[tm1681]

1881 A.P.B.L. ALL-STAR GAME
GAME HOSTED BY ORANGE; EXCELSIOR TIES RECORD W/ SIX PLAYERS; RECORD SEVEN GREENHORNS

MANHATTAN, N.Y. (Aug. 1, 1881) – There are fifteen games left to play in the season, and that means it’s time for the annual American Professional Baseball League All-Star Game!

Rosters for the A.P.B.L.’s Midsummer Classic aren’t the same as those in its N.B.B.O. counterpart, but it should be noted that they were changed for this year’s game:

• Twenty-four players per conference
• Roster places 1-4 go to Pitchers – two for each rotation place
• Roster places 5-20 go to Batsmen – two for each position
• Roster places 21-24 go to one Pitcher, Corner Infielder, Middle Infielder, & Outfielder

It was the Metropolitan Conference’s turn to host the game this time around, and since St. John’s won the Founders Cup last year the league champs wouldn’t be hosting for the first time since 1877. The decision was made to grant hosting duties to Orange B.B.C., whose home, the Upper Manhattan Grounds, was a fine venue that held over 12,000 spectators.

Fifteen out of sixteen teams were represented at this year’s game, with 25-50 American deemed unworthy of having any player present. Fourteen teams had multiple players present, while Alleghany was the only team that sent one player to Manhattan.

The Colonial Conference roster was led by St. John’s with five nominees, but Flour City, Niagara, & Shamrock sent four players each. The big surprise in the CC roster was Flour City RF Floyd Hoffman, who had a .208 Average and -0.9 WAR over 142 Plate Appearances in 1880 but was batting .361 (.863 OPS) through 75 games, all starts, in 1881, perhaps the biggest year-to-year improvement in A.P.B.L. history.

Red-hot Excelsior led the Metropolitan Conference with a record-tying six nominees, with 38-37 Knick sending five players, all legitimate All-Stars. The most surprising member of the M.C. roster was Quaker St. CF William Wimple, who logged a Batsman WAR between 0.0 & 1.0 in each of the first three years after his team’s move up from the N.B.B.O., but saw his Average jump eighty points (.241 to .321) and his OPS 152 (.620 to .772) to earn his place among the sport’s best players.

Thanks to the increased roster sizes there were no glaring omissions from the rosters in this year’s All-Star Game. The only big debate was over which Excelsior Pitcher, if either, was deserving to go, because even though both Elmer Seabold (19-14, 3.16) & Jonathan Reitz (22-12, 3.59) had great Win-Loss records their secondary statistics were average by comparison.

Also, due to the increased roster size there was a record number of Greenhorns present at the Upper Manhattan Grounds.

With the Metropolitan Conference hoping to win the game for the fourth consecutive year, these were the All-Star Game rosters, with total All-Star appearances between the pre-1871 N.B.B.O. & A.P.B.L. noted and starters marked red:

Here are the number of nominees who represented each team:

• ALLEGHANY: 1 (Strong)
• AMERICAN: None
• EXCELSIOR: 6 (Blaise, Clark, Hill, Holcombe, Oberst, & Seabold)
• FLOUR CITY: 4 (Breland, Dugas, Hoffman, & Noss)
• GOTHAM: 2 (Johnson & McLaughlin)
• KINGS CO.: 3 (dos Santos, Koonce, & Williams)
• KNICK: 5 (Burns, Dyke, Hathaway, Landreth, & Murray)
• MASS. BAY: 2 (Duke & Quarles)
• NEWARK: 2 (Fetterman & Ratican)
• NIAGARA: 4 (Barrett, Hudspeth, Mukai, & Roper)
• ORANGE: 3 (Cobb, Meier, & Miller)
• PT. JERSEY: 2 (Dixon & Eastman)
• QUAKER ST.: 2 (Durand & Wimple)
• SHAMROCK: 4 (Aldridge, Collier, Dickerson, & Sullivan)
• ST. JOHN’S: 5 (Burns, Cannon, Evans, Jensen, & Nalley)
• TIGER S.C.: 3 (G. Gray, W. Gray, & Prince)

Given their level of performance during June & July, Excelsior deserved a record-tying six All-Stars. They also became the first team ever to send three Greenhorns to the All-Star Game. Knickerbocker & St. John’s both sent five All-Stars, although Knick 1B Gerald Burns was one of the last three named to the M.C. roster.

The seven Greenhorns to be nominated were a new record, although the only starter was Frank Clark. Those seven were part of a class of eighteen first-timers (CC: 7, MC: 11). The elder statesman in Manhattan was Konrad Jensen, who was making his 20th All-Star Game appearance, while Garfield Koonce, Babe Johnson, & Gerald Strong were all in double figures.

As for the game itself, this was how it turned out:

For the fourth consecutive year, the Metropolitan Conference came out on top.

The home side got out to a quick start, scoring twice in B1 on Singles by Excelsior teammates Elijah Hill & Troy Oberst. The Colonial Conference tied the game (2-2) in T4 on a Sacrifice Fly and a Single by Reginald Roper, but the Metropolitan Conference came straight back at the C.C. with a four-run rally featuring two-run Singles by Alfred Williams & William Wimple that gave them a 6-2 lead.

That lead proved to be untouchable. The M.C. went up 7-2 on a one-run Double by Wimple in B6, and after a run-scoring Ground Out brought the visitors back to within four (3-7) in T7, the M.C. sealed the win on a Sacrifice Fly by Wimple in B8.

Wimple, who finished the game with four Runs Batted In, took home a well-earned Most Valuable Player trophy.

• MC SUB William Wimple: 2/2 (2B), 1 R, 4 RBI, SAC FLY, 3 TB

Considering the struggles he had gone through during his first three seasons in the A.P.B.L., making the All-Star Game for the first time and then taking the M.V.P. honor in his debut completes a most fantastic turnaround for Wimple, one of two players, the other being LF Harold Durand, who have been bright spots during an otherwise miserable Quaker St. season.

The pitchers of record were Willie Gray with the Win and Howard Burns with the Loss.

Attendance at the Upper Manhattan Grounds was 12,412, and it was a clear, 78-degree afternoon with winds blowing right to left at 10-15 mph. It was a beautiful afternoon for baseball, and the Metro Conference fans went home happy.