The Baseball Saga

[fhomess]

August 1, 1874
The Philadelphia Athletics took a slim lead after winning all six of their games in July before leaving for England (see below). Chicago and Brooklyn both had difficult months, but the three teams at the top are starting to separate themselves a little from the rest of the pack. New York is closest in 4th with Boston following closely behind.

One of the biggest individual stories is the dominance of the batting average leaderboard by Brooklyn’s Bob Polansky. The Atlantics outfielder is batting nearly 80 points higher than anyone else in the league, and has raised his career average to .417, the best in NA history.

In Other News
July 1: The Philadelphia Zoo opens its doors as the first public zoo in the United States.

July 13: Boston left fielder Joe Arthur was forced to leave a game against the Athletics after being hit in the hand with a pitch.

July 16: The Boston Red Stockings and Philadelphia Athletics depart for England for a baseball exhibition tour. The teams will resume their regular season schedule when they meet on September 10 in Philadelphia. Joe Arthur will make the trip but not play, and is expected to be able to play again upon returning to the United States.

July 25: Jack Anderson of Brooklyn shuts out the Chicago White Stockings on 7 hits. The Atlantics managed just 4 hits of their own against Mart Lemelle, but 10 errors by Chicago gives Brooklyn a 5-0 victory.

Standings

                                W      L      PCT      GB
Philadelphia Athletics         22     11     .667       -
Chicago White Stockings        21     12     .636     1.0
Brooklyn Atlantics             18     11     .621     2.0
New York Mutuals               18     18     .500     5.5
Boston Red Stockings           18     20     .474     6.5
Philadelphia White Stockings   14     19     .424     8.0
Hartford Dark Blues            10     16     .385     8.5
Baltimore Canaries              7     21     .250    12.5

League Leaders
Average

.425 Bob Polansky (ATL)
.349 Tom Hedgepeth (NY)
.338 Fred Mannion (BOS)

Total Bases
89 Tom Hedgepeth (NY)
79 Fred Mannion (BOS)
79 Bob Polansky (ATL)

Stolen Bases
11 John Nero (NY)
8 Joe Bonetti (BAL)
7 Tom Gerheauser (CHW)

ERA

1.11 Al Allen (NY)
1.95 John Belcher (PHA)
2.04 Will Svoboda (BOS)

Wins
17 Mart Lemelle (CHW)
14 Jack Anderson (ATL)
13 Will Svoboda (BOS)

Strikeouts
14 Jack Anderson (ATL)
9 Will Svoboda (BOS)
7 Al Allen (NY), Denny Klusman (PWS)

[fhomess]

September 1, 1874
With Philadelphia and Boston off on their tour of England, there weren’t a lot of games scheduled in August. Most teams played only a handful of games, and Chicago was able to gain a half game on the absent Athletics. Most teams made only modest gains or minor losses in the standings with the lone exception of the White Stockings of Philadelphia. They went 5-2 in August to move into a virtual tie with Boston for 5th place, and a little more respectability.

In Other News
Aug 15: 1B Steve Tucker and RF Jack Lowry both collect 6 hits for the White Stockings in Philadelphia’s 22-15 win over Brooklyn. Lowry collects 10 RBI in the game.

Aug 31: Chicago pitcher Mart Lemelle becomes the first pitcher to reach 20 wins on the season with an 8-2 victory over Baltimore. It’s Chicago’s 4th win in a row, all of them against the Canaries.

Standings

                                W      L      PCT      GB
Philadelphia Athletics         22     11     .667       -
Chicago White Stockings        25     15     .625      .5
Brooklyn Atlantics             21     15     .583     2.5
New York Mutuals               22     20     .524     4.5
Boston Red Stockings           18     20     .474     6.5
Philadelphia White Stockings   19     21     .475     6.5
Hartford Dark Blues            11     18     .379     9.0
Baltimore Canaries              7     25     .219    14.5

League Leaders
Average
.402 Bob Polansky (ATL)
.344 John Nero (NY)
.338 Fred Mannion (BOS)

Total Bases

95 Tom Hedgepeth (NY)
90 Bob Polansky (ATL)
84 John Nero (NY)

Stolen Bases
16 John Nero (NY)
8 John Arend (ATL)
8 Joe Bonetti (BAL)
8 Tom Gerheauser (CHW)

ERA
1.44 Al Allen (NY)
1.95 John Belcher (PHA)
1.98 George Joss (PWS)

Wins

20 Mart Lemelle (CHW)
17 Jack Anderson (ATL)
13 Will Svoboda (BOS)

Strikeouts
16 Jack Anderson (ATL)
9 George Joss (PWS)
9 Will Svoboda (BOS)

[fhomess]

October 1, 1874
The Red Stockings and Athletics returned to the NA on September 10th and immediately began heading in opposite directions from when they left. Boston won both of the meetings between the two teams, then went on to go 8-5 for the month and move up to 4th in the standings. The Athletics dropped several games against Chicago, going 3-7 on the month and falling all the way to 5 games back. Chicago took advantage, moving to 3.5 games ahead of the Atlantics in sole possession of first place. The other White Stockings lost all 6 of their games in September.

