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

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1863 NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION REVIEW

1863 NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION SEASON SUMMARY

The 1863 National Base Ball Organization season was one of change, with five of the six regional champions finishing in first place for the first time. In the process, what appeared to be the tightest season yet at the halfway point became one in which the up-and-comers pulled away from the rest of the competition.

The same was true in the race for the Batting Championship. At the season’s midway point there were seven players batting over .400, but by the end of the final day of competition there was but only one: Nik Madsen of Nassau County.

1863 was the year in which Jim Creighton became the dominant powerhouse everyone thought he would be, leading the entire N.B.B.O. in Wins, E.R.A, & Strikeouts to earn the first “Triple Crown”, while setting records in numerous categories.

Speaking of records, Jim Creighton was not the only player to make history in 1863. Flour City’s James Hoyt set records for Hits & Total Bases, teammate William McQuaid became the first player with a Hitting Streak longer than forty games, Cantabrigians’ Maurice Thyne established a new record for Doubles, Mass. Bay’s Raleigh Altstadt broke the record for Triples, Sportsman’s Doc Matheson set a new Home Run mark, and Shamrock pitcher Walter Stegall had the most Wins in a season without a loss.

There were two fifty-win teams on the season: new Coastal champions Port Jersey and venerable St. John’s (both 50-20), with the two teams experiencing opposing fates in the postseason. Lake Erie & Oceanic brought up the rear at 22-48.

When it came time to play for the Tucker-Wheaton Cup the new guard was completely unable to take down St. John’s, with Providence’s finest going 9-1 and taking the cup home for the third time.

It was a much-needed year of change for the National Base Ball Organization, even if the grand old men of St. John’s won out in the end. More of the same will be hoped for in 1864.

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NEW YORK LEAGUE STANDINGS

BROOKLYN		 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA	 RD
Excelsior		48	22	.686	--	459	366	+93
Kings Co.		41	29	.586	7	521	463	+58
Atlantic		39	31	.557	9	539	500	+39
Continental		36	34	.514	12	482	487	-5
Empire			32	38	.457	16	387	434	-47
Bedford*		29	41	.414	19	438	467	-29
Eckford*		29	41	.414	19	427	490	-63
Nassau Co.		26	44	.371	22	457	503	-46
 
N. Y. C.		 W	 L	PCT		GB	 R	 RA	 RD
Harlem			46	24	.657	--	534	455	+79
Orange*			42	28	.600	4	557	469	+88
Gotham*		        42	28	.600	4	528	467	+61
Knickerbocker	        37	33	.529	9	449	438	+11
Mutual			32	38	.457	14	500	513	-13
Union			29	41	.414	17	500	537	-37
Metropolitan	        28	42	.400	18	440	523	-83
Hilltop			24	46	.343	22	387	493	-106

UPSTATE			W	L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA	 RD
Niagara			46	24	.657	--	550	408	+142
Binghamton		39	31	.557	7	496	508	-12
Flour City		38	32	.543	8	608	592	+16
Utica			36	34	.514	10	528	522	+6
Syracuse		35	35	.500	11	529	524	+5
Eagle*			29	41	.414	17	471	523	-52
Victory*		29	41	.414	17	479	516	-37
Minuteman		28	42	.400	18	426	494	-68

Bedford was 7-3 vs Eckford
Orange was 6-4 vs Gotham
Eagle was 10-0 vs Victory

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE STANDINGS

COASTAL			 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA	 RD
Port Jersey		50	20	.714	--	549	416	+133
Shamrock		46	24	.657	4	478	366	+112
Mass. Bay		36	34	.514	14	526	488	+38
American		34	36	.486	16	525	520	+5
Newark*			31	39	.443	19	450	479	-29
Trenton Utd*	        31	39	.443	19	455	515	-60
Quaker St.		27	43	.386	23	413	511	-98
Olympic			25	45	.357	25	409	510	-101
 
INLAND			 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA	 RD
Merrimack M.	        44	26	.629	--	546	444	+102
Sportsman’s		41	29	.586	3	495	418	+77
Reading			40	30	.571	4	510	473	+37
Susquehanna		38	32	.543	6	492	460	+32
Scranton*		34	36	.486	10	430	449	-19
Pioneer*		34	36	.486	10	416	440	-24
Alleghany		27	43	.386	17	425	511	-86
Lake Erie		22	48	.314	22	400	519	-119

N. ENGLAND		 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA	 RD
St. John’s		50	20	.714	--	599	411	+188
Green Mtn.		43	27	.614	7	504	441	+63
S. o. t. O.		40	30	.571	10	528	404	+124
Granite			38	32	.543	12	494	476	+18
Portland		31	39	.443	19	469	557	-88
Quinnipiac		30	40	.429	20	478	553	-75
Cantabrigians	        26	44	.371	24	447	549	-102
Oceanic			22	48	.314	28	447	575	-128

Newark was 6-4 vs. Trenton Utd.
Scranton was 5-5 vs Pioneer, won RD tiebreaker

TUCKER-WHEATON CUP

COASTAL			W	L	GB	 R	RA	 RD
St. John's		9	1	--	77	53	+24
Harlem			6	4	 3	57	46	+11
Merrimack*		5	5	 4	63	65	-2
Excelsior*		5	5	 4	67	71	-4
Niagara			3	7	 6	54	61	-7
Port Jersey		2	8	 7	61	83	-22

Merrimack won both games vs Excelsior

MOST VAULABLE PLAYER: Archie Mask (27 y/o CF, Excelsior)

• .435 AVG (20/46), 1.043 OPS, 6 2B, 1 3B, 11 R, 10 RBI, 5 SB, 1.47 WPA, 0.7 WAR, 4x P.o.t.G.

ST. JOHN’S: 10-6 W vs Port Jersey, 11-6 W vs Excelsior, 6-1 W at M.M, 15-9 L at Port Jersey, 6-5 W at Excelsior, 3-2 W vs Niagara, 7-5 W at Harlem, 11-3 W at Niagara, 5-4 W vs Harlem, 9-6 W vs Merrimack

• Best Player: John McGowan (P) – 5-0, 3.07 ERA, 44.0 IP, 4 CG, 9 BB, 5 K, 1.30 WHIP, 0.7 WAR, 1.7 RA9-WAR

HARLEM: 7-3 W at Merrimack, 8-4 W vs Port Jersey, 7-4 loss at Niagara, 5-3 W vs Merrimack, 7-4 W at Port Jersey, 7-5 L vs St. John’s, 7-6 L vs Excelsior, 5-4 L at St. John’s, 3-1 vs Niagara, 8-5 W at Excelsior

• Best Player: Reno Stegeman (1B) – .415 (17/41), 1.101 OPS, 2 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 10 R, 5 RBI, 0.4 WPA, 0.6 WAR

MERRIMACK: 7-3 L vs Harlem, 7-6 W vs Niagara, 6-1 L vs St. John’s, 5-3 L at Harlem, 9-7 W at Niagara, 13-4 W vs Port Jersey, 8-5 W at Excelsior, 13-6 L at Port Jersey, 7-3 W vs Excelsior, 9-6 L at St. John’s

• Best Player: Lewis Knott (1B) – .463 (19/41), 1.073 OPS, 6 2B, 8 R, 7 RBI, 0.5 WPA, 0.5 WAR

EXCELSIOR: 7-6 W at Niagara, 11-6 L at St. John’s, 12-5 W at Port Jersey, 11-10 W vs Niagara, 6-5 L vs St. John’s, 8-5 L vs Merrimack, 7-6 W at Harlem, 7-3 L at Merrimack, 6-4 W vs Port Jersey, 8-5 L vs Harlem

• Best Player: Archie Mask (CF) – Tucker-Wheaton Cup Most Valuable Player

NIAGARA: 7-6 L vs Excelsior, 7-6 L at Merrimack, 7-4 W vs Harlem, 11-10 L at Excelsior, 9-7 L vs Merrimack, 3-2 L at St. John’s, 3-1 W vs Port Jersey, 11-3 L at St. John’s, 9-5 W at Port Jersey, 3-1 L at Harlem

• Best Player: Barney Fisher (3B) – .487 (19/42), 2 2B, 2 3B, 9 R, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SB, 0.7 WPA, 0.7 WAR

PORT JERSEY: 10-6 L at St. John’s, 8-4 L at Harlem, 12-5 L vs Excelsior, 15-9 W vs St. John’s, 7-4 L vs Harlem, 13-4 L at Merrimack, 3-1 L at Niagara, 13-6 W vs Merrimack, 9-5 L vs Niagara, 6-4 L at Excelsior

• Best Player: Edward Donovan (LF) – .458 (22/48), 2 2B, 2 3B, 11 R, 7 RBI, 11 SB, 0.4 WPA, 0.7 WAR

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NEW YORK LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: James Hoyt – 28 y/o RF, Flour City B.B.C.

• .395/.425/.554, .979 OPS, 91 R, 131 H, 22 2B, 14 3B, 1 HR, 61 RBI, 19 SB, 184 TB, 6.0 WPA, 3.3 WAR
• Set N.B.B.O. records for Hits & Total Bases; led N.B.B.O. in Runs & WPA
• Taliesin Buckley (CF, GOT) 2nd – .399/.429/.548, 85 R, 121 H, 23 2B, 11 3B, 59 RBI, 29 SB, 4.1 WPA, 3.2 WAR
• Nik Madsen (LF, N.C.) 3rd – .407/.424/.514, 61 R, 129 H, 19 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 47 RBI, 3 SB, 2.6 WPA, 2.7 WAR

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Jim Creighton - 22 y/o P, Excelsior B.B.C.

• 26-4, 2.29 ERA, 302.0 IP, 27 CG, 2 SHO, 28 BB, 69 K, 1.02 WHIP, 2.5 K/BB, 7.0 WAR, 12.4 RA9-WAR
• Set N.B.B.O. records for HA/9, WHIP, O-AVG, O-OBP, O-OPS, WAR, & RA9-WAR
• James Hoyt (RF, F.C.) 2nd – .395/.425/.554, 91 R, 131 H, 37 XBH, 1 HR, 61 RBI, 184 TB, 6.0 WPA, 3.3 WAR
• Edward Huntley (SS, ORA) 3rd – .360/.403/.479, 76 R, 114 H, 29 XBH, 68 RBI, 35 SB, +15.2 ZR, 3.3 WPA, 4.1 WAR

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Jackson Butler - 25 y/o SS, Harlem B.B.C.

