1894 FINAL
In a year when hitting dominated, no hitters dominated quite like those of Lambeth in the Dominion Association. With a team average of .323, the Lambs were lions at the plate. First baseman William Pierpont (.382, 17 HR, 118 RBI), playing in only his second full season in the majors, was the standout star of the lineup, while Paul Salsbery (28-13, 3.78 ERA) and Graham Rowan (23-16, 4.25 ERA) ably carried the pitching burdens. Leading by a game over Bristol at the all-star break, however, Lambeth stalled, going 11-10 after the resumption of play and then, at the beginning of August, they dropped a three-game series at Bristol. The Dockers, in contrast to the Lambs, came charging out of the gate in the second half, going 16-5 and knocking Lambeth off their top perch before sweeping them at home in August. Although lacking the consistency of the Lambs, Bristol hit more home runs and scored more runs than any other team in the Association. Declan Morris (,348, 20 HR, 160 RBI) tore up the record books with his twenty return-trippers while leading the Association with seventy-four stolen bases, and teammates Dave Zwicker (.348, 8 HR, 105 RBI),Benedict Fleming (.347, 9 HR, 124 RBI), and Mike Chestnut (.346, 2 HR, 52 RBI) provided a formidable challenge for any opposing pitcher. The left-right combination of Garvin Lache (27-14, 4.24 ERA) and Dirkjan Quist (25-13, 4.43 ERA) provided competent support from the box. In September, the Lambs made a renewed run at the Bristols, but dropped three of four games to Leeds in a crucial late-month series to fall out of contention and then out of second place. The Ironsides were slow to defend their title, and most dismissed their chances after a dismal 13-15 August. But Leeds, behind Association-best hitter Mike Eccles (.332, 4 HR, 86 RBI) and the superb pitching duo of William Barnsley (34-15, 3.65 ERA) and Jayden Gilbert (30-17, 3.50 ERA) roared back in September. Leicester, a close contender for the lead at the season's midway point, fell off the pace in the second half despite strong performances from starters Downey McRae (24-15, 3.63 ERA) and Al Henry (20-15, 3.68 ERA). Glasgow, crippled with injuries in the first half, was not much luckier in the second, as Thad McGarry (.346, 3 HR, 24 RBI) and Finlay Buxton (.358, 5 HR, 62 RBI) spent extended stays on the disabled list.
Westminster had trouble maintaining their momentum as the second half opened, and when the Peers dropped three of four games at home to Camberwell in late July, they fell out of first place. Camberwell featured the left-handed hitting duo of William Eames (.348, 3 HR, 83 RBI) and Chris Scott (.344, 10 HR, 89 RBI) in the middle of the lineup and a pitching staff anchored by Wayne Smith (26-20, 4.39 ERA) and Conor Barclay (25-17, 4.13 ERA). After a hot July, however, the Whitecaps cooled down considerably in August, while Westminster regrouped. William Isaacs (14-3, 4.09 ERA) returned from the DL on 6 August and made an immediate impact, as his addition to the rotation helmed by Andrew "Midget" Gunton (37-20, 3.60 ERA) revived the Peers' fortunes. Behind the League-leading hitting of Paul Rushworth (.385, 6 HR, 121 RBI) and the slugging of Albert Oglethorpe (.354, 13 HR, 132 RBI), Westminster put together winning streaks of eight and fifteen games in the last two months and ran away with the pennant. Defending champions Bradford, in second place at the midsummer break, relied on the pitching of Stephen MacTavish (24-16, 3.75 ERA) and River Burrows (22-20, 4.30 ERA) and the hitting of Aidan Maxwell (.375, 6 HR, 85 RBI) to carry them, but the Badgers lacked a reliable third starter after John Bothwick (21-22, 4.83 ERA) went a disappointing 14-19 and suffered the indignity of being claimed off waivers by Salford. Liverpool sprung from seventh to third place behind the hitting of Paul Nott (.342, 12 HR, 70 RBI) and Sheridan Fysh (.325, 10 HR, 117 RBI), but an already thin pitching staff suffered when staff ace Keith "Bananas" Underhill (16-8, 3.42 ERA) suffered a shoulder injury on 14 July that scuppered his season. No team in the BA hit better than London's .328 team batting average, except for whatever team faced London's pitchers. Opponents averaged .333 against the Bulldogs, and Sweeney Valance (24-22, 3.88 ERA) was the only starter with an ERA below 4.80.