In Other News
Sep 9: Boston and Philadelphia return from their trip to England.

Sep 30: Baltimore beats Hartford 10-9 to win their league worst 10th game of the season.

Standings

                                W      L      PCT      GB
Chicago White Stockings        37     20     .649       -
Brooklyn Atlantics             27     17     .614     3.5
Philadelphia Athletics         25     18     .581     5.0
Boston Red Stockings           26     23     .531     7.0
New York Mutuals               26     27     .491     9.0
Philadelphia White Stockings   19     27     .413    12.5
Hartford Dark Blues            15     24     .385    13.0
Baltimore Canaries             10     29     .256    18.0

League Leaders
Average
.380 Bob Polansky (ATL)
.362 Fred Mannion (BOS)
.345 John Nero (NY)

Total Bases
116 Tom Hedgepeth (NY)
112 John Nero (NY)
106 Fred Mannion (BOS)

Stolen Bases

20 John Nero (NY)
11 Sam Shokes (NY)
10 Tom Gerheauser (CHW)

ERA
1.57 Al Allen (NY)
1.97 Will Svoboda (BOS)
2.11 Jack Anderson (ATL)

Wins
26 Mart Lemelle (CHW)
23 Jack Anderson (ATL)
19 Will Svoboda (BOS)

Strikeouts

20 Jack Anderson (ATL)
12 Al Allen (NY)
11 Jack Due (BAL)

[fhomess]

November 1, 1874
The Chicago White Stockings are the new champions of the National Association after winning their final two games of the season against the Philadelphia White Stockings. Chicago was only 6th in the league in runs scored, with only Hartford and Baltimore scoring fewer runs, and both teams played fewer games. The key for Chicago was the surprise pitching performance of Mart Lemelle, who started 50 games, went 28-18 and posted an ERA of 2.30. As a team, the rest of the staff was even better, giving Chicago a team ERA of 2.22.

The Brooklyn Atlantics gave Chicago a scare down the stretch, though. They won 10 of their final 12 games to pull to within a half game of Chicago. There were tied with Chicago on the 29th of October when they traveled to Philadelphia to play the White Stockings. A win would give Brooklyn the championship, however, Denny Klusman held the Atlantics to 1 run on 7 hits. Brooklyn starter Jack Anderson went the distance in the loss, allowing 4 unearned runs, ultimately having errors cost the team the title. This is the second year in a row that Brooklyn has come within percentage points of winning it all.

Elsewhere, Boston really struggled in October, dropping below .500 on the season to 5th place. The Athletics were actually the only team other than Chicago and Brooklyn to finish above .500.

In Other News
Oct 6: Boston pitcher Will Svoboda becomes the first pitcher to twice win 20 or more games in a single season.

Oct 6: Oil magnate Samuel Martin Kier dies at the age of 61. Among other contributions to the petroleum industry, Kier founded the first oil refinery in the United States in 1850.

Oct 20: George Barkley’s 27 game hit streak comes to an end against the Boston Red Stockings. The streak is the longest of the 1874 season. The longest active streak now belongs to Boston’s Jim Gray at 21 games.

Standings

                                W      L      PCT       GB
Chicago White Stockings        39     20     .661        -
Brooklyn Atlantics             37     19     .661       .5
Philadelphia Athletics         33     22     .600      4.0
New York Mutuals               32     33     .492     10.0
Boston Red Stockings           34     37     .479     11.0
Philadelphia White Stockings   26     32     .448     12.5
Hartford Dark Blues            19     34     .358     17.0
Baltimore Canaries             12     35     .255     21.0

League Leaders
Average
.404 Bob Polansky (ATL)
.352 John Nero (NY)
.348 Fred Mannion (BOS)

Total Bases

149 Fred Mannion (BOS)
145 John Nero (NY)
141 Tom Hedgepeth (NY)

Stolen Bases
22 John Nero (NY)
12 John Arend (ATL)
11 Sam Shokes (NY)

ERA
1.67 Al Allen (NY)
2.08 Jack Anderson (ATL)
2.26 Will Svoboda (BOS)

Wins
29 Jack Anderson (ATL)
28 Mart Lemelle (CHW)
22 Will Svoboda (BOS)

Strikeouts

30 Jack Anderson (ATL)
14 Will Svoboda (BOS)
13 George Joss (PWS)

[fhomess]

Award Winners Announced!
The Brooklyn Atlantics scored a sweep of the end of season awards, with one player winning for the second time in his career. Of course, they’d probably rather walk home with a title.