• .349/.375/.442, .817 OPS, 43 R, 94 H, 12 2B, 5 3B, 1 HR, 58 RBI, 13 SB, +13.7 ZR, 2.0 WPA, 2.4 WAR
• Starting SS for N.Y.C. champions; led N.Y.L. newcomers in WAR
• Burkhard Winter (LF, MET) 2nd – .349/.375/.444, 55 R, 106 H, 22 XBH, 67 RBI, 18 SB, 3.2 WPA, 1.4 WAR
• Luc Billon (LF, GOT) 3rd – .327/.380/.436, 73 R, 99 H, 28 XBH, 52 RBI, 12 SB, 2.6 WPA, 2.2 WAR

GOLDEN GLOVES

P: Rainer van der Hout (ORA, 1st) – 65 TC, 2 DP, 5 E, 2.1 RNG, +4.6 ZR, 1.06 EFF
C: Martin Elson (UTI, 3rd) – 117 PB, 32.7 CS%, 4.63 C-ERA, +13.3 ZR, 1.47 EFF
1B: Frank Krillenberger (EMP, 2nd) – 761 TC, 75 AST, 34 DP, 10 E, +5.9 ZR, 1.07 EFF
2B: Benjamin Lovette (EXC, 1st) – 409 TC, 166 PO, 206 AST, 35 DP, 37 E, 6.0 RNG, +14.3 ZR, 1.16 EFF
3B: Fred Whaley (ECK, 5th) – 268 TC, 39 PO, 212 AST, 4 DP, 17 E, 3.6 RNG, +14.8 ZR, 1.15 EFF
SS: Edward Huntley (ORA, 6th) – 445 TC, 138 PO, 271 AST, 39 DP, 46 E, 5.9 RNG, +15.2 ZR, 1.12 EFF
OF: Peter Sweet (ECK, 1st) – 219 TC, 197 PO, 9 AST, 0 DP, 13 E, 2.9 RNG, +5.1 ZR, 1.07 EFF
CF: Alistair Jones (MUT, 1st) – 337 TC, 277 PO, 14 AST, 1 DP, 46 E, 4.3 RNG, +5.3 ZR, 1.05 EFF
OF: William Sylvester (HILL, 1st) – 236 TC, 200 PO, 8 AST, 0 DP, 28 E, 3.0 RNG, +11.9 ZR, 1.11 EFFF

TEAM OF THE YEAR

P: Jim Creighton (EXC, 1st) - 26-4, 2.29 ERA, 302.0 IP, 27 CG, 2 SHO, 28 BB, 69 K, 1.02 WHIP, 2.5 K/BB, 7.0 WAR, 12.4 RA9-WAR
C: Martin Elson (UTI, 1st) - .373/.388/.409, 41 R, 103 H, 10 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 54 RBI, 10 BB, 3 SB, 2.5 WPA, 2.5 WAR
1B: Henry Fowler (F.C, 1st) - .394/.428/.563, .991 OPS, 60 R, 91 H, 26 2B, 5 3B, 1 HR, 54 RBI, 15 BB, 6 SB, 3.3 WPA, 2.3 WAR
2B: Hamish Barclay (GOT, 1st) - .367/.401/.521, 73 R, 112 H, 25 2B, 11 3B, 0 HR, 63 RBI, 19 BB, 20 SB, 4.4 WPA, 2.9 WAR
3B: Harrison LaCasse (BED, 1st) - .310/.349/.447, 51 R, 88 H, 18 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 46 RBI, 14 BB, 2 SB, 1.6 WPA, 2.0 WAR
SS: Edward Huntley (ORA, 4rd) - .360/.403/.479, 76 R, 114 H, 21 2B, 7 3B, 1 HR, 68 RBI, 22 BB, 35 SB, +15.2 ZR, 3.3 WPA, 4.1 WAR
OF: Nik Madsen (N.C, 1st) - .407/.424/.514, 61 R, 129 H, 19 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 47 RBI, 8 BB, 3 SB, 2.6 WPA, 2.7 WAR
CF: Taliesin Buckley (GOT, 2nd) - .399/.429/.548, 85 R, 121 H, 23 2B, 11 3B, 0 HR, 59 RBI, 15 BB, 29 SB, 4.1 WPA, 3.2 WAR
OF: James Hoyt (F.C, 1st) - .395/.425/.554, .979 OPS, 91 R, 131 H, 22 2B, 14 3B, 1 HR, 61 RBI, 19 SB, 184 TB, 6.0 WPA, 3.3 WAR
MGR: John Lee (HAR) - 41-29 – Won N.Y.C. for 1st time after being projected to finish 4th; finished 2nd in Tucker-Wheaton Cup

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Konrad Jensen - 24 y/o RF, St. John's B.C.

• .379/.450/.525, .975 OPS, 88 R, 114 H, 16 2B, 5 3B, 6 HR, 68 RBI, 37 BB, 48 SB, 3.9 WPA, 3.7 WAR
• Hit .416 w/ 46 R, 34 RBI, 29 SB over second half of season; hit .390 w/ 11 R, 6 RBI, 8 SB in Tucker-Wheaton Cup
• Samuel Kessler (3B, S.o.t.O) 2nd – .378/.450/.514, 72 R, 112 H, 30 XBH, 72 RBI, 18 SB, 4.7 WPA, 3.5 WAR
• Alexander Hedrick (RF, M.M.) 3rd – .392/.423/.550, 71 R, 114 H, 33 XBH, 64 RBI, 15 SB, 4.9 WPA, 2.8 WAR

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Anthony Mascherino – 24 y/o SS, Green Mountain B.C. (2nd M.V.P.)

• .365/.413/.462, 74 R, 109 H, 18 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR, 56 RBI, 29 SB, +33.3 ZR, 3.9 WPA, 5.4 WAR
• Led N.E.L. in Batter WAR for 6th time; won 7th consecutive Golden Glove at SS
• Walter Williams (CF, SHA) 2nd – .300/.339/.414, 85 R, 92 H, 30 XBH, 27 RBI, 60 SB, 5.0 WPA, 2.5 WAR
• Willie Davis (CF, SUS) 3rd – .348/.374/.494, 67 R, 112 H, 34 XBH, 61 RBI, 53 SB, 4.4 WPA, 3.2 WAR

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Edward Donovan – 25 y/o LF, Port Jersey B.B.C.

• .384/.405/.492, .897 OPS, 84 R, 124 H, 16 2B, 8 3B, 1 HR, 61 RBI, 37 SB, 3.9 WPA, 3.3 WAR
• Led N.E.L. newcomers in AVG, R, H, RBI, SB, TB, WPA, & WAR
• Julius Bailey (LF, SPO) 2nd – .379/.420/.537, 62 R, 108 H, 30 XBH, 60 RBI, 16 SB, 3.3 WPA, 2.8 WAR
• Franklin Petty (CF, L.E.) 3rd – .368/.392/.511, 54 R, 98 H, 26 XBH, 44 RBI, 16 SB, 1.6 WPA, 1.9 WAR

GOLDEN GLOVES

P: Ben Bailey (G.M, 2nd) – 80 TC, 3 DP, 5 E, 2.2 RNG, +5.7 ZR, 1.08 EFF
C: Jimmy Reardon (AME, 4th) – 94 PB, 34.5 CS%, 4.43 C-ERA, +16.9 ZR, 1.08 EFF
1B: Enda Reed (SHA, 1st) – 694 TC, 50 AST, 33 DP, 11 E, +7.2 ZR, 1.11 EFF
2B: James Near (Q.C, 1st) – 415 TC, 148 PO, 237 AST, 30 DP, 30 E, 5.9 RNG, +18.0 ZR, 1.16 EFF
3B: Jasper Chamberlain (M.B, 1st) – 259 TC, 54 PO, 171 AST, 8 DP, 34 E, 3.4 RNG, +7.2 ZR, 1.06 EFF
SS: Anthony Mascherino (G.M, 7th) – 422 TC, 115 PO, 277 AST, 32 DP, 27 E, 5.7 RNG, +33.3 ZR, 1.29 EFF
OF: Andrew Bidwell (SUS, 1st) – 195 TC, 177 PO, 4 AST, 0 DP, 14 E, 2.6 RNG, +8.3 ZR, 1.06 EFF
CF: Walter William (SHA, 1st) – 316 TC, 267 PO, 9 AST, 0 DP, 40 E, 4.0 RNG, +5.5 ZR, 1.03 EFF
OF: Leslie Wolf (REA, 3rd) – 245 TC, 210 PO, 5 AST, 0 DP, 30 E, 3.3 RNG, +6.5 ZR, 1.06 EFF

TEAM OF THE YEAR

P: Herman Easley (SUS, 1st) - 24-10, 3.02 ERA, 291.2 IP, 24 CG, 0 SHO, 30 BB, 55 K, 1.21 WHIP, 1.7 K/9, 1.8 K/BB, 6.3 WAR, 6.9 RA9-WAR
C: Joe Feuerstein (PORT, 3rd) - .326/.376/.421, 53 R, 99 H, 25 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 50 RBI, 21 BB, 5 SB, +10.8 ZR, 1.4 WPA, 2.8 WAR
1B: Maurice Thyne (CAN, 1st) - .355/.377/.517, 58 R, 105 H, 34 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 53 RBI, 9 BB, 2 SB, 3.2 WPA, 1.8 WAR
2B: Willard Krone (J.C, 1st) - .336/.364/.427, 73 R, 103 H, 8 2B, 4 3B, 4 HR, 48 RBI, 14 BB, 0 SB, +10.7 ZR, 1.7 WPA, 2.3 WAR
3B: Samuel Kessler (S.o.t.O, 6th) - .378/.450/.514, 72 R, 112 H, 21 2B, 8 3B, 1 HR, 72 RBI, 27 BB, 18 SB, 4.7 WPA, 3.5 WAR
SS: Anthony Mascherino (G.M, 5th) - .365/.413/.462, 74 R, 109 H, 18 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR, 56 RBI, 26 BB, 29 SB, +33.3 ZR, 3.9 WPA, 5.4 WAR
OF: Alexander Hedrick (M.M, 1st) - .392/.423/.550, 71 R, 114 H, 23 2B, 7 3B, 3 HR, 64 RBI, 16 BB, 15 SB, 4.8 WPA, 2.8 WAR
CF: Arthur Waltrip (AME, 2nd) - .389/.425/.489, 82 R, 121 H, 13 2B, 9 3B, 0 HR, 49 RBI, 19 BB, 30 SB, 4.3 WPA, 3.0 WAR
OF: Konrad Jensen (STJ, 4th) - .379/.450/.525, .975 OPS, 88 R, 114 H, 16 2B, 5 3B, 6 HR, 68 RBI, 37 BB, 48 SB, 3.9 WPA, 3.7 WAR
MGR: John Clark (P.J.) - 50-20 – P.J. won Coastal after being projected to finish 6th in Coastal at 35-35; made T.W.C. for 1st time

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MISCELLANEOUS

RECORDS

• Jim Creighton (Excelsior) set new records for...

