The CHICAGO CUBS- a complete history

[captaincarl]

Your writing is great. Keep up the great work.

Where did you get the schedules for each season?

[Nick Soulis]

BASEBALL MONTHLY

June 1876

Chicago Drafts Bat as Nightmare Continues

Another 2-8 month as Chicago continues to fall in the standings and prove by a big margin that they remain the worse team in the game. Chicago is dead last in almost every offensive and defensive catagory and headed into the June draft looking for the best player available.

Picking second behind Cincinnati the Whites missed out on what was deemed the player of the draft, pitcher Bobby Mitchell. Mitchell, who is a home town boy from Cincinnati, returned home and fell into the Red's rotation straight away and throwing a shutout in only his second start. Along with Tricky Nichols the Reds now have the best pitching in the game, and it shows as they lead the national league with a 21-8 record.

The White Stockings are an incredible 0-11 against the Reds this season.

So with Mitchell off the table and the second pick in the draft, Chicago chose Mike Dorgan, a 22 year old outfielder with a good batting eye. Dorgan recived playing time right away and is said to be a good addition to the struggling team.
Dorgan played in 5 game already, and putting nerves aside has batted .238 with 3 RBI. Not terrible for a player skipping any lowe level ball.

Mike Drogan

Chicago also continues to look for deals for some of their aging veterans but rumor has it that few if any teams in the league are willing to deal for such players.

Round 1

Round 1, Pick 1 - Cincinnati Reds: SP B. Mitchell

Round 1, Pick 2 - Chicago White Stockings: RF M. Dorgan

Round 1, Pick 3 - St. Louis Brown Stockings: SP W. White

Round 1, Pick 4 - Baltimore Orioles: CF J. Gleason

Round 1, Pick 5 - Brooklyn Atlantics: MR L. Reis

Round 1, Pick 6 - Cleveland Blues: RF C. Eden

Round 1, Pick 7 - Philadelphia Athletics: RF D. Rowe

Round 1, Pick 8 - Boston Red Caps: 1B C. Sullivan

Round 2

Round 2, Pick 1 - Cincinnati Reds: 2B H. Smith

Round 2, Pick 2 - Chicago White Stockings: SS T. Newell

Round 2, Pick 3 - St. Louis Brown Stockings: C G. Miller

Round 2, Pick 4 - Baltimore Orioles: LF L. Taylor

Round 2, Pick 5 - Brooklyn Atlantics: CF L. Lee

Round 2, Pick 6 - Cleveland Blues: CF H. Little

Round 2, Pick 7 - Philadelphia Athletics: RF J. Pike

Round 2, Pick 8 - Boston Red Caps: LF J. Bunce

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American Standings
	W	L	PCT	GB
St. Louis Brown Stockings	18	11	.621	-
Cleveland Blues	15	14	.517	3.0
Baltimore Orioles	13	16	.448	5.0
Philadelphia Athletics	12	17	.414	6.0

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National Standings
	W	L	PCT	GB
Cincinnati Reds	21	8	.724	-
Boston Red Caps	18	11	.621	3.0
Brooklyn Atlantics	12	17	.414	9.0
Chicago White Stockings	7	22	.241	14.0

League Tidbits

• Chicago did trade outfielder Frank Buttery to St. Louis for utility infielder Pony Sager. Sager is said to have a chance at competing at the short stop job open in Chicago.
• The Philadelphia Athletics and Cleveland Blues made a trade this month. Cleveland gets Everett Mills a 31 year old 1st baseman in exchange for George Bechtel and 20 year old minor leaguer Will Foley.
  

[Nick Soulis]

Originally Posted by captaincarl

Your writing is great. Keep up the great work.

Where did you get the schedules for each season?

Thanks for the kind words and thanks for following.

I apologize but im not sure what you mean by schedules. The game engine generates them year to year.

[captaincarl]

Originally Posted by Nick Soulis

Thanks for the kind words and thanks for following.

I apologize but im not sure what you mean by schedules. The game engine generates them year to year.

In your folder, there is another folder named "schedules". You have the option of having the game load the actual schedule for the year that you will be playing if it is available. The first major league schedule, however, is for the 1901 season. If you choose to use the actual schedule, you will need to have a checkmark in the box for balanced schedule up until you get to 1969, the beginning of divisional play. Starting from 1969, you would have to get rid of the checkmark in the box because after 1969 the schedules are not balanced.

I was just wondering where you got the schedule from and your answer was the AI engine.

[Nick Soulis]

Originally Posted by captaincarl

In your folder, there is another folder named "schedules". You have the option of having the game load the actual schedule for the year that you will be playing if it is available. The first major league schedule, however, is for the 1901 season. If you choose to use the actual schedule, you will need to have a checkmark in the box for balanced schedule up until you get to 1969, the beginning of divisional play. Starting from 1969, you would have to get rid of the checkmark in the box because after 1969 the schedules are not balanced.

I was just wondering where you got the schedule from and your answer was the AI engine.

Oh Ok, I did not know that. I will try to be as realistic and true to form as possible, so I think as of 1901 it is better to use the check mark and use the actual schedules.

Thanks again, learn somthing new about OOTP everyday.

[Nick Soulis]

BASEBALL MONTHLY

July 1876

Dorgan Rookie of the Month

The Chicago White Stockings finally showed some life in the month of July and played better baseball, finishing the month 6-3. The Whites even beat their rivals from Cincinnati twice somthing they hadnt done all season.

In the process the offense seems to have come around thanks in part to the energy and bat of rookie outfielder Mike Dorgan. Dorgan has been inserted at the top of the lineup and has proved very capable wit the bat, despite facing big league pitching for the first time.



