The 1886 Season
Opening Day Lineup:
C Barney Gilligan
1B Thomas Gorman
2B Al Myers
3B Joe Mulvey
SS Dave Drew
LF Tommy McCarthy
CF Mike Slattery
RF Oyster Burns
SP The Only Nolan
Most Common Lineup:
C Barney Gilligan
1B Thomas Gorman
2B Lou Bierbauer
3B Joe Mulvey
SS Dave Drew
LF Tommy McCarthy
CF Mike Slattery
RF Oyster Burns
Pitching Staff
SP Ed Cushman
SP Hugh Daily
SP Henry Porter
SP John Henry
SP Ed Bagley
RP Lou Galvin
RP Bones Ely
RP Phenomenal Smith
April
Brooklyn started the season with Henry Porter still on the disabled list, so when Bones Ely and The Only Nolan both went down in early April, the pitching staff really struggled out of the gate. Oyster Burns and Dave Drew, the team’s top two hitters, soon followed. When Mike Slattery also ended up on the DL, all within two weeks of the start of the season, the Grays started asking themselves if this was going to be a rebuilding season. Brooklyn ended up with a 7-18 record in the month of April, falling a full ten games out of first place.
Brooklyn did conduct a trade late in the month of April, looking to shore up some depth at the shortstop position after losing Drew. Brooklyn sent Fred Goldsmith, George Fisher, George Noftsker, UA Jones, and Frank McKee to the St. Louis Browns in exchange for Jack Corcoran. Corcoran played in six games before being put on the disabled list with a chest injury leaving the Grays without a backup shortstop again.
May
The misery for Brooklyn continued into May. After starting 4-1, the Grays felt like they were starting to right the ship. Additional injuries for Brooklyn in May included starting first baseman Thomas Gorman and shortstop Gus Alberts, which would leave Brooklyn without a viable shortsop on the roster.
With all of the injuries that had befallen Brooklyn, they were busy making deals trying to fill holes. The Grays went after Boston Beaneaters’ reliever Lou Galvin on May 19, sending Al Myers, Jim Gray, Jack Corcoran, and Joe Stabell in return.
Unfortunately, though, it seemed like nothing that Brooklyn could do would stop the free fall. Brooklyn lost 14 out of 15 in the month of May before recovering to win the last four games of the month. They finished 10-17 in May, now 17 full games behind the first place New York Giants.
June
Brooklyn was able to right the ship in June, though not before falling 20 games back. June was a month of getting healthy for the Grays, and they did it in a big way with Henry Porter re-establishing himself as one of the premiere pitchers in the National League. Brooklyn lost their first three games of June, but then they finished at an 11-6 clip to go over .500 (11-9) for the month.
June also established the Grays’ bullpen as being the best in the league. Given the number of injuries Brooklyn sustained, they had to go deep into their bullpen on a regular basis. After the month of June, the team shared a 2.19 team bullpen ERA, and this was rewarded when three Brooklyn relief pitchers found themselves in the All Star Game. Frank Foreman, Lou Galvin, and Al Maul all represented the Grays. For Foreman, it was his second trip. Meanwhile, one position player, Tommy McCarthy, joined the trio.
July
With the onslaught of Brooklyn injuries continuing into July, team trainer Jalen Carter has come under some extreme fire for the way he handles his medical staff. Nevertheless, Brooklyn managed to finish above .500 for the second straight month, finishing off July with a 13-11 record.
The beleaguered Brooklyn pitching rotation saw Mike Smith and Ice Box Chamberlain make their debuts in July. Though they both got off to hot starts in their young Major League careers, their appearances marked the 9th and 10th different pitchers to start a game for Brooklyn on the year.
August
Brooklyn finished out the season at an above .500 clip, going 15-13 in the month of August. This was enough to pull the Grays out of the cellar, as the finished the season in seventh place 25 games behind the New York Giants.
Brooklyn was surrounded by question marks as the season came to a close. Ed Cushman ended up leading Brooklyn pitchers with only 143 innings pitched on the season. Henry Porter was, by far, the most effective Brooklyn pitcher, finishing 8-4 with a 2.29 ERA. Brooklyn’s bullpen was top notch, but they needed to learn to stay healthy in the starting rotation.
On an interesting side note, outfielder Edgar Smith joined the “infinite ERA” club by allowing an earned run without recording an out while pitching.
Brooklyn Batting Stats
Brooklyn Pitching Stats
C Barney Gilligan
1B Thomas Gorman
2B Al Myers
3B Joe Mulvey
SS Dave Drew
LF Tommy McCarthy
CF Mike Slattery
RF Oyster Burns
SP The Only Nolan
Most Common Lineup:
C Barney Gilligan
1B Thomas Gorman
2B Lou Bierbauer
3B Joe Mulvey
SS Dave Drew
LF Tommy McCarthy
CF Mike Slattery
RF Oyster Burns
Pitching Staff
SP Ed Cushman
SP Hugh Daily
SP Henry Porter
SP John Henry
SP Ed Bagley
RP Lou Galvin
RP Bones Ely
RP Phenomenal Smith
April
Brooklyn started the season with Henry Porter still on the disabled list, so when Bones Ely and The Only Nolan both went down in early April, the pitching staff really struggled out of the gate. Oyster Burns and Dave Drew, the team’s top two hitters, soon followed. When Mike Slattery also ended up on the DL, all within two weeks of the start of the season, the Grays started asking themselves if this was going to be a rebuilding season. Brooklyn ended up with a 7-18 record in the month of April, falling a full ten games out of first place.