• WHIP (1.02), OPP AVG (.239), OPP OBP (.262), OPP OPS (.566), WAR (7.0), & RA9-WAR (12.4) in a season.

• James Hoyt (Flour City) set new records for Hits (131) & Total Bases (184) in a season.
• Maurice Thyne (Cantabrigians) set a new record for Doubles in a season with 34.
• Raleigh Altstadt (Mass. Bay) set a new record for Triples in a season with 16.
• Doc Matheson (Sportsman’s) set a new record for Home Runs in a season with 8.
• Walter Stegall (Shamrock) set a new record for Wins in a season without a loss with 16 (16-0, 2.87 ERA, 160 IP).
• William McQuaid (Flour City) established the new Longest Hitting streak at 41 games (ended June 28th)

ACHIEVEMENTS

• Niagara became the first team to score the most Runs (608, 8.7 p/g) and allow the most Runs (592, 8.5 p/g) in their league in the same season.
• Jim Creighton (26-4, 2.29 ERA, 69 K) became the first player to win the Pitching Triple Crown.
• Four players – William Pfeffer (POR), Oliver Stein (BING), Arthur Waltrip (AME), & Vic Whitley (K.C.) – had six-hit games.
• Jonathan German (Syracuse) hit for the Cycle on July 3rd, the first Cycle since August 6th, 1859.
• Charles Haynes (Utica) hit for the N.B.B.O’s second Cycle of the season on July 30th.
• Six players hit five or more Home Runs. There were five such seasons in total over the N.B.B.O’s first six years.
• William Johnson (St. John’s) ended the season as the only player with 1,000 career Total Bases (1,019).
• Arthur Waltrip (American) ended the season as the only player with 800 career Hits (801).
• Clive Wise (S.o.t.O.) ended the season as the only player with 400 career R.B.I. (412).
• Walter Williams (Shamrock) ended the season as the only player with 300 career Stolen Bases (325).
• John McGowan (St. John’s) ended the season as the only pitcher with 150 career Wins (150).
• Joe Cunningham (Shamrock) ended the season as the only pitcher with 10 career Shutouts (10).

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McGOWAN: NOT THE MOST TALENTED - JUST THE BEST
LED THE N.E.L. IN WINS FIVE STRAIGHT SEASONS BEFORE SURPRISE MOVE TO N.Y.C.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. & NEW YORK CITY (Dec. 12, 1863) – Ask the Writers Pool who the ten pitchers in the National Base Ball Organization with the most raw talent are, and they will give you the following ten names:

• Jim Creighton (Excelsior, 2x All-Star) – 26-4, 2.29 ERA, 69 K, 7.0 WAR, TRIPLE CROWN in 1863
• Grover Wright (Niagara, 4x All-Star) – 19-10, 3.35 ERA, 29 K, 5.9 WAR
• Carl Bancroft (Empire, 3x All-Star) – 14-19, 3.38 ERA, 38 K, 5.3 WAR (20+ Wins 1859-62)
• Bernard Schmidt (Niagara, 2x All-Star) – 22-9, 3.00 ERA, 47 K, 4.9 WAR
• Clydesdale Jackson (Harlem, 1863 All-Star) – 21-12, 2.69 ERA, 29 K, 5.5 WAR
• Joe Cunningham (Shamrock, 2x All-Star) – 19-12, 3.08 ERA, 28 K, 4.9 WAR
• William Titus (Gotham, 2x All-Star) – 22-12, 3.38 ERA, 32 K, 5.3 WAR
• Archie Green (Bedford, 2x All-Star) – 10-22, 4.51 ERA, 32 K, 4.6 WAR (20+ Wins 1860-62)
• Rainier van der Hout (Orange) – 17-7, 3.96 ERA, 28 K, 4.6 WAR
• James Goodman (Minuteman) – 11-22, 4.66 ERA, 64 K, 3.2 WAR, 80+ Stuff

Nowhere in that set of ten names will you find John McGowan, the long-time pitching ace for St. John’s Baseball Club. While McGowan can deliver the ball in a number of different ways – believed to be six in all – the speed of his delivery is not the fastest, the balls he delivers are not the hardest to hit, and he does not have better control over the ball than all of his peers. However, there is one area in which McGowan reigns supreme: victorious pitching.

McGowan has never led the Northeastern League in Earned Run Average, Strikeouts, W.H.I.P, or Walks per Nine Innings. Instead, the 33-year-old led the N.E.L. in Wins each of the past five seasons and has won twenty or more games in each of the past six. Perhaps the only reason McGowan failed to win twenty games in the N.B.B.O’s inaugural season of 1857 was that he did not have the chance, only starting nine games as St. John’s third pitcher and finishing 8-4 overall.

McGowan’s career resume makes for one tall order and some intimidating reading:

• 3x N.B.B.O. Champion (1857-58, 63)
• 3x N.E.L. Champion (1857-58, 60)
• 7x New England Champion (1857-63)
• Postseason Record: 19-4, 3.01 ERA, 21 K, 3.8 WAR in 230.1 Innings

• 5x All-Star (1859-63)
• 4x N.E.L. Team of the Year (1859-62)
• 6x 20-game Winner (1858-63)
• 5x N.E.L. leader in Wins (1859-63)
• 2x N.E.L. leader in Pitching WAR (1859-60)
• 2x N.E.L. leader in Shutouts (1860, 62)

• Career leader in Wins with 150 (Joe Cunningham 2nd with 134)
• Career leader in Postseason Wins with 19 (Grover Wright 2nd with 11)
• Career leader in Win % with .728 (150-56 record)

Many members of the Writers Pool, especially those in the New York half, have taken McGowan for granted under the belief that St. Johns’ dominance as the only big club in the New England Championship combined with the team’s annually stout defense have allowed the pitcher to rack up win after win without displaying an elite level of talent.

In return, McGowan’s supporters ask the haughty New York set to consider one thing: if McGowan has been coasting to 20+ Wins year after year without much talent, how does he have nearly twice as many playoff victories as any other pitcher while sporting a lower career postseason ERA (3.01) than regular season ERA (3.11)? Also, how has he been able to go 10-0 over the two years of Tucker-Wheaton Cup round robin play with an ERA under 3.00 if he is merely an adequate pitcher surrounded by a great set of teammates?

In 1864, the New York half of the Writers Pool will have the opportunity to see if their downcast opinions of John McGowan are correct, as exactly one month ago he stunned St. John’s and everyone else in the base ball establishment by announcing that he was moving to New York City with his family to start a new job and join the Knickerbocker club. Digging by the writers did not uncover evidence of any extra under-the-table cash, but instead led to the conclusion that McGowan simply wanted a new challenge and a chance to pitch in the grandest park in existence.

What the assumptive writers have not factored in is that McGowan might actually be in a better situation for his pitching with the Knickerbocker club. While the second-oldest club in existence has only been able to hover around the .500 mark in the New York City Championship each of the past four seasons, club president Doc Adams has worked with the front office to upgrade several positions. Thanks to the recruitment of new players at second base, third base, and right field, the team not only has more talented batsmen but their defense grades to a 60/80 or better at every position except first base. On top of that, the Elysian Fields’ famous 517-foot center field boundary makes it the N.B.B.O’s most intimidating field to hit in (AVG Factor: .909).

John McGowan is the winningest, most decorated pitcher in the brief history of organized baseball, both in the regular season and postseason. While it has been assumed that his storied career has unfolded thanks to his existence with a team that has steamrolled all attempts at competent opposition in the New England Championship, McGowan now finds himself with another storied club, and his reputation might reach even greater heights.

[tm1681]

A PLETHORA OF STARS ON THE MOVE FOR 1864!
BATEMAN, BENTLEY, FRANCIS, MCGOWAN, & WRIGHT AMONG THOSE CHANGING CLUBS

NORTHEASTERN U.S.A. (Feb. 28, 1864) – Every winter the National Base Ball Organization has seen players join the league or retire from it and move from one club to another, whether that club may be one in the same city or one in a different league. After all, the N.B.B.O. is billed as an amateur competition and that means its players have zero moral or contractual obligations to remain with the same club from one year to the next.

This winter has not been any different than previous ones except in one major aspect: a never-before-seen amount of star players have changed club allegiances. League M.V.P’s have moved, Batsmen of the Year have moved, Golden Glove defenders have moved, five-time All-Stars have moved, and influential champions have changed their summer addresses as well. There has been more upheaval at the top branch of senior club rosters than in any previous offseason.

The first notable player move came all the way back on October 7th, when 1860 All-Star Alistair Jones left the Mutual club to become the new center fielder in Newark. From there, the telegrams announcing the moves of big=name players came in swiftly and frequently. Just days later two of the first three New York League Batsmen of the Year, Joseph Bentley & John Francis, announced they were moving to New England. Only a couple of weeks later Grover Wright declared that he was moving back to Brooklyn to join the Continental club after two seasons upstate with Niagara. Roughly a week later, New York League Batsman of the Year James Hoyt let it be known that he was moving from Flour City to New York City to play for Knickerbocker.