Dorgan, who is known in part for his trademark moustache, batted .316 for the month with 5 RBI and 9 months scored. Cap Anson, and Frank Mccarton have also turned it around to some extent making starting pitcher Terry Larkin more able to pitch his game. Larkin is still 11-18 on the season and may not be the long term answer, but he is the only answer Chicago has right now.

"We just want to get on a winning track again and build for our future," says Anson, "we feel like we have some of the right pieces in place."
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West Standings
	W	L	PCT	GB
St. Louis Brown Stockings	25	13	.658	-
Cleveland Blues	19	19	.500	6.0
Baltimore Orioles	17	21	.447	8.0
Philadelphia Athletics	15	23	.395	10.0

East Standings
	W	L	PCT	GB
Cincinnati Reds	25	13	.658	-
Boston Red Caps	21	17	.553	4.0
Brooklyn Atlantics	17	21	.447	8.0
Chicago White Stockings	13	25	.342	12.0

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League Tidbits

• Baltimore and St. louis completed a trade on the 26th of the month. The Orioles sent right fielder Fraley Rogers to the Browns for Harry Deane and Billy Redmon. Rogers was hitting .315 for the season.
• League Payroll numbers were released this month for the first time, part of the National League's new accountability and structure. The highest payroll belongs to the Cincinnati Reds.

Rank	Team	Payroll
1	Cincinnati Reds	$10,995
2	Boston Red Caps	$10,493
3	Brooklyn Atlantics	$9,706
4	Cleveland Blues	$9,350
5	Chicago White Stockings	$9,179
6	Philadelphia Athletics	$9,039
7	St. Louis Brown Stockings	$8,646
8	Baltimore Orioles	$8,277

[Nick Soulis]

BASEBALL MONTHLY

August 1876

After Crazy Season; Anson Back To Basics

"I didnt expect it to be this tough"

Those were the words of Chicago skipper Cap Anson who has had a season of extreme highs and lows as his team limps through the last month of the season with an 18-30 record.

Anson under great pressure, though widely considered one of the best talents of the league, started off in the worse possible way and effected his team's slump early in the season. But now as August rolls around and Anson and his team play better baseball, "Pops" is back to his old self and swinging his sweet bat as expected.

Anson also in the mean time changed his own position, starting his season at first base instead of his customary third base. As the season wore on however he was back at the hot corner. All of this can not be more proof of how morale effects a player's personal performance. Here is a break down of Anson's stats from month to month:

ANSON'S STATS

April...............(.222, 1 RBI)
May.................(.214, 2 RBI)
June................(.293, 3 RBI)
July.................(.375, 4 RBI)
August.............(.432, 7 RBI)

The team had a 5-5 record for the month of August and on another bright spot rookie center fielder Mike Dorgan for the second month in a row was awarded rookie of the month. Dorgan is proving to be a star in the making in Chicago.

St. Louis and Cincinnati appear on collision course
With a month left in the season it appears that the St. Louis Browns and the Cincinnati Reds are set to make it to the post season. The Reds lead the eastern league with 31 wins and a 4 game lead over Boston. The Browns lead Cleveland by 6 games.
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West Standings
	W	L	PCT	GB
St. Louis Brown Stockings	30	18	.625	-
Cleveland Blues	24	24	.500	6.0
Baltimore Orioles	22	26	.458	8.0
Philadelphia Athletics	20	28	.417	10.0

East Standings
	W	L	PCT	GB
Cincinnati Reds	31	17	.646	-
Boston Red Caps	27	21	.563	4.0
Brooklyn Atlantics	20	28	.417	11.0
Chicago White Stockings	18	30	.375	13.0

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League Tidbits

• Just when St. Louis was getting hot for winning the pennant, Jack Remsen their center fielder badly sprained an ankle and now will miss 6 weeks. It will be a major challange if he is to make it back by the World Series.
• Catcher Tom Barlow of the Brooklyn Atlantics will miss the rest of the season with elbow tendanitis.
• With pitching up in the league, not a single player is near a .400 average going into the last month of the season.

[Nick Soulis]

BASEBALL MONTHLY

September 1876

St. Louis Holds on to Face Reds in Series

Quite a dramatic finish in the Western division of the National League. In its first organized season the league was hoping for a pennant race like this, and the St. Louis Browns and Cleveland Blues delivered.

St. Louis was leading by 6 games going into the month but it was the Blues who made a furious run for the title. The Blues went 7-2 in September and swept the first place Browns in Cleveland at the end of the month. By the last day of the season both teams were tied in the standings and had one game to define their fate.

St. Louis on the other hand went 1-8 in the month and was widely choking at the worse possible time. The Browns however did their part beating the Brooklyn Atlantics in the big city on the last day of the season. The Vlues however couldnt do their part and lost on their home field to the Philadelphia A's by a score of 9-3.

The pennant was lost but Cleveland and stars like George Bradley (31 wins) and Bob Fergusen (31 RBI) can be proud of their late season run.

So the World Series will see the St. Louis Browns take on the eastern pennant holders the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds won their first pennant and unseated the Boston Red Caps from wire to wire. The Reds had the best record in baseball finishing 38-22.
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West Standings
	W	L	PCT	GB
St. Louis Brown Stockings	33	27	.550	-
Cleveland Blues	32	28	.533	1.0
Baltimore Orioles	28	32	.467	5.0
Philadelphia Athletics	27	33	.450	6.0

East Standings
	W	L	PCT	GB
Cincinnati Reds	38	22	.633	-
Boston Red Caps	36	24	.600	2.0
Chicago White Stockings	24	36	.400	14.0
Brooklyn Atlantics	22	38	.367	16.0

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Batting Champions


Charlie Gould led the west in batting with a .347 average. The Athletics first baseman had 77 hits in 222 at bats and is a career .292 hitter.