Brooklyn did conduct a trade late in the month of April, looking to shore up some depth at the shortstop position after losing Drew. Brooklyn sent Fred Goldsmith, George Fisher, George Noftsker, UA Jones, and Frank McKee to the St. Louis Browns in exchange for Jack Corcoran. Corcoran played in six games before being put on the disabled list with a chest injury leaving the Grays without a backup shortstop again.
May
The misery for Brooklyn continued into May. After starting 4-1, the Grays felt like they were starting to right the ship. Additional injuries for Brooklyn in May included starting first baseman Thomas Gorman and shortstop Gus Alberts, which would leave Brooklyn without a viable shortsop on the roster.
With all of the injuries that had befallen Brooklyn, they were busy making deals trying to fill holes. The Grays went after Boston Beaneaters’ reliever Lou Galvin on May 19, sending Al Myers, Jim Gray, Jack Corcoran, and Joe Stabell in return.
Unfortunately, though, it seemed like nothing that Brooklyn could do would stop the free fall. Brooklyn lost 14 out of 15 in the month of May before recovering to win the last four games of the month. They finished 10-17 in May, now 17 full games behind the first place New York Giants.
June
Brooklyn was able to right the ship in June, though not before falling 20 games back. June was a month of getting healthy for the Grays, and they did it in a big way with Henry Porter re-establishing himself as one of the premiere pitchers in the National League. Brooklyn lost their first three games of June, but then they finished at an 11-6 clip to go over .500 (11-9) for the month.
June also established the Grays’ bullpen as being the best in the league. Given the number of injuries Brooklyn sustained, they had to go deep into their bullpen on a regular basis. After the month of June, the team shared a 2.19 team bullpen ERA, and this was rewarded when three Brooklyn relief pitchers found themselves in the All Star Game. Frank Foreman, Lou Galvin, and Al Maul all represented the Grays. For Foreman, it was his second trip. Meanwhile, one position player, Tommy McCarthy, joined the trio.
July
With the onslaught of Brooklyn injuries continuing into July, team trainer Jalen Carter has come under some extreme fire for the way he handles his medical staff. Nevertheless, Brooklyn managed to finish above .500 for the second straight month, finishing off July with a 13-11 record.
The beleaguered Brooklyn pitching rotation saw Mike Smith and Ice Box Chamberlain make their debuts in July. Though they both got off to hot starts in their young Major League careers, their appearances marked the 9th and 10th different pitchers to start a game for Brooklyn on the year.
August
Brooklyn finished out the season at an above .500 clip, going 15-13 in the month of August. This was enough to pull the Grays out of the cellar, as the finished the season in seventh place 25 games behind the New York Giants.
Brooklyn was surrounded by question marks as the season came to a close. Ed Cushman ended up leading Brooklyn pitchers with only 143 innings pitched on the season. Henry Porter was, by far, the most effective Brooklyn pitcher, finishing 8-4 with a 2.29 ERA. Brooklyn’s bullpen was top notch, but they needed to learn to stay healthy in the starting rotation.
On an interesting side note, outfielder Edgar Smith joined the “infinite ERA” club by allowing an earned run without recording an out while pitching.
Brooklyn Batting Stats
Brooklyn Pitching Stats
Total Comments 4
Comments
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Final Standings
Posted 06-05-2017 at 07:20 PM by bjohn13 
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American League Team Batting Leaders
National League Team Batting Leaders
American League Team Pitching Leaders
National League Team Pitching Leaders
Posted 06-05-2017 at 07:21 PM by bjohn13
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American League Individual Batting Leaders
National League Individual Batting Leaders
American League Individual Pitching Leaders
National League Individual Pitching Leaders
Posted 06-05-2017 at 07:21 PM by bjohn13
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The World Series
The American League was represented in the 1886 Fall Classic by the Boston Americans who featured a dominant pitching staff. Their rotation was anchored by Bill Sweeney, Matt Kilroy, Bob Caruthers, and Old Hoss Radbourn. Meanwhile, Bob Emslie was a 20 game winner in 73 games of relief. Charley Jones and Harley Richardson led a somewhat lackluster offense that finished sixth in the American League.
The National League champion New York Giants dominated the National League thanks to strong pitching and strong hitting. Offensively, Sam Wise and Roger Connor both scored more than 100 runs with Dennis Casey turning in a .303 batting average in limited playing time. The New York pitching staff was anchored by Jim Handiboe, Al Atkinson, and Larry McKeon with reliever Bill Wise turning in a 1.32 ERA in 73 games.