1894 CUP FINALS SERIES: WESTMINSTER v. BRISTOL
The opening game of the Cup Finals Series at Westminster's Vincent Square Park saw Isaacs start for the home team against Lache. The Peers got on the board early with two runs in the first, and carried a 6-4 lead going into the top of the ninth. With Ken Stollings (.336, 2 HR, 52 RBI) on second and two outs, pinch hitter Henry Watson (.332, 2 HR, 38 RBI) lined a base hit into short center field. Stollings tried to score, but the throw from Bill Larnach (.375, 3 HR, 41 RBI) beat Stollings easily and the Peers prevailed. Zwicker had three hits, including a solo home run, and three RBI in a losing effort, while Oliver Pluckrose (.357, 6 HR, 101 RBI) had three hits for the home squad. In game two, Bristol held a tenuous 3-2 lead when they exploded for four runs in the top of the seventh against "Midget" Gunton. Callough Micklethwaite (5-1, 5.77 ERA) came on in the eighth to relieve starter Quist, and the Dockers held on to defeat the Peers 8-5. Stollings and Declan Morris each had three hits for the winners. Game three saw postseason play return to Bristol's Westbury Field for the first time since 1875. Westminster right fielder Pluckrose broke open a 2-2 tie in the sixth with a solo home run, and the visitors went on to score three more times as starter Isaacs scattered eight hits for a 6-2 victory. Dylan Back (.319, 0 HR, 74 RBI) had two hits and three runs batted in for the Peers. Gunton pitched masterfully for Westminster in game four, allowing only four base hits over nine innings while his teammates pummeled Lache and relievers John Butterworth (12-8, 12 SV, 3.27 ERA) and Micklethwaite for sixteen runs and seventeen hits. Bristol's defense contributed to the rout by committing seven errors, three of them by Ian Dagger (.301, 0 HR, 35 RBI). Westminster's Michael "Shotgun" Bucknell (17-12, 4.13 ERA) faced Bristol's Bill Silander (20-22, 4.91 ERA) in game five. The Peers reeled off four unanswered runs before the home team got on the board with a single tally in the fifth. Bristol scored again in the bottom of the seventh, and the teams traded runs in the eighth. Bucknell retired the side in order in the ninth to take a 5-3 victory, and the Peers celebrated their third BA Cup victory. Westminster's pitching staff limited the vaunted Dockers' lineup to a meager .237 batting average, with the dangerous Declan Morris held to a paltry .238. The hitting star for Westminster was Pluckrose, whose .364 average and four RBI earned him the most valuable player award.
THE MINORS
The Northern Conference continued to dominate the Second Tier championships, as the South Shields Vikings of the Edinburgh minor league system defeated the Huddersfield Bens of the Leicester organization in a three-game sweep.
Albion Conference champions Hackney won their second straight double-A championship when they bested the York Whitecoats, Birmingham's affiliate, in a four-game set.
ALLIANCE LEADERS
Empire League
Hitting
BA: .385 Paul Rushworth, Westminster
HR: 16 James MacKimmie, London; Logan "Sugar" MacLay, Edinburgh
RBI: 144 Alois Schifferer, Dublin
R: 156 Paul Rushworth, Westminster
SB: 76 Gabriel Vesey, Liverpool
Pitching
W: 37 Andrew "Midget" Gunton, Westminster
L: 27 Aaron Coulthard, Nottingham; Cahern Tickner, Nottingham
K: 127 Andrew "Midget" Gunton, Westminster
ERA: 3.40 Conor Monkmon, Liverpool
SV: 11 Dennis Elnor, Nottingham; Jack Lovibond, Bradford
Schifferer, a twenty-two-year old second-year man from Austria, set the EL mark for RBI in a season. Two pitchers from the same team shared the League lead in losses for the first time ever.
Dominion Association
Hitting
BA: .389 Mick Eccles, Leeds
HR: 20 Declan Morris, Bristol
RBI: 160 Declan Morris, Bristol
R: 156 Declan Morris, Bristol
SB: 74 Declan Morris, Bristol
Pitching
W: 34 William Barnsley, Leeds
L: 34 Earl Corbett, Belfast
K: 149 Ewan MacFie, Manchester
ERA: 3.36 Brody Leshane, Hull
SV: 12 Michael Banwell, Leicester; John Butterworth, Bristol
Declan Morris, in his third major-league season, dominated the leader boards like no other player before him. He also led the Association in slugging percentage, extra-base hits, total bases, and sacrifice flies.