Star Levi Meyerle led the eastern division in batting for the second time. Meyerle who is heading to his first world series with the Cincinnati Reds batted .347 for the season and was a key part to the pennant winning team.

League Leaders AVG 2 tied with .347 1 L. Meyerle CN1 .347 1 C. Gould PHN .347 3 R. Barnes BSN .344 4 C. Anson CHN .329	League Leaders HR J. Hallinan - CN1 3 2 L. Meyerle CN1 2 3 J. Bass BSN 1 3 T. Beals CIN 1 3 26 more tied with 1	League Leaders RBI C. Flynn - BSN 58 2 D. White BSN 44 3 R. Barnes BSN 42 4 J. Hallinan CN1 41 5 D. Mack CN1 37
League Leaders W C. Bentley - BSN 33 2 G. Bradley CL2 31 3 B. Stearns SL3 27 4 A. Spalding BL2 26 5 G. Zettlein PHN 25	League Leaders ERA B. Stearns - SL3 1.69 2 G. Bradley CL2 1.78 3 G. Zettlein PHN 2.11 4 T. Nichols CN1 2.15 5 B. Mitchell CN1 2.26	League Leaders K B. Stearns - SL3 110 2 G. Bradley CL2 83 2 B. Mitchell CN1 83 4 A. Spalding BL2 72 5 T. Nichols CN1 62

[Nick Soulis]

BASEBALL MONTHLY

SPECIAL EDITION

St. Louis Champions of Baseball

A Parade is scheduled in downtown St. Louis as the local heroes won the championship of baseball upsetting the Cincinnati Reds in comfortable fashion 4 games to 1. After dropping the opening game of the series the Browns won four in a row and clinched the title on their home field by a score of 7-6 in the clincher. Ezra Sutton scored the winning run in the bottom of the 11th on a throwing error, coming all the way around to score from 2nd base.

Game 1

Sunday, October 8th, 1876
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
St. Louis Brown Stockings	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	9	2
Cincinnati Reds	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	X	3	8	0

WP: Trickey Nichols
LP: Will White

Game 2

Monday, October 9th, 1876
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
St. Louis Brown Stockings	1	0	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	5	11	2
Cincinnati Reds	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	3	10	6

WP: Bill Stearns
LP: Bobby Mitchell

Game 3

Wednesday, October 11th, 1876
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati Reds	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	2	7	7
St. Louis Brown Stockings	3	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	X	7	7	2

WP: Wil White
LP: Bobby Mitchell

Game 4

Thursday, October 12th, 1876
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati Reds	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	4	13	7
St. Louis Brown Stockings	2	0	0	2	3	0	0	3	X	10	15	2

WP: Bill Stearns
LP: Tricky Nichols

Game 5

Friday, October 13th, 1876
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	R	H	E
Cincinnati Reds	2	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	6	14	2
St. Louis Brown Stockings	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	1	7	12	7

WP: Will White
LP: Len Lovett

[Nick Soulis]

BASEBALL MONTHLY

October 1876

1876 SEASON AWARDS

National League West MVP


Charlie Gould Philadelphia A's
.347 25 RBI

Western Outstanding Pitcher of the Year


George Grin Bradley Cleveland Blues
31-24 1.78 ERA 83 K

Western Rookie of the Year


Will White P St. Louis Browns
1-1 0.00 ERA 2 K

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Eastern MVP


Ross Barnes Boston Red Caps
.344 42 RBI

Eastern Outstanding Pitcher of the Year


Cy Bentley Boston Red Caps
33-18 2.29 ERA 55 K

Eastern Rookie of the Year


Bobby Mitchell Cincinnati Reds
16-12 2.26 ERA 83 K

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League Tidbits

• Philadelphia is heading in a new direction as the Athletics let go of their skipper after finishing last in the Wester divison.
• Boston shocked the baseball world by letting go their manager. The Boston skipper had won 2 world championships before finishing second this season. The move tells you just how high expectations are in Boston from year to year.
• Dave Eggler of the Athletics is also said to be quite disgruntled. Eggler has demanded a trade sourses say and time will tell if Philadelphia management will follow through.
• Gat Stires of Brookyn has gone to the local papers demanding a trade. The disgrnutled right fielder wants a trade after only getting 48 at bats this season.

[Nick Soulis]

Single Season Batting Career Batting 186 PA required for season rate statistics. 326 PA required for career rate statistics. Player Value Year Board Stat Board Value Player Cal McVey .414 1873 Season Batting Average Career .366 Ross Barnes Deacon White .430 1874 Season On-Base Pct Career .396 Ross Barnes Lip Pike .579 1872 Season Slugging Pct Career .498 Ross Barnes Levi Meyerle .970 1872 Season On-Base plus Slugging Pct Career .894 Ross Barnes Ross Barnes 34.2 1875 Season VORP Career 139.5 Ross Barnes Deacon White 60 1876 Season Games Career 310 Cap Anson Count Gedney 287 1874 Season At-Bats Career 1340 Andy Leonard John McMullin 58 1874 Season Runs Career 271 Ross Barnes Ross Barnes 106 1875 Season Hits Career 473 Ross Barnes Ross Barnes 143 1875 Season Total Bases Career 645 Ross Barnes Deacon White 94 1874 Season Singles Career 388 Cap Anson Ross Barnes 21 1875 Season Doubles Career 77 Ross Barnes Ross Barnes 9 1873 Season Triples Career 40 Ross Barnes Lip Pike 8 1872 Season Home Runs Career 15 Lip Pike Clipper Flynn 58 1876 Season RBIs Career 241 Deacon White Tom Barlow 24 1873 Season Stolen Bases Career 95 Tom Barlow Andy Leonard 25 1874 Season Caught Stealing Career 87 Andy Leonard Ross Barnes 18 1873 Season Walks Career 64 Ross Barnes Bill Craver 32 1871 Season Strikeouts Career 62 Bill Craver

