[FuzzyRussianHat]

At the all-star break in 1886, the top two records in Major League Baseball are both in the American League West Division. Chicago entered June four games behind Milwaukee, but the White Sox raced into first place with a 19-8 month. Chicago also took the final two games before the break over the Brewers, putting the White Sox at 52-31 with Milwaukee 51-32.

Boston gained ground on most of the AL East, but their lead still shrank to only 3.5 games at 49-34. Philadelphia made the charge into second at 45-37 with an 11-game winning streak in mid-June. New York is third at 43-40 while Cleveland dropped below .500 to 41-42.

Pittsburgh built up a solid four game lead in the National League East at 46-37 with Boston (42-41) and Buffalo (41-41) next. The West has Indianapolis (47-34), St. Louis (47-36), and Louisville (46-37) all right together. The Cardinals lost ground going 2-8 in their last ten, while the Colonels were the inverse 8-2. Chicago at 43-40 is still in the hunt. New Orleans meanwhile went from one out of first to ten back, dropping to 38-45 after a putrid 6-22 run in June.

AL Batter of the Month for June was Boston’s Sam Thompson with a .336 average, 36 hits, 12 home runs, 30 RBI, and 23 runs. Meanwhile, St. Louis CF Hugh Duffy was the month’s top rookie with 29 hits, 12 homers, 17 runs, and 27 RBI. Duffy and Thompson are in an intense home run race with 31 for Thompson and 33 for Duffy. Only two others in the majors have 20+ homers. Duffy had a three-homer game on May 31 against Chicago and another on July 17 against New York, becoming the first player to achieve the feat twice in a season.

AL’s Pitcher of the Month with Baltimore’s Guy Hecker with a 5-1 record, 53 innings, and 32 strikeouts with a 2.38 ERA. NL Batter of the Month was New York RF George Wood with a .402 average, 31 RBI, and 25 runs. The top pitcher was Indianapolis’s Perry Werden with a 5-1 record, 53.1 innings, 1.01 ERA, and 22 Ks. The top rookie was Louisville’s Ledell Titcomb on the mound with a 1.93 ERA in 46.2 innings with 41 Ks.



On June 14, White Sox C Dan Sullivan was the fourth player to have a six-hit game and the first of 1886, doing it facing Detroit. Minnesota’s Toad Ramsey had his second 15 strikeout game on June 15 over 13 innings in a marathon with Kansas City. In injury news, Athletics shortstop Mike Moynahan is out for the season with a broken bone in his elbow.