It all culminated with the Knickerbocker club’s surprise announcement that they had convinced five-time N.E.L. Wins leader and three-time champion John McGowan to leave the seemingly invincible, cup-winning St. John’s and take on a new challenge as part of an improved team. From there, frequent news of the comings & goings of well-known players continued all the way until the last week of February, when five-time All-Star John Bateman announced that he was joining the Shamrock club in Boston.

It made for an amazing winter for those who follow the sport closely. The notable players who changed clubs:

• Oct. 7th: CF Alistair Jones (1x All-Star & Golden Glove) from Mutual to Newark
• Oct. 9th: OF Leslie Wolf (3x G.G.) from Reading to Bedford
• Oct. 10th: 2B Joseph Bentley (1x Batsman of the Year, 2x A-S, 4x Team of the Year) from Niagara to Granite
• Oct. 10th: OF John Francis (1x B.o.t.Y, 2x A-S, 1x T.o.t.Y.) from Kings Co. to Portland
• Oct. 12th: SS John Williams (1x A-S & T.o.t.Y) from Excelsior to Minuteman
• Oct. 13th: P Reinder v. d. Hout (1x Champ, 20 Wins 3x) from Orange to Kings Co.
• Oct. 23rd: P Grover Wright (2x Champ, 1x M.V.P, 4x A-S, 2x T.o.t.Y.) from Niagara to Continental
• Oct. 24th: OF Angus O’Connor (1x Champ, 2x A-S) from Shamrock to American
• Oct. 24th: OF Zarek Polakowski (2x A-S) from Knickerbocker to Nassau Co.
• Oct. 24th: OF Soren Thomsen (1x Champ, 2x A-S, 1x T.o.t.Y.) from Kings Co. to Portland
• Oct. 26th: C Jackson Smith (3x A-S, 2x T.o.t.Y.) from Niagara to Kings Co.
• Oct. 29th: OF James Hoyt (1863 B.o.t.Y, A-S, & T.o.t.Y in N.Y.L.) from Flour City to Knickerbocker
• Nov. 6th: OF William LaValliere (2x T.o.t.Y.) from Mutual to Flour City
• Nov. 6th: OF Dennis Pruitt (2x A-S) from American to Alleghany
• Nov. 9th: SS William Starusbaugh (1x A-S) from Nassau Co. to Empire
• Nov. 12th: P John McGowan (3x Champ, 5x A-S, 4x T.o.t.Y.) from St. John’s to Knickerbocker
• Nov. 13th: 3B Enda Reed (1x Champ, A-S, & G.G.) from Shamrock to Merrimack Mills
• Nov. 14th: P Harry Nilsson (1862 A-S & T.o.t.Y.) from Gotham to Reading
• Nov. 27th: P David Roberts (2x A-S, 1x T.o.t.Y.) from Victory to Quaker St.
• Nov. 28th: P Willie Hall (2x All-Star) from Mutual to Newark
• Dec. 1st: 2B Juriaan Kerstens (1x M.V.P. & A-S) from Bedford to Knickerbocker
• Dec. 8th: P Oscar Hall (2x All-Star) from Kings Co. to Quinnipiac
• Dec. 11th: OF Ilkka Kivivuori (1862 A-S & Newcomer of the Year) from Reading to Empire
• Dec. 29th: 1B Walter Driscoll (1x A-S & T.o.t.Y.) from Eckford to Syracuse
• Dec. 30th: 3B Charles Schuster (1860 A-S & N.o.t.Y.) from Trenton Utd. to Flour City
• Jan. 3rd: C Martin Elson (3x G.G, 1x A-S & T.o.t.Y.) from Utica to Alleghany
• Jan. 30th: 3B Theodore Cooke (1x A-S) from Empire to Syracuse
• Feb. 1st: OF Luther Tatum (1x A-S) from Niagara to Shamrock
• Feb. 3rd: OF Lester Chadwick (1x A-S & T.o.t.Y.) from Excelsior to Kings Co.
• Feb. 24th: 1B Frank Krillenberger (2x A-S, G.G., T.o.t.Y.) from Empire to Sons of the Ocean
• Feb. 25th: 1B John Bateman (5x A-S, 2x T.o.t.Y., 1x G.G.) from Syracuse to Shamrock
• Feb. 25th: OF Edward Neyland (1x A-S & T.o.t.Y.) from Syracuse to Atlantic

Of course, the big move of the winter was John McGowan’s switch from St. John’s to Knickerbocker, as it was assumed McGowan would remain the face of the Providence club until his playing days were over. Still, that was not the only curious change of the snowfall season of 1863/64.

Bringing McGowan over from New England was not the only major change that the Knickerbocker club made. The recruitment of reigning New York League Batsman of the Year James Hoyt and 1860 N.Y.L. Most Valuable Player Juriaan Kerstens will give the team major upgrades at two sports in the batting lineup.

Portland making serious upgrades to their outfield by raiding Kings County for John Francis & Soren Thomsen was something nobody could have foreseen. Not surprisingly Kings County found suitable bats to replace them in James Heilman & Jesse Johnson, but Johnson’s defense in the outfield will be a major concern.

Joseph Bentley leaving Buffalo for New Hampshire was another confounding move, but the first N.Y.L. Batsman of the Year turns 37 next season, is a native New Englander, and rumor has it that he will move over to first base for the Granite club.

The Shamrock club in Boston responded to last season’s second-place finish by bringing in five-time All-Star and reliable batsman John Bateman – his average has been between .345 & .370 in all six of his seasons – to replace Enda Reed, and similarly they brought in the heavily talented Luther Tatum after a down season in 1863 to replace Angus O’Connor.

Grover Wright’s move back to Brooklyn was a real surprise, as he performed quite well for Niagara last season and the Continental club has oscillated between middling and poor throughout the Brooklyn Championship’s existence.

Pittsburgh club Alleghany, fresh off its worst season of baseball, did well to bring in serious upgrades at two positions by recruiting Golden Glove catcher Martin Elson and reigning R.B.I. Champion Dennis Pruitt.

Unlike the last time there was notable upheaval in the talent pool the rich did not necessarily get richer, and the talent did not flow directly from the Northeastern League to the New York League. What will this mean for the 1864 season? Only time will be able to tell.

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TO BOUND, OR NOT TO BOUND? THAT IS THE QUESTION
DEBATE OVER FLY BALLS RAGES DURING PRESEASON RULES COMMITTEE MEETINGS

NEW YORK CITY (Mar. 14, 1864) – The Executive Committee of the National Base Ball Organization meets twice a year at the St. Nicholas Hotel in New York City: once about six weeks before the start of the season to discuss rules & regulations, and again roughly six weeks after the end of the season to discuss organizational business.

During the annual “R & R” meetings, one topic dwarfed all of the others, and it did so almost immediately: the Bound Rule, which declares that fly balls, especially those hit to the outfield, may be caught after one bounce to retire the batter for an out. Discussions about the rule’s fate had been building for years, but in this year’s set of R & R meetings the discussion turned to outright argument & debate.

On one side of the debate was much of the base ball establishment, believing that since baseball was a pastoral, gentlemanly game there was no reason to force fielders, especially those who chase the ball around the outfield, to exert extra effort and possibly sacrifice their fingers to catch a ball on the fly. On the other side of the debate was a faction led by Knickerbockers President Doc Adams, who argued that if Cricket players could catch a wooden ball on the fly to retire batters then there was no reason why base ball players cannot have enough skill to do the same with a relatively softer ball.

Adams himself first began to campaign against the Bound Rule only a year after the N.B.B.O. began play, believing that a formally organized game necessitated greater skill from its players. Adams largely stood alone in his sentiments until fairly recently, when executives from clubs who play their home games on smaller fields argued that the Bound Rule proponents whose clubs played in the huge, wide-open fields typically found in the New York League were at a distinct advantage with the Bound Rule in play. The fact that Adams, the president of the club with the largest field in existence, proposed eliminating the rule was a source of irony for many present, but he was insistent that the skill of the player trumped all.

At the end of much debate & discussion over the Bound Rule, Adams, as president of the second-oldest base ball club, was able to put the issue of removal of the Bound Rule to a formal vote for the first time. The final vote: 20 For & 28 Against, with the New York side of the N.B.B.O. providing much of the “Against” faction vote that kept the Bound Rule in place.

After the vote, Adams vowed to bring the issue to the forefront again next preseason, and to the Writers Pool it sounded as if Adams was declaring he would not rest until the Bound Rule was eliminated once and for all.

As it stood, the Bound Rule would remain in place for the 1864 season, but one had the distinct feeling that this would likely be the final season in which players could rely on waiting for the ball to bounce before grabbing it and sending a batsman back to the dugout.

NOTE: Of course, in OOTP there is no way to introduce such a mechanism since it was eliminated before 1871 anyway, but why not play pretend once in a while?

[tm1681]

Sorry I've been gone for a bit - have added some extra work to my Football Manager duties and because of the new Rating system for batting I had to do quite a bit of tweaking once i imported the game from OOTP 24 to 25.

However, I have made a quickstart. It begins on the first day of "preseason" for 1864, which in-game is March 14th. I also have a Quickstart for the OOTP 24 version that simply starts on January 1st. I'm waiting a bit to upload it until my next remote work payment comes in so I can renew MS 365 and keep my Terrabyte of online storage.

I'll upload them then, after I've trimmed all the unnecessary stuff (Almanac, news logs, etc.) off of them.

[tm1681]

THE 1864 N.B.B.O. PREVIEW
NO 50-WIN TEAMS EXPECTED; KNICKERBOCKER & SHAMROCK PROJECTED BACK ON TOP

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (May 4, 1864) – The newest season of the National Base Ball Organization begins today, with three games scheduled for First Pitch just after noon: Minuteman at Flour City, Alleghany at Merrimack Mills, and Trenton United at Newark.