Single Season Pitching Career Pitching 60 IP required for season rate statistics. 105 IP required for career rate statistics. Player Value Year Board Stat Board Value Player Harry Arundel 0.74 1875 Season Earned Run Average Career 1.81 George Bradley Cy Bentley 34 1874 Season Wins Career 150 Cy Bentley Al Pratt 33 1876 Season Losses Career 140 Al Spalding Cherokee Fisher .786 1871 Season Winning Percentage Career .667 John Greason Hugh Campbell 4 1875 Season Saves Career 11 Ed Stratton Al Pratt 57 1875 Season Games Career 296 Al Spalding Al Pratt 57 1874 Season Games Started Career 296 Al Spalding George Bradley 50 1876 Season Complete Games Career 238 Al Pratt Rynie Wolters 5 1871 Season Shutouts Career 16 Al Spalding Al Spalding 510.0 1875 Season Innings Pitched Career 2554.0 Al Spalding Len Lovett 595 1873 Season Hits Allowed Career 2910 Al Pratt Dick McBride 12 1872 Season Home Runs Allowed Career 40 Al Spalding Al Spalding 185 1871 Season Strikeouts Career 408 Al Spalding Len Lovett 63 1873 Season Bases on Balls Career 194 Al Pratt Harry Arundel 0.15 1875 Season Bases on Balls / 9 IP Career 0.27 Bill Stearns George Zettlein 6.95 1871 Season Hits Allowed / 9 IP Career 8.35 George Bradley Dick McBride 6.12 1871 Season Strikeouts / 9 IP Career 4.27 Asa Brainard George Bradley 87.4 1876 Season VORP Career 388.9 George Zettlein George Zettlein 0.86 1871 Season Walks + Hits / IP Career 0.99 George Bradley George Zettlein .216 1871 Season Opponents AVG Career .241 George Bradley Cy Bentley .234 1875 Season Opponents OBP Career .257 George Bradley Harry Arundel .257 1875 Season Opponents SLG Career .302 George Bradley Cy Bentley .497 1875 Season Opponents OPS Career .559 George Bradley

[Nick Soulis]

BASEBALL MONTHLY

March 1877

White Stockings Land Star Spalding

In the most frantic offseason in baseball history the Chicago White Stockings were the team most involved in changing their fortunes. Determined to build a winning team the Whites had a major turnover and added one of the biggest names in the game, starting pitcher Al Spalding.

"We have landed one of the brightest stars in the game" said Cap Anson.

Splading is 26 years old and in his career has 142 wins and 140 losses wth a 2.51 ERA. Spalding was the outstanding pitcher of the year in 1875 and has won pitcher of the month 10 times. Spalding will team with Terry Larkin as a two man rotation for the team.

The Whites wernt done there, they also signed free agent short stop Mike McGeary also formally of the Baltimore Orioles. McGeary fills a void at the short stop position and hit .266 last season.

Chicago also also parted ways with some of their older players to make room on their payroll. Out is longtime catcher and fan favorite Fergy Malone. Malone is 34 years of age and was slowing down, he did sign with the Brooklyn Atlantics. This moves opens the door for young catching talent Davie Pierson who will get a chance to start.

Rynie Wolters also saw his time end with Chicago. Wolters was the starting pitcher during the Whites pennant winning season of 1872. The 35 year old starter won 61 games for the team.

Finally the team tied up their star as they signed Cap Anson to a three year contract. Anson now becomes the highest paid player in the game making an incredibe $1799 a year. The Whites also now have the highest payroll.

So Chicago has overhauled their team in hopes of turning around a team that finished with a losing record for the second straight year. The season begins in Brooklyn on April 1st.

CHICAGO LINEUP
Steve King LF
Mike McGeary SS
Cap Anson 3B
Mike Dorgan RF
Count Sensenderfer CF
Jim Devlin 1B
Dave Pierson C
Johnny Quest 2B

ROTATION
Al Spalding SP
Terry Larkin SP
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Major Offseason Stories for New League

• 
  Star shortstop George Wright has signed with the Baltimore Orioles. Wright is a career .300 hitter and played for three seasons in Philadelphia.
• Bill Harbidge of the Cleveland Blues will miss the entire 1877 season. Catcher Harbidge is a .285 career hitter and controlled the pitching staff well. Sources are saying the Harbidge was injured while deep sea finshing and tearing his shoulder in the process, he is out for 11 months.
• In the first for a league there has been a suspension. Brooklyn right fielder Gat Stires was handed a 10 game suspension for having contact with a known bookie. Telegraphs by Stires were intercepted to konwn gambler Orvyle Hunder and the league acted appropriately. The new league has already said it will be cutting down on in house gambling.

[Nick Soulis]

BASEBALL MONTHLY

April 1877

Spalding Debuts With Team Just Average

Any kind of decent start to the new season would be good news for the Chicago White Stockings as they try to improve on what was a very poor 1876. Chicago opened the month at 4-5 but only trailed league leaders Boston by 2 games.

Al Spalding made his Chicago debut in the brightest of fashions as he beat the Brooklyn Atlantics 2-1 going the full 9 innings. This however was the high point for the touted pitcher in the month, Spalding ended April with a 3-3 record and a 4.16 ERA. Nothing spactacular from Spalding, who is hoping to be the ace that the team desperately needs on the mound.

