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

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The Boston Braves were trying to be the first team in MLB history to three-peat in their league, having defeated New Orleans in the 1889 NLCS and Louisville in 1890. Boston was also trying to be the first four-time winner, having also claimed the 1886 NL title. Chicago was making its second NLCS trip, having won the inaugural one over Buffalo in 1884. The Cubs had home field advantage and won ten more games than the Braves in the regular season, although they split their six regular season games.

Chicago began the series with a 7-1 win, getting a complete game gem from Hank Gastright who allowed five hits and two walks with eight strikeouts. Cubs leadoff man Herman Long was a homer short of the cycle, going 3-4 with two runs and a RBI.



Game two was tied 2-2 from the third inning until the ninth. Herman Long led off the bottom of the ninth with a single and was bunted to second. After an intentional walk and flyout, Hardy Richardson got the RBI walkoff single to score Long for a 3-2 Cubs win. Frank Gilmore was the winning pitcher with 10 strikeouts, four hits, and two walks in his complete game.



Boston claimed a back-and-forth third game 6-5 at home for their first win of the series. An RBI single by Bill Van Dyke put the Braves ahead for good in the eighth.



Back-to-back games were 6-5 Braves wins, evening the series up at 2-2. In game three, Boston roared ahead on a four-run third inning, allowing them to hold off a Cubs rally attempt.



In game five, the Cubs earned the first road win of the NLCS by a 7-2 margin, giving them the 3-2 series lead. Ace Hank Gastright struck out 12 in his complete game win, allowing six hits, three walks, and one earned run. He also had a double and run at the plate. Chicago’s John Grim also had two solo home runs.



Boston won game six by a 6-2 margin on the road to force a decisive game seven at Chicago’s West Side Grounds. Pete Conway gave up seven hits and one walk with nine strikeouts over his complete game win. Veteran catcher Charlie Bennett was 2-4 with a double and four RBI.



Game seven was tied 2-2 after the fourth inning. Boston went ahead with a solo run in the sixth inning, then got three in the seventh. The Braves held onto a 6-3 win, becoming the first franchise with three consecutive World Series trips. Boston became four-time NL champs.



Jim Devlin tossed a complete game in the finale, giving up six hits and three walks with two strikeouts. CF Pop Corkhill was 3-4 with a double, two runs, and two RBI. Pete Conway was series MVP with a 3.00 ERA over complete game wins in game three and game six. Conway also was 6-24 at the plate with three RBI.

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The eighth World Series in 1891 was the third straight trip and fourth overall for the Boston Braves. They were the defending champ, having beaten St. Louis 4-2 the prior year. Boston had lost to their crosstown rival Red Sox in both 1886 and 1889. For Detroit, this was their first-ever trip to the Fall Classic and they had home field advantage.

The Tigers took game one with a 4-2 victory, getting three key runs in the eighth inning. DH Pat Luby homered twice, including a two-run shot in the eighth. Lee Viau was the winning pitcher with 10 strikeouts in a complete game, allowing six hits, one walk, and one earned run.



For back-to-back games, Pat Luby homered twice en route to a Tigers win. The DH went 3-3 with three RBI and three runs as Detroit prevailed 9-5. Detroit had the 2-0 series lead as play shifted east to Massachusetts.



Game three was an intense pitcher’s duel between Jim Handiboe and Jim Devlin. In the fourth inning, Detroit’s George Tebeau got a one out single and stole second, then was knocked in on a RBI single by Cap Anson. This was the game’s only run as Handiboe tossed a three-hitter, giving up two walks with five strikeouts. Devlin in defeat allowed six hits with five Ks in his complete game effort.



1891 was the first World Series to end in a sweep as Detroit rolled 9-2 in game four, clinching the series in Boston. The Tigers had three homers and three doubles in the finale while Pat Luby pitched a complete game, scattering eight hits and one walk with one earned run and seven strikeouts.



Luby was unsurprisingly MVP as Detroit won its first title, going 7-17 at the plate with four homers and six RBI in addition to his game four win on the mound. He had six homers for the postseason, tying the record set in 1889 by the Braves’ Mike Tiernan. Jim Handiboe became the first pitcher to have two shutouts in a postseason run.

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Fresh off winning World Series MVP for Detroit, Pat Luby earned American League MVP honors for his two-way exploits. The second-year Tigers star got 21 first place votes, while former MVPs George Van Haltren and Hugh Duffy each got top votes. Luby had 9.2 WAR combined between the roles, although his playoff excellence certainly was fresh in the voters’ minds.

Playing right field, Luby had 130 games, 125 hits, 88 runs, 18 doubles, 39 home runs, 104 RBI, 31 stolen bases, .293/.373/.620 slash, 166 wRC+, and 5.2 WAR. On the mound, he had a 2.96 ERA over 207 innings, 12-10 record, 97 strikeouts, 158 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 4.0 WAR.

As for his competition, Van Haltren did have him notably beat for combined WAR (10.1), but was less efficient on both ends. The 25-year old nicknamed “Rip” committed in April to an eight-year, $281,800 to remain with Cleveland. Duffy meanwhile was the AL leader in home runs (42), triple slash (.353/.420/.664), OPS (1.084), wRC+ (187), and WAR (8.6). He missed about a month to injury which hurt his totals. After six years as the Browns’ superstar, the 24-year old CF Duffy is set to become perhaps the biggest free agent in MLB history.

