THE BASEBALL ALLIANCE: Baseball in the British Isles

[joefromchicago]

THE 1870s IN REVIEW

DOMINION ASSOCIATION



Decade record: 366-446, .451 (15 of 16)
Best finish: 1872 (39-31, 3rd place)
Worst finish: 1879 (36-62, 8th place)
Pennants: none
Wooden spoons: 2 (1873, 1879)
Market size: 7
Attendance: 524,973 (14 of 16)

Outstanding Hitter awards: 1 -- Thomas Cranfield (1871)
Outstanding Pitcher awards: 1 -- Henry Hemmingway (1872)
Best hitter: William Speake (1870-79): .312, 6 HR, 433 RBI
Best pitcher: Henry Hemingway (1870-77): 91-94, 2.14 ERA



Decade record: 416-396, .512 (5 of 16)
Best finish: 1875 (53-31, 1st place)
Worst finish: 1871 (31-39, 7th place)
Pennants: 1 (1875)
BA Cups: 1 (1875)
Wooden spoons: none
Market size: 7
Attendance: 593,639 (11 of 16)

Outstanding Hitter awards: none
Outstanding Pitcher awards: none
Best hitter: John Reeves (1870-75): .299, 3 HR, 198 RBI
Best pitcher: Bob Hollett (1874-79): 83-78, 1.82 ERA



Decade record: 383-429, .472 (12 of 16)
Best finish: 1876 (43-41, 3rd place)
Worst finish: 1872 (24-46, 8th place)
Pennants: none
Wooden spoons: 1 (1872)
Market size: 18
Attendance: 726,474 (4 of 16)

Outstanding Hitter awards: none
Outstanding Pitcher awards: none
Best hitter: Charlie "Wagon Tongue" Shield (1872-79): .308, 7 HR, 388 RBI
Best pitcher: Cameron Gadd (1870-77): 85-100, 2.35 ERA



Decade record: 438-375, .539 (3 of 16)
Best finish: 1877 (51-33, 1st place)
Worst finish: 1872 (31-39, 7th place)
Pennants: 2 (1870, 1877)
BA Cups: none
Wooden spoons: none
Market size: 12 (1870-72), 13 (1873-79)
Attendance: 789,314 (3 of 16)

Outstanding Hitter awards: 2 -- Finnegan Singleton (1870), Ron Collins (1878)
Outstanding Pitcher awards: 2 -- Oscar Quarton (1870), Gareth Cheriton (1877)
Best hitter: Cameron MacIntyre (1870-79): .326, 1 HR, 369 RBI
Best pitcher: Gareth Cheriton (1870-79): 113-95, 1.88 ERA

[joefromchicago]

1870s IN REVIEW

DOMINION ASSOCIATION (continued)



Decade record: 362-451, .445 (16 of 16)
Best finish: 1870 (40-31, 2nd place)
Worst finish: 1875 (28-56, 8th place)
Pennants: none
Wooden spoons: 5 (1871, 1875-78)
Market size: 12 (1870-77), 13 (1878-79)
Attendance: 655,060 (8 of 16)

Outstanding Hitter awards: 2 -- Hugh Burton (1875, 1877)
Outstanding Pitcher awards: none
Best hitter: Michael Turnbull (1873-78): .313, 2 HR, 170 RBI
Best pitcher: John Browning (1870-73): 78-62, 2.50 ERA



Decade record: 404-408, .498 (8 of 16)
Best finish: 1871 (46-24, 1st place)
Worst finish: 1874 (28-46, 8th place)
Pennants: 1 (1871)
BA Cups: none
Wooden spoons: 1 (1874)
Market size: 10 (1870-78), 11 (1879)
Attendance: 644,022 (9 of 16)

Outstanding Hitter awards: none
Outstanding Pitcher awards: 4 --Michael Mitchell (1871, 1875), Danny O'Friel (1878-79)
Best hitter: Matt Barefoot (1872-79): .292, 6 HR, 327 RBI
Best pitcher: Michael "Chaucer" Mitchell (1870-76): 150-154, 1.90 ERA



Decade record: 483-330, .594 (1 of 16)
Best finish: 1873 (43-27, 1st place)
Worst finish: 1870 (32-38, 6th place)
Pennants: 6 (1872-74, 1876, 1878-79)
BA Cups: 3 (1874, 1876, 1878)
Wooden spoons: none
Market size: 14 (1870), 13 (1871-76), 12 (1877-79)
Attendance: 831,050 (1 of 16)

Outstanding Hitter awards: 5 -- James Granger (1872), Connor Ayling (1873-74, 1876, 1879)
Outstanding Pitcher awards: 1 -- Stewart Spencer (1873)
Best hitter: Connor "Plumber" Ayling (1873-79): .355, 11 HR, 456 RBI
Best pitcher: Stewart "Deek" Spencer (1870-79): 173-108, 2.33 ERA



Decade record: 398-415, .490 (10 of 16)
Best finish: 1874 (48-37, 2nd place)
Worst finish: 1870 (28-42, 8th place)
Pennants: none
Wooden spoons: 1 (1870)
Market size: 9 (1870-75), 10 (1876-79)
Attendance: 690,948 (5 of 16)

Outstanding Hitter awards: none
Outstanding Pitcher awards: 1 -- Alexander Sewell (1874)
Best hitter: Ryan Baikie (1870-79): .300, 14 HR, 507 RBI
Best pitcher: Alexander Sewell (1870-76): 128-104, 2.15 ERA

[joefromchicago]

1880 MID-SEASON

A chaotic situation developed in the Dominion Association pennant race, as all eight teams were in the running at the midsummer break. Islington, behind the torrid hitting of second baseman Tobias Purcell and the pitching of George Carruders, led for most of the way in the early going, but staggered into the break, losing eight of eleven, including four straight at Bristol. The Dockers, led by starting pitcher Trevor Lewry, had been shadowing Islington, and slipped into first when the Owls and Millers stumbled. Manchester had briefly supplanted Islington at the top of the ladder, but the Millers suffered from a rash of injuries, none more serious than that to Connor "Plumber" Ayling, who went down with a pulled hamstring at the end of May that likely will sideline him until late July. Glasgow started slowly, but picked up steam in June. Starting pitcher Robert Home, who is with his fourth team in four years and has earned the sobriquet Robert "Homeless," became the Gaelics' mainstay in the box, winning fifteen of twenty-three decisions. The rest of the Association was right behind the leader, with last place Lambeth within shouting distance of first place.

In the Empire League, Birmingham was the early frontrunner, led by sophomore starter Duggan Orpwood, acquired last year from Bradford. Orpwood, however, went down with a sore shoulder at the end of June, which put the Blue Stockings into a blue funk as they dropped seven of their next eleven going into the all-star break. Dublin and defending Cup holders Salford made runs at the lead, but it was Liverpool, behind the pitching duo of Franklin Trenwith and Connor Parton, who came out on top. Westminster started disastrously, losing their first six games, but they righted their ship in May, and a strong finish to the first half put them in second place. Finnbar O'Kinneally led the hitters with a .310 average, and Marmaduke Kirkman was the workhorse in the box, winning seventeen of thirty-one decisions. London's William Gurston led all hitters with a .318 mark, but the Bulldogs lost the services of Michael Cluett, felled by a recurrence of an abdominal injury that put him out of action for six weeks, and that doomed the Londons to last place.



Bradford's Pollard Lane Field played host to its first All-Star Game, and it proved to be the most one-sided affair to date. The visiting Dominions scored four in the second, another four in the fifth, and five in the sixth, to establish a 13-0 lead en route to a 14-1 thrashing of the League's best. Glasgow second baseman and game MVP Charlie "Wagon Tongue" Shield and Lambeth outfielder Henry Ayling each had three hits for the winners, and Sheffield catcher Gael Yeoman scored three times. Birmingham catcher Cataldo Cortesini was the only Empire who distinguished himself in the losing effort, going three-for-five with two doubles.

[joefromchicago]

1880 FINAL

As the pennant race in the Empire League stabilized, it became more confused in the Dominion Association. Bristol took control of the competition in the wake of the All-Star Game, going 13-2 after resumption of play. The Dockers were the beneficiaries of Trevor Lewry's (30-17, 1.54 ERA) best season in his four-year major league career. But Bristol's porous defense and the lackluster performance of Lewry's backup, Bob Hollett (10-27, 2.21 ERA), who won only one of his last fourteen decisions, sowed the seeds of the Dockers' ultimate destruction. In August, Bristol collapsed like the Tay River Bridge, and went 9-22 the rest of the way, finally settling in a third-place tie. As Bristol sputtered, Manchester surged. In a year when pitching dominated, the Millers proved that good hitting could still win games. James Granger (.305, 1 HR, 44 RBI) and Danny Chambless (.303, 3 HR, 49 RBI) led the hitting, and Connor "Plumber" Ayling (.340, 3 HR, 41 RBI) contributed big numbers despite missing forty games with a strained hamstring. Rookie Allan "Gummy" Durrans (10-3, 1.72 ERA) was a big part of Manchester's resurgence, winning seven straight games in the final month, but, as a September call-up, wasn't eligible to participate in the postseason. Islington had the Association's best hitter in Tobias Purcell (.318, 1 HR, 47 RBI), but Ron Collins (.280, 0 HR, 26 RBI) lost thirty-six games to injuries, which meant that the Owls couldn't take advantage of Bristol's slide.

In the Empire League's second half, Liverpool maintained the lead they had established prior to the midsummer hiatus. The Argonauts did it despite suffering a spate of injuries that had manager Thomas Cayzer constantly juggling his lineups. Robert Burman (.277, 3 HR, 44 RBI) managed to play the entire season behind the plate, and the addition of Lou Wyman (.297, 0 HR, 40 RBI) from Manchester in May added some ginger to the offense. Meanwhile, the pitching tandem of Franklin Trenwith (27-20, 1.49 ERA) and Connor Parton (23-16, 1.53 ERA) headed a pitching staff that held opposing hitters to a miserly .227 batting average. Westminster, London, and Dublin all ended up tied for second place. London and Dublin made it there by playing well at the end of the season, while Westminster dropped into it by playing poorly. The Peers featured Marmaduke Kirkman (34-27, 1.54 ERA) in the box and Fionnbar O'Kinneally (.300, 2 HR, 41 RBI) at the plate, but they were hit particularly hard by the Alliance-wide drop-off in hitting. In his fourth year in the League, London outfielder William Gurston (.311, 2 HR, 55 RBI) finally came into his own as one of the best hitters in the majors, but the Bulldogs suffered when veteran slugger Michael Cluett (.324, 1 HR, 29 RBI) missed a total of twenty-nine games with a series of injuries. Dublin put together a fine, if unspectacular offense, led by Chris Phelps (.275, 4 HR, 55 RBI), but inconsistent pitching and a porous defense prevented the Shamrocks from advancing further. Defending Cup holders Salford saw the bottom drop out of their pitching staff, with George Templeman's (28-20, 2.13 ERA) performance offset by Elvis Ventura's (8-18, 2.87 ERA) disappointing season.