The Whites ran into George Zettlein in their opening three games as the Brooklyn Atlantics made a big splash in getting the right hander just before opening day. Zettlein is being paid well but his team as well is off to an unimpressive 4-5 start as well.

Their were some bright spots for Chicago to be hopeful for. New short stop Mike McGeary came out of the shoot fast for his new team scoring 6 runs and batting .366. Mike Dorgan also continued his hot play from last season batting .343 and looking like he is very comfortable facing big league pitching.

Cap Anson's men have showed great determinationas was especially the case in a win this month against the Boston Red Caps. Chicago and Terry Larkin were in a historic pitching duel with Cy Bentley as both men pitched into the 11th inning with a shutout going. The Whites finally broke through with 2 runs in the inning and Cherokee Fisher closed the door for a memorable win for Chicago.

With the division appearing fairly even, there is still everything to play for.
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West Standings
	W	L	PCT	GB
Baltimore Orioles	6	3	.667	-
Cleveland Blues	5	4	.556	1.0
Philadelphia Athletics	4	5	.444	2.0
St. Louis Brown Stockings	3	6	.333	3.0

East Standings
	W	L	PCT	GB
Boston Red Caps	6	3	.667	-
Brooklyn Atlantics	4	5	.444	2.0
Chicago White Stockings	4	5	.444	2.0
Cincinnati Reds	4	5	.444	2.0

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League Tidbits

• A career has ended in Brooklyn. Big Jim Clinton was severely injured and knocked out in a collision on the base baths and suffered a concusion. Doctors couldnt be sure of the extent of the injury but have decided to play it safe and not allow the player to continue on the field. Clinton ends his career as a .242 hitter.
• Levi Meyerle continues to hit everything he sees. The Cincinnati star who won the batting title last season is leading the lead again with a .425 average. Levi has also hit safeyl in 22 straight games, he pulled off a similar feat in 1872 when he hit in 27 straight.
• Ross Barnes the star 2nd baseman of the Boston Red Caps missed the first month of the season after hurting his shoulder. Barnes is said to be set for a return in mid May, but the first place team is playing it safe as a long season awaits.

[Nick Soulis]

BASEBALL MONTHLY

May 1877

Nothing But Fight in Whites

In what is turning out to be a very competitive season for the National League, the Chicago White Stockings once again have something to play for as they sit only three games behind the division leading Boston Red Caps with a 9-10 record.

Al Spalding (7-6, 2.67) has settled down and taken the anchor of the team as players around him begin to trust in his leadership skills, some are saying Spalding is just as influencial as current skipper Cap Anson.

The "two mikes" are doing an eyeopening job on the offensive end. These two new stars, Mike McGeary (.356, 7 RBI) and Mike Dorgan (.359, 6 SB), have brought a new air to the team and have meshed well with old stars like Cap Anson (.329, 11 RBI) who is clipping away at the league in his accustomed manner.

Mike McGeary

The team has been in every game it seems like but just hasnt been able to put together a run to get their record over .500. The team also got the worst of news when at the end of May, McGeary suffered a strained hamstring and may miss up to 4 weeks.

"We expect to be competitive for the pennant all the way through" says Anson. They will have to stay consistent as it appear the two time champion Boston Red Caps are back to their winning ways atop the division.
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Team Information
Record overall	9-10, .474 PCT
Position in Division	3rd, 3.0 GB
Record at home	6-6, .500 PCT
Record on the road	3-4, .429 PCT
Record in X-inning games	1-1, .500 PCT
Record in one-run games	3-3, .500 PCT
Record versus LHP	1-1, .500 PCT
Record versus RHP	8-9, .471 PCT
Record last 10 games	5-5, .500 PCT
Record in April	4-5, .444 PCT
Record in May	5-5, .500 PCT

Team Batting Stats & Rankings
Batting Average	.267 - 3rd in E
On-Base Percentage	.283 - 3rd in E
Slugging Percentage	.331 - 3rd in E
On-Base + Slugging	.614 - 3rd in E
Runs Scored	99 - 3rd in E
Hits	187 - 3rd in E
Extra-Base Hits	34 - 2nd in E
Home Runs	2 - 3rd in E
Bases-On-Balls	18 - 1st in E
Strikeouts	33 - 2nd in E
Stolen Bases	21 - 2nd in E

Team Pitching Stats & Rankings
Earned Run Average	2.27 - 3rd in E
Starters' ERA	2.37 - 3rd in E
Bullpen ERA	1.23 - 2nd in E
Runs allowed	80 - 2nd in E
Hits allowed	178 - 2nd in E
Opponents AVG	.257 - 2nd in E
BABIP	.269 - 2nd in E
Home Runs allowed	1 - 1st in E
Bases-On-Balls	8 - 1st in E
Strikeouts	34 - 2nd in E

West Standings
	W	L	PCT	GB
Baltimore Orioles	13	6	.684	-
Cleveland Blues	11	8	.579	2.0
Philadelphia Athletics	7	12	.368	6.0
St. Louis Brown Stockings	7	12	.368	6.0

East Standings
	W	L	PCT	GB
Boston Red Caps	12	7	.632	-
Cincinnati Reds	10	9	.526	2.0
Chicago White Stockings	9	10	.474	3.0
Brooklyn Atlantics	7	12	.368	5.0

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League Tidbits

• George Wright looks very comfortable in his new colors in Baltimore. Wright went 5-5 in a game against the Athletics and has been a nice factor in the current division lead for the Orioles.
• Bill Stearns, the star pitcher for the St. Louis Browns wasted no time and has reportedly signed a 3 year extension with the club for a reported $745 a year. Stearns currently leads the league in strike outs.