St. Louis lefty Frank Knauss became the first three-time Pitcher of the Year winner, doing it consecutively. He had half of the first place votes, while the remaining 12 were split between Cleveland’s Ed Morris and John Healy, as well as Detroit’s Lee Viau and Jim Handiboe. The 22-year old Knauss is only in his third season and led in 1891 in quality starts (24) and WHIP (0.95) with a career-best 7.4 WAR. He tossed 256 innings with a 2.14 ERA, 17-10 record, 204 strikeouts, 222 ERA+, and 65 FIP-.

Baltimore RF Sam Dungan won Rookie of the Year with 19 first place votes, while the other five went to Milwaukee SP Brickyard Kennedy. The 12th overall pick, Dungan led in plate appearances (743), at-bats (688), and hits (210). He had 112 runs, 37 doubles, 7 home runs, a .305/.357/.395 slash, 116 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR. Kansas City’s Gene Moriarity won his second Reliever of the Year in three years.

Patience paid off for the Tigers with John Hatfield winning Manager of the Year. He was their inaugural skipper from 1884, but Detroit had been mediocre-to-mid in his first seven years. The 44-year old easygoing manager got his first playoff trip in 1891 and a World Series ring along with it.

For Silver Sluggers, Baltimore LF Pete Browning and St. Louis CF Hugh Duffy both became six-time winners. Detroit 3B Duke Farrell and Orioles RF Bug Holliday became four-time winners and getting their third Sluggers was Browns 2B Ed McKean and Cleveland SS Germany Smith. Smith also won his eighth consecutive Gold Glove, the only player to win in each of MLB’s eight seasons so far. New York 2B Danny Richardson earned his sixth Gold Glove and Boston LF Frank Olin got his fifth.

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Boston LF Mike Tiernan became the first-ever three-time Most Valuable Player in Major League Baseball history and did it consecutively. He took the National League’s top honor for 1891 with all but one first place vote. Tiernan played only 121 games because of a fractured hand, but still led in home runs (53), RBI (138), slugging (.777), OPS (1.215), and wRC+ (221). The OPS was the third-best qualifying season in MLB history and the slugging was second.

Silent Mike added 9.8 WAR, a .363 average, 161 hits, 113 runs, and 65 stolen bases. He missed out on a Triple Crown by ten points. Through eight seasons, he’s MLB’s all-time leader for WAR (66.28), homers (358), slugging (.720), and OPS (1.149). Tiernan signed an eight-year, $263,200 extension with the Braves in November 1890.

Chicago’s Hank Gastright was the unanimous Pitcher of the Year with his record-breaking 31-3 record and ERA title at 2.23. The 26-year old righty also had nine saves and 283 innings with 215 strikeouts, 7.6 WAR, 195 ERA+, and 73 FIP-. Gastright led the league in quality starts (26), complete games (27), and WHIP (1.05). After the season, the Cubs gave him a five-year, $71,700 extension.

Rookie of the Year unanimously went to Philadelphia 1B Joe Kelley. The #2 overall pick had 185 hits, 113 runs, 34 doubles, 23 home runs, 106 RBI, 43 stolen bases, .313/.389/.501 slash, 151 wRC+, and 4.7 WAR in his debut. Chicago’s Al Pratt won his first Manager of the Year. Nicknamed “Uncle Al,” his career began as the bench coach for the Cardinals from 1884-88. He took over the Cubs manager job in 1889 and after a slow start, got them to 104 wins in 1891.

LF Mike Tiernan became the first seven-time Silver Slugger winner in either league at any position. New Orleans 2B Frank Grant won his fifth, Buffalo C Fred Carroll and Indianapolis Frank Fennelly both got their fourth, and Bisons CF Mike Griffin grabbed his third. Carroll also won his sixth consecutive Gold Glove. St. Louis 1B Roger Connor became a seven-time Gold Glover.

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The 1891 offseason draft had the largest influx of prospects in some time, justifying 17 rounds worth of choices. The Chicago White Sox had the #1 pick and chose LF Socks Seybold. He was one of five players given an 80 potential grade along with #2 pick RF Bill Lange to Indianapolis, #3 pick 3B Willie Keeler to Milwaukee, #6 pick RF Ollie Smith to the Athletics, and #7 pick SS Charlie Irwin to the Giants.



The free agency sweepstakes heading into 1892 was CF Hugh Duffy, who had been a multiple-time MVP winner with the St. Louis Browns. At only age 25, Duffy was expected to have many big years ahead of him. He was also assumed to receive the largest contract in MLB history. After the bidding war, Duffy ended up with Minnesota on an eight-year, $416,800 deal.

The St. Louis Cardinals were big spenders overall, grabbing SP Mickey Welch, 2B Reddy Mack, and C Buck Ewing with $574,800 worth of contracts between them. Welch got the biggest contract of any pitcher on the market at $173,000 over five years. Mack’s $332,800 over eight years was the second-largest in MLB history behind only Duffy’s deal. The Cardinals also brought back veteran pitcher “Old Hoss” Radbourn, whom they had traded to the Twins in 1889.