Batter of the Year
CF Bob Polansky (ATL): .404-.411-.493, 13 2B, 6 3B, 78 R

Brooklyn Atlantics center fielder Bob Polansky was chosen as the National Association Batter of the Year for the second time in his career. Polansky was 3rd in the league in hits, but played 13 games fewer than the Red Stockings players that were ahead of him. His .404 batting average was tops in the league, and New York’s John Nero was a distant 2nd with his .352 average. Polansky was the driving force behind Brooklyn’s league leading offense, which averaged nearly 9 runs a game. Polansky previously won the award while playing for Chicago in 1871.

Pitcher of the Year
SP Jack Anderson (ATL): 29-11, 2.08 ERA, 358.2 IP, 32 BB, 30 K, 30 CG, 3 SHO

Jack Anderson of the Brooklyn Atlantics has been honored as the 1874 National Association’s best pitcher. Anderson edged out Chicago’s Mart Lemelle 29-28 for the league lead in wins, and also had the most strikeouts of any pitcher in the league. His 2.08 ERA was second to New York’s Al Allen among regular starting pitchers.

[fhomess]

Here’s the season totals summary for 1874. Here's how the numbers compared with real life:

NA = Real National Association
TBS = The Baseball Saga (my sim)

Stat       NA     TBS      %Diff
G         464     464       0.0%
AB      19076   19252       0.9
H        5235    5059       3.5
2B        675     650       3.8
3B        197     175      12.6
HR         42      43       2.3
BB        238     238       3.5
K         280     226      23.8
SB        202     159      26.8
CS        111      91      21.7
R        3469    3555       2.4
AVG      .274    .263       4.3
OBP      .282    .273       3.3
SLG      .333    .321       3.6
IP       4170    4111       1.4
CG        440     191     130.4
SHO        15       9      66.7
ERA      3.00    2.58      16.3

Notes:
1. I think this was one of my best seasons in terms of runs scored. The batting rate stats were very close, too.

2. Last year, stolen bases were too high. This year, they were too low. They’re among the hardest stat to predict in terms of what I’ve seen in my tests. They seem to fluctuate quite a bit from season to season even with the same league settings. That said, I don’t actually have stolen base numbers from the real NA in 1874. The numbers I’m basing it off of is the same stolen base rate as there was in 1873.

League Leading Stats
These stats represent the top individual performance in each category.

Stat       NA     TBS
H         123     124
2B         22      21
3B         15      10
HR          5       3
BB          9      12
SB         11      22
AVG      .394    .404*
OBP      .401    .411*
SLG      .504    .493*

W          52      29
L          32      21
K          18      30
IP      616.1   391.0
CG         65      30
SHO         4       3
ERA      2.30    1.67+

*-Minimum of 100 AB's on the batting rates..
+-Minimum of 100 IP for the ERA title.

Actual League Settings
These are the values I had entered on the Strategy tab in League Setup.

League Totals         Modifiers
AB         10822
H           3101         .870*
2B           434         .565*
3B           239        1.240*
HR            47         .529*
BB           393         .443*
HBP           54         .247
K            175         .051*
BABIP       .289
Errors                  8.040
DP's                     .340
SP End                  6.000*
RP End                  1.000
GB%                      .890
WP                      1.272
Balks                    .241
PB's                   13.831
SF                       .137
SB                      1.050
SB Att                   .260*
SB Suc%                  .900*

I have the settings checked to automatically adjust league totals modifiers after each season and to automatically import player creation modifiers. For that reason, I've indicated with an asterisk above those settings which I actually modified myself from the modifiers the game chose from me in doing the game adjustments.