[Nick Soulis]

BASEBALL MONTHLY

June 1877


Chicago Drafts Star In Williamson

With their poor 1876 season the Chicago White Stockings looked at the June amatuer draft as an opportunity to get a star. With the second pick in the draft the White's got their man in 19 year old Ned Williamson out of Philadelphia. Williamson is a highly touted third baseman and went straight into the lineup for Chicago, with Cap Anson making the transition to the other corner to play first base.

Wasting no time they young talent started ripping past big league pitching. In his first 5 games Ned is hitting .400 with 6 RBI. He appears very comfortbale at the plate and with his early success and young age Chicago may have a real long term star on their hands.

The team is hanging tough in the pennant race as well. Going 6-4 in the month the White Stockings are only one game back of the Boston Red Caps with a 15-14 record. Al Spalding pitched his first shutout of the season this month and is now back on top of his game, lowering his ERA 2.23 and winning the pitcher of the month award for June.

Injuries remain a concern. Mike McGeary made a successful return but Chicago lost outfielder Fred McCarton for up to 6 weeks with a hip injury.

Other then that with the young stars and the ace on the mound, there is legitimate excitement at the Westside grounds for the White Stockings to make a run.
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West Standings
	W	L	PCT	GB
Baltimore Orioles	18	11	.621	-
Cleveland Blues	14	15	.483	4.0
Philadelphia Athletics	14	15	.483	4.0
St. Louis Brown Stockings	12	17	.414	6.0

East Standings
	W	L	PCT	GB
Boston Red Caps	16	13	.552	-
Chicago White Stockings	15	14	.517	1.0
Cincinnati Reds	15	14	.517	1.0
Brooklyn Atlantics	12	17	.414	4.0

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League Tidbits

• King Kelly of baseball hotbed Troy Michigan was the first pick in the amatuer draft. The Brooklyn Atlantics got their man and the King is touted to play at catcher for many years to come. Kelly is batting .304 in his first 5 games.
• The Baltimore Orioles, enjoying a first place run in the West wasted no time in securing their stars. The Orioles signed Jimmy Hallilan to a three year extension and now can have the left handed thrid baseman concentrate on baseball.
• Lip Pike has signed an extension with the Cincinnati Reds. Pike is still the all time leader in home runs with 16.
• Levi Meyerle has started another batting streak hitting in 17 straight games.

[jtb]

Awesome write-ups!

[Nick Soulis]

BASEBALL MONTHLY

July 1877

First Place Feels Good For Hot Whites

The Chicago White Stockings sit on to of the National League East and are building an excitement in the midwest as they push on to hold off the Boston Red Caps. The current lead is one game.

The Whites went 6-3 in July and have their explosive offense to thank for much of their success. Chicago is first in runs scored (233) and first in on base percentage (.306). Their prowess was demontrated with huge wins like a 16- win over the Reds and later a 14-1 win over Brooklyn.

The biggest suprize of this team and of most of the league is the sudden emergance of Chicago catcher Dave Pierson. Pierson was struggling deeply for the first three months of the season and word was out that he might even lose his job. The #1 pick in the 1875 draft then started hitting in a big way. In fact Pierson was named player of the month for July and batted an incredible .564 with 16 RBI for the month.

Dave Pierson

"The light just went on" said Pierson, "I just thank the skipper (Anson) for sticking with me."

The Boston Red Caps are only a game back so much baseball is yet to be played. But with the offesnse so hot and Al Spalding continueing to pitch well (16-12, 2.54) most fans are seeing these two team heading in diffrent directions.

Pitching Staff Role T Pitcher G GS W L SV ERA WHIP Status Starter R Al Spalding 30 30 16 12 0 2.54 1.22 Rested Starter R Terry Larkin 8 8 3 4 0 1.83 0.95 Rested Middle Reliever R Cherokee Fisher 2 0 1 1 0 1.93 1.07 Rested Setup Reliever L John Cassidy 1 0 0 0 0 0.00 1.25 Rested Closer R Hugh Campbell 6 0 1 0 2 1.00 0.78 Rested

Catchers # B Player Pos G AB H HR RBI R BB K .AVG OBP SLG 75 R Doc Bushong C 5 16 2 0 2 1 0 4 .125 .118 .125 19 R Dave Pierson C 34 135 42 0 30 26 1 6 .311 .314 .363

Infielders # B Player Pos G AB H HR RBI R BB K .AVG OBP SLG 56 R Ham Allen SS 19 70 14 0 7 3 0 2 .200 .200 .257 59 R Ned Williamson 3B 14 59 16 0 11 16 2 9 .271 .295 .356 93 R Cap Anson 3B 38 164 58 1 23 23 4 4 .354 .358 .433 73 R Mike McGeary SS 30 130 46 0 15 26 2 5 .354 .368 .392 69 R Charlie Sweasy 2B 2 7 1 0 0 0 0 1 .143 .143 .143 40 R Joe Quest 2B 26 112 35 1 19 21 2 4 .313 .333 .393 74 R Jim Devlin 1B 25 101 26 0 12 15 2 9 .257 .272 .327 84 R Bob Reach SS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 20 R Bill French 1B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000

Outfielders # B Player Pos G AB H HR RBI R BB K .AVG OBP SLG 70 R Cherokee Fisher RF 4 6 2 0 1 2 0 0 .333 .333 .333 83 R Nat Hicks LF 5 20 5 0 3 2 1 1 .250 .286 .250 87 R Steve King LF 33 155 47 0 21 28 7 12 .303 .331 .348 28 R Mike Dorgan RF 38 164 54 0 23 26 7 9 .329 .360 .409 11 R George Heubel CF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 99 R Count Sensenderfer CF 24 108 26 0 17 17 3 6 .241 .261 .259 17 R Tom Berry RF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 23 R Joe Barrett LF 1 4 1 0 0 1 0 0 .250 .250 .250 60 R Joe Eland RF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000