1880 CUP FINALS SERIES: LIVERPOOL v. MANCHESTER

Fairfield Park in Manchester played host to its seventh BA Cup Finals Series. Liverpool drew first blood, scoring twice in the first, but Manchester tied it by the fourth inning at two apiece. It stayed that way through the end of regulation play, as starters Trenwith and Stewart "Deek" Spencer (27-16, 1.85 ERA) pitched into extra innings. In the tenth, Spencer reached first on an error by Rhett Connor (.235, 1 HR, 24 RBI). Two batters later, Harry Kerry (.276, 1 HR, 17 RBI), who missed three months of the regular season with a hamstring injury, hit a triple to deep right field, scoring Spencer and winning the game, 3-2. The next day, Liverpool scored first again, but Manchester fought back, taking the lead with one run in the fourth and then putting it away with three runs in the sixth. Starters Parton and Duggan Orpwood (15-12, 1.42 ERA), acquired by Manchester in August after he was released by Birmingham, each pitched five-hitters. The difference: Liverpool's seven errors, which contributed to all but one of the Millers' runs. The next game was the first postseason contest at Liverpool's Salthouse Park. The Argos erased a 1-0 deficit in the bottom of the first by scoring twice, and then added one in the third. Each team scored two more before it was all over, as the home team prevailed 5-3. Trenwith scattered ten hits -- four of them by Granger. In game four, the Millers got only eight hits, but six of them were doubles, two off the bat of Chambless. Orpwood, meanwhile, held the home team to four singles, and Manchester skated to a 6-1 victory. The Argonauts came back in game five, banging out thirteen hits and driving Miller starter Robert Young (11-7, 1.41 ERA) out of the box. Liverpool's Trenwith, in contrast, limited the Millers to seven hits, and held on for an 8-2 complete game win. Back in Manchester for game six, and the Millers left no doubt who would wear the BA crown for 1880. The home team scored three times in the first, and by the time Argo starter Trenwith was knocked out of the box in the sixth, the Millers had scored five more times. Spencer, meanwhile, stymied the Liverpool lineup, giving up a mere five hits. In the end, the scoreboard read 11-2 in favor of Manchester, and the Millers captured their fourth Cup. Don Dinsmore (.255, 3 HR, 29 RBI) and Brad Mayne (.252, 0 HR, 46 RBI) had four hits apiece for the winners, while Kerry's .346 average, coupled with six runs scored and six RBI, earned him the MVP honors for the second time.

THE MINORS

The Oldham Athletics won the Southern Conference for the second year in a row and defeated the Preston Wasps, Newcastle's affiliate, for the Second Tier Trophy.

ALLIANCE LEADERS

Empire League
Hitting
BA: .311 William Gurston, London
HR: 4 Chris Phelps, Dublin
RBI: 55 William Gurston, London; Chris Phelps, Dublin
R: 62 Robert Burman, Liverpool; Andrew Oldreive, Birmingham
SB: 38 Michael "Uncle" Minto, Dublin
Pitching
W: 34 Marmaduke Kirkman, Westminster
L: 27 Marmaduke Kirkman, Westminster
K: 251 Marmaduke Kirkman, Westminster
ERA: 1.39 Duggan Orpwood, Birmingham
SV: 4 Cillian MacClure, Westminster; Norbert Parry, London

Gurston came within two home runs of winning the triple crown.

Dominion Association
Hitting
BA: .318 Tobias Purcell, Islington
HR: 3 three players
RBI: 60 Murray Paisley, Sheffield
R: 74 James Granger, Manchester
SB: 29 Duane Nelson, Belfast
Pitching
W: 30 Trevor Lewry, Bristol
L: 27 Bob Hollett, Bristol; Robert Turnock, Belfast
K: 241 George Carrudders, Islington
ERA: 1.31 Finnan Boyton, Leeds
SV: 5 Robert Bridgen, Glasgow

Kirkman and Carrudders both set records for most strikeouts in their respective circuits.

[joefromchicago]

1880-81 OFF-SEASON

AWARDS

Empire League
Hitter: William Gurston, London (.311, 2 HR, 55 RBI, 53 R, .418 SLG)
Pitcher: Marmaduke Kirkman, Westminster (34-27, 1.54 ERA, 519.2 IP, 251 K)
Manager: Albert Francombe, Liverpool (56-42, 1st place)
Rookie: Dylan "Germany" Withecombe, Newcastle (24-24, 1.84 ERA, 400.1 IP, 115 K)

Dominion Association
Hitter: Tobias Purcell, Islington (.318, 1 HR, 47 RBI, 69 R, .419 SLG)
Pitcher: Trevor Lewry, Bristol (30-17, 1.54 ERA, 419.2 IP, 143 K)
Manager: Billy Inge, Manchester (59-39, 1st place)
Rookie: Aaron "Fatty" Trethewey, Sheffield (24-22, 2.10 ERA, 407 IP, 156 K)

Francombe, let go by Manchester last year in a salary dispute, won his fourth managerial award and first with Liverpool. Inge, the longtime manager of the Bulldogs, won his second Cup and first manager of the year award.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

On 27 April, Salford's George Templeman became the first pitcher to record eleven strikeouts in a single game. He did it against Newcastle.

ALLIANCE NEWS

It was a busy couple of days at the Alliance's annual winter meeting in Brighton. Bowing to increasingly strident complaints about dwindling batting averages, the Base Ball Commission voted to increase the distance from home plate to the pitcher's box by five feet. It was further decided to extend the season to 112 games for the 1881 season, and to increase rosters to twenty players.

The need for more trained players provided the impetus for a new Third Tier minor league system that would be established next year. It is expected that the move will especially benefit younger players who have been "buried" in the Second Tier. "There is too much pressure on the players in the minors to produce immediately," stated Commission chairman Lord Tadpoole. "We must get away from the 'move up or move out' mentality, especially for young players who would profit from additional training in a lower classification."

Representatives from Edinburgh, London, and Hull met in secret with members of the Commission. Although no one would confirm it, rumors abounded that the meetings concerned the possibility of expanding the majors by four or eight teams. No decision, however, was announced.

Glasgow spent big to obtain the services of rookie free agent Erik Hammon. The 21-year old shortstop will be earning $4,136 next year. Liverpool paid $3,762 for the privilege of employing right handed pitcher Eric "Higgler" Esmond, who had won 132 games pitching in the Islington minor league system and who became a free agent at the end of the 1880 season.

WESTMINSTER NEWS

The Westminster fancy were left wondering whether they should feel happy about the team's second place finish in 1880 or disappointed that the Peers did not improve over their second place finish in 1879. The team suffered from the same drop in batting averages that afflicted the rest of the Alliance, except more so. Whereas the League, as a whole, batted .245, Peer hitters could only manage .237. Perhaps, then, the attitude should be one of relief that the Westminsters didn't fall even farther than they did at the end of September. Marmaduke Kirkman was a big part of the Westminster success story. Cowal McRae, having had a stellar spring training, began the season in the primary starter role, but he performed miserably, and manager John Tunstall quickly shuffled him off to the bullpen in favor of Kirkman, who pitched magnificently. If only the Peerage can improve their woeful hitting, Westminster might be able to climb higher than second place in 1881.

On 26 February 1881, the Peers cut the last link to their 1872 Cup winning team when they traded Douglas Blanchard to Liverpool and reacquired outfielder Kevin Hoover to take his place.

[joefromchicago]

1881 MID-SEASON

After a confused scramble for the lead in the first two months, Bradford sat atop the League ladder, with Birmingham and Newcastle close behind. Bradford benefitted from the re-emergence of veteran Matthew Muir as one the circuit's premier pitchers. Newcastle played well in the beginning, but slipped badly in June, losing fifteen of twenty-three games and dropping into the second division. Birmingham took the opportunity to vault into first place behind the hitting of third baseman Daniel Nancekevell, who thrived unexpectedly after the introduction of the longer pitching distance and who led the League with a .328 average. In addition to a potent offense, the Blue Stocking pitching staff, led by French Canadian righty Moise Tran and lefty "Rough" Connor Parton, picked up in the off-season after being released by Liverpool, topped the League. Birmingham went 24-9 from the beginning of June to the all-star break, leaving the competition in their wake. Westminster's hitting woes continued, and they only managed to hang on to a position in the first division because of their solid pitching. Defending champions Liverpool suffered when left fielder Kevin Cann went down with a broken wrist in June, but even before then the Argonauts could not seem to recapture the magic that had propelled them to the League title in 1880.

Belfast announced early to its counterparts that they intended to compete for the Association lead. The Unions started the season with a 12-2 mark and quickly laid claim to the top rung on the ladder. No regular in the Union lineup hit higher than .276, so it was up to the pitching staff, helmed by sophomore Albert Courtier and veteran Robert Turnock, to lead the team. Sheffield, with a 9-2 mark over the same span, quickly fell out of contention. After their brilliant start, though, the Unions played one game under .500 the rest of the way, which opened up an opportunity for their rivals to move up the chain. Leeds got a boost from Cameron Longstaff, one of the many young players who took advantage of the increased pitching distance to boost their averages. At the start of July, the Ironsides traded their premier starter, Finnan Boyton, to Manchester, and then, five days later, lost their backup starter, Gilbert Purefoy, to a torn shoulder muscle that will sideline him for the rest of the season. Nevertheless, Leeds went 10-3 in July before the midsummer break and closed the gap to a half-game between them and Belfast, in large part due to the hitting of Bill Nuttman, the player picked up from the Millers in the Boyton trade. Starting pitcher Robert Home, having perhaps the best year of his long career, and Charlie "Wagon Tongue" Shield, with an Association-leading .397 average, helped carry Glasgow into third place. Defending Cup titleists Manchester maintained the best lineup in the loop, but their pitching staff, unable to adapt to the fifty-foot pitching distance, fell apart, and veteran Stewart "Deek" Spencer proved to be the only dependable starter.



