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T.W.C. IX: KNICKERBOCKER VS THE FIELD

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (Aug. 9-18, 1864) – Tucker-Wheaton Cup VIII, the first edition of the new format to go to a single-game playoff, would be a tough act to follow. This was especially true given that the headliner of this year’s edition was the record-setting Knickerbocker B.B.C, which not only had the best record in league history at 57-13 but also set another record by finishing the season ten wins better than any other team in the N.B.B.O.

None of the six entrants were in last year’s T.W.C, but five of the six had postseason experience. Shamrock was entering the playoffs for the fifth time and won the first Round Robin version of the cup. Alleghany was in its fifth postseason and was runner-up in the final playoff version (1861), losing in five games to Kings County. Knickerbocker was runner-up in the famous 1858 edition of the cup, in which they lost at home in Game Five to St. John’s. Jim Creighton and Excelsior took part just two years ago, and Minuteman was a New York League semi-finalist in 1859. Sons of the Ocean was the only team playing extra base ball for the first time, but that was a given since they were a New England team not named St. John’s.

Knickerbocker did enter the cup with that 57-13 record, but that was due to a 31-4 first half. They were “just” 26-9 over the second half, which meant that while Knickerbocker was the clear favorite the competition had a little sliver of hope. Three of the other five teams – Alleghany, Excelsior, & Shamrock – were 7-3 over their final ten games, so they had some good form backing them up as they began the competition. The two teams who had reason to worry were Minuteman & Sons of the Ocean, who were both 5-5 over the final two weeks of the season.

Last year’s cup featured offensive juggernauts. Flour City, Kings County, & St. John’s entered as three of the five clubs ever to score 600+ runs in a season, and K.C. had just set a new single-season record with 645 (9.2 R/G). This year’s cup was all about pitching & defense. Knickerbocker had just set the new record for fewest runs allowed with 317 (4.5 R/G) and had the legendary John McGowan pitching for them along with five-star newcomer Peadar Daly. Excelsior, of course, had Jim Creighton, but they also had one-time 23-game winner Harry Nilsson. Minuteman had James Goodman, who had finally figured it all out. Shamrock had All-Star Rainer van der Hout. Alleghany had a pair of 20-game winners: Fred Richards & Willie Hall. S.o.t.O’s Charlie Mitchell had won 23 games with a sub-3 E.R.A.

When it came time to play ball, there was one obvious question: Who would win, Knickerbocker, or the field?

1865 TUCKER WHEATON CUP STANDINGS

TEAM			W	L	R	RA	 RD
KNICKERBOCKER	        7	3	67	35	+32
EXCELSIOR		6	4	54	43	+11
ALLEGHANY		6	4	82	67	+15
S.o.t.O.		6	4	57	65	 -8
SHAMROCK		5	5	55	55	  0
MINUTEMAN		0	10	39	90	-51
EXC was 3-1 vs ALL & S.o.t.O.
ALL was 2-2 vs EXC & S.o.t.O.
S.o.t.O. was 1-3 vs ALL & EXC

John McGowan (P, KNI) – 5-0, 1.80 ERA, 50.0 IP, 5 CG, 2 BB, 6 K, 1.06 WHIP, 0.4 BB/9, 1.1 K/9
194 ERA+, 3.14 FIP, 0.6 WPA, 1.0 WAR, 2.4 R9-WAR in 6 GS

Knickerbocker did indeed beat the field but it was the closest Tucker-Wheaton Cup to date, with no less than five of six teams in contention until Gameday Ten, when Knickerbocker finally sealed its first cup triumph by crushing Minuteman.

For neutral observers who found last year’s cup competition to be the most exciting, this year’s Tucker-Wheaton Cup put that one to shame. Aside from the incredibly unfortunate Minuteman, five teams were 3-2 after Gameday Five and the top five were all within a single win of each other after Gameday Six, Seven, Eight, & Nine. Only two times after Gameday Two was there a sole leader: Sons of the Ocean at 5-2 after Gameday Seven and Knickerbocker at the end of the final day.

As expected, Tucker Wheaton Cup IX was a much more defensive affair than its predecessor. The historic offenses on display last year resulted in an average of 8.7 R/G, a full 20% above the N.B.B.O’s regular season average of 7.2. This year’s edition saw the teams average just 5.9 R/G, nearly 15% below the regular season average of 6.9. Every team except Minuteman allowed fewer runs than any of last year’s entrants. Single-game pitching records – regular season included – were broken, and on one day all three Player of the Game winners were pitchers.