1B Otto Schomberg was a top prize on the market, but he ended up going back to Kansas City at $211,000 over eight years. The Royals also grabbed form Red Sox RF/DH Sam Thompson for five years. Washington inked former Tigers 1B George Tebeau for seven seasons at $162,400. Eight-time Gold Glove SS Germany Smith joined the Yankees at five years and $96,800. Former MVP SP/1B Perry Werden was also on the move to the Boston Braves. Below are the full list of top free agents.

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Below are the top-rated position players in the world entering the 1892 season.



Below are the top-rated pitchers in the game.

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The big shock in the American League through April 1892 was perennial power Boston struggling to 9-19, last in the AL East. Washington and New York were tied for first at 18-10, followed by Philadelphia (17-11) and Cleveland (15-13). In the West, Detroit and Chicago are even at the top with 17-11 records. St. Louis is 16-12 and Minnesota is 14-14.

AL Batter of the Month was Kansas City 1B Otto Schomberg with a .333 average, 12 home runs, 25 RBI, and 22 runs. The Athletics’ Toad Ramsey was Pitcher of the Month with a 5-1 record, 2.34 ERA, and 46 strikeouts in 50 innings. The A’s also had the top rookie in RF Ollie Smith, who had a .384 average with 43 hits, 8 homers, 21 runs, and 23 RBI.

The National League also had a surprisingly weak start for their Boston at 12-16, the three-time defending pennant winner. The Braves though are only four games out of first in a tight NL East led by Brooklyn and Pittsburgh at 16-12. Both Philadelphia and New York are 15-13. New Orleans leads the West and the NL overall at 19-9. Chicago (15-13) and Louisville (14-14) are next.

Leading the Pelicans was NL Batter of the Month Jocko Halligan, as the RF had a .417 average, 6 homers, 22 RBI, and 21 runs. Philadelphia’s Silver King with Pitcher of the Month with a 0.85 ERA in 53 innings with a 5-1 record and 37 strikeouts. The Giants had the Rookie of the Month in 3B Charlie Irwin with a .386 average, 6 doubles, 6 homers, 26 runs, and 16 RBI.

In injury news, Nationals pitcher Gus Weyhing is out for 15 months with elbow ligament reconstruction surgery. The 25-year old righty was the 1890 ERA champ, but he’s missed big chunks most years to injury. The #1 overall draft pick, CF Socks Seybold for the White Sox, is out four months with a torn calf muscle. The perpetually injured Dodgers star Bob Caruthers is out 13 months with a ruptured UCL.

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The New York Yankees had a monster 20-8 run in May, giving them MLB’s best record two months in at 38-18. They have an eight game lead in the American League East over 30-26 Philadelphia and a nine game lead on 29-27 Washington. Boston’s run as the only team to never post a losing record is in danger, as the Red Sox sit at the bottom of the AL at 22-34. In the AL West, Detroit holds first at 31-25, but only seven games separate them from last place. Minnesota and St. Louis are tied for second at 29-27. Chicago, who was tied for first after April, is now fourth at 27-29.

Tigers 3B Duke Farrell was AL Batter of the Month in May on a .355 average, 38 hits, 9 home runs, 28 RBI, and 22 runs. Milwaukee’s John Shearon was Pitcher of the Month with a 2.68 ERA, 5-1 record, and 33 strikeouts over 50.1 innings. New York RF George Decker was the top rookie with a .358 average, 7 homers, 19 RBI, and 25 runs.

New Orleans boasts the National League’s best record at 32-24, but they’re only three games up on 29-27 Chicago and four ahead of 28-28 St. Louis in the NL West. New York and Pittsburgh lead the East at 30-26, but both Philadelphia and Buffalo are one back at 29-27 while Boston and Brooklyn are three back at 27-29.

Braves LF Mike Tiernan was NL Batter of the Month with the defending MVP batting .340 with 9 homers, 27 RBI, and 20 runs. Adonis Terry was Pitcher of the Month for May with a strong start to his Buffalo career. The former Pittsburgh ace had a 1.80 ERA, 41 Ks, and 5-0 record with 55 innings. Giants 3B Charlie Irwin was a repeat Rookie of the Month with a .402 average, 3 homers, and 27 RBI.

In milestones, Giants star Dan Brouthers became the first in MLB history with 1000 runs scored in a career. Mike Tiernan reached 1000 career RBI, joining Brouthers and Sam Thompson as the only men to reach the mark thus far.

On May 11, Pittsburgh’s Jim McTamany had a six-hit game against Indianapolis, the 13th such game in MLB history. Boston’s Alex McKinnon hit for the cycle on May 22 facing Brooklyn. The Clowns’ Abner Powell had a 22-game hitting streak snapped on May 31.

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New York remained MLB’s dominant force as the 1892 all-star break with the Yankees at 59-25 atop the American League East Division. Despite a strong 49-37 record, Philadelphia is 11 games behind the Yankees. Detroit at 50-36 began to pull away in the AL West, sitting six games ahead of Minnesota and seven up on St. Louis.

Tigers 3B Duke Farrell repeated as AL Batter of the Month, posting a .370 average, 8 home runs, 26 RBI, and 24 runs in June. He is the MLB leader in homers at the break with 27. Athletics’ ace Toad Ramsey was Pitcher of the Month with a 4-2 record, 1.87 ERA, and 60 strikeouts in 53 innings. Ramsey’s 167 Ks lead the majors. Milwaukee RF Willie Keeler was Rookie of the Month as the #3 pick hit .420 with 42 hits, 5 homers, and 25 RBI.