The Empire All-Stars, still smarting over the thrashing they received at the hands of the Dominions in last year's midsummer classic, came to St. James Field in Leeds looking for revenge. Four runs off Belfast's Turnock in the second started the scoring for the visiting Empires, and they didn't stop until they had built up a 10-0 lead in the sixth. The Dominions finally got on the scoreboard with three runs in the bottom of the ninth, but it was woefully insufficient, and the Empires prevailed 10-3. Bradford right fielder Vince Jackson, with two hits and two RBI, was named the game's best player.

[joefromchicago]

1881 FINAL

Belfast's road to their first Association pennant almost hit a dead end in September. The Unions relied on the starting tandem of Albert "Old Stubblebeard" Courtier (31-18, 1.75 ERA) and Robert Turnock (26-21, 1.89 ERA) to lead the circuit in pitching. That strength compensated for Belfast's weakness at the plate. Catcher Arthur Niblett (.296, 3 HR, 51 RBI) topped a lineup that did not have any regulars hitting over .300. Leeds, who had challenged Belfast for the DA title at the midsummer break, dropped out of the competition after the pitching staff lost its two main starters in July. Sheffield, at the same time, surged out of the middle of the pack to make a run at Belfast. The Steelers had a more powerful offense than Belfast, headed by Murray Paisley (.297, 5 HR, 66 RBI) and Matthew Megson (.290, 0 HR, 70 RBI), although the pitching was not up to the Unions' standards. On 4 September Sheffield trailed Belfast by three games when they travelled to Ulster for a crucial four-game series. The Steelers took the first three games, putting them in a tie for first place. but were shut out in the final game by Turnock to fall back into second. The Steelers never went any higher, as they finished with a lackluster 5-6 record, while Belfast went 7-4 to end up with a comfortable three-game bulge over the Steelers. Glasgow's Charlie "Wagon Tongue" Shield (.360, 5 HR, 69 RBI) and Islington's Ron Collins (.343, 1 HR, 52 RBI) had sparkling individual performances, but they could not carry their teams beyond third place.

If Birmingham dominated the League in the first half, they positively throttled it in the second. The Blue Stocking offense, featuring Jack Inglis (.302, 0 HR, 56 RBI), Cataldo Cortesini (.295, 0 HR, 59 RBI), and Andrew Oldreive (.292, 0 HR, 56 RBI), was second only to London's, but it was the pitching staff that put Birmingham in the lead to stay. Moise Tran (34-15, 1.22 ERA) led the League in both wins and ERA. "Rough" Connor Parton (16-9, 1.59 ERA) had a very promising start for the Blue Stockings, but he was demoted to the Second Tier in July when it was decided he needed more conditioning. The rest of the League was almost irrelevant in the second half. Bradford, five games behind Birmingham at the break, played five games below .500 the rest of the way, despite the contributions of career wins leader Matthew Muir (33-21, 2.28 ERA). Liverpool's Franklin Trenwith (33-20, 1.99 ERA) had another fine season, but the rest of the team played below expectations, and the Argonauts could climb no higher than second place. Dublin, mired in a tie for last place at the midsummer mark, went 26-15 in the second half to finish at .500. Outfielder Chris Phelps (.314, 1 HR, 53 RBI) paced the offense for the Shamrocks. London had the two best hitters in the League -- Vic Canning (.317, 2 HR, 55 RBI) and William Gurston (.315, 0 HR, 53 RBI) -- but also committed a League-leading 520 errors, which consigned the Bulldogs to an ignominious last place finish.



1881 CUP FINALS SERIES: BIRMINGHAM v. BELFAST

It was a contest of 30-game winners as the Blue Stockings' Moise Tran and Belfast's "Old Stubblebeard" Courtier squared off at Birmingham's Exhibition Park for the first game of the Cup Finals Series. It was 4-2 in favor of the home team when the Unions came to bat in the top of the eighth. They proceeded to score seven times on three hits, a hit batsman, and five Blue Stocking errors. Birmingham attempted to mount a comeback in the bottom of the ninth but fell two runs short as the Unions took game one by the score of 9-7. Belfast scored first in game two and built up a 4-0 lead before Birmingham could get on the board with a single run in the fourth. Union hurler Turnock pitched masterfully, holding the Blue Stockings to five singles, and won the game 6-2. Third baseman William Speake (.268, 0 HR, 33 RBI) had three hits for the victors. It was Tran versus Courtier again in game three at Belfast's Lewis Park, and it was a classic pitchers' duel, as the Unions' sole tally in the fourth proved to be enough for a 1-0 triumph. Courtier limited the Blue Stockings to two hits and helped his own cause with two hits of his own, raising his postseason average to .571. Birmingham, on the brink of elimination, came out swinging the next day, scoring four times in the top of the first inning off Turnock. The Belfasts battled back, scoring twice in their half of the frame, but veteran Steve Knapp (10-10, 1.62 ERA) scattered twelve hits to claim a 5-4 victory. Kyle Walkinshaw (.319, 1 HR, 44 RBI), acquired from Leeds in mid-June, had three hits for the visitors. Courtier faced Tran again in game five, and the Unions led 3-1 going into the ninth inning when the visitors pushed two runs across the plate, with Tran's base hit scoring the tying run. The score remained knotted until the eleventh, when Birmingham went ahead by a run, but Belfast answered with a run in their half of the inning. In the twelfth, the Blue Stockings scored twice, and it looked like they would extend the series to a sixth game. Belfast, however, scored two runs on four hits and then, with runners on second and third and two outs, Duane Nelson (.283, 1 HR, 34 RBI) hit a sharp grounder to Walkinshaw, who bobbled it and threw late to first, thus letting the winning run score. Gerald Cairns (.246, 0 HR, 42 RBI), who came over from Westminster in a 24 June trade, had three hits for Belfast, including a leadoff triple in the twelfth. Courtier pitched a complete game for the victory, and his 3-0 record earned him the MVP honors for the series.

THE MINORS

The Dundee Claymores, Glasgow's farmhands, went the distance against the Nottingham Foresters, Leeds's top minor league team, before winning their first Second Tier Trophy.

It took four games for the Coventry Bishops of the Newcastle organization to defeat the York Whitecoats, Birmingham's affiliate, for the inaugural Third Tier trophy.

ALLIANCE LEADERS

Empire League
Hitting
BA: .317 Vic Canning, London
HR: 4 Jack O'Hara, Newcastle
RBI: 63 Robert Burman, Liverpool
R: 74 Vic Canning, London
SB: 49 Shaun Handford, Birmingham
Pitching
W: 34 Moise Tran, Birmingham
L: 29 Logan Moir, London
K: 162 George Templeman, Salford
ERA: 1.22 Moise Tran, Birmingham
SV: 4 Ted Buizer, Newcastle

Bradford pitcher River Burrows set the Alliance mark for lowest opposing batting average with a .191 mark.

Dominion Association
Hitting
BA: .360 Charlie "Wagon Tongue" Shield, Glasgow
HR: 5 Murray Paisley, Sheffield; Charlie "Wagon Tongue" Shield, Glasgow
RBI: 70 Matthew Megson, Sheffield
R: 87 James Granger, Manchester
SB: 33 Ryan Baikie, Sheffield
Pitching
W: 32 Aaron "Fatty" Threthewey, Sheffield
L: 30 Dwain Kennelly, Glasgow; Albert Munn, Lambeth
K: 177 George Carruders, Islington
ERA: 1.71 Trevor Lewry, Bristol
SV: 6 Jake Bundy, Leeds

Shield, with 69 RBI, came within one run batted in of winning the triple crown in the Association. At 6'7" and 205 pounds, "Fatty" Trethewey isn't very fat at all.

[joefromchicago]

1881-82 OFF-SEASON

AWARDS

Empire League
Hitter: Cataldo Cortesini, Birmingham (.295, 0 HR, 59 RBI, .386 SLG)
Pitcher: Moise Tran, Birmingham (34-15, 1.22 ERA, 443.2 IP, 133 K, .237 OAVG)
Manager: Stuart Taylor, Birmingham (72-40, 1st place)
Rookie: Eric "Higgler" Esmond, Liverpool (20-25, 1.83 ERA, 404 IP, 155 K, .236 OAVG)

Dominion Association
Hitter: Charlie "Wagon Tongue" Shield, Glasgow (.360, 5 HR, 69 RBI, 68 R, .488 SLG)
Pitcher: Albert "Old Stubblebeard" Courtier, Belfast (31-18, 1.75 ERA, 426 IP, 147 K)
Manager: Brendan McNidder, Belfast (65-47, 1st place)
Rookie: Nick Plumtree, Islington (.283, 1 HR, 45 RBI, 71 R, 22 SB)

It's hard to see how Cortesini was significantly better than teammate Jack Inglis (.302, 0 HR, 56 RBI, 67 R, 38 SB).

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

On 27 August, Liverpool's Douglas Blanchard hit his 100th triple, the first player to reach that plateau. He did it against his old team, the Westminster Peers. Charlie "Wagon Tongue" Shield hit for the cycle against Lambeth on 14 June.

ALLIANCE NEWS

Owner Peter Rose of Bristol died shortly after the Cup Finals Series concluded -- always a dangerous time for owners. His son, Henry Rose, who denied that his father ever bet on Dockers games, took over the family concern. And as spring training drew to close, famed Manchester owner Shane Hambleton, whose teams won seven Association pennants and four BA Cups, succumbed to a case of dropsy. His son Dwayen, took control of the team's operations

At the annual winter meetings in Brighton, the Base Ball Commission set up a subcommittee consisting of two owners, Algernon Battersby of Birmingham and Connor Kilshaw of Lambeth, and one umpire, Bill Clumb, to deal with rules changes. In its first meeting, the Rules Subcommittee decided to reduce the number of balls for a walk to seven. "The games are taking too long," said Clumb. "A two-hour game is no longer unusual. We need to speed things up."

