The Big Bang: A Larger Baseball Universe Starting From Nothing in 1857

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NEW YORK LEAGUE SEMIFINALS

GAME 1: MET 8-7 ECK (11) – Troy Oberst (LF, MET) 2/5, 2B, 3B, 1 R, 2 RBI, BB, GW HIT
GAME 2: MET 5-8 ECK – Isaac Kelly (3B, ECK) 3/5, HR, 3 RBI, 6 TB
GAME 3: ECK 3-8 MET – George Brown (RF, MET) 4/5, 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI, 5 TB
GAME 4: ECK 8-9 MET – George Brown (RF, MET) 1/3 (1B), 3 R, 2 RBI, BB

Game One was a tight affair, with Eckford enjoying an early 5-1 lead before late Metro rallies tied the game 7-7 and forced Extra Innings before 3x All-Star Oberst won it with a run-scoring Triple in the 11th. Game Two saw Eckford even the series as Kelly opened the scoring with a two-run Home Run in the bottom of the 1st before the hosts took a 5-0 lead by the end of the 3rd and eased the win home.

Metropolitan’s first home game in the series was an easy one, as five runs over the middle innings gave the hosts a 6-1 lead that Eckford couldn’t put a dent in. Metropolitan ended the champions’ reign the next day, beating back a 6-2 deficit with two runs in the 6th and four more in the 7th to take an 8-6 lead that wouldn’t be relinquished. Brown took Player of the Game honors for the second day in a row, and thus series MVP as a result.

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE SEMIFINALS

GAME 1: PORT 15-9 QS – Enda Reed (1B, PORT) 3/6 (all 1B), 2 R, 4 RBI
GAME 2: PORT 13-8 QS – Carrick Kennedy (2B, PORT) 4/6, 2 3B, 2 R, 3 RBI, 8 TB
GAME 3: QS 10-11 PORT (10) – Gerhardt Berg (1B, QS) 4/5 (all 1B), 0 R, 5 RBI

Game One saw Portland pick up where they left off last year, stunning Quaker St. in Philadelphia with thirteen runs combined in the 5th & 7th on the way to another memorable win. Incredibly, Portland repeated the trick in Game Two with nine runs over the middle innings as they eventually hung a Baker’s Dozen worth of runs on the team that finished tied for the NEL lead in Runs Allowed at 6.8 per contest.

Unbelievably, Portland finished a series sweep in Maine, overcoming deficits of 5-0 after two and 8-5 in the 9th with a three-run rally – Reed’s two-run Double tying the game – to force Extra Innings. Quaker St. thought they were safe after two runs in the top of the 10th, but three Quaker St. Errors allowed three Portland runs to come in during B10, and Portland had ended Quaker St.’s postseason for the second year in a row. Enda Reed, who hit 8/17 with 7 RBI, was named series MVP.

NEW YORK LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

GAME 1: MET 7-2 UTI – Jerald Peterson (1B, MET) 3/5, 2B, 0 R, 2 RBI, 4 TB
GAME 2: MET 11-8 UTI – Harold Rowsey (C, MET) 3/5, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, 4 TB
GAME 3: UTI 10-5 MET – Fox Ellis (3B, UTI) 2/5, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, 3 TB
GAME 4: UTI 11-7 MET – James Heilman (LF, UTI) 4/6, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, 5 TB
GAME 5: MET 2-9 UTI – William Buschmann (CF, UTI) 4/5, 2B, 1 R, 0 RBI, 5 TB

Metropolitan struck first in the NYLCS, with the 7th the decisive inning. The score tied 2-2, PH John Norris hit a two-run Double to put Metro up 4-2, and three insurance runs in the 9th made sure the win was theirs. Metro made it two away wins in two days with a six-run 8th in Game Two, a rally that began when leadoff man Troy Oberst reached via Error and the floodgates opened from there to turn a three-run deficit into a three-run lead that stayed that way.

Utica returned the away team favor in a must-win Game Three, a result that was never in doubt as the visitors were ahead 10-0 by the middle of the 5th. Ellis was PotG, and four other Utica batsmen had two hits. Utica then made it four away team wins in four games with dominant middle innings at Hamilton Square. Behind 4-3 going into the 5th Utica scored eight times over their next two turns at bat to go ahead 11-4 and force a deciding game back in Upstate New York.

And then the comeback was complete. With eight runs in the bottom of the 1st Utica effectively sealed Metropolitan’s fate and completed a reversal of the 2-0 deficit, while the visitors would be left kicking themselves all winter over the fact that they blew a 2-0 series lead that started with two away victories.

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

GAME 1: PORT 10-4 PIO – Carrick Kennedy (2B, PORT) 3/6, 3B, 3 R, 3 RBI, 5 TB
GAME 2: PORT 9-10 PIO – Hillard Patrick (PH, PIO) 1/1, 2B, 3 RBI, GW HIT
GAME 3: PIO 2-3 PORT in 12 – James Dressman (P, PORT) CG, 4 HA, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
GAME 4: PIO 13-16 PORT – Endra Reed (1B, PORT) 5/5 (all 1B), 5 R, 2 RBI, 3 SB

Portland won Game One in Springfield early but sealed the win late. Up 4-2 going into the 6th, Portland scored six times over their final four times at bat to go ahead 10-2, with Carrick & Enda Reed the stars. Pioneer evened the series in Game Two in memorable fashion. Down 9-5 going into the bottom of the 9th, the hosts unleashed a five-run rally and won the game when Pinch Hitter Hillard Patrick hit a bases-clearing, three-run Double with two out and Portland #1 James Dressman in the game to try to get Portland out of a difficult situation.

Game Three in Portland was a classic defensive duel. With Pioneer ahead 2-0, Portland came to bat in the 8th and scored via Single & Sac Fly to tie the game 2-2, ultimately forcing extra frames. With both #1’s, Charles McCormick & Dressman, in top form, it took until B12 to find a winner, when Louis Beane singled in Carrick Kennedy to win the game for Portland.

Game Four was the polar opposite of Game Three: offense in abundance from the first pitch. It certainly looked like the NEL #1 would force a Game Five at the midway point, as Pioneer was ahead 11-3 in the middle of the 5th. However, a ferocious Portland fightback saw the defending NEL champs score no less than thirteen unanswered runs, and by the time Pioneer came to bat in the top of the 9th the score was 16-11, with their Maine hosts punching their tickets to the Tucker Wheaton Cup finals for the second consecutive year.

TUCKER-WHEATON CUP XVII FINAL

It was now time for the 17th Tucker-Wheaton Cup final. Just as last year, it would involve the #1 seed from the New York League and a Portland group that upset the team with the best record in the NBBO.

On paper Utica were favorites, as they had the most complete team in the playoffs. Based on performance Portland was the more dangerous team, as they went 5-1 in the Northeastern League Playoffs, were right back where they finished up in 1872, and were looking to avenge last year’s five-game finals loss.

GAME ONE (Conkling Field in Utica, N.Y.)
PORT 7-8 UTI – John Baddley (2B, UTI) 3/4, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI, 4 TB

The opener was won on a late rally by Utica. With the score 5-5 in the going into the bottom of the 8th, Utica came to bat and scored three times on consecutive run-scoring Singles by Baddley, the ageless James Heilman, and Fox Ellis to go ahead 8-5. Portland then came to bat in the 9th and scored twice on a Hiram Britton Triple & Carrick Kennedy Single before the next three men went down to end what looked like a rally that would put Portland ahead, saving Utica’s victory.

GAME TWO (Conkling Field in Utica, N.Y.)
PORT 10-8 UTI – Jonathan Ovaska (CF, PORT) 2/4 (both 1B), 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB

Portland evened the series with two early rallies that cancelled out some early Utica runs. With four runs in the 1st and two in the 2nd the visitors were ahead 6-3 after two, and after that they scored single runs in four other innings that allowed them to withstand a three-run Utica 6th. While Ovaska was PotG, both Dallas Campanelli & Enda Reed had three hits each for Portland.

GAME THREE (King Field in Portland, ME.)
UTI 8-3 PORT – Jesse McDermott (P, UTI) CG, 5 HA, 1 ER, 1 K

In Game Three, Utica took the series lead after effectively ending the contest by the middle of the third inning. With three runs in the 1st, two in the 2nd, and another in the 3rd Utica was ahead 6-0, and those early runs proved to be more than enough as #1 Jesse McDermott was in fine form. Utica only needed eight Hits in victory, with Will Buschmann & Joseph Lindblom finishing with two each.

Utica was now one win from their first NBBO title, and the first for Upstate New York.

GAME FOUR (King Field in Portland, ME.)
UTI 11-6 PORT – Joseph Lindblom (1B, UTI) 2/3 (both 1B), 2 R, 3 RBI, HBP

There would not be a Portland home win to force a Game Five this year. With the score 4-3 to Portland going into the 7th, Utica took their turn at bat and put forth a six-run rally that came from a variety of sources: a Wild Pitch, a Sacrifice Fly, an Edward Davis Single, a William Cook Single, and a two-run Single by Lindblom. Utica was now ahead 9-4, and after Portland scored twice in B7 to cut the deficit to three Utica cancelled that out with two runs in the top of the 9th.

The Tucker-Wheaton Cup was going to Upstate New York for the first time, something that many felt was long overdue.

TUCKER-WHEATON CUP MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
John Baddley (2B, UTI) - .361 (13/36), .895 OPS, 12 R, 1 2B, 2 3B, 7 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB, 1.1 WPA, 1x PotG

It was the Utica player with prior championship experience in both the NBBO & APBL, former everyday St. John’s 2B John Baddley, who took MVP honors. He was 9/17 in the final with half a dozen RBI, and he opened the series with a Player of the Game performance.

For Baddley, it marked the end of a season that was the high-point of his seven-year career. He’d earned his first All-Star appearance, set a career high in WAR (2.6), served as the leader of the Utica infield, and now was the MVP of the National Base Ball Organization champions.

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FOUNDERS’ CUP III: A SERIES FOR THE AGES

PHILADELPHIA & PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Aug. 26 to Sep. 3, 1872) – The third edition of the Founders’ Cup was a repeat of the previous year’s series: St. John’s representing the Colonial Conference and American representing the Metropolitan Conference.

However, this time around the circumstances of the teams were quite different. It was American that had the APBL’s best record, an incredible 65-25 season in which they led the league in Runs Scored, Runs Allowed, and seemingly every other notable metric of performance. Meanwhile, St. John’s ended the season poorly – 6-9 over their final 15 games – and held onto the Colonial Conference pennant by two games over the ever-present Flour City.

American went into the Founders’ Cup, seemingly, with everything. In James Burke they had a CF who’d just had the best season in baseball history. They had an 8x All-Star in RF in Franklin Petty. At LF they had 12x All-Star Willie Davis. They had a 6x Home Run champ at 1B in William Busby. 2B William Boyce was a 6x All-Star. SS Martin Prince was certain to be crowned Greenhorn of the Year. #1 John Henry had just won thirty games in a season for the third time.

For St. John’s it was more of the usual. They were powered by their mighty outfield trio of Rudolph Decker, Konrad Jensen, & Nelson Townsend. 1B Mario Fusilli, 2B Theodore Kohlberg, & C Falco van der Vaart played excellent supporting roles, while 3B Ben Gagliardi & SS George Pugatch gave them fantastic defense. #1 Thomas Smith was, as always, a rock-solid winner at the front end of their pitching duo.

St. John’s was looking to get revenge for the Game Seven humiliation at their home grounds last year in which American beat them by eight runs to claim the city of Philadelphia’s first top-tier baseball title. However, with American having won thirteen more games than St. John’s all signs pointed to American domination in this year’s APBL championship series.

Who was going to win? The team that seemed destined to lift the cup, or the old, experienced hands who were looking to avenge last year’s failure and add another trophy to their extensive collection?

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GAME ONE (Glenwood Field in Philadelphia)
StJ 4-12 AME – James Burke (CF, AME) 4/6, 2 2B, 3 R, 4 RBI, 6 TB

American opened their title defense in style with an eight-run home win.

The opening innings were even, with both teams scoring in the first two innings and American exiting the 3rd ahead 4-3. However, a four-run American 4th, the key hit being Burke’s run-scoring Double, spelled the visitors’ doom as Burke began the series in spectacular fashion and 30-game winner John Henry gave the APBL #1 solid pitching to make sure the result was never in doubt.

GAME TWO (Glenwood Field in Philadelphia)
StJ 6-5 AME – Nelson Townsend (RF, StJ) 4/5 (all 1B), 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 SB

Whereas Game One was all American after the third inning, this was an extremely even game throughout.

St. John’s had a 2-1 lead after the opening inning, but a run by St. John’s and two by American in the 3rd cancelled that out and made it a 3-3 game. Both teams scored twice in the 5th to make it 5-5, and after a scoreless 6th it remained tied going into the late innings.

In the top of the 7th Rudolph Decker led off with a Double, and after Townsend singled him over to third Konrad Jensen drove him in with a Sacrifice Fly to give St. John’s a 6-5 lead. That would be the game’s final score. American went down 1-2-3 in the 7th, could only muster a Single in the 8th, and Franklin Petty’s Double with two out in the 9th was followed with a Fly Out, and the series was even.

GAME THREE (Olneyville Field in Providence)
AME 12-13 StJ – Falco v. d. Vaart (C, StJ) 3/5 (all 1B), 3 R, 1 RBI

Game three was more of a back-and-forth affair than Game Two.