As they did in the regular season, Knickerbocker defeated the competition with pitching & defense, setting the Round Robin record by allowing 3.5 runs per game. Their team E.R.A. during the competition was also record-setting at 2.04, and they held opponents to three or fewer runs in four of the last five games, including a shutout on Gameday Nine.

Excelsior, as one might imagine, was led by Jim Creighton, who struck out an unbelievable 32 batsmen in 40.2 innings of work, including an all-time record nine in a single game. He was also 6/14 with the bat. Excelsior entered the competition with the best offense in the N.Y.L. but were actually fifth out of six in runs, which was ultimately their undoing as they scored a total of seven runs across their four losses.

Alleghany was the opposite of Excelsior. Their offense was great, with a cup-leading 82 runs, but what doomed them was their pitching. They lost twice via walk-off runs, the difference between a 6-4 3rd place finish and an 8-2 cup triumph. They were led by first-year star Royal Altman, who put in the best batting performance of any player under the new format. Arran Duffy (18/43, 12 R.B.I.) & Samuel Kessler (17/48, 9 R.B.I.) were also excellent.

Sons of the Ocean finished fourth, but they were even with Knickerbocker atop the standings going into the final day. Their pitching & defense was brilliant in their wins, only allowing 20 runs across their six victories. A 17-4 bludgeoning by Alleghany made their final cup product look worse than it really was, and for six innings on Gameday Ten it looked like the playoff debutants just might force their way into a one-game playoff for the cup.

Shamrock was a dead-even cup team: five wins, five losses, 55 runs scored, & 55 runs allowed. They were 1-1 against Alleghany, Excelsior, & S.o.t.O. while winning both games against last-place Minuteman and losing both against 1st-place Knickerbocker. Rainer van der Hout (4-1, 2.66 E.R.A, 1.09 W.H.I.P.) was outstanding, but their other pitchers really struggled. Old hand Daragh Adams (9 R.B.I.) was their best batsman.

Minuteman suffered a number of close defeats in the first half of the competition, it ripped the confidence out of them, and they then proceeded to be crushed at the end of the Tucker-Wheaton Cup. They suffered no less than five one-run losses – three in the first five games – and a pair of two-run losses, and as a result they were mentally drained and ready to go home.

The Most Valuable Player of Tucker-Wheaton Cup IX was, not surprisingly, a pitcher: the legendary John McGowan of Knickerbocker. He was 5-0 with an E.R.A. under 2.00, which raised his record in T.W.C. Round Robin play to a simply unimaginable 15-0. His statistical record since the new format began:

• 1862 (STJ): 6 GS, 5-0, 2.89 ERA, 53.0 IP, 5 CG, 10 BB, 9 K, 1.30 WHIP, 137 ERA+ 0.7 WAR, 1.4 R9-WAR, Runner-up
• 1863 (STJ): 5 GS, 5-0, 3.07 ERA, 44.0 IP, 4 CG, 9 BB, 5 K, 1.30 WHIP, 129 ERA+, 0.8 WAR, 1.7 R9-WAR, Champion
• 1864 (KNI): Knickerbocker did not make the Tucker-Wheaton Cup
• 1865 (KNI): 6 GS, 5-0, 1.80 ERA, 50.0 IP, 5 CG, 2 BB, 6 K, 1.06 WHIP, 194 ERA+, 1.0 WAR, 2.4 R9-WAR, Champion
• TOTAL: 17 GS, 15-0, 2.57 ERA, 147.0 IP, 14 CG, 21 BB, 20 K, 1.22 WHIP, 154 ERA+, 2.5 WAR, 5.5 R9-WAR, 2x Champ

The fact that McGowan has now gone 5-0 at the Tucker-Wheaton Cup with two different teams has cemented his status as an undeniable base ball legend.

If McGowan had not gone 5-0 yet again, or a couple of results had swung Alleghany’s way and they were lifting the cup instead of Knickerbocker, the M.V.P. award would have gone to Royal Altman. The first-year outfielder showed zero nerves whatsoever, putting in what was the best ten-game performance by a batsman seen in Round Robin play:

• .521 AVG (25/48), 1.281 OPS, 9 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 14 R, 11 RBI, 1 BB, 4 SB, 226 WRC+, 257 OPS+, 0.85 WPA, 1.0 WAR

He had hits in all ten cup games, multiple hits in seven of them, and 3+ hits six times. He scored four runs on Gameday Eight, and scored multiple runs in five games. It was a historic performance overshadowed by a legendary one.