There were no major rule changes to the sport ahead of the new season. Instead, much of the change over the winter came in the form of a record number of star players changing teams, with the most notable switch being John McGowan’s stunning move from St. John’s to Knickerbocker.

Excelsior is expected to reign supreme in Brooklyn again, but in the other two New York championships Knickerbocker should be back on top for its first top-two finish in five years, and Minuteman is being tipped by the Writers Pool for their first Upstate championship in the same five years. Merrimack Mills is expected to repeat as Inland champions, while Shamrock is expected back on top of the Coastal Championship after Port Jersey’s dream run last year.

The big shock expected atop the regional championships is in New England, where Sons of the Ocean is expected to FINALLY take the crown from St. John’s after the seven-time champions replaced McGowan in their pitching rotation with someone who has a 21-43 career record and did not even take to the field in 1863.

Coastal and Inland are expected to be the two closest championships, with four teams projected to finish within a handful of games at the top of the standings. Also, nobody is projected to finish first by more than three games and no teams are expected to win 50+ games.

As the 1864 season begins it appears, at least on paper, that the upheaval of the offseason will lead to changes atop four of the six regional championships and as much excitement as ever.


PROJECTED NEW YORK LEAGUE STANDINGS

BROOKLYN	 	 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA
Excelsior		43	27	.614	--	509	423
Kings Co.		40	30	.571	3	555	495
Bedford			36	34	.514	7	466	509
Atlantic		34	36	.486	9	559	560
Continental		34	36	.486	9	510	517
Nassau Co.		33	37	.471	10	528	561
Empire			32	38	.457	11	479	489
Eckford			31	39	.443	12	494	545

N.Y.C.			 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA
Knickerbocker	        45	25	.643	--	570	441
Orange			42	28	.600	3	501	446
Gotham			36	34	.514	9	510	499
Metropolitan	        34	36	.486	11	419	436
Hilltop			33	37	.471	12	410	439
Mutual			32	38	.457	13	495	533
Harlem			31	39	.443	14	441	475
Union			28	42	.400	17	445	522

UPSTATE			 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA
Minuteman		45	25	.643	--	469	370
Syracuse		43	27	.614	2	562	444
Flour City		39	31	.557	6	515	506
Eagle			36	34	.514	9	472	490
Binghamton		33	37	.471	12	463	495
Niagara			31	39	.443	14	491	507
Utica			29	41	.414	16	466	523
Victory			26	44	.371	19	417	519

For the third season in a row, Excelsior & Kings Co. are expected to go 1-2 in the Brooklyn Championship, with Excelsior repeating as champs. Jim Creighton is the obvious factor separating the two teams, but Kings Co. was able to find quality replacements after John Francis & Soren Thomsen surprisingly left for Maine. They also brought in two reliable pitchers, Reiner v. d. Hout & Frank Freitag, to retool their pitching. No surprise in N.Y.C. – Knickerbocker’s recruitment of John McGowan to go with 1860 M.V.P. Juriaan Kerstens, reigning B.o.t.Y. James Hoyt, and N.o.t.Y. candidate Hugh Harris are expected to leave them superior to the rest of the competition, with Harlem’s great 1863 viewed as a fluke. Losing Joseph Bentley, Jackson Smith, Luther Tatum & Grover Wright is expected to leave Niagara fifteen wins worse than last season, with Minuteman tipped to surprise and win the Upstate Championship thanks to its pitching.


PROJECTED NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE STANDINGS

COASTAL			 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA
Shamrock		42	28	.600	--	503	430
Newark			41	29	.586	1	495	433
Trenton Utd.	        41	29	.529	1	466	413
Mass. Bay		40	30	.571	2	522	468
Quaker St.		35	35	.500	7	481	495
American		31	39	.443	11	492	539
Port Jersey		29	41	.414	13	470	525
Olympic			22	48	.314	20	434	560

INLAND			 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA
Merrimack M.	        42	28	.600	--	524	449
Reading Ath.	        40	30	.571	2	468	426
Susquehanna		39	31	.557	3	515	490
Scranton		38	32	.543	4	474	449
Lake Erie		35	35	.500	7	467	443
Sportsman’s		32	38	.457	10	482	498
Alleghany		31	39	.443	11	482	541
Pioneer			24	46	.343	18	410	524

N ENGLAND		 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA
S.o.t.O.		44	26	.629	--	552	458
St. John’s		43	27	.614	1	580	472
Green Mtn.		41	29	.586	3	481	423
Oceanic			33	37	.471	11	504	532
Granite			32	38	.457	12	459	495
Quinnipiac		32	38	.457	12	492	545
Cantabrigians	        29	41	.414	15	469	552
Portland		28	42	.400	16	479	542

A 2-8 Tucker-Wheaton Cup combined with the failure to deal with roster weaknesses over the winter has led the Writers Pool to believe that Port Jersey’s form will take a cliff dive in 1864, since they are in the hyper-competitive Coastal Championship. Of course that means good things for Shamrock, but half of the Coastal teams could finish at the top. Merrimack is projected to repeat as Inland champs after bringing on Jonathan Davis & Enda Reed. They are expected to be followed closely by three teams, and even though Alleghany made some nice upgrades to the lineup the pool does not like their pitching, expecting the Pittsburghers to finish in seventh place again. This is projected to FINALLY be the season St. John’s is knocked off as New England champs, as they did not address the shock departure of McGowan. They should have the #1 offense again, but their lack of pitching opens the door and Sons of the Ocean is expected to break through it.


WRITERS POOL GENERAL OBSERVATIONS

When asked for general observations about the upcoming season, here were the main talking points offered up by the 48-member N.B.B.O. Writers Pool:

• The ten most talented batsmen in the N.B.B.O: Konrad Jensen (OF, STJ), Edward Huntley (SS, ORA), Anthony Mascherino (SS, G.M.), Willie Davis (CF, SUS), Samuel Kessler (3B, S.o.t.O.), Nelson Townsend (OF, STJ), Taliesin Buckley (CF, GOT), Joe Feuerstein (C, PORT), P.O. Bakken (SS, K.C.), & Hamish Barclay (2B, GOT)

• The ten most talented pitchers in the N.B.B.O: Jim Creighton (EXC), James Goodman (MIN), Grover Wright (EXC), Carl Bancroft (EMP), John Henry* (NEW), Bernard Schmidt (NIA), Clydesdale Jackson (HAR), William Jones (M.B.), Archie Green (BED), & Rainer v.d. Hout (K.C.) – * Newcomer

• The ten best newcomers in the N.B.B.O: Cormack Alexander (1B, K.C.), Hugh Harris (3B, KNI), John Henry (P, NEW), Walter Dudley (3B, P.J.), Carson Law (CF, SYR), Iestyn Moore (OF, NEW), Frank Morrison (P, OCE), Obelix Tsiaris (CF, F.C.), Charles White (P, VIC), & Lemuel Zimmerman (P, CAN)

• Port Jersey has been projected to fall from 50-20 to 29-41, winning 21 fewer games than last season and finishing seventh in the Coastal Championship. This is because all of the “big” clubs in the Coastal – American, Mass. Bay, Newark, Quaker St, & Shamrock – made upgrades to their lineup while P.J. stood firm over the winter, doing nothing to address weaknesses in their squad that were laid bare during the team’s 2-8 Tucker-Wheaton Cup.

• St. John’s has been projected to fall from the top of the New England Championship for the first time. Their top six batsmen and 22-4 pitcher Joseph Griffin are all back for 1864, but they replaced talisman John McGowan with Tor Axelsen, who was 21-43 over two seasons with Continental and did not pitch in 1863.

• The team expected to finish ahead of St. John’s is Sons of the Ocean. They did not make any major splashes over the winter, but one-time N.E.L. Batting Champion Frank Krillenberger should be an offensive upgrade at first base and newcomer Charles Patterson is expected to have a decent bat while providing quality defense in center field.

• Minuteman has been tipped for a seventeen-win increase from last season’s 28-42 record. Something in James Goodman has made the Writers Pool think that this is the season he will finally get it together, while the team has made upgrades at C (Sam Jones), SS (John Williams), & RF (Tal Johnson).

• Niagara is expected to fall from 46-24 to 31-39 after losing the influential quartet of Joseph Bentley, Jackson Smith, Luther Tatum & Grover Wright. They still have players like Arvi Hämäläinen & Bernard Schmidt, but in losing those four players one Batsman of the Year award, one Most Valuable Player award, eight Team of the Year nominations, and nine All-Star appearances left with them. The team is expected to score roughly sixty fewer runs than last season and allow nearly a hundred more, shifting their Run Differential by about 160 runs in the wrong direction.

• The writers see Harlem’s New York City championship run in 1863 as a fluke, and as such expect the team to fall from 46-24 to 31-39 like Niagara. The team did not lose any starters aside from John Plotts (C), but it is widely perceived that Harlem overachieved last year while the usual contenders in N.Y.C. improved over the winter.

• There is no clear favorite for Batsman of the Year in New York, but Konrad Jensen is being favored win the Northeastern League B.o.t.Y. for the second year in a row thanks to his all-around play.

• For his first season in New York, John McGowan is projected to be among the N.Y.L. leaders in Wins but not THE leader, as he annually was when he pitched for St. John’s in the N.E.L. Jim Creighton is expected to repeat on that front, and he is expected to take the Pitcher spot in the N.Y.L. Team of the Year for the second season in a row.

• Cormack Alexander of Kings Co. is projected to be the best-hitting Newcomer with an average over .350, but third basemen Walter Dudley of Port Jersey & Hugh Harris of Knickerbocker are expected to be close behind. That said, pitcher John Henry of Newark may end up having the biggest impact of any Newcomer in either league.

• With no major changes to rules, regulations, or playing grounds for 1864, run production around the N.B.B.O. is expected to hover around 6.9 runs per team, per game, for the third season in a row.

[tm1681]

KINGS CO. WINS 23-10; HEILMAN CRACKS 6 HITS
NEW LEADOFF MAN BATTING 9/11 TO START THE SEASON

BROOKLYN (May 5, 1863) – Kings County have started the opening week of the 1864 season off as well as any team could hope for, having scored 38 runs over a pair of home wins to begin play in the Brooklyn Championship.

