British Baseball News
Thursday 24 October 1889
Seven contenders are now reduced to four in the Alliance play-offs after the completion of the quarter-final round.
Reigning champions Middlesbrough took on Kensington, winners two years ago, in a repeat of last season's semi-final in which both games were decided by one-run margins, with another close battle expected this year. So it proved in game one, with both teams scoring in the first inning before a tense battle developed. In the third inning, a two-out single from Kensington first baseman Bernard Buck gave his team a 2-1 lead and star pitcher Algernon Shooter was in no mood to relinquish the advantage, going on to earn Kensington a one game lead. In the second game, second choice pitchers Gregory Rabbs of Middlesbrough and Gilbert Murphy of Kensington took to the field, both looking to repeat past strong play-off performances. Sadly for Middlesbrough, Rabbs could not find his best pitches and Kensington scored regularly through the early innings. Murphy on the other hand was strong, allowing just one run and five hits in eight innings of work, leading Kensington to a dominant 11-1 win and ending Middlesbrough's reign as national champions.
The series between Wimbledon and Bath turned out to be extremely well fought, with the first game very similar to the opener between Kensington and Middlesbrough. Just as in that game, both teams scored in the opening inning before the pitchers dominated. It was still 1-1 in the fifth, when with two out, Wimbledon right fielder Peter Wood drove home a run to put his team ahead 2-1. Pitcher Montgomery Allen did the rest of the job, allowing Bath only five hits all day and earning a one game lead. Bath had to win the second game at home and took a third inning lead against Wimbledon's second choice pitcher Stan Dardis, but their own second choice Alf Chatterton stumbled in the fifth, allowing Wimbledon to draw level. By the end of the regulation nine innings it was 2-2 and the game went all the way to the twelfth, where with two out and a runner at third, Wimbledon centre fielder Brian Linnell gave his team a 3-2 lead. Bath tried to respond and in their half of the twelfth got runners on every base with only one out, but Wimbledon held on to win the series in two games.
Game one between Manchester and York also looked set to be close for much of the game, with Manchester opening up a 2-1 lead after three innings and keeping that score until the eighth. It looked as though all three opening games might end 2-1, but in the eighth Manchester added on four runs to take it more comfortably, 6-1. York's hopes therefore rested on second choice pitcher Sidney Davey producing a good performance in game two and he did not let them down. Davey allowed just one run on two hits in the first eight innings, with his team mates scoring single runs in four different innings to take control. Manchester second baseman Benjamin Gulliver gave them hope with a home run to start the ninth, after which Davey left the game, but substitute John Harper finished the game off to level the series.
In game three, first choice pitchers Mark Wood of Manchester and Conal Mulroy of York were back in action. Both were strong, with the game scoreless after six innings, but in the seventh Manchester left fielder George Dallyn thought he might have won the series with a two-out double which scored a runner from first and gave his team the lead. York had to respond and with a runner at first and one out, Manchester decided to take Wood out of the game and bring in replacement William Lee. He gave up a single to the first man he faced and then made a crucial error, allowing York catcher Patrick McEnroe to hit the home run which gave the visitors a 3-1 lead. Manchester did not get a runner on base after that and find themselves eliminated in their first series for their fourth successive play-off appearance. As the lowest seeds, York go on to play top seeded Leicester, who lost both of their exhibition games 2-0 to Putney and Hackney. That leaves Kensington to face Wimbledon in a battle of the London area in the other semi-final.
In other news this week, Glasgow have taken full control of the Celtic Challenge by winning both of their home games against Clonard. In game one they fell behind in the fifth inning when Clonard scored three times, but immediately hit back with six of their own to take control. Two more runs in the seventh gave Glasgow an 8-3 win. Clonard were desperate to win game two to head back to Belfast level and it looked good when they scored six runs in the second inning. Although Glasgow got one back in the fourth, it was still 6-1 heading into the sixth when Glasgow found five runs to tie the score. Clonard were stunned and when they gave up two more in the eighth, they were in real trouble. A lead-off single in the ninth revived a little hope, but Glasgow got through the inning and will take the series if they win Saturday's game in Belfast.