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Haystacks · 10-17-2025, 08:26 AM

Season of 1897
The National Association of Professional Base Ball Clubs

Off-Season Summary
A notable rule change this off-season saw official Association-appointed scorers introduced for all games, ending the long-criticized practice of home clubs assigning their own scorekeepers — a move designed to combat home-field bias in scorekeeping.

Season Summary
The Eastern League saw both Philadelphia clubs start strongest, the Quakers and the Olympics racing ahead through spring.
By midsummer, the New York Union emerged to challenge the Quakers, the two clubs trading places through August as their rivals fell away.

Union swept Pittsburgh in the final series of the season, while the Quakers dropped two crucial games at home to the Olympics — sealing the Eastern Pennant for New York Union.
At the opposite end, Pittsburgh endured their worst campaign, finishing last only three years removed from their championship winning season. Brooklyn languished in ninth once more, and Boston showed modest improvement. The Olympics, despite their form collapsing, claimed their best finish since 1889.

In the West, the St. Louis Browns — now often dubbed the “Beavers” by local papers — started fast, chased by the Colts, Wolverines, and Packers.
Late-June was a struggle for the Beavers, including being swept at the Colts and losses to the Wolverines, saw Detroit rise to the top of the table.

They entered September with a four-game lead and never looked back, clinching their first Western Pennant.

The Colts collapsed to eighth after a promising first half, the Millers suffered their worst year to date, and the Canaries again occupied bottom spot.

League Standings

Eastern League

Code:

W   L   PCT   GB   Team
87  57  .604   -    New York Union
86  58  .597   1.0  Philadelphia Quakers
75  69  .521  12.0  Baltimore Blue Sox
74  70  .514  13.0  Buffalo Bisons
74  70  .514  13.0  Washington Senators
72  72  .500  15.0  New York Empire
68  76  .472  19.0  Philadelphia Olympics
63  81  .438  24.0  Boston Whalers
62  82  .431  25.0  Brooklyn Atlantics
59  85  .410  28.0  Pittsburgh Alleghenys

Western League

Code:

W   L   PCT   GB   Team
91  53  .632   -    Detroit Wolverines
87  57  .604   4.0  St. Louis Beavers
76  68  .528  15.0  Chicago Packers
73  71  .507  18.0  Kansas City Cowboys
72  72  .500  19.0  Chicago Cardinals
70  74  .486  21.0  Cincinnati Originals
68  76  .472  23.0  Milwaukee Creams
67  77  .465  24.0  Cleveland Colts
65  79  .451  26.0  Minneapolis Millers
51  93  .354  40.0  St. Louis Canaries

[HR][/HR]
National Championship Series
Eastern Pennant: New York Union
Western Pennant: Detroit Wolverines
Result: Detroit win series, 4–3
Series Silver Ball: Silas Reading, CF, Detroit

It was a familiar heartbreak for the Union, falling short once more at the final hurdle, while Detroit claimed the National Championship Series on their first appearance.

The series swung back and forth through six tightly contested games, Game 7 saw the Wolverines storm out with five early runs. Despite a sixth inning rally by the Union, ace Shaw Johnson shut the door with a masterful performance on the mound, sealing Detroit’s maiden title.

Batting Leaders (Combined)

Average (AVG)

Clinton Bayman – KC – .389
Allan Forrest – BRK – .386
Isaiah Boyle – NYU – .373
Bert Hecker – CHI – .365
Milton Grisham – DET – .365

Home Runs (HR)

Robert Chevalier – PHI – 18
Timothy Mitchell – BOS – 17
Jimmy Varney – MIN – 17
Charles Garces – BRK – 14
Andrew Robinson – BRK – 10

Runs Batted In (RBI)

Milton Grisham – DET – 131
Joseph Rowry – WAS – 131
John Hill – PIT – 129
John Pyle – BAL – 124

Pitching Leaders (Combined)

Wins (W)

Javon Ephron – DET – 33
Art Philpot – SLB – 33
Joseph Nelson – CHI – 30
Three tied with – 29

Earned Run Average (ERA)

Art Philpot – SLB – 2.58
Julius Mitchell – CHP – 2.72
Shaw Johnson – DET – 2.72
Charles Clay – SLB – 2.81
Javon Ephron – DET – 2.98

Strikeouts (K)

Art Philpot – SLB – 205
Shaw Johnson – DET – 192
Elias Preciado – NYE – 184
George Conway – PHO – 168
Two tied with – 144