Buffalo was 23-7 since the start of June, allowing them to boast the National League’s best record at the break of 52-34. The Bisons built a seven-game NL East lead over 45-41 Pittsburgh and eight game advantage on 44-42 Boston. New Orleans at 49-37 remains the NL West leader, but Chicago (48-38) and Louisville (44-42) are giving chase.

Buffalo 1B Skyrocket Smith took NL Batter of the Month on a .358 average, 34 hits, 2 homers, 18 RBI, and 20 runs. Indianapolis righty Jersey Bakely was Pitcher of the Month with a 1.94 ERA, 5-0 record, and 28 Ks in 51 innings. Giants 3B Charlie Irwin was Rookie of the Month for the third straight month with a .364 average, 32 hits, 5 homers, 21 RBI, and 10 runs. The #7 draft pick Irwin leads MLB at the break with a .385 average.



In other notes, Minnesota’s Dick Johnston hit for the cycle on June 18 facing Chicago. Kansas City’s Yank Robinson became the third to reach 500 career stolen bases.

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Below are the rosters for the 1892 MLB All-Star Game. Red Sox RF Tom Gettinger won the Home Run Challenge, defeating Louisville’s Jimmy Ryan 10-9 in the final round. After eight straight wins by the American League, the National League finally won the All-Star Game. The 1892 edition at St. Louis’s Robison Field saw a 9-7 NL win with Giants rookie Charlie Irwin winning MVP, hitting two solo home runs.

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New York’s mammoth lead in the American League East Division did shrink down to 7.5 games with Philadelphia making some gains, despite a split in their four-game July series. Entering August, the Yankees still have MLB’s best record at 69-38, but the Athletics at 62-46 aren’t out of the fight yet. Detroit had a solid record post break, but Minnesota’s 15-7 was the best and allowed them to make up ground in the AL West. The Tigers are 63-45 and the Twins are four behind at 59-49.

AL Batter of the Month in July was Minnesota CF Hugh Duffy with a .421 average, 13 home runs, 33 RBI, and 29 runs. Philadelphia’s Jack Stivetts took Pitcher of the month on a 1.90 ERA over 52 innings, 4-0 record, and 50 strikeouts. The A’s also had the top rookie in RF Ollie Smith, as the #6 pick hit .283 with six home runs, 19 runs, and 21 RBI.

Buffalo still holds the National League’s best record at 63-45, but Pittsburgh made up four games after the all-star break going 15-7. The Pirates ended July on a seven-game winning streak and are 60-48, three behind the Bisons. Boston had their own 14-8 run since the break and are five away at 58-50.

The NL West had a shift with Chicago and St. Louis both 13-9 since the break, while New Orleans was the inverse. The Cubs lead at 61-47, followed by the 58-50 Pelicans, 57-51 Cardinals, and 53-55 Louisville. St. Louis ended the month on a six-game winning streak. Meanwhile, Indianapolis ended the month on a historically bad 16-game losing streak.

Philadelphia CF Charlie Duffee was NL Batter of the Month with a .333 average, nine homers, 23 RBI, and 22 runs. Buffalo’s Jack Sharrott was Pitcher of the Month on a 1.01 ERA in 53.1 innings with 37 Ks and a 4-2 record. Despite the Clowns’ losing streak, CF Bill Lange was Rookie of the Month with a .356 average, nine homers, 15 runs, and 19 RBI.

The Yankees added pitching depth by acquiring 31-year old Charlie Buffinton in a trade with Brooklyn for prospect LF Dan Sweeney. Buffinton was the ERA champ in 1885 with Minnesota, but had fallen of since then. He signed with the Dodgers for 1892 and had a resurgent 2.89 ERA for them in 152.1 innings. New Orleans added 25-year old RHP Harry Staley and a minor leaguer from Cleveland for 23-year old RHP Jim Hughey.

In injury news, former Cardinals first round pick SP Dave Anderson is out 14 months with elbow ligament reconstruction surgery. He spent part of the year in minor league Memphis, but had shown some promise in 1892 for the big league club before the injury. Anderson was a two-time Gold Glove winner. In other news from the Cardinals, LF Buster Hoover joined New York Giants star Dan Brouthers as the only players with 1000 career runs scored.

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New York still has the best record in Major League Baseball through August, but Philadelphia continues to slowly chip away. The Yankees are 84-52 with the Athletics five back at 79-57. The A’s host the Yankees in the penultimate series. Washington is third at 70-66 and Boston has climbed up to fourth at 60-70. The Red Sox have been 31-20 since the all-star break and while their playoff hopes are done, they might avoid their first-ever losing season. Cleveland, the division champ the last two years, is last at 60-76.

Defending World Series champ Detroit grew its AL East lead over Minnesota slightly in August, despite dropping three of four to them to start the month. Entering September, the Tigers are 78-58 with the Twins six back at 72-64. Detroit hosts Minnesota to start September for their final meetings of the year.

