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

[tm1681]

So...I had a thread going in which I started a baseball universe with an amateur league that began play in 1857, mirroring the National Association of Base Ball Players in real life, and went from there, with league splits and fictional league creation mirroring real-life dates.

However, after a crash in the 1880s going to my backup caused me to lose about 25 years worth of leaderboard data, and then another issue after 1905 involving some data not importing from OOTP23 correctly was making it look like I'd have to go to another backup, and so....

I'm starting over. I realized I never really put much attention into the early years of the game, so I figure now that I have a TB of online storage the new version of this in-game universe and its related thread should be a lot more fun in the end. If you'll remember, I started the original just to pass time because my newborn was spitting up every other feeding and I had to stay up all night, to feed her and make sure she wasn't underweight, so my wife could go back to teaching during the pandemic. I was pretty much winging it at the start, but now that I've got some of my work back I'm writing a lot more and have more solid ideas for everything.

I was creating Word Document previews to map out my posts in the other thread, but this time around I figure I must just make standalone ones for people who are interested, since they don't take much to move over. I can't attach them, but here are links:

Toronto Gothic

Old Newspaper Types

Download them and move them to the Windows --> Fonts folder, almost always in the C: drive.

One thing I want to reply to from the end of the other thread:

Originally Posted by BaseballReplayJournal

This is really cool - any details on what you figured out?

What I figured out is this: of course when you create a league based in one region of a country you lose the ability to change the makeup of generated players and foreign imports, with players essentially becoming all domestic-based. HOWEVER, by playing in Commissioner Mode and going into "Explore World" you can change the Baseball Quality of nations so that "International Established Free Agents" come from the countries you want to see represented.

When the game started on 1/1/1857, I went to "Explore World", knocked all the countries down to "Non-Existent" baseball quality except the USA & Canada, and built them back up so that the countries that sending the most immigrants to the U.S.A. at the time had "Excellent" or "Good" baseball quality.

Based on the test I ran, it worked. 70% of the International Free Agents came from places like Italy, Germany, England, Ireland, etc instead of Japan, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and so on.

So, with that, let's begin.

[tm1681]

BASE BALL BECOMES AN ORGANIZED SPORT

NEW YORK, January 23 (1857) – Over the 1840s and early 1850s the new sport of “base ball” swept across the Northeastern United States, with many informal clubs springing up across New York, New England, and the greater Northeast.

While the numerous clubs in the former colonies played the same sport, the way they played it varied. Some clubs insisted on playing games with whomever was available – anywhere from seven to eleven men – while others insisted on only playing with nine men per side, lending players to undermanned opponents to make up the numbers. One prominent group of New York clubs played games until one side scored 21 runs, another group wanted to shorten sporting affairs by ending contests after both teams had nine turns at bat, and a third group wanted to shorten things even further by ending contests after seven turns at bat. There were differing opinions on bat, ball, and field sizes. There were arguments about how long the distance between the bases should be. There was no official rule on how far the “pitcher’s position” should be from home plate. There was especially spirited discussion over whether a batter should be declared out if a fly ball is caught after one bounce – the “Bound Rule” – or without any bounces.

As the 1850s progressed, larger clubs wanted more serious competition, and that led to increased discussion about undertaking the first formal organization of the sport. Everything came to a head at a series of meetings at the St. Nicholas Hotel in New York City which ended yesterday, January 22nd. First, the rules & regulations of the sport were standardized and typed up in a document called “The Laws of Base Ball” by Knickerbocker Base Ball Club president D.L. “Doc” Adams. Second, the first formal organization of base ball clubs was formed: the National Base Ball Organization (NBBO). Finally, the first formal competition for the sport of base ball was mapped out.

The St. Nicholas Hotel in 1853

The major “R&R” agreements made at the meetings:

• All games must be contested between two teams of nine players
• All matches now single-day games instead of cricket-style “tests”
• All games will end after both teams have had nine turns at bat – nine innings

• Extra innings will be played in the (rare) case of a tie

• The “Bound Rule” stays in force (this would be repealed in 1865)

• Any batted ball caught on the fly or after one bounce results in an out

• Distance between bases is to be a set distance of 30 yards (90 feet)
• Bases are to be canvas bags 1’x1’ in size

• Home will be marked by a circular iron plate painted white to match the bases

• Pitchers are to deliver the ball from a line drawn 15 yards (45 feet) from home plate
• Pitchers who repeatedly fail to deliver hittable ball to the batter will be given a “ball to bat” warning

• After three “balls” the batter will receive a free “base on balls”

• Batters are allowed to try to reach first base on swinging third strikes that bounced
• The ball is to be 5.5-5.75 ounces and 9.5-9.75 inches in circumference with a rubber center & leather cover
• The bat must be round, made of wood, and a maximum of 2.5 inches in diameter (length not specified)

Also decided upon at the meetings:

• Balks were formally defined
• Foul balls were formally defined
• The Batter’s Box was formally defined
• The responsibilities of umpires were defined & listed
• Players, executives, and umpires were formally prohibited from betting on games

The above rules & regulations are expansions of the original set of base ball guidelines, which were written by Knickerbocker B.B.C. player-directors W.R. Wheaton and W.H. Tucker in 1845. That set of rules & regulations, known as the “Knickerbocker Rules”, codified what was at the time known as the “New York Style” of the sport. There were other variants of base ball in 1845 – the “Massachusetts Game” and “Philadelphia Town Ball” being the most notable.

There was also a set of roster regulations put in place for each club in the N.B.B.O. to follow:

• Clubs may have up to eighteen men on their senior roster, and the same amount in reserve
• Reserve players may be called up in the event of injury or suspension, but may not be freely moved back and forth
• A player with a minor injury may be placed on an “Injury Exemption List” for two weeks (14 days)
• A player with a major injury may be placed on an “Injury Exemption List” for at least six weeks (42 days)
• Senior roster players will receive a weekly per diem of $1 to cover expenses, but must otherwise remain unpaid
• Although players are amateur, they must sign contracts to play for a specific club from one to four years

While the N.B.B.O. demanded its competition have amateur status, it was no secret that big clubs would entice players with under-the-table payments and other perks to obtain their business. Average players would be happy receiving a dollar per week to help out with equipment maintenance and travel expenses, but stars were going to receive other benefits and it was just a matter of making sure nobody got caught.

At the same time, the N.B.B.O. did state that players could receive some extra money from their club’s coffers if it covered “expenses related to the work of being a base ball player”. That meant a lot of players might receive another dollar, or even two, per week for things like food, seasonal housing, and improved equipment.

Now that base ball was organized into a set of rules and regulations it was time to create a formal governing body for the sport itself, and it was at these meetings that the new organization – the National Base Ball Organization – was formed with the intent of enforcing the above R&R while governing the clubs that agreed to them.

With the NBBO now in existence, it was time to organize a competition.

[tm1681]

BASE BALL’S FIRST COMPETITION

NEW YORK, January 23 (1857) – Numerous Northeastern clubs attended the meetings that led to the formation of the National Base Ball Organization, and when it came time to organize base ball’s first competition the discussion became a little contentious.

The New York metropolitan area was the center of the sport, and as such many teams wanted in. There were also many clubs throughout New England and the greater Northeastern United States that wanted the status and validity that being part of the sport’s first organized structure would give them. The NBBO was happy to take on all who would sign up, but teams had to be limited for the first competition so the format could remain logical.

On the final day of meetings – January 22nd – agreement was reached on how the first competition would look. The following was decreed:

• There will be 48 clubs admitted to the first competition
• The 48 clubs will be split into two leagues

• The New York League of Base Ball Clubs
• The Northeastern League of Base Ball Clubs

• Within each league there will be three intra-city and regional championships

• N.Y.L. – Brooklyn, New York City, & Upstate
• N.E.L. – Coastal, Inland, & New England

• There will be eight teams in each championship subgroup
• Teams will only play against the other teams in their championship group
• Those teams will play against each other team ten times

• Two five-game series against each team (home & away)
• (seven other teams) x (ten games each) = 70 total games
• Games will be played Wednesday-Sunday for fourteen weeks

That formed the base of the competition. Now, the issue was what to do with the six city & regional championship winners to determine the overall NBBO champion. Two formats were discussed: a ten-game Round Robin format in which the six teams played each other twice each at various venues in New York & Brooklyn, and a playoff format consisting of two teams at a time contesting each other over a five-game series. The playoff format won, and here’s how it will work:

• Championship winners will be seeded by record within their league (N.Y.L. or N.E.L.)
• The champions with the 2nd & 3rd best records will play each other in the League Semi-Finals

• Five-game series – home games in 2-2-1 format, #2 seed has advantage

• The champion with the best record will wait to play the winner of the League Semi-Finals

• Five-game series – home games in 2-2-1 format, #1 seed has advantage

• The N.Y.L. & N.E.L. champions will play for the NBBO title

• Five-game series – home games in 2-2-1 format
• Home advantage will alternate between the N.Y.L. & N.E.L. each year

The winner of the first N.B.B.O. championship will receive a shiny new trophy: the Tucker-Wheaton Cup, named after the two men who wrote the “Knickerbockers Rules” which formed the basis upon which the first organized version of the sport was built.