WESTMINSTER NEWS

The promise shown by Marmaduke Kirkman, 1880's outstanding pitcher in the League, was dashed when it became apparent that he was not able to handle the increased pitching distance. Henry Wintle and Finley Mitchell were pressed into service, and although both performed well in spring training and in the early part of the regular season, they ran out of steam in the latter half of the year along with the rest of the club. The Peers went 15-26 post-break, dropping out of contention soon after the All-Star Game and never mounting a serious threat to get back into it. Once again the hitting was the culprit, as the team posted a combined .240 average, tied for seventh best in the League. Attention was focused on hitting coach Howard Worley, despite his reputation as an outstanding instructor.

The bigger problem, though, is that Westminster has yet to develop a solid core of youngsters from its minor league organization. The front office attempted to remedy this problem by trading away Marmaduke Kirkman at the start of the preseason to Glasgow for highly touted youngster Trevor Barrett.

[joefromchicago]

1882 MID-SEASON

Both circuits featured tight races as the Baseball Alliance moved into the all-star break. In the League, the surprising Westminsters climbed to the top with an uncharacteristically strong hitting attack. Veteran catcher Henry Henwood led the way with a .331 average. The Peers' perch at the summit of the standings, however, was often precarious, and they were challenged, at one time or another, by London, Birmingham, Newcastle, and Bradford. London benefitted from a resurgent Michael Cluett, who was hitting .335 at the break, but the Bulldogs proved a streaky team that tended to win or lose in bunches: for instance, a 1-5 stretch at the beginning of June was followed by a seven-game winning streak. Early on, Birmingham looked like a strong contender to defend their League crown, but the Blue Stockings stalled in June when starter "Rough" Connor Parton went down with a shoulder injury. Newcastle sprinted past Birmingham, going 15-7 in June largely on the strength of their starting pitching. Rookie Pete Lambert compiled a 14-8 record and threatened to supplant Rio Minns as the team's premier starter. Canadian outfielder Gwenael "Deerfoot" Charlot has had an up-and-down career with Bradford over the past ten seasons, but he's having an "up" year in 1882, batting .333 and leading the team to second place. Matthew Muir, with fourteen wins, is now only thirteen away from three hundred for his career.

It was a two-team contest in the DA. Lambeth last finished higher than fifth place in 1872, so it was a shock when the Lambs went 17-4 to start the season. Although Hugh Burton and John Leighton turned in exceptional performances at the plate, it was Lambeth's pitching staff that carried the day. Keverne Anstey emerged as the Lambs' best starter, and was having the best year of his long career when the BA suspended play at mid-season. Islington could not match Lambeth's explosive start, but they kept up the pressure through the succeeding weeks, drawing closer to the top behind the hitting of Tobias Purcell and Richard Dyball. Left hander George Carruders, meanwhile, provided solid work in the box for the Owls. Leeds played .500 ball until 13 June, when they came alive with a 14-5 streak going into the mid-year hiatus. The defending champions Belfast suffered a crushing setback when star pitcher Albert "Old Stubblebeard" Courtier injured his elbow on 21 April -- team officials say he will be sidelined for the rest of the season. Conor Walden, called in from the bullpen to replace Courtier, pitched well, but premier starter Robert Turnock had trouble regaining the form that saw him win twenty-six games last year.



Birmingham hosted the All-Star Game for the third time, and it proved to be another lopsided affair this year. The visiting Dominions struck first with three runs in the top of the second off London starter William Hogarth, and then continued to add to their total until they had built up a 13-0 lead. The Empires meekly responded with three runs in the final three innings as their rivals coasted to a 13-3 triumph. Manchester outfielder Don Dinsmore had thee of the Dominions' seventeen hits, while Lambeth's Adam Piddocke, with two hits and three RBI, was named the game's best player.

[joefromchicago]

1882 FINAL

It came down to the wire in the Dominion Association, as Lambeth and Islington continued to battle it out for supremacy. Islington featured a strong offensive attack, led by Nick Plumtree (.302, 2 HR, 53 RBI) and Tobias Purcell (.285, 3 HR, 78 RBI). Richard Dyball (.318, 2 HR, 43 RBI) put up good numbers, but he was hampered by injuries that kept him out of the lineup for five weeks. On the other side of the Thames, Lambeth relied primarily on its Association-leading pitching staff, helmed by Keverne Anstey (32-10, 1.78 ERA) and Albert Munn (23-18, 1.34 ERA). Leeds, behind catcher Sean Shafto (.322, 4 HR, 55 RBI), were hot in June, but cooled off considerably in July and collapsed in September. Glasgow played well after the midsummer break, going 30-20 to finish out the season behind the pitching of Robert Thwaites (26-17, 1.86 ERA). That, however, only erased the ten-game deficit the Gaelics accumulated in the first half, and Glasgow finished in fourth. With two games left in the season, Lambeth and Islington both occupied the top spot in the standings. The Lambeths lost at home in extra innings to Sheffield, while Islington defeated Belfast the next day to go one game ahead. Islington then grabbed the title on the final day of the season by scoring twice in the tenth inning to defeat Belfast.

The Empire League saw Birmingham repulse all challengers to pick up their second-straight pennant. The Blue Stockings played well in the second half, aided by starter Moise Tran (28-20, 1.77 ERA), who went 12-7 after the all-star break. Tran, along with Liam Daly (16-13, 1.80 ERA), formed the nucleus of the League's best pitching staff. Hitting duties were handled by catcher Cataldo Cortesini (.282, 4 HR, 43 RBI) and third baseman Kyle Walkinshaw (.286, 4 HR, 52 RBI). Westminster shadowed Birmingham for much of the second half, led by catcher Henry Henwood (.308, 0 HR, 65 RBI), but the Peers spent most of the final month on the road and dropped their last eight games to fall into third place. Bradford took Westminster's place by winning six of their last eight games. The Badgers featured a balanced attack, with Gwenael Charlot (.310, 0 HR, 51 RBI) and Patrick Skelton (.305, 1 HR, 74 RBI) leading the charge. Rookie Pete Lambert (16-8, 1.93 ERA) pitched well for Newcastle, but it was not enough to compensate for a weak offense. Salford's William Moore (.332, 1 HR, 41 RBI) led all League hitters, but missed seven weeks with a separated shoulder, and Salford, despite a sparkling performance by rookie hurler Richard Grindley (25-17, 2.23 ERA) could not rise any higher than fifth.



1882 CUP FINALS SERIES: BIRMINGHAM v. ISLINGTON

Tran and Carruders, the aces of the two staffs, squared off against each other in game one. The visiting Blue Stockings built up a 5-3 lead but, in the bottom of the seventh, the Owls tied it up with two runs. In the top of the eighth, with runners on the corners and no outs, Islington shortstop Plumtree bobbled a grounder off he bat of pinch hitter Vince Jackson (.289, 0 HR, 37 RBI), allowing one run to score. That proved sufficient, as Birmingham wrapped up a 6-5 victory. Islington struck back hard the next day, pounding out thirteen hits and knocking out Birmingham starter Daly in an 11-1 romp. Henry Case (.295, 1 HR, 46 RBI) and Oliver MacGlashan (.227, 2 HR, 16 RBI) each had three hits for the victors. Carruders prevailed against Tran in game three, holding the home team Blue Stockings to nine hits and six runs while the Owls put across nine runs on fourteen hits. MacGlashan continued his clutch hitting with three singles. Birmingham had a 3-2 lead going into the bottom of the seventh in game four when they erupted for five runs against Ben "The Human Eyeball" MacDonald (17-13, 1.78 ERA). Paulie Mewze (.294, 2 HR, 30 RBI) finished the scoring with a two-run double that drove MacDonald from the game, and the Blue Stockings went on to an 8-4 win. It was tied two apiece after six innings in game five, as Tran and Carruders engaged in a pitchers' duel. Islington broke the logjam by scoring four times in the top of the seventh, and added another run in the eighth to win 7-2. Case had four hits, including a triple, and Matt Barefoot (.276, 0 HR, 45 RBI) added three hits of his own for the Owls. Islington came home, looking for its first Cup victory in three tries, and the 2,929 spectators gathered at Essex Street Park were not to be disappointed. The home team started the scoring with two runs in the third, and Carruders limited the Blue Stockings to just three hits over nine innings and prevailed in the end by the final score of 4-2. His 3-1 record and 0.75 ERA earned Carruders the series MVP award.

THE MINORS

Dundee repeated as the champions of the Northern Conference, and the Glasgow farmhands proceeded to sweep the Norwich Terriers, Bristol's affiliate, in three games to win the Second Tier Trophy.

It was also a sweep in the Third Tier finals as the Northampton Archers of the Bristol organization defeated Manchester's third stringers, the Derby Lancers.

ALLIANCE LEADERS

Empire League
Hitting
BA: .332 William Moore, Salford
HR: 7 Ted Collingridge, Newcastle
RBI: 80 Lewis McKay, Salford
R: 78 Vic Canning, London
SB: 43 Daniel Eridge, Dublin
Pitching
W: 28 William Hogarth, London; Moise Tran, Birmingham
L: 30 Franklin Trenwith, Liverpool
K: 141 George Templeman, Salford
ERA: 1.38 Eric "Higgler" Esmond
SV: 4 three pitchers

The seven home runs hit by Collingridge and Longstaff equalled the single season mark set by Ambrose Scholes in 1871.

Dominion Association
Hitting
BA: .330 Connor "Plumber" Ayling, Manchester
HR: 7 Cameron Longstaff, Leeds
RBI: 91 Callum "Satchelfoot" Pegg, Lambeth
R: 85 John Leighton, Lambeth; Adam Piddocke, Lambeth
SB: 33 William Blye, Sheffield
Pitching
W: 36 George Carruders, Islington
L: 29 Robert Turnock, Belfast
K: 230 George Carruders, Islington
ERA: 1.34 Albert Munn, Lambeth
SV: 4 Jake Bundy, Leeds; Charles Opie, Manchester

Leighton set the major league mark with 160 hits in a season, and Pegg's 91 RBI shattered the old record of 83, set by Marco Dryden in 1874.