While Kings Co. opened the season in spectacular fashion with a 15-10 win over Eckford on Wednesday, Thursday afternoon’s performance was even greater: a 23-10 demolition in which the hosts scored seven runs in both the fourth and eighth innings. There may be quibbles about the pitching over the opening two games, but results are results.

There were numerous star performances for Kings Co. in the game. Half a dozen members of the lineup had three or more hits, and six players had multiple R.B.I. as well. Jerald Peterson (3B) was 3/6 with four runs and one R.B.I, Declan Brice (CF) was 3/4 with three runs and a pair of R.B.I, Jackson Smith (C) was 3/6 with a run and four R.B.I, Jesse Johnson (OF) was 3/6 with three runs & R.B.I. each, and Cormack Alexander was 4/6 with three runs and two R.B.I.

However, none of the five Kings Co. batsmen could match the excellence of James Heilman:

• B 1: Leadoff Single past 2B off R. Stroh (stole 2B, scored)
• B 2: Single to CF off R. Stroh (stole 2B)
• B 3: 1-run Infield Single off R. Stroh (scored)
• B 5: Leadoff Infield Single off F. Ballard (scored)
• B 6: Leadoff Single to LCF off F. Ballard
• B 8: 1-Run Single past SS off C. Pittman (scored)
• TOTAL: 6/6 (all Singles), 4 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB

Heilman’s performance followed a 3/5 Opening Day, leaving him 9/11 after two games, the best of many Kings Co. batsmen who have feasted on Eckford pitching over the first two days of the new season.

[tm1681]

KIVOVOURI SCORES SIX TIMES & REED DRIVES IN SIX
BOTH PLAYERS RECORD FIVE HITS IN SEPARATE GAMES ON WEDNESDAY

BROOKLYN & SCRANTON, PENN. (May 18, 1864) – There were two fantastic performances from the batsmen of the National Base Ball Organization on Wednesday afternoon: one by Ilkka Kivivuori of Empire and the other by Enda Reed of Merrimack Mills.

Empire had their way with the opposing pitching of Kings County, scoring seventeen times over the first six innings en route to an 18-10 victory. Their attack finished with 22 hits, and the star of the show was Kivivuori:

• T 1: 1-run Single past SS off R. van der Hout (scored)
• T 2: Single to CF off R. van der Hout (scored)
• T 3: 1-run Single past 2B off R. van der Hout (scored)
• T 5: Reached via Base on Balls by C. McTear (scored)
• T 6: Single to LCF off C. McTear (scored)
• T 8: Single to CF off C. McTear (scored)
• TOTAL: 5/5 (all Singles), 6 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB

Kivivuori’s six-run effort made him the fourth player in N.B.B.O. history to score half a dozen runs in a game, joining the following players:

• Clarence Thomas (June 30, 1858 for Quinnipiac)
• Soren Thomsen (July 8, 1859 for Kings County)
• William Karras (May 19, 1860 for Metropolitan)

Lost in the hoopla over Kivivuori’s afternoon was William McCaskey’s Inside-the-Park Grand Slam in the top of the fifth inning, which was easily the most exciting moment of the early season.

Over in Scranton the Merrimack Mills club handed the hosts just their second loss of the season (9-2) thanks to brilliant work by Merrimack’s #2 & 3 hitters: Silvestro Masci & Enda Reed. Masci was 4/6 with the bat, and thanks in no small part to that performance Reed had a massive afternoon at the plate:

• T 1: 1-run Infield Hit off A. Forman
• T 3: 1-run Single between 3B & SS off A. Forman (scored)
• T 5: Pop Fly Out to 3B
• T 6: 2-run Triple to RCF off A. Forman (scored)
• T 7: 2-run Double to LCF off R. Hanlon
• T 9: Infield Single off G. Dennis
• TOTAL: 5/6, 2B, 3B, 2 R, 6 RBI, 8 TB

Merrimack Mills won the game by the score of 13-8, with Reed batting in roughly half of Merrimack’s runs. The previously struggling Reed was able to bring his average up to .333 thanks to his five hits.

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PRUITT DAZZLES WITH CYCLE AT PIONEER
OUTFIELDER THE STAR IN ALLEGHANY’S 23-4 WIN

SPRINGFIELD, MASS. (May 22, 1864) – It was a day to remember for Alleghany B.C. on Sunday, as the men from Pittsburgh ended the week with a 23-4 demolition of Pioneer in Massachusetts.

There was no shortage of big performances from the Alleghany batsmen, as the hitters #2 through #6 in the lineup all had three or more hits each and #2 through #5 scored four or more runs, with CF Clive Stock crossing the plate five times.

The Alleghany performance of the day went to RF Dennis Pruitt, who hit for the Cycle:

• T 1: Triple to RF off F. McCowan
• T 2: Hit by Pitch from F. McCowan (scored)
• T 4: 2-run Home Run to LF off F. McCowan (inside the park)
• T 5: 1-run Single past 2B off N. Harrison (scored)
• T 6: Bound Out to RF
• T 8: Bound Out to CF
• T 9: 1-Run Double to CF off N. Harrison (scored)
• TOTAL: 4/6, 2B, 3B, HR (CYCLE), 4 R, 4 RBI, 10 TB

After going nearly four calendar years without a Cycle, the N.B.B.O. has now seen its third since the first week of July of last year, when Jonathan German did the trick for Syracuse and Charles Haynes of Utica repeated it just a few weeks later.

Alleghany’s haul of runs in Springfield should provide the team with a morale boost, as they had entered Sunday’s contest with a 5-9 record and a middling offense.

On the other hand, Pioneer is having a May to forget, having lost eleven of their first fifteen games over the first three weeks of the 1864 season while featuring the worst pitching and defense in the Northeastern League.

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WHAT IS GOING ON IN WITH OFFENSE IN NEW YORK?
TEAMS SCORING HALF A RUN MORE PER GAME; FIVE SCORING 9+ PER OUTING

NEW YORK STATE (June 1, 1864) – Over the first month of the 1864 season, the goings on in the Northeastern League have been in line with the standard fare of the past two to three seasons: teams are scoring 7.0 runs per game, Batting Average is .290-.300, and even though league-wide O.P.S. is down to roughly .680 the runs are still coming in.

However, the state of the game in the New York League has been quite different over the first four weeks of 1864 play. Even though the collective batting in the league is in line with the past two seasons of play, scoring is up half a run per game to 7.5 runs per team, and five teams are scoring more than nine runs per afternoon:

• Kings County – 10.2 R/G (204 R/20 G)
• Flour City – 9.2 R/G (185 R/20 G)
• Empire – 9.2 R/G (184 R/20 G)
• Syracuse – 9.2 R/G (184 R/20 G)
• Union – 9.2 R/G (184 R/20 G)

Kings Co. has typically had one of the top attacks in the N.Y.L, but this year they’ve looked like a completely different beast. Newcomer Cormack Alexander is batting a whopping .478 after four weeks, and that has meant plenty of chances for the batsmen behind him in the lineup to drive in runs. As a team, Kings Co. is batting .344, best in the N.B.B.O.

Flour City once again has a powerful offense after leading the N.B.B.O. in runs last season. Their #3, 4, & 5 batsmen – Henry Fowler, Will LaValliere, & Charles Schuster – are all batting over .400, and only one non-pitcher in the lineup is batting less than .325. Their pitching is struggling as it was last season, but they are determined to win through raw power.

Empire has been led by Ilkka Kivivuori, who is in his first season in Brooklyn after two in Reading. He is batting .394 with a ridiculous 27 R.B.I. through twenty games, but every regular member of the lineup has at least ten.

Back upstate, Syracuse has the second-best Batting Average in the N.B.B.O. at .337. They are currently led by newcomer Carson Law, who is batting .394 while matching Kivivuori with 27 R.B.I. Like Empire, every non-pitcher in the Syracuse lineup has ten or more R.B.I. Number one pitcher Charles Snodgrass is batting .318 with six R.B.I. in eleven games.

Union of Morrisania is the surprise of the five teams in the above list. In years past they have displayed middling offensive output, but after one month of the 1864 season they are averaging nine runs per game thanks to a pair of 5-6 batsmen in Arthur Salois & Albert Fowler who are both batting over .350 with more than 20 R.B.I. through four weeks of play. They also have one .400 batter in Paul LeFebvre.

Even at the bottom end of the New York League the offenses are better. The last-place attack in the N.Y.L. currently belongs to Minuteman, who are averaging 5.5 runs per game (109 R/20 G). In contrast, there are three teams in the Northeastern League scoring less, and league-worst Olympic is averaging 4.8 runs per game (95 R/20 G).

There is no way to know if the increase of offense in the New York League will continue on for the rest of the season, but this may well be the first season in which the N.Y.L. is seen as the more exciting of the two halves of the National Base Ball Organization.

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DONOVAN SCORES FIVE RUNS & DRIVES IN SIX!
PORT JERSEY STAR HAS BANNER DAY AT QUAKER ST.

PHILADELPHIA (June 5, 1864) – Port Jersey dumped more misery on the dismal Quaker State club Sunday afternoon, scoring no less than thirteen runs in the second inning as they hammered their 7-18 hosts by the score of 23-5:

The men from Jersey City were led by a trio of star performers. First was leadoff hitter Johnny Pendergrass (RF), who hit 5/7 with two doubles, four runs, and a pair of R.B.I. Second was #3 batsman Walter Dudley (3B), who hit 4/7 while scoring four runs and driving in two more. The third was 1863 All-Star Edward Donovan (LF), who had a spectacular afternoon:

• T1: Reached via Error by SS F. Powell (scored)
• T2: 2-run Triple to CF off D. Roberts (scored)
• T2: 2-run Triple to LCF off J. Jenkins (scored)
• T3: Reached via Fielder’s Choice to 2B
• T5: 2-run Double to RF off J. Jenkins (scored)
• T7: Ground Out to SS
• T9: Leadoff Single to RCF off A. Grimble (scored)
• TOTAL: 4/7, 2B, 2 3B, 5 R, 6 RBI, 9 TB

Donovan’s efforts in the second inning made him the first player in National Base Ball Organization history to hit two triples in a single inning, and he also became the first Northeastern League player with four R.B.I. in a single inning. Donovan’s five runs tied the team record he set last year, and his six R.B.I. set a new Port Jersey benchmark.