Lineup vs RHP

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West Standings
	W	L	PCT	GB
Baltimore Orioles	21	17	.553	-
Philadelphia Athletics	19	19	.500	2.0
St. Louis Brown Stockings	19	19	.500	2.0
Cleveland Blues	17	21	.447	4.0

East Standings
	W	L	PCT	GB
Chicago White Stockings	21	17	.553	-
Boston Red Caps	20	18	.526	1.0
Cincinnati Reds	20	18	.526	1.0
Brooklyn Atlantics	15	23	.395	6.0

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League Tidbits

• As Baltimore sits in first place, they did recieve bad injury news after first baseman Jack Manning will miss 4 weeks with a fractured jaw.
• John Hatfield, Cincinnati second baseman, lashed out at his team and his fans after reciving critisism for his poor play this season. Hatfield who is batting only .240 this year, says he would be willing to leave town to play elswhere where he will be appreciated.
• Baltimore also inked a deal with two of their star players, many wonder why they would do this in the middle of a pennant race. George Wright and George Hall both signed extensions for the Orioles.

[Nick Soulis]

BASEBALL MONTHLY

August 1877

Chicago in Midst of Pennant Race

The Chicago White Stockings are finally back in a pennant race and quite a race it is becoming. Chicago holds the thinnest of leads with their 27-21 record, only a single game better then the Boston Red Caps and 2 games better then the Cincinnati Reds.

Al Spalding has won 21 games going into the final month and is itching to pitch in his first world series. "I have been close too many times before in Baltimore", says Spalding, "now is another chance I dont want to get away, you only have so many chances."

Manager Cap Anson is doing his part both on and off the field. Anson who has managed very well this season and showed confidence in his team's youth, himself is batting .359 with 28 RBI. Anson is keeping his team motivated into the last month of the season, "We have the team to do it" claims Anson, "we all want that first championship for Chicago".

Boston has the experiance, Cincinnati has the stars, but Chicago may have the will to take it all. The city prepares for the final stretch run and most games will be jammed at West side ground.
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West Standings
	W	L	PCT	GB
Baltimore Orioles	28	20	.583	-
Cleveland Blues	23	25	.479	5.0
Philadelphia Athletics	23	25	.479	5.0
St. Louis Brown Stockings	22	26	.458	6.0

East Standings
	W	L	PCT	GB
Chicago White Stockings	27	21	.563	-
Boston Red Caps	26	22	.542	1.0
Cincinnati Reds	25	23	.521	2.0
Brooklyn Atlantics	18	30	.375	9.0

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League Tidbits

• Levi Meyerle's hit streak ends at 31 games. The Reds star has hit over 25 straight games 3 diffrent times in his career.
• As expected top draft choice King Kelly of the Brooklyn Atlantics is doing excellent. The 19 year old catcher is batting .373 with 14 RBI and has already become a New York favorite.
• Bill Craver of the Red Caps will spend the rest of the year watching from the sideline. In a bog blow to their pennant hopes Craver fractred his ribs and will miss 6 to 7 weeks.
• All catchers are now using a mask while catching behind the plate. Injuries to umpires and catchers alike off of all the fouls and pitches that have taken their toll can now be prevented.

[Nick Soulis]

BASEBALL MONTHLY

September 1877

Chicago Wins 2nd Pennant!

The city of Chicago celebrated as their White Stockings finished the season with the best record in baseball winning the National League pennant by 8 games. Chicago finished an incredibe run to the season winning 10 games in a row and losing only once since August 1st.

Chicago finished with a record of 38-22. In the world series awaits the Baltimore Orioles who won their division by two games and finished the season 34-26.

Chicago had an awesome balance of dominant pitching and dominant pitching. The team ended with the best average in the league (.296) as well as the lowest ERA (2.17). Al Spalding had 26 wins and Dave Pierson lead the team in RBI with 45. The club also played dominant ball at home finishing with a record of 20-10 at the West Side Ground.

Now comes the dream of a championship. "Everyone knows that there is more work to be done." says manager Anson, "but we strongly feel we are the best team in the league."

The Orioles await the Whites with a strong group of stars led by Joe Borden. Borden won 27 games and had a dominant ERA of 2.01. George Wright and Jim Hallinan lead the offense. Baltimore basically lead the western division from start to finish this season.
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West Standings
	W	L	PCT	GB
Baltimore Orioles	34	26	.567	-
Cleveland Blues	32	28	.533	2.0
St. Louis Brown Stockings	28	32	.467	6.0
Philadelphia Athletics	26	34	.433	8.0

East Standings
	W	L	PCT	GB
Chicago White Stockings	38	22	.633	-
Boston Red Caps	30	30	.500	8.0
Cincinnati Reds	30	30	.500	8.0
Brooklyn Atlantics	22	38	.367	16.0

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1877 Batting Champions

93/258 .360
Levi Meyerle was the best batter for the season. The right fielder for the Cincinnati Reds batted a consistent .360 and continued to grow his status across the league.

76/241 .314
Jimmy Hallinan of the Baltimore Orioles was the top batter in the western division with a .315 average. His average was the lowest on record to lead a division, evidence that the western division was dominanted by pitching to the highest degree.