[joefromchicago]

1882-83 OFF-SEASON

AWARDS

Empire League
Hitter: Michael Cluett, London (.311, 5 HR, 66 RBI, 69 R)
Pitcher: Moise Tran (28-20, 1.77 ERA, 433 IP, 136 K, 1.03 WHIP)
Manager: Charles Mander, Bradford (59-53, 2nd place)
Rookie: Richard Grindley, Salford (25-117, 2.23 ERA, 371 IP, 130 K)

Dominion Association
Hitter: John Leighton, Lambeth (.318, 2 HR, 64 RBI, 85 R, .414 SLG)
Pitcher: George Carruders, Islington (36-16, 2.03 ERA, 473.1 IP, 230 K, 3 SHO)
Manager: Joseph Starkie, Lambeth (69-43, 2nd place)
Rookie: Robert Thwaites, Glasgow (26-17, 1.86 ERA, 357 IP, .235 OAVG)

The voters recognized two second-place managers for the first time

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

On 9 August, Liverpool's Brad Eckley stole five bases in a single game against Newcastle and their catcher, Ted Collingridge. That equalled the mark set by Salford's Gerald Cairns in 1877. On 3 May, Islington pitcher Gareth Cheriton held Belfast's Arthur Niblett hitless, thus ending Niblett's hitting streak, which stretched back to the end of the 1882 season, at 35 games.

ALLIANCE NEWS

The Rules Subcommittee was at it again at the winter meetings. From now on, a foul ball would need to be caught on the fly to constitute an out, rather than on the first bounce.

WESTMINSTER NEWS

The Peers seemed to have solved their offensive deficiencies in 1882. Westminster led the League with a .264 team batting average, yet they could only manage to improve by seven games over their finish in 1880. One obvious problem was the starting pitching, which only finished 74 games during the season. The worst offender in this regard was Finlay Mitchell, who finished only 14 of his 26 starts. He was replaced as the backup starter by Riley Barrowcliff mid-season, but that did little to solve the problem.

More distressing were the 571 errors committed by the team, third-worst in the League. Bench coach Finlay Harman has been given the task of working on this problem area, especially with the younger players. Harman has long been an advocate of adopting gloves, and his job is to convince the players that the era of barehanded fielding is over.

[joefromchicago]

1883 MID-SEASON

Apart from Salford, every team figured in the race at one point or another in the League's first half, as only 5 1/2 games separated first from seventh places at the all-star break. Birmingham started off slowly, but then, in the middle of June, started on a 12-3 streak that put the Blue Stockings into the lead. Shortstop Shaun Handford led the offense with a .332 average, while the starting combination of Moise Tran and Liam Daly helmed the best pitching staff in the League. Liverpool started the season with a 13-3 run, but then hit a brick wall in May, losing nine straight and dropping into the middle of the pack. James Campbell, acquired by the Argos from Dublin in mid-May, played well but suffered a concussion at the beginning of June that will put him out of action until August. Nevertheless, Liverpool won eight straight games going into the break and climbed back into second place. London combined the best hitting with the worst pitching in the League, which resulted in an up-and-down first half. Dublin, behind starter Ivan Laverock's League-leading twenty wins, competed with Liverpool in the early going, but fell back to .500 due to their meager hitting.

It was another duel between cross-London rivals Islington and Lambeth in the early part of the Association schedule. Defending champion Islington's Tobias Purcell led the way with a .357 average, while left hander George Carruders put up triple crown numbers in the box. Lambeth, paced by third baseman John Leighton's .343 average, started strong but ran out of steam in mid-May and dropped into the middle of the standings with a seven-game losing skein at the end of June. Sheffield, relying on rookie sensation Joel Inglis at the plate and the pitching tandem of Aaron Trethewey and Euan Kernuish, skipped past Lambeth in June and ended the first half with a seven-game win streak. Manchester, led by Don Dinsmore's .341 average, had four regulars in the lineup hitting better than .300, but the pitching staff proved to be a disappointment, and promising rookie George Bossom was sent down to the Second Tier despite his 11-8 record.



Bristol's Westbury Field hosted its first All-Star Game, and the assembled crowd of 1,785 saw the visiting Empires break a 3-3 tie with two runs in the top of the fifth. The Empires performed an encore in the next inning by putting across two more, and finished up the scoring with three runs in the final frame for a 10-3 victory. Liverpool catcher Robert Burman had two hits and two RBI in five trips to the plate, earning him his second All-Star Game MVP laurels. Bradford's Simon Goacher had a triple with two men on base in the third.

[joefromchicago]

1883 FINAL

The Sheffield Steelers caught fire in the second half of the Dominion Association season. Led by freshman Joel Inglis (.363, 0 HR, 53 RBI) and veteran Logan Teal (.350, 3 HR, 75 RBI), the Steelers had a formidable offense, while the pitching tandem of Aaron Trethewey (31-20, 2.18 ERA) and Euan Kernuish (29-20, 2.27 ERA) kept opposing hitters off-balance. Sheffield won thirteen of their first nineteen after the midsummer hiatus, and then fought off challenges from Manchester and Islington for the top spot. Islington featured lefty George Carruders (37-16, 1.48 ERA), who put on one of the greatest performances by any pitcher and captured the Association's triple crown. The Owl attack, however, fell off in the second half, with Tobias Purcell (.319, 0 HR, 75 RBI) dropping 38 points off his batting average after the all-star break. Brad Mayne (.326, 2 HR, 68 RBI) and Harry Kerry (.313, 3 HR, 58 RBI) led the overpowering Manchester attack, and the Millers made a serious attempt at toppling Sheffield in August, going 13-3 at one point and passing Islington into second place. The Steelers, however, were up for the challenge, and compiled a 10-5 record in the final month, despite playing on the road the whole time, while Manchester could only manage a 7-8 mark as they watched Islington vault past them into second place in the last week. An 11-7 victory over Belfast with three games remaining clinched it for the Sheffields, and they hoisted their first Association pennant.

Birmingham, looking for its third-straight League flag, solidified their hold on first place after the all-star break. The Blue Stockings' offense could only be described as adequate, but their pitching staff, helmed by Moise Tran (22-27, 2.45 ERA) and Liam Daly (18-12, 1.50 ERA) was the best in the circuit, and the acquisition of Pete Lambert (18-7, 2.07 ERA) from Newcastle at the start of the second half proved to be an inspired move, as Lambert helped to hold things together when Tran faltered late in the season, losing six straight decisions. Liverpool, tied with London for second at the midsummer point, fell apart in the second half, going 14-32 and dropping all the way to last place. The Bulldogs weren't much better, winning only eleven of their last twenty-six and falling to seventh. Taking advantage of their difficulties were Westminster, who hit the jackpot with rookie hurler Charlie Newson (36-19, 2.01 ERA). A series of injuries to key players, including team hitting leader Jonathan Hanke (.312, 1 HR, 57 RBI) and Matthew Megson (.284, 2 HR, 60 RBI) thwarted the team as they sought to challenge Birmingham's grip on first place. The Peers made their move in late August, carrying a 13-2 mark into the middle of September and climbing to within three games of the Blue Stockings, but it proved to be too steep a climb for the Peers, and they had to settle for second place, four games behind Birmingham.



1883 CUP FINALS SERIES: BIRMINGHAM v SHEFFIELD

Game one at Sheffield's Hart's Head Field saw a pitching duel between Tran and Trethewey. It was tied 1-1 in the top of the tenth when Birmingham's bats finally awakened. With the three men on and one run already in, second baseman Keril Rivington (.260, 1 HR, 51 RBI) hit a two-out double that cleared the bases. Tran held the home team scoreless in the bottom of the inning to complete a 5-1 victory. Each team collected ten hits the next day, but Sheffield made them count, and Kernuish held on for a complete game 3-2 win. Murray Paisley (.313, 1 HR, 40 RBI) had two hits and scored twice for the winners. It was another showdown between Tran and Trethewey in game three. Tran had allowed only one hit through eight innings, but the visiting Steelers broke open a 1-1 tie in the top of the ninth when Teal hit a towering home run with two runners on base, and that spelled the difference in the 4-1 Sheffield victory. Kernuish had far less luck the next day, as he was chased from the box by twelve Blue Stocking hits and nine runs, as Birmingham prevailed by a final score of 14-2. Vince Jackson (.231, 1 HR, 26 RBI) went five-for-five, Daniel Nancekevell (.251, 3 HR, 46 RBI) had three RBI, and Rivington had solo homer for the winning side. Tran pitched masterfully again in game five, allowing only two hits and needing only 105 pitches to dispatch the Steelers by a final tally of 7-0. Rivington continued his hot hitting with four singles in five at-bats, and Jackson contributed with three hits and three RBI. Trethewey got the call in game six, and the Sheffield ace didn't disappoint the home town crowd, as he scattered six Birmingham hits en route to a 4-2 win. The Blue Stockings contributed to the Sheffield win with nine errors. In the seventh and deciding game, Birmingham carried a 1-0 lead into the final frame behind Tran's three-hit pitching. In the ninth, two errors and a walk loaded the bases with one out. Tony Tofield (.291, 0 HR, 30 RBI) lifted a 1-1 pitch to left field that was just deep enough to score Teal from third and tie the game. The next man up, pinch-hitter Duane Nelson (.240, 1 HR, 15 RBI), dumped a single into shallow right-center field, and Robin Basham (.227, 2 HR, 32 RBI), running with the pitch, scampered all the way home from second base as the Sheffield crowd went mad. Euan Kernuish, with a 2-1 record, including the clincher in game seven, and a 2.45 ERA, was named the series MVP.

THE MINORS

The Northern Conference continued its dominance in the Second Tier as the Bolton Rovers, Belfast's affiliate, defeated the Nottingham Foresters, the top team in the Leeds system, in a five-game championship series.

The Derby Lancers repeated as champions of the Third Tier's Albion Conference, but they fell to the Britannia Conference champion Cardiff Giants of the Leeds organization in five games.

ALLIANCE LEADERS

Empire League
Hitting
BA: .339 Vic Canning, London
HR: 6 John Mytton, Bradford
RBI: 80 Johnny Creswell, London
R: 86 Johnny Creswell, London
SB: 53 Daniel Eridge, Dublin; Simon Goacher, Bradford
Pitching
W: 36 Charlie Newson, Westminster
L: 32 Boland Sullivan, Dublin
K: 215 Ivan Laverock, Dublin
ERA: 1.50 Lewis Daly, Birmingham
SV: 6 Bert Barthorpe, Birmingham

Eridge and Goacher set the BA record for most stolen bases in a season.

