The Liberty League, Est. 1876

[Questdog]

Originally Posted by Westheim

The Jingoes' farm team are the Bingoes?

C'mon, that must be the result of a massive binge drinking.

Well, both are real team names from the era, but the pairing, I must admit, had my hand in it......

[Westheim]

I was tempted to blame that owner. He seems like he's not pleasant to be around anyway.

[Questdog]

[Questdog]

Here's the Skinny on the Skunk Bears

Last year the Wolverines had horrible hitting, poor pitching and great defense. Only Washington scored fewer runs than they did and they were last in home runs and walks and second to last in batting average. The pitchers gave up the second most home runs and walks and the third most hits. The fielders made the fewest errors in the league and were second best in defensive efficiency.

With all the money I had to spend, I figured if I could just sign an ace pitcher or two and upgrade the offense even a little bit, I could find myself with a championship caliber ball club. Problem was, though, that there was only one ace pitcher available and he was 39 years old and wanted a great big pile of money (Bill McClean). I was not so keen on shooting my whole wad on one 39-year-old pitcher, so I let him sign with some one else (Rochester for $23,120).

So that left me with spending all my money to get better hitters, but there we had another problem. One of my unbreakable rules is that in order to play for me, you have to be able to run at least a little. You do not have to be fast, but you have to be able to at least out-run my pet 3-legged box turtle. Another of my rules is that you have to be at least a decent defender. If you cannot catch the ball and throw it, I have no use for you, no matter how far you can hit it.

Most of the really good hitters available failed to obey one or both of these rules. Guys like LF John Rodgers and 1B Harold Bradley of the defunct St. Louis club and 1B Pat Ross of Philadelphia. I was tempted to sign SS Bill Loschiavo of St. Louis, but he led the league in errors last year, though he's still a pretty good defender. He also swings at everything in reach.

So, in the end, I hardly spent any of the money I could have and Detroit has, by far, the lowest payroll in baseball.

But I still think I did a good job of collecting ballplayers and with the way Bill McLeod threw the ball in the practice games, I think we might have a shot at being in the race this season.

Pitchers
William McLeod (25-5.6)
His name is pronounced like "McCloud" as in a loud crowd. He's no Lee Sprague or Tom Lee, but when he entered the pros out of college, he was the most sought after hurler of his class. And there is no question that he has the stuff to be a great hurler. His bugaboo has been not being able to throw strikes. Last year, he was pretty horrible, winning only 10 games and losing 23 with a 3.88 ERA. He walked the most batters per 9 innings of any pitcher with at least 200 innings (3.4). But this Spring, he was near unhittable, holding batters to a .185 average while walking 2.3 per 9 innings. He'll be the Opening Day starter and if he can pitch like that all year, we will be in the hunt.

Editor's Note: I get the pronunciation of his name from an old joke:

"Isn't Mick Jagger Scottish?"

"No."

"How do you know he isn't?"

"Because he sang, 'Hey! You! Get off of my cloud!' and not 'Hey! McLeod! Get off of my ewe!' "

Hank Anderson (31-7.7)
I am so glad that I released him from his Omaha contract last year, else I'd be hard-pressed to have a good pitching staff now in Detroit. I knew he was a good pitcher when I let him go. I thought he deserved to be pitching in the majors and since I had no spot for him in Omaha, I let him go so he could find someplace to pitch. And he took full advantage of the opportunity, landing here in Detroit and winning the Rookie of the Year award as a 30-year-old. He went 23-11 with a 2.68 ERA for a team that could hardly score any runs. He is not an overpowering pitcher, but he takes full advantage of the good defense behind him by throwing strikes and letting the batters get themselves out. He is the opposite of McLeod in nearly every way. He is left-handed and led the league in fewest walks per 9 innings (1.2). He's also a pretty good hitter for a pitcher and McLeod can't hit a lick.

Tommy Shearin (27-5.7)
I signed Shearin from the folded Philly team. He is basically a right-handed version of Hank Anderson. Super control. The ones that did not make the team and will be pitching in Syracuse include Ed Bush (24-5.3), a McLeod clone in that he has a world of talent, but has not harnessed it yet and Zenas McKeough (23-4.5), my 2nd round draft pick, who I was hoping would make the team, but looked absolutely horrible in the Spring games and did not seem to care much about that either. He's a soft tosser who needs to be on top of his game to succeed and with the attitude he showed, I don't know if he has it in him to do it. I was hoping Rufus Lee (34-3.9) would be able to return from the injury he suffered last year and give us another good pitcher, or even be the ace of the staff. He was 3-1 with 2 shutouts and an 0.96 ERA last year before an injury ended his season. But in the Spring games, he walked 12 batters in 25 innings and only struck out 4. I wanted to send him to Syracuse to try to work himself back into shape, but he refused to go and I had to cut him. That left me scrambling for a 4th pitcher for Syracuse and I ended up signing Jake Little (32-5.9), who up until now has been an infielder. But he was pressed into pitching a game in Rochester (A) last year and went 6.1 innings, allowing 6 hits, 2 walks and striking out 2. So, I signed him as a pitcher and we'll see if he can do the job or not.

Catcher
Evan Eckberg (29-3.5)
The only All-Star the Wolverines had last year, he can hit for average and play sold defense, even if he is not much fun to be around. Dave Caplan (29-5.5) will be the second catcher. He's a decent catcher behind the plate and hit well in the little playing time he got in A ball last year, but he did not hit much in the big league trial Washington gave him in 1883.

First Base
George House (26-4.3)
Tore the cover off the ball last year in A Ball, hitting .352 with a lot of doubles, but only .176 in 170 at bats when he was brought up to Detroit. Started out hot in the Spring games, but cooled off at the end, finishing the schedule with mediocre stats. But he played great defense and we'll see how the hitting goes. Zenas Woodard (25-4.6), the 3rd round draft choice, hit about the same as House, but did not play the position as well. He'll get to play in Syracuse.

Second Base
Jocko Cole (23-6.1)
This is where a big chunk of my bankroll was spent. He is going to technically play for a minimum salary, but I had to give him a big signing bonus ($13,100) to get him to play here. He asked for $13,000, but when I offered him $7,500, he said "Better make it an extra hundred." So, I did. This kid has been a hot prospect since he was first spotted playing sandlot ball in Norcross, Georgia in 1880. In 1883, he was named the best hitting second baseman in the Connecticut State League, leading the league in Total Bases and Runs Scored, and the Philadelphia Quakers made him the 3rd pick of the B Draft. Last year, at Allentown in the Eastern League (A), he finished 3rd in the MVP voting and was named the best fielding second baseman in the circuit. He got into 8 games at the end of the year in the GNA and scored 7 runs and had 5 RBIs and 4 extra-base hits and stole 3 bases. This Spring, he did not set the world on fire, but he hit fairly well and played outstanding defense.

Shortstop
Al Shaffer (24-5.6)
My original plan was to sign a slick-fielding, no-hitting veteran to play short. I signed Sam Swanger (32-4.8) and he lived up to his billing, playing unbelievable defense this Spring (.958 fielding average and not many hits getting by him) and mostly making outs at the plate. But Shaffer played himself into the starting job with his bat, hitting over .300. His defense is solid, but certainly no where near as good as Swanger's. In 1883, he was named the best fielding second baseman in the Massachusetts State Association and was the 10th overall pick in the B Draft by Detroit. He did not hit a whole lot in A Ball last year, but did show an ability to draw a walk or two. But once he got called up to Detroit, he was horrific, batting .135 with no extra-base hits in 96 at bats. If his Spring showing turns out to be an illusion, we will go back to Swanger as the starter, who will be staying sharp in Syracuse.

Third Base
Sam Boullion (25-4.8)
My first pick in the B Draft this past winter and the MVP of the Massachusetts State Association last year. He got hurt in the 2nd game of the Spring schedule and missed the rest of the games, so I don't have much to go on, but he says he's healed up and at 25 years of age, I don't want to send him to A Ball for seasoning. He looked like a player for the little bit I saw him though. He's probably best at second base, but Cole does not have the arm to play on the left side of the infield and Boullion does. He is an exceptional defender in all areas, except that his range is only average and his arm is strong, but not impressively so. He could end up playing anywhere as long as he hits. He seems to be a very patient hitter and does not swing at bad pitches, which is a rare talent in baseball these days. Jack Warren (32-7.2) and Chris Van Rooyen (27-3.0) will be the backup infielders for now. Warren has been a starter, mostly at second, since the Detroit franchise began in 1880. He won a Gold Glove the one year he played at first and was named a Silver Slugger at second base in 1883. He can play anywhere in the infield, but at 32, his range is slipping, though he can still steal bases with the best of them (53 last year). Van Rooyen was a starter last year at short and third, but did not hit much at all.