AL Batter of the Month in August was Kansas City 3B Bill Joyce with a .411 average, 9 home runs, 25 RBI, and 31 runs. Athletics ace Toad Ramsey was Pitcher of the Month with a 6-0 record, 2.39 ERA, and 52 strikeouts over 52.2 innings. Ramsey currently has a 22-6 record, 2.42 ERA, and 248 Ks. If the season ended today, he would be the first-ever Triple Crown pitcher. Philadelphia also had RF Ollie Smith again claim Rookie of the Month, hitting .371 with 39 hits, 10 homers, 26 RBI, and 26 runs. In other milestones, Browns 2B Ed McKean became the first player to 600 career stolen bases.

After getting within three games of first to start August, Pittsburgh collapsed going 10-18 for the month. Buffalo (81-55) now leads the National League East Division by seven games over 74-62 Boston. The Pirates and Philadelphia are distantly third at 70-66.

Chicago lost the NL West lead in August as New Orleans went 18-9 for the month, including a four-game road sweep of the Cubs. The Pelicans are first at 77-59 with the Cubs two back at 75-61, while St. Louis faded to eight away at 69-67. They are yet to play four more games mid-September in the Bayou.

Louisville RF Jimmy Ryan was NL Batter of the Month in August with a .419 average, 6 homers, 27 RBI, and 17 runs. Brooklyn’s George Davies was the top pitcher with a 6-0 record, 1.59 ERA, and 44 Ks in 51 innings. Giants 3B Charlie Irwin was the top rookie on a .314 average, 32 hits, 4 homers, and 20 RBI.

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New York still has the best record in Major League Baseball through August, but Philadelphia continues to slowly chip away. The Yankees are 84-52 with the Athletics five back at 79-57. The A’s host the Yankees in the penultimate series. Washington is third at 70-66 and Boston has climbed up to fourth at 60-70. The Red Sox have been 31-20 since the all-star break and while their playoff hopes are done, they might avoid their first-ever losing season. Cleveland, the division champ the last two years, is last at 60-76.

Defending World Series champ Detroit grew its AL East lead over Minnesota slightly in August, despite dropping three of four to them to start the month. Entering September, the Tigers are 78-58 with the Twins six back at 72-64. Detroit hosts Minnesota to start September for their final meetings of the year.

AL Batter of the Month in August was Kansas City 3B Bill Joyce with a .411 average, 9 home runs, 25 RBI, and 31 runs. Athletics ace Toad Ramsey was Pitcher of the Month with a 6-0 record, 2.39 ERA, and 52 strikeouts over 52.2 innings. Ramsey currently has a 22-6 record, 2.42 ERA, and 248 Ks. If the season ended today, he would be the first-ever Triple Crown pitcher. Philadelphia also had RF Ollie Smith again claim Rookie of the Month, hitting .371 with 39 hits, 10 homers, 26 RBI, and 26 runs. In other milestones, Browns 2B Ed McKean became the first player to 600 career stolen bases.

After getting within three games of first to start August, Pittsburgh collapsed going 10-18 for the month. Buffalo (81-55) now leads the National League East Division by seven games over 74-62 Boston. The Pirates and Philadelphia are distantly third at 70-66.

Chicago lost the NL West lead in August as New Orleans went 18-9 for the month, including a four-game road sweep of the Cubs. The Pelicans are first at 77-59 with the Cubs two back at 75-61, while St. Louis faded to eight away at 69-67. They are yet to play four more games mid-September in the Bayou.

Louisville RF Jimmy Ryan was NL Batter of the Month in August with a .419 average, 6 homers, 27 RBI, and 17 runs. Brooklyn’s George Davies was the top pitcher with a 6-0 record, 1.59 ERA, and 44 Ks in 51 innings. Giants 3B Charlie Irwin was the top rookie on a .314 average, 32 hits, 4 homers, and 20 RBI.

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The New York Yankees maintained their lead in the American League East (despite being .500 after the all-star break) and took the AL’s best record at 98-64. It was their first-ever playoff berth, finishing six games ahead of 92-70 Philadelphia. This was also a franchise-best for the Athletics, who are still looking for their first division crown. Washington was a distant third at 83-79. Boston went on a 46-31 tear in the second half to get to 81-81, keeping the Red Sox as the only team yet to post a losing season. Cleveland, the AL East winner the prior two seasons, was a lackluster 74-88.

Defending World Series champ Detroit maintained its lead to repeat as AL West champs at 92-70. St. Louis jumped up to second at 85-77 and Minnesota faded to third at 84-78. Despite their miss, the Twins led the AL with 852 runs. The Yankees allowed the fewest at 599, which was the second fewest in AL history behind Chicago’s MLB-record 538 from 1884. New York did set new AL bests for H/9 (7.56) and WHIP (1.125). NY’s 3.03 ERA was also the second-best to this point, as was the 1227 hits allowed and 492 earned runs.



The AL Batter of the Month for September and Rookie of the Month was Milwaukee RF Willie Keeler. The #3 pick hit .407 with 7 homers, 21 RBI, and 18 runs. This capped off a remarkable debut season, leading the AL in runs (120), hits (224), doubles (49), total bases (357), average (.380), slugging (.605), OPS (1.042), wRC+ (186), and WAR (10.4).

Keeler is a favorite for MVP, but the Brewers’ mediocre 71-91 record hurts. Reigning MVP Pat Luby is probably the top competitor, leading with 46 homers and 127 RBI. He had 5.0 WAR offensively and 3.0 WAR as a pitcher. In other hitting milestones, Dave Orr with Milwaukee became the third player to reach 1000 career runs scored.