The inaugural 48-club roster of the National Base Ball Organization’s maiden competition follows geographical guidelines within their championship subgroups. Two examples: all the Upstate Championship clubs are outside of the New York metro area but reside in New York State, and all the clubs in the New England Championship are from cities & towns in New England.

The list of clubs:

NEW YORK LEAGUE

• BROOKLYN: Atlantic, Bedford, Continental, Eckford, Empire, Excelsior, Kings County, Nassau Co.
• NEW YORK CITY: Gotham, Harlem, Hilltop, Knickerbocker, Metropolitan, Mutual, Orange, Union
• UPSTATE: Binghamton, Eagle, Flour City, Minuteman, Niagara, Syracuse, Utica, Victory

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE

• COASTAL: American, Mass. Bay, Newark, Olympic, Port Jersey, Quaker St., Shamrock, Trenton Utd.
• INLAND: Alleghany, Lake Erie, Merrimack Milles, Pioneer, Reading A.C., Scranton, Sportsman’s, Susquehanna
• NEW ENGLAND: Cantabrigians, Granite, Green Mtn., Oceanic, Portland, Quinnipiac, Sons of the Ocean, St. John’s

Each club carries with it its own visual identity that makes it stand out on the base ball field. The standard of the New York clubs is to wear all-white uniforms, so wearing the team’s logo on a shield located on the front of the shirt is the norm. The Philadelphia clubs and most of those residing in New England, however, choose to wear colored shirts to go with their white pants to further stand out.

The visual identity of each club is below:
 

NEW YORK LEAGUE

 

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE

The 48 clubs of the National Base Ball Organization expect to take to the field for the N.B.B.O.’s first 70-game competition starting in the first week of May, with the season finishing in early August and the playoffs taking up the rest of the month.

The two toughest championships are, not surprisingly, Brooklyn and New York City. The winner of the first Tucker-Wheaton Cup is expected to come from either of the two. However, the Bostonian & Philadelphian clubs make the Coastal formidable, and clubs in the major New York cities outside of the N.Y.C. metro – Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, & Troy – make Upstate quite strong as well. The Inland and New England championships are made up of mostly smaller clubs, but Pittsburgh’s Alleghany B.B.C. and Providence’s St. John’s B.B.C. are said to have rosters that can challenge those of the New York clubs in quality. Also, the Sons of the Ocean from New Bedford, Massachusetts is a club that is expected to punch well above its weight.

N.B.B.O. directors have stated that they plan on handing out awards to the best of the best in the N.Y.L. & N.E.L. at the end of the season. What has been shared so far about the awards is that they will fall under five categories:

• BATSMAN OF THE YEAR – given to the player deemed the best with the bat
• MOST VALUABLE PLAYER – given to the player deemed the “most impactful” in the league
• TEAM OF THE YEAR – the nine players chosen as the best in each league, with one for each position
• GOLDEN GLOVE – the nine best defensive players in the N.Y.L. & N.E.L., with one for each position
• FIELD MANAGER OF THE YEAR – given to the manager deemed to have done the best work with his roster

The reader may notice an absence of pitching-related awards, and pitchers in the N.B.B.O. may feel slighted at the fact that there will be no “Pitcher of the Year”. The simple fact is that, at the current time, pitchers do little more than instigate the action on the field. Their job is to “pitch” the ball underhanded to the batter in a manner that is to be hittable, and with the throwing motion any pitcher can use severely restricted, by rule, there is only so much of an affect one can have on the game. Pitchers have various grips they might use that can cause the ball to react in different ways as it sails toward the batter, but any batter who strikes out will have done so because of their own failure to connect with three hittable pitches. Even the most highly regarded pitchers will see an average of one batter strike out per game AT MOST. For now, the defense behind the pitcher is likely to have more of an effect on the outcome of a batter’s trip to the plate than anything the pitcher might lob toward him.

In the future, if there is a time when the pitcher is allowed to throw the ball in any way he pleases to, then there will certainly be awards for excellence at that position. For now, the pitchers will have to go without.

Now that base ball has an organized competition, it will be fascinating to see how the first season will unfold, if fans will turn out to games, which team will be the first to lift the cup, and which players will shine the brightest among the 860 or so who will suit up for the National Base Ball Organization’s first season of play.

[tm1681]

BASE BALL’S MARQUEE NAMES

NEW YORK, May 5 (1857) – The National Base Ball Organization’s first season of competition begins tomorrow, and before the action on the field begins it would behoove fans and readers alike to familiarize themselves with players whom various writers and members of the press throughout the Northeastern United States are declaring to the best in the N.B.B.O.

Below are the favorites for the 1857 Team of the Year in each league, with the New York League listed first and the Northeastern League second. (All ratings and notes below are on a 20-80 scale based on input from regional writers)

NEW YORK LEAGUE

PITCHER: Art Maxwell – Bedford – 33 y/o, 6’0”, 200 lbs. from Wayne PA
• PITCHING: Stuff 65, Movement 70, Control 65
• DEFENSE (P): Range 35, Error 35, Arm 45, Overall 55
• OTHER: Stamina 50, Hold Runners 75
• SUMMARY: Maxwell is one of the rare pitchers that knows enough about the ball that he can make it dance around even though he’s essentially lobbing it to the batsman. He’s also good at keeping pitches within bat range to keep the defense active and engaged.

CATCHER: Walter Goss – Kings County – 28 y/o, 5’5”, 150 lbs. from New York City
• BATTING: Contact 55, Gap 45, Eye 55, Avoid Ks 70
• DEFENSE (C): Ability 60, Arm 60, Overall 60
• OTHER: Speed 40, Stealing 35, Baserunning 45, Sac. Bunt 65, Bunt for Hit 45
• SUMMARY: Catchers are mostly known for their defensive ability, and Goss is fine behind the plate. However, he’s also a good technical hitter and that sets him apart from many other backstops in the N.Y. metro area.

FIRST BASEMAN: Walt Driscoll – Mutual – 25 y/o, 5’5”, 155 lbs. from Hermitage PA
• BATTING: Contact 80, Gap 65, Eye 80, Avoid Ks 75
• DEFENSE (1B): Range 45, Error 50, Arm 55, DP 35, Overall 45
• OTHER: Speed 40, Stealing 80, Baserunning 80, Sac. Bunt 55, Bunt for Hit 45
• SUMMARY: Driscoll is among the favorites to be the first N.Y.L. Batting Champion because of his patience at the plate and ability to make solid contact. He takes both advice and criticism very well, leading to continuous improvement.

SECOND BASEMAN: Joe Bentley – Niagara – 29 y/o, 5’7”, 165 lbs. from Brookfield MA
• BATTING: Contact 75, Gap 55, Eye 80, Avoid Ks 75
• DEFENSE (2B): Range 55, Error 55, Arm 55, DP 60, Overall 60
• OTHER: Speed 50, Stealing 55, Baserunning 45, Sac. Bunt 70, Bunt for Hit 35
• SUMMARY: Bentley isn’t the best overall second baseman in the N.Y.L. – H. Ciccone of Metropolitan the likely #1. However, Bentley’s technical ability with the bat makes him the most impactful 2B, and his dogged work ethic ensures he’ll never fall behind the competition.

THIRD BASEMAN: Leroy Weld – Metropolitan – 25 y/o, 5’8”, 170 lbs. from New York City
• BATTING: Contact 75, Gap 65, Eye 80, Avoid Ks 75
• DEFENSE (3B): Range 55, Error 50, Arm 65, DP 30, Overall 50
• OTHER: Speed 35, Stealing 60, Baserunning 70, Sac. Bunt 45, Bunt for Hit 40
• SUMMARY: Weld isn’t great defensively, but the “hot corner” is hard to defend effectively. Where he shines is with the bat, and he’s a plus on the basepaths as well. He’s known to be humble, working tirelessly to improve both himself and his teammates.

SHORTSTOP: Carl Keener – Minuteman – 28 y/o, 5’10”, 170 lbs. from Lakewood NJ
• BATTING: Contact 65, Gap 55, Eye 35, Avoid Ks 70
• DEFENSE (SS): Range 75, Error 60, Arm 70, DP 65, Overall 70
• OTHER: Speed 60, Stealing 65, Baserunning 80, Sac. Bunt 45, Bunt for Hit 45
• SUMMARY: Talented enough for the big N.Y.C. & Brooklyn clubs, but steadfastly loyal to the city of Albany. Good hitter with a slight tendency to swing freely. Excellent defender who can cover nearly everything b/w 2nd & 3rd. Considered the most talented SS in the sport.