Left Field
Ben Smith (25-6.7)
Here is where another big chunk of change went. He'll be, technically, the 2nd highest paid player on the team (3rd if you count Cole's signing bonus) making $11,280. He was the Silver Slugger winner in the GNA at center field the past two seasons for Philadelphia, but he is not much of a center fielder, so he will play left for us. He had the highest slugging average in the GNA last year of any player who did not call Lake Front Park home (.439). He did not hit at all this Spring, however.

Center Field
Fred Bianco (26-6.9)
Another good chunk of the bankroll went to sign a center fielder, but he was not Fred Bianco. I gave Harley Becker (31-6.8) a contract for $5,850 mostly because I liked his name and he hit .290 in 62 at bats for Minneapolis last year. But he did not hit his weight (180 lbs) in the Spring games and will start out as a backup. Bianco was not the second choice, either. That was Dusty Godwin (25-6.7), but he separated his shoulder and will miss the first 2 weeks of the season. But I am still excited to have Bianco there, if you can believe it. He does not have quite the range of Godwin, but he is about the most sure handed outfielder you could ever meet. Previous Detroit managers have been trying to make him a shortstop, but he is horrible there. In 17 games started at short last year for the Wolverines, he made 21 errors. In 1883, he was a rookie sensation batting over .300 in 132 at bats, but last year he dropped off to .217 in 125 at bats. I am hoping that was mostly because of his distress at playing the infield. He is very fast and can steal bases with the best of them.

Right Field
Joe Kraus (28-7.9)
And this is the best of them. The best hitter and nicest guy on the team, he, along with C Evan Eckberg and P Hank Anderson, was one of the bright spots for the Wolverines last year, even though he had his lowest batting average of his 4 year career (.269). He won his second straight Gold Glove in center field and led the league in steals for the second straight season, setting a major league record last year with 66 thefts. I think he his better suited for right field, since his range is only average for center. I also think he would be our best cleanup hitter and so I will try him out there, even though he has batted leadoff most of his career. Of course, he is probably our best leadoff man, too, but they won't let me bat him in both spots. He's also the highest paid player on the team and will pull in $16,260 from the coffers of Bill Perkins (63-4.3) this season. The other backup outfielder will be veteran Jackie Porter (30-6.3). He will be entering his 7th big league season and he has shown a pattern of hitting around .300 one year and .250 or worse the next. Last year it was .230; the year before it was .319. So he is in line for an up year and may push Kraus back to center. He has below average range and cannot run much (though he did beat my 3-legged turtle in a race) but has a cannon for an arm.

Only 2 starters from last year have kept their jobs and we should score more runs this year. The defense in the Spring games was phenomenal. But the whole season comes down to Bill McLeod. If he can pitch like he did this Spring, we may be the Liberty League champs come October. If he pitches like last year, though, we will probably end up 4th again.

See you at Opening Day!

Bartholomew Levy
April 29, 1885

[Questdog]

Thursday, April 30, 1885 Opening Day in the Liberty League
Cincinnati Reds (68-44 .607 4 GB in 2nd place in the Liberty League last season) at
Detroit Wolverines (55-57 .491 17 GB 4th place)

We begin the 1885 season with a 4 game set at home against manager/LF Silver Borresen (31-6.9) and his Reds. Borresen is currently injured and will only be able to manage for the first half of the season. The Reds finished 2nd in the Liberty League last year, so we will get a tough test for our new lineup right off the bat. They were 2nd in the league in runs scored with 6.2 per game and they were 2nd in the league in fewest runs allowed with 4.9 per game. Recreation Park here in Detroit is overall a pretty good place to hit. The long grass in the infield makes it a tough place to get a groundball single, but the outfield dimensions help power hitters get those extra-base hits.

John Stevens, Cin. (28-8.2) (R 28-23 2.68 8.3-1.3-5.9 H-BB-K/9 last season) vs. William McLeod, Det. (25-5.6) (R 10-23 3.88 9.3-3.4-4.9 last season)

Won - 8 to 5

Our pitching was poor, our defense was shaky, our base running was atrocious and our hitting started off anemically with our first hit coming in the 3rd inning, but later came alive to save the day. The Reds scored in 4 straight innings starting in the 3rd and were up 5 to 2 after 6 innings. But McLeod held them at bay for the final 3 innings while our hitters pummeled Stevens.

McLeod allowed 9 hits, 4 walks and struck out 2. He had 2 hits at bat and scored a run and drove 1 in.

We had 15 hits and made 3 errors. The Reds made 3 as well.

LF Ben Smith (25-6.7) had 2 hits and scored a run. RF Joe Kraus (28-7.9) had 2 hits, stole a base and had an RBI. Rookie 2B Jocko Cole (23-6.1) hit 2 doubles, scored a run and had an RBI. 1B George House (26-4.3) hit a double, scored a run and had an RBI. Rookie 3B Sam Boullion (25-4.8), in his major league debut, hit a double, scored a run and accepted 6 chances in the field without an error. C Evan Eckberg (29-3.5) had 3 hits with a double and a home run, scored twice and had 3 RBIs and threw out 2 of 3 base stealers.

Not the way we used to win games in Omaha, but I'll take it. Everyone in the lineup had a hit and either scored a run or knocked 1 in. Hopefully, McLeod had Opening Day jitters and is not reverting to last year's form.

Liberty League:
Cleveland (4) at Washington (2): Willis Kornfield (32-6.0) (1-0) over John Callaham (36-5.5) (0-1). Kornfield allowed 9 hits, 2 walks and struck out 3. At bat, he hit a home run. Callaham allowed 8 hits, walked 1 and struck out 6. 2B John Dahlhauser (25-5.0), in his major league debut, had 2 hits with a triple and scored a run.

Grand National Association:
Baltimore (10) at Brooklyn (13): Dick Cole (31-5.9) (3-2) over Pop Yurkovich (33-5.6) (2-3). Cole did not pitch well, but he had 2 hits with a triple as a batter, scored a run and had 3 RBIs. LF Harry Mihlbauer (26-5.7) had 5 hits and scored 2 runs. C Billy Boblett (26-5.4) hit a double and a home run, drew a walk, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs. For the Orioles, 1B Lou Knight (36-5.2) had 4 hits with a triple, stole a base (his first in 2 years), scored 4 runs and had an RBI. RF Dick Fitts (27-7.1) had 4 hits with a double and a triple and 4 RBIs. Baltimore made 8 errors.

Omaha (8) at Milwaukee (2): Sid Duncan (31-6.8) (1-2) over Dan Burton (29-4.9) (2-4). Duncan allowed 5 hits, no walks and struck out the grand total of zero batters. At bat, he failed to garner a hit, but scored twice. C Charlie LeFevre (31-5.0) had 3 hits with a double, a walk and an RBI. 2B Felix Hill (26-4.2) hit a double and a home run, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBIs.

[Questdog]

Friday, May 1, 1885
Cincinnati Reds (0-1 .000 1 GB tied for 7th place in the Liberty League) at
Detroit Wolverines (1-0 1.000 tied for 1st place)

John Stevens, Cin. (28-8.2) (R 0-1 9.00 16.1-1.1-4.5 H-BB-K/9) vs. Hank Anderson, Det. (31-7.7) (L 23-11 2.68 9.5-1.2-3.8 last season)

Lost - 9 to 4

Same deal as yesterday, all areas were shaky except hitting, but the Reds hit Anderson harder than they hit McLeod.

Anderson allowed 14 hits in 7 innings, 2 walks and struck out 4.

Tommy Shearin (27-5.7) pitched the final 2 innings and only gave up a hit.

We had 15 hits and made 1 errors. The Reds made 1 as well.

CF Fred Bianco (26-6.9) had 2 hits. SS Al Shaffer (24-5.6) had 2 hits and scored a run. LF Ben Smith (25-6.7) had 2 hits with a double and scored 2 runs. Rookie 2B Jocko Cole (23-6.1) had 3 hits and 2 RBIs. 1B George House (26-4.3) had 2 hits with a double and an RBI.

For the Reds, CF Jimmy Wolf (24-5.1) had 4 hits with a triple, stole 3 bases, scored 3 runs and had an RBI. 2B Jumbo Lynn (25-3.8) had 3 hits with a double, a walk, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs. 1B Joe Vaughan (30-5.2) had 3 hits, stole a base, scored a run and had an RBI.

Liberty League:
Troy (5) at Rochester (0): Harry Lamb (30-6.4) (1-0) over Bill McClean (39-6.0) (0-1). Lamb gave the Jingoes a rude welcome to the Liberty League, allowing 7 hits, no walks and striking out 4. At bat, he had a hit, stole a base and scored twice. McClean allowed 8 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3. He hit a double as a batter. CF Willie Kirby (23-2.1), in his major league debut, had 2 hits, scored a run and had an RBI. The Haymakers did not leave a runner on base the entire game.

Cleveland (5) at Washington (4): Willis Kornfield (32-6.0) (2-0) over John Callaham (36-5.5) (0-2). Kornfield allowed 7 hits, 2 walks and struck out 3. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI. Callaham Had to leave in the 6th inning with a sore elbow. They expect him to be fine after a week or two of rest. 3B Charlie Taylor (29-5.2) hit a double and a home run. 1B Clipper Wilson (29-4.4) had 2 hits with a double, scored a run and had 2 RBIs.