Game one featured a pitching matchup between Jim Handiboe and Matt Kilroy. The Giants got off to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first off of a Joe Visner triple and a sacrifice fly by Ed Swartwood. The Americans countered with 3 in the first and 3 more in the second. The Giants went down without much of a fight after that with the final score 13-2 in favor of Boston.
In an interesting decision, New York opted to send Pretzels Getzien to the mound for game two opposing Bob Caruthers. Boston got off to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first thanks to an RBI triple by Charley Jones. Ed Swartwood tied the game with an RBI single in the third, and Jack O’Brien game New York the lead with an RBI single in the 4th. New York tacked on four insurance runs in the top of the sixth in an inning that featured 4 singles, two errors, and a sacrifice fly, and they would not look back. The final score was New York 8, Boston 6.
In game three, Al Atkinson gave up no earned runs in six innings for the Giants. Old Hoss Radbourn went the distance for Boston, but the difference was a single pitch in the bottom of the third that Sam Wise hit out of the park for a three run home run. The Giants went on to win 4-1.
Game four featured a rematch between Jim Handiboe and Matt Killroy without much difference from the first game. Handiboe was knocked off of the mound in a 4-run fifth inning that gave Boston a 7-1 lead that they would not relinquish. New York made a game of it by knocking in 4 runs including a two run shot by pinch hitter Jack Clements, Boston would ultimately cruise to an 8-5 victory tying the series at two games apiece.
Game five would prove to be a nailbiter with Bob Caruthers and Pretzels Getzien both getting another call to start. New York struck first in the first thanks to a throwing error by Sid Farrar, and Boston tied it up on the top of the second with a solo home run by Hardy Richardson. New York got another run off of a Cub Strikler sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second. Boston evened the score again in the top of the fourth off of a Hardy Richardson sacrifice fly, and New York scraped out another run off of a Jack O’Brien double in the bottom half. New York tacked on three more in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single by Joe Hormung followed by a Cub Strickler triple that drove in two. In the top of the 8th, Corey Jones tacked on a three run home run for Boston to chip New York’s lead down a single run. Boston would go on to leave the bases loaded in the 8th before Cyclone Miller returned the side in order in the 9th to secure the Giants victory.
The series heated up in game 6 as Boston, facing elimination, sent Old Hoss Radbourn to the mound for his second start of the series against New York’s Al Atkinson. New York took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth when Ezra Sutton scored on a throwing error by Arlie Latham, then Cub Strikler drove in Hick Carpenter with a double. Boston got one back in the bottom of the seventh from a sacrifice fly by Buttercup Dickerson, and they got one more in the 8th from an RBI double by Martin Powell. Tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Jack O’Brien threw the ball away trying to catch Terry Larkin from stealing third, and Larkin would walk in to score the winning run to force a game seven.
Game seven featured Jim Handiboe and Matt Kilroy both making their third starts of the series. Handiboe came into the series with a post season ERA over 10, but he did okay in this one giving up only two earned runs in seven innings pitched. Boston got on the board first with two in the bottom of the second, but Ezra Sutton drove in a run with a triple in the fourth, and then Jack O’Brien knocked him in. Ezra Sutton added on an RBI single in the sixth to give the Giants a 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the 8th, Boston rallied for five singles and an error to drive home four runs and take a 6-3 lead. New York did not score in the top of the 9th, and the Boston Americans went on to become the 1886 World Series Champions. The series MVP was Charley Jones, who hit .355 for the series with a home run and 5 RBIs.
Awards
First Year Player Draft
Going into the 1886 draft, Brooklyn had their eyes on four specific players. Catcher Lave Cross and left fielder George van Haltren were both making their draft debut, and Broklyn was hoping that one of those two players would fall to them at number four. Center fielder Mike Griffin and first baseman Darby O’Brien were also potential first rounders that Brooklyn was hoping would drop to the number 12 spot. Overall, Brooklyn went into the draft with two first rounders and three second rounders.
Brooklyn decided to gamble by electing to not trade up in the draft, and all four of these players proved to be taken by the seventh pick.
Brooklyn ended up taking two pitchers, a catcher, a shortstop, and an outfielder.
1. Lave Cross C
2. Joseph Herr SS
3. Mark Baldwin P
4. Mike Goodfellow RF
5. Nat Hudson P
Offseason Moves
Brooklyn wasted no time firing team trainer Jalen Carter, replacing him with Darrell Saxer. Meanwhile, they figured that the acquisition of Lave Cross via the draft made Barney Gilligan’s roster spot redundant. Brooklyn decided to use those factors combined with their extreme depth in the pitching staff to trade up in the 1887 draft while providing a first baseman to compete with Thomas Gorman for that job. Brooklyn ended up trading Ed Cushman, Hugh Daily, Gilligan, and Charlie Daniels to the St. Louis Browns for Charlie Comiskey and two high level draft picks. St. Louis was hoping that the deal would immediately turn their bullpen into an asset rather than the liability it had been the previous two seasons. For Brooklyn, it marked a departure from their past as three core roster players from their back-to-back pennant winning rosters of 1884 and 1885 were departing.Posted 06-05-2017 at 07:30 PM by bjohn13