[fhomess]

Top 5 Career Leaders
Average minimum 600 PA

.411 Bob Polansky
.371 John Nero
.361 Bob Brose
.348 Fred Mannion
.348 George Barkley

Home Runs

7 Bob Polansky
6 Bob Brose
6 Jack Lowry
6 John Nero
5 Harry Ream

Stolen Bases

87 John Nero
64 Tom Hedgepeth
59 John Arend
50 Tom Gerheauser
48 Joe Bonetti

Runs Scored

264 John Nero
233 Tom Hedgepeth
229 Joe Arthur
224 Fred Mannion
224 Bob Polansky

ERA minimum 200 IP

2.27 Jack Anderson
2.35 Al Allen
2.56 Will Svoboda
2.59 Joe Gotcher
2.66 John Belcher

Wins

52 Will Svoboda
43 Joe Dimond
42 Jack Anderson
39 Mart Lemelle
26 Al Allen

Strikeouts

63 Joe Dimond
46 Jack Anderson
36 Charlie Champ
35 Al Allen
35 Will Svoboda

[fhomess]

1874-1875 Offseason News
The Baltimore Canaries, after three seasons of finishing at or near the bottom of the standings, will not return for 1875. The Canaries were a league worst 57-105 over that time span, finishing in last place twice and in second to last the other season. A number of teams have joined the league in their stead. Those teams will be the Keokuk Westerns, New Haven Elm Citys, Philadelphia Centennials, St. Louis Brown Stockings, St. Louis Red Stockings, and Washington Nationals. That puts the league at its highest census ever with 13 teams.

In Other News
Nov 4: Democrats regain control of the House.

Nov 11: First sorority, Gamma Phi Beta, is founded at Syracuse University.

March 3: First organized indoor ice hockey game played in Montreal at Victoria Skating Rink.

Retirees
OF Dick Morgan, formerly of the Mutuals and Atlantics, who hit 3 HR's in 1871.
2B Ed Howard, formerly of the Mutuals, with a career average of .308.

[fhomess]

1875 Preview

Boston Red Stockings
Last Season: 34-37 (5th)
Championships: 1873

Key Players:
SP Will Svoboda, 22-20, 2.26 ERA
CF Fred Mannion, .348/.354/.419, 3 HR
LF Joe Arthur, .326/.334/.366
2B Jim Gray, .304/.310/.352

Comings and Goings
Traded for C Josh Croyle from the Philadelphia White Stockings

Outlook:
Will Svoboda continued to pitch well in 1874, although it wasn’t quite as dominating as his 1873 performance. At 37 years old, there’s a lot of talk around Beantown over whether or not he’ll continue as the team’s regular starter. 26 year old Fred Ross is a likely candidate to replace him. Ross started 7 of his 16 appearances last season, going 3-4 with a 0.94 ERA. Mannion is one of the most consistent hitters in the league, leading all hitters with 124 hits. He, Arthur, and Gray have gotten some additional help in the lineup with the acquisition of catcher Josh Croyle from the Philadelphia White Stockings.

Projected Finish: 3rd

Brooklyn Atlantics
Last Season: 37-19 (2nd)
Best Finish: 1873, 1874 (2nd)

Key Players
SP Jack Anderson, 29-11, 2.08 ERA, NA POY
CF Bob Polansky, .404/.411/.493, NA BOY
C Mike Stanley, .333/.339/.393
LF Bob Brose, .319/.335/.429, 2 HR
RF John Arend, .318/.343/.372, 12 SB

Comings and Goings
Signed free agent pitcher Jack Due, formerly of the Baltimore Canaries.

Outlook:
Stater Jack Anderson and outfielder Bob Polansky were honored as the league’s best pitcher and hitter respectively. Surrounding them, the Atlantics return all their key players from last season. In addition, 3B Harry Ream, who missed most of last season due to injury, returns to the lineup ready to play. The Atlantics have finished 2nd each of the past two seasons, and are certainly among the favorites to win it all this year.

Projected Finish: 1st

Chicago White Stockings
Last Season: 39-20 (1st)
Championships: 1874

Key Players
SP Mart Lemelle, 28-18, 2.30 ERA
RF John Pinard, .276/.283/.362, 3 HR
LF Charlie Sandin, .273/.289/.317

Comings and Goings
None of significance.

Outlook:
The White Stockings shocked everyone by winning the championship in 1874, and it would likely be an even greater shock if they repeat. The offense didn’t see a single batter hit over Pinard’s .276. Last year’s hero, starter Mart Lemelle, is 37 years old and many don’t feel he’ll be able to pitch at that level again. They’ll be hard pressed to come close to repeating.

Projected Finish: 7th

Hartford Dark Blues
Last Season: 19-34 (7th)
Best Finish: 1874 (7th)

Key Players
SP Doc Taylor, 4-2, 2.80 ERA
1B George Gower, .351/.355/.433, 2 HR
3B Tom Louque, .308/.331/.353

Comings and Goings
None of significance.

Outlook:
A number of different pitchers started games for the Dark Blues in 1874, which was just as well considering none of them had any sort of consistent success. Taylor will get some starts, but expect the team to experiment with various pitchers until they find someone who can win consistently. Of course, given the offense, that may take all season. Gower and Louque are decent hitters, and there’s some depth to the offense, but none of that depth has proven it with results that look good enough to consider them a real threat as a team.