The result kept the surprisingly putrid Quaker State mired in last place, while Port Jersey moved to 17-7 on the season, with perhaps only a rainout keeping them from matching first-place Newark at 18-7 atop the Coastal Championship.

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1864: THE HALFWAY POINT
MAJOR SURPRISES ATOP THE STANDINGS IN UPSTATE N.Y. & INLAND

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (June 20, 1864) – The 1864 National Base Ball Organization has played half of its schedule, with the game that brought the competition to its midway point being Susquehanna’s 13-2 home victory over Scranton in which N.E.L. M.V.P. & 2x Batsman of the Year Willie Davis was 3/4 with three runs and four stolen bases.

Here are the leaders of the six regional championships, in order of record:

• Inland: Lake Erie (25-10, +92 Run Differential)
• Coastal: Port Jersey (23-11, +63 R.D, 1 Rainout)
• New York City: Gotham (23-12, +56 R.D.)
• Upstate: Binghamton (23-12, +35 R.D.)
• Brooklyn: Kings County (22-13, +72 R.D.)
• New England: St. John’s (22-13, +24 R.D.)

General observations from the first half of the season, via the Writers Pool:

• Lake Erie, incredibly, is the leader of the Inland Championship and has the N.B.B.O’s best record at 25-10. They have actually won more games through half of this season than they did over all of 1863, when they were 22-48. Over the seven-year history of the N.B.B.O. their Inland finishes have been 8th (last), 8th, 8th, 8th, 5th, 8th, & 8th, with their best record being 30-40 in 1861. #1 pitcher Perry Hockensmith is 12-2 with a 2.66 E.R.A, first baseman Wilbur Graff is batting .406 with 35 R.B.I, and 22-year-old Franklin Petty is batting .329 with 38 R.B.I. Reading & Susquehanna are both three games back, with defending champion Merrimack Mills four back. Alleghany remains in the muck, with their ability to contend seemingly already extinguished.

• Port Jersey was expected to take a heavy fall, but they are playing almost as well as they did last season and currently lead the Coastal Championship by 1/2 game over Newark. The trio of Ed Donovan, Boudewijn Mulder, & Johnny Pendergrass are again providing solid batsmanship, but newcomer Walter Dudley is batting an incredible .456 over 34 games. Newark has been led by newcomer John Henry, who has a record of 13-4 with a 3.34 E.R.A. Preseason favorites Shamrock are 18-17, 5 1/2 games behind Port Jersey.

• For the second straight season, Gotham leads the N.Y.C. Championship with a 23-12 record at the midway point. They are the clear leaders, but there are four teams each five games behind: Knickerbocker, Mutual, Orange, & Union. Preseason favorites Knickerbocker have struggled with the bat – 14th in runs – and that has led to them looking as if they will have another mediocre season. As always, there is still plenty of base ball to play.

• Binghamton are the stunning Upstate leaders by two games over Syracuse, proving that last season’s 2nd-place finish was no fluke. They have a pair of 11-win pitchers – Rogan O’Kirwan & Redmond Oliver – and their .323 average is 2nd-best in the N.Y.L. Oliver Stein leads them with a .358 average & Wagner Morris leads in R.B.I. with 34. Preseason favorites Minuteman fell flat on their faces, ending the first seven weeks in last place at 12-23 thanks to the worst defense in the league.

• Kings County is back atop the Brooklyn Championship thanks to the best offense in the N.B.B.O, one that is scoring 9.4 runs per game and led by newcomer Cormack Alexander’s .427 average. Empire, predicted to finish 6th, is a game back thanks to the 5th-best offense in the N.Y.L. Defending champ Excelsior has had difficulty scoring runs, and as a result Jim Creighton is 10-8 despite a 2.39 E.R.A. while the team sits four games back of first place.

• St. John’s is atop New England by one game over Green Mtn. and surprising Granite, who has been lifted by the .450 batting of former Niagara star Joseph Bentley. Worries about their second starter were calmed after Joseph Jefferson replaced Tor Axelson, with Jefferson 5-2 with a 3.88 E.R.A. over eight starts. Their outfielders are playing like stars, and Anderson MacGyver has found his stroke again (.357 AVG) after two years near .300. However, they are 16th in the N.E.L. in Runs Allowed, so the departure of John McGowan has had a noticeable impact.

• After there was a notable difference in offense between the two leagues over the first month of the season – 7.5 runs per team per game in the N.Y.L. versus 7.0 in the N.E.L. – offense has normalized somewhat, with New York teams scoring 7.3 runs per game at the midway point, compared to Northeastern League teams’ 7.2. Those figures are still higher than the 6.8 to 7.0 scored in both leagues each of the past two seasons.

• There are currently NINE players batting over .400. The highest number of players the N.B.B.O. has seen hit .400 in a season is five in 1858.

• The N.B.B.O. is currently on pace to see its first two eighty-R.B.I. seasons, as Carson Law of Syracuse currently has 43 and Albert Gore of Granite has 41.

• There are two players on pace to be the first with seventy Stolen Bases in a season. Mathius Wirtz of Minuteman leads the N.Y.L. with 38 (4 C.S.), while Konrad Jensen leads the N.E.L. with 37 (4 C.S.).

• Anthony Mascherino is currently on pace to NOT lead the Northeastern League in Batter W.A.R. for the first time since 1859. He has 1.5 W.A.R. after half the season thanks largely to his .209 average over 20 games in May, which he has since improved to .265 (career: .344). Konrad Jensen of St. John’s is the N.E.L. leader with 2.1.

• Jim Creighton is on pace to best his own single-season Strikeout record by just over one-third. He struck out 73 batsmen in 1862, and his current mark of 49 would be 98 over the whole season if his Strikeout rate holds.

• Four-time Inland champ Alleghany is having its second straight miserable season. After finishing last year 27-43, they are 11-24 after the first seven weeks of play in 1864 thanks to pitching & defense that are among the worst in the Northeastern League.

• Preseason Inland favorites Minuteman are in last place with the N.Y.L's worst record. The main reason for their struggles: their defense has ranked as the worst in the entire N.B.B.O. and as a result their extremely talented #1 pitcher - James Goodman - is allowing far more runs than his raw talent suggests he should be and other pitchers have REALLY struggled. Their offense has also been a bit worse than anticipated, currently 20th in the N.Y.L. in Runs Scored.

• John Roberts is perhaps the season’s biggest oddity. He has an E.R.A. well under four and is on pace for 5.1 Pitching W.A.R, which would be good enough to put him on the Northeastern League leaderboard in any season. However, he has a 4-14 record because his league-worst (9-26) Olympia teammates are “supporting” him with the N.B.B.O’s worst average (.255), worst scoring (5.8 R/G), worst O.P.S. (.603), worst Batting W.A.R. (-0.9; only team in the negative), and 5th-worst Fielding Percentage (.865).

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WILL THERE BE A MIRACLE ON LAKE ERIE?
LAST YEAR’S WORST TEAM HAS THIS YEAR’S BEST RECORD AFTER SEVEN WEEKS

ERIE, PENN. (June 20, 1864) – Throughout the National Base Ball Organization’s seven years of existence there has, perhaps, been no single club with a more significant record of ineptitude than Lake Erie of the Inland Championship:

For those keeping score, Lake Erie has six last-place finishes in seven N.B.B.O. seasons, their best single-season record has been 30-40, they have never finished closer than thirteen games behind first place, and their cumulative record over seven years is 177-313 – a Winning Percentage of .361.

Lake Erie has had either the worst or joint-worst record in the Northeastern League three times, and last season they and the Oceanic club were the two worst teams in the N.B.B.O. at 22-48. Lake Erie scored the fewest runs in the N.E.L. while having the worst Batting Average, Slugging Percentage, & O.P.S. They also allowed the most Home Runs in the N.B.B.O.

Over the winter the Lake Erie president, Ernest McLaughlin, and general manager, Jonathan Key, made numerous decisions that everyone simply assumed was the club spinning its proverbial wheels ahead of the new season. First was the hiring of Trenton United Hitting Coach Walter Banis to be the team’s new manager. What followed was a number of player moves:

• Fredo Eccelino (RF – 1861 All-Star) joined from Newark after a lineup replacement for him was recruited
• Perry Hockensmith (P) was named a starting pitcher after four seasons as a reliever for Lake Erie
• Bubba Mack (P) was made a starting pitcher after the 24-year-old had spent six years training for the role.
• John Murphy (LF – 2x Golden Glove) joined after Excelsior informed him he would be a backup
• Robert Perkins (C) was given the every-game catcher role for his second season with Lake Erie
• Franklin Petty (CF - #3 in N.o.t.Y. voting) was moved to the #4 position in the lineup at the age of 22
• Jari van der Sanden (3B) was signed – a Dutch immigrant playing independent base ball in Pennsylvania

The results so far in 1864 have been nothing short of astonishing:

• Lake Erie has the best record (25-10) & Run Differential (+92) in the N.B.B.O.
• Lake Erie currently has a three-game lead in the Inland Championship
• Lake Erie’s offense is in the top five of the N.E.L. in Runs, Average, O.P.S, and Batting W.A.R.
• Lake Erie’s pitching leads in the N.B.B.O. in Runs Allowed (198, 5.7 R/G)
• Lake Erie’s defense ranks in the top-third of the N.E.L. in Errors (3rd), Efficiency (5th), & Zone Rating (8th)

As for the Lake Erie players, the individual results have also been astonishing:

• Second-year 1B Wilbur Graff is batting .406 with 35 R.B.I. & 1.5 W.A.R. (1863: .344, 36 R.B.I, 1.5 W.A.R.)
• Franklin Petty is on a pace for 76 R.B.I. (44 in 1863) and Golden Glove defense at CF
• Fredo Eccelino is batting .342/.381/.479 with 1.0 W.A.R. (.276/.315/.351, 0.1 W.A.R. in 1863)
• John Murphy is batting .331/.338/.449 with 0.8 W.A.R. (.273/.292/.368, 0.1 W.A.R. in 1863)
• Jari van der Sanden is batting .329 in his first season of organized base ball
• Robert Perkins is batting .320 in his first season as a regular catcher (.285 over 43 games in 1863)
• Perry Hockensmith is 12-2 with a 2.66 E.R.A. and 2.3 W.A.R. in his first season as a starting pitcher
• Bubba Mack is 11-3 with a 3.39 E.R.A. and 2.2 W.A.R. in his first season as a starting pitcher

Never in their wildest dreams did McLaughlin & Key imagine that their decisions would turn Lake Erie into a powerhouse during the first half of 1864, but their work is not done. Of the two teams sitting three games behind them and tied for second place, Reading has a better Run Differential (+59) than three of the other teams that are leading their regional championships and Susquehanna has the second-best Run Differential (+76) in the entire N.B.B.O. While it is true that the bottom of the Inland Championship has been very weak, it is also true that both Reading & Susquehanna have been playing extremely high-quality base ball.