After a scoreless opening inning, the hosts scored three times in both the 2nd & 3rd to take a 6-4 lead. American then scored eight times over the 4th & 5th, with two-run hits by Willie Davis & Raynard Steinbach in the 5th being the key moments, to take a 12-6 lead.

The St. John’s comeback began in the bottom of the 5th, when a one-run Single by sub 3B Frank Darcy made the score 12-7. In the bottom of the 6th a run-scoring Double by Nelson Townsend and a Sacrifice Fly by Konrad Jensen would make the score 12-9. St. John’s then won the game in the 7th when a Triple by sub 2B Domenico Branca, Sac Fly by PH Jonathan Atwood, a run-scoring Error, and a Mario Fusilli Double plated four runs to put St. John’s ahead 13-12. Harold Burns provided excellent pitching after that, and St. John’s had a 2-1 series lead.

GAME FOUR (Olneyville Field in Providence)
AME 9-8 StJ – Franklin Petty (RF, AME) 2/4, 3B, 2 R, 0 RBI, BB, 2 SB, 4 TB

It was three one-run games in a row and a 2-2 series after the end of Game Four.

The 2nd was the deciding inning in Providence. American came to bat and scored six runs on a combination of four Singles and a two-run Double by superstar James Burke to take an early 6-0 lead. From there St. John’s was forced to play catch-up for the rest of the game. American scored single runs in the 3rd, 4th, & 6th to take a 9-4 lead, and after St. John’s scored in the 6th & 7th to make it a 9-6 game they plated two runs in the 8th before their attempt at an extended rally fizzled out, with a scoreless 9th guaranteeing the win for American.

GAME FIVE (Olneyville Field in Providence)
AME 8-11 StJ – Konrad Jensen (LF, StJ) 2/3 (both 1B), 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, SB

And it was St. John’s who found themselves one win from the APBL title after late heroics won the day in Game Five.

American opened strong with four runs in the top of the 1st, but St. John’s had evened the score by the end of the 4th. Undeterred, American plated four more runs over the 5th & 6th to take an 8-4 lead, but then St. John’s came right back at American.

In the bottom of the 6th St. john’s scored twice on a Single by Jensen to make it 8-6, and in the bottom of the 7th they scored four runs on a pair of two-run Singles by Mario Fusilli & Theodore Kohlberg to take a 10-8 lead. After an insurance run in B8 made it 11-8 American went down 1-2-3 in the 9th, and St. John’s had a 3-2 series lead.

GAME SIX (Glenwood Field in Philadelphia)
StJ 2-14 AME – Willie Davis (LF, AME) 2/4, HR, 4 R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 SB

American crushed St. John’s to take the Founders’ Cup to a seventh game for the second straight season.

Their backs to the wall, American scored half a dozen runs in the bottom of the 1st and never looked back, with the visitors putting up little resistance – they had five Hits – and Davis putting in a classic performance. In addition to Davis’ splendid day, William Busby was 3/5 with four RBI, Franklin Petty was 2/4 with two Runs and an RBI, and both James Burke & Martin Prince were 2/5 with two Runs.

And now all attention turned to tomorrow’s winner-take-all game for the APBL championship.

GAME SEVEN (Glenwood Field in Philadelphia)
StJ 15-16 AME – James Burke (CF, AME) 4/6 (all 1B), 3 R, 2 RBI, SB

Game Seven was an all-time classic; a contest that will be talked about for years.

St. John’s opened the game red-hot, with ten runs over the first three innings giving them a 10-3 lead. After an uneventful 4th the American comeback began, with four runs in the 5th making it a 10-7 game. Two runs by St. John’s and one by American in the 6th left the score 12-8 going into the final innings of the APBL season.

In the top of the 7th, St. John’s increased their lead to 13-8 on a Single by Theodore Kohlberg. Then, in B7, American got to work. After run-scoring errors made it a 13-10 game, Lorik van Unen came to bat with the bases full and hit a three-run Double to tie the game at 13-13.

In the top of the 8th St. John’s took the lead again, with Mario Fusilli’s two-run Single, his fifth hit of the game, putting the 6x champions ahead 15-13. However, in the bottom half American came right back. After substitute P Allan Jordan led off with a Single he was moved over by James Burke, and then after Willie Davis was hit by a pitch Martin Prince singled in Jordan to make the score 15-14. William Busby then offered up a rare Sacrifice Bunt to move the runners, and Franklin Petty proceeded to deliver the most important hit of the season: a Single that drove in Davis & Prince to give American a 16-15 lead after the end of eight innings of play.

In the top of the 9th Falco van der Vaart led off with a Single and was replaced by pinch-running speedster Jonathan Atwood, who then stole Second Base and was moved to third on a Single by Ben Gagliardi. However, St. John’s could move the runners no further as a hard-hit groundout and two popouts stranded the runners, and American were back-to-back APBL champions after what was the most memorable game in the league’s three-year history.

FOUNDERS’ CUP MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
James Burke (CF, AME) – .528 (19/36), 1.208 OPS, 13 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 12 RBI, 1 BB, 5 SB, 0.9 WPA, 0.6 WAR

James Burke followed up a certain Batsman of the Year campaign with perhaps the best single series by a batsman in postseason history. He was everything that American needed him to be, and he came through every time American found themselves in trouble. It was an extraordinary end to an extraordinary season.

Not to be overlooked in defeat was St. John’s 1B Mario Fusilli:

Mario Fusilli (1B, StJ) – .452 (14/31), 1.083 OPS, 7 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 12 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SB, 1.2 WPA, 0.5 WAR

Fusilli was brilliant during his first postseason action of any kind in six years, and his 5/6 outing with three RBI in Game Seven was an incredible performance in a must-win game. Unfortunately for him and his St. John’s teammates, the amazing talent that American had at its disposal finally won out.

FOUNDERS' CUP SUMMARY

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Sometimes, OOTP just likes to give you a classic of a series to enjoy...

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1873 PHILADELPHIA CITY BASEBALL LEAGUE REVIEW

1873 PCBL STANDINGS





PER-TEAM STATISTICS

1873: 8.1 R/G, .283, .649 OPS, 825 H, 98 2B, 36 3B, 4 HR, 69 SB, 2.87 ERA, 67 BB, 58 K, 8.4 E/G, .813 FLD%


LIBERTY BELL CLASSIC

GAME 1: FRA 12-8 MERC – Joseph Evans (CF, FRA) 4/6, 4 1B, 1 R, 3 RBI, SB
GAME 2: FRA 14-17 MERC – Stephen Burroughs (CF, MERC) 3/5, 2B, 3B, 3 R, 5 RBI
GAME 3: MERC 2-4 FRA – Charlie Greiner (P, FRA) CG, 6 HA, 0 ER, 1 K, 1/4, 1 RBI
GAME 4: MERC 15-8 FRA – Benjamin Warnock (1B, MERC) 3/6, 3B, 3 R, 2 RBI, 5 TB
GAME 5: FRA 10-12 MERC – Charlie Kleinman (LF, MERC) 2/4, 3B, 1 R, 4 RBI

Mercantile B.C. wins series 3-2

LIBERTY BELL CLASSIC MVP: Benjamin Warnock (1B, Mercantile)

PHILADELPHIA CITY BASEBALL LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Joseph Evans (LF/CF, age 21) – Frankford Arsenal

• .372/.411/.504, .915 OPS, 93 R, 127 H, 19 2B, 13 3B, 0 HR, 83 RBI, 23 BB, 18 SB, 172 TB, 4.4 WPA, 4.6 WAR
• Led PCBL in AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, XBH, BB, TB, & WAR playing most of ’73 season at age of 20
• Robert Karnes (CF, QV) 2nd – .365, .815 OPS, 70 R, 128 H, 17 XBH, 1 HR, 59 RBI, 8 BB, 4 SB, 4.0 WPA, 3.0 WAR
• Andrew Bennett (3B, SoB) 3rd – .356, .807 OPS, 79 R, 131 H, 13 2B, 8 3B, 66 RBI, 6 BB, 4 SB, 4.3 WPA, 2.1 WAR

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Arthur Lipscomb (age 31) – Philadelphia B.C.C.

• 19-15, 2.21 ERA, 301.1 IP, 45 G, 18 CG, 2 SHO, 25 K, 0.7 K/9, 2.3 K/BB, 1.12 WHIP, 4.8 WAR, 6.9 rWAR
• Led PCBL in four major categories; Only P with 300+ IP; 4-1 with 1.97 ERA in August
• Joseph Hansel (MERC) 2nd – 21-10, 2.16 ERA, 275.1 IP, 20 CG, 1 SV, 29 K, 3.2 K/BB, 1.16 WHIP, 5.1 WAR, 6.3 rWAR
• Charlie Greiner (FRA) – 24-9, 2.61 ERA, 289.2 IP, 18 CG, 0 SHO, 30 K, 1.9 K/BB, 1.37 WHIP, 3.9 WAR, 1.4 rWAR

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Benjamin Warnock (1B, age 28) – Mercantile B.C.

• .347/.366/.436, .802 OPS, 80 R, 120 H, 15 2B, 8 3B, 0 HR, 55 RBI, 12 BB, 17 SB, 151 TB, 4.8 WPA, 2.6 WAR
• Led league in WPA; top five in seven offensive categories; Liberty Bell Classic MVP
• Joseph Evans (LF/CF, FRA) – PCBL Batsman of the Year
• Julian Fleury (CF, MIN) 3rd – .349, .805 OPS, 97 R, 128 H, 15 2B, 10 3B, 48 RBI, 6 BB, 39 SB, 4.7 WPA, 3.3 WAR

PCBL GOLDEN GLOVES

• P: Wayne Hall (IND) – 12 PO, 36 AST, 1 DP, 14 E, 1.73 RNG, +6.0 ZR, 1.325 EFF
• C: Roger Thomas (FRA) – 23.4 RTO%, 2.39 C-ERA, +3.4 ZR, 1.090 EFF
• 1B: George Karl (SPA) – 600 PO, 53 AST, 20 DP, 30 E, 11.13 RNG, +9.6 ZR, 1.147 EFF
• 2B: Frederick Pike (PBCC) – 252 PO, 190 AST, 11 DP, 70 E, 6.67 RNG, +19.9 ZR, 1.196 EFF
• 3B: Charles Hunt (PBCC) – 138 PO, 156 AST, 6 DP, 91 E, 4.29 RNG, +14.6 ZR, 1.155 EFF
• SS: Moody Steiger (OVER) – 146 PO, 185 AST, 12 DP, 78 E, 6.42 RNG, +29.4 ZR, 1.337 EFF
• LF: Jerald Coleman (IND) – 120 PO, 1 AST, 13 E, 1.85 RNG, +7.8 ARM, +4.2 ZR, 1.107 EFF
• CF: Wild Bill Jackson (SCH) – 201 PO, 9 AST, 68 E, 3.08 RNG, +2.1 ARM, +9.7 ZR, 1.097 EFF
• RF: Clarence Manning (YORK) – 131 PO, 6 AST, 69 E, 2.09 RNG, +2.6 ARM, +5.7 ZR, 1.105 EFF

PCBL TEAM OF THE YEAR

P: Charlie Greiner (FRA) - 24-9, 2.61 ERA, 289.2 IP, 18 CG, 0 SHO, 30 K, 0.9 K/9, 1.9 K/BB, 1.37 WHIP, 3.9 WAR, 1.4 rWAR
C: Walter Giroux (MBCC) - .348, .763 OPS, 65 R, 104 H, 11 2B, 4 3B, 0 HR, 60 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB, 123 TB, 2.0 WPA, 2.5 WAR
1B: Benjamin Warnock (MERC) - .347, .802 OPS, 80 R, 120 H, 15 2B, 8 3B, 0 HR, 55 RBI, 12 BB, 17 SB, 151 TB, 4.8 WPA, 2.6 WAR
2B: Frederick Pike (PBCC) - .336, .773 OPS, 64 R, 111 H, 14 2B, 8 3B, 0 HR, 69 RBI, 4 BB, 28 SB, +19.9 ZR, 2.9 WPA, 3.6 WAR
3B: Andrew Bennett (SoB) - .356, .807 OPS, 79 R, 131 H, 13 2B, 8 3B, 0 HR, 66 RBI, 6 BB, 4 SB, 160 TB, 4.3 WPA, 2.1 WAR
SS: Jonathan Turriff (IND) - .328, .798 OPS, 71 R, 107 H, 20 2B, 8 3B, 1 HR, 66 RBI, 5 BB, 9 SB, 146 TB, 4.0 WPA, 1.8 WAR
OF: Joseph Evans (FRA) - .372, .915 OPS, 93 R, 127 H, 19 2B, 13 3B, 0 HR, 83 RBI, 23 BB, 18 SB, 172 TB, 4.4 WPA, 4.6 WAR
OF: Robert Karnes (QV) - .365, .815 OPS, 70 R, 128 H, 11 2B, 5 3B, 1 HR, 59 RBI, 8 BB, 4 SB, 152 TB, 4.0 WPA, 3.0 WAR
OF: Charlie Kleinman (MERC) - .320, .747 OPS, 61 R, 105 H, 13 2B, 8 3B, 0 HR, 87 RBI, 10 BB, 12 SB, 134 TB, 4.3 WPA, 2.0 WAR