Awards & Honors

Eastern League

Most Distinguished Player Medal: Isaiah Boyle (NYU) – .373/.466/.544, 117 RBI, 8.7 WAR
Most Distinguished Hurler Medal: George Robinson (PHI) – 28–20, 3.28 ERA, 414 IP, 8.3 WAR
Most Distinguished Freshman Medal: Rudolph Hackenberry (BUF) – .347/.408/.445, 112 RBI, 3.9 WAR

Western League

Most Distinguished Player Medal: Clinton Bayman (KC) – .389/.464/.618, 121 RBI, 9.2 WAR
Most Distinguished Hurler Medal: Art Philpot (SLB) – 33–16, 2.58 ERA, 439 IP, 13.7 WAR
Most Distinguished Freshman Medal: Homer Glines (CLE) – .360/.400/.492, 93 SB, 109 RBI, 6.1 WAR

[HR][/HR]
Notable Events & Notes

Two heroes of the old Colonels/Canaries dynasty retire:
– Edward King (2B): Debuted 1881, 1,855 games, 2,062 hits, 1,132 RBI, .293 AVG, 6 Championships.
– Jasper Carson (P): Joined 1889 from Baltimore, 252–240, 507 GS, 4,257 IP, 1,756 K, 3.39 ERA, 1 Hurler Medal (1890), 1 Silver Ball (1889), 3 Championships.
James Hall — regarded as the greatest pitcher of his generation — also retires.
Debuted in 1878 with New York Empire, winning four championships and the first two Distinguished Hurler Medals awarded in the East(1886–87). Later joined cross-town rivals New York Union, contributing to their first pennants.
Hall led the league 5 times in wins, 3 in ERA, 2 in innings pitched, and dominated strikeouts every year from 1880–94.
Career totals: 485–308, 868 games, 7090.1 IP, 4,692 K, 3.19 ERA.

6+ Hit Games

05/15/1897 – Andrew Monroe – 7-for-7, RBI vs Kansas City (Chicago)

Hit for the Cycle

06/02/1897 – Hiram Lovett – 4-for-6, HR, 6 RBI vs St. Louis (Detroit)
07/24/1897 – George Hill – 4-for-4, HR, 3 RBI vs Brooklyn (Boston)

Triple Crown Winner

1897 – Art Philpot (SLB): 33–16, 2.58 ERA, 439.0 IP, 205 K – first Triple Crown since 1883.