Boston (7) at New York (8): Count Childs (29-3.1) (1-0) over Charlie Morlock (35-6.7) (0-1). Childs allowed 8 hits, 2 walks and struck out 4. At bat, he had 2 hits, a walk and scored 2 runs. Boston scored 6 times in the top of the 9th to tie the game on 5 hits, 2 walks and an error, but the Gothams scored once in the bottom of the frame to win. LF Hi Lynch (34-7.5) hit a 1-out double to end the game. He had 3 hits on the day. SS Bill Baker (23-3.6), in his major league debut, had 2 hits, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. Boston made 8 errors, 5 of them in the outfield.

Grand National Association:
Milwaukee (3) at Brooklyn (4): Nate Kendall (36-5.4) (2-0) over Tom Washam (32-6.1) (4-1). Kendall allowed 9 hits, 2 walks and struck out 1. At bat, he had a hit, a walk and an RBI. Washam allowed 8 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3. At bat, he had 2 hits and scored 2 runs. LF Henry Young (31-5.7) had 2 hits with a double. Milwaukee made 7 errors.

Providence (1) at Pittsburgh (8): Tom Lilly (25-6.4) (4-2) over Frank McSherry (29-4.1) (3-3). Lilly allowed 3 hits, 3 walks and struck out 4. At bat, he had a hit, a run and an RBI. 2B Dan White (25-5.1) hit 2 doubles, drew a walk and had an RBI. 1B Cal Campbell (26-7.2) had 2 hits with a double, scored a run and had 2 RBIs.

Omaha (10) at Baltimore (11): Tom Wilmarth (25-5.4) (1-1) over Bill Hamilton (27-5.4) (0-1) in his first major league start. Wilmarth allowed 9 hits, 1 walk and struck out 4. He had 3 hits, a walk and scored a run. He won, despite the Orioles making 12 errors. The O's had 18 hits. 1B Lou Knight (36-5.2) had 4 hits with a home run, 2 runs scored and 4 RBIs. Manager/C Jake Houghton (34-5.4) had 3 hits with a double and a triple and 2 RBIs. For the Mutuals, rf Bill Hammack (32-5.0) had 2 hits with a triple and scored 3 times.


Down in the New York State League, the Syracuse Stars opened their season with an 8 to 0 win over the Poughkeepsie Colts. Pronounced Poe-KIPPsee. Ed Bush (24-5.3) allowed 4 hits, 2 walks and struck out 9. We will keep an eye on developments there, but this is very encouraging. Did you know that the women in Poughkeepsie take their clothes off when they're tipsy?

[Questdog]

Saturday, May 2, 1885
Cincinnati Reds (1-1 .500 1 GB tied for 4th place in the Liberty League) at
Detroit Wolverines (1-1 .500 1 GB tied for 4th place)

Charlie Branham, Cin. (25-4.2) (R 35-13 2.43 8.2-2.0-5.3 H-BB-K/9 last season) vs. William McLeod, Det. (25-5.6) (R 1-0 3.00 9.0-4.0-2.0)

Won - 3 to 1

In his first start McLeod struck out 2 batters; this time he struck out 2 in the first inning. He was on today. But so was Charlie Branham. However, Branham had to leave in the 7th inning with something messed up in his elbow and they now say he is out for the season. He led the league in wins last year and will get zero this season.

McLeod allowed 4 hits, 1 walk and struck out 6.

We also only had 4 hits and made 2 errors. The Reds made 6.

CF Fred Bianco (26-6.9) hit a double, stole a base and scored a run. C Dave Caplan (29-5.5) hit a double and drew a walk.

Liberty League:
Troy (2) at Rochester (3): Bill McClean (39-6.0) (1-1) over Harry Lamb (30-6.4) (1-1). McClean allowed 7 hits, 4 walks and struck out 3. At bat, he hit a triple. Lamb allowed 8 hits, 2 walks and struck out 4. He had a hit and an RBI as a batter. RF Joseph Thomson (33-7.3) had 2 hits and an RBI.

Cleveland (1) at Washington (6): Lou Townley (23-3.4) (1-0) over Tom Marshman (34-4.7) (0-1). Townley allowed 3 hits, no walks and struck out 9. At bat, he had a hit and scored a run. Marshman allowed 6 hits, 1 walk and struck out no one. Cleveland made 8 errors, 4 of them by rookie 2B John Dahlhauser (25-5.0). He was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts at bat. LF Kid Orr (26-5.6) had 2 hits, stole a base and scored a run. 2B Bill Scott (29-3.5) had a hit, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs.

Boston (15) at New York (6): Charlie Morlock (35-6.7) (1-1) over Count Childs (29-3.1) (1-1). Morlock allowed 10 hits, 3 walks and struck out 4. At bat, he had 2 hits, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. LF Charlie Warner (31-9.2) had 3 hits with 2 triples, a walk, scored a run and had an RBI. RF Dan Abrams (26-5.1) had 2 hits with a double, a walk, 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs. 2B Mike Stables (29-7.1) had 2 hits with a double, a walk, scored 3 runs and had an RBI.

Grand National Association:
Milwaukee (7) at Brooklyn (5): Dan Burton (29-4.9) (3-4) over Henry Rawls (30-4.3) (3-2). Burton allowed 10 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3. SS Lou Bohus (25-5.4) had 3 hits with a double, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs. 3B Andy Byl (31-4.0) had 3 hits, scored 2 runs and had an RBI. For the Gladiators, SS Bones Collins (30-4.4) hit a double and a triple and scored a run.

Providence (4) at Pittsburgh (15): Tom Lilly (25-6.4) (5-2) over Sam Paul (30-5.4) (0-4). Lilly allowed 8 hits, no walks and struck out 8. At bat, he had 3 hits and 2 RBIs. C Wilson Wendling (24-4.1) had 3 hits, scored 3 runs and had 4 RBIs. LF Jim Graves (27-5.7) had 3 hits, a walk, scored 3 times and had 3 RBIs. 1B Jack Green (32-5.5) had 3 hits with 2 triples, scored a run and had 5 RBIs.

Omaha (10) at Baltimore (7): Royal Parmelee (24-6.5) (1-2) over Tom Wilmarth (25-5.4) (1-2). Baltimore made 9 errors, 5 by SS Jake Steitz (26-4.7). CF Dave Cunningham (29-5.4) had 2 hits, a walk, stole a base, scored 2 runs and had an RBI. For Baltimore, C William Fisher (28-4.9) had 3 hits with a double, scored a run and had 2 RBIs.

Chicago (7) at Kansas City (8): Frank Parsons (31-5.8) (4-2) over Pete Rinehart (26-6.2) (2-4). Chicago made 8 errors. 2B Al Sarbacker (24-4.8) hit 2 doubles, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. C Gene Stone (28-5.4) had 4 hits, scored a run and had 2 RBIs.

[Questdog]

Sunday, May 3, 1885

Grand National Association:
Providence (15) at Kansas City (0): Egyptian Hooker (37-3.9) (1-0) over Frank Parsons (31-5.8) (4-3). Hooker allowed 3 hits, no walks and struck out 4. He out-hit the Cowboys all by himself with 4 hits with a double and scored 3 runs. SS Bill Loschiavo (27-5.8) had 3 hits with 2 doubles, scored 4 runs and had 2 RBIs. 2B Pat Millis (24-7.2) had 4 hits, scored 3 runs and had 4 RBIs.

[Questdog]

Monday, May 4, 1885
Cincinnati Reds (1-2 .333 1 GB tied for 7th place in the Liberty League) at
Detroit Wolverines (2-1 .667 1 GB tied for 1st place)

John Stevens, Cin. (28-8.2) (R 1-1 5.82 15.9-0.5-3.2 H-BB-K/9) vs. Hank Anderson, Det. (31-7.7) (L 0-1 11.57 18.0-2.6-5.1)

Lost - 4 to 0

Anderson was better today, but Stevens was even more better.....
Anderson shut out the Reds for 8 innings, but Stevens shut us out for 9. The Reds scored all 4 of their runs in the 4th.

Anderson allowed 8 hits, 2 walks and struck out 4.

Stevens gave us 6 hits, no walks and struck out 9.

Each team only made 1 error.

CF Fred Bianco (26-6.9) had 2 hits. 1B George House (26-4.3) had 2 hits with a double. C Evan Eckberg (29-3.5) hit a double.

For the Reds, 3B Frank Young (34-7.6) had 3 hits with a triple, a walk, scored a run and had an RBI.

A split with the Reds is a good result, but not as good as winning this game would have.