MISCELLANEOUS

PCBL STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Average: .372 by Joseph Evans (CF, Frankford)
• On-Base: .411 by Joseph Evans
• Slugging: .504 by Joseph Evans
• OPS: .915 by Joseph Evans
• Hits: 131 by Andrew Bennett (3B, Sons of Ben)
• Extra-Base Hits: 32 Harrison Comstock (LF, Germantown) & Joseph Evans
• Doubles: 21 by James Cray (LF, Merion)
• Triples: 15 by Harrison Comstock
• Home Runs: 2 by twelve different batsmen
• Runs Batted In: 87 by Charlie Kleinman (LF, Mercantile)
• Runs: 103 by Burton Hyde (SS, Frankford)
• Stolen Bases: 65 by Harrison Comstock
• Total Bases: 172 by Joseph Evans
• Bases on Balls: 23 by Joseph Evans
• Zone Rating: +29.4 by Moody Steiger (SS, Overbrook)
• Win Prob. Added: 4.80 by Benjamin Warnock (1B, Mercantile)
• Batsman WAR: 4.6 by Joseph Evans

• Wins: 24 by Charlie Greiner (Frankford)
• Losses: 22 by Jameson Jenkins (Penn)
• ERA (200+ IP): 2.00 by Casper Shultis (Mercantile)
• Innings: 301.1 by Arthur Lipscomb (Philadelphia B.C.C.)
• Complete Games: 25 by Casper Shultis
• Shutouts: 2 by Arthur Lipscomb
• BB/9 (200+ IP): 0.2 by Casper Shultis
• Strikeouts: 36 by Jarvis Whitney (Yorktown)
• K/9 (200+ IP): 1.3 by Jarvis Whitney
• K/BB (200+ IP): 3.9 by William Winningham (Schuylkill)
• WHIP (150+ IP): 1.12 by Frank Bell (Marathon)
• Pitcher WAR: 5.5 by Paul Krueger (Sons of Ben)
• Pitcher rWAR: 6.9 by Arthur Lipscomb


ACHIEVEMENTS & NOTABLE EVENTS

• Mar 16: The PCBL was given formal recognition in New York City.
• May 16: Josph King (Independence) becomes the first player with four SB in a PCBL game.
• May 18: James Kennedy (Keystone) becomes the first player to score six Runs in a PCBL game.
• May 18: Arthur Lipscomb (P.B.C.C.) pitches the first Shutout in PCBL history.
• June 4: Robert Karnes (Queen Village) has the first six-hit game in PCBL history.
• June 4: Robert Karnes (Queen Village) has the first six-RBI game in PCBL history.
• June 18: Joseph Dunkle (Queen Village) bats 5/6 with a 2B, four Runs, & 6 RBI vs Minerva (106 GMSC).
• June 4: Jeoffrey Brown (Queen Village) sets a new record with seven Runs in a single game.
• June 20: Robert Karnes (Queen Village) bats 6/7 (2B, 2 R, 3 RBI) vs Minerva.
• July 3: Moody Steiger (Overbrook) bats 6/6 (2B, 1 R, 2 RBI) at Independence.

• There were three six-hit games in 1871.
• The longest Hitting Streak this season was 26 games by Joseph Evans (Frankford; ended June 27)
• Four players had 75+ RBI in 1873.
• One player scored 100+ Runs.
• Two players had 50+ Stolen Bases.
• No pitchers finished with 25+ Wins.

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1873 NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION REVIEW

1873 NBBO STANDINGS








PER-TEAM STATISTICS

NYL: 8.0 R/G, .287, .661 OPS, 813 H, 95 2B, 37 3B, 6 HR, 101 SB, 3.24 ERA, 66 BB, 49 K, 7.7 E/G, .828 FLD%
NEL: 8.0 R/G, .294, .673 OPS, 834 H, 98 2B, 37 3B, 5 HR, 109 SB, 3.44 ERA, 62 BB, 53 K, 7.5 E/G, .829 FLD%

1872 NYL: 6.7 R/G, .286, .656 OPS, 783 H, 107 2B, 25 3B, 6 HR, 66 SB, 3.32 ERA, 58 BB, 59 K, 5.8 E/G, .863 FLD%
1872 NEL: 6.3 R/G, .283, .645 OPS, 764 H, 106 2B, 24 3B, 3 HR, 69 SB, 3.12 ERA, 60 BB, 61 K, 5.7 E/G, .864 FLD%


TUCKER-WHEATON CUP XVII

NYL SEMIFINALS: Metropolitan (#3) beats Eckford (#2) 3-1
NEL SEMIFINALS: Portland (#3) beats Quaker St. (#2) 3-0

NYL CHAMPIONSHIP: Utica (#1) beats Metropolitan (#3) 3-2
NEL CHAMPIONSHIP: Portland (#3) beats Pioneer (#1) 3-1

TWC FINAL GAME 1: PORT 7-8 UTI – John Baddley (2B, UTI) 3/4, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI
TWC FINAL GAME 2: PORT 10-8 UTI – Jonathan Ovaska (CF, PORT) 2/4, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB
TWC FINAL GAME 3: UTI 8-3 PORT – Jesse McDermott (P, UTI) CG, 5 HA, 1 ER, 1 K
TWC FINAL GAME 4: UTI 11-6 PORT – Joseph Lindblom (1B, UTI) 2/3, 2 R, 3 RBI, HBP
TWC FINAL GAME 5: PORT 2-12 ECK – Hanrahan Casey (CF, ECK) PotG

Utica (1st title) wins series 3-1

TWC FINAL MVP: John Baddley (2B, Utica)

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NEW YORK LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Henry Nabors (SS, age 32) – Victory BBC; 1st career BotY

• .397/.408/.490, .898 OPS, 85 R, 141 H, 19 2B, 7 3B, 0 HR, 98 RBI, 8 BB, 19 SB, 174 TB, 6.3 WPA, 3.7 WAR
• Led NYL in AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, H, RBI, TB, & WPA; set new NBBO record for RBI in a season
• Jerald Peterson (1B, MET) 2nd – .367, .845 OPS, 77 R, 124 H, 22 2B, 4 3B, 62 RBI, 11 BB, 9 SB, 5.2 WPA, 2.9 WAR
• Isaac Holm (LF, COL) 3rd – .359, .834 OPS, 75 R, 120 H, 26 XBH, 1 HR, 71 RBI, 5 BB, 24 SB, 3.7 WPA, 3.1 WAR


PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Charles Rhodes (age 24) – New York Athletic Club; 1st career PotY

• 22-14, 2.14 ERA, 336.1 IP, 21 CG, 2 SHO, 26 K, 0.7 K/9, 1.1 K/BB, 1.25 WHIP, 5.7 WAR, 5.5 rWAR
• Led NYL in ERA, Shutouts, & Pitching WAR; led NYL in Pitching WAR for 3rd straight season
• Edward Koch (UNI) 2nd – 23-17, 2.72 ERA, 348.0 IP, 26 CG, 1 SHO, 23 K, 1.1 K/BB, 1.24 WHIP, 5.0 WAR, 7.6 rWAR
• Olaf Sorensen (ATL) 3rd – 23-14, 2.80 ERA, 331.1 IP, 22 CG, 1 SHO, 36 K, 1.2 K/BB, 1.30 WHIP, 5.6 WAR, 5.4 rWAR


MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Isaac Kelly (3B, age 28) – Eckford of Greenpoint; 1st career MVP

• .381/.398/.475, .873 OPS, 68 R, 129 H, 26 2B, 3 3B, 60 RBI, 8 BB, 1 SB, 161 TB, +12.1 ZR, 3.0 WPA, 4.4 WAR
• Led NYL in Doubles & Batsman WAR; #2 in NYL in AVG, OBP, SLG, & OPS
• Jerald Peterson (1B, MER) 2nd – New York League Batsman of the Year runner-up
• Fox Ellis (3B, UTI) 3rd – .340, .758 OPS, 65 R, 113 H, 14 XBH, 3 HR, 73 RBI, 3 BB, 11 SB, 4.4 WPA, 2.1 WAR


GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: Edward Davis (SS, age 29) – Utica BBC

• .339/.352/.436, .788 OPS, 81 R, 112 H, 23 XBH, 2 HR, 80 RBI, 6 BB, 9 SB, 144 TB, 3.9 WPA, 2.1 WAR
• Made All-Star Game as backup for NYL; starting SS for Tucker-Wheaton Cup champions
• Claude Owens (RF, BED) 2nd – .328, .764 OPS, 62 R, 105 H, 15 2B, 8 3B, 53 RBI, 4 BB, 29 SB, 3.0 WPA, 2.4 WAR
• Peter James (3B, NYAC) 3rd – .335, .761 OPS, 67 R, 106 H, 16 XBH, 2 HR, 55 RBI, 8 BB, 11 SB, 4.6 WPA, 1.8 WAR


NYL GOLDEN GLOVES

• P: Augustus Cook (ECK/1st) – 27 PO, 54 AST, 0 DP, 20 E, 2.19 RNG, +6.1 ZR, 1.142 EFF
• C: Joseph Kryszak (MER/1st) – 26.0 RTO%, 3.25 C-ERA, +3.9 ZR, 1.056 EFF
• 1B: Lawrence Robinson (BAL/1st) – 663 PO, 53 AST, 16 DP, 25 E, 11.07 RNG, +8.9 ZR, 1.112 EFF
• 2B: John Baddley (UTI/1st) – 224 PO, 186 AST, 11 DP, 40 E, 7.11 RNG, +15.1 ZR, 1.156 EFF
• 3B: James Lindsey (SYR/3rd) – 117 PO, 136 AST, 3 DP, 58 E, 3.94 RNG, +12.9 ZR, 1.195 EFF
• SS: William Cruise (UNI/1st) – 192 PO, 205 AST, 23 DP, 72 E, 6.64 RNG, +19.3 ZR, 1.164 EFF
• LF: Homer Tackett (HILL/1st) – 126 PO, 1 AST, 34 E, 1.93 RNG, +1.2 ARM, +5.4 ZR, 1.069 EFF
• CF: Hanrahan Casey (ECK/1st) – 187 PO, 6 AST, 41 E, 2.91 RNG, -1.0 ARM, +9.5 ZR, 1.098 EFF
• RF: Samuel Walker (COL/1st) – 126 PO, 9 AST, 53 E, 2.10 RNG, +2.3 ARM, +6.3 ZR, 1.107 EFF


NYL TEAM OF THE YEAR

P: Olaf Sorensen (ATL/1st) - 23-14, 2.80 ERA, 331.1 IP, 22 CG, 1 SHO, 36 K, 1.0 K/9, 1.2 K/BB, 1.30 WHIP, 5.6 WAR
C: William Lovato (CTL/1st) - .356, .804 OPS, 63 R, 105 H, 13 2B, 5 3B, 0 HR, 56 RBI, 6 BB, 21 SB, 2.7 WPA, 3.0 WAR
1B: Jerald Peterson (MET/6th) - .367, .845 OPS, 77 R, 124 H, 22 2B, 4 3B, 0 HR, 62 RBI, 11 BB, 9 SB, 5.2 WPA, 2.9 WAR
2B: William Vogel (MIN/1st) - .332, .803 OPS, 63 R, 103 H, 16 2B, 7 3B, 2 HR, 57 RBI, 23 SB, +13.8 ZR, 3.0 WPA, 3.0 WAR
3B: Isaac Kelly (ECK/3rd) - .381, .873 OPS, 68 R, 129 H, 26 2B, 3 3B, 0 HR, 60 RBI, 8 BB, +12.1 ZR, 3.0 WPA, 4.4 WAR
SS: Henry Nabors (VIC/4th) - .397, .898 OPS, 85 R, 141 H, 19 2B, 7 3B, 0 HR, 98 RBI, 19 SB, 174 TB, 6.3 WPA, 3.7 WAR
OF: Isaac Holm (COL/1st) - .356, .834 OPS, 75 R, 120 H, 16 2B, 9 3B, 1 HR, 71 RBI, 5 BB, 24 SB, 3.7 WPA, 3.1 WAR
OF: Alessandro Baldaro (BED/1st) - .318, .791 OPS, 79 R, 108 H, 24 2B, 13 3B, 0 HR, 62 RBI, 5 BB, 13 SB, 4.3 WPA, 2.6 WAR
OF: Luc Billon (MAR/2nd) - .343, .852 OPS, 69 R, 105 H, 16 2B, 9 3B, 0 HR, 57 RBI, 17 BB, 2 SB, 3.8 WPA, 2.7 WAR

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Deacon George (2B, age 29) – Green Mountain BC; 1st career BotY

• .381/.382/.537, .919 OPS, 63 R, 117 H, 17 2B, 11 3B, 3 HR, 74 RBI, 1 BB, 3 SB, 165 TB, 5.9 WPA, 3.1 WAR
• Led NEL in SLG, OPS, HR, TB, & WPA; Top five in H, 3B, XBH, & WAR; 2nd straight G.M. BotY
• Enda Reed (1B, PORT) 2nd – Northeastern League Most Valuable Player
• Harold Groves (2B, NAT) 3rd – .352, .828 OPS, 70 R, 118 H, 12 2B, 11 3B, 60 RBI, 12 BB, 9 SB, 3.0 WPA, 3.3 WAR


PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Ross Gill (age 32) – Quaker State BC; 2nd career PotY

