[Eckstein 4 Prez]

September 11, 1881 - Sunday Base Ball Report

Cleveland Blues 44-28
Boston Red Caps 41-30
Troy Trojans 39-33
Detroit Wolverines 38-34
Chicago White Stockings 34-38
Buffalo Bisons 31-40
Providence Grays 31-41
Worcester Ruby Legs 28-42

The race is still competitive between Cleveland and Boston, though neither team has really impressed recently. The Blues have gone 4-5 over their last nine games, while Boston has dropped six of eight. At least the Red Caps have an excuse; their offense has fallen apart with Ross Barnes injured.

One interesting issue that will probably not be decided until the end of the season: who will win this year's Cartwright Award as the league's best pitcher? There are no standout candidates and many contenders. A rundown:

George Bradley, Cleveland (29-15, 2.39) - A great won-loss record for a very good team, but Bradley walks more hitters than he strikes out and many say he merely benefits from the great defense behind him.

Tommy Bond, Detroit (17-13, 1.85) - Leads the league in ERA, but has by far the fewest innings pitched of any major contender. In fact, his own team often does not use him as the #1 pitcher.

Larry Corcoran, Chicago (28-21, 2.80) - Leads the league in both strikeouts and walks, and is keeping the club respectable almost all by himself. However, his numbers have gone down significantly since last season, and his high ERA and slow start won't help.

Curry Foley, Boston (23-20, 2.41) - Has some decent numbers, but the won-loss record hurts. He would be helped immensely if Boston can win the pennant. His backup Foghorn Bradley (14-4, 1.88) may actually be having a better year.

Pud Galvin, Troy (30-18, 2.65) - Leads the league in wins, so he should be a major candidate. A pretty good strikeout pitcher, though his strikeout and walk numbers are inferior to Mitchell of Worcester. A lot of his wins may be because he has a good offense backing him up.

Bobby Mitchell, Worcester (18-26, 2.78) - Has the league's best strikeout-walk ratio, and has kept his club in games where they have no business being competitive. However, he leads the league in losses, so it seems unlikely that he'll win the award.

At the moment, the smart money is on Galvin, but things could change over the next few weeks.

The current league leaders:

Batting Average - .370, Ross Barnes, Boston Red Caps
On-Base Percentage - .417, Ross Barnes, Boston Red Caps
Slugging Percentage - .498, Ross Barnes, Boston Red Caps
OPS - .915, Ross Barnes, Boston Red Caps
Hits - 116, Cap Anson, Boston Red Caps
Doubles - 25, "Orator Jim" O'Rourke, Chicago White Stockings
Triples - 9, Cap Anson, Boston Red Caps
Home Runs - 7, Paul Hines, Chicago White Stockings
Extra Base Hits - 29, Jack Glasscock, Cleveland and "Orator Jim" O'Rourke, Chicago
Total Bases - 154, Cap Anson, Boston Red Caps
Runs Batted In - 59, Cap Anson, Boston Red Caps
Runs Scored - 69, Cap Anson, Boston Red Caps
Stolen Bases - 16, Hugh Nicol, Chicago White Stockings
Walks - 27, Roger Connor, Troy and George Gore, Chicago
Strikeouts - 46, John Morrill, Boston Red Caps
RC/27 - 8.42, Ross Barnes, Boston Red Caps
ISO - .157, Paul Hines, Chicago White Stockings
VORP (Batting) - 33.3, Cap Anson, Boston Red Caps

Earned Run Average - 1.85, Tommy Bond, Detroit Wolverines
Wins - 30, Pud Galvin, Troy Trojans
Losses - 26, Bobby Mitchell, Worcester Ruby Legs
Saves - 2, 3 players tied
Innings Pitched - 443 2/3, Larry Corcoran, Chicago White Stockings
Shutouts - 3, Pud Galvin, Troy Trojans
Walks - 100, Larry Corcoran, Chicago White Stockings
Strikeouts - 255, Larry Corcoran, Chicago White Stockings
H/9IP - 7.66, George Bradley, Cleveland Blues
HR/9IP - 0.00, Jack Lynch, Buffalo Bisons
BB/9IP - 0.86, Foghorn Bradley, Boston Red Caps
K/9IP - 5.17, Larry Corcoran, Chicago White Stockings
K/BB Ratio - 4.44, Bobby Mitchell, Worcester Ruby Legs
Opp. Avg. - .222, George Bradley, Cleveland Blues
WHIP - 1.05, Foghorn Bradley, Boston Red Caps
VORP (Pitching) - 59.9, Tommy Bond, Detroit Wolverines