Liberty League:
Boston (4) at Rochester (1): Freddy Wood (29-6.3) (1-0) over Bill McClean (39-6.0) (1-2). Wood allowed 4 hits, 3 walks and struck out 3. McClean allowed 7 hits, 4 walks and struck out 5. Rookie CF Pat Stafford (24-5.4) had 2 hits with a double, stole 2 bases and scored 2 runs. 3B Bill Gordon (28-3.7) hit a 2-run home run in the 8th to put the Red Caps in the lead.

Cleveland (8) at Washington (3): Willis Kornfield (32-6.0) (3-0) over Lou Townley (23-3.4) (1-1). Kornfield allowed 8 hits, 1 walk and struck out 2. RF Joe Coffey (28-5.2) had 3 hits with a double and a triple, stole a base, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs. 1B Clipper Wilson (29-4.4) had 3 hits with a triple, bu no runs or RBIs.

Troy (5) at New York (6): John Allen (26-6.4) (1-0) over Miah Turner (24-5.3) (0-1). Allen allowed 9 hits, 3 walks and struck out 5. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th inning, 1B Tacks Strange (31-5.4) tripled and then LF Hi Lynch (34-7.5) singled to win the game. Lynch also hit a double and had another RBI. For Troy, LF Jake Howard (26-4.6) had 3 hits with 2 doubles, stole a base and scored 2 runs.

Grand National Association:
Omaha (4) at Brooklyn (5) in 10 innings: Dick Cole (31-5.9) (4-2) over Sid Duncan (31-6.8) (1-3). In 10 innings, Cole allowed 5 hits, 5 walks and struck out 3. At bat he had a hit, scored 2 runs and had an RBI. Duncan allowed 8 hits, 2 walks and struck out no one. That is 3 games in a row without any strikeouts. At bat, he had a hit, a walk, scored a run and had an RBI. SS Bones Collins (30-4.4) knocked home the winning run with a single with 1 out. CF Piggy Galon (24-4.8) had 2 hits with a double and 2 RBIs.

Chicago (6) at Pittsburgh (4): Pete Rinehart (26-6.2) (3-4) over Tom Adams (30-6.0) (2-2). Rinehart allowed 8 hits, 2 walks and struck out 4. CF Sam McKenna (33-6.0) had 4 hits with a double, scored 3 runs and had an RBI. For the Stogies, RF Lyman Horton (27-5.9) had 2 hits with a home run and 2 RBIs.

Milwaukee (16) at Baltimore (7): Dan Burton (29-4.9) (4-4) over Pop Yurkovich (33-5.6) (2-4). C Jimmy Babcock (28-6.9) had 4 hits with a double and scored 5 runs to the GNA record for a game. CF Robert Mason (31-5.4) had 4 hits, a walk, scored 3 runs and had an RBI. For the O's, SS Jake Steitz (26-4.7) had 4 hits with a double, a walk, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBIs.


Down in the New York State League, Ed Bush (24-5.3) had his second start of the year for Syracuse and threw a 3-hitter this time, but gave up an unearned run. He walked 2 and struck out 3.

[Questdog]

Tuesday, May 5, 1885

Liberty League:
Boston (2) at Rochester (3): William Rose (34-4.9) (1-0) over Charlie Morlock (35-6.7) (1-2). Rose allowed 6 hits, 3 walks and struck out 3. At bat, he had 2 hits and scored a run. Morlock allowed 6 hits, 2 walks and struck out 2. I cut Rose this Spring from the Wolverines.

Troy (9) at New York (3): Harry Lamb (30-6.4) (2-1) over Count Childs (29-3.1) (1-2). Lamb allowed 9 hits, 2 walks and struck out 3. At bat, he hit a double and scored a run. RF Ed Wakefield (25-5.8) had a hit, a walk and scored 3 runs. New York made 7 errors. For the Gothams, CF Ed Glass (25-4.5) had 4 hits with a double and scored a run.

Grand National Association:
Omaha (6) at Brooklyn (7): Nate Kendall (36-5.4) (3-0) in relief of Henry Rawls (30-4.3) over Royal Parmelee (24-6.5) (1-3). Brooklyn scored twice in the bottom of the 9th to win. The game-ender was a 1-out single by 1B Kid Angell (35-6.0). He also hit a triple and scored a run. RF Kid Bailey (30-3.3) hit a triple, drew a walk, stole a base and scored 3 runs.

Chicago (4) at Pittsburgh (5): Tom Lilly (25-6.4) (6-2) over Sam White (30-5.2) (2-2). Lilly allowed 7 hits, 2 walks and struck out 6. White allowed 8 hits, 2 walks and struck out no one. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI. SS Jim Ware (31-5.6) had 3 hits with a double, stole a base and scored 2 runs.

Milwaukee (12) at Baltimore (4): Tom Washam (32-6.1) (5-1) over Pop Yurkovich (33-5.6) (2-5). Washam allowed 5 hits, 4 walks and struck out 4. At bat, he had 2 hits, scored a run and had 3 RBIs. 3B Hi Ross (27-4.9) had 2 hits and 4 RBIs. CF Robert Mason (31-5.4) had 2 hits, stole 2 bases, scored 4 runs and had 2 RBIs.

Providence (12) at Kansas City (7): Frank McSherry (29-4.1) (4-3) over Frank Parsons (31-5.8) (4-4). McSherry allowed 11 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3. At bat, he had 3 hits with a double, scored 3 runs and had 3 RBIs. 3B Bill Parsons (27-8.3) had 2 hits with a double, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, May 6, 1885
Washington Nationals (1-3 .250 2 GB in 8th place in the Liberty League) at
Detroit Wolverines (2-2 .500 1 GB tied for 2nd place)

We begin a 4 game series with manager/P Lou Townley (23-3.4) and his Nationals today. So far in the young season they are tied for 6th with the Wolverines in runs scored with 38 per game. They are tied for 5th with Boston in runs allowed with 4.5 per game (Detroit is 7th with 4.8).

John Ritch, Wash. (30-7.8) (R 0-0 0.00 0.0-0.0-4.5 H-BB-K/9) vs. William McLeod, Det. (25-5.6) (R 2-0 2.00 6.5-2.5-4.0)

Won - 10 to 9

Okay, it looks like our hopes for McLeod being much improved this season are not going to come to fruition. But he has won all 3 of his starts, so I guess I should not complain. We were down 4 to 0 and then scored 6 runs in the bottom of the 5th, but McLeod let the Nationals score 5 in the top of the 6th , so we scored 4 more in the bottom of the 6th.

McLeod only went 6 innings, allowed 8 hits, 3 walks and struck out 3. He hit a triple for an RBI and scored a run.

Tommy Shearin pitched the final 3 innings and did not allow a run, though he gave up 2 hits and walked a pair. He also struck out 2.

We had 11 hits and made 4 errors. Washington made only 1.

LF Ben Smith (25-6.7) hit a 2-run home run. RF Joe Kraus (28-7.9) was 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts. 2B Jocko Cole (23-6.1) had 2 hits with a double, stole a base and scored a run, but also made 2 errors. C Evan Eckberg (29-3.5) had 2 hits, scored 2 runs and had an RBI. PH Jackie Porter (30-6.3) hit a pinch-hit 3-run home run to give us the lead in the bottom of the 6th.

For Washington, RF Ted Steeves (23-4.2) had 2 hits with a home run, scored twice and had 4 RBIs. P Zachary Buchanan (24-4.0) made his major league debut and pitched 2 perfect innings, striking out a batter.

Overall, our hitters are knocking the cover off the ball so far, but one area of concern is that we have only drawn 2 walks in 5 games.

Liberty League:
Boston (6) at New York (2): Joe Peters (29-4.9) (1-0) over John Allen (26-6.4) (1-1). Peters allowed 4 hits, 1 walk and struck out 6. Allen allowed 9 hits, 3 walks and struck out 5. Manager/1B Pete Bucolo (37-4.1) had 3 hits with a triple, scored a run and had an RBI. 3B Bill Gordon (28-3.7) hit his 2nd homer of the season, drew a walk and scored 2 runs.

Troy (8) at Rochester (6): Miah Turner (24-5.3) (1-1) over William Rose (34-4.9) (1-1). Turner allowed 10 hits, 2 walks and struck out 4. At bat, he had a hit and scored a run. RF Ed Wakefield (25-5.8) had 3 hits, a walk and scored 2 runs. 1B Hardy Runnels (28-2.8) had 4 hits with a double, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. For the Jingoes, 1B Elbert Fuccillo (33-5.4) had 3 hits with a double and a triple, scored a run and had 2 RBIs.

Cleveland (4) at Cincinnati (2): Willis Kornfield (32-6.0) (4-0) over Lou Ellard (27-6.3) (0-1) in his first major league start. Kornfield allowed 6 hits, 3 walks and struck out 1. Ellard allowed 7 hits, walked 2 and struck out 2. At bat, he had 2 hits with a double and scored a run. C Kid Wright (30-7.3) had 3 hits, scored a run and had 3 RBIs. His 2-run home run in the top of the 9th broke a 2-2 tie.