Dominion Association
Hitting
BA: .363 Joel Inglis, Sheffield
HR: 4 three players
RBI: 84 Ron Collins, Islington
R: 95 Tobias Purcell, Islington
SB: 33 William Blye, Sheffield
Pitching
W: 37 George Carruders, Islington
L: 27 Bob Hollett, Bristol
K: 273 George Carruders, Islington
ERA: 1.48 George Carruders, Islington
SV: 6 Charles Opie, Manchester

Joel Inglis, boosted by his record-setting 24 triples, set the BA mark for slugging percentage with a .552 average.

[joefromchicago]

1883-84 OFF-SEASON

AWARDS

Empire League
Hitter: Johnny Creswell, London (.308, 2 HR, 80 RBI, 86 R, .434 SLG)
Pitcher: Ivan Laverock, Dublin (34-19, 1.68 ERA, 475.2 IP, 215 K)
Manager: John Tunstall, Westminster (60-52, 2nd place)
Rookie: Charlie Newson, Westminster (36-19, 2.01 ERA, 496.2 IP, 136 K)

Dominion Association
Hitter: Joel Inglis, Sheffield (.363, 0 HR, 53 RBI, 91 R, 27 SB, .945 OPS)
Pitcher: George Carruders, Islington (37-16, 1.48 ERA, 497 IP, 273 K, 0.98 WHIP, 6 SHO)
Manager: Quincy Culver, Islington (66-46, 2nd place)
Rookie: Joel Inglis, Sheffield (.363, 0 HR, 53 RBI, 91 R, .24 3B, 552 SLG)

For the second year in a row, the second-place managers walked off with the year-end trophies. Creswell continues the tradition of awarding good Bulldog players on bad Bulldog teams.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

On 28 June George Carruders struck out a record twelve Lambeth batters in nine innings, but left before the Owls could finally win the game in the twelfth inning.

ALLIANCE NEWS

The winter owners' meeting in Brighton produced some important news. The owners, satisfied that the longer season did not detract from the performance on the field and happy with the increased revenues, agreed to lengthen next year's schedule to 126 games. Rosters will be increased by one, as owners expect that they will need more pitchers on their staffs to handle the extra work.

The Rules Subcommittee, meanwhile, bowed to mounting pressure and agreed to allow pitchers to deliver pitches from shoulder-high instead of the current waist-high restrictions. "The waist-high rule wasn't being enforced on a consistent basis," explained umpire Bill Clumb, a member of the subcommittee. "And what with the pitching distance now fifty feet, it was felt that this restores some balance to the game." The subcommittee, however, didn't leave the hitters empty-handed: they also decreed that now only six balls would be needed for a walk.

WESTMINSTER NEWS

The torrid end to the 1883 season gave hope to the Westminster faithful. After playing four months of lackluster base ball, the Peers ended on a high note, going 22-11 in August and September and coming within hailing distance of first place. Charlie Newson, who had originally signed with London and who the Peers picked up in 1881 from Belfast, was lionized for his sterling performance, and the sporting press think that Westminster might have finally found their premier pitcher for the future.

The front office, in fact, could take a good deal of credit for the turnaround. Matthew Megson came over to Westminster from Sheffield in a trade that saw the Peers part with backup catcher Arthur Handford and minor league pitcher Owen MacCall. Likewise, Dylan Back was practically handed to the Peers by Bristol in exchange for infielder Michael Wordsworth and minor league backstop Fergus O'Quigg. Meanwhile, gifted youngsters Antonio Vanalli and Trevor Barrett, acquired in earlier trades, started to come into their own, although Barrett was nagged by a succession of injuries that had him on the bench for more than half of the season. On the other hand, speedy outfielder Daniel Boulter, acquired from Islington for Vaughn Beals, did not perform as expected, and he ended up in Oldham at the end of the year after batting .188 in the big leagues.

[joefromchicago]

1884 MID-SEASON

You couldn't see any daylight between the top two contenders in the Empire League at that halfway point. Salford started out strong and kept getting stronger, relying on an airtight defense and the fine pitching tandem of George Templeman and Richard Grindley to remain atop the standings. Westminster, however, stayed a step behind, propelled by its own pitching duo of Charlie Newson and Henry Wintle. Salford was 3 1/2 games ahead of Westminster on 4 July when the Peers went on a seven-game winning streak that erased the deficit and put the two teams in a tie as the first half drew to a close. Defending League champions Birmingham made a run for the lead and briefly surpassed Westminster for second place, but a nine-game losing streak in late May pushed the Blue Stockings back into the middle of the pack. Newcastle, started slowly, losing seven of its first eight games, before righting themselves in May. Starter Dylan Withecombe was a big reason for the Greys' turnaround, posting a 23-13 record in the first half. Dublin infielder Paul Milbank was one of the few who didn't suffer from the general batting slump affecting the majors, but he couldn't stop the Shamrocks from going 3-10 and falling into sixth as they headed into the break.

The Association race featured a duel for much of the first half between Manchester and Islington. The Millers, as always, paced the Association in hitting, with Brad Mayne and Harry Kerry leading the attack, but the also claimed the best pitching staff in the circuit, thanks to a monumental trade with Birmingham in April that sent Danny Chambless to Birmingham for right hander Moise Tran. The Millers, nevertheless, were streaky, and a 14-3 April was followed by a mediocre May and June before they finished the first half with an 8-4 flourish that put them back into second place. Islington battled Manchester through the first month, and then, when the Millers faltered, they carried on. Outfielder Oliver MacGlashan's .317 average led the offense, but the story for the Owls was left hander George Carruders, who continued his magnificent pitching performance from last year by going 26-9. Defending Cup holders Sheffield took Manchester's place as Islington's main rival, but Joel Inglis, who carried the team into the postseason as a rookie in 1883, suffered a sophomore slump in 1884 that saw him drop to a .258 average.



The site of the All-Star contest moved to Newcastle, and, in what is becoming something of a tradition, the visiting team scored a lopsided victory over the host side. The Dominions held a modest 3-1 lead going into the seventh inning when a succession of mediocre middle relievers gave up a total of ten runs over the next three innings, and the Dominions ran away with a 13-2 victory. The winning side accumulated sixteen hits, while the Empires could only manage two singles and a double against eight different Association pitchers. Sheffield players Werner Quinl and Denzel Gilliat each homered for the Dominions, and Islington's John Wrayford, with two triples and a single, along with three runs and three RBI, was named the game's MVP.

[joefromchicago]

1884 FINAL

In the second half of the season, three teams competed for the top spot in the Empire League. Salford took the early lead over Westminster and Newcastle, but Newcastle, sparked by the hitting of George Warr (.294, 1 HR, 58 RBI) and the pitching of Dylan "Germany" Withecombe (30-22, 1.69 ERA), took two of three against both front-runners in the wake of the All-Star game to get back into contention. Salford swept a three-game series against Westminster in August, but then, despite strong performances by the starting duo of George Templeman (30-26, 2.12 ERA) and Richard Grindley (19-11, 2.10 ERA), lost twelve of the next thirteen games and fell into third place. Westminster assembled the second-best lineup in the League, paced by Edmund Tomkinson (.296, 4 HR, 56 RBI), and clouted a League-leading 43 home runs. With two weeks left in the season, Newcastle climbed to the top rung alongside Westminster and even briefly nudged them aside. But Westminster, behind the pitching of Henry Wintle (28-17, 1.86 ERA) and Charlie Newson (28-22, 2.49 ERA), won their last eight games, while Dublin, with the League's only .300 hitter, Paul Millbank (.319, 3 HR, 35 RBI), played the spoiler, beating Newcastle four out of six times to end their pennant hopes. Defending champions Birmingham may have been reconsidering its trade of Moise Tran to Manchester, as the overworked pitching staff, led by Pete Lambert (29-24, 1.87 ERA) couldn't compensate for a total collapse in the team's hitting. The Blue Stockings put together a team batting average of .224, and when the leading hitter, Keril Rivington (.284, 0 HR, 24 RBI), went down with a season-ending injury in mid-July, the team plunged into sixth place.

Manchester and Islington resumed their battle for the Association lead after the All-Star Game. Manchester, paced by Brad Mayne (.307, 9 HR, 69 RBI) and Harry Kerry (.291, 9 HR, 61 RBI), led the BA with a combined .265 batting average. In the box, Allan Durrans (37-23, 2.14 ERA) received much-needed assistance with the acquisition of Moise Tran (27-12, 2.08 ERA), and the pitching staff held opposing batters to a stingy .227 average. Against that, Islington could call upon possibly the greatest pitcher ever to play the game, George Carruders (40-18, 2.07 ERA), who almost single-handedly kept the Owls in contention. Manchester trailed Islington by four games at the start of September, but took two out of three at Islington to start the month, then went 12-3 the rest of the way, while the Owls struggled at 7-8, losing the last three games at Sheffield to hand the pennant to Manchester. The Steelers, in the running at the all-star break, played well in the second half but couldn't keep pace with the leaders. Joel Inglis (.289, 3 HR, 74 RBI) recovered somewhat from his first-half slump, but the rest of the lineup could not adjust to the new pitching rules, and pitchers Aaron Trethewey (30-25, 2.27 ERA) and Euan Kernuish (30-22, 2.41 ERA) suffered from the lack of offensive support. Lambeth, four games above .500 at the break, played like contenders in the second half, and were the only team with two regulars hitting in .300 territory -- Callum Pegg (.306, 12 HR, 83 RBI) and Adam Dobbie (.300, 1 HR, 60 RBI) -- but ultimately the Lambs could not climb out of the hole they dug for themselves in the first half. Glasgow's Charlie "Wagon Tongue" Shield (.318, 7 HR, 74 RBI) was the best hitter in the game, but no amount of hitting could save the Gaelics from a woeful pitching staff that opposing hitters punished with a .264 batting average.