The final Pitcher of the Month was St. Louis’s Frank Knauss with a 3.14 ERA, 48.2 innings, 5-1 record, and 39 strikeouts. He is unlikely to win Pitcher of the Year for a fourth straight season with most expecting it to go to Philadelphia’s Toad Ramsey. Ramsey led in wins (24-10), innings (297.2), complete games (297.2), and strikeouts (300).

His 2.54 ERA missed out on the Triple Crown just behind New York’s Ledell Titcomb (2.48) and Detroit’s Lee Viau (2.49). Ramsey’s 300 Ks was the second-best single season behind Charlie Geggus’s 311 from 1884. He also threw the only no-hitter of the 1892 season on September with six strikeouts and four walks facing Cleveland. Ramsey became the first in MLB history with multiple no-hitters; he had the first ever back on April 15, 1885 with Minnesota also against the Spiders. In a bad record, Kansas City’s Ike Toy set the new worst for home runs allowed at 43.

In other team notables, Philadelphia’s pitching staff set a new AL record with 1024 strikeouts and a 6.31 K/9. The A’s also set an AL record with 40 saves. St. Louis set a new MLB team record for stolen bases with 624, the first team with 600+ swipes. Detroit (626,947) and New York (623,653) had the second and third best season attendances in AL history.

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Buffalo went on a 20-7 tear in September to not only run away with the National League East Division, but to take the best record in MLB at 101-61. The Bisons ended up 12 ahead of 89-73 Boston and 15 better than 86-76 Pittsburgh. Their 49-27 record after the all-star break was the best in MLB. This was also the third division title for the Bisons (1884, 1887, 1892). Boston had its sixth straight winning season, although the bid for a pennant four-peat was thwarted.

Buffalo allowed 598 runs, the fewest in NL history and second-fewest in MLB history behind the White Sox’s 538 in 1884. Their 3.15 team ERA was an NL best and the +232 run differential was tied for the third-best in MLB history, behind the Braves +379 in 1889 and +281 in 1890. The Bisons’ 1197 hits allowed, 7.41 H/9, and 1.119 WHIP were MLB bests, while the 508 earned runs were an NL best.

The NL West ended up an intense fight in September. New Orleans narrowly maintained its lead on defending champ Chicago, splitting with the Cubs in their September 13-16 series. With eight games to go, the Pelicans lead held at two games. NO split its penultimate series with Cincinnati, while Chicago swept last place Indianapolis to even things at 87-71 for both.

The Cubs now met the Reds on the road, losing game one 3-2 while New Orleans hosted and beat Louisville 5-4 in 12 innings. However, the Pelicans fell 5-4 and 8-3 in the next two to the Colonels, while Chicago won 9-1 and 13-4 over the Reds. The Cubs lost their finale 8-7, but New Orleans fell 10-5, keeping Chicago one game ahead.

Chicago repeated at 89-73 and won its third NL West (1884, 1891, 1892) while New Orleans was 88-74. St. Louis charged late after sitting eight games out entering September, getting to third at 86-76. The Cardinals’ 922 runs led MLB and they had the best run differential in the division, but underperformed their expected win/loss by eight. Louisville was fourth at 80-82.



Louisville RF Jimmy Ryan was NL Batter of the Month for September with a .417 average, 9 home runs, 25 RBI, and 28 runs. He likely capped off an MVP season in style, hitting three homers in the season finale over New Orleans. Ryan’s second dinger was his 300th, joining Mike Tiernan as the only players thus far in the 300 homer club.

Ryan was the leader in triple slash (.384/.463/.655), OPS (1.118), wRC+ (205), WAR (11.6), stolen bases (89), and total bases (367). The WAR was the second-best ever for a position player behind Tiernan’s 13.05 from 1889. Tiernan was the homers leader for the fifth straight year with 41 in 1892, but he’s otherwise behind Ryan in every stat and unlikely to four-peat as NL MVP. He’s set to establish the 400 home run club next year, finishing the season at 399. In other offensive milestones, St. Louis’s Buster Hoover and Pittsburgh’s Jim McTamany became the 5th and 6th to reach 500 career stolen bases.

NL Pitcher of the Month was St. Louis’s Mickey Welch with a 5-0 record, 3.00 ERA, and 34 strikeouts over 51 innings. Reds reliever Claude Hardy was Rookie of the month with a zero ERA and nine Ks in 11 innings. Buffalo’s Jack Sharrott came close to a Triple Crown, leading in wins (22-11) and strikeouts (226). He set new single season records for opponents’ batting average (.177) and H/9 (5.58).

Sharrott was just behind Bisons teammate Bill Vinton for the ERA title (2.38 to 2.56). They’re the favorites in the Pitcher of the Year race by traditional metrics, but Brooklyn’s George Davies by far was the WARlord at 10.08. This was the second-best WAR ever for a pure pitcher, behind only Charlie Geggus at 10.11 in 1884.

In team records, the Cardinals drew 693 walks offensively, a new MLB best. Pittsburgh set a new MLB worst offensively with only 46 home runs as a team Cincinnati’s 626 runs were the second-fewest and their 1262 hits third-fewest in NL history. Indianapolis allowed an MLB worst 1716 hits, while their 10.54 H/9 and 1.571 WHIP were second-worst in NL history and the 923 runs allowed were third-worst.