Down in the New York State League (A), the Syracuse Stars beat the Poughkeepsie Colts, 7 to 1 in Ed Bush's (24-5.3) third start. He allowed 7 hits, 2 walks and struck out 7, but gave up his first earned run of the season. The Wolverine pitchers know they are all on short leashes now....

In the Southern League, the Birmingham Ironmakers have a pitcher named Dave Duke (26-5.8). He is 1-2 with a 5.57 ERA. His leadership ability is very high, but his intelligence is very low. Sounds about right.

[Questdog]

Thursday, May 7, 1885
Washington Nationals (1-4 .200 3 GB in 8th place in the Liberty League) at
Detroit Wolverines (3-2 .600 1 GB tied for 2nd place)

Lou Townley, Wash. (23-3.4) (R 1-1 2.25 6.8-1.4-7.2 H-BB-K/9) vs. Hank Anderson, Det. (31-7.7) (L 0-2 6.75 12.4-2.3-4.5)

Won - 4 to 1

Anderson allowed 4 hits, 1 walk and struck out 2.

Townley gave us 8 hits, no walks and struck out 4.

We made 4 errors and Washington made 7.

LF Ben Smith (25-6.7) hit a double and a triple and had an RBI. 2B Jocko Cole (23-6.1) hit a triple, scored a run and had an RBI, but made 2 more errors. 1B George House (26-4.3) had 2 hits and scored a run.

Liberty League:
Boston (8) at New York (4): Joe Peters (29-4.9) (2-0) over Al Stone (25-3.1) (0-1) in his first major league start. Peters allowed 7 hits, 5 walks and struck out 6. At bat, he had a hit and a walk. Stone allowed 11 hits, 4 walks and struck out 6. Manager/1B Pete Bucolo (37-4.1) had 2 hits, stole a base, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. CF Pat Stafford (24-5.4) had 2 hits, a walk, stole 3 bases and scored 2 runs. For the Gothams, CF Bill Martin (32-5.0) hit 2 doubles and scored 2 runs.

Troy (10) at Rochester (1): Sal DeVaux (30-3.5) (1-0) over Bill McClean (39-6.0) (1-3). DeVaux allowed 3 hits, 2 walks and struck out 3. At bat, he had a hit, a walk and scored a run. LF Jake Howard (26-4.6) had 3 hits with a double, 2 walks, stole a base, scored 5 times and had an RBI.

Cleveland (4) at Cincinnati (1): Tom Marshman (34-4.7) (1-1) over John Stevens (28-8.2) (2-2). Marshman allowed 5 hits, 1 walk and struck out 1. Stevens allowed 7 hits, no walks and struck out 5. 3B Charlie Taylor (29-5.2) had 2 hits, stole a base and scored 2 runs. Cleveland is now 5-1 to start the season and sit in first place. The have only had one winning season as a franchise and that was when they went 43-41 in 1879 in their first year of existence. They were the Utica Pent Ups then.

Grand National Association:
Milwaukee (0) at Pittsburgh (5): Tom Adams (30-6.0) (3-2) over Dan Burton (29-4.9) (4-5). Adams allowed 4 hits, no walks and struck out 1. Burton allowed 9 hits, no walks and struck out 1. SS Jim Ware (31-5.6) had 2 hits with a double, stole a base, scored a run and had an RBI. LF Jim Graves (27-5.7) had 3 hits, stole a base, scored a run and had an RBI.

Omaha (2) at Providence (5): Frank McSherry (29-4.1) (5-3) over Sid Duncan (31-6.8) (1-4). McSherry allowed 5 hits, 2 walks and struck out 2. CF Bill Chilcote (27-7.7) had 2 hits and an RBI. Everyone in the lineup had at least one hit.

Baltimore (7) at Kansas City (3): Pop Yurkovich (33-5.6) (3-5) over Hosea Alexander (36-4.8) (0-1). Yurkovich allowed 8 hits, 1 walk and struck out 4. 1B Lou Knight (36-5.2) had 2 hits, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. CF Nat Lusk (25-6.4) had 2 hits with a double, stole a base, scored a run and had an RBI. He had to leave with a sore shoulder and they figure him to miss 5-6 weeks. RF Henry Cole (26-6.4) broke a bone in his foot and will likely miss about a month of action.

Brooklyn (9) at Chicago (6): Dick Cole (31-5.9) (5-2) over Pete Rinehart (26-6.2) (3-5). Cole allowed 8 hits, 4 walks and struck out 6. At bat, he had 2 hits and a walk, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. 1B Henry Weaver (32-3.9) had 3 hits, scored 2 runs and had an RBI.


Editor's Note: True Story: As I was typing this up I began to nod off to sleep and after one nod I jerked awake and noticed I had typed "...had 3 hits and let him have his bed time." So, I will.....

[Questdog]

Friday, May 8, 1885
Washington Nationals (1-5 .167 4 GB in 8th place in the Liberty League) at
Detroit Wolverines (4-2 .667 1 GB tied for 2nd place)

Lou Townley, Wash. (23-3.4) (R 1-2 2.25 7.4-1.0-6.4 H-BB-K/9) vs. William McLeod, Det. (25-5.6) (R 3-0 3.38 7.9-3.0-4.1)

Lost - 5 to 3

McLeod was awesome through 7 innings, but lost it in the 8th and gave them 4 runs.

McLeod allowed 8 hits, 5 walks and struck out 5. At bat, he had 2 hits with a triple. Prior to this season, he was a career .121 batter with 47 strikeouts in 157 at bats and only 1 extra-base hit, a double. So far this season, he is 5 for 12 (.417) with 2 triples.

Townley gave us 9 hits, no walks and struck out 4.

We made 2 errors and Washington made 4.

CF Fred Bianco (26-6.9) had 2 hits with a double. LF Ben Smith (25-6.7) had 2 hits, stole a base and scored a run. RF Joe Kraus (28-7.9) had a hit, stole 2 bases and score 2 runs. 2B Jocko Cole (23-6.1) had 2 hits, stole a base and had 2 RBIs.

Liberty League:
Troy (15) at New York (8): Harry Lamb (30-6.4) (3-1) over Count Childs (29-3.1) (1-3). Lamb allowed 10 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3. At bat, he had 4 hits with a double and a triple, scored 3 runs and had 2 RBIs. RF Ed Wakefield (25-5.8) had 4 hits with a double, stole 2 bases and scored 3 runs. C Pop Buck (31-5.2) had 2 hits, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBIs. LF Jake Howard (26-4.6) sprained his ankle and will miss about 3 weeks. For the Gothams, 1B John Hilliard (25-7.2) hit a triple and his 2nd home run of the season, drew a walk and had 2 RBIs.

Boston (6) at Rochester (3): Charlie Morlock (35-6.7) (2-2) over Bill Henson (28-6.5) (0-1). Morlock allowed 9 hits, 3 walks and struck out 6. Henson allowed 9 hits, walked 4 and struck out 5. At bat, he had 2 hits with a double and a walk, scored a run and had an RBI. 3B Bill Gordon (28-3.7) had 2 hits with a triple, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. For the Jingoes, C Willie Ticknor (28-3.1) had 3 hits and 2 RBIs.

Cleveland (3) at Cincinnati (10): Lou Ellard (27-6.3) (1-1) over Willis Kornfield (32-6.0) (4-1). Ellard allowed 6 hits, 2 walks and struck out 2. At bat, he had 2 hits, scored a run and had an RBI. LF Fleet Wilcox (28-4.9) had 2 hits with a home run, 2 walks, scored 3 runs and had 3 RBIs.

Grand National Association:
Milwaukee (6) at Pittsburgh (5): Dan Burton (29-4.9) (5-5) over Tom Lilly (25-6.4) (6-3). Burton allowed 11 hits, 1 walk and struck out 4. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI. Lilly allowed 10 hits, no walks and struck out 5. He had a hit at bat and scored a run. 2B Frank Reardon (30-5.7) had 2 hits, scored a run and had an RBI. For the Stogies, SS Jim Ware (31-5.6) had 3 hits, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs.

Omaha (6) at Providence (7): Sam Paul (30-5.4) (1-4) over Royal Parmelee (24-6.5) (1-4). Paul allowed 12 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3. At bat, he had 2 hits, a walk, scored a run and had an RBI. LF Bill Sears (36-4.0) had 3 hits, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBIs.

Baltimore (8) at Kansas City (4): Tom Wilmarth (25-5.4) (2-2) over Frank Parsons (31-5.8) (4-5). Wilmarth allowed 10 hits, no walks and struck out 6. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI. 2B Billy Moore (29-7.0) had 2 hits with a double, scored a run and had 3 RBIs. 1B Lou Knight (36-5.2) had 3 hits, a walk, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. CF Dick Fitts (27-7.1) had 3 hits with a double, stole 2 bases and scored 2 runs.