• 27-11, 2.50 ERA, 356.2 IP, 31 CG, 1 SHO, 31 K, 0.8 K/9, 2.4 K/BB, 1.14 WHIP, 6.8 WAR, 10.8 rWAR
• Led NEL in W, IP, CG, HA/9, WHIP, WAR, & rWAR; 3rd straight season in top two for NEL PotY
• Charles McCormick (PIO) 2nd – 23-11, 2.23 ERA, 302.2 IP, 20 CG, 1 SHO, 37 K, 2.2 K/BB, 1.19 WHIP, 4.6 WAR, 7.0 rWAR
• George Burroughs (PJ) 3rd – 23-15, 3.29 ERA, 336.1 IP, 51 G, 1 SHO, 42 K, 1.6 K/BB, 1.44 WHIP, 5.9 WAR, 6.2 rWAR


MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Enda Reed (1B, age 38) – Portland BC; 1st career PotY

• .362/.384/.505, .889 OPS, 60 R, 109 H, 18 2B, 11 3B, 1 HR, 75 RBI, 12 BB, 10 SB, 152 TB, 4.6 WPA, 2.8 WAR
• Top five in NEL in SLG, OPS, 3B, XBH, RBI, BB, TB, & WAR
• Gerhardt Berg (1B, QS) 2nd – .355, .831 OPS, 88 R, 117 H, 18 XBH, 1 HR, 79 RBI, 15 BB, 6 SB, 5.2 WPA, 2.2 WAR
• Frank Thomas (2B, PIO) 3rd – .313, .735 OPS, 79 R, 105 H, 22 2B, 3 3B, 74 RBI, 13 BB, 9 SB, 4.9 WPA, 2.4 WAR


GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: Gus Carlson (CF, age 29) – Newark BC

• .328/.361/.462, .823 OPS, 75 R, 108 H, 15 2B, 13 3B, 1 HR, 68 RBI, 9 BB, 23 SB, 152 TB, 5.2 WPA, 2.0 WAR
• Made All-Star Game as backup for NEL; Top five in NEL in Triples, Extra-Base Hits, & Total Bases
• Harmon Card (RF, TIG) 2nd – .342, .783 OPS, 72 R, 101 H, 18 XBH, 2 HR, 67 RBI, 4 BB, 7 SB, 3.5 WPA, 1.4 WAR
• George Bowman (LF, PIO) 3rd – .338, .760 OPS, 62 R, 93 H, 14 XBH, 1 HR, 61 RBI, 4 BB, 14 SB, 3.3 WPA, 1.6 WAR


NEL GOLDEN GLOVES

• P: Robert Dressen (SPO/1st) – 13 PO, 44 AST, 1 DP, 16 E, 1.74 RNG, +6.9 ZR, 1.287 EFF
• C: Leonard Gellner (LE/2nd) – 26.4 RTO%, 3.11 C-ERA, +3.9 ZR, 1.083 EFF
• 1B: Enda Reed (PORT/2nd) – 592 PO, 45 AST, 17 DP, 29 E, 10.46 RNG, +7.2 ZR, 1.101 EFF
• 2B: Lacy LeGendre (SotO/1st) – 254 PO, 227 AST, 14 DP, 49 E, 7.24 RNG, +20.0 ZR, 1.156 EFF
• 3B: James McNeil (MM/1st) – 119 PO, 123 AST, 5 DP, 67 E, 3.64 RNG, +8.5 ZR, 1.117 EFF
• SS: Peter Jones (Soto/3rd) – 194 PO, 242 AST, 13 DP, 58 E, 6.79 RNG, +37.8 ZR, 1.340 EFF
• LF: Ernest Keel (SUS/1st) – 128 PO, 5 AST, 34 E, 1.97 RNG, +1.1 ARM, +4.0 ZR, 1.068 EFF
• CF: Alex Leininger (TIG/1st) – 182 PO, 11 AST, 59 E, 2.87 RNG, +1.3 ARM, +6.4 ZR, 1.069 EFF
• RF: George Scott (MM/1st) – 131 PO, 8 AST, 56 E, 2.11 RNG, +2.7 ARM, +5.0 ZR, 1.043 EFF


NEL TEAM OF THE YEAR

P: Ross Gill (QS/1st) - 27-11, 2.50 ERA, 356.2 IP, 31 CG, 1 SHO, 31 K, 2.4 K/BB, 1.14 WHIP, 6.8 WAR, 10.8 rWAR
C: Joseph Steele (PIO/2nd) - .324, .717 OPS, 62 R, 107 H, 12 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 62 RBI, 3 BB, 127 TB, 4.4 WPA, 2.1 WAR
1B: Enda Reed (PORT/1st) - .362, .889 OPS, 60 R, 109 H, 18 2B, 11 3B, 1 HR, 75 RBI, 12 BB, 10 SB, 4.6 WPA, 2.8 WAR
2B: Decaon George (GM/1st) - .381, .919 OPS, 63 R, 117 H, 17 2B, 11 3B, 3 HR, 74 RBI, 3 SB, 165 TB, 5.9 WPA, 3.1 WAR
3B: Hoyt Woodford (CAN/1st) - .332, .818 OPS, 92 R, 111 H, 11 2B, 15 3B, 1 HR, 68 RBI, 7 BB, 35 SB, 4.4 WPA, 2.4 WAR
SS: Earl Seals (TU/1st) - .307, .708 OPS, 63 R, 97 H, 13 2B, 4 3B, 58 RBI, 11 BB, 28 SB, +25.5 ZR, 2.8 WPA, 4.0 WAR
OF: Ernest Keel (SUS/1st) - .351, .785 OPS, 79 R, 120 H, 14 2B, 5 3B, 0 HR, 63 RBI, 5 BB, 35 SB, 4.9 WPA, 2.2 WAR
OF: Ned Morganti (QS/3rd) - .367, .885 OPS, 79 R, 121 H, 19 2B, 10 3B, 1 HR, 66 RBI, 10 BB, 29 SB, 4.4 WPA, 3.2 WAR
OF: Charles Rice (PIO/1st) - .295, .688 OPS, 98 R, 104 H, 10 2B, 6 3B, 2 HR, 66 RBI, 10 BB, 71 SB, 4.5 WPA, 2.3 WAR

MISCELLANEOUS

NEW YORK LEAGUE LEADERS

• Average: .397 by Henry Nabors (SS, Victory)
• On-Base: .408 by Henry Nabors
• Slugging: .490 by Henry Nabors
• OPS: .898 by Henry Nabors
• Hits: 141 by Henry Nabors
• Extra-Base Hits: 37 by Alessandro Baldaro (CF, Bedford)
• Doubles: 26 by Isaac Kelly (3B, Eckford)
• Triples: 14 by three different batsmen
• Home Runs: 3 by four different batsmen
• Runs Batted In: 98 by Henry Nabors (new NBBO record)
• Runs: 101 by Lucius Roberts (LF, Syracuse)
• Stolen Bases: 73 by Louis Murray (LF, Eckford)
• Total Bases: 174 by Henry Nabors
• Bases on Balls: 36 by James Heilman (RF, Utica)
• Zone Rating: +19.3 by William Cruise (SS, Union)
• Win Prob. Added: 6.26 by Henry Nabors
• Batsman WAR: 4.4 by Isaac Kelly

• Wins: 23 by Edward Kock (Union) & Olaf Sorensen (Atlantic)
• Losses: 27 by Frank Keeler (Nassau Co.)
• ERA (200+ IP): 2.14 by Charles Rhoes (N.Y.A.C.)
• Innings: 348.0 by Edward Koch
• Complete Games: 26 by Edward Koch
• Shutouts: 2 by three different pitchers
• BB/9 (200+ IP): 0.4 by Michael Kapral (Atlantic)
• Strikeouts: 38 by Bubba Mack (Columbia)
• K/9 (200+ IP): 1.2 by Robert Fertel (Marathon)
• K/BB (200+ IP): 1.7 by Columbus German (Binghamton)
• WHIP (200+ IP): 1.19 by Augustus Cook (Eckford)
• Pitcher WAR: 5.7 by Charles Rhodes
• Pitcher rWAR: 7.6 by Edward Koch


NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE LEADERS

• Average: .383 by Edgar Drury (1B, Pt. Jersey)
• On-Base: .401 by William Moriarty (SS, Tiger S.C.)
• Slugging: .537 by Deacon George (2B, Green Mtn.)
• OPS: .919 by Deacon George
• Hits: 121 by Ned Morganti (CF, Quaker St.)
• Extra-Base Hits: 32 by Elijah Hill (3B, Green Mtn.)
• Doubles: 27 by Elijah Hill
• Triples: 15 by Hoyt Woodford (3B, Cantabrigians)
• Home Runs: 3 by three different batsmen
• Runs Batted In: 83 by Jonathan Day (C, Cantabrigians)
• Runs: 98 by Charles Rice (RF, Pioneer)
• Stolen Bases: 71 by Charles Rice
• Total Bases: 165 by Deacon George
• Bases on Balls: 21 by William Moriarty
• Zone Rating: +37.8 by Peter Jones (SS, S.o.t.O.; new NBBO record)
• Win Prob. Added: 5.90 by Deacon George
• Batsman WAR: 4.0 by Earl Seals (SS, Trenton Utd.)

• Wins: 27 by Ross Gill (Quaker St.)
• Losses: 27 by Hugh Whiteside (Quinnipiac)
• ERA (200+ IP): 2.23 by Charles McCormick (Pioneer)
• Innings: 365.2 by Ross Gill
• Complete Games: 31 by Ross Gill
• Shutouts: 2 by Earl Quinn (Maryland)
• BB/9 (200+ IP): 0.2 by John Faulkner (Cantabrigians)
• Strikeouts: 43 by Washington Kihlstedt (Sportsman’s)
• K/9 (200+ IP): 1.3 by Washington Kihlstedt
• K/BB (200+ IP): 22.5 by Thomas Bishop (Oceanic)
• WHIP (200+ IP): 1.14 by Ross Gill
• Pitcher WAR: 6.8 by Ross Gill
• Pitcher rWAR: 10.8 by Ross Gill


ACHIEVEMENTS & NOTABLE EVENTS

• May 28: Victory sets a new record with 25 Errors during a 31-17 loss at Binghamton.
• June 11: Olaf Sorensen (Atlantic) bats 5/5 while pitching a Complete Game Win at Star.
• June 27: Augustus Cook (Eckford) pitches the 6th No-Hitter in NBBO history.
• July 25: Adam Allen (Binghamton) bats 6/8 with 2 2B, HR, 5 R, & 8 RBI at Columbia (140 GMSC)
• July 28: NYL wins the All-Star Game 8-7 at Manor House. MVP: Isaac Kelly (ECK)
• Aug. 3: Earl Quinn (Maryland) pitches his 2nd consecutive Shutout.
• Aug. 10: Harold Groves (National) bats 6/7 with 2 2B, 3B, 4 R, 7 SB, BB at Olympic (126 GMSC)
• Aug. 18: NYC goes to a one-game playoff for the second consecutive year. Metro beats Harlem 11-7.

• No batsmen hit .400 for the first time since 1865.
• There were a record ten six-hit games in 1873.
• The longest Hitting Streak this season was 34 games by Harmon Card (TIG; ended Aug. 7)
• For the second consecutive season, no players hit 5+ Home Runs.
• One batsman scored 100+ Runs.
• A record twelve batsmen had 75+ RBI in 1873.
• A record five players had 70+ Stolen Bases in 1873.
• Only one P finished the season with 25+ Wins.

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1873 AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE REVIEW

WRITERS POOL OBSERVATIONS

It took an extraordinary finish, but this was American’s season. They had the best batsman, the best pitcher, the best greenhorn, and star power unmatched in the history of the sport. The frightening thing is that almost all of their stars are under contract for next year and beyond.

ALLEGHANY: They looked good for a month but ultimately finished 5th in the Colonial due to an offense that was in the bottom three in every major category. The team probably needs upgrades at 1B, 2B, LF, & CF. The good news: their pitching duo of Raynard Cordell & Elmer Seabold is very good.

AMERICAN: Not much to say for the team that has it all now that they’ll enter 1874 as the 2x defending APBL champions. If they can bring John Henry back and upgrade the #2 P spot then there’s simply no beating American next year.

EXCELSIOR: The good news was that they weren’t as utterly reliant on Jim Creighton as they were in seasons past. The bad news was that they had the APBL’s worst offense, as veteran star CF Obelix Tsiaris had a major drop in production and their defensive aces had light bats. Another winter of retooling is in order.

FLOUR CITY: Three APBL seasons and three 2nd-place finishes in the Colonial, although they’ve cut the final margin from eight games to four to two. Their pitching duo of James 1&2 – Goodman & York – is the best in the APBL. However, 3B Hugh Harris & 1B Hawk Peterson had career-worst seasons so offensive upgrades are needed.

GOTHAM: They struggled as much as projected this season. Down years from Royal Altman & Babe Johnson combined with the worst pitching in the league, with Charles Sturch a surprising disappointment, spelled Gotham’s doom. If they upgrade 3B & CF and their talented pitchers come around, next year could be much better.

KINGS CO: This was going to be a developmental year, and not surprisingly they had the worst record in the league. The good news: Garfield Koonce continues to be an outstanding player, and their trio of greenhorn batsmen didn’t look out of place. The bad news: their pitching continues to be a major issue.

KNICKERBOCKER: They expended so much energy trying to keep up with American that it resulted in a 4-11 August collapse. Almost every regular except LF Edward Donovan is due back and they have talented 23-year-old OF Henry Jost, so it’s possible that the team stands pat over the winter and hopes that American comes back to the pack in 1874.

