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BallFan · 09-02-2012, 01:50 PM

From the DAILY BASEBALL:

Oct. 15, 1915: The first era of The Baseball League came to an end today, as telegraphs came in within minutes of each other that confirmed what was long rumored: Daniel Church and Carlos Bernal have retired. The two, who are expected to be elected into the "Hall of Fame" when they have been retired five years, have their names written upon the record books more than perhaps any others.

Bernal, 38 and a veteran of 15 seasons split between Boston, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Buffalo and brief one-game stints in Cincinnati and Newark, remains the TBL leader in career batting average, at .335. His 2511 hits are hundreds more than his next closest competitor, and his single-season mark of 237 in 1904 also still stands. Although never one with power- the vast majority of his hits were singles- he still had the ability to come up in the clutch, and he is fifth in career RBIs at 810. In his final seasons, he became more of a bench player, rarely seen. The Buffalo Upstatesmen signed him late in 1915- he had remained unsigned- as an attempt to boost up attendance for the bottom-rung team and as a way to give Bernal one more shot to prove himself. Although he went a disappointing 8 for 54, few will forget the chills as he doffed his cap to the appreciative masses during his final game. Bernal, who was named to 11 All-Star Games, 6 Outstanding Hitter awards and the 1901 OC Newcomer of the Year awrd, is reportedly considering going into coaching.

Unlike Bernal, who he was teammates with briefly for the 1913 Buffalo Upstatesmen, Church never truly lost his edge, and only retired after this season due to a UCL tear that ended his season, where he had been pitching with Cleveland. He finishes his career with a 324-216 record, a 2.15 ERA, 456 complete games, 59 shutouts and 2241 strike outs. He hold a record in most of these categories and is in the conversation for the others. An 8-time All-Star and 5-time Outstanding Pitcher Award winner (there is already some discussion of renaming the award after Church), Church also won the Big Series in 1910 while with Boston, fulfilling the prediction of his catcher, Mike Williams, that he would not give up an earned run to any position player (Manhattan pitcher Min Tranh-Dinh hit a solo home run).

Church, 40, is also expected to become a coach.

09-02-2012, 01:50 PM	#10
BallFan Minors (Double A) Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 144	Church and Bernal retire From the DAILY BASEBALL: Oct. 15, 1915: The first era of The Baseball League came to an end today, as telegraphs came in within minutes of each other that confirmed what was long rumored: Daniel Church and Carlos Bernal have retired. The two, who are expected to be elected into the "Hall of Fame" when they have been retired five years, have their names written upon the record books more than perhaps any others. Bernal, 38 and a veteran of 15 seasons split between Boston, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Buffalo and brief one-game stints in Cincinnati and Newark, remains the TBL leader in career batting average, at .335. His 2511 hits are hundreds more than his next closest competitor, and his single-season mark of 237 in 1904 also still stands. Although never one with power- the vast majority of his hits were singles- he still had the ability to come up in the clutch, and he is fifth in career RBIs at 810. In his final seasons, he became more of a bench player, rarely seen. The Buffalo Upstatesmen signed him late in 1915- he had remained unsigned- as an attempt to boost up attendance for the bottom-rung team and as a way to give Bernal one more shot to prove himself. Although he went a disappointing 8 for 54, few will forget the chills as he doffed his cap to the appreciative masses during his final game. Bernal, who was named to 11 All-Star Games, 6 Outstanding Hitter awards and the 1901 OC Newcomer of the Year awrd, is reportedly considering going into coaching. Unlike Bernal, who he was teammates with briefly for the 1913 Buffalo Upstatesmen, Church never truly lost his edge, and only retired after this season due to a UCL tear that ended his season, where he had been pitching with Cleveland. He finishes his career with a 324-216 record, a 2.15 ERA, 456 complete games, 59 shutouts and 2241 strike outs. He hold a record in most of these categories and is in the conversation for the others. An 8-time All-Star and 5-time Outstanding Pitcher Award winner (there is already some discussion of renaming the award after Church), Church also won the Big Series in 1910 while with Boston, fulfilling the prediction of his catcher, Mike Williams, that he would not give up an earned run to any position player (Manhattan pitcher Min Tranh-Dinh hit a solo home run). Church, 40, is also expected to become a coach. __________________