A Road Through Baseball History (1871-

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Folded
-Brooklyn Hartfords
-Louisville Grays
-St. Louis Brown Stockings


Joined
-Indianapolis Blues
-Milwaukee Grays
-Providence Grays


There will be 6 teams competing for the upcoming 1878 NL season.

[Powderguy]

The Boston Red Caps were able to put together a very nice month of May, thanks in part to their first 8 games being against newcomer Providence who looked overwhelmed out there. With a superstar lineup like the Red Caps possess, you can't keep everyone from year to year. This past offseason, they parted ways with SS George Wright, but added CF George Hall to replace is bat in the lineup. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Grays seemed to have assembled a nice wealth of talent in the middle of their lineup. They have Ross Barnes (.333, 8 RBI), rookie Abner Dalrymple (.300, 18 RBI), and Paul Hines (.298, 9 RBI). Not to mention, they have longtime Red Caps SS George Wright (.324, 11 RBI) leading off for them. Over in Cincinnati, fans hope what they are seeing from pitcher Dan Collins (8-5, 1.77) will keep happening. In the past 3 years, he has suffered 2 significant elbow injuries that have setback his career.

Batting Leaders
BA: George Hall (BOS) .447
Hits: King Kelly (CIN), George Wright (MLG) 23
2B: George Hall (BOS), Martin Mullen (IND) 6
3B: Six tied with 2
HR: Jack Burdock (IND), Levi Meyerle (BOS) 2
RBI: Abner Dalrymple (MLG) 18
Runs: Fred Waterman (BOS) 19
SB: Dickie Flowers (CIN) 5

Pitching Leaders
ERA: Dan Collins (CIN) 1.77
Wins: Dan Collins (CIN) 8
Losses: Cy Bentley (MLG) 6
SHO: Cy Bentley (MLG) 1
K's: Cy Bentley (MLG) 25

Injuries
IND- LF Fred Cone (torn thumb ligament, 2-3 weeks)

Various News & Notes
5/14: Milwaukee P Cy Bentley was on his "A game" today as he shutout the Cincinnati Reds as he only allowed 4 hits as his club prevailed 7-0.
5/25: After collecting a hit in 23 straight games, Boston C Fred Waterman went 0 for 3 ending his hitting streak.

5 hit games
5/18: PRO LF Orator Shafer (5 for 5, 2 RBI, HBP in 9th)

[Powderguy]

The Boston Red Caps are blazing quite a trail through the rest of their opposition in the league. The club was a perfect 11-0 for the month until they dropped their final league game of the month, a 11-10 defeat to Chicago. But that hardly put a dent on their impressive mark and maybe the most surprising element is the fact the team hasn't figured out a true #1 starter in the pitching rotation. It was Sam Weaver (7-2, 3.65) in May, then Jim Britt (5-0, 3.12) took over for most of June before going down with an injury paving the way for Al Pratt (3-0, 3.00). Interesting statistic for pitchers as Milwaukee's Cy Bentley leads the league in wins (14) and losses (10), but also has thrown 2 shutouts.

Batting Leaders
BA: Cap Anson (BOS) .396
Hits: King Kelly (CIN) 46
2B: Martin Mullen (IND) 9
3B: Levi Meyerle (BOS), George Wright (MLG) 4
HR: Cap Anson (BOS) 4
RBI: Abner Dalrymple (MLG) 34
Runs: George Hall (BOS) 36
SB: Dickie Flowers (CIN) 10

Pitching Leaders
ERA: Tom Healy (PRO) 1.68
Wins: Cy Bentley (MLG) 14
Losses: Cy Bentley (MLG), Tom Healey (PRO) 10
SHO: Cy Bentley (MLG) 2
K's: Cy Bentley (MLG), Harry Arundel (CHI) 50

Injuries
BOS P Jim Britt (torn triceps, 3 months)