Projected Finish: 6th

Keokuk Westerns
Key Players
SP John Zackery, 0-1, 4.91 ERA (w/ BAL in 1873)
3B Frank Stuart, .293/.312/.311 (w/ BAL in 1873)
RF John McGovern

Outlook:
The Westerns have filled their roster with retreads and amateurs that will leave them on the wrong end of a lot of lopsided scores. There really isn’t much positive to say about a team that only has 3 players on the active roster with experience in the NA in the past two seasons, and none of that experience came last season.

Projected Finish: 9th

New Haven Elm Citys
Key Players
SP Tim Colegrove
1B Tom Arsenault
RF Frank Monzon

Outlook:
The Elm Citys are in even worse shape than Keokuk in terms of experience. The team hasn’t had the money to bring in any free agents, and is throwing out their amateur team at the professional level. Expect a long season.

Projected Finish: 10th

New York Mutuals
Last Season: 32-33 (4th)
Best Finish: 1871, 1873 (3rd)

Key Players
SP Frank Reimann, 0-1, 2.79
RF John Nero, .352/.377/.472, 3 HR, 22 SB
2B Tom Childers, .351/.357/.456
LF Sam Shokes, .298/.332/.351, 11 SB
CF Tom Hedgepeth, .318/.334/.427

Comings and Goings
Traded SS Dan Norman to the St. Louis Red Stockings

Outlook:
Last year’s regular starter, Al Allen, doesn’t appear to have his stuff anymore at age 35, so the team will once again turn to a new starting pitcher. This year it’ll start out with promising youngster Frank Reimann, who was solid in his few outings at the end of last season. Offensively, the Mutuals still look strong. Nero’s a superstar, and Shokes and Hedgepeth are both superb supporting staff. Childers is one of the most promising young players in the league. One are that may come back to hurt the team is the trading of SS Dan Norman in order to get Tim Balke’s bat in the lineup. Balke’s nowhere near as accomplished with the glove as Norman was, and that will bode poorly for whatever pitchers are on the mound for New York.

Projected Finish: 5th

Philadelphia Athletics
Last Season: 33-22 (3rd)
Championships: 1871, 1872

Key Players
SP Joe Gotcher, 11-8, 2.27 ERA
2B George Barkley, .307/.313/.344
RF Jim Shemo, .326/.351/.398
1B Will Melnick, .319/.322/.389

Comings and Goings
None of significance.

Outlook:
Gotcher started a number of games over the last half of the season in 1874 and turned out to be the most successful Athletic in that role, so he’ll get the first look this year. If he falters, the team has a number of other pitchers they’ve used in the past, including Charlie Calmus, John Belcher, and Pat Hathaway. Barkley’s an excellent hitter and Shemo is every bit his equal. The rest of the lineup is incredibly deep, with Melnick, C Charlie Harvard, and LF Joe Holleran all having the potential to post big numbers.

Projected Finish: 2nd

Philadelphia White Stockings
Last Season: 26-32 (6th)
Best Finish: 1874 (6th)

Key Players
SP John Fortenberry, 2-3, 2.24 ERA (w/ BAL)
1B Steve Tucker, .278/.279/.351
RF Jack Lowry, .266/.274/.332, 3 HR
SS Pat Denton, .278/.282/.310

Comings and Goings
Signed P John Fortenberry and OF John Gano as free agents.
Traded C Josh Croyle to the Boston Red Stockings

Outlook:
Fortenberry will hopefully give the team a dependable starter, but considering that he comes from a team that was even worse than Philadelphia last year, there has to be some question about whether or not he is really the guy to rely on. The offense has some decent hitters but no superstars, and nowhere near the depth that the top teams in the league all boast.

Projected Finish: 4th

Philadelphia Centennials
Key Players
SP Lew Thomas
LF Joe Macklin
RF Al Sanders

Outlook:
The Centennials bring their formerly amateur team into the professional NA, and look like they’ll not be able to compete. The pitching staff has no one to rely on, but the offense is even worse. Most of the hitters have no experience that suggests they’ll be able to compete against the quality of pitching they’ll face in the NA.

Projected Finish: 13th

St. Louis Red Stockings
Key Players
SP Bobby Daw
SS Dan Norman, .300/.296/.387 (w/ NY)
LF Harry Rivard

Outlook:
The Red Stockings acquired Norman as a guy with NA experience to give the rest of the team someone to look to when facing off against the league’s experienced teams. They’re not going to win many games, and could really use an upgrade at starting pitcher. The offense will struggle as well.