CORNER OUTFIELD: Andrew “Dandy Andy” Bidwell – Gotham – 28 y/o, 5’7”, 175 lbs. from Salem MA
• BATTING: Contact 70, Gap 80, Eye 70, Avoid Ks 75
• DEFENSE (LF): Range 55, Error 70, Arm 45, Overall 60
• OTHER: Speed 70, Stealing 75, Baserunning 70, Sac. Bunt 50, Bunt for Hit 50
• SUMMARY: Bidwell ticks all the boxes for great batsmanship – makes great contact, finds the gaps, waits for the pitch he wants, & rarely misses. He’s quick, smart, rarely makes mistakes between the bases, and has good hands on defense. Considered another of the favorites to be first N.Y.L. Batting Champion.

CENTER FIELD: Albert Jones – Knickerbocker – 25 y/o, 5’10”, 185 lbs. from Paramus NJ
• BATTING: Contact 65, Gap 75, Eye 45, Avoid Ks 70
• DEFENSE (CF): Range 65, Error 65, Arm 70, Overall 55
• OTHER: Speed 65, Stealing 75, Baserunning 70, Sac. Bunt 60, Bunt for Hit 65
• SUMMARY: A solid presence in CF for one of base ball’s original clubs. Jones can do everything with proficiency ranging from good (contact) to excellent (stealing) the only question is if he can cover enough distance in the massive center of the Elysian Fields outfield.

CORNER OUTFIELD: Chester Ellis – Atlantic – 32 y/o, 5’9”, 165 lbs. from Waterbury CT
• BATTING: Contact 70, Gap 55, Eye 80, Avoid Ks 75
• DEFENSE (LF): Range 60, Error 50, Arm 55, Overall 60
• OTHER: Speed 55, Stealing 80+, Baserunning 80+, Sac. Bunt 75, Bunt for Hit 55
• SUMMARY: Ellis does a great job waiting for his pitch and getting on base, and on top of that he’s an utter terror between the bases. His baserunning smarts don’t translate over to defense, but he’s good enough in the corner of the outfield.

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE

PITCHER: Henry Enfield – Scranton – 36 y/o, 5’8”, 175 lbs. from Potomac MD
• PITCHING: Stuff 70, Movement 75, Control 65
• DEFENSE (P): Range 40, Error 45, Arm 55, Overall 70
• OTHER: Stamina 55, Hold Runners 60
• SUMMARY: Those outside of N.Y. will tell you that Enfield was the first pitcher who could take a base ball and make it move around on its way to the plate. That’s possibly apocryphal, but there certainly isn’t a smarter pitcher in existence. Those who’ve watched him say they’ve seen him use as many as six different grips on the ball over the course of a game.

CATCHER: “Skipper” Joe Feuerstein – Portland – 27 y/o, 5’11”, 170 lbs. from Tewksbury MA
• BATTING: Contact 45, Gap 55, Eye 60, Avoid Ks 75
• DEFENSE (C): Ability 75, Arm 65, Overall 75
• OTHER: Speed 35, Stealing 60, Baserunning 55, Sac. Bunt 70, Bunt for Hit 40
• SUMMARY: Feuerstein is the most highly regarded catcher in the game. His mental sharpness allows him to affect games from behind the plate, and he is a well-liked leader off the field who serves as a coach for Portland as much as a player.

FIRST BASEMAN: Arthur Holton – Mass. Bay – 34 y/o, 6’0”, 180 lbs. from Howell NJ
• BATTING: Contact 75, Gap 60, Eye 75, Avoid Ks 65
• DEFENSE (1B): Range 45, Error 35, Arm 45, DP 25, Overall 55
• OTHER: Speed 25, Stealing 20, Baserunning 30, Sac. Bunt 50, Bunt for Hit 30
• SUMMARY: Holton can get on base as well as anybody, and he should be in the mix to be the first N.E.L. Batting Champion. His height lets him man first base effectively. His only issue is that he’s so slow afoot that he’s an easy target on the basepaths.

SECOND BASEMAN: Daragh Adams – Shamrock – 28 y/o, 5’9”, 165 lbs. from Belturbet (Cavan) Ireland
• BATTING: Contact 75, Gap 60, Eye 55, Avoid Ks 75
• DEFENSE (2B): Range 55, Error 75, Arm 40, DP 70, Overall 70
• OTHER: Speed 50, Stealing 55, Baserunning 55, Sac. Bunt 55, Bunt for Hit 40
• SUMMARY: Regarded by those who’ve seen him as the best second baseman in the sport. Adams immigrated to the U.S. a decade ago and took to base ball like a fish to water. He’s excellent with the bat and has some of the best hands of anyone who plies his trade defensively as a middle infielder.

THIRD BASEMAN: Joe Dalton – Newark – 26 y/o, 5’5”, 155 lbs. from Boston MA
• BATTING: Contact 70, Gap 65, Eye 30, Avoid Ks 75
• DEFENSE (3B): Range 60, Error 55, Arm 70, DP 45, Overall 60
• OTHER: Speed 50, Stealing 55, Baserunning 55, Sac. Bunt 65, Bunt for Hit 55
• SUMMARY: Dalton is a hard-working corner infielder for the prominent New Jersey club. He comes to the plate wanting to hit the ball A.S.A.P. but makes great contact anyway. Has a good range and a great arm at third.

SHORTSTOP: Albert Gore – Granite– 23 y/o, 5’6”, 165 lbs. from Natick MA
• BATTING: Contact 65, Gap 55, Eye 40, Avoid Ks 75
• DEFENSE (SS): Range 70, Error 55, Arm 45, DP 60, Overall 60
• OTHER: Speed 65, Stealing 80, Baserunning 80+, Sac. Bunt 65, Bunt for Hit 55
• SUMMARY: Only 23, but Gore has been deemed the most talented SS in New England because his running ability means that when he gets on base he’s almost guaranteed to take an extra bag, either by steal or by taking extra bases on a hit. Has plenty of range for SS, and as he gets older his hands and arm should improve. Very personable - would make a good Vice President some day.

CORNER OUTFIELD: William “the Sparrow” Johnson – St. John’s – 23 y/o, 5’6”, 165 lbs. from Wilbraham MA
• BATTING: Contact 75, Gap 75, Eye 80, Avoid Ks 75
• DEFENSE (LF): Range 65, Error 60, Arm 55, Overall 75
• OTHER: Speed 70, Stealing 65, Baserunning 65, Sac. Bunt 70, Bunt for Hit 60
• SUMMARY: Only 23, but Johnson might already be the best technical hitter in the sport. Everything in the batter’s box he does at the highest level. Considered to be THE favorite to become the N.E.L.’s first Batsman of the Year. Does everything else well, and it means he’s proficient on the bases and a fine corner outfielder. Part of what is unquestionably the best outfield in the sport.

CENTER FIELD: Richard Kenton – St. John’s – 26 y/o, 5’10, 180 lbs. from Lynn MA
• BATTING: Contact 60, Gap 75, Eye 55, Avoid Ks 75
• DEFENSE (CF): Range 70, Error 55, Arm 60, Overall 65
• OTHER: Speed 65, Stealing 75, Baserunning 65, Sac. Bunt 55, Bunt for Hit 50
• SUMMARY: The best CF outside of New York. Kenton can find the gap regularly, and after hitting a single he regularly steals second. His speed also allows him to cover CF in Olneyville Field with relative ease.

CORNER OUTFIELD: Clive Wise – St. John’s – 25 y/o, 5’5”, 165 lbs. from Branford CT
• BATTING: Contact 75, Gap 65, Eye 20, Avoid Ks 75
• DEFENSE (RF): Range 55, Error 70, Arm 65, Overall 60
• OTHER: Speed 55, Stealing 70, Baserunning 65, Sac. Bunt 70, Bunt for Hit 65
• SUMMARY: The third member of St. John’s terrifying outfield. Swings at EVERYTHING, but still reaches base so often that he’s considered one of the favorites to be first N.E.L. Batting Champion along with teammate W. Johnson. A safe bet to take extra bases, and safe hands in the outfield.

There are also some fascinating younger players to watch for in the first season of competition in the N.B.B.O. as there are a number of young men in their teens and early twenties said to possess the ability to have a major impact on the field. Below are seven such players. (Ratings same as above, but in CURRENT/POTENTIAL format)

(Actually, most of these are legendary players from the previous 1850s – and on – universe I made that I imported in, with their ages as they were when the other game started in 1857. Their current/potential ratio started right about where they were when the other game started, and attributes now appear with the inaugural Spring Training behind them. In addition is one fascinating 18-year-old the game engine created)

EDWARD HUNTLEY – 3B, Orange – 21 y/o, 5’7”, 160 lbs. from Florham Park NJ
• BATTING: Contact 70/80, Gap 60/70, Eye 60/65, Avoid Ks 50/75
• DEFENSE (INF): Range 70, Error 80, Arm 65, DP 75, 3B 70/75, SS 60/75, 2B 60/85
• OTHER: Speed 55, Stealing 80, Baserunning 80, Sac. Bunt 50, Bunt for Hit 40
• SUMMARY: Huntley is only 21 but already looks like the best defensive third baseman anybody’s ever seen. His range and hands are impeccable for the position, but supposedly he can comfortably play shortstop as well. Huntley already runs the bases with the mental acuity of a much older player. He has all the ability to be an elite batsman, but still occasionally whiffs at balls from more experienced pitchers. (Made 13 All-Star Games and won multiple MVPs in the other game.)