1884 CUP FINALS SERIES: WESTMINSTER v. MANCHESTER

Game one saw Manchester play host to their eighth Cup Finals Series. Peer catcher Henry Henwood (.323, 1 HR, 40 RBI) started the scoring with a three-run homer in the second, and the Peers added another run in the next inning before the Millers put three runs across in their half of the third. The visitors added single tallies in the fifth and seventh, while Wintle held the Millers to a run in the seventh and another in the ninth. Reliever Riley Barrowcliff (12-6, 2.37 ERA) came on in the ninth to get Don Dinsmore (.290, 1 HR, 68 RBI) to ground out with a runner on third for the final out, preserving the 6-5 Westminster win. Manchester came back the next day behind Tran, who continued his stellar postseason pitching by holding the Peers to four hits and two runs while striking out nine batters. Meanwhile, the Millers collected eight hits and scored four times for the 4-2 triumph. Westminster's Vincent Square Park saw its first postseason game since 1872, but Manchester spoiled the festivities, scoring five times in the first three innings while Durrans held the Peers to just five hits and a single run for a 5-1 win. Veteran Connor "Plumber" Ayling had three hits for the visitors, while Westminster third baseman Antonio Vanali (.284, 1 HR, 34 RBI) contributed to the scoring by booting four balls. Tran pitched another superb game the next day, and Manchester's bats came alive against Newson as they pounded out nine hits and eight runs. Kerry had two hits, including a double, and drove in two runs, while Ayling extended his hot streak with a triple and a run scored. Vanali tried to make up for his poor fielding with three hits, but it was not enough as the Millers came away with an 8-2 win. Game five saw the Westminsters once again overpowered by Manchester's pitching. Durrans held the Peers to three hits, including a double and triple by Matthew Megson (.255, 1 HR, 60 RBI), while the Millers had only five hits against Wintle but made use of eight Peer errors to score five runs, and Manchester triumphed by a final score of 5-2. Ayling, with ten hits and a .435 average, took home the MVP trophy for the second time.

THE MINORS

Manchester's farm hands also won the Second Tier crown. The Stoke Potters defeated Bristol's affiliate, the Norwich Terriers, in a three-game sweep to take their second championship.

The Cardiff Giants repeated as winners of the Britannia Conference, and went on to best the Swansea Swans of the Bradford organization in five games.

ALLIANCE LEADERS

Empire League
Hitting
BA: .319 Paul Millbank, Dublin
HR: 10 Fredde Irby, Liverpool
RBI: 81 Lewis McKay, Salford
R: 95 Freddie Irby, Liverpool
SB: 48 Simon Goacher, Bradford
Pitching
W: 34 Ivan Laverock, Dublin
L: 36 Liam Daly, Birmingham
K: 355 Ivan Laverock, Dublin
ERA: 1.43 Alex Bond, London
SV: 6 three pitchers

Batting averages were way down around the BA, but ERAs trended slightly upwards overall, as the number of errors continued to shrink.

Dominion Association
Hitting
BA: .318 Charlie "Wagon Tongue" Shield, Glasgow
HR: 12 Callum "Satchelfoot" Pegg, Lambeth
RBI: 88 Donagh Faux, Leeds
R: 103 Callum "Satchelfoot" Pegg, Lambeth
SB: 42 Erik Hammon, Glasgow; Dwaine Roebuck, Glasgow
Pitching
W: 40 George Carruders, Islington
L: 33 Steve Townsend, Bristol
K: 399 George Carruders, Islington
ERA: 1.49 William Guppy, Manchester
SV: 6 Colin Boon, Bristol; Charles Opie, Glasgow

Carrudders's 399 strikeouts, of course, set a major league mark. Even without the extra fourteen games, the single-season strikeout records would have fallen. On the list of highest strikeouts-to-innings-pitched percentages for a season, seventeen out of the top eighteen were set in 1884. Carrudders headed the list with a 6.818 mark.

[joefromchicago]

1884-85 OFF-SEASON

AWARDS

Empire League
Hitter: Freddie Irby, Liverpool (.285, 10 HR, 73 RBI, 21 SB, .442 SLG)
Pitcher: Ivan Laverock, Dublin (34-28, 1.67 ERA, 523 IP, 355 K, .225 OAVG)
Manager: John Tunstall, Westminster (74-52, 1st place)
Rookie: Alex Bond, London (11-13, 1.43 ERA, 208 IP, 144 K, 6 SV)

Dominion Association
Hitter: Callum "Satchelfoot" Pegg, Lambeth (.306, 12 HR, 83 RBI, 103 R, .495 SLG)
Pitcher: George Carruders, Islington (40-18, 2.07 ERA, 526.2 IP, 399 K, 1.01 WHIP)
Manager: Albert Francombe, Manchester (77-49, 1st place)
Rookie: John Taylor, Lambeth (13-9, 2.16 ERA, 191.1 IP, .226 OAVG)

After winning the pennant for the Millers in 1879 but losing the Cup Finals Series to Salford, Francombe's contract was not renewed and he went to Liverpool and Glasgow before returning to Manchester and leading the Millers to another pennant. Bond had an odd season for London: he appeared in 52 games for the Bulldogs but started only 15, and only saved six games. His constant trips from the bullpen are less a change in the pitching philosophy in London than a testament to the Bulldogs' wretched starting pitching.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

While George Carrudders garnered most of the headlines for Islington, he ceded the front page to rookie Andrew "Midget" Gunton for one day at the tail end of the season. On 17 September, the twenty-two-year old right hander pitched the BA's first no-hitter against Sheffield. It was only his fourth major league start after being promoted from the Second Tier as a September call-up. Matthew Muir, once the dominant starting pitcher in the Empire League, six-time all-star and winner of the 1876 outstanding pitcher award, came in from the bullpen in the seventh inning on 17 April against Dublin and, after blowing a 5-1 lead by giving up five runs, saw his teammates rally for five runs to win the game. It was Muir's 300th career victory, and it would be his last, as the thirty-eight-year old would retire at the end of the season with a career record of 300-283, all while in a Bradford uniform. In a 29 July game against Salford, Dublin's Laverock struck out fifteen Bees for a new single-game record.

ALLIANCE NEWS

The clamor of those outside the BA to expand the Alliance grew, as the expansion into Third Tier cities demonstrated the popularity and financial viability of base ball throughout the kingdom. Edinburgh, already larger than four of the cities represented in the BA, was particularly vocal in its demands for a new franchise. The chairman of the Base Ball Commission, Viscount Tadpoole, remained noncommittal. "I agree in theory, but I am concerned that the talent would be spread too thin. We don't want spectators paying a shilling for six-pence worth of base ball."

WESTMINSTER NEWS

Despite the disappointment of losing the Cup Finals Series in five games to Manchester, the Peers had a great deal to be happy about in 1884. Edmund Tomkinson, a product of the Westminster farm system, hit .296, good for second in the League. Antonio Vanali, despite a rough postseason, hit .284 and his versatility in the field proved a valuable asset. Henry Henwood, splitting the catching duties with rookie Corey Bensted, hit .323. And twenty-one-year old Dylan Back, whose playing time was limited by three different trips to the disabled list, still led the team with 63 RBI.

Some trouble spots remained. Charlie Newson was unable to repeat his rookie-year success, and Henry Wintle replaced him as the premier starter at mid-season. In January, Newson would be traded to Sheffield for promising nineteen-year old outfielder Cian Bogle. Riley "Whiskey" Barrowcliff, who had shown a great deal of promise, went 12-6 but had an inflated 2.37 ERA and ended up in the bullpen, while left hander John Reilly took his place at the back end of the rotation. The Peers pulled off 81 double plays, most in the League, but their .902 team fielding percentage was only fourth in the circuit, and, as the Cup Finals demonstrated, improvements were still desperately needed in this area.

The pennant winners were richly rewarded by owner Ambrose Redlaw, and the team payroll jumped from fourth-lowest to fifth-highest as contracts were renewed in the wake of the Cup Finals. It remains to be seen if the Peers will seek to retrench and economize, as they have in the past, or if they will continue to spend in the hopes of recreating their success in 1885.

[joefromchicago]

1885 MID-SEASON

It was another three-way fight for first place in the Dominion Association, as Manchester, Islington, and Lambeth sought a firm place atop the slippery pole. Lambeth came out of the gates first, headed by second-year pitcher John Taylor and the hitting of Patrick Nisbet. But injuries to Nisbet, Callum "Satchelfoot" Pegg, and William Gurston, acquired in the off-season from London, slowed the Lambs' forward momentum, and they were overtaken by Islington, who won sixteen of their first nineteen games in June. The story in Islington, as always, was the performance of left hander George Carrudders, who had a 25-8 record at the all-star break. The rest of the Owls' pitching staff, however, was nowhere near as good as Carrudders, and Manchester were able to keep pace with their solid offense, led by the seemingly ageless Connor "Plumber" Ayling, but the Millers' path hit a detour when Harry Kerry went on the disabled list in late June with a hamstring injury. Belfast's pitchers led the Association but they had little to show for it, as the Unions' lineup was the Association's worst, which meant that the team could not rise higher than fourth place.

Newcastle took the early lead in the League. Led by the hitting of George Warr and Ted Collingridge, the Greys won fifteen of their first twenty games and continued their winning ways through the end of May. In June, however, the Greys' advance stalled. Oufielder Graham Hodgkins broke his elbow on the last day of May, ending his season, and then veteran shortstop "Big" Toirealach Riseley was sidelined with a bad back. As the Greys tumbled in the standings, London ascended. Always at or near the top of the list of the BA's biggest payrolls, the Bulldogs had little to show for the free spending ways until this year. Sophomore right fielder Ciaran Chedsey led the team with a .338 average at the break, while veteran pitcher Robert Turnock was having one of the best years of his long career, winning twenty-three of his thirty-three decisions. The Bulldogs started June with an eleven-game winning streak and swept the Greys in a three-game set on the eve of the midsummer hiatus to solidify their hold on first place. Dublin had one of the best all-around players in outfielder Daniel Eridge, but lackluster pitching behind right hander Ivan Laverock relegated the Shamrocks to a distant third. A rash of injuries and inconsistent pitching saw the defending pennant winners Westminster struggle to reach the .500 plateau.



Belfast played host to the 1885 All-Star Game, and the 1,711 assembled spectators witnessed a high-scoring affair. The lead see-sawed back and forth until the bottom of the sixth, when, with the score tied at six apiece, the home team Dominions put four runs across the plate. Each team added another run before it was all over, and the Dominions won for the second-straight year, this time by the score of 11-7. Sheffield's Joel Inglis and Glasgow's Charlie "Wagon Tongue" Shield each had thee hits for the winners, and Islington's Tobias Purcell knocked in three runs. Shield, who also had three RBI, was named the game's most valuable player for the third time.