Various News & Notes
6/17: Boston P Jim Britt felt something snap in his arm as he delivered a pitch against Cincinnati. The diagnosis was a torn triceps muscle that will take 3-4 months to completely heal. It is bad news for the 22 year old Britt as he had taken over the starting job for a red hot Red Caps club. He had a 5-0 record in 7 games so far this year.
6/27: When a player goes down, there is always another player waiting to step up. Such was the case as Boston P Al Pratt, who took over Jim Britt's spot, tossed a 6 hit shutout against Chicago as his team won 13-0.
6/27: The Milwaukee Grays got another stellar effort from P Cy Bentley as he held the Providence Grays scoreless while limiting them to 3 hits. Milwaukee won the game 2-0.
6/30: The Boston Red Caps signed 2B Lip Pike to a 3 year extension that will pay out a total amount of $4,269. Pike is currently batting .376 with 22 RBI on the year.

5 hit games
6/20: IND 2B Jack Burdock (5 for 7, 2 RBI)
6/26: CIN SS Davy Force (5 for 6, 4 RBI)
6/27: BOS 1B Cap Anson (5 for 6, 1 RBI)

[Powderguy]

Batting Leaders
BA: Levi Meyerle (BOS) .389
Hits: King Kelly (CIN), Levi Meyerle (BOS) 65
2B: Martin Mullen (IND) 14
3B: George Wright (MLG) 7
HR: Cap Anson (BOS) 6
RBI: Levi Meyerle (BOS) 52
Runs: George Hall (BOS) 54
SB: Dickie Flowers (CIN) 12

Pitching Leaders
ERA: Harry Arundel (CHI) 2.49
Wins: Dan Collins (CIN) 19
Losses: Tom Healey (PRO) 19
SHO: Cy Bentley (MLG) 3
K's: Harry Arundel (CHI) 79

Injuries
BOS- P Jim Britt (torn triceps, 2 months)
CIN- 1B Dickie Flowers (strained oblique, 2 weeks)

Various News & Notes
7/12: The Boston Red Caps have secured another of one of their key cogs as 1B Cap Anson signed a 3 year extension that will pay out $5,288.
7/15: Cincinnati P Dan Collins continued his bounce back season as he shutout Providence 9-0 while holding them to 4 hits.
7/23: Providence 3B Wally Goldsmith went 0 for 4 ending his hitting streak at 20 games.
7/23: Milwaukee P Cy Bentley tossed his league leading 3rd shutout as he blanked Providence while allowing 3 hits.

5 hit games
7/16: IND CF Scott Hastings (5 for 6, 3 RBI)

[Powderguy]

Blaze of Red! Boston Dominates National League All Year

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Folded
-Indianapolis Blues
-Milwaukee Grays

Joined
-Buffalo Bisons
-Cleveland Blues
-Syracuse Stars
-Troy Trojans


There will be 8 teams competing for the upcoming 1879 NL season.

[Powderguy]

The Boston Red Caps were never challenged for the title last year and won the league by a staggering 11.5 games. This upcoming season will see the National League expand from 6 to 8 teams, as 4 new teams join while 2 teams depart. The Indianapolis and Milwaukee franchises couldn’t cut it financially. Stepping up to replace them will be the Buffalo Bisons, Cleveland Blues, Syracuse Stars, and Troy Trojans.

Below I will be listing the projected starting lineup order for each team and doing a little preview of each club’s predicted fortunes.

Boston Red Caps (44W-16L, 1st): After capturing the title by 11.5 games last year, the Red Caps look determined to obliterate the rest of the league even worse this year. The club brings back their offensive stud their first 2 years back in the National Association as Ross Barnes signed a 3 year deal. They also added a superb catcher in Deacon White, who seems to have pushed Fred Waterman to the bench, for now. On the mound this year will be 23 year old Jim Britt, who will be entering his 8th season, who took over the starting job last year before having a torn triceps sideline him for the remainder of the season.