THOMAS MALONEY – OF, Shamrock – 21 y/o, 5’7”, 160 lbs. from Boston MA
• BATTING: Contact 70/80, Gap 60/65, Eye 55/70, Avoid Ks 50/75
• DEFENSE (LF): Range 60, Error 65, Arm 60, Overall 65/70
• OTHER: Speed 60, Stealing 70, Baserunning 60, Sac. Bunt 75, Bunt for Hit 55
• SUMMARY: Part of the Irish & Irish American contingent for Shamrock, Maloney’s been put at the #4 spot in their lineup at just 21 y/o. Outstanding technical ability with the bat while also excelling both on the basepaths and in defense. Not spectacular, but could be very good for a very long time. (Won three of the first six N.B.B.O. Batsman of the Year awards in the other game.)

SAMUEL KESSLER – 3B, Sons of the Ocean – 21 y/o, 5’7”, 160 lbs. from Merrimack NH
• BATTING: Contact 60/80, Gap 65/75, Eye 55/65, Avoid Ks 50/70
• DEFENSE (INF): Range 55, Error 65, Arm 80, DP 25, 3B 60/65, 1B 40/55
• OTHER: Speed 60, Stealing 70, Baserunning 55, Sac. Bunt 60, Bunt for Hit 45
• SUMMARY: Kessler has the potential to be best batsman in the N.E.L. but he’s not there yet – “merely” very good. He can play 1B and 3B comfortably, but only a fool would stick him at first because he has a cannon for an arm. Works very hard, so there’s little doubt that he’ll reach his potential. (14-time All-Star & 3-time N.E.L. Batsman of the Year who then went on to manage the Brooklyn Kings to multiple A.P.B.L. titles over 19 years in the other game.)


CARL BANCROFT – P, Utica – 22 y/o, 6’1”. 200 lbs. from Utica NY
• PITCHING: Stuff 75/75, Movement 65/75, Control 60/70
• DEFENSE (P): Range 20, Error 40, Arm 75, Overall 50
• OTHER: Stamina 80, Hold Runners 65
• SUMMARY: If Enfield was the first pitcher who could make the ball flutter around on its way to the plate, then Bancroft might become the first to actively make batters miss the ball. Uses a number of different grips to fool opponents, and once he works a little more on his ability to control the ball he could single-handedly bring the Upstate New York championship to his hometown. (Was a four-time Pitcher of the Year and the first pitcher ever to make it to 300 wins in the other game. Retired with roughly 85 more wins than any other N.B.B.O. pitcher.)

ANTHONY MASCHERINO – SS, Green Mountain – 18 y/o, 5’5”, 140 lbs. from Concord NH
• BATTING: Contact 40/75, Gap 40/70, Eye 35/65, Avoid Ks 35/65
• DEFENSE (INF): Range 75, Error 80, Arm 60, DP 80, SS 65/80, 2B 40/80+, 3B 30/75
• OTHER: Speed 50, Stealing 70, Baserunning 80, Sac. Bunt 65, Bunt for Hit 65
• SUMMARY: Only 18, but already so advanced defensively that he’s been named the Vermont club’s starting shortstop. Range: unbeatable. Hands: immaculate. Arm: good. Turnaround time w/ the ball: instant. His batsmanship needs a lot of work, but that should come with time. (Won 14 Golden Gloves in the other game.)

KONRAD JENSEN – OF, St. John’s – 17 y/o, 5’9”, 145 lbs. from Providence RI
• BATTING: Contact 45/80+, Gap 60/80+, Eye 60/80+, Avoid Ks 40/80
• DEFENSE (OF): Range 55, Error 75, Arm 60, LF 50/70, CF 25/50, RF 35/65
• OTHER: Speed 60, Stealing 75, Baserunning 70, Sac. Bunt 70, Bunt for Hit 55
• SUMMARY: “The Kid” is only 17, but apparently all he does is think about the art of hitting a baseball. Once his body matures for a year or two and he’s had a good amount of experience playing intrasquad games with the reserves he’s going to be terrifying. St. John’s already has the best outfield trio in the sport, so the question is: who does the hometown kid eventually unseat? (Over a 25-year career, won 12 Batsman of the Year awards, earned 110+ WPA, retired as the 1st player with 3,000+ hits in the other game)

JAMES GOODWIN – P, Minuteman – 19 y/o, 5’4”, 155 lbs. from Huntingdon PA
• PITCHING: Stuff 80+/80+, Movement 35/75, Control 30/80+
• DEFENSE (P): Range 40, Error 40, Arm 50, Overall 70
• OTHER: Stamina 85, Hold Runners 65
• SUMMARY: “The Little Professor” is nicknamed such because he is extremely intelligent and can make a ball do things that nobody’s ever seen before. However, he has yet to figure out how to consistently control where the ball goes and make the ball do what he wants it to do. If he’s able to move past tinkering with game equipment and can master the finer points of pitching, Goodwin will gift the sport a new type of pitcher that will present batters with never-before-seen challenges.

[tm1681]

THE FIRST DAY OF N.B.B.O. BASE BALL

NEW YORK, May 7 (1857) – The National Base Ball Organization held its inaugural day of games yesterday afternoon, with two dozen contests taking place around the Northeastern United States.

The style of baseball on display was all action. Fields were enormous, the only gloves fielders wore were leather work gloves & hand wraps, home runs were inside-the-parkers, and pitchers could only deliver the ball underhanded. Stolen bases were high, errors were astronomical, and batting averages more than made up for any lack of power or walks. What did that mean for offensive output? Only 2/48 teams that took to the field yesterday scored fewer than three runs, with Scranton and Susquehanna in the N.E.L. being the two that put on the sad displays.

The first official game in the history of the N.B.B.O. took place in New York’s Hamilton Square where the Metropolitan Club beat Gotham by the score of 8 to 7, with the teams combining for two dozen hits and thirteen errors. Metropolitan first baseman Garrett Turner was named Player of the Game thanks to 3/4 batting with a double and a pair of RBI.

The man responsible for the first home run in the history of competitive baseball? that would be Fred Skinner, who hit a roundtripper in the top of the fourth inning of Flour City's game at Utica.

The results of the first day of games:


NEW YORK LEAGUE


Gotham 7R, 10H, 6E – L: E. Jewell (3.2 IP, 11 H, 5 ER)
Metropolitan 8R, 14H, 7E – W: R. Eire (6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER), PotG: 1B J. Turner (3/4, 2B, 1 R, 2 RBI)

Union 4R, 9H, 4E – L: W. Adams (10.1 IP, 10 H, 2 ER)
Hilltop 5R, 10H, 7E – W: J. Price (11 IP, 9 H, 1 ER), PotG: J. Price
11 Innings

Binghamton 9R, 11H, 2E – W: S. Battistoni (12 IP, 17 H, 4 ER), PotG: OF O. Stein (3/5, 2B, BB, 3R)
Eagle 5R, 17H, 6E – L: W. Williams (2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER)
12 Innings

Continental 7R, 11H, 1E – W: J. Billings (9 IP, 12 H, 5 ER)
Empire 5R, 12H, 6E – L: H. Harding (7.2, 10 H, 0 ER), PotG: OF A. Green (3/5, 2 2B, 3 RBI)

Harlem 5R, 8H, 3E – L: E. Jackson (7 IP, 11 H, 5 ER)
Mutual 8R, 12H, 4E – W: E. Bush (9 IP, 8 H, 2 ER), PotG: E. Bush

Syracuse 15R, 24H, 7E – W: E. Bell (9 IP, 11 H, 3 ER), PotG: OF H. Eaton (5/6, 4 R, 1 RBI, SB)
Niagara 8R, 11H, 5E – L: B. Schmidt (4.1 IP, 15 H, 5 ER)

Knickerbocker 3R, 8H, 2E – L: W. Simon (8 IP, 11 H, 4 ER)
Orange 6R, 11H, 6E – W: R. van der Hout (9 IP, 8 H, 0 ER), PotG: R. van der Hout

Atlantic 7R, 13H, 12E – L: G. Riesling (5 IP, 9 H, 3 ER), PotG: 3B B. Kruk (3/5, 3 R, 2 RBI, SB)
Kings County 10R, 11H, 4E – W: J. Roberts (7 IP, 13 H, 7 ER)

