1885
They may have a new name but it was the same result for the National League's Brooklyn franchise. Now known as the Grays instead of the Atlantics - a moniker they carried since the league began in 1871 - Brooklyn repeated as league champs by finishing 2 games ahead of Cincinnati.
There was also a new nickname for the Louisville franchise in the American League. After 3 years known as the Eclipse, the team is now the Louisville Colonels. Unfortunately, it was once again close but not quite good enough for Louisville as they finished second in the American League, 7 games back of the Cleveland Blues. Three-time defending champion Philadelphia ended up third.
The Blues won their first pennant since 1880 and were led by a pair of rookie pitchers in 21 year old Toad Ramsey (39-17, 1.64) and 18 year old Mickey Hughes (39-14, 2.22). Ramsay was especially dominant as the Indianapolis native fanned a major league record 373 hitters.
1885 WORLD SERIES
This marks the 7th World Series appearance for Brooklyn while the Blues are making their third trip to the series. Cleveland won both of it's previous World Series including 1879 when they beat the Atlantics, as Brooklyn was formerly known.
This series would also be dominated by Cleveland as the Blues won in 5 games thanks to strong pitching from Hughes and Ramsey. Hughes won both of his starts while allowing just 2 earned runs in 17 innings to earn the series MVP honours. Ramsey also won a pair of games and fanned 13 Brooklyn batters in 21 innings of work.
In real life Ramsey pitched for 5 years in the American Association and is sometimes credited as the inventor of the knuckleball. An injury in his youth had severed the tendon of the index finger on his pitching hand leaving him with a natural knuckleball motion to his pitches. Mickey Hughes had a very short major league career, but his rookie season he earned 25 victories for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. In all he would win just 39 games over 3 seasons. His younger brother Jay Hughes was also a major league pitcher who threw a no-hitter in 1898.
1885 WESTERN LEAGUE
The Western League's second season featured an incredibly tight race as all 8 teams finished within 5 games of each other. In the end the same two clubs as last season made the playoffs but this time Toledo was first and Kansas City was second. A year ago the second place Blue Stockings upended the Cowboys in the Western Series but this time Kansas City turned the tables by beating the league champs 3 games to one.
Adding this extra league to give some of the fringe players a place to play is already paying dividends as I see that former American League star Al Spalding has found a home in Kansas City after his career seemed washed up in the major leagues. Spalding was the first overall pick in the 1871 startup draft by the Philadelphia Athletics and won 162 games in the major leagues along with 2 pitcher of the year awards and a world championship. He lost his starting job in 1877 and bounced around the majors for the next 8 years, spending most of his time on reserve rosters, before finding a home in Kansas City this season.