LF: Ned Cuthbert (.274, 30 RBI with CHI & BOS)
C: Deacon White (.261, 2 HR, 30 RBI with MLG)
SS: Ross Barnes (.343, 29 RBI, 93 H with MLG)
1B: Cap Anson (.332, 72 R, 6 HR, 67 RBI)
3B: Levi Meyerle (.356, 103 H, 7 HR, 80 RBI)
CF: George Hall (.354, 80 R, 102 H, 5 HR, 58 RBI)
2B: Lip Pike (.313, 2 HR, 45 RBI)
RF: Candy Nelson (.338, 2 HR, 35 RBI)

SP: Jim Britt (7 GS, 5W-0L, 3.12 ERA, tore triceps and missed 3 months)
P: Al Pratt (36 GS, 24W-10L, 2.87 ERA)

Buffalo Bisons: A newly formed club that has signed some notable pitchers but seem to have made up their mind to start J. O’Neill, WTF. No clue who was behind that decision nor does anyone have a clue what this mystery first name is. They just won’t have enough offensive talent to compete in the league.

CF: Fred Treacey (.222, 1 RBI in 18 AB with MLG)
1B: Charlie Hautz (.190, 3 RBI with IND)
SS: Jack Burdock (.267, 3 HR, 44 RBI with IND)
2B: Hardy Richardson (rookie)
C: Lew Brown (rookie)
LF: Joe Hornung (rookie)
RF: Bill Harbidge (.266, 2 HR, 19 RBI with MLG)
3B: Bill Barrett (never appeared in game in 8 years)

SP: J. O’Neill (2 G with MLG)
P: Lon Knight (19 G, 6W-8L, 2 SV, 3.18 ERA with IND)
P: Sam Weaver (9 GS, 7W-2L, 3.52 ERA with BOS)

Chicago White Stockings (33W-28L, 2nd, 11.5 GB): As a fan of the club, you can’t complain as they have not finished worse than 3rd since coming back from the devastating fire that ripped through the city back in 1872. They have compiled finishes of 2nd in ’74 (6 GB), 3rd in ’75 (3.5 GB), 2nd in ’76 (1.5 GB), 2nd in ‘77 (2.5 GB), 2nd in ’78 (11.5 GB). Obviously, the fan base would like to see a championship brought back to the Windy City, but at the same time you could be saying time is running out on this current group of players to get it done.

2B: Jimmy Wood (.274, 3 HR, 41 RBI)
RF: Charlie Eden (.268, 17 RBI)
LF: Tom York (.290, 2 HR, 37 RBI)
CF: Paul Hines (.311, 3 HR, 42 RBI with MLG)
3B: Bill Boyd (.282, 1 HR, 33 RBI)
C: John Clapp (.167, 12 RBI)
SS: Wally Goldsmith (.251, 2 HR, 14 RBI with PRO)
1B: Denny Mack (.278, 2 RBI)

SP: Harry Arundel (41 GS, 23W-15L, 2.15 ERA, 129 K)
P: Bill Stearns (21 G, 6W-10L, 3.58 ERA, 37K)

Cincinnati Reds (33W-28L, 3rd, 11.5 GB): Followers of the club were impressed with the effort they received from pitcher Dan Collins as he was able to put together a full season without injury. Going into the season, he sees a rookie named Jim McCormick take over the job according to various newspapers. Ezra Sutton and King Kelly are back again to power the offense as the Reds hope they are the team that denies the Red Caps repeat attempt.

1B: Dickie Flowers (.297, 32 RBI, 16 SB)
C: King Kelly (.318, 52 RBI)
3B: Ezra Sutton (.282, 6 HR, 50 RBI)
CF: Pete Hotaling (rookie)
LF: Buttercup Dickerson (.283, 42 RBI)
RF: Gat Stires (.259, 2 HR, 40 RBI)
2B: John Hatfield (.289, 2 HR, 22 RBI)
SS: Davy Force (.297, 42 RBI)

SP: Jim McCormick (rookie)
P: Dan Collins (41 GS, 23W-17L, 2.73 ERA, 65 K)

Cleveland Blues: The club signed Cy Bentley, who tossed 3 shutouts for Milwaukee last year. There does appear to be some controversy at catcher as Cal McVey and Scott Hastings both arrive expecting to be the man at the position. Keep an eye on rookie Jack Glasscock, that’s what local fans are saying after watching him on the amateur circuit.