MASS. BAY: Last place in the Colonial, and it’s because of the fact that, while this team can seriously club the ball, their defense is second, possibly third, rate and their pitchers are just okay. They could use upgrades everywhere but C & 1B, and they’ll need a new LF if veteran star Thomas Maloney retires after the most difficult season of his career.

NIAGARA: They were mostly okay. Niagara’s offense ranked 6th out of twelve and their pitching was in the middle of the pack, but their work in the field saw them commit the third most Errors in the league. If they let John Gaynor go and move Henry Card to LF, a better defensive CF could help this team out a lot.

ORANGE: Their offense was great, but their pitching outside of #1 Paul Caldwell really struggled. The team may also be best served by letting Walter Dudley go and moving Samuel Kessler back to 1B so a better defender with an okay bat can take over the LF spot. In addition, they’ll be hoping for a return to form out of Taliesin Buckley.

SHAMROCK: That they improved by six games (42-48 to 48-42) despite losing James Burke is to their credit. Newcomers Earl Crosby & Arthur Fisher did well, and centerpiece signee William Dickerson was magnificent. Unfortunately, Henry Tallman had a major fall in form that saw him removed from regular duty, so Shamrock may need a new #2 pitcher.

ST. JOHN’S: Heartbreak for the second consecutive season. Their offense was excellent as always, their defense was good, and while their pitching struggled at times they were still #3 in Runs Allowed. St. John’s just weren’t as good as American, but the rest of Colonial is creeping up on them. St. John’s may need to make a splash this winter and sign a star.

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1873 APBL STANDINGS





PER-TEAM STATISTICS

APBL: 7.9 R/G, .297, .680 OPS, 1,079 H, 125 2B, 48 3B, 9 HR, 184 SB, 3.72 ERA, 78 BB, 66 K, 7.2 E/G, .837 FLD%
1872: 6.1 R/G, .286, .655 OPS, 977 H, 129 2B, 35 3B, 3 HR, 138 SB, 3.37 ERA, 85 BB, 70 K, 5.1 E/G, .878 FLD%


FOUNDERS' CUP III: St. John's v American

GAME 1: StJ 4-12 AME – James Burke (CF, AME) 4/6, 2 2B, 3 R, 4 RBI
GAME 2: StJ 6-5 AME – Nelson Townsend (RF, StJ) 4/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 SB
GAME 3: AME 12-13 StJ – Falco v. d. Vaart (C, StJ) 3/5, 3 R, 1 RBI
GAME 4: AME 9-8 StJ – Franklin Petty (RF, AME) 2/4, 3B, 2 R, BB, 2 SB
GAME 5: AME 8-11 StJ – Konrad Jensen (LF, StJ) 2/3, 1 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB
GAME 6: StJ 2-14 AME – Willie Davis (LF, AME) 2/4, HR, 4 R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 SB
GAME 7: StJ 15-16 AME – James Burke (CF, AME) 4/6, 3 R, 2 RBI, SB

American (2nd title; 2nd consecutive) wins series 4-3

FOUNDERS CUP MVP: James Burke (CF, American)

AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS
Career award totals are carried over from the NBBO

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: James Burke (CF, age 31) – American BC; 1st career BotY

• .368/.395/.489, .884 OPS, 130 R, 155 H, 16 2B, 16 3B, 1 HR, 109 RBI, 17 BB, 113 SB, 206 TB, 6.7 WPA, 5.0 WAR
• Led APBL in R, 3B, RBI, SB, & WAR; Set all-levels records for Runs, RBI, & Stolen Bases in a season
• Hit .528 (19/36) with 1.207 OPS, 13 R, 12 RBI, & 5 SB during Founders’ Cup
• Konrad Jensen (LF, StJ) 2nd – American Professional Baseball League Most Valuable Player
• Edward Huntley (SS, KNI) 3rd – .374, .901 OPS, 109 R, 156 H, 36 XBH, 3 HR, 98 RBI, 18 BB, 34 SB, 7.9 WPA, 4.3 WAR

In every other instance ever, a batsman who led his league in both Average & OPS took home the BotY award. However, Jensen became the first to miss out because such was the unprecedented run production of Burke while he terrified opponents all season for American. If there was an award for Comeback Player of the Year it would’ve gone to Huntley, who raised his Average 98 points and his OPS 236 points from his career-worst 1872.


PITCHER OF THE YEAR: John Henry (age 35) – American BC; 3rd career PotY

• 30-5, 3.14 ERA, 341.1 IP, 21 CG, 1 SHO, 18 K, 0.5 K/9, 0.7 K/BB, 1.22 WHIP, 3.0 WAR, 9.8 rWAR
• 1st P in APBL history with 30+ Wins in a season; Won 30+ games in a season for the 3rd time
• James Goodman (FC) 2nd – 29-13, 2.90 ERA, 369.2 IP, 29 CG, 1 SHO, 98 K, 5.8 K/BB, 1.24 WHIP, 9.1 WAR, 9.6 rWAR
• Jim Creighton (EXC) 3rd – 28-18, 3.26 ERA, 395.1 IP, 29 CG, 1 SV, 153 K, 3.5 K/9, 1.24 WHIP, 8.2 WAR, 8.7 rWAR

If you lead your league with 30+ Wins, then you win PotY. That’s how it’s always gone, and that’s why Henry is taking home PotY for the 3rd time ahead of yet another set of fantastic seasons by Goodman & Creighton. Goodman had his best APBL campaign and his best overall since his historic debut season for Flour City in 1869. Creighton led his league in Strikeouts for the thirteenth year in a row, and he nearly became the first ever to pitch 400+ innings in a single season.


MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Konrad Jensen (LF, age 34) – St. John’s BC; 4th career MVP

• .380/.416/.488, .904 OPS, 113 R, 156 H, 18 2B, 10 3B, 2 HR, 87 RBI, 27 BB, 88 SB, 200 TB, 7.7 WPA, 4.8 WAR
• Led APBL in AVG, OBP, OPS, & BB; Top three in Slugging, Hits, Stolen Bases, & WAR
• Edward Huntley (SS, KNI) 2nd – American Professional Baseball League Batsman of the Year 3rd place
• James Burke (CF, AME) 3rd – American Professional Baseball League Batsman of the Year

Jensen didn’t take BotY, but he took home league MVP for the 4th time since he was the most technical batsman in the league and he played for the APBL runners-up. American simply had so much star power that it was hard to argue Burke was the sole reason why they went 65-25, though he made quite an argument for himself with his performance during the Founders’ Cup. Had Knickerbocker finished closer to American, then Huntley would’ve had more of an argument for MVP.


GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: Martin Prince (SS, age 24) – American BC

• .332/.346/.419, .765 OPS, 88 R, 127 H, 11 2B, 8 3B, 2 HR, 67 RBI, 32 SB, 160 TB, +27.0 ZR, 4.3 WPA, 4.0 WAR
• Led all APBL players in Zone Rating; Only Greenhorn with more than 1.5 WAR; SS for APBL champions
• Bert Landreth (P, KNI) 2nd – 14-1, 2.92 ERA, 151.0 IP, 8 CG, 1 SHO, 8 K, 0.6 K/BB, 1.28 WHIP, 1.5 WAR, 1.9 rWAR
• Drees v. d. Leest (2B, KC) 3rd – .299, .705 OPS, 76 R, 119 H, 22 XBH, 1 HR, 51 RBI, 9 BB, 7 SB, 2.2 WPA, 1.4 WAR

And three of the four individual awards went to American thanks to Prince’s outstanding campaign. Prince was the best fielder in the APBL, and he complemented his outstanding glove work with above average hitting (119 OPS+) and quality baserunning. Had Landreth not missed half the season due to two separate injuries he might have been able to build on his 14-1 record and stake his claim to GotY. As it was, he had a great first year for Knickerbocker. Van der Leest settled into the Kings Co. infield just fine, and he was the best of their Greenhorn trio.


APBL GOLDEN GLOVES

• P: Tom Ricks (SHA/1st) – 25 PO, 46 AST, 2 DP, 18 E, 1.91 RNG, +6.6 ZR, 1.093 EFF
• C: Roel Woudenberg (ALL/4th) – 5 PB, 29.0 RTO%, 3.43 C-ERA, +4.0 ZR, 1.143 EFF
• 1B: Frank Bulger (SHA/3rd) – 896 PO, 81 AST, 32 DP, 38 E, 11.27 RNG, +10.1 ZR, 1.109 EFF
• 2B: Clyde Hudspeth (EXC/1st) – 300 PO, 290 AST, 19 DP, 69 E, 7.01 RNG, +22.2 ZR, 1.140 EFF
• 3B: Ben Gagliardi (StJ/2nd) – 132 PO, 159 AST, 7 DP, 68 E, 3.65 RNG, +10.4 ZR, 1.116 EFF
• SS: Martin Prince (AME/GH) – 299 PO, 276 AST, 32 DP, 96 E, 6.74 RNG, +27.0 ZR, 1.154 EFF
• LF: Edward Donovan (KNI/3rd) – 170 PO, 3 AST, 50 E, 2.06 RNG, +1.3 ARM, +9.0 ZR, 1.097 EFF
• CF: Louis Dyke (KNI/1st) – 225 PO, 11 AST, 68 E, 2.79 RNG, -3.2 ARM, +7.1 ZR, 1.068 EFF
• RF: Reginald Roper (NIA/2nd) – 168 PO, 8 AST, 75 E, 2.02 RNG, +1.3 ARM, +6.6 ZR, 1.085 EFF


APBL TEAM OF THE YEAR

P: John Henry (AME/3rd) - 30-5, 3.14 ERA, 341.1 IP, 21 CG, 1 SHO, 18 K, 0.7 K/BB, 1.22 WHIP, 3.0 WAR, 9.8 rWAR
C: James Simon (SHA/1st) - .353, .765 OPS, 56 R, 117 H, 17 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 72 RBI, 6 BB, 1 SB, 3.2 WPA, 2.4 WAR
1B: Albert Stoffers (MB/1st) - .380, .875 OPS, 93 R, 161 H, 22 2B, 6 3B, 3 HR, 87 RBI, 8 BB, 204 TB, 4.7 WPA, 2.9 WAR
2B: Peter Boyce (AME/2nd) - .334, .756 OPS, 96 R, 136 H, 19 XBH, 1 HR, 85 RBI, 46 SB, 168 TB, +18.0 ZR, 5.1 WPA, 3.2 WAR
3B: William Dickerson (SHA/3rd) - .344, .819 OPS, 95 R, 146 H, 20 2B, 14 3B, 0 HR, 89 RBI, 12 BB, 44 SB, 5.1 WPA, 4.1 WAR
SS: Edward Huntley (KNI/10th) - .374, .901 OPS, 109 R, 156 H, 22 2B, 11 3B, 3 HR, 98 RBI, 34 SB, 209 TB, 7.9 WPA, 4.3 WAR
OF: Konrad Jensen (StJ/13th) - .380, .904 OPS, 113 R, 156 H, 18 2B, 10 3B, 2 HR, 87 RBI, 27 BB, 88 SB, 7.7 WPA, 4.8 WAR
OF: James Burke (AME/4th) - .368, .884 OPS, 130 R, 155 H, 16 2B, 16 3B, 1 HR, 109 RBI, 113 SB, 206 TB, 6.7 WPA, 5.0 WAR
OF: Franklin Petty (AME/5th) - .335, .786 OPS, 127 R, 143 H, 19 2B, 8 3B, 2 HR, 78 RBI, 16 BB, 80 SB, 6.1 WPA, 3.5 WAR

MISCELLANEOUS

APBL STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Average: .3805 by Konrad Jensen (LF, St. John’s)
• On-Base: .416 by Konrad Jensen
• Slugging: .501 by Edward Huntley (SS, Knickerbocker)
• OPS: .904 by Konrad Jensen
• Hits: 161 by Albert Stoffers (1B, Mass. Bay)
• Extra-Base Hits: 36 by Edward Huntley
• Doubles: 27 by Walter Dudley (1B, Orange)
• Triples: 16 by James Burke (CF, American)
• Home Runs: 3 by six different batsmen
• Runs Batted In: 109 by James Burke (new record)
• Runs: 130 by James Burke (new record)
• Stolen Bases: 113 by James Burke (new record)
• Total Bases: 209 by Edward Huntley
• Bases on Balls: 27 by Konrad Jensen
• Zone Rating: +27.0 by Martin Prince (SS, American)
• Batsman WPA: 7.92 by Edward Huntley (new record)
• Batsman WAR: 5.0 by James Burke

• Wins: 30 by John Henry (American; new record)
• Losses: 32 by Jack Doherty (Kings Co.; new record)
• ERA (200+ IP): 2.90 by James Goodman (Flour City)
• Strikeouts: 153 by Jim Creighton (Excelsior)
• Innings: 395.1 by Jim Creighton (new record)
• Complete Games: 29 by Jim Creighton
• Shutouts: 1 by ten different pitchers
• BB/9 (200+ IP): 0.4 by James Goodman
• K/9 (200+ IP): 3.5 by Jim Creighton
• K/BB (200+ IP): 5.8 by James Goodman
• WHIP (200+ IP): 1.22 by John Henry
• Pitcher WAR: 9.1 by James Goodman
• Pitcher rWAR: 9.8 by John Henry


ACHIEVEMENTS & NOTABLE EVENTS

• May 7: Everett Schreiber (Orange) sets new records with 8 RBI & 11 TB at Excelsior.
• May 13: William Schumacher (Shamrock) bats 6/7 (all 1B, 3 R, 5 RBI) at Mass. Bay.
• May 31: Thomas Maloney (Mass. Bay) bats 6/6 (3B, 3 R, 4 RBI) at Shamrock
• July 5: Jim Creighton (Excelsior) bats 5/5 while pitching a Complete Game Win vs Gotham.
• July 19: Franklin Skaggs (Mass. Bay) has five Hits for the 2nd time in five days.
• Aug. 4: The MC wins the All-Star Game 11-8 at Olneyville Field (StJ). MVP: William Dickerson (3B, SHA)
• Aug. 16: John Henry (American) becomes the 1st APBL P with 30 Wins in a season.
• Aug. 16: James Burke (American) becomes the 1st player with 100 RBI in a season.
• Aug. 17: James Burke (American) becomes the 1st player with 100 SB in a season.
• Aug. 17: James Burke (American) becomes the 1st player with 100+ R, RBI, & SB in a single season.