Eckford 7R, 15H, 6E – L: L. Chilcott (6.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER)
Nassau County 9R, 9H, 3E – W: R. Rogers (9 IP, 15 H, 5 ER), PotG: OF J. Heilman (4/5, 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI, SB)

Bedford 3R, 10H, 6E – L: A. Maxwell (8.2 IP, 8 H, 1 ER)
Excelsior 4R, 8H, 4E – W: C. Lee (9 IP, 10 H, 3 ER), PotG: C. Lee

Flour City 8R, 11H, 1E – W: H. Oliver (9 IP, 9 H, 3 ER), PotG: H. Oliver, HR: F. Skinner (1)
Utica 3R, 9H, 5E – L: C. Bancroft (6 IP, 9 H, 3 ER)

Minuteman 3R, 12H, 4E – L: J. Kline (8 IP, 5 H, 3 ER)
Victory 6R, 5H, 4E – W: D. Roberts (9 IP, 12 H, 1 ER), PotG: D. Roberts


NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE

Quinnipiac 10R, 14H, 4E – L: E. Latkovic (3.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER)
St. John’s 12R, 16H, 4E – W: J. Booth (1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER), PotG: C M. Reagan (2/5, 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI)

Scranton 1R, 5H, 2E – L: H. Enfield (8 IP, 10 H, 2 ER)
Pioneer 3R, 10H, 2E – W: F. Huth (9 IP, 5 H, 1 ER), PotG: F. Huth

Mass. Bay 8R, 12H, 1E – W: H. Travis (9 IP, 10 H, 2 ER), PotG: H. Travis
Olympic 4R, 10H, 6E – L: J. Griffin (6.2 IP, 10 H, 6 ER)

Alleghany 6R, 13H, 8E – L: J. Lott (8 IP, 11 H, 6 ER)
Merrimack Mills 8R, 11H, 3E – W: D. Gustafson (9 IP, 13 H, 1 ER), PotG: 1B G. Ford (2/2, 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI)

Green Mountain 8R, 13H, 2E – W: G. Campbell (9 IP, 9 H, 4 ER), PotG: OF A. Hedrick (3/5, 1 R, 2 RBI, SB)
Cantabrigians 6R, 9H, 7E – L: E. Miller (9 IP, 13 H, 4 ER)

Lake Erie 8R, 13H, 4E – W: J. Jefferson (9 IP, 8 H, 2 ER), PotG: J. Jefferson
Reading Ath. 3R, 8H, 5E – L: J. Lissey (6 IP, 10 H, 4 ER)

Susquehanna 2R, 7H, 1E – W: F. Reed (9 IP, 7 H, 1 ER), PotG: F. Reed
Sportsman’s 4R, 8H, 3E – L: W. Moore (8 IP, 8 H, 3 ER)

Newark 3R, 7H, 7E – L: J. Case (5.1 IP, 10 H, 5 ER)
American 9R, 12H, 4E – W: W. Jackson (9 IP, 7 H, 3 ER), PotG: OF A. Waltrip (3/4, 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI)

Trenton Utd. 10R, 17H, 6E – W: W. Havens (2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER), PotG: 2B B. Early (2/2, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB)
Quaker St. 9R, 16H, 2E – L: E. Roark (8.1 IP, 15 H, 10 ER)

Shamrock 7R, 17H, 5E – L: J. Cunningham (4.2 IP, 9 H, 1 ER), PotG: OF T. Maloney (4/5, 2B, 1 R, 2 RBI, SB)
Port Jersey 9R, 13H, 4E – W: F. Clark (9 IP, 17H, 4 ER)

S.o.t.O. 8R, 13H, 7E – W: B. Graves (9 IP, 10 H, 5 ER), PotG: B. Graves
Oceanic 5R, 10H, 7E - L: A. Grimble (8 IP, 12 H, 2 ER)

Granite 7R, 10H, 3E – L: W. Hobbs (7.2 IP, 14 H, 4 ER)
Portland 9R, 14H, 6E – W: W. Hall (8 IP, 8 H, 0 ER), PotG: 2B C. Stokes (3/4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB)

[tm1681]

THE NBBO HAS ITS FIRST SIX-HIT GAME!

READING, PA, June 13 (1857) – History was made this afternoon in the Pennsylvanian city of Reading, as the National Base Ball Organization bore witness to its first six-hit game during the contest between Scranton B.C. and Reading Athletic Club.

Unfortunately for the hosts it was visiting Scranton outfielder Raymond Clough who pulled off the feat, which of course earned him Player of the Game honors. Clough smacked his first five hits off R.A.C. starter John Lissey before reaching with historic hit number six in the top of the ninth against reliever Guy Stevenson as part of a three-run rally that earned Scranton the victory.

Here’s how Clough’s afternoon went.

• TOP 1ST: Single (first pitch)
• TOP 3RD: Single (2-2 count)
• TOP 5TH: Single (3-2 count)
• TOP 6TH: 2-RBI Single (1-0 count)
• TOP 8TH: Single (1-0 count)
• TOP 9TH: RBI Single (1-0 count)
• TOTAL: 6/6, 3 R, 3 RBI

The historic day at the ballpark for Clough wasn’t entirely a fluke. He currently leads Scranton B.C. in average (.341), hits (44), RBI (20), and runs (30).

Scranton won the game 10-7 to bring their record on the season to 20-9 and keep themselves neck-and-neck with Alleghany B.C. in the Inland Championship.

[tm1681]

VICTORY B.B.C. SETS RECORDS IN 18-0 WIN!

TROY, NY, July 2 (1857) – It was a day to remember for Victory B.B.C. and one very much to forget for Binghamton B.B.C. in the contest between the two at Rensselaer Park in Troy, New York on Thursday afternoon. The hosts started scoring with their first turn at bat and never let up, recording the most lopsided win in the young league’s history with an 18-0 thrashing of Binghamton.

Leading the attack for Victory in the…victory…was third baseman Joseph Paige, who set his own record with eight RBI while needing just three hits to do it. Paige drove in two with a single in the first inning, hit a three-run homer in the second, was credited with an RBI on a Fielder’s Choice in the 6th, and drove in runs number seven & eight with a double in the bottom of the eighth.

Everybody who played for Victory recorded a hit except for starting catcher Ulysses Gallagher and pinch hitter Benjamin van Deman, and everyone scored a run except for the same two players.

On the defensive side of things, not only did Troy have a rare errorless game but pitcher David Roberts threw an equally rare shutout. He allowed nine hits over the course of the contest and saw one hitter strike out while throwing 111 pitches. As if recording a shutout wasn’t enough, he was also 3/5 with the bat and scored three runs. Roberts is now 16-5 on the season with a league-leading 2.00 ERA.

[tm1681]

MORE SCRANTON HISTORY: THE FIRST CYCLE!

LOWELL, MA, July 23 (1857) – National Base Ball Organization history was made in Massachusetts this afternoon, as Scranton B.C. leadoff hitter John Nelson completed the first-ever Cycle in N.B.B.O. play as part of Scranton’s 13-6 at Merrimack Mills.

Nelson’s performance in summary:

• TOP 1ST: Leadoff Infield Single
• TOP 3RD: Leadoff Triple
• TOP 4TH: Base on Balls
• TOP 6TH: Leadoff Home Run
• TOP 8TH: Double
• TOP 9TH: 6-3 Groundout
• TOTAL: 4/5, Cycle, 4 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB

Mr. Nelson isn’t the first Scranton player to be a history maker so far in the N.B.B.O.’s inaugural season of play. On June 13th teammate Raymond Clough became the first player to record six hits in a game in a victory at Reading Athletic Club.

Nelson and Clough have been Scranton’s two best players this season, and their feats are no small part of the reason why Scranton B.C. are the shock leaders of the Inland Championship, sporting a 42-15 record that is two games better than Alleghany’s with thirteen games left on the schedule.

[tm1681]

SHAMROCK CRUSHES BOSTON RIVALS MASS BAY!
SOUTH BOSTON CLUB SETS RECORDS FOR RUNS & HITS IN EXTRAORDINARY VICTORY

BOSTON, August 6 (1857) – It was quite an afternoon of work for South Boston’s Shamrock B.C. in the second game of their five-game set at cross-city rivals Massachusetts Bay. They started scoring immediately, and thanks to offensive explosions in the first, second, and eighth innings Shamrock set the N.B.B.O. record for runs in a game in crushing Mass. Bay by the score of 28 to 5.

Shamrock also collected thirty hits in the contest, an N.B.B.O. record of its own.