SS: Mike McGeary (.223, 1 HR, 26 RBI with HAR in 1877)
3B: Jack Glasscock (rookie)
LF: Abner Dalrymple (.364, 96 H, 57 RBI with MLG)
2B: Billy West (.241, 3 RBI with MLG)
C: Scott Hastings (.291, 4 HR, 51 RBI with IND)
RF: John Glenn (.170, 12 RBI with MLG)
1B: Bill Phillips (rookie)
CF: Charley Jones (.225, 6 RBI with IND)

SP: Cy Bentley (52 GS, 27W-25L, 2.77 ERA, 103K with MLG)
P: Pud Galvin (9 G, 2W-3L, 3.49 ERA with CIN)

Providence Grays (16W-46L, 6th, 29.0 GB): Last year couldn’t have gotten off to much worse of a start as the club was 1-7 after starting their season against Boston. It didn’t get much better the rest of way and now heading into this season they have no clue what their lineup will even be. Pitcher Monte Ward was a bright spot on the team as he had showcased his rocket arm for the Grays faithful most of the year.

2B: Bill Craver (.189, 23 RBI)
LF: Charlie Pabor (.202, 10 RBI)
C: Dick Higham (.282, 33 RBI)
1B: Joe Start (.335, 32 RBI)
SS: John Bass (.242, 1 HR, 38 RBI)
3B: Steve Brady (.288, 9 RBI)
CF: undecided
RF: undecided

SP: Monte Ward (33 G, 9W-20L, 3.45 ERA, 75 K)
P: Tom Healy (33 G, 5W-20L, 3.04 ERA)

Syracuse Stars: Hmmmmm, going to be a LONG year in Syracuse, New York.

LF: Fred Cone (.275, 36 RBI with IND)
CF: Frank McCarton (appeared in 5 G with BOS)
C: Mike Dorgan (.267, 2 HR, 39 RBI with IND)
1B: John Morrill (rookie)
2B: Jack Manning (.233, 13 RBI with CIN)
3B: Jim Keenan (rookie)
RF: Blondie Purcell (rookie)
SS: Jimmy Macullar (rookie)

SP: The Only Nolan (7 G, 3W-1L, 1.33 ERA with IND)

Troy Trojans: Another club form New York joins the league as the Trojans based out of Troy will try their luck. Veteran George Wright seems to be a believer as he signed up for 2 years. Dan Brouthers, who the locals call Big Dan, will show the NL how the rookies get it done.

SS: George Wright (.284, 87 H, 39 RBI, 19 SB with MLG)
LF: Al Thake (.250, 3 RBI with CHI & PRO)
1B: Dan Brouthers (rookie)
3B: Ned Williamson (rookie)
2B: Andy Leonard (.253, 41 RBI with BOS)
C: Harry Berthrong (.283, 13 RBI with CHI)
CF: George Bird (.229, 34 RBI with PRO)
RF: Henry Austin (.220, 32 RBI with PRO)

SP: Harry Salisbury (rookie)


PROJECTED FINISH
1. Boston Red Caps
2. Chicago White Stockings
3. Cleveland Blues
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Troy Trojans
6. Buffalo Bisons
7. Providence Grays
8. Syracuse Stars

[scott1964]

I bet Dan Brouthers will tear up the League like he did mine.

[Powderguy]

After starting the season 1-1, the White Stockings went on an 11 game winning streak that included 4 wins over Boston. Chicago finished the month by winning 5 of 6 from the Red Caps. Fans are hoping this is finally the year to call themselves champions as the previous 5 years the club has been no worse than 3rd. Harry Arundel (8-2, 2.88) and Bill Stearns (3-0, 1.61) are mowing down hitters while Paul Hines is tied for the league lead with 4 homers. A staggering five teams are within 1 game either way of the .500 mark with the Syracuse, Troy, and Buffalo franchises holding their own. Meanwhile, it seems the cellar is once again going to be the destination for Providence as an 11 game slide saw them go from 2-1 to 2-12 before ending the month with a victory. Monte Ward (37) only trails Tommy Bond (40) for the most strikeouts in the league, but all that's got him has been a 3-11 record.