Brooklyn (8) at Chicago (9): Sam White (30-5.2) (3-2) over Henry Rawls (31-4.3) (3-3). All the scoring was done by the 5th inning. White allowed 8 hits, 3 walks and struck out 4. 3B Adonis Warren (35-5.1) had 3 hits with a triple, scored a run and had 3 RBIs. This was his 6th triple of the season. In his 9 previous professional seasons, he had a total of 10 triples. Chicago's new West Side Park, in addition to being a home run haven, seems to be triple paradise, as well. 2B John Sullivan (39-4.0) hit a double and his 6th triple of the year, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs.

[Questdog]

Saturday, May 9, 1885
Washington Nationals (2-5 .286 3 GB tied for 6th place in the Liberty League) at
Detroit Wolverines (4-3 .571 1 GB 4th place)

John Ritch, Wash. (30-7.8) (R 0-1 6.75 12.4-0.0-5.6 H-BB-K/9) vs. Hank Anderson, Det. (31-7.7) (L 1-2 4.32 9.4-1.8-3.6)

Won - 6 to 2

Washington scored twice in the first, but then Anderson shut them out the rest of the way.

Anderson allowed 6 hits, 4 walks and struck out 5. At bat, he had a hit and scored a run. Anderson led the league in fewest walks per 9 innings last year, but is walking people this season. He walked 4 today and our whole team of batters has only taken 3 walks on the entire season. Something is not right there....

We had 10 hits and made 1 error. Washington made 5.

CF Fred Bianco (26-6.9) hit a double and scored a run. RF Joe Kraus (28-7.9), moved from #4 up to #2, had 3 hits, stole 2 bases, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs. LF Ben Smith (25-6.7) had 2 hits with his 2nd home run, drew a walk (more rare than home runs on our team) and had 2 RBIs. 1B George House (26-4.3) hit a double.

Liberty League:
Troy (13) at New York (5): Miah Turner (24-5.3) (2-1) over John Allen (26-6.4) (1-2). Turner allowed 9 hits, 5 walks and struck out 3. At bat, he had 3 hits and an RBI. RF Ed Wakefield (25-5.8) had 3 hits with a triple, scored a run and had 4 RBIs, but pulled a thigh muscle and will have to rest for a month or so. 3B Sam Cowan (29-5.1) had 5 hits with a double and a triple, scored 4 runs and had 2 RBIs.

Boston (4) at Rochester (3): Freddy Wood (29-6.3) (2-0) over Bill McClean (39-6.0) (1-4). Wood allowed 7 hits, 2 walks and struck out 3. McClean allowed 6 hits, walked 4 and struck out 7. Rochester led 3 to 1 going in to the 9th inning, but SS John Ingling (25-4.6) hit a bases-loaded, 2-out double to score 3 runs and put the Red Caps in the lead. It was his second hit of the day. LF Charlie Warner (31-9.2) had 2 hits with a home run, a walk and scored twice.

Cleveland (9) at Cincinnati (14): Tom Blomberg (27-4.7) (1-0) in his major league debut over Tom Marshman (34-4.7) (1-2). Blomberg allowed 11 hits, 5 walks and struck out 5. At bat, he had 2 hits, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. SS Mike Green (36-6.2) had 4 hits, a walk, scored 3 runs and had 3 RBIs. For the Spiders, 1B Clipper Wilson (29-4.4) had 4 hits and scored 2 runs.

Grand National Association:
Milwaukee (1) at Pittsburgh (7): Tom Adams (30-6.0) (4-2) over Tom Washam (32-6.1) (5-2). Adams allowed 7 hits, 1 walk and struck out 1. Washam allowed 8 hits, 8 walks and struck out 6. SS Jim Ware (31-5.6) had a hit, 2 walks, stole a base, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. For the Brewers, SS Lou Bohus (25-5.4) had 3 hits, stole a base and scored a run.

Omaha (14) at Providence (3): Sid Duncan (31-6.8) (2-4) over Sam Paul (30-5.4) (1-5). Duncan allowed 10 hits, no walks and struck out 1. At bat, he had a hit and scored a run. 3B Doc Gerig (25-5.0) had 2 hits with a double, stole a base and scored 4 runs. LF Dave Cunningham (29-5.4) had 3 hits with a double and a triple, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBIs.

Baltimore (11) at Kansas City (7): Tom Wilmarth (25-5.4) (3-2) over Frank Parsons (31-5.8) (4-6). Wilmarth allowed 13 hits, 1 walk and struck out 2. At bat, he had a hit and 3 RBIs. 2B Billy Moore (29-7.0) had 4 hits with his 2nd home run of the year, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBIs. CF Dick Fitts (27-7.1) had 3 hits, scored 3 runs and had an RBI.

Brooklyn (8) at Chicago (7): Nate Kendall (36-5.4) (4-0) over Fred Barrow (33-4.7) (0-2). Kendall allowed 12 hits, 2 walks and struck out none. At bat, he had 2 hits, scored 2 runs and had an RBI. RF Harry Mihlbauer (26-5.7) had 3 hits with a triple, stole a base, scored 2 runs and had an RBI. For the Colts, SS John Powers (32-6.2) hit 2 triples, scored a run and had an RBI.

[Questdog]

Sunday, May 10, 1885

Grand National Association:
Omaha (3) at Providence (4): Frank McSherry (29-4.1) (6-3) over Sid Duncan (31-6.8) (2-5). McSherry allowed 8 hits, 2 walks and struck out 4. Duncan allowed 5 hits, 3 walks and struck out no one. Omaha made 6 errors. 2B Pat Millis (24-7.2) had 2 hits, stole a base and scored a run. For the Mutuals, 2B Felix Hill (26-4.2) had 3 hits with 2 doubles and scored a run.

Baltimore (7) at Kansas City (6): Pop Yurkovich (33-5.6) (4-5) over Hosea Alexander (36-4.8) (0-2). Yurkovich allowed 8 hits, 3 walks and struck out 3. At bat, he had a hit and scored a run. LF Bill Fogle (26-5.3) had 4 hits with a double and a 2-out, 2-run home run in the top of the 9th to give the O's the lead. He scored 3 runs and had 4 RBIs.

Brooklyn (4) at Chicago (7): Pete Rinehart (26-6.2) (4-5) over Dick Cole (31-5.9) (5-3). Rinehart allowed 10 hits, 1 walk and struck out 5. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI. LF Candy Simpson (26-6.8) had 4 hits and scored 2 runs.

[Questdog]

Monday, May 11, 1885
Detroit Wolverines (5-3 .625 1 GB tied for 3rd place in the Liberty League) at
Rochester Jingoes (2-6 .250 4 GB tied for 6th place)

We begin our first road trip of the season, which will take us through to Decoration Day and the end of the month. We start with 2 games in Rochester against manager/1B Pete Hinde (29-7.9) and his Jingoes. They are having a tough time scoring runs and are currently last in the league with 2.5 runs per game (Detroit is tied for 5th with 4.8). They are tied for 5th in runs allowed with 5.1 per game (Detroit is 4th with 4.5). Their Culver Field is, as you might have guessed, a tough place to hit. It is probably the toughest place in the Liberty League to score any runs.

For some reason, we are scheduled to play 2 games in Rochester and then go to New York City for 2 games and then back here for 2 games and then back to New York City for 2 more. I will treat them as 2 4 game series and not report the second trip here as the start of a new series.

We are facing a fella I cut from our team today. I am sure he is fired up to get us out.

William McLeod, Det. (25-5.6) (R 3-1 2.73 7.9-3.5-4.4 H-BB-K/9) vs. William Rose, Roch. (34-4.9) (R 1-1 4.00 10.0-2.5-4.0)

Lost - 2 to 1 in 12 innings

With 1 out in the bottom of the 12th, LF John Rodgers (33-44.4) tripled. He scored on an error by C Evan Eckberg (29-3.5), who is having a tough start to the season defensively. That was his 5th error in 7 games and he has thrown out the fewest base runners of any catcher in the league (23.1%). Last season, he was within 1 percentage point of leading the league (37.2). McLeod is pretty good at holding runners and Anderson is outstanding, so you cannot blame the pitchers.

McLeod allowed 7 hits, 4 walks and struck out 7.

Rose held us to 6 hits, 3 walks and struck out 4. We doubled our season walk total in one game! However, we ran ourselves out of a lot of scoring opportunities: we stole 1 base and were thrown out 5 times plus Rose picked one off at first. In his 3 seasons as the starter in Philadelphia, C Willie Ticknor (28-3.1) was never among the GNA leaders in throwing out base stealers.

Each team made 4 errors.

CF Fred Bianco (26-6.9) set the tone of the game when he led off with a double and then promptly got thrown out trying to steal third.

Liberty League:
Cleveland (3) at New York (12): Count Childs (29-3.1) (2-3) over Willis Kornfield (32-6.0) (4-2). Childs allowed 7 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3. At bat, he had a hit and scored a run. RF Ed Glass (25-4.5) had 3 hits with a triple, a walk, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs. 1B John Hilliard (25-7.2) hit a 3-run blast, his 3rd home run of the season. 3B Tacks Strange (31-5.4) had 2 hits, scored 3 runs and had 2 RBIs.