Leading the attack for Shamrock was Player of the Game, shortstop Will McQuaid. He went 4/7 with a double, three runs, and four RBI while also drawing a Base on Balls. Outfielder Angus O’Connor was 4/8 with a double, four runs, and four RBI of his own. Third baseman Ed Lang had four hits of his own, going 4/7 – all singles – four runs and an RBI. The hit leader on the day was clean-up man Thomas Maloney, who was 5/8 with a double, four runs, and a single RBI.

In taking the loss, Mass. Bay pitcher Howard Travis went just 1.2 innings, allowing a whopping twelve runs – six Earned – on ten hits to go with three Bases on Balls. Reliever Moses Leonard had an even more miserable afternoon, allowing nine runs – seven Earned – on seven hits without even recording an out! The performance single-handedly drove his ERA up from 4.04 to 4.85 on the season – a day he’ll want to wipe out of his memory forever.

[jksander]

All hail the Nibbo! Seriously, this is cool ... though it looks like that last game they stopped playing Base Ball and started playing that new-fangled "foot ball" thing I keep hearing so much about around the east coast ... incidentally, lots of high scoring. I feel bad for the pitchers! What are the ERAs looking like?

[tm1681]

Originally Posted by jksander

All hail the Nibbo! Seriously, this is cool ... though it looks like that last game they stopped playing Base Ball and started playing that new-fangled "foot ball" thing I keep hearing so much about around the east coast ... incidentally, lots of high scoring. I feel bad for the pitchers! What are the ERAs looking like?

So, I did actual research before starting the first version of this game, and back in the 1850s to 1870s what passed for gloves really was stuff that amounted to leather work gloves - like you'd see at a Lowe's or Home Depot - or even just hand wraps. That meant error rates were astronomical.

In the first version of this game I started back in OOTP22, the highest-scoring team actually scored TEN runs per game. However, ERAs aren't that far off modern norms because the amount of fielding errors mean a lot of runs are considered "unearned".

If you've ever wanted to look up resources related to 19th Century Baseball, https://protoball.org/ and https://www.19cbaseball.com/ are great. Some of the venue names actually come from Protoball, and I'll detail that in a later post.

[tm1681]

If any of you want a good background screen to use for a vintage baseball game, I'm currently using the following one, which I won't post inline because it's 1920x1080

https://i.imgur.com/PReuahq.png

[Lord Byron]

Hope you take the Civil War into account with this history...

Good start, BTW...

[tm1681]

Originally Posted by Lord Byron

Hope you take the Civil War into account with this history...

Good start, BTW...

Thanks!

I thought about doing such a thing, but logistically...it's difficult to make work with the game engine. If you wanted to make it like World War I & II where the league played on through while players volunteered to serve, you'd have to mess with the Injury File a bit and probably add in some special descriptions since it's a fictional league.

I'm pretty sure there are people who know more about that than me, although I have messed with the injury file before because there are some repeats and some that don't work right (EX: Post-consussion syndrome having zero connection to a concussion itself).

If this was five years ago, I'd try it. However, as part of the aftermath of the stress surrounding my daughter's birth that I've talked about here (Infected C-Section plus digestion issues with the baby) I'm dealing with bleeding ulcers AND now long covid while remote working part-time and being the primary caretaker for the kiddo.

It's just a question of having the extra spare time and energy for something like that. Some days I feel like it, other days...oh no.

[jksander]

Originally Posted by tm1681

Thanks!

I thought about doing such a thing, but logistically...it's difficult to make work with the game engine. If you wanted to make it like World War I & II where the league played on through while players volunteered to serve, you'd have to mess with the Injury File a bit and probably add in some special descriptions since it's a fictional league.

I'm pretty sure there are people who know more about that than me, although I have messed with the injury file before because there are some repeats and some that don't work right (EX: Post-consussion syndrome having zero connection to a concussion itself).

If this was five years ago, I'd try it. However, as part of the aftermath of the stress surrounding my daughter's birth that I've talked about here (Infected C-Section plus digestion issues with the baby) I'm dealing with bleeding ulcers AND now long covid while remote working part-time and being the primary caretaker for the kiddo.

It's just a question of having the extra spare time and energy for something like that. Some days I feel like it, other days...oh no.

Gotta keep it fun for yourself ... too much realism can drain away all the enjoyment.

[tm1681]

One more thing before I continue:

To show that my idea to change Baseball Quality of nations around so I could have a regional league within the US (USA: Northeast) while having foreign-born players in numbers that mimick the 1850s USA works, below is what I changed the Baseball Quality of nations to in "Explore World":

And next is what the first set of "Established International Free Agents" looked like:

It works pretty well.

[tm1681]

THE INAUGURAL N.B.B.O. PLAYOFFS ARE SET!

NEW YORK, August 10 (1857) – The inaugural season of N.B.B.O. baseball concluded yesterday, and that means the six-team roster for the playoffs to decide who lifts the Tucker-Wheaton Cup has been filled.

All six city & regional championships were extremely close at the top, with each one seeing margins of one to three games between first and second place. In the Coastal and New England championships four teams finished within a week’s worth of games behind first place, and there is no doubt that such close competition will thrill the executives who set the entire competition up during the latter half of January.

In the Brooklyn Championship, Nassau County was able to hold onto their single-game lead over Atlantic thanks to a 12-11 win at Kings County in their final game.

In the New York City Championship, Metropolitan held off both Knickerbocker & Orange by a single game since they had a two-game lead going into the final day of competition.

In the Upstate Championship, Victory took advantage of fading form from the other big upstate clubs to take first place by three games over Syracuse.

In the Coastal Championship, Shamrock were the victors by two games over the surprising Trenton United and three over Massachusetts Bay.

In the Inland Championship, Alleghany won on the final day to keep their one-game lead over surprise team of the year Scranton and take first in an incredible pennant race.

Finally, in the New England Championship the extraordinary outfield of St. John’s helped carry it to first place by three games over both Green Mountain and Sons of the Ocean.

Here are what the playoff matchups will look like:

NEW YORK LEAGUE

Semi-Final Series: #3 Metropolitan (N.Y.C. – 42-28) vs. #2 Nassau County (Brooklyn – 44-26)
Championship Series: Metropolitan or Nassau vs. #1 Troy (Upstate – 44-26) (see below note)

NEW ENGLAND

Semi-Final Series: #3 St. John’s (N.E. – 41-29) vs. #2 Shamrock (Coastal – 42-28)
Championship Series: St. John’s or Shamrock vs. #1 Alleghany (Inland 52-18)

TUCKER-WHEATON CUP

Northeastern League Champion vs. New York League Champion

NOTE: Troy was granted the #1 seed in for the New York League playoffs over Nassau County based on Run Differential (+139 vs. +87)

[tm1681]

THE FIRST TUCKER-WHEATON CUP

TROY, NY & PROVIDENCE, RI, August (1857) – After exciting base ball in the playoffs for both leagues, Victory B.B.C. and St. John’s B.C. walked out champions of the New York League and the Northeastern League, becoming the first two teams to vie for the Tucker-Wheaton Cup.

For Victory, it looked like they would be up against it in the N.Y.L. Championship Series as Nassau County beat Metropolitan 3-1 in the Semi-Final via three easy wins. However, the Troy-based club dispatched Nassau Co. in four games themselves to take the N.Y.L. title, winning the finale 5-4 thanks to four runs over the middle innings. Victory did have some fortune on their side as they won the last two games by one run each, so results easily could have gone differently

St. John’s B.C. was the #3 seed in the Northeastern League playoffs, but they certainly didn’t play like it. They swept aside Shamrock in the Semi-Final by scores of 11-4, 11-4, & 7-6, and that set up a tantalizing N.E.L. Championship Series with Alleghany. The N.E.L.C.S. went the distance, and it was all offense. Alleghany won the opener 10-5 and St. John’s won the next two games by scores of 12-10 and 14-4. Alleghany was able to stay alive with a 12-7 win at St. John’s in Game Four, but in Game Five at Alleghany St. John’s took the lead with two runs in the top of the eighth and held off an Alleghany rally in the ninth to win 7-6.

Troy was definitely not fancied to be the first New York team to try to take the T.W.C. New Yorkers figured that the base ball in New York City & Brooklyn was superior to the game played upstate, and if a team from upstate was going to be the N.Y.L. champion it would be Niagara or Flour City. However, Troy muscled their way through the competition thanks to the highest-scoring offense in the entire 48-team N.B.B.O. – 8.0 runs per game – and their defense held opponents to the third-fewest runs in the N.Y.L.

On the other hand, writers definitely thought St. John’s capable of making it to the season finale. If anything, they found it surprising that St. John’s record was only 41-29 and not closer to Alleghany’s 52-18. However, their superstar outfield shone in the playoffs and here they were with the opportunity to lift the cup.

 
Would the inaugural Tucker-Wheaton Cup be a memorable one?

Unfortunately, no. Victory ran out of steam, the St. John’s outfield continued its dominance, and the cup was given its first set of party arrangements in the city of Providence, Rhode Island.