Batting Leaders
BA: Ross Barnes (BOS) .429
Hits: Ross Barnes (BOS) 30
2B: Lip Pike (BOS) 8
3B: Fred Treacey (BUF) 4
HR: George Hall (BOS), Paul Hines (CHI) 4
RBI: George Hall (BOS) 22
Runs: Cap Anson (BOS) 19
SB: George Wright (TRO) 6

Pitching Leaders
ERA: Jim McCormick (CIN) 1.29
Wins: Harry Arundel (CHI), Mike Golden (TRO) 8
Losses: Monte Ward (PRO) 11
SHO: Cy Bentley (CLV), George Bradley (CIN) 1
K's: Tommy Bond (BOS) 40

Injuries
NONE

Various News & Notes
5/3: Cincinnati P George Bradley held Troy scoreless today at Avenue Grounds as his club prevailed 5-0.
5/13: Obviously once the game started, Cleveland P Cy Bentley knew he was going to get the W, but he took it one step further as he shutout Syracuse while limiting them to 3 hits and racking up 9 strikeouts! The Blues beat the Stars 16-0.

5 hit games
5/2: BOS 2B Lip Pike (5 for 5, 3 RBI)
5/15: CHI LF Tom York (5 for 6, 2 RBI)

[Powderguy]

Once again, Boston and Chicago are on paths to finish 1st and 2nd in the league. But, in what order will they finish is the $64,000 question? The Red Caps won their first 13 games in June before dropping their finale against Providence to finish off the month at 13-1. Thus, they gained 3.5 games on Chicago who held their own this past month going 9-4. The schedule starts to heat up in the coming months as the weather gets nicer, teams will be playing games more frequently allowing drastic swings in the standings. Cleveland faithful haven't seen their team end too many on their games on top as they are just 9-18. Oddly enough, of those 9 wins, 3 of them have been shutouts courtesy of Cy Bentley (6-15, 3.43) who actually tossed back to back shutouts over Providence earlier in the month.

Batting Leaders
BA: Ross Barnes (BOS) .431
Hits: Ross Barnes (BOS), Cap Anson (BOS) 59
2B: Lip Pike (BOS), John Bass (PRO), Hardy Richardson (BUF) 10
3B: Fred Treacey (BUF) 5
HR: George Hall (BOS), Paul Hines (CHI), Lew Brown (BUF) 4
RBI: George Hall (BOS) 44
Runs: Cap Anson (BOS) 40
SB: George Wright (TRO) 9

Pitching Leaders
ERA: Mike Golden (TRO) 1.67
Wins: Mike Golden (TRO) 17
Losses: Monte Ward (PRO) 20
SHO: Cy Bentley (CLV) 3
K's: Monte Ward (PRO) 71

Injuries
NONE

Various News & Notes
6/21: There is unrest coming out of Providence as Jim O'Rourke wants the club to cut ties with him. The two main factors are their place in the standings and they have assigned Orator Jim to play center field, a spot that he has no interest in playing. His on the field performance is obviously being affected as he is batting a mere .200 heading into July.
6/27: The man wielding the hottest bat in the league extended his hitting streak to 20 games with 2 hits against the Grays. Maybe Anson can be the man to eclipse Davy Force's 32 game streak back in 1873?

Shutouts
6/5: CHI Harry Arundel (11-0 win over PRO, 6 hits, 4 K) 1st of season
6/7: TRO Mike Golden (4-0 win over CLV, 6 hits, 3 K) 1st of season
6/17: CLV Cy Bentley (9-0 win over PRO, 7 hits, 1 K) 2nd of season
6/19: CLV Cy Bentley (9-0 win over PRO, 5 hits, 1 K) 3rd of season

5 hit games
6/26: BOS SS Ross Barnes (5 for 6, 3 RBI in 25-15 win over SYR)

[Powderguy]

Chicago has opened up some breathing room on Boston as they stretched their 1.5 game lead at the start of the month to 4.5 games going into August. After losing 4 of 5 to open the month, Chicago won 11 of their next 15 to stretch their margin. Maybe that is due to the fact that Boston suffered through an 8-10 month and that has to be pinned on the pitching and fielding. The team is 2nd to worst in team ERA and fielding, as they only lead Providence. The offense is doing it's part as the team is batting an unreal .301 led by potential league MVP Ross Barnes' .401 average and 90 hits.