• For the 1st time, the APBL season ended with nobody batting .400.
• James Burke was the only batsman to reach 5.0 WAR.
• Three players had 90+ RBI in 1873.
• Fifteen players scored 100+ Runs in 1873.
• Four players finished 1873 with 70+ Stolen Bases.
• There were three six-hit games in 1873.
• The longest Hitting Streak of the season was 32 games by Mario Fusilli (StJ; ended May 15)
• For the 1st time in seven years, William Busby (American) failed to win his league’s Home Run title.
• Four pitchers earned 25+ Wins in 1873, the same as last season.

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NIAGARA SIGNEE BECOMES SPORT’S 1ST ASIAN-BORN PLAYER
PITCHER FROM FUKUOKA WAS PLAYING FOR INDEPENDENT NEW YORK CITY CLUB

BUFFALO, N.Y. (Dec 16, 1873) - After a five-game improvement brought Niagara BBC closer to their first .500 record in the APBL in 1873 – they finished 43-47 – the front office has looked to make some tweaks to the team’s regular set of players this winter.

In early November the club signed Excelsior CF and 6x All-Star Obelix Tsiaris to take over CF duties from Henry Card, in early December they signed good-looking Italian outfielder Giacomo Branca from an independent club in Manhattan to be their new LF, and 48 hours ago they brought in Shamrock’s William Schumacher to upgrade the SS position. The team announced another signing today, and it is one that had made history.

The front office was not explicitly looking to upgrade the team’s pitching corps this winter, but after repeated looks at a talented pitcher playing in the New York City independent circuit while scouting other players they decided to bring in 25-year-old Tomoharu Mukai, who, with his signing, becomes the first Asian-born player in organized baseball history.

Word is that Mukai left his hometown in Japan’s Fukuoka prefecture for San Francisco roughly half a decade ago to work as a woodworker, and his notable talents in the trade saw him brought to New York by a furniture company a few years ago. Mukai picked up the sport while making bats for a couple of local clubs, and after being invited to take part in some informal games showed natural aptitude as a pitcher.

Those who saw him pitch in New York City over the summer regard Mukai as a four-star pitching talent at APBL level, one who has good control of the ball and is comfortable pitching the ball to any spot in the Batter’s Area. He reportedly has excellent stamina, keeps baserunners on their toes, and is an expert fielder.

With the above taken into account, the tea leaves indicate that Niagara is going to make Mukai part of their regular pitching duo, with a chance to take the #1 spot after Carlton Dempsey had a somewhat disappointing Greenhorn campaign. So, not only is Mukai a history maker but he might end up as an important player for Niagara in 1874.

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EXCO MANDATES MULTIPLE FIELD CHANGES FOR 1874
BATTER’S BOX, PITCHER’S BOX, FAIR/FOUL POLES ARE NEW ELEMENTS OF THE SPORT

Images used are taken from www.19cbaseball.com & modified, and the changes described here reflect the changes made in real life over the end of 1873 and the beginning of 1874.

NEW YORK CITY (Mar 16-20, 1874) - After a year where the rules of the sport of baseball were left untouched, the joint APBL/NBBO Executive Committee has decided on major changes to the field of play ahead of the 1874 season.

Ahead of play in 1872 the Executive Committee made one of the biggest changes to the sport since the doing away of the Bound Rule in 1865: pitchers were allowed to snap their wrists to add speed and/or spin rate to the ball for the first time. In addition, the Pitcher’s Area was modified and changes that made the official game ball slightly smaller were put into place.

After the rule changes led to significant decreases in Bases on Balls and Runs during the 1872 season, the Executive Committee left the rules & regulations as they were during the 1873 Spring Meetings, and season that proceeded saw scoring go back up as, after a year, batters had successfully adjusted to the new pitching style that had been put in place.

During this year’s Spring Meetings, the Executive Committee put in one of its busiest weeks of work ever, a series of meetings that how the field would look for batsmen and pitchers alike.

As it stood, a batsman was allowed to swing at the ball from anywhere on a three-foot horizontal line that extended from the middle of Home Plate. However, the line was vague and required multiple points of clarification. Batsmen could move on the line as much as they wanted before the pitch was made, but then had to stop moving once the ball started moving. Those “in the act of striking the ball” could have their back foot on the line without taking a further step backward, or they could have their front foot on the line without taking another step forward, or they could straddle the line without having either foot more than a yard from the line. Those who were bunting could have both feet on the line.

With one rule requiring that many clarifications, it was Niagara president Thomas Spencer who wondered if all of the above subrules required to make sense of the Batter’s Line should be combined and turned into an area from which the batsman be wherever he wants to be when facing the pitcher. And thus, the Batter’s Box was born.

Spencer’s plan was simple: take the three-foot width of the line, combine it with the three feet on either side of the line that batsmen are allowed to stride, and turn it into an enclosed area where the batsman may hit the ball from.

The result was a 3’ x 6’ enclosed space in which the batsman had to remain as the pitch was incoming: the first Batter’s Box.

There was one minor adjustment that had to be made. Since only the bat could be over the plate when “striking” or bunting the ball, the inside boundaries of the new Batter’s Box were placed at one foot off Home Plate, making the line extending from the center a new distance of eight feet as opposed to six.

Spencer then had another thought. Why not take the two lines of the Pitcher’s Area and enclose them too?

Since the start of play in 1867, the Pitcher’s area had consisted of two lines. The first, entered on a line extending 45’ from the midpoint of Home Plate, was a six-foot wide, horizontal line. The second was another six-foot horizontal line drawn exactly six feet behind the first. It was from anywhere between the two lines that the pitcher could deliver a ball from, with most starting their delivery at the back line and finishing at the front line.

Spencer’s idea was another simple one: take the two lines of the Pitcher’s Area, add perpendicular lines at each end, and turn the Pitcher’s Area into the brand-new “Pitcher’s Box”, in which a pitcher had to remain before and during delivery of the ball.

Spencer’s thinking was that as long as the Batter’s Line was going to be turned into an enclosed space it was only fair to do the same with the two lines representing the Pitcher’s Area.

The ideas gained rapid approval. The multiple sub-points of the Batter’s Line would no longer be needed, with both batter and pitcher starting play from spaces that had no need for interpretation. The Batter’s Box & Pitcher’s Box easily gathered the veto-proof number of votes needed, and they would be in play for the 1874 season.

Then came issue number three. Until the end of the 1873 season, the baseball field had a notable oddity: at the end of a straight line ending 100’ from 1st & 3rd bases were a pair of flags marking the difference between fair and foul territory.

These flags came to be seen as strange because they were nowhere near the outfield fences that were becoming increasingly prevalent in baseball venues, and as such they were in play and had to be manuevered around by fielders.

American BC president Daniel Matthews, whose team played at Glenwood Field with its shortest-in-baseball 281-foot Right Field fence, proposed another simple solution: mount the flags on flagpoles and place them at the outfield fences. The fair/foul markers would no longer be directly in play, and at the same time the markers that allowed players & umpires to tell fair balls from foul in the outfield would remain in place.

While some teams still played in venues that resembled the fields that the sport was played on during the 1840s & 50s, it was another idea that gained quick approval. Knickerbocker, who had the oldest & largest venue in baseball, was allowed to keep their fair/foul flags, but they along with every other team were going to put up flagpoles at the outfield fences for 1874.

It was quite a week for the Executive Committee. Their changes, in summary:

• The Batter’s Line is now a “Batter’s Box” that is 3’ x 6’ and begins one foot from either side of Home Plate.
• The Pitcher’s Area is now a “Pitcher’s Box” that is 6’ square and begins 45’ the center of Home Plate.
• The boundary flags located 190’ feet down the 1st/3rd baselines have been replaced with flagpoles at the fences.

The Executive Committee didn’t anticipate their changes having an effect on run production during the upcoming season, but of course only time would tell.

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THE 1874 AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE PREVIEW

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (May 5, 1874) – The American Professional Baseball League is ready to begin Season #4, with the opening pitch taking place this afternoon in six cities across the Northeastern United States. American BC enters the 1874 season as the favorites to lift the Founders’ Cup for what would be the third year in a succession, while this could finally be the year that St. John’s is knocked off the top of the Colonial Conference and thus misses the postseason for only the second time in club history going back to 1857.

A summary of the offseason for each team:

ALLEGHANY – Their infield defense should easily be the best in the APBL as they now have, in terms of defensive rankings, two top-five C’s – Harry Thompson from Mass. Bay (5th) & Roel Woudenberg (3rd) – to go with the #1 2B in Burton Ellerby (in from Gotham), the #1 3B in Frank Doherty, and the #2 SS in Gerald Strong. NBBO imports at CF & RF – Ashley Hearns & Solomon Springs – should also help improve their fortunes. In addition, 9x NBBO All-Star Jerald Peterson has finally joined the APBL, and he should be at least a decent bat and glove at 1B even if he is 39 years old.

AMERICAN – “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The 2x defending champs didn’t lose a single regular over the winter, with the most notable player they saw exit being backup OF and former NBBO All-Star Graeme Peel. They signed 2x All-Star John Brown from Excelsior to be their new #2, and the roster has so much depth that they have 5x All-Star Walter Dudley as a new backup at 1B/3B.

EXCELSIOR – The Jim Creighton Eighteen made some interesting moves over the winter. All-Star Gil Cappelletti has moved over to 1B to make room for NBBO star Elijah Hill, they’ve upgraded LF with the signing of 2x NBBO .400 hitter Troy Oberst, and former Gotham/Shamrock backup Charles Hormel has been brought in to provide defense at CF after Obelix Tsiaris left. If the NBBO signees perform to expectations then Excelsior could finally have a dangerous APBL team.

FLOUR CITY – The 3x Colonial Conference runners-up made one notable change over the winter, taking 6x All-Star Edward Donovan away from Knickerbocker after they lost LF Fred Bartholomew to Kings County. Aside from that, the Upstaters are going to enter 1874 with familiar faces and the attitude that sooner or later their continuity will be rewarded.

GOTHAM – Most of the regulars are back after an extremely disappointing 1873 season, but they do have two new faces among the batsmen. First is young NBBO star Jonathan Quarles, who has solid potential at 2B, 3B, or SS for the team though he’ll start as their regular 3B. The other is defensive whiz George Pugatch, who signed after four years as the regular SS for St. John’s.

KINGS COUNTY – The APBL’s repeat worst team has another year of player development behind them. Over the winter they added quality LF Fred Bartholomew from Flour City, veteran RF John Gaynor from Niagara, and they’ve brought in Fred Richards, winner of 20+ games seven times in nine NBBO seasons, to be their #2 at 38 years old. Will they exit last place for the first time?

KNICKERBOCKER – One change to the regular setup over the winter, as they let Ed Donovan leave for Flour City and replaced him from within, making outfield defensive specialist Henry Jost their new LF after two seasons as a backup. Aside from that, Bert Landreth should become their new #1 now that Peadar Daly is on the wrong side of 35.

MASSACHUSETTS BAY – The Colonial basement dwellers lost one regular over the winter: C Harry Thompson, who joined Alleghany. However, he’s been replaced by good-looking indy ball C Lane Garvin. They’ve made Warren Perkins their new 2B over the returning Daniel Wiley, who manned the position for two seasons. Charles Foster was signed from Kings Co. to be their new CF so 36-year-old Declan Brice can hopefully return to Golden Glove defense at RF. Also, the team has a new #1 after signing repeat NBBO Strikeout king Washington Kihlstedt from the NBBO just as he should be entering his peak seasons. Greenhorn I.A. Butler could be their #2, but he’ll be starting the season injured.

NIAGARA – As speculated on in the 1873 Recap, the team signed a new CF: 6x All-Star Obelix Tsiaris from Excelsior. However, they also decided to let Henry Card go instead of moving him to LF/RF. Instead, Charles “Boss” Barrett was signed from the NBBO with a bat good enough that he was a regular there at the age of 20. Shamrock SS Will Schumacher was recruited to upgrade SS, and they’ve replaced 1B Paul LaGuerre with NBBO vet Wilbur Graff. Finally, highly touted greenhorn Tomoharu Mukai will be their new #1.

ORANGE – Two changes were made to the batting lineup, with both expected. As predicted, Samuel Kessler has moved to 1B, with NBBO import Isaac Holm brought in to give the team better defense at LF while also having what should be a decent bat. The front office also signed NBBO All-Star P George Sturgis, who has reportedly beat out Paul Caldwell to become their new #1.