Projected Finish: 11th

St. Louis Brown Stockings
Key Players
SP Pete Cannon, 2-7, 4.17 (w/ BAL in 1873)
CF Joe Towry
3B John Jones

Outlook:
The Brown Stockings are likely going to be one of the better new additions to the league, if for no other reason than they’ve got some experience. Cannon and Towry both played with Baltimore in the past, although for Towry it was last in 1872. There are some other guys on the roster who were in the league last year, and while they weren’t very good, at least they have the experience that so many other teams coming into the league this season don’t have.

Projected Finish: 12th

Washington Nationals
Key Players
SP John Waitt, 2-10, 3.56 ERA (w/ BAL)
1B Billy Horace, .285/.291/.360 (w/ BAL)
LF Jim Smith, .247/..256/.336 (w/ BAL)

Outlook:
The latest incarnation of the Nationals has a handful of players that will give the team some hope. Many of the players from the Baltimore Canaries jumped to nearby Washington to join the team, and that means the Nationals can rely on some level of experience. Of course, those Canaries have never been any good, so this Nationals team doesn’t figure to beat many of the incumbants, but if they’re able to beat up on some of the other new teams in the league, these players may finally find some respectability.

Projected Finish: 8th

1875 Projected Standings
1. Brooklyn Atlantics
2. Philadelphia Athletics
3. Boston Red Stockings
4. Philadelphia White Stockings
5. New York Mutuals
6. Hartford Dark Blues
7. Chicago White Stockings
8. Washington Nationals
9. Keokuk Westerns
10. New Haven Elm Citys
11. St. Louis Red Stockings
12. St. Louis Brown Stockings
13. Philadelphia Centennials

[fhomess]

May 1, 1875
With only a handful of games played in April, the standings look a bit odd. Boston’s near the bottom, with the White Stockings near the top. The Elm Citys have even won 2 of 3. Some teams that aren’t much of a surprise are Brooklyn at 3-0 and the Centennials at 1-3. The schedule picks up quite a bit in May, with a full slate of 6 games scheduled for the 8th.

In Other News
Apr 19: Boston hosts New Haven for the first game of the season. While the Red Stockings take a 2-0 lead in the first inning and are up 6-1 after three, the Elm Citys fight back. They score in each of the final 5 innings, including 3 in the 9th to tie the game at 8. The game goes to extra innings, with New Haven eventually scoring in the 14th to win it 9-8. The teams combined for 25 errors in the game, with only 3 of the 17 runs allowed being earned.

Apr 26: Boston’s Jim Gray sees his 23 game hit streak, dating back to last season, come to an end against the Nationals.

Standings

                               W     L      PCT      GB
Brooklyn Atlantics             3     0    1.000       -
Philadelphia White Stockings   3     0    1.000       -
New Haven Elm Citys            2     1     .667     1.0
Chicago White Stockings        0     0     .000     1.5
Keokuk Westerns                0     0     .000     1.5
Philadelphia Athletics         1     1     .500     1.5
St. Louis Red Stockings        0     0     .000     1.5
St. Louis Brown Stockings      0     0     .000     1.5
Washington Nationals           1     1     .500     1.5
New York Mutuals               0     1     .000     2.0
Boston Red Stockings           1     3     .250     2.5
Hartford Dark Blues            0     2     .000     2.5
Philadelphia Centennials       1     3     .250     2.5

League Leaders
Average

.625 Mike Shenlaw (HAR)
.556 Jim Shemo (PHA)
.529 Mike Stanley (ATL)

Total Bases
12 Joe Rightnowar (NH)
12 Mike Stanley (ATL)
11 Charlie Rossi (BOS)

Stolen Bases
1 John Arend (ATL)
1 Mike Bushway (NH)
1 John Gano (PWS)
1 Joe Righnowar (NH)

ERA

0.33 John Fortenberry (PWS)
0.61 Joe Gotcher (PHA)
0.73 John Waitt (WAS)

Wins
3 John Fortenberry (PWS)
2 Jack Anderson (ATL)
1 several pitchers

Strikeouts
4 Fred Ross (BOS)
3 John Fortenberry (PWS)
2 Jack Anderson (ATL), Al Goodin (NH), Chris Hampel (HAR)

[fhomess]

June 1, 1875
Washington Nationals pitcher Charlie Barta hurled a pair of shutouts in May, one against he Dark Blues and one against the Elm Citys, and the team has surprisingly stayed near the top of the standings. The reigning champs from Chicago, however, are trying to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke, and so far they’ve been pretty convincing. They’ve lost just 2 games this season. They have benefited from a relatively easy schedule, though. They’ve played both St. Louis teams and Keokuk. Their schedule in June will be against some of the elite of the league, though.

