Alternative Baseball History 1860
Posted 09-03-2017 at 08:10 AM by retrogamer
1860: Last Season Of Peace
Dark clouds were looming on the horizon as the 1860 baseball season began as concern about the impending US Federal election and the issue of abolition of slavery leading to secession of the southern states weighed heavy on many. Two new baseball clubs emerged in the last summer before the American Civil War. The first club was the Philadelphia Athletics. Town ball was the more popular game on the streets of Philadelphia but in 1860 the members of the Athletic Club of Philadelphia offered a challenge to the 1859 Brooklyn Eckfords to play both a game of Town Ball and the Knickerbocker game.
Philadelphia Athletics logo
However before the Eckfords took on the Athletics the Atlantics travelled to Troy, New York to take on the newly formed Troy Haymakers. The Haymakers were former Town Ball enthusiasts until a former New York club player had introduced the Knickerbocker game to the Troy locals. The Atlantics eager to get a good practice game in before taking on the Eckfords agreed to the match.
Troy Haymakers logo
On June 30th the Atlantics travelled to Troy to take part in the first major game outside of the New York City area. The Atlantics easily overpowered the rookie Haymakers 23-6. The Eckfords travelled the following week to Philadelphia where they were hosted by the Athletics. The championship Eckfords were shocked when the Athletics handed them a 13-10 defeat.
On July 14th the Mutuals hosted the Atlantics at Elysian Field. The Atlantics romped over the Mutuals 25-15. A return match was scheduled for July 21st at the Atlantics home field and this time the Mutuals shocked their hosts 22-12. The rubber match was a hard fought contest that saw the Mutuals upset the more favoured Atlantics 6-5.
The Battle of Brooklyn got underway on August 18th as the Atlantics hosted the Eckfords. The Atlantics shocked their guests with a one-sided 35-5 victory. The return match on August 25th was at the Eckfords home grounds and the contest was close with a 16-15 in favour of the Atlantics.
Having defeated the previous year’s champions the Atlantics then agreed to play the Athletics in Philadelphia, who had earlier defeated the Eckfords in June. On September 8th the Atlantics arrived in Philadelphia to play the Athletics in a game that some billed as for the championship of the United States. The Atlantics overwhelmed their hosts winning 31-6 to claim the championship; however there were those in New York who argued another club deserved that honour.
Dark clouds were looming on the horizon as the 1860 baseball season began as concern about the impending US Federal election and the issue of abolition of slavery leading to secession of the southern states weighed heavy on many. Two new baseball clubs emerged in the last summer before the American Civil War. The first club was the Philadelphia Athletics. Town ball was the more popular game on the streets of Philadelphia but in 1860 the members of the Athletic Club of Philadelphia offered a challenge to the 1859 Brooklyn Eckfords to play both a game of Town Ball and the Knickerbocker game.
Philadelphia Athletics logo
However before the Eckfords took on the Athletics the Atlantics travelled to Troy, New York to take on the newly formed Troy Haymakers. The Haymakers were former Town Ball enthusiasts until a former New York club player had introduced the Knickerbocker game to the Troy locals. The Atlantics eager to get a good practice game in before taking on the Eckfords agreed to the match.
Troy Haymakers logo
On June 30th the Atlantics travelled to Troy to take part in the first major game outside of the New York City area. The Atlantics easily overpowered the rookie Haymakers 23-6. The Eckfords travelled the following week to Philadelphia where they were hosted by the Athletics. The championship Eckfords were shocked when the Athletics handed them a 13-10 defeat.
On July 14th the Mutuals hosted the Atlantics at Elysian Field. The Atlantics romped over the Mutuals 25-15. A return match was scheduled for July 21st at the Atlantics home field and this time the Mutuals shocked their hosts 22-12. The rubber match was a hard fought contest that saw the Mutuals upset the more favoured Atlantics 6-5.
The Battle of Brooklyn got underway on August 18th as the Atlantics hosted the Eckfords. The Atlantics shocked their guests with a one-sided 35-5 victory. The return match on August 25th was at the Eckfords home grounds and the contest was close with a 16-15 in favour of the Atlantics.
Having defeated the previous year’s champions the Atlantics then agreed to play the Athletics in Philadelphia, who had earlier defeated the Eckfords in June. On September 8th the Atlantics arrived in Philadelphia to play the Athletics in a game that some billed as for the championship of the United States. The Atlantics overwhelmed their hosts winning 31-6 to claim the championship; however there were those in New York who argued another club deserved that honour.
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