SHAMROCK – All of the team’s regulars are back except one: SS Will Schumacher, who moved to Niagara. The front office signed star NBBO 2B Harold Groves to replace him, with Arthur Fisher moving over to SS to fill the hole. Henry Tallman is back in the #2 role after beating out John Walker during the spring. Unfortunately, All-Star and 3x Golden Glove 1B Frank Bulger will miss the first week of play.

ST. JOHN’S – The 3x Colonial Conference champs lost one regular over the winter: SS George Pugatch to Gotham. They’ve moved Golden Glover Ben Gagliardi over from 3B and signed greenhorn Eamonn Todd to be their new 3B. Howard Burns starts 1874 as their #1 after he struggled last year, while C Falco van der Vaart could lose his spot to the developing Fred Drake if he starts ’74 poorly.

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AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE PROJECTED STANDINGS

COLONIAL CONFERENCE
		 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA	   RD	 1873
Flour City	51	39	.567	--	696	629	  +67	52-38
St. John’s	50	40	.556	 1	722	652	  +70	50-40
Alleghany	50	40	.556	 1	645	583	  +62	42-48
Shamrock	44	46	.489	 7	628	642	  -14	48-42
Niagara		44	46	.489	 7	617	631	  -14	43-47
Mass. Bay	32	58	.356	19	615	786	 -171	35-55

METROPOLITAN CONFERENCE
		 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA	   RD	 1873
American	56	34	.622	--	748	656	  +92	65-25
Excelsior	51	39	.567	5	682	655	  +27	44-46
Orange		47	43	.522	9	752	687	  +65	46-44
Knick		45	45	.500	11	681	668	  +13	48-42
Gotham		41	49	.456	15	659	688	  -29	36-54
Kings Co.	32	58	.356	24	638	805	 -167	31-59

This might finally be Flour City’s year, but the Colonial is expected to be tighter than ever at the top, with Alleghany expected to join F.C. & St. John’s due to their defense. American isn’t anticipated to be as dominant as they were last year, but they remain favorites to finish with the APBL’s best record and thus take the Founders’ Cup for the third year running.

APBL AWARD FAVORITES

Batsman of the Year: James Burke (33 y/o CF, American) – projected .367/.392/.477, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 97 SB
Pitcher of the Year: James Goodman (35 y/o, Flour City) – projected 28-15, 2.56 ERA, 97 K’s over 372.0 IP
Most Valuable Player: Konrad Jensen (24 y/o LF, St. John’s) – projected .387/.417/.496, 1 HR, 84 RBI, 64 SB
Greenhorn of the Year: Tomoharu Mukai (25 y/o P, Niagara) – projected 24-18, 3.05 ERA, 15 K over 354.2 IP

APBEL TEAM OF THE YEAR FAVORITES

P: James Goodman (FC), C: Everett Schreiber (ORA), 1B: Cormack Alexander (KNI), 2B: Babe Johnson (GOT), 3B: William Dickerson (SHA), SS: Martin Prince (AME), LF: Konrad Jensen (StJ), CF: James Burke (AME), RF: Nelson Townsend (StJ)

KEY SIGNINGS & PLAYER CHANGES

P: Edgar Bradley (Greenhorn; 2.5 Stars) to Alleghany
P: John Brown (9-15, 3.08 ERA, 1.5 WAR) from Excelsior to American
P: I.A. Butler (Greenhorn; 3.5 stars) to Mass. Bay
P: Washington Kihlstedt (4.0 stars) from Sportsman’s (NBBO) to Mass. Bay
P: Everton McLean (3.0 stars) from Cantabrigians (NBBO) to Knickerbocker
P: Tomoharu Mukai (Greenhorn; 4.0 stars) to Niagara
P: Monroe Munson (Relief Man in ’72, 3.0 stars) from Flour City to Knickerbocker
P: Fred Richards (3.0 stars) from Maryland (NBBO) to Kings Co.
P: James Smith (Greenhorn; 3.0 stars) to Gotham
P: George Sturgis (4.0 stars) from Oceanic (NBBO) to Orange

C: Lane Garvin (Greenhorn; 3.5 stars) to Mass. Bay
C: Harry Thompson (.333, 73 RBI, 1.0 WAR) from Mass. Bay to Alleghany
1B: Walter Dudley (.321, 72 RBI, 1.5 WAR) from Orange to American
1B: Wilbur Graff (3.0 stars) from Mutual (NBBO) to Niagara
1B: Jerald Peterson (3.0 stars) from Metropolitan (NBBO) to Alleghany
2B: Burton Ellerby (.323, 67 RBI, 2.3 WAR) from Gotham to Alleghany
2B: Harold Groves (3.5 stars) from National (NBBO) to Shamrock
3B: Elijah Hill (3.5 stars) from Green Mtn. (NBBO) to Excelsior
3B: Jonathan Quarles (3.0 stars) from Quaker St. (NBBO) to Gotham
3B: Eamonn Todd (Greenhorn; 3.0 stars) to St. John’s
SS: George Pugatch (.235, 41 RBI, 0.4 WAR) from St. John’s to Gotham
SS: William Schumacher (.265, 64 RBI, 1.3 WAR) from Shamrock to Niagara

LF: Fred Bartholomew (.323, 79 RBI, 1.7 WAR) from Flour City to Kings Co.
LF: Charles Barrett (2.5 stars; 4.0 potential) from Merrimack Mills (NBBO) to Niagara
LF: Edward Donovan (.309, 82 RBI, 52 SB, 2.9 WAR) from Knickerbocker to Flour City
LF: Isaac Holm (2.5 stars) from Columbia (NBBO) to Orange
LF: Troy Oberst (3.5 stars) from Metropolitan (NBBO) to Excelsior
CF: Charles Foster (.285, 50 RBI, 36 SB, 1.7 WAR) from Kings Co. to Mass. Bay
CF: Charles Hormel (Backup in ’72; 2.5 stars) from Shamrock to Excelsior
CF: Solomon Springs (2.5 stars) from Scranton (NBBO) to Alleghany
CF: Obelix Tsiaris (.280, 42 RBI, 31 SB, 2.2 WAR) from Excelsior to Niagara
RF: John Gaynor (.313, 52 RBI, 49 SB, 1.6 WAR) from Niagara to Kings Co.
RF: Ashley Hearns (3.0 stars) from Hilltop (NBBO) to Alleghany

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THE 1874 NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION PREVIEW

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (May 13, 1874) – With its eighteenth year of play about the begin, the National Base Ball Organization has reached adulthood and it’s time to celebrate the start of another season of baseball!

Last year, Quaker St. came back to the pack and the result was the closest set of regional pennant races to date, with all six being decided during the final week of play and New York City needing a one-game playoff for the second season in a row. During the playoffs, Q.S. was upset by Portland once again, who then upset overall #1 Pioneer in the NELCS before again falling in the Tucker-Wheaton Cup, this time to first-time champions Utica in four games.

Defending cup champions Utica are expected to finish atop Upstate New York again and to do with the same 45-25 record they had last season, as the team returns its entire set of regulars expect for 1B Joseph Lindblom, who was replaced by seventeen-year veteran Frank Darcy, a former All-Star who was a backup for St. John’s in the APBL last year.

This season might end up even closer than last, as three teams are expected to share the honors for best record, with Eckford, Susquehanna, & Trenton United all expected to finish 46-24 and Quaker St. expected to miss the playoffs for the first time in four years.

No teams are expected to make a significant improvement (10+ Wins), but the Writers Pool believes that defending Inland champions Pioneer will fall from 46-24 to 32-38, a reduction of fourteen Wins from their team-best campaign.

Once again, New York City is expected to be the closest region from top to bottom, with the top six teams – Baltic, Harlem, Metropolitan, Mutual, N.Y.A.C., & Union – expected to finish within ten games of each other.

Even though multiple changes were made to the field of play ahead of the season, offense is expected to remain close to last season’s improved levels, although Stolen Bases are expected to fall off a bit.

And with that, it’s time to play ball!

NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION PROJECTED FINISH

Brooklyn Championship
• Favorites: Eckford of Greenpoint at 46-24 (+135 RD)
• Atlantic 3 GB, Bedford 7 GB, Continental 8 GB

New York City Championship
• Favorites: Metropolitan at 43-27 (+115 RD)
• Union 2 GB, Mutual 3 GB, Harlem 6 GB

Upstate New York Championship
• Favorites: Utica at 45-25 (+105 RD)
• Syracuse 2 GB, Victory 3 GB, Frontier 8 GB

Coastal Championship
• Favorites: Trenton Utd. at 46-24 (+120 RD)
• Quaker St. 1 GB, Newark 9 GB, Tiger S.C. 10 GB

Inland Championship
• Favorites: Susquehanna at 46-24 (+135 RD)
• Lancastra 4 GB, Lake Erie 9 GB, Sportsman’s 10 GB

New England Championship
• Favorites: Portland at 44-26 (+125 RD)
• S.o.t.O. 4 GB, Quinnipiac 5 GB, Oceanic 7 GB

Tucker-Wheaton Cup favorites: Portland Baseball Club

BROOKLYN – Defending champs Eckford return most of their regulars, and at C they’ve added five-star greenhorn Robert Borut to the mix. That addition is considered a bigger one than the signing of former APBL regular Jackson Wright (Gotham) at 1B for Atlantic, and thus they’re the favorites. Bedford & Continental are expected to put up a decent fight.

NEW YORK CITY – Metro lost Troy Oberst & Jerald Peterson to the APBL, but they’ve brought in five-star greenhorn 1B Zeke Cornaro and star CF Francis Smith is back. That’s why they’re favored over a Union team that returns every regular and a Mutual side that lost All-Star 1B Wilbur Graff. Harlem added All-Star 3B Hoyt Woodford, but they’re expected to come up short.

UPSTATE – Utica will go with “Pitching by Committee” again, and that doesn’t bother the Writers Pool because it didn’t keep them from lifting the cup last year. Syracuse lost Ashley Atkins (Star), but their new #2 looks good and they signed All-Star 3B David Bertolet. Victory has reining BotY Henry Nabors and a new #1 that should keep them in contention, and while Frontier’s attack is weak their pitching duo of Carl Bancroft & five-star greenhorn Ed Pelham should keep them above .500.

COASTAL – Quaker St. replaced very talented SS Jonathan Quarles from within by making Charles Hull a regular, and the W.P. thinks that’s enough to tip the scales in favor of Trenton Utd., who returns every regular from last season under the assumption that #1 Francis Molinari won’t miss a month again and All-Star CF Manuel Romeiras will be back in peak form. Newark should be near .500 thanks to quality offense, and Tiger should be around .500 thanks to their defense.

INLAND – Pioneer is expected to fall off by 10-15 wins this season, and that opens Inland up for Susquehanna, who are expected to finish 1st due to a combination of excellent offense and quality pitching. Lancastra might not be far behind, but they have just a bit less talent. Lake Erie has a fine infield, and Sportsman’s has good top-end talent.

NEW ENGLAND – After consecutive trip-ups at the final hurdle, the Writers Pool thinks this will finally be Portland’s year to lift the cup. Their intimidating pitching duo of James Dressman & Grover Wright is back, they added 6x All-Star OF Luc Billon, and five-star greenhorn infielder Alfred Williams joined the team as well.

Sons of the Ocean will give Portland a tough time thanks to their crew of top-tier defensive talents, with SS Peter Jones back after setting defensive records last year. Quinnipiac doesn’t excel at any one thing, but they should be highly competitive. Oceanic was hurt by the loss of George Sturgis, but they should still stay close to the top.

NBBO AWARD FAVORITES

NYL Batsman of the Year: Henry Nabors (SS, Victory) – projected .387/.417/.491, 2 HR, 74 RBI, 14 SB
NEL Batsman of the Year: Ned Morganti (CF, Quaker St.) – projected .380/.413/.531, 1 HR, 74 RBI, 28 SB
NYL Pitcher of the Year: Richard Majors (Metropolitan) – projected 25-14, 2.61 ERA, 23 K’s over 344.2 IP
NEL Pitcher of the Year: Ross Gill (Quaker St.) – projected 26-12, 2.53 ERA, 25 K’s over 334.1 IP
NYL Most Valuable Player: Isaac Kelly (3B, Eckford) – projected .340/.354/.425, 1 HR, 66 RBI, 2 SB
NEL Most Valuable Player: Manuel Romeiras (CF, Trenton Utd.) – projected .337/.361/.490, 2 HR, 65 RBI, 61 SB
NYL Greenhorn of the Year: Edward Pelham (P, age 22, Frontier)
NEL Greenhorn of the Year: Alfred Williams (3B, age 26, Portland)

NBBO TEAM OF THE YEAR FAVORITES

NEW YORK LEAGUE – P: Charles Rhodes (N.Y.A.C.), C: William Lovato (Cont’l), 1B: Paul LaGuerre (Minuteman), 2B: Chester Alexander (Syracuse), 3B: Isaac Kelly (Eckford), SS: Henry Nabors (Victory), OF: Herb Verrett (Atlantic), OF: Francis Smith (Metro), OF: Martin Craven (Syracuse)

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE – P: Ross Gill (Quaker St.), C: Bertrand Bosley (Green Mtn.), 1B: Gerhardt Berg (Quaker St.), 2B: Frank Thomas (Pioneer), 3B: Alfred Williams (Portland; GH), SS: Earl Seals (Trenton Utd.), OF: Ned Morganti (Quaker St.), OF: Manuel Romeiras (Trenton Utd.), OF: Peter Huff (S.o.t.O.)