Among those teams that are struggling are New York and Boston. The Beantowners have been getting excellent production from their new catcher, Josh Croyle, but mainstay Fred Mannion has been hitting just .240 this season. The Mutuals are hitting and pitching well, but the fielding has been terrible. They’ve committed the most errors per game and are just letting other teams run wild while they flounder in the field.

In Other News
May 3: The Dark Blues are caught using an illegal bat. The bat had been carved flat on one side, then painted black to hide the alteration. The bat is thrown out of the game, and Hartford loses to the Centennials 5-4.

May 17: The first Kentucky Derby is won by Aristides.

Standings

                                W     L      PCT      GB
Chicago White Stockings        10     2     .833       -
Philadelphia Athletics         13     8     .619     1.5
Washington Nationals           11     6     .647     1.5
Hartford Dark Blues            13     9     .591     2.0
Brooklyn Atlantics              8     6     .571     3.0
Philadelphia White Stockings   11     9     .550     3.0
St. Louis Red Stockings         4     5     .444     4.5
St. Louis Brown Stockings       4     6     .400     5.0
Boston Red Stockings           11    14     .440     5.5
New York Mutuals                7    10     .412     5.5
Keokuk Westerns                 3     8     .273     6.5
New Haven Elm Citys             5    11     .313     7.0
Philadelphia Centennials        4    10     .286     7.0

League Leaders
Average
.403 Mike Stanley (ATL)
.373 Harry Ream (ATL)
.361 Jim Shemo (PHA)

Total Bases

50 Charlie Rossi (BOS)
48 Jim Linhart (HAR)
39 Tom Louque (HAR), John Macmillan (BOS), Jim Shemo (PHA)

Stolen Bases
5 Tim Balke (NY)
4 John Nero (NY)
4 Sam Shokes (NY)

ERA

1.07 Pete Cannon (SBS)
1.41 Charlie Barta (WAS)
1.61 Joe Gotcher (PHA)

Wins
9 Joe Gotcher (PHA)
8 Charlie Barta (WAS)
7 Mart Lemelle (CHW), Fred Ross (BOS)

Strikeouts
11 Charlie Barta (WAS)
10 Jack Anderson (ATL)
9 John Fortenberry (PWS), Fred Ross (BOS)

[fhomess]

Sorry for the break. I was on vacation and then had a bit of a family issue to deal with. This is not dead, though, it'll be a little sporadic in the short term.

[fhomess]

July 1, 1875
Chicago was unable to maintain their lofty perch atop the standings, and the Philadelphia Athletics took advantage by moving up into the coveted slot. Brooklyn also made a charge to contend, while a number of teams found themselves hovering just a few games back. The Nationals, Dark Blues, both White Stockings, and Mutuals all are potential contenders at this point of the year.

At the bottom of the standings sit several of the new teams, as well as a major disappointment from Beantown. Boston’s Red Stockings haven’t won any of their last 11 games, and were last victorious against Keokuk on June 10th.

In Other News
June 3: Philadelphia White Stockings’ pitcher Bill Johnson holds New Haven to 3 hits and 0 runs scored despite 5 errors committed by the Philadelphia side.

June 4: Tufts University and Harvard University face off at Jarvis Field in Cambridge, Massachusetts for the first game of college football.

June 14: New York’s Tim Balke became the first player to hit for the cycle since 1971, when he went 5-5 against the Keokuk Westerns. The most difficult feat of the night was the home run, which came with 2 outs in the 9th inning. His performance helped the Mutuals defeat the Westerns by a score of 5-3.

June 14: The Philadelphia White Stockings’ John Fortenberry shuts out the St. Louis Brown Stockings on 4 hits. St. Louis fails to score despite 6 errors by Philadelphia.

June 29: Washington Nationals pitcher Charlie Barta shuts out the Brown Stockings on 3 hits.

Standings

                                W      L      PCT      GB
Philadelphia Athletics         23     11     .676       -
Brooklyn Atlantics             15      7     .682     2.0
Philadelphia White Stockings   19     12     .613     2.5
Hartford Dark Blues            20     14     .588     3.0
Chicago White Stockings        14      9     .609     3.5
New York Mutuals               16     11     .593     3.5
Washington Nationals           15     10     .600     3.5
St. Louis Red Stockings         7     10     .412     7.5
Philadelphia Centennials        4     10     .286     9.0
Keokuk Westerns                 3     10     .231     9.5
St. Louis Brown Stockings       7     15     .318    10.0
Boston Red Stockings           16     26     .381    11.0
New Haven Elm Citys             6     20     .231    13.0

League Leaders
Average

.369 Mike Stanley (ATL)
.357 Tim Balke (NY)
.350 Bob Brose (ATL)