Game One in Troy was a wild affair, but not until late. St. John’s scored twice in the top of the first, and it looked like that might be enough as they were ahead 4-1 after the end of six innings. It really looked like that would be enough after St. John’s scored three times in the top of the seventh to make it 7-1, but Troy came back with three runs of their own in the bottom half. Victory then scored in the eighth to make it 7-5. The visitors scored two runs in the top of the ninth to make it 9-5, and as it turned out they absolutely needed those runs as Victory scored three more times in the bottom half of the inning before leaving the tying run on first.

Player of the Game: St. John’s shortstop Ernie Arnold (4/5, 1 R, 2 RBI)

Game Two was another case of St. John’s jumping out to an early lead, but this time it was large enough that Victory couldn’t come close. The visitors scored five times in the top of the first, twice more in the top of the second, and that was all they needed in an 11-6 win at Victory. Three different St. John’s players recorded three hits – J. Buss, W. Johnson, & M. Reagan – while third baseman Herman Rust drove in three runs.

Player of the Game: St. John’s outfielder William Johnson (3/5, 3 R, 2 SB)

Game Three was in Providence, and that was where St. John’s ended the N.B.B.O. season. This game was a much tighter affair, as the teams combined for only five runs and fifteen hits – St. John’s winning with only six hits of their own. Victory & St. John’s traded runs over the first two innings before the hosts scored twice in the fourth to bring the score to 3-1. That proved to be enough since all Victory could muster against St. John’s pitcher Paul Goehring the rest of the way was a single score in the top of the fifth. The game ended with a pop fly to shortstop Ernie Arnold, and St. John’s became the first team to lift the Tucker-Wheaton Cup.

Player of the Game: St. John’s pitcher Paul Goehring (9 IP, 9 H, 2 R/1 ER, 1 BB, 139 pitches)

The Tucker-Wheaton-Cup MVP ended up not going to a member of the vaunted St. John’s outfield trio. Instead, the honor went to shortstop Ernie Arnold, who finished the series 6/12 with three runs scored and four RBI.

Two-thirds of the St. John’s outfield was outstanding during the postseason. Right fielder Clive Wise took home N.E.L. Championship Series Most Valuable Player and finished the playoffs 26/56 (.464) over eleven games, with eighteen runs, fourteen RBI, eight extra-base hits (5 2B, 3 3B), and five steals without being caught. Over the same span the other corner outfielder, William Johnson, was 23/52 (.442), with thirteen runs, eighteen RBI, five extra-base hits (4 2B, 1 3B), and five steals (4 CS). In addition, third baseman Herman Rust was voted MVP of the N.E.L. Semi-Final sweep over Shamrock after going 9/14 (.643) with four runs and three RBI.

[tm1681]

1857 NEW YORK LEAGUE REVIEW

NEW YORK LEAGUE STANDINGS

 

NEW YORK LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR

JOSEPH BENTLEY – 30 y/o Second Baseman, Niagara B.B.C.

• .416/.450/.473, .923 OPS, 80 R, 131 H, 13 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 42 RBI, 7 SB, 2.4 WPA, 2.7 WAR
• Hit .423 (61/144) over the last thirty games of the season
• J. Paige (VIC – .325, 6 HR, 69 RBI) 2nd, L. Wood (MUT OF – .400, 27 XBH, 43 RBI) 3rd

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

LEE WOOD – 26 y/o Corner Outfielder, Mutual B.B.C.

• .400/.436/.505, .941 OPS, 78 R, 118 H, 23 2B, 4 3B, 0 HR, 43 RBI, 25 SB, 4.9 WPA, 3.4 WAR
• Raised Batting Average from .399 to .400 on final day of the season (2/4 @ KNI)
• C. Richter (GOT – .336, 57 RBI, 4.6 WPA) 2nd, J. Mattingly (MIN – .334, 53 RBI, 4.1 WPA) 3rd

GOLDEN GLOVES

P: James Raisbeck (CON), C: Ulysses Gallagher (VIC), 1B: Roland Powell (HAR), 2B: Henry Ciccone (MET), 3B: Edward Huntley (ORA), SS: William Reasner (SYR), OF: Millard Root (HAR), CF: William Casilli (NC), OF: William Bennett (EAG)

TEAM OF THE YEAR

P: David Roberts (VIC) – 24-10, 2.63 ERA, 28 CG, 2 SHO, 301.2 IP, 31 BB, 25 K, 1.25 WHIP, 5.5 WAR/8.2 R9WAR
C: Matthew Hample (CON) – .328/.381/.402, 50 R, 97 H, 14 2B, 4 3B, 0 HR, 51 RBI, 2 SB, 2.9 WPA, 1.7 WAR
1B: Garrett Turner (MET) – .347/.384/.430, 59 R, 104 H, 19 2B, 3 3B, 0 HR, 56 RBI, 2 SB, 3.0 WPA, 1.6 WAR
2B: Joseph Bentley (NIA) – .416/.450/.472, 80 R, 131 H, 13 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 42 RBI, 7 SB, 2.4 WPA, 2.7 WAR
3B: Joe Paige (VIC) – .325/.348/.438, 79 R, 103 H, 14 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 69 RBI, 14 SB, 2.5 WPA, 1.6 WAR
SS: Carl Keener (MIN) – .315/.332/.357, 68 R, 98 H, 11 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 27 RBI, 15 SB, 2.0 WPA, 2.3 WAR
OF: Chester Ellis (ATL) – .362/.398/.440, 81 R, 115 H, 19 2B, 3 3B, 0 HR, 54 RBI, 20 SB, 3.5 WPA, 2.5 WAR
CF: Charlie Rumbaugh (GOT) – .315/.378/.404, 71 R, 99 H, 22 2B, 3 3B, 0 HR, 55 RBI, 33 SB, 2.2 WPA, 3.0 WAR
OF: Lee Wood (MUT) – .400/.436/.505, .941 OPS, 78 R, 118 H, 23 2B, 4 3B, 0 HR, 43 RBI, 25 SB, 4.9 WPA, 3.4 WAR
MGR: David Durhan (VIC) – 44-26; Victory N.Y.L. Champions; were projected to finish 6th in Upstate Championship

NEW YORK LEAGUE SEASON SUMMARY

The inaugural season of the New York League began on May 6th with much fanfare and excitement, and it remained exciting the whole way. In the end, only 4/24 teams won more than sixty percent of their games while only 2/24 lost more than sixty percent of them.

The Brooklyn Championship was very tight for the entire season, but Nassau County was able to stay on top the entire way thanks to a 7-3 start over the first two weeks combined with the ability to fend off Atlantic and Bedford through multiple ties for first place. With two weeks left Nassau Co. had a five-game lead over the pair, and they were able to coast on in from there.

The race for the New York City Championship was fantastic. Four weeks into the season Knickerbocker, Metropolitan, & Orange were all tied for the lead (12-8) with Hilltop one game behind, while Gotham, Harlem, & Mutual were three games back. The top four teams were four games apart by the middle of June, and by the start of July Metropolitan had opened up a five-game lead on Orange. However, with a week of play left the lead was down to a single game and Knickerbocker was three back, and with two games left Metro was just a single game up over Knickerbocker & Orange. From there, Metropolitan held onto the lead and took the New York City pennant.

The Upstate Championship was Utica’s for the first five to six weeks, but by the middle of June they’d fallen into a three-way tie with Niagara and Victory at 18-12 while Minuteman was a game back. By the end of the month Victory had taken a one-game lead, and they never relinquished it. They had a five-game lead over Minuteman & Niagara by the middle of July, and from there eased on in to finish in first place. Meanwhile, thanks to a 17-3 finish over the last twenty Syracuse shot up from sixth place to second over the season’s last four weeks.

Nassau County were the favorites for the N.Y.L. Semi-Finals, and they acted accordingly in beating Metropolitan in four games. The two teams alternated wins over the first three games – scores being a 10-9 Nassau Co. win in Game One, a 4-2 Metropolitan win in Game Two, and a 3-1 Nassau Co. win in Game Three. Game Four went to extra innings level at 5-5 before Nassau Co. scored four runs to win 9-5 to advance to the N.Y.L. Championship Series.

In the N.Y.L. Championship Series, Nassau County had the 3-1 series result turned on them by #1 seed Victory. Again, the teams alternated wins over the first three games – Victory winning Game One 13-7, Nassau Co. winning Game Two 8-4, and Victory winning Game Three 4-3 with a run in the top of the ninth. Victory jumped out to a 5-0 lead in Game Four and were able to withstand four runs by Nassau Co. over the last three innings to win 5-4 and walk out of the Long Island Base Ball Grounds as the New York League Champions. Victory pitcher David Roberts was named MVP of the N.Y.L.C.S., going 2-0 while allowing just one Earned Run over eighteen innings.