[joefromchicago]

1885 FINAL

In contrast to previous years, the pennant races in the BA lacked any real drama. In the League, London experienced a momentary setback in the immediate wake of the All-Star Game, losing five straight after resumption of play. Newcastle, however, could only gain two games on the Bulldogs, and London soon recovered form by winning twelve of their next fifteen games, leaving Newcastle in the dust. The Bulldogs sported the League's best lineup, headed by Ciaran Chedsey (.340, 4 HR, 66 RBI) and Johnny Creswell (.295, 5 HR, 76 RBI), while the pitching staff, featuring Robert Turnock (37-23, 2.52 ERA) and William Hogarth (29-16, 1.96 ERA), also topped the EL. Newcastle got another strong performance from starter Ben George (33-22, 2.78 ERA), but did not have enough depth in the lineup to support hitting stars George Warr (.331, 1 HR, 53 RBI) and Ted Collingridge (.290, 2 HR, 76 RBI), and the lethargic Greys were bypassed by Westminster at the start of September. The Peers played inspired base ball in August, winning fourteen of twenty-one games. Outfielder Dylan Back (.282, 1 HR, 61 RBI) led a balanced attack, although injuries to key players, such as infielder Jonathan Hanke (.294, 6 HR, 48 RBI), severely limited the team's ability to catch London.

Islington had an even easier time of it in the Dominion Association. George Carrudders (47-15, 1.92 ERA) continued his absolute mastery over the competition, while Ben "The Human Eyeball" MacDonald (23-13, 2.92 ERA), who would have been a star on any other team, labored in his shadow. The Owls were not a one-dimensional team, however: the offense was second only to Glasgow's, and featured Ron Collins (.307, 0 HR, 65 RBI) and Arthur Evison (.292, 0 HR, 59 RBI). The Owls won seventeen of their first twenty games after the mid-year hiatus, and finished the season with a ten-game winning streak. Manchester and Lambeth, who had vainly attempted to wrest the lead from the Owls' grip in the first half of the season, posted identical 21-37 records in the second half and fell into the second division. Sheffield, led by Aaron Trethewey (35-21, 2.43 ERA) in the box and Viennese-born outfielder Werner Quinl (.275, 5 HR, 67 RBI) at the plate, caught fire in the second half, at one point going 11-1 in August and winning nine straight in September. Belfast, likewise, came alive in the second half, urged on by Conor Walden (25-22, 1.91 ERA) and their Association's best pitching staff. In the end, however, it was far too little and much too late for anyone to catch Islington.



1885 CUP FINALS SERIES: LONDON v. ISLINGTON

It was an all-London Cup Finals Series for the first time as the Bulldogs made their way up the road to Essex Street Park for game one. It was Carrudders versus Turnock, and all the scoring occurred in the third inning. London took the lead with a run in its half of the frame, but Islington responded with three in the bottom of the inning, started off by Carrudders's solo home run down the right field line. That was all that the big left hander needed as he went the distance, scattering nine hits for a 3-1 victory. The Bulldogs were forced to start Alex Bond (8-4, 1.91 ERA) in game two because Hogarth, their number two starter, was rather absent mindedly left in the minors on 1 September and was thus not qualified for the postseason. Trailing 5-4 with two outs and a man on base in the top of the ninth, catcher Breslan Redgrove (.228, 1 HR, 39 RBI) lofted the first pitch from MacDonald into the left-center bleachers to put the Bulldogs ahead 6-5, and Bond held the home team scoreless in the bottom of the ninth to preserve the victory. Carrudders got the call in game three, and again the canny veteran baffled the Bulldog hitters, limiting them to five singles and one run in a 4-1 triumph. The next day saw the two teams battle to a 5-5 tie at the end of nine innings, and so extra time was needed. In the top of the eleventh, Islington center fielder Michael Clapton (.278, 5 HR, 38 RBI) singled and went to second on a Bond wild pitch. He advanced to third on a line drive base hit off the bat of Aaron MacNabb (.246, 3 HR, 24 RBI), and scored when a Bond pitch eluded Redgrove's grasp. MacDonald stranded the tying run on third in the bottom of the inning for a 6-5 complete game victory. In a desperation move, London manager Alastair Llewelyn sent untested rookie Mike Quirk against Carrudders in game five. It was the Bulldog lineup, however, that provided the game's biggest surprise. In contrast to his previous two starts, Carrudders was spanked, giving up seven runs and seven hits before being chased in the fifth inning. Quirk and his replacement, Bob Bloodworth (0-1, 1.59 ERA) weren't much better, giving up eleven runs and fourteen hits. When the dust had finally cleared, the home team Bulldogs had pulled off an unlikely 12-11 upset over the favored Owls. Tyler MacLeish (.200, 0 HR, 12 RBI) had three hits and three RBI for the victors. Carrudders came back in game six, but the Londons apparently had finally solved the Islington ace. Behind 3-2 in the fourth, the Bulldogs put five runs across the plate, with the key play an error by shortstop Nick Plumtree (.276, 4 HR, 56 RBI) that allowed two runs to score. The Dogs scored three more in the fifth, and that ended the day for Carrudders. In the end, the visitors prevailed by a score of 10-8, forcing the series to a seventh game. Whatever afflicted Carrudders must have been contagious, for MacDonald gave up nine runs and ten hits the next day. But Bond proved to be even less effective for the Bulldogs. With Bond in the box and Islington trailing 9-5 in the bottom of the eighth, the Owls exploded for six runs, all due to the generosity of five London errors. Reliever Denzel Lewington (0-2, 2.19 ERA) pitched a scoreless ninth and Islington claimed the victory by a final tally of 11-9. London's Tyler MacLeish won the MVP award despite being on the losing side. He ended the series with fourteen hits and a .483 average, along with six RBI and three runs scored.

THE MINORS

The Kensington Knights, Sheffield's top minor league team, defeated the Dundee Claymores, Glasgow's affiliate, in five games to capture the Second Tier title.

Glasgow's Third Tier team, the Hartlepool Harts, fared the same, winning the Britannia Conference but losing in the finals 3-0 to the Coventry Bishops of the Newcastle farm system.

ALLIANCE LEADERS

Empire League
Hitting
BA: .340 Ciaran Chedsey, London
HR: 9 Evan Campbell, Salford
RBI: 76 Johnny Creswell, London
R: 93 Johnny Creswell, London
SB: 54 Dylan Back, Westminster
Pitching
W: 37 Robert Turnock, London
L: 34 George Templeman, Salford
K: 322 Ivan Laverock, Dublin
ERA: 1.01 Jack Lovibond, Bradford
SV: 6 three pitchers

Back's 54 stolen bases set the BA record, bettering the old record by one.

Dominion Association
Hitting
BA: .325 Connor "Plumber" Ayling, Manchester
HR: 6 Christopher Mytton, Glasgow; Joe Ransley, Glasgow
RBI: 79 Erik Hammon, Glasgow
R: 90 Werner Quinl, Sheffield
SB: 40 Patrick Doncaster, Islington
Pitching
W: 47 George Carrudders, Islington
L: 38 Steve Townsend, Bristol
K: 332 George Carrudders, Islington
ERA: 1.68 Henry Durden, Leeds
SV: 10 Albert Stares, Islington

The ten saves by Stares were three more than the previous record, set in 1871 by Stewart "Deek" Spencer. Ayling won his fourth Association batting crown, eleven years after winning his first title.

[joefromchicago]

1885-86 OFF-SEASON

AWARDS

Empire League
Hitter: Ciaran Chedsey, London (.340, 4 HR, 66 RBI, 78 R, .466 SLG)
Pitcher: Robert Turnock, London (37-23, 2.52 ERA, 503 IP, 156 K, .235 OAVG)
Manager: Alastair Llewelyn, London (78-48, 1st place)
Rookie: Conor Hooson, Birmingham (17-17, 1.84 ERA, 308 IP)

Dominion Association
Hitter: Erik Hammon, Glasgow (.266, 5 HR, 79 RBI, 86 R, 19 3B, 39 SB)
Pitcher: George Carrudders, Islington (47-15, 1.92 ERA, 548.1 IP, 332 K, 1.00 WHIP)
Manager: Quincy Culver, Islington (86-40, 1st place)
Rookie: Earl Corbett, Belfast (19-20, 2.02 ERA, 324.2 IP, 216 K, .210 OAVG)

A bold choice for outstanding hitter in the DA. Hammon's .266 average was just barely in the Association's top twenty, but he led the circuit in runs and RBI, and his .417 slugging percentage was just a shade below Arthur Evison's Association-leading .419. Carrudders collected his fourth straight outstanding pitcher award. In those four years, he has won 160 games.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

On 12 June, Birmingham infielder Dave Woodland hit for the cycle against Dublin. For the season, Woodland hit .193. On 17 August, George Carrudders recorded his 2000th strikeout. Islington saw its attendance exceed 200,000; it is the first franchise to achieve that mark.

ALLIANCE NEWS

At the winter owners' meeting in Brighton the discussion turned to a proposal to create a permanent shrine to the greats of British base ball. Several sites were suggested: Sheffield, home of base ball pioneer Harry Wright; Exeter, birthplace of Henry Chadwick, known in some circles as the "father of base ball;" and Southampton, where American Wesleyan missionaries played the first game of base ball in the British Isles in 1851. It is expected that a special subcommittee will be appointed to look into the matter.

WESTMINSTER NEWS

It was a frustrating season for the Peers. After winning the pennant in 1884, there were high hopes in Westminster that the Peers had the talent to repeat in 1885. But the team played tentatively in the first half, and then the injuries started to mount up. Frantz Alvintzi, the promising Austrian youngster, injured his back in April, missed three weeks with a sore arm in July, and then broke his knee in August. That put him in hospital and out of the lineup for the remainder of the season. Jonathan Hanke missed about five weeks with a variety of injuries, outfielders Dylan Back and Trevor Barrett both spent time on the sick list, and pitcher John Reilly, just promoted to the backup starter role behind Henry Wintle, was felled by ruptured finger tendon on the eve of the All-Star Game that cost the Peers his services for the rest of the year. It is, then, all the more impressive that the Peers pulled themselves together in the second half and played some of their best base ball in recent memory.

Westminster spent much of the off-season clearing out marginal players and collecting young talent. The youths included infielder Owen Baird (from Bradford), outfielder Kelly Tebbut (from Liverpool), pitcher William Bruce (from Dublin), first baseman Stanton Abernethy (from Lambeth), and second baseman Bernard Elworthy (from Leeds), the last in exchange for Reilly. Of course, not all of them are expected to live up to their early potential, but it marks a long-term strategy for building the team that, if successful, could propel the Peers into the upper ranks of the League for years to come.