10-17-2025, 08:26 AM	#37
Haystacks Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jan 2022 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 170	1897 Season Summary Season of 1897 The National Association of Professional Base Ball Clubs Off-Season Summary A notable rule change this off-season saw official Association-appointed scorers introduced for all games, ending the long-criticized practice of home clubs assigning their own scorekeepers — a move designed to combat home-field bias in scorekeeping. Season Summary The Eastern League saw both Philadelphia clubs start strongest, the Quakers and the Olympics racing ahead through spring. By midsummer, the New York Union emerged to challenge the Quakers, the two clubs trading places through August as their rivals fell away. Union swept Pittsburgh in the final series of the season, while the Quakers dropped two crucial games at home to the Olympics — sealing the Eastern Pennant for New York Union. At the opposite end, Pittsburgh endured their worst campaign, finishing last only three years removed from their championship winning season. Brooklyn languished in ninth once more, and Boston showed modest improvement. The Olympics, despite their form collapsing, claimed their best finish since 1889. In the West, the St. Louis Browns — now often dubbed the “Beavers” by local papers — started fast, chased by the Colts, Wolverines, and Packers. Late-June was a struggle for the Beavers, including being swept at the Colts and losses to the Wolverines, saw Detroit rise to the top of the table. They entered September with a four-game lead and never looked back, clinching their first Western Pennant. The Colts collapsed to eighth after a promising first half, the Millers suffered their worst year to date, and the Canaries again occupied bottom spot. League Standings Eastern League Code: W L PCT GB Team 87 57 .604 - New York Union 86 58 .597 1.0 Philadelphia Quakers 75 69 .521 12.0 Baltimore Blue Sox 74 70 .514 13.0 Buffalo Bisons 74 70 .514 13.0 Washington Senators 72 72 .500 15.0 New York Empire 68 76 .472 19.0 Philadelphia Olympics 63 81 .438 24.0 Boston Whalers 62 82 .431 25.0 Brooklyn Atlantics 59 85 .410 28.0 Pittsburgh Alleghenys Western League Code: W L PCT GB Team 91 53 .632 - Detroit Wolverines 87 57 .604 4.0 St. Louis Beavers 76 68 .528 15.0 Chicago Packers 73 71 .507 18.0 Kansas City Cowboys 72 72 .500 19.0 Chicago Cardinals 70 74 .486 21.0 Cincinnati Originals 68 76 .472 23.0 Milwaukee Creams 67 77 .465 24.0 Cleveland Colts 65 79 .451 26.0 Minneapolis Millers 51 93 .354 40.0 St. Louis Canaries [HR][/HR] National Championship Series Eastern Pennant: New York Union Western Pennant: Detroit Wolverines Result: Detroit win series, 4–3 Series Silver Ball: Silas Reading, CF, Detroit It was a familiar heartbreak for the Union, falling short once more at the final hurdle, while Detroit claimed the National Championship Series on their first appearance. The series swung back and forth through six tightly contested games, Game 7 saw the Wolverines storm out with five early runs. Despite a sixth inning rally by the Union, ace Shaw Johnson shut the door with a masterful performance on the mound, sealing Detroit’s maiden title. Batting Leaders (Combined) Average (AVG) Clinton Bayman – KC – .389 Allan Forrest – BRK – .386 Isaiah Boyle – NYU – .373 Bert Hecker – CHI – .365 Milton Grisham – DET – .365 Home Runs (HR) Robert Chevalier – PHI – 18 Timothy Mitchell – BOS – 17 Jimmy Varney – MIN – 17 Charles Garces – BRK – 14 Andrew Robinson – BRK – 10 Runs Batted In (RBI) Milton Grisham – DET – 131 Joseph Rowry – WAS – 131 John Hill – PIT – 129 John Pyle – BAL – 124 Pitching Leaders (Combined) Wins (W) Javon Ephron – DET – 33 Art Philpot – SLB – 33 Joseph Nelson – CHI – 30 Three tied with – 29 Earned Run Average (ERA) Art Philpot – SLB – 2.58 Julius Mitchell – CHP – 2.72 Shaw Johnson – DET – 2.72 Charles Clay – SLB – 2.81 Javon Ephron – DET – 2.98 Strikeouts (K) Art Philpot – SLB – 205 Shaw Johnson – DET – 192 Elias Preciado – NYE – 184 George Conway – PHO – 168 Two tied with – 144 Awards & Honors Eastern League Most Distinguished Player Medal: Isaiah Boyle (NYU) – .373/.466/.544, 117 RBI, 8.7 WAR Most Distinguished Hurler Medal: George Robinson (PHI) – 28–20, 3.28 ERA, 414 IP, 8.3 WAR Most Distinguished Freshman Medal: Rudolph Hackenberry (BUF) – .347/.408/.445, 112 RBI, 3.9 WAR Western League Most Distinguished Player Medal: Clinton Bayman (KC) – .389/.464/.618, 121 RBI, 9.2 WAR Most Distinguished Hurler Medal: Art Philpot (SLB) – 33–16, 2.58 ERA, 439 IP, 13.7 WAR Most Distinguished Freshman Medal: Homer Glines (CLE) – .360/.400/.492, 93 SB, 109 RBI, 6.1 WAR [HR][/HR] Notable Events & Notes Two heroes of the old Colonels/Canaries dynasty retire: – Edward King (2B): Debuted 1881, 1,855 games, 2,062 hits, 1,132 RBI, .293 AVG, 6 Championships. – Jasper Carson (P): Joined 1889 from Baltimore, 252–240, 507 GS, 4,257 IP, 1,756 K, 3.39 ERA, 1 Hurler Medal (1890), 1 Silver Ball (1889), 3 Championships. James Hall — regarded as the greatest pitcher of his generation — also retires. Debuted in 1878 with New York Empire, winning four championships and the first two Distinguished Hurler Medals awarded in the East(1886–87). Later joined cross-town rivals New York Union, contributing to their first pennants. Hall led the league 5 times in wins, 3 in ERA, 2 in innings pitched, and dominated strikeouts every year from 1880–94. Career totals: 485–308, 868 games, 7090.1 IP, 4,692 K, 3.19 ERA. 6+ Hit Games 05/15/1897 – Andrew Monroe – 7-for-7, RBI vs Kansas City (Chicago) Hit for the Cycle 06/02/1897 – Hiram Lovett – 4-for-6, HR, 6 RBI vs St. Louis (Detroit) 07/24/1897 – George Hill – 4-for-4, HR, 3 RBI vs Brooklyn (Boston) Triple Crown Winner 1897 – Art Philpot (SLB): 33–16, 2.58 ERA, 439.0 IP, 205 K – first Triple Crown since 1883.