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The 1892 American League Championship Series was the first appearance for New York, who had home field advantage over defending World Series champ Detroit. They had split the six regular season games against each other.

The Tigers came out firing with a 7-1 road win to open the series. Lee Viau tossed a complete game, allowing four hits and two walks with five strikeouts. #9 hitter Heinie Kappel had a huge grand slam in the fifth inning and went 2-4 with five RBI and two runs.



The Yankees got revenge in game two with a 5-1 margin. ERA champ Ledell Titcomb tossed 7.2 innings, giving up five hits and one run with six Ks. CF Marty Sullivan homered twice with three RBI.



New York took the series lead in a 10-1 game three blowout in Detroit, exploding with a seven-run sixth inning. Billy Rhines tossed a complete game with six hits, four walks, and four strikeouts.



Detroit erased a 5-1 hole in game four with two runs in the sixth inning and four in the seventh. The seventh had three hits, one error, and a rain delay. The 7-6 Tigers win evened the series at 2-2.



New York got the better of the pitcher’s duel between aces in game five with a 2-0 victory, going ahead 3-2 in the series headed back home. Bert Cunningham had a five-hit shutout with one walk and six strikeouts. Detroit’s Lee Viau had a fine outing giving up four hits in a complete game, but he allowed two solo homers.



Detroit earned a 6-2 road win in game six over New York, sending the series to game seven. Leadoff man Duke Farrell was 4-5 with two RBI, a solo homer, and a run. Jim Handiboe was the winning pitcher, allowing four hits, four walks, and two unearned runs with eight strikeouts in a complete game.



New York’s offense came alive midway through game seven and was aided by four Detroit errors in the game. The Yankees rolled to their first pennant with a 10-3 home win. Billy Rhines was the winning pitcher, giving up two earned runs and nine hits over a complete game. 3B Fred Roat was series MVP, going 8-30 with two homers and five RBI.

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Chicago beat Buffalo back in the first National League Championship Series in 1884 and were meeting again in 1892. The Cubs lost the prior year to Boston, while Buffalo’s last trip was their 1887 loss to St. Louis. The Bisons were the favorite with 12 more wins than the Cubs and a 4-2 record against them in the regular season.

Buffalo led 5-4 entering the ninth inning of game one, but the Cubs exploded for a six-run ninth en route to a 10-5 road win. The inning had six singles along with an error and two walks. 1B Jake Beckley was 3-5 with a homer, four RBI, and two runs.



Three solo homers helped Buffalo tie the series with a 5-3 home win in game two. Bisons pitcher Adonis Terry had a solo homer at the plate while tossing eight innings, allowing four hits, three runs (two earned) and two walks with six strikeouts.



Buffalo took the series lead with a 4-3 win at Chicago in game three. C Fred Carroll’s two-run homer in the eight put the Bisons ahead. He was 3-4 with two homers, three RBI, and two runs.



The Bisons took a 3-1 series lead with a 10-6 road win in game four. Adonis Terry was 4-5 with three RBI. RF Len Sowders became the first player to triple twice in a playoff game. In the losing effort, Chicago 3B George Davis homered and doubled twice with five RBI.



Chicago kept the series alive with a 4-0 home win in game five, forcing play back to Buffalo. Hank Gastright tossed a five-hitter with three walks and seven strikeouts.



The Cubs opened game six with three runs, but Buffalo tied it in the third and pulled away from there with an 11-4 final, winning their first pennant. Leadoff man Skyrocket Smith was 4-4 with four runs, four stolen bases, and a walk. CF Mike Griffin homered and was 3-4 with four RBI.



Adonis Terry tossed a complete game in the finale, giving up only one earned run with six hits allowed and seven Ks. He was the NLCS MVP, winning his two starts on the mound with a 1.59 ERA and 13 Ks in 17 innings. At the plate as a two-way guy in LF, Terry was also 9-23 with a homer and five RBI. He proved a big free agent signing in the offseason after starting his career with Pittsburgh. Terry posted a combined 10.8 WAR in 2040.

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The 1892 World Series was the ninth and was guaranteed to crown the seventh first-time winner, as this was New York and Buffalo’s debuts. The Bisons had home field advantage, but the Yankees won the opener in a tight 3-2 affair. Buffalo got the tying run to second in the ninth, but couldn’t bring him home.



New York won on the road again with a 4-1 score in game two. George Decker had three hits and Fred Roat scored twice. Tom Vickery pitched seven innings for the Yankees, giving up two hits, one run, and three walks with four strikeouts. Charlie Buffinton pitched the final two innings clean for the save.



The trend of road winners continued with Buffalo prevailing 4-2 in game three to get on the board. All of their runs came in the top of the ninth with a three-run Len Sowders homer and a solo shot by Jack Sharrott. Adonis Terry pitched 8.1 innings in the win, giving up seven hits and two runs with five Ks.



New York got the 4-3 win in game four, the first home win of the series, to take a 3-1 series lead. Charlie Ganzel’s two-run homer in the seventh put the Yankees ahead.