MOST TALENTED GREENHORNS (by position)

P: Edward Pelham (age 22, Frontier) at 5.0*, C: Robert Borut (age 29, Eckford) at 5.0*, 1B: Ezechiele Cornaro (age 26, Metro) at 5.0*, 2B: Jemke van Zutphen (age 25, Star.) at 4.0*, 3B: Alfred Williams (age 26, Portland) at 5.0*, SS: Gerrie Bos (age 28, Mutual) at 2.5*, OF: Walter Braden (age 24, Susquehanna) at 3.5*, OF: Jonathan Cooper (age 28, Harlem) at 3.0*, OF: Frank Tucker (age 28, Minuteman) at 3.0*

MOST TALENTED RESERVE PROSPECTS (by position)

P: Henry Spencer (age 21, Cont’l) at 2.5/5.0*, C: Carl Nevers (age 22, Olympic) at 2.5/5.0*, 1B: Harold Roberts (age 23, Star) at 2.5/3.5*, 2B: Chester Dudek (age 19, National) at 1.5/5.0*, 3B: Earl McKeon (age 20, Maryland) at 1.5/4.0*, SS: Stephen Barley (age 22, Susquehanna) at 2.5/4.5*, OF: Jonathan Nabors (age 22, Susquehanna) at 2.5/4.5*, OF: Arthur Kanellopoulos (age 20, Maryland) at 1.5/4.0*, OF: James Lipsey (age 24, Cantabrigians) at 3.0/3.5*

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THE 1874 PHILADELPHIA CITY BASEBALL LEAGUE PREVIEW

PHILADELPHIA (May 13,1874) – This afternoon the curtain will be raised on the second season of the Philadelphia City Baseball League, with its twelve teams ready to go after their first winter of roster building.

The inaugural season ended with a surprise: Mercantile beating the three B.C.C. teams to a place in the Liberty Bell Classic and then besting favored Frankford Arsenal over five games to become the first champions of Philadelphia.

There wasn’t much in the way of notable player movement during the winter, so perhaps the most important piece of news was one regarding the league's brightest star: that the precocious Joseph Evans had apparently taken up a training regimen upon a doctor’s recommendation that somehow made the league’s best player even more talented going into 1874, yet with unfulfilled potential still waiting to be reached.

That’s not to say the PCBL lacks talented new players for 1874. The Greenhorn most are looking forward to seeing take part in an organized contest also happens to be a Frankford Arsenal player: five-star talent Jonathan Toppin, who will be the team’s new 2B. Aside from Toppin there are three other four or five-star Greenhorns: OF Artur Hall (Sons of Ben), P William Haney (Keystone), & OF Sig Siemens (Germantown).

The scuttlebutt from the Writers Pool is that Frankford Arsenal should top East Philadelphia again, but this will be the year that the three B.C.C. teams assert their dominance and top West Philadelphia.

And with that, it’s time to play ball!

PHILADELPHIA CITY BASEBALL LEAGUE PROJECTED FINISH

East Philadelphia
• Favorites: Frankford Arsenal at 47-23 (+120 RD)
• Spartan 4 GB, Sons of Ben 6 GB, Port Richmond 7 GB

West Philadelphia
• Favorites: Merion B.C.C. at 47-23 (+115 RD)
• Philadelphia B.C.C. 4 GB, Germantown B.C.C. 5 GB, Mercantile 10 GB

Liberty Bell Classic favorites: Frankford Arsenal

EAST PHILDELPHIA – Of course Frankford are the favorites in East Philadelphia. Their best player reportedly is even better, they have the most talented Greenhorn in the PCBL, and they have top-five players at four different positions – C, 2B, LF, & CF – with Charlie Greiner ranked #6 at P. Spartan doesn’t have a ton of talent, but they have Joseph Sizemore and that could be enough for a top-two finish. Sons of Ben has the league’s most talented P, Paul Krueger, and thus they’re a natural contender. Port Richmond has quality at a few positions and thus should finish a bit over .500.

WEST PHILADELPHIA – Merion enters 1874 with a truly stacked roster. Their regulars rank 1st, 2nd, or 3rd out of sixteen at six positions: 1B, 3B, LF, CF, RF, & P. Their only weak spot is at 2B, where Everton Woods ranks 16th/16. P.B.C.C. has tremendous top-end talent – C Harrison Hearst, 2B Frederick Pike, & 3B Charles Hunt all rank 1st at their positions – but they simply don’t have Merion’s all-around quality. Germantown has a similar problem: 1B John Bagwell, LF Harrison Comstock, & CF Edward Smith are all top-three at their positions but they can’t recreate Merion’s quality across the regular nine. The previous should leave defending champions Mercantile looking up, as their pitching is excellent but star 1B Ben Warnock won’t be able to single-handedly carry their offense.

PCBL AWARD FAVORITES

Batsman of the Year: Joseph Evans (LF, Frankford) – projected .388/.432/.576, 2 HR, 78 RBI, 22 SB
Pitcher of the Year: Jonathan Atkins (Merion B.C.C.) – projected 24-15, 2.08 ERA, 27 K’s over 328.2 IP
Most Valuable Player: Joseph Evans (LF, Frankford)
Greenhorn of the Year: Jonathan Toppin (2B, Frankford) – projected .304/.328/.432, 2 HR, 64 RBI, 28 SB

PCBL TEAM OF THE YEAR FAVORITES

P: Jonathan Atkins (Merion), C: Harrison Hearst (P.B.C.C.), 1B: William Norman (Merion), 2B: Frederick Pike (P.B.C.C.), 3B: Andrew Bennett (S.o.B.), SS: Jonathan Turriff (Independence), OF: Joseph Evans (Frankford), OF: Francis Brown (Frankford), OF: Isaac James (Keystone)

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SIMON POWERS SHAMROCK PAST ST. JOHN’S
SHAMROCK C FINISHES WITH FIVE HITS & SIX RBI IN PROVIDENCE

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (May 8, 1874) - St. John’s had the lead at home entering the late innings against Shamrock, but their visitors fought back with a flourish and won the day at Olneyville Field:

Behind 4-2, Shamrock came to bat in the 7th and, after the leadoff man grounded out, RF Henry Gaul reached via Single, 2B Harold Groves reached via Error, and C James Simon drove both in with a Home Run that gave Shamrock a 5-4 lead that they would only build upon over the rest of the contest.

The Home Run was the high point of a big day for Simon:

• T2: Single to RF off T. Smith
• T3: 1-run Single past 2B off T. Smith
• T6: Leadoff Single past SS off T. Smith
• T7: 3-RUN HOME RUN to RF off T. Smith (R)
• T9: 2-run Double to RCF off T. Smith (R)
• TOTAL: 5/5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 6 RBI, 9 TB, 101 GMSC

Such a performance occurring in Week One may be the portent of another fine season for Simon, who has made the last two APBL All-Star Games and four overall across five full seasons with Shamrock as their Catcher.

As a team, Shamrock has started the season in fine form, going 3-1 over their first four games and this being their second multiple-run victory.

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SCOTT STARTS SEASON SWIMMINGLY V PIONEER
2X MERRIMACK ALL-STAR HAS SIX HITS & FIVE RBI IN DOUBLE-DIGIT OPENING DAY HOME WIN

LOWELL, MASS. (May 13, 1874) - Merrimack Mills is looking to make up for a disappointing 1873 in which they started the season as Inland Championship favorites but finished 3rd due to a .500 May & June. With that in mind, consider their thirteen-run win over defending Inland champs Pioneer a perfect start to 1874:

This game was over quickly, as Merrimack was ahead 11-0 by the end of the 3rd and had an easy time of it from there.

The hosts had three players with three or four hits each – 3B James McNeil, CF Demy Poortman, & SS Bertram Zahn – but their leadoff man and 2x All-Star in Right Field, George Scott, far outdid any of those three:

• B1: Leadoff Single to LF off C. McCormick (R)
• B2: 1-run Single past SS off C. McCormick
• B3: 1-run Single to RF off C. McCormick (R)
• B5: Double past 3B off J. Mullin
• B7: 1-run Infield Single off J. Mullin
• B8: 2-run Double to RCF off J. Mullin
• TOTAL: 6/6, 2 2B, 2 R 5 RBI, 8 TB, 97 GMSC

While it was a perfect start to the season for a Merrimack team that is looking to avenge a disappointing season, it was an inauspicious start for a Pioneer team that the Writers Pool thinks is going to lose 10-15 more games than they did as the overall #1 last year and finish in 6th place. Of course, time will tell.

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CREIGHTON BLANKS GOTHAM FOR 16TH CAREER SHUTOUT
EARLY RUNS MEANT EXCELSIOR STAR NEVER HAD TO WORRY WHILE BLANKING VISITORS

BROOKLYN (May 16, 1874) - Jim Creighton had the ball for Excelsior as they played the second game of their series versus Gotham in the friendly confines of Carroll Park, and Mighty Jim made no mistakes:

It was not only an excellent performance by Creighton, but it was an outstanding game by the team as well. Their defense had a rare errorless game, made all that much more impressive when considering that during an average APBL contest last season a team committed seven fielding mistakes (7.2 E/G). That meant Gotham also put in a great defensive performance since they only committed two Errors, but they didn’t have Creighton pitching for them and that was the difference.

NBBO imports Charles Hormel (CF) and Troy Oberts (LF) did well, with Hormel batting 3/5 (2B, 2 R, 2 SB) and Oberst batting 2/3 (2 RBI, 1 BB). Creighton was hitless, but his pitching work more than made up for it:

• EXC P J. Creighton: CG SHO, 6 HA, 0 BB, 4 K

The win improved Excelsior’s record to 5-6 early in what they think will finally be their first over-500 APBL season. Creighton is 4-4 with a 1.99 ERA and 15 Strikeouts through 58.2 innings of work.

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BRITTON GOES CYCLING ON THE MAINE COASTLINE
PORTLAND LF & LEADOFF MAN COMPLETES BASEBALL’S 1ST CYCLE IN THREE YEARS

PORTLAND, ME. (May 16, 1874) - New England favorites Portland hosted Green Mountain for the fourth game of their Week One series on Saturday, and the result was a blowout victory by the home team:

Portland scored all fourteen of their runs over the first six innings, meaning the result was never an issue. As part of that, leadoff man Hiram Britton pulled off a feat not seen anywhere in baseball for nearly three years:

• B1: Leadoff Double to LF off P. Davis (R)
• B2: 1-run Single past 1B off P. Davis
• B3: Line Out to SS (end inning)
• B5: Leadoff Triple to RF off D. Sheehan (R)
• B6: 3-RUN HOME RUN to RCF off D. Sheehan (R)
• B8: Reached via Error by 2B D. George
• TOTAL: 4/6, CYCLE, 3 R, 4 RBI, 10 TB

Britton’s accomplishment was the fifteenth Cycle in NBBO & baseball history, and the first since Newark’s James Wilkerson & Maryland’s Herb Verrett hit Cycles on consecutive days during a series between the two teams in Baltimore on July 13 & 14 of 1871.

Portland has won three of the four games so far in the season-opening series, with the final contest at King Field set to begin at 1:05 PM on Sunday afternoon.

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STRAUSBAUGH STARS AS PORT JERSEY GOES 6-0
VETERAN 2B HAS CAREER DAY AS P.J. SCORES 11 RUNS ON ROSS GILL IN MASSIVE AWAY WIN

PHILADELPHIA (May 20, 1874) - Port Jersey B.C. went to Philadelphia looking to win their opener at Quaker State to move to 6-0, but they surely didn’t anticipate how they would complete win #6:

Port Jersey knew they would be starting the series by going up against 2x NEL Pitcher of the Year Ross Gill, so Field Manager Eddie Anthony was under the presumption that if his team won it could come in a low-scoring contest. In fact, it was quite the opposite…

The Port Jersey batting attack hung fourteen hits and eleven runs (10 ER) on Gill before he had to exit after 2.2 innings, a career-worst performance by Quaker State’s star #1. After scoring five more runs off relief man John Moorehead the next inning, Port Jersey found themselves ahead SIXTEEN TO NOTHING by the end of the 4th. They scored twice more in the 6th to go up 18-0, and that meant they were easily able to absorb an extended late-inning rally by Quaker State and win with an eight-run margin of victory.

Four Port Jersey batsmen had 3+ Hits, and easily the leader of the quartet was 2B William Strausbaugh:

• T1: 1-run Single to RF off R. Gill
• T3: Leadoff Triple to RCF off R. Gill (R)
• T3: 1-run Triple to CF off R. Gill
• T4: 3-run Double to RCF off J. Moorehead
• T6: 1-run Infield Single off J. Moorehead
• T7: Reached via Error by SS J. Richards
• T8: Ground Out to 2B (end inning)
• TOTAL: 5/7, 2B, 3B, 1 R, 6 RBI

Strausbaugh’s bases-clearing Double in the top of the 4th was the highlight of his day, as well as the hit that put the cap on Port Jersey’s early sixteen-run eruption.

The win moved Port Jersey to a perfect 6-0, and they have scored an eye-watering 81 Runs over those opening six contests (13.5 R/G) while batting .336 as a team with an NBBO-leading .813 team OPS. That type of scoring won’t endure over the entire season, but it sure will be fun for Port Jersey to experience while it lasts.