Total Bases
82 Charlie Rossi (BOS)
73 Jim Linhart (HAR)
69 Fred Mannion (BOS)

Stolen Bases
9 John Nero (NY)
8 John Gano (PWS)
8 John Macmillan (BOS)

ERA

1.19 Frank Reimann (NY)
1.49 Charlie Barta (WAS)
1.49 Joe Gotcher (PHA)

Wins
16 Joe Gotcher (PHA)
12 Jack Anderson (BAL)
12 Charlie Barta (WAS)

Strikeouts
17 Charlie Barta (WAS)
17 John Fortenberry (PWS),
15 Fred Ross (BOS)

[fhomess]

August 1, 1875
The Athletics have pulled away slightly from the rest of the pack, with the Brooklyn Atlantics also having a good month but unable to fully keep up. The Athletics have been getting superb pitching from starter Joe Gotcher, but the offense has also been impressive. The team leads the NA with a .264 batting average this season, and their 8 home runs are also tops in the league. Only Hartford and Boston have hit more than 2 as a team.

The National Association saw two more teams fold mid season. This news comes after the Keokuk Westerns decided to call it quits in mid June, and has the more accomplished teams in the league complaining about a lack of a strong, centralized structure of leadership in the NA.

In Other News
July 3: Philadelphia Athletics right fielder Jim Shemo hits for the cycle against the Philadelphia White Stockings.

July 4: The Washington Nationals defeat the St. Louis Red Stockings 11-8 in St. Louis. After the game, Nationals players report that a club official has absconded with team funds and are unable to pay for their return trip. The Nationals are forced to cancel their remaining games for the season due to poor finances. The Red Stockings are also forced to end their season after failing to succeed financially.

July 30: Atlantics catcher Mike Stanley extended his hitting streak to 31 games at Union Grounds against the Chicago White Stockings. Stanley’s 31 game hit streak is the longest of the season, and third longest in league history. He’ll need to hit consecutively in 36 games to tie John Retherford’s record. The 35 year old Retherford accomplished his streak with the Baltimore Canaries, but is now Stanley’s teammate in Brooklyn.

Standings

                                W      L      PCT      GB
Philadelphia Athletics         31     14     .689       -
Brooklyn Atlantics             20     11     .645     4.0
Chicago White Stockings        23     17     .575     5.5
Washington Nationals           17     11     .607     5.5
Philadelphia White Stockings   24     20     .545     6.5
New York Mutuals               21     21     .500     8.5
Hartford Dark Blues            22     23     .489     9.0
St. Louis Red Stockings         8     11     .421    10.0
St. Louis Brown Stockings      18     22     .450    10.5
Philadelphia Centennials        4     10     .286    11.5
Keokuk Westerns                 3     10     .231    12.0
Boston Red Stockings           23     31     .426    12.5
New Haven Elm Citys            11     24     .314    15.0

League Leaders
Average
.365 Mike Stanley (ATL)
.346 Jim Shemo (PHA)
.333 Bill Devos (CEN)

Total Bases
95 Charlie Rossi (BOS)
89 Fred Mannion (BOS)
87 Jim Shemo (PHA)

Stolen Bases

12 John Gano (PWS)
11 John Nero (NY)
11 Sam Shokes (NY)

ERA
1.35 Frank Reimann (NY)
1.43 Charlie Barta (WAS)
1.68 Art Stokes (CHW)

Wins

22 Joe Gotcher (PHA)
16 Jack Anderson (BAL)
13 Charlie Barta (WAS), Pete Cannon (SBS), John Fortenberry (PWS), Frank Reimann (NY)

Strikeouts
21 Frank Reimann (NY)
18 John Fortenberry (PWS),
18 Fred Ross (BOS)

[fhomess]

September 1, 1875
The Philadelphia Athletics beat up on the Brown Stockings and Chicago to take a commanding 7-game lead in the NA. Starting pitcher Joe Gotcher is one win away from tying Jack Anderson’s single season record of 29 wins set last season, making him a good bet to become the first 30-game winner in baseball history.

The Athletics rise was helped in part by Brooklyn and the Philadelphia White Stockings splitting a pair of games towards the end of the month, but ultimate, no matter what the Atlantics did this month, they simply didn’t have enough games scheduled to overcome the dominating fashion in which the Athletics have been winning.

Near the bottom, Boston showed a little life by inching closer towards a .500 record, while the Elm Citys continued to fall farther behind.

In Other News
August 26: Atlantics catcher Mike Stanley extended his hitting streak to 35 games after going 3-5 against the Philadelphia White Stockings. Stanley is now one game shy of