Code:
National League Standings
W L PCT GB
Baltimore Orioles 85 47 .644 -
Brooklyn Bridegrooms 80 52 .606 5.0
Louisville Colonels 73 59 .553 12.0
Boston Beaneaters 71 61 .538 14.0
Philadelphia Phillies 71 61 .538 14.0
St. Louis Browns 69 63 .523 16.0
Chicago Colts 68 64 .515 17.0
Cleveland Spiders 66 66 .500 19.0
Washington Senators 62 70 .470 23.0
New York Giants 51 81 .386 34.0
Cincinnati Reds 48 84 .364 37.0
Pittsburgh Pirates 48 84 .364 37.0
RECAP
The 1893 season saw the return of the National League to a "traditional" season as the length of the campaign dropped to 132 games and the season was not split into halves. Postseason play was also shelved - the club with the best record after 132 games would be declared the Champions.
The Brooklyn Bridegrooms, following the script from 1892 that had seen them storm out of the gate to win the first-half championship, were again the class of the League in the early going. They swooned a bit in the second half, and ended up finished second to a rejuvenated Baltimore club. The Orioles had revamped their lineup in the offseason, and the results of their spending paid off handsomely as they took over the lead in midseason and held on down the stretch to win the pennant by five games over the Bridegrooms.
Baltimore was led by the pitching of Rick Kushner. Kushner had never made much of a name for himself in his previous performances. The 27-year-old had been middling for some poor teams in Kansas City during the American Association years and had made 10 appearances for the Orioles in '92, posting a 4-5 mark with a 3.19 earned run average. So no one expected the dominant performance Kushner put up in '93. He led the League in victories with 37, in strikeouts with 149 and finished third in ERA at 2.39 - all of which were career-bests.
The Orioles also boasted one of the league's best lineups. Lachlan Garrigan, the Scottish-born left fielder acquired by the Orioles in a preseason purchase from the Eastern League, hit .332 in the new-look outfield for Baltimore that featured holdover Joe Wright (.339) and young centerfielder Paddy Murphy.
Another young star was rising in Philadelphia as Ed "The Egyptian" Burrell won the batting crown with a .371 mark. Burrell, an infielder who had been playing since he was a 17-year-old in 1889, improved upon a good 1892 campaign where he hit .322 - his improvement in 1893 has marked Burrell as one of the best talents in base ball - and he's a mere 22 years of age.
In other leagues, the Eastern League, considered the top of the so-called "minor" circuits, rebounded from its financial struggles of 1892 to post a complete season for all eight members in 1893. Providence took home the pennant with a 69-51 record, finishing two games ahead of Troy. "The Concord Comet," John Clark, who had played briefly in the National League for Cleveland back in 1890, was the batting champion with a .374 mark, signifying that the 28-year-old is probably good enough to rejoin the big league in 1894. Another former National Leaguer, Philippe Martineau, was the ERA champion with a 1.97 mark, and he too may find himself employed in the National League come next spring.
LEADERS
TOP 5 in BATTING AVG :
.371 Ed Burrell (PHI)
.359 Tex Vetter (CIN)
.355 Squirrel Downs (LOU)
.345 Tommy Work (SLN)
.341 3 Players Tied
TOP 5 in HOMERUNS :
10 Candy Lemmons (BLN)
8 Stuart Bailey (LOU)
8 Travis Krupp (CLE)
8 Gavin Renwick (PIT)
7 5 Players Tied
TOP 5 in RBI :
105 John Heyward (LOU)
102 Shooter Smith (WAS)
96 Candy Lemmons (BLN)
93 Will Wessels (BSN)
92 Nick Eanes (PHI)
TOP 5 in ERA :
1.97 George Tharp (BRO)
2.37 Randy Lumley (BLN)
2.39 Rick Kushner (BLN)
2.48 Jim Campbell (SLN)
2.54 Mark Thelen (CHN)
TOP 5 in WINS :
37 Rick Kushner (BAL)
32 George Tharp (BRO)
28 Roger Mason (LOU)
26 Paul Trail (BRO)
25 Eli Money (CHN)