can I get a... SLAVERY ABOLISHED WITHOUT BLOODSHED - PLANTATIONS BROKEN UP AND REDISTRIBUTED - SECESSIONIST CONSPIRATORS IMPRISONED and for jasg AUSTRIAN PRETENDER ARRESTED AT MEXICAN BORDER __________________ I do logo requests Last edited by 20_range; 02-20-2024 at 01:33 PM.

02-21-2024, 03:00 PM	#124
jksander All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indianapolis IN Posts: 1,474	Still fun following this __________________ "Oh No! We Suck Again!" -- Reviving the White Sox in 2025 -- An OOTP 26 Dynasty "The Rockies' Baseball Horror Show" -- An OOTP 26 Dynasty