Game five was a pitcher’s duel that was 1-1 after the fifth inning and stayed that way into extras. In the top of the 11th, Buffalo unloaded with four runs on three hits and three walks. The 5-1 win forced the series back to Buffalo, although the Yankees remain up 3-2. Jack Sharrott pitched all 11 innings for the Bisons, giving up only two hits, one a solo homer, with seven strikeouts and two walks over 140 pitches.



New York took a 4-0 lead after the third inning in game six of the World Series. Buffalo got two back in the fourth and another two in the fifth, tying it 4-4. The clinching run for the Yankees came in the eighth as Billy Nash had a two out double, then was knocked in by a Charlie Ganzel single. NY held on 5-4, clinching their first title in six games over the Bisons. This gives the American League a 7-2 advantage over the National League in the World Series.



Series MVP was 3B Fred Roat, going 7-24 with two homers and four RBI. He became the second player to win World Series and LCS MVP in the same year, joining the White Sox’s Tony Mullane from 1884. In playoff records, Buffalo’s Skyrocket Smith had the most singles in a playoff run at 14. Detroit’s Lee Viau set records for WHIP (0.61) and opponent’s OBP (.175), 15 innings required.

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Milwaukee RF Willie Keeler joined former Brewer Denny Lyons (1885) as the only players to win both MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same campaign. He was unanimously the American League’s top rookie, while he got 18 first place votes for MVP. Cleveland’s George Van Haltren (2), Detroit’s Pat Luby (3), and Philadelphia’s Jack Stivetts (1) also got first place votes.

In his debut, “Wee Willie” at 5’4’’, 140 pounds was the leader in runs (120), hits (224), doubles (49), total bases (357), average (.380), slugging (.605), OPS (1.042), wRC+ (185), and WAR (10.4). The #3 overall pick in the 1891 draft, Keeler also had 26 home runs, 114 RBI, 62 stolen bases, a .437 OBP, and a Gold Glove in right field.

Athletics ace Toad Ramsey won Pitcher of the Year with 19 first place votes while Detroit’s Lee Viau had the remaining five. It was Ramsey’s second POTY, having previously won in 1888 with Minnesota. The 27-year old left led in wins (24-10), innings (297.2), strikeouts (300), quality starts (28), complete games (22), K/9 (9.1), and WAR (7.4). Ramsey also had a 2.57 ERA, 172 ERA+, 72 FIP-, and became the first MLB pitcher with multiple no-hitters in a career. It was only the second 300+ K season in MLB to date.

New York’s Francis Abercrombie was Manager of the Year as he led the Yankees to the World Series. The 42-year old was in his third year as NY’s skipper. His coaching career began as a pitching coach from 1884-87 with Baltimore, followed by a two-year break from big-league coaching.

In AL Gold Gloves, White Sox C Jocko Milligan and Cleveland 1B Harry Taylor both became three-time winners. Twins CF Hugh Duffy won his 7th Silver Slugger, Tigers 3B Duke Farrell won his 5th, and Cleveland’s George Van Haltren won his 3rd in LF.

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Louisville RF Jimmy Ryan unanimously won National League Most Valuable Player, his seventh Silver Slugger, and second Gold Glove. He joined Denny Lyons as the only players to win all three awards in the same campaign. Ryan had been the runner-up thrice, but finally was undeniable in 1892 to snap Mike Tiernan’s three-year reign.

Nicknamed “Pony,” the 29-year old Ryan led in total bases (367), stolen bases (89), triple slash (.384/.463/.655), OPS (1.118), wRC+ (205), and WAR (11.6). The WAR was the 2nd-best by a position player in a single-season. Ryan added 215 hits, 118 runs, 38 doubles, 36 home runs, and 125 RBI. He is the Colonels’ star for the long haul with an eight-year, $222,800 extension signed back after the 1889 season.

Buffalo’s Jack Sharrott won Pitcher of the Year with all but one first place vote. The other vote was Brooklyn’s George Davies with his impressive 10.1 WAR, although his weaker traditional metrics meant he finished fourth in voting. In his third year, the 22-year old Sharrott led in wins (22-11), strikeouts (226), complete games (21), WHIP (0.97), and BABIP (.204). He added a 2.56 ERA over 295.1 innings, 162 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 6.1 WAR. Sharrott was second in ERA behind teammate Bill Vinton’s 2.38. He also played a little bit on the outfield with 0.9 WAR and a .713 OPS in 64 games.

Indianapolis stunk, but they had Rookie of the Year Bill Lange showing big potential. He won a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove in CF and finished fourth in MVP voting. The #2 draft pick had 176 hits, 98 runs, 25 doubles, 27 home runs, 95 RBI, 70 stolen bases, .312/.393/.513 slash, 144 wRC+, and 8.5 WAR. Reliever of the Year George Rettger notably had 36 saves, one short of the MLB single-season record.

The Bisons’ Ned Cuthbert was Manager of the Year for leading Buffalo to the NL pennant. He took over in 1890 and has had three straight winning seasons. The 47-year old Cuthbert is faring better in his second gig, as he skippered Washington from 1884-87, ending with an abysmal 54-108 record in his last year.

St. Louis 1B Roger Connor won his 8th Gold Glove, one of two in MLB history to do so along with SS Germany Smith. Boston’s Bill Stemmyer won his 3rd Gold Glove as a pitcher. Braves LF Mike Tiernan became the first player with eight Silver Sluggers. Clowns SS Frank Fennelly won his 5th.