Cincinnati (0) at Troy (6): Harry Lamb (30-6.4) (4-1) over John Stevens (28-8.2) (2-3). Lamb allowed 7 hits, no walks and struck out 2. This was his 2nd shutout of the young season. Stevens allowed 9 hits, no walks and struck out 4. 3B Sam Cowan (29-5.1) had 3 hits, scored a run and had 2 RBIs.

Washington (1) at Boston (2): Charlie Morlock (35-6.7) (3-2) over Lou Townley (23-3.4) (2-3). Morlock allowed 7 hits, 3 walks and struck out 3. At bat, he drew a walk and scored a run. Townley allowed 4 hits, 4 walks and struck out 3. LF Charlie Warner (31-9.2) had 2 hits, stole a base and had an RBI.

Grand National Association:
Milwaukee (6) at Pittsburgh (11): Tom Lilly (25-6.4) (7-3) over Dan Burton (29-4.9) (5-6). C Wilson Wendling (24-4.1) had 3 hits, scored 3 runs and had 2 RBIs and threw out the only player to attempt a steal. For the Brewers, 3B Andy Byl (31-4.0) had 4 hits and scored a run. Milwaukee made 9 errors.


Down in the Connecticut State League, the Norwich Witches whooped up on the New Britain Perfectos, 21 to 0. The pitcher they were so rude to was previously undefeated. C Jack Draper (26-6.8) had 5 hits with a double, scored 2 runs and had 8 RBIs. Every player on the Witches had a hit, a run and an RBI except major league veteran RF Joe William (34-5.4), who went hitless, though he leads the team in batting average (.361). Tom Graves (20-6.2) pitched the shutout, allowing 7 hits, no walks and striking out 7.

[Questdog]

Tuesday, May 12, 1885
Detroit Wolverines (5-4 .556 2 GB tied for 3rd place in the Liberty League) at
Rochester Jingoes (3-6 .333 4 GB tied for 6th place)

Hank Anderson, Det. (31-7.7) (L 2-2 3.71 8.5-2.4-4.0 H-BB-K/9) vs. Bill McClean, Roch. (39-6.0) (R 1-4 3.14 7.5-3.6-4.0)

Won - 3 to 1

Anderson allowed 2 hits, 0 walks and struck out 3. At bat, he hit a double and then inexplicably tried to steal third. He was thrown out easily.

McClean held us to 9 hits, no walks and struck out 2.

We made 1 error and the Jingoes made 6.

1B George House (26-4.3) had 3 hits with a double and an RBI.

There 585 people in the seats.

Liberty League:
Cleveland (7) at New York (8) in 11 innings: John Allen (26-6.4) (2-2) over Tom Marshman (34-4.7) (1-3). In 11 innings, Allen allowed 10 hits, 6 walks and struck out 10. A 2-out double by 2B Charlie Smith (27-5.6) ended the game. He also walked twice and scored a run. 3B Tacks Strange (31-5.4) had 4 hits with a double, stole a base, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBIs. For Cleveland, C Deacon Dubin (28-8.8) had 3 hits, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBIs. CF Sam Selke (32-7.4) somehow cracked his skull on a diving catch attempt and they are hoping he will live. They are certain that he will never play again.

Cincinnati (3) at Troy (4): Miah Turner (24-5.3) (3-1) over Lou Ellard (27-6.3) (1-2). Turner allowed 6 hits, no walks and struck out 6. Ellard allowed 9 hits, 3 walks and struck out 2. 3B Sam Cowan (29-5.1) had 3 hits, including a 1-out single int he bottom of the 9th to win the game. He had 2 RBIs on the day. Troy is now in first place all alone and has won 7 in a row.

Washington (8) at Boston (4): John Ritch (30-7.8) (1-2) over Joe Peters (29-4.9) (2-1). Ritch allowed 7 hits, 4 walks and struck out 4. Peters allowed 7 hits, 3 walks and struck out 7. Each team made 5 errors. C Caleb Sawyer (26-8.9) had 2 hits with a double, a walk, scored a run and had 2 RBIs.

Grand National Association:
Brooklyn (3) at Pittsburgh (5): Tom Adams (30-6.0) (5-2) over Henry Rawls (31-4.3) (3-4). Adams allowed 7 hits, 1 walk and struck out 2. Rawls allowed 8 hits, 3 walks and struck out 4. 2B Jack Green (32-5.5) had 3 hits, stole a base and scored 2 runs. SS Jim Ware (31-5.6) had 2 hits with a double, a walk, stole a base, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs. These 2 teams were tied for first before this game.

Baltimore (2) at Providence (5): Sam Paul (30-5.4) (2-5) over Tom Wilmarth (25-5.4) (3-3). Paul allowed 12 hits, 2 walks and struck out 2. Wilmarth allowed 9 hits, no walks and struck out 1. SS Bill Loschiavo (27-5.8) had 2 hits, stole a base, scored a run and had an RBI.

Omaha (14) at Kansas City (5): Royal Parmelee (24-6.5) (2-4) over Frank Parsons (31-5.8) (4-7). Parmelee allowed 8 hits, 3 walks and struck out 2. At bat, he had 2 hits, scored a run and had an RBI. C John Powell (26-5.2) had 2 hits with a triple, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBIs. RF Hank Roberts (26-3.0) had 2 hits, stole a base, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBIs. SS Warren Hogan (30-7.2) had 3 hits, scored 2 runs and had an RBI.

Milwaukee (13) at Chicago (12): Tom Washam (32-6.1) (6-2) over Sam White (30-5.2) (3-3). Washam walked 8 for the 2nd straight game. Wiley Steel (23-5.6) pitched a perfect 9th, striking out a batter to preserve the win. LF Pete Green (36-9.3) had 2 hits with a double, 2 walks and scored 2 runs. CF Deke Baker (34-3.9), n his first game of the season, had 3 hits, scored a run and had 5 RBIs. For the Colts, 3B Adonis Warren (36-5.1) hit 2 doubles and a triple, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs. RF Candy Simpson (26-6.8) walked 3 times and hit his major league leading 4th home run of the year. He scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, May 13, 1885
Detroit Wolverines (6-4 .600 2 GB in 3rd place in the Liberty League) at
New York Gothams (4-6 .400 4 GB tied for 5th place)

We begin a 2 game set against manager Ed Lanham (50-5.3) and his Gothams today. They are 2nd in the league in runs scored with 6.2 per game (Detroit is now 6th with 4.2). They are last by a mile in runs allowed with 8.8 per game (Detroit is now tied for 2nd with 3.9). The Polo Grounds is not the easiest place to hit home runs, but it gives up base hits a lot more often than anywhere else in the league.

Shearin gets the start today, just because McLeod and Anderson are both still feeling the effects of their last outings.

Tommy Shearin, Det. (27-5.7) (R 0-0 0.00 5.4-3.6-3.6 H-BB-K/9) vs. Count Childs, N.Y. (29-3.1) (R 2-3 4.85 10.8-2.5-4.6)

Lost - 12 to 7

They pummeled Shearin for 4 innings and then he shut them out after that, but maybe they were just too tired from running around the bases so much.

Shearin allowed 16 hits, 1 walk and struck out no one.

We had 10 hits and made 5 errors, 3 of them by C Evan Eckberg (29-3.5), whom I am quickly tiring of. New York made 6 errors.

LF Joe Kraus (28-7.9) had 2 hits and scored a run. 1B Harley Becker (31-6.8) hit 3 doubles, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBIs.

For the Gothams, P Count Childs had 2 hits, scored a run and had 3 RBIs. RF Ed Glass (25-4.5) had 4 hits with 2 triples, stole a base, scored 2 runs and had 4 RBIs.

Liberty League:
Cleveland (8) at Rochester (3): Willis Kornfield (32-6.0) (5-2) over William Rose (34-4.9) (2-2). Kornfield allowed 6 hits, 1 walk and struck out 2. C Deacon Dubin (28-8.8) had 2 hits with a double and scored a run. RF John Bradbury (24-7.6) had 2 hits with a home run, stole a base and had 2 RBIs.

Washington (7) at Troy (5): Lou Townley (23-3.4) (3-3) over Sal DeVaux (30-3.5) (1-1). Townley allowed 10 hits, no walks and struck out 4. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI. DeVaux allowed 9 hits, 1 walks and struck out 4. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI. Washington scored 5 times in the top of the 9th to go ahead. RF Ted Steeves (23-4.2) had 2 hits with a 9th inning home run, his 2nd of the season, and had 2 RBIs. LF Kid Orr (26-5.6) also hit a 2-run 9th inning home run.

Cincinnati (7) at Boston (9): Joe Peters (29-4.9) (3-1) over John Stevens (28-8.2) (2-4). Peters allowed 10 hits, 5 walks and struck out 7. RF Dan Abrams (26-5.1) had 2 hits with a double, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBIs. C Kip Kraft (35-6.1) had 3 hits and 2 RBIs and threw out the only runner that attempted to steal a base.

