July 1893 - End of Season
England - First Division
Guess what?
Blackburn Rovers win their second English championship! The Rovers ended the season by going 10-5-3 in July, including completing a decisive sweep against Everton. Playing at Leamington Road was key for the Lancashire outfit, with their record there being 31-10-4 compared to 24-16-5 away from home. They were just the 8th best offensive team, with players like CF Leon Taylor (.301/.435/.453) and RF Lenny Mills (.323/.400/.460) standing out but ultimately falling short of any awards. Their pitching was what took them all the way, as they were the 2nd best rotation, allowing a 2.92 ERA. Their ERA slightly fell to 2.53 at home. We saw the breakout of Peter Neilson, who started 33 games, winning 21 of them. The Londoner had a 2.22 ERA, 1.16 WHIP with 78 strikeouts through 288 innings.
Award winners:
Player of the Year: RHP Peter Neilson - Blackburn - 1st time - 21-7, 288.0 IP, 1.16 WHIP, 78 K, 79 BB
Neilson was: 1st in W, WHIP, shutouts and WAR; 2nd in QS; 4th in IP, K, ERA
Pitcher of the Year: RH Peter Neilson - Blackburn - 1st time
Young Player of the Year: CF Danny Hodder - 23 - Bolton - 1st time - .318/.388/.479, 25 2B, 10 3B, 3 HR, 63 RBI, 5 SB
Hodder was: 1st in 2B, 3rd in RBI, led qualified U23 players in all categories
Team of the Year
C Sean Bernerd - 4th - Preston - .329/.491/.420, 8 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 42 RBI, 1 SB
1B Bill Cairns - 1st - Blackburn - .334/.441/.448, 11 2B, 5 3B, 4 HR, 41 RBI, 2 SB
2B Ryan Peters - 1st - Burton - .324/.379/.427, 16 2B, 6 3B, 2 HR, 39 RBI, 7 SB
3B Andrew Oldham - 1st - Ardwick - .327/.407/.420, 16 2B, 6 3B, 2 HR, 61 RBI, 6 SB
SS Aidan Hunter - 3rd - Derby - .306/.381/.482, 15 2B, 6 3B, 11 HR, 65 RBI, 1 SB
LF Mo Humphreys - 1st - Stoke - .308/.432/.446, 16 2B, 9 3B, 4 HR, 45 RBI, 61 SB
CF Paul Brodie - 3rd - West Brom - .317/.407/.518, 23 2B, 13 3B, 4 HR, 46 RBI, 37 SB
RF Mason Price - 4th - Wolves - .304/.450/.569, 14 2B, 4 3B, 19 HR, 73 RBI, 5 SB
P Peter Neilson - 1st - Blackburn
England - Second Division
The trial matches were won by Rotherham (2-1 vs Newton Heath), Grimsby (2-1 vs Sunderland) and Sheffield United (2-1 vs Lincoln). All three have been promoted to the First Division.
Global Awards
Ballon d'Or and Pitcher Award: RHP Peter Neilson - 1st (both) - Blackburn
U21 Player Award: RHP Colm Ibrahim - 1st - Newton Heath - 1-0, 13.1 IP, 2.02 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 0 K, 9 BB