[Nick Soulis]

BASEBALL MONTHLY

October 1877

A Classic Championship

The championship of baseball was played out between the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White Stockings. Few who saw these games could argue that this was the best championship series they have seen since the profesional game started, here is a recap of the series:

Game 1

Monday, October 8th, 1877
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Baltimore Orioles	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	4	12	5
Chicago White Stockings	2	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	X	5	8	5

WP: Al Spalding
LP: Joe Borden

Al Spalding gets the win on the mound but also gets three hits of his own as Chicago open the series with a win at home in front of a capacity crowd. A tie game was broken up in the 6th with a wild pitch then a Spalding single scored aother putting Chicago up two. Johnny Quest also drove in two runs without a hit in the close game. George Wright went 3-5 for the visitors who had the tying run on second when Spalding struck out George Bechtel to end the game.

Game 2

Tuesday, October 9th, 1877
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Baltimore Orioles	0	2	0	0	1	0	1	3	0	7	12	5
Chicago White Stockings	0	0	1	2	1	0	0	0	0	4	8	3

WP: The Only Nolan
LP: Al Spalding

Chicago held a 4-3 lead into the late innings as Mike Dorgan had drove in a run and scored another on three hits. The Orioles had 19 year old pitcher the "only" Nolan on the mound who is one of the most eccentric players in the game. Nolan never stops talking to his opponents and is said to be pitching half intoxicated. Regardless the Orioles came back late where Nolan himself drove in two runs with a 2 out hit in the 3 run inning. Lew Brown also drove in three runs on the day as the Orioles tied up the series.

Game 3

Thursday, October 11th, 1877
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chicago White Stockings	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	6	2
Baltimore Orioles	0	0	0	0	1	7	0	0	X	8	11	3

WP: Joe Borden
LP: Terry Larkin

A seven run 6th inning off of Terry Larkin was the diffrence in this one as the Baltimore Orioles cruised to a 2 games to 1 lead. Joe Borden went the distance on the mound and allowed no earned runs taming the best offense in the game. A bases loaded double by Jack Manning broke open the game as Larkin did a poor job replacing Larkin for this one in the rotation.

Game 4

Friday, October 12th, 1877
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	R	H	E
Chicago White Stockings	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	8	17	6
Baltimore Orioles	0	0	0	0	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	10	5

WP: Cherokee Fisher
LP: Jim ORourke

A 4 hour and 42 minute marathon ended in the 17th inning with a Chicago win to tie up the series. This was the longest game in league history and was played with everything left on the field as both teams used all their players. Chicago down 2 in the 8th inning scored one in the eigth after a Cap Anson double, and then in the 9th when Count Sensenderfer hit a sacrafice fly. With the game tied the tension was high as Chicago knew they needed this game to stay in the series. The pitching was heroic as Hugh Campbell pitched four scoreless innings and Cherokee Fisher another five. Dave Pierson hit the winning double in the 17th inning scoring two runs, Fisher then closed the door in the bottom of the inning. Darkeness was a real threat in this game, as the Orioles complained that due to the lack of light the winning hit couldnt be caught in the outfield.

Game 5

Saturday, October 13th, 1877
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chicago White Stockings	1	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	6	9	4
Baltimore Orioles	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	2	7	11	4

WP: Al Pratt
LP: Cherokee Fisher

An incredible game 5 followed with both teams deciding their fortunes in the 9th inning. Chicago had a three run lead but Baltimore came back and Lew Brown drove in two with a double in the 7th and then Mart King a 2 run single in the 8th and Baltimore stunned Chicago with a comback 6-5 lead over the Whites. In the 9th an error in the outfield scored the tying run off the bat of Ned Williamson. Then with a full count pinch hitter Ham Allen smoked a single scoring Williamson and giving Chicago the late lead. In the bottom of the 9th former White Red Woodhead hit a infield single to tie the match then George Hall cracked the first hit off Cherokee Fisher to score the winning run. Baltimore stole this game and the Orioles took the crucial 3 games to 2 lead back to Chicago.

Game 6

Monday, October 15th, 1877
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Baltimore Orioles	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	4	4
Chicago White Stockings	1	6	0	0	0	0	0	1	X	8	12	0

WP: Al Spalding
LP: Joe Borden

The Whites gave the ball to Al Spalding as they had all year and when they needed a win. Spalding being the star that he is answered with a great performance and allowed only one run on four hits. Chicago opened the game wide open with 6 runs in the second inning to ease any pressure. Steve King had three hits at the top of the lineup and scored two runs while driving in another two. Chicago also played an excellent game with the glove, not commiting an error for the entire game. This excellent series was tied and going down to a game 7, Anson decided that he was going to go with Al Spalding for game 7 as well, citing that he couldnt possibly go into such a game without his star on the mound.

Game 7

Tuesday, October 16th, 1877
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Baltimore Orioles	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	5	7	9	4
Chicago White Stockings	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	4

WP: The Only Nolan
LP: Al Spalding

There are few things more exciting in sport then a deciding game for a championship, 7 months of ball games and effrort come down to one game. The crazy Only Nolan was the perfect man for Baltimore to put on the mound, as the wild pitcher eased his teams pressure with his theatrics and quite frankly made a legend for himself by pithching an absolute gem. Nolan would throw a shutout in the end and allowed only one run in the two wins that he pitched. The game was tight but in the top of the 9th a tired warrior Al Splading had nothing left and the Orioles scored 5 runs, led by George Wright who drove in 2. It could be seen on the faces of the White Stockings how close they had come, but couldnt believe it ended with a shutout.

Baltimore are the world champions and lift the trophy for the first time. Once again few could argue how good a series this was and how it did wonders for the popularity of the game. It will be remembered for a long time.

The Only Nolan

2-0 .087 ERA for Series