The theme of 1885 was one of reconciliation. After the acrimony produced by the Union Association in 1884, the National League and American Association wanted to get major league base ball back on the firm footing of cooperation. Abe Morrill's UA champion St. Louis Maroons was brought into the League. And with Morrill gone, the remaining UA club owners had no interest in continue their little experiment.
After the 1884 season, the League and the Association staged an exhibition series pitting the two pennant winners against one another. That series wasn't very well attended nor was it covered much by the press. This season, they will try something else--an official championship series. The Association and League pennant winners will meet in a "World's Championship Series."
The National League pennant was won, as we've become accustomed to, by Boston. Without much difficulty either. Detroit, after consecutive second place finishes, fell way back. Buffalo and the UA-exiled Maroons provided the competition, such as it was.
1885 National League Standings
Boston's Mark Stewart (.332, 118 runs, 68 stolen bases) won another batting championship, besting Chicago's John Selby (.324). Boston's UA club had found a local amateur--Patsy Deal--who had some how missed the notice of the Red Caps. Once the UA folded, Deal was signed by Boston, and he ended up leading the league in runs batted in (.320, 23 doubles, 94 rbi).
Patsy Deal
Boston's Arnold Jacobs (35-13, 1.74) had another fine season, but he was bested on the mound by Buffalo's Augustus Enright (36-19, 1.70). Levi Callaway, who the led the Maroons to their UA championship, returned with the club and league the league in strikeouts.
National League 1885
The pennant race in the Association was much, much more interesting. All summer long, Cincinnati appeared to be the best Association club. But the Pittsburgh club would not give up. On the last day of the season, Cincinnati traveled to Pittsburgh for one final game. The Alleghenys won that game 8-0, giving the Pittsburgh club the pennant and the right to face the Bostons in the World's Championship Series.
1885 American Association Standings
For the Reds, Chris Parish (.326, 91 runs, 16 triples, 70 walks) once again led a superb offense. But Parish finished second in the batting race to Baltimore's Chris Dix (.328). The key to the Pittsburgh pennant was the pitching. Egbert Robin (45-15, 1.19) and Thomas Harbison (32-16, 1.43) was enough to counter Cincinnati's Williams Easton (36-14, 1.34) and Doc Langdon (36-15, 1.61).
Thomas Harbison
American Association 1885
All in the base ball world expected Boston to have an easy time in the championship series. And while Boston did win the series, it took five hard fought games for them to do so. These games were very well attended, and it looks as though the "World's Championship Series" will have a permanent place in base ball.
In one respect, 1884 had pushed the limits of professional base ball; three leagues and 34 clubs had proven to be too much. But one thing was certain--base ball was increasingly popular. More and more "minor leagues," as they were being called, were coming into existence. They provided an outlet for those players who were not quite good enough for the professional clubs, and they provided a cheap form of entertainment in non major league cities. One such league was the Eastern League. Officially established in 1884, they will become a permanent part of base ball's landscape.
1885 Eastern League Standings
Pitcher Gottfried Flanigan is a good example of the type of player in the Eastern League. He had spent three seasons in the National League with the Browns and the Gothams, but he was not quite good enough become a permanent member of a League club. Signing with the Richmond club, he becomes their top pitcher (27-14, 1.01), though the Virginians ended up second to the Hartford club.
Gottfried Flanigan