From there Victory’s clutch pitching unfortunately ran out of good fortune, and they were swept in the Tucker-Wheaton Cup. Still, it was an outstanding season for a team originally projected to finish sixth in the Upstate Championship.

In terms of individual achievement, three performances stand out:

On June 18th, Metropolitan outfielder Walt Kirby went 5/6 with a double, home run, five runs scored, and half a dozen RBI during the team’s 19-9 win over Hilltop. (Game Score: 118)

On July 2nd, Victory third baseman Joe Paige became the only player with more than six RBI in a game all season – which stayed that way – when he drove in eight on 3/6 from the plate with a double and a home run in Victory’s 18-0 win against Binghamton. (Game Score: 94)

Finally, on August 5th Syracuse outfielder James Robertson became one of three players all season to score five runs in a game thanks to a 5/6 performance that also featured a double, stolen base, and pair of RBI. (Game Score: 88).

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1857 NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE REVIEW

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE STANDINGS

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR

WILLIAM JOHNSON – 23 y/o Corner Outfielder, St. John’s Baseball Club

• .370/.411/.482, .894 OPS, 83 R, 115 H, 27 2B, 4 3B, 0 HR, 61 RBI, 42 SB, 3.1 WPA, 3.0 WAR
• Hit 23/52 (.442) with a 1.021 OPS, 13 R, 18 RBI, and 5 SB during the playoffs (11 games)
• S. Kessler (SotO – .379, .896 OPS, 18 XBH, 48 RBI) 2nd, J. Williams (QS – .377, 121 H, 156 TB, 43 RBI) 3rd

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

JOHN ANDERSON – 33 y/o Pitcher, Scranton Baseball Club

• 30-8, 2.30 ERA, 37 GS, 28 CG, 3 SHO, 309 IP, 41 BB, 25 K, 1.20 WHIP, 5.0 WAR/9.2 R9WAR
• Credited with six more wins than any other pitcher in the entire N.B.B.O.
• C. Bowman (MB – .345, 42 RBI, 3.7 WPA) 2nd, S. Topps (REA – .348, 56 RBI, 3.4 WPA) 3rd

GOLDEN GLOVES

P: Clarence Griffiths (CAN), C: Jimmy Reardon (TRE), 1B: Arthur Holton (MB), 2B: Willard Krone (QUI), 3B: Fred Whatley (GM), SS: Anthony Mascherino (GM), OF: Eugene Cruise (SotO), CF: John Terry (SPO), OF: Clive Wise (StJ)

TEAM OF THE YEAR

P: John Anderson (SCR) – 30-8, 2.30 ERA, 28 CG, 3 SHO, 309 IP, 41 BB, 25 K, 1.20 WHIP, 5.0 WAR/9.2 R9WAR
C: Joe Feuerstein (PORT) – .280/.311/.364, 47 R, 80 H, 22 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 42 RBI, 3 SB, 0.4 WPA, 1.6 WAR
1B: George Blair (ALL) – .325/.384/.384, 50 R, 88 H, 13 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 50 RBI, 2 SB, 3.6 WPA, 1.6 WAR
2B: Daragh Adams (SHA) – .372/.396/.479, 56 R, 105 H, 21 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 52 RBI, 4 SB, 3.1 WPA, 2.6 WAR
3B: Sam Kessler (SotO) – .379/.432/.463, .896 OPS, 63 R, 103 H, 13 2B, 5 3B, 0 HR, 48 RBI, 21 SB, 2.9 WPA, 3.1 WAR
SS: John Williams (QS) – .377/.390/.486, 61 R, 121 H, 25 2B, 5 3B, 0 HR, 43 RBI, 11 SB, 2.6 WPA, 2.5 WAR
OF: Will Johnson (StJ) – .370/.411/.482, 83 R, 115 H, 27 2B, 4 3B, 0 HR, 61 RBI, 42 SB, 3.1 WPA, 3.0 WAR
CF: Curtis Bowman (MB) – .345/.381/.416, 83 R, 111 H, 23 2B. 0 3B, 0 HR, 42 RBI, 21 SB, 3.7 WPA, 2.6 WAR
OF: Ray Clough (SCR) – .355/.387/.469, 76 R, 113 H, 21 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 55 RBI, 13 SB, 4.1 WPA, 2.6 WAR
MGR: Mike Hackney (SCR) – 51-19; Scranton 12 wins better than projections, 1 GB for Inland Championship

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE SEASON SUMMARY

While the Northeastern League had tight pennant races and teams that offered major surprises in their quality of play, in the end the three regional champions were the same three predicted by the press before the start of the season: Shamrock B.C. in the Coastal, Alleghany B.C. in the Inland, and St. John’s B.C. in New England. In fact, the intelligentsia’s win-loss projections were only a game off for both Shamrock (43-27 proj. vs 42-28 actual) & Alleghany (51-19 proj. vs 52-18 actual).

In the Coastal Championship, Port Jersey looked like they were going to run away with the pennant by mid-June thanks to a 23-7 record over the first six weeks of play, which gave them a six-game lead over American, Mass. Bay, Shamrock, & Trenton Utd. However, their form crashed and Port Jersey was 13-27 over their last forty games, leaving them six games out by the end of the season. By the fifty-game mark Port Jersey had given up the lead to Shamrock and the surprising Trenton United, both 30-20. The two teams would remain neck-and-neck over the final four weeks but Boston always managed to stay a game or two ahead, while cross-town rivals Massachusetts Bay were never able to close to within more than a few games of first. It was a very competitive division, with seven of eight teams finishing within a dozen games of first place.

The Inland Championship was a tale of two teams: Alleghany and Scranton, with the former being the clear preseason favorite and the latter being the biggest surprise of the N.B.B.O.’s inaugural season. By the end of May both teams had opened up a 3-4 game lead over the rest of the Inland pack, and from there the gap became cavernous. How superior were the pair? Third-place Sportsman’s B.C. finished EIGHTEEN games behind at 33-35. The two traded the Inland lead multiple times over June & July, with Scranton enjoying a two-game lead over Alleghany with ten games to go. Over those final ten Alleghany went 9-1 while Scranton was 6-4, which meant the Pittsburgh-based club was able to rally their way to the Inland pennant and the #1 seed for the N.E.L. playoffs.

St. John’s was projected to go 50-20 and basically be able to lollygag their way to the New England pennant. That didn’t happen. At the end of May they sat in fourth place at 11-9, with Granite, Green Mtn. & Portland ahead of them – no easy stroll to be had. By the middle of June there was no less than a four-way tie atop New England – Green Mtn., Portland, Quinnipiac, & St. John’s – at 17-13, with Granite one game back and Sons of the Ocean two. It was over the last two weeks of June that St. John’s took control by going 7-3 as others faltered, and after that they held onto first place for the rest of the season.

In the N.E.L. Semi-Finals St. John’s against Shamrock was a great matchup on paper, but in reality it was anything but. The Providence club advanced in a three-game sweep, winning Game One 11-4 by scoring all eleven runs in the fourth inning, taking another 11-4 victory in Game Two thanks to nine runs in the sixth, and ending the series at home with a 7-6 result where a rally over the seventh & eight advanced them to the League Championship Series.

The N.E.L. Championship Series was a fantastic five-game thriller. Alleghany struck first in Game One by scoring seven runs over the first three innings in a 10-5 win – James Scanlon hitting 4/4 with three RBI. St. John’s evened the series in Game Two with a 12-10 win in which the teams combined for 31 hits. The series lead went to St. John’s in a crushing 14-4 win in Game Three, but Alleghany stayed alive with a 12-7 win in Game Four that featured another Player of the Game performance from Scanlon (4/4, 3 R, 4 RBI). Alleghany was in control after the early innings of Game Five thanks to a 5-2 lead, but St. John’s chipped away with single runs in the 5th, 6th, & 7th before taking the lead with two in the eighth and holding on from there for a 7-6 win – a win they got away with despite nine fielding errors.

From there St. John’s went up against surprise N.Y.L. champions Victory B.B.C. for the first Tucker-Wheaton Cup, and they took it in a sweep. This might only be the first season of organized baseball, but a Providence team winning a championship somehow feels familiar…

At the top of the list of individual performances, the game of the season must go to Scranton outfield Raymond Clough, who became the first player to get six hits in a game on June 13th at Reading. He was 6/6 – all singles – with three runs and three RBI on the historic day. (Game Score: 90).

Not being content with just one piece of history, Scranton was also responsible for the first Cycle in N.B.B.O. history when John Nelson pulled off the trick as part of a 4/5 day with four runs and an RBI in the team’s 13-6 win at Merrimack Mills.

Sportsman’s third baseman Thomas Cowan had another memorable performance, when he hit the N.B.B.O.’s first Grand Slam as part of a 4/5 afternoon with three runs, six RBI, and a stolen base in his team’s home game against Pioneer B.C. on July 11th (Game Score: 96).