If Lake Erie were to hold on and win the Inland Championship, they could complete a number of N.B.B.O. maiden voyages:

• First team to go from last place to first place in one season
• First team to go from worst record to best record in their league in one season
• First team to go from worst record to best record in the N.B.B.O. in one season
• First team to lead their league in Runs Allowed after being in the bottom five the previous season
• First team to be in the top five in their league in Runs Scored after being last in the previous season
• First team to double their win total from the previous season
• Largest single-season improvement in wins

The unthinkable start to Lake Erie’s season has seen the team become the subject of general rooting interest for fans of struggling teams across the N.B.B.O, and if they indeed take the Inland pennant it will show everyone that any wayward organization can undergo a massive upturn in fortune in just one year.

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DRISCOLL & GERMAN COMBINE FOR 11 HITS IN SYRACUSE WIN
LAW ADDS 5 R.B.I. IN 19-2 ROUT OF BINGHAMTON

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (June 30, 1864) – Syracuse Base Ball Club had a grand old time at the Vestal Avenue Baseball Grounds this afternoon, trouncing hosts Birmingham by the score of 19-2 to draw level with them for second place in the Upstate Championship.

The top of the Syracuse lineup put in a masterful performance, with #4 batsman Carson Law (CF) going 3/6 with five R.B.I, brining his season total to 52, and #1/3 batsman Jonathan German & Walter Driscoll combining for eleven hits.

GERMAN:

• T1: Leadoff Single to RF off R. Oliver (scored)
• T2: Leadoff Single to CF off R. Oliver
• T3: Infield Single to 2B off R. Oliver
• T5: Leadoff Single past 1B off R. Schoettler (scored)
• T6: Infield Single to 2B off E. Kirkman
• T8: 1-run Double to CF off E. Kirkman (scored)
• TOTAL: 6/6, 2B, 3 R, 1 RBI, 7 TB

DRISCOLL:

• T1: 2-run Single past SS off R. Oliver (scored)
• T2: 2-run Inside the Park Home Run off R. Oliver
• T3: Fly Out to 1B
• T5: Infield Single to 3B off R. Schoettler (scored)
• T6: Single to CF off E. Kirkman
• T8: Infield Single to P off E. Kirkman (scored)
• TOTAL: 5/6, HR, 4 R, 4 RBI, 8 TB

While German & Driscoll had eleven hits between them, it was Carson Law who provided the moment of the afternoon. In the Syracuse half of the fifth inning, the R.B.I. leader of the National Base Ball Organization uncorked a Grand Slam to right field off Binghamton relief pitcher Robert Schoettler, which made the score 15-0.

Every Syracuse player had a hit, and everyone except Joel Dross (2B) scored. It was an excellent display by the visitors.

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A PAIR OF SIX-HIT GAMES IN SATURDAY ACTION
SAX’S 6/6 WINS GAME FOR VICTORY; FARRELL’S 6/7 INSPIRES PIONEER TO 11-INN. WIN

TROY, N.Y. & PITTSBURGH (July 6, 1864) – There were a duo of star performances in the N.B.B.O. on Saturday, with one player in each league racking up half a dozen hits in winning efforts.

The first six-hit game occurred in Troy, New York where the Victory club needed all nine innings to defeat visiting Binghamton by the score of 11-10. In the contest Edward Sax (2B) had six of the hosts’ fourteen hits, and Sax’s single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth drove in Frank Vinson to win the game and give Victory…a victory.

SAX:

• B1: 1-run Single to CF off E. Kirkman (scored)
• B3: Leadoff Single past SS off E. Kirkman (scored)
• B5: Leadoff Single past 2B off E. Kirkman (scored)
• B6: Single past SS off R. Schoettler (scored)
• B8: Leadoff Double to LCF off J. Gross
• B9: 1-Run Single between SS & 3B off J. Gross (game-winner)
• TOTAL: 6/6, 2B, 4 R, 2 RBI, 7 TB, GAME-WINNING HIT

The win moved Victory into a tie for sixth place in a very tight Upstate Championship, where the team sits just five games behind first-place Flour City even though there are six clubs even or ahead of them in the standings.

In Pittsburgh, William Farrell (SS) was the main figure in a battle between struggling Pioneer (18-28) & Alleghany (17-29), in which Pioneer came out on top 13-10 in eleven innings.

Farrell hit 6/7, with his only hitless appearance being a bound out in the top of the first inning. His final hit came in the top of the eleventh, in which his bunt single to load the bases set up Koos Pieters for a three-run double that won the game.

FARRELL:

• T1: Bound Out to CF
• T3: Double to LF off J. Kyle (scored)
• T5: Bunt Single to 1B off J. Kyle (scored)
• T7: Leadoff Single to CF off J. Kyle (scored)
• T8: 1-run Single to CF off J. Kyle (scored)
• T9: Single to LF off J. Scott
• T11: Bunt Single to 1B off T. LeMaster (scored)
• TOTAL: 6/7, 2 BUNT HITS, 2B, 5 R, 1 RBI, 7 TB

Farrell’s bunt in the top of the eleventh was not his only bunt hit, as he collected another one in the top of the fifth. Farrell himself has not had a great season – currently batting .312/.326/.413 – but on this day his excellence was undeniable.

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CONTINENTAL PLATES 9 IN THE 9TH TO BEAT N.C.
LATE HEROICS & NASSAU CO. ERRORS TURN 8-4 DEFICIT INTO 13-8 VICTORY

BROOKLYN (July 7, 1864) – For eight innings, it looked like Nassau County would easily get the best of visiting Continental in Brooklyn Championship play. Nik Madsen (1B) had racked up five hits, Zarek Polakowski (OF) also had five hits, and the hosts had a four-run lead. Then Continental came up to bat in the top of the ninth, and the result turned on its head:

Continental’s ninth inning:

• F. McPherson: Reached via Error by 2B E. Gruenwald
• H. Sanders: Reached via Base on Balls by A. White
• A. Kiessling: Reached via Error by 2B E. Gruenwald
• N. Long: Reached via Error by 2B E. Gruenwald (McPherson scored)
• F. Baker: Reached via Fielder’s Choice to HP
• C. Rankin: Infield Single between P & 1B off A. White (Kiessling scored)
• J. Atwood: Single between 1B & 2B off A. White (Long & Becker scored)
• L. Craig: Single to LCF off H. Allen (Rankin & Atwood scored)
• L. Hartzler: Sacrifice Bunt to 1B

• F. McPherson: Single past 3B off H. Allen (Craig scored)
• H. Sanders: Single between 1B & 2B off H. Allen (McPherson scored via error by RF E. Eisen)
• A. Kiessling: Double to CF off H. Allen (Sanders scored)
• N. Long: Ground Out to 2B
• TOTAL: 9 RUNS, 6 HITS, 4 ERRORS (3 by Gruenwald), 1 WALK, 1 SAC BUNT, 13 BATTERS

It was a nightmare of an inning for Nassau County second baseman Ernest Gruenwald, which continued his nightmare of a season in the field. The typically sure-handed infielder committed three errors to bring his season total to 72, which is already a full twenty more than he committed over the entire 1863 season. After his bunch of errors to begin the inning rattled pitcher Albert White the Continental rally was on, and the visitors were able to overcome an unusually difficult outing for Grover Wright to take the honors.

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BARCLAY SETS RECORD WITH 5 EXTRA-BASE HITS
FOUR DOUBLES & A TRIPLE HELP PROPEL GOTHAM TO 19-10 VICTORY AT MUTUAL

NEW YORK CITY (July 10, 1864) – The first half of July has been a crazy time in the N.B.B.O, with outstanding games and individual performances in heavy supply. There was more of the same at the Union Armory on Sunday afternoon, as Gotham’s Hamish Barclay set an N.B.B.O. record with five extra-base hits in Gotham’s 19-10 victory

Gotham, now 32-18 and threatening to run away with the New York City Championship, had a number of outstanding performances from their batsmen:

• Leadoff batsman Gerald McCarthy was 4/6 with four Runs
• Taliesin Buckley was 4/5 with four Runs & five R.B.I.
• Luc Billon was 3/6 with three Runs & a pair of R.B.I.
• Louis Barber was 4/6 with three R.B.I.

Gotham’s best performance of the day was easily that of second baseman Hamish Barclay, who set an N.B.B.O. record by collecting five extra-base hits – four doubles & a triple – in the Gotham victory.

BARCLAY:

• T1: Double to RCF off W. Pearson (scored)
• T3: Double to RCF off W. Pearson
• T4: 1-run Triple to CF off W. Pearson (scored)
• T6: Reached via Error by P J. Keel (stole 2B, scored)
• T7: Double to LF off J. Keel (scored)
• T9: Leadoff Double to LCF off O. McLoughlin (scored)
• TOTAL: 5/6, 4 2B, 3B, 5 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB, 11 TB

Barclay started the season batting well under his career average of roughly .350, going .315 over May & June. However, he is batting .405 over eight July contests, and that has brought his average on the 1864 season up to .332 as the N.B.B.O’s oldest club has begun to run rampant over its New York City competition.