Grand National Association:
Brooklyn (1) at Pittsburgh (2): Tom Adams (30-6.0) (6-2) over Dick Cole (31-5.9) (5-4). Adams allowed 1 hit (a lead-ff single in the 4th), 1 walk and struck out 3. Cole allowed 4 hits, 2 walks and struck out 2. SS Jim Ware (31-5.6) had 2 hits with a triple, scored a run and had an RBI.

Baltimore (6) at Providence (3): Sammy O'Quinn (23-5.9) (2-0) in relief of Pop Yurkovich (33-5.6) over Frank McSherry (29-4.1) (6-4). Yurkovich had to leave with a bruised thigh when McSherry beaned him in the 3rd inning. They say he should be fine in a week, if he doesn't pitch and lets it heal. But Yurky probably won't follow their advice. O'Quinn went 7 innings, allowed 4 hits, 1 walk and struck out 1. McSherry allowed only 4 hits, but walked 5 and struck out 4. Providence made 6 errors.

Omaha (9) at Kansas City (11) in 10 innings: Al McClaughry (21-5.6) (1-0) in relief of Hosea Alexander (36-4.8) over Sid Duncan (31-6.8) (2-6). McClaughry went 2 innings and only allowed 1 hit. RF Tommy Dyer (27-3.8) won the game with a 2-run home run. He had 2 hits and a walk. Manager/CF Connie Frenette (30-4.7) had 4 hits with a double and an RBI. For Omaha, 1B Cherokee Finley (32-4.9) had 4 hits with a double, stole 2 bases and scored 2 runs. SS Warren Hogan (30-7.2) had 4 hits with a double, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs.

Milwaukee (8) at Chicago (2): Dan Burton (29-4.9) (6-6) over Pete Rinehart (26-6.2) (4-6). Burton allowed 7 hits, 1 walk and struck out 2. Rinehart allowed 8 hits, 1 walk and struck out 7. The Colts made 7 errors. 2B Frank Reardon (30-5.7) had 2 hits with a home run, scored twice and had 2 RBIs.

[Questdog]

Thursday, May 14, 1885
Detroit Wolverines (6-5 .545 2 GB tied for 3rd place in the Liberty League) at
New York Gothams (5-6 .455 3 GB 5th place)

Today is McLeod's birthday. Let's give him a win for a present.

Stone is off to a slow start, but he was 49-19 the past 2 years in A Ball.

William McLeod, Det. (26-5.6) (R 3-2 2.03 7.3-3.5-4.7 H-BB-K/9) vs. Al Stone, N.Y. (25-3.1) (R 0-1 8.44 14.1-2.8-3.9)

Won - 4 to 1

McLeod allowed 6 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3. All 3 strikeouts came in the 7th inning.

We had 9 hits and made 3 errors, 2 of them in the 9th inning. New York made 2 errors.

2B Jack Warren (32-7.2) had 2 hits with a double, stole 2 bases and scored 2 runs. LF Ben Smith (25-6.7) had 3 hits, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. C Evan Eckberg (29-3.5) had 2 hits and an RBI. 3B Sam Boullion (25-4.8) had 2 hits.

Liberty League:
Cleveland (6) at Rochester (2): Bill Henrichs (25-7.4) (1-0) over Bill Henson (28-6.5) (0-2). Henrichs allowed 4 hits, 3 walks and struck out 3. Henson allowed 8 hits, walked 3 and struck out 2. CF Farmer McCarron (26-9.2) had 2 hits with a triple, scored a run and had an RBI.

Washington (7) at Troy (8): Harry Lamb (30-6.4) (5-1) over Lou Townley (23-3.4) (3-4). Lamb allowed 8 hits, 3 walks and struck out 6. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI. Troy scored twice in the bottom of the 9th to win. RF John Hagadorn (35-6.3) singled to end the game. Rookie LF Pat Womack (24-6.3) had 4 hits, stole 2 bases, scored 3 runs and had an RBI. 3B Sam Cowan (29-5.1) had 4 hits, scored a run and had 3 RBIs. For the Nationals, LF Kid Orr (26-5.6) had 4 hits with his 2nd home run of the year, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBIs.

Cincinnati (2) at Boston (13): Charlie Morlock (35-6.7) (4-2) over Lou Ellard (27-6.3) (1-3). Morlock allowed 6 hits, no walks and struck out 7. C Hub West (31-6.7) had 2 hits with a double, a walk, scored 3 runs and had 4 RBIs. 2B Mike Stables (29-7.1) hit 2 triples and his 2nd home run of the year, scored 2 runs and had 4 RBIs.

Grand National Association:
Brooklyn (2) at Pittsburgh (10): Tom Lilly (25-6.4) (8-3) over Henry Rawls (31-4.3) (3-5). Lilly allowed 8 hits, 2 walks and struck out 7. At bat, he had a hit and scored a run. CF Al Steel (25-7.0) had 3 hits, scored a run and had an RBI.

Baltimore (2) at Providence (4): Egyptian Hooker (37-3.9) (2-0) over Tom Wilmarth (25-5.4) (3-4). Hooker allowed 8 hits, 1 walk and struck out none. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI. Wilmarth allowed 9 hits, no walks and struck out 3. LF Bill Sears (36-4.0) had 2 hits, scored a run and had an RBI.

Omaha (15) at Kansas City (8): Royal Parmelee (24-6.5) (3-4) over Frank Parsons (31-5.8) (4-8). 3B Doc Gerig (25-5.0) had 2 hits, a walk, scored 3 runs and had 3 RBIs. RF Hank Roberts (26-3.0) had 4 hits with a double and 5 RBIs. 2B Felix Hill (26-4.2) had 2 hits, a walk, stole 2 bases, scored 4 runs and had an RBI.

Milwaukee (8) at Chicago (5) in 10 innings: Dan Burton (29-4.9) (7-6) over Sam White (30-5.2) (3-4). In 10 innings, Burton allowed 10 hits, 4 walks and struck out 9. At bat, he had 4 hits, but no runs or RBIs. SS Lou Bohus (25-5.4) had 4 hits and scored 2 runs. 3B Andy Byl (31-4.0) had 4 hits with 3 doubles, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBIs. For the Colts, CF George Wayman (28-5.9) had 3 hits with his 3rd home run of the season, a walk and 2 RBIs, but will miss the next month or so with a high ankle sprain.

[Questdog]

Friday, May 15, 1885
Detroit Wolverines (7-5 .583 2 GB tied for 3rd place in the Liberty League) at
Rochester Jingoes (3-9 .250 6 GB 8th place)

Hank Anderson, Det. (31-7.7) (L 3-2 3.14 7.1-1.9-3.8 H-BB-K/9) vs. Bill McClean, Roch. (39-6.0) (R 1-5 2.77 7.8-2.9-3.6)

Won - 7 to 5

Anderson allowed 7 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3. He had a big 2-out 2-run single at bat.

We had 8 hits and made 1 error. New York made 10 errors, 4 of them by 3B John Meredith.

LF Ben Smith (25-6.7) had 3 hits with a double and a triple, stole a base, scored 3 runs and had an RBI. 1B George House (26-4.3) had a hit and 2 RBIs. CF Fred Bianco (26-6.9) failed to get a hit in a game for the first time this season. He did walk twice, however, stole 2 bases and scored a run.

Liberty League:
Cleveland (5) at New York (4): Tom Marshman (34-4.7) (2-3) over Count Childs (29-3.1) (3-4). There were 25 hits in this game. Cleveland turned 4 double plays. 3B Charlie Taylor (29-5.2) had 4 hits with a double and 2 RBIs. Rookie 2B John Dahlhauser (25-5.0) had 2 hits, stole 2 bases, scored 2 runs and had an RBI. For New York, 3B Tacks Strange (31-5.4) had 3 hits with a triple, a walk, scored 2 runs and had an RBI.

Cincinnati (3) at Troy (10): Miah Turner (24-5.3) (4-1) over Tom Blomberg (27-4.7) (1-1). Turner allowed 8 hits, 1 walk and struck out 10. At bat, he had a hit and 2 RBIs. 3B Sam Cowan (29-5.1) had 2 hits, a walk and scored 2 runs. SS Bill Lawson (28-6.9) had 2 hits and scored 3 runs. For Cincinnati, 3B Frank Young (34-7.6) had 2 hits with a home run and scored twice.

Washington (2) at Boston (5): Freddy Wood (29-6.3) (3-0) over John Ritch (30-7.8) (1-3). Wood allowed 1 hit ( a 2-out single in the 2nd), 5 walks and struck out 8. In 3 starts so far this season, Wood has yet to allow an earned run. He has allowed 6 of the unearned variety. Ritch allowed 7 hits, no walks and struck out 4. LF Charlie Warner (31-9.2) hit a double and a triple, scored a run and had an RBI.