Batting Leaders
BA: Ross Barnes (BOS) .411
Hits: Ross Barnes (BOS) 90
2B: Lip Pike (BOS), John Bass (PRO), George Hall (BOS) 15
3B: Fred Treacey (BUF), George Hall (BOS), Andy Leonard (TRO) 5
HR: Lew Brown (BUF), Cap Anson (BOS), Ezra Sutton (CIN) 6
RBI: Cap Anson (BOS) 59
Runs: Cap Anson (BOS) 55
SB: Jimmy Wood (CHI) 14

Pitching Leaders
ERA: Mike Golden (TRO) 2.01
Wins: Mike Golden (TRO), Harry Arundel (CHI) 21
Losses: Monte Ward (PRO) 27
SHO: Cy Bentley (CLV) 3
K's: Monte Ward (PRO) 111

Injuries
BOS- LF Ned Cuthbert (oblique strain, 1 week)
CLV- RF John Glenn (oblique strain, 5 weeks)

Various News & Notes
7/4: An 0 for 3 effort ended Boston 1B Cap Anson's hitting streak at 22 games.
7/10: After an impressive rookie campaign, Cleveland LF Abner Dalrymple had put together a 23 game hitting streak before going 0 for 4 in a game against Providence.
7/16: Boston LF Ned Cuthbert sustained an oblique strain that will require him to miss 2-3 weeks of action. For the year, he was batting .246 with 24 RBI.

Shutouts
7/19: CIN Jim McCormick (2-0 win over TRO, 4 hits, 3K) 1st of season

5 hit games
7/5: CLV SS Jack Glasscock (5 for 6, 2 RBI in 11-8 win over BUF)
7/17: BUF 1B Tim Murnane (5 for 6, 2 RBI in 15-14 win over BOS)

[Powderguy]

Batting Leaders
BA: Ross Barnes (BOS) .407
Hits: Ross Barnes (BOS) 125
2B: John Bass (PRO) 21
3B: George Hall (BOS) 8
HR: Cap Anson (BOS) 9
RBI: Cap Anson (BOS) 87
Runs: Cap Anson (BOS) 76
SB: George Wright (TRO) 18

Pitching Leaders
ERA: Bill Stearns (CHI) 1.96
Wins: Tommy Bond (BOS) 29
Losses: Monte Ward (PRO) 35
SHO: Cy Bentley (CLV) 4
K's: Monte Ward (PRO) 161

Injuries
BOS- 3B Levi Meyerle (broken bone in elbow, 3-4 months)
CLV- RF John Glenn (oblique strain, 4 days)

Various News & Notes
8/7: One of the key players the Boston Red Caps will need down the stretch is going to be shelved by a broken bone in the elbow area. That player will be Levi Meyerle as he is expected to miss the rest of the season after a collision at second base. For the season, he was batting .280 with 2 HR and 34 RBI.
8/24: Troy trades 29 year old SS Jimmy Hallinan to Cincinnati for 33 year old C Bob Ferguson.

Shutouts
8/2: CHI Bill Stearns (15-0 win over CLV, 3 hits, 2 K) 1st of season
8/9: CLV P Cy Bentley (7-0 win over BUF, 5 hits, 2 K) 4th of season
8/21: CHI P Harry Arundel (3-0 win over BUF, 6 hits, 3 K) 2nd of season
8/26: CIN P George Bradley (9-0 win over BUF, 2 hits, 1 K) 2nd of season

5 hit games
8/5: SYR 2B Jack Farrell (5 for 5, 2 RBI in 13-12 loss to BOS)
8/28: PRO C Dick Higham (5 for 5, 1 RBI in 7-1 win over SYR)

[Powderguy]

Stearns and Arundel Pitch White Stockings To The Top Spot

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Folded
-Syracuse Stars

Joined
-Worcester Ruby Legs

There will be 8 teams competing for the upcoming 1880 NL season.