MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SEASON RECAP 1887

Season Recap: 1887

League Champion: Detroit Wolverines

1887 – The New York Metropolitans (American Association) buy third baseman Dude Esterbrook from the New York Giants (NL). Although the Mets are no longer owned by the Giants’ management, the Giants still seem to get the best of every deal between the two clubs.

1887 – A new Kansas City club is founded to play in the Western League. The team vows to compete with the National League team in town, but that franchise will not return this year.

Dave Foutz and a touring team based in Louisville are accused of throwing a game against another touring team of Eastern pros

Albert Spalding meets with the Chicago White Stockings players and exacts from each man a pledge of total abstinence from drinking

Albert Spalding meets with the Chicago White Stockings players and exacts from each man a pledge of total abstinence from drinking

AL Spalding meets with the Chicago players and exacts from each man a pledge of total abstinence from drinking

King Kelly meets with Chicago White Stockings owner Albert Spalding for contract talks

King Kelly meets with Chicago White Stockings owner Albert Spalding for contract talks

The Maroons will now become the Hoosiers.

Kansas City Cowboys go out of business

Cubs sell current NL batting champ Mike King Kelly to the Beaneaters

Cubs sell current NL batting champ Mike King Kelly to the Beaneaters

National Colored Base Ball League is organized

1887 - New York Giants shortstop and team captain John Ward thinks that the open sale of players has gone too far. "I wouldn't play in Kansas City under any circumstances," he says, but a club could force him to play there or not play at all.

1887 – New York Giants shortstop and team captain John Ward thinks that the open sale of players has gone too far. “I wouldn’t play in Kansas City under any circumstances,” he says, but a club could force him to play there or not play at all.

Grover Cleveland Alexander is born in Elba, Nebraska.

Grover Cleveland Alexander is born in Elba, Nebraska.

In preparation for the upcoming National Colored Base Ball League season, the Louisville Falls City sign Al Prater from Detroit and W.S. Purnsley from the Cuban Giants

After a week of conditioning in Macon, Georgia, the Detroit Wolverines National League club team begins a six-week spring exhibition tour through the South and Midwest.

After a week of conditioning in Macon, Georgia, the Detroit Wolverines National League club team begins a six-week spring exhibition tour through the South and Midwest.

Chicago trades holdout Jim McCormick‚ a 10-year vet‚ to Pittsburgh for untried rookie P George Van Haltran. Van Haltran is staging something of a holdout as well‚ staying in California to be with his mother who is seriously ill. Chicago also gets $2‚500.

1887 – Joe McCarthy is born in Philadelphia. McCarthy will become the first manager to win pennants with both National and American League teams, and will win nine league titles overall and seven World Series championships. He will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977.

In the first game played at the Baker Bowl, the Phillies beat the Giants, 19-10. Philadelphia’s newest ballpark is located at the corner of Broad and Huntingdon Street Park.

In front of nearly 10,000 at Recreation Park, the Alleghenys play their first game in the National League, defeating the defending league-champion Chicago White Stockings at Pittsburgh’s Recreation Park, 6-2. The former American Association team, who will become known as the Pirates in 1891, will post a 55-69 record, finishing in 6th place in the eight-team circuit.

Mike Morrison of the Cleveland Blues was called out in a home game against the Philadelphia Athletics. 

Indianapolis 3B Jerry Denny saves a run by holding King Kelly by the belt as Kelly tries to tag up on a fly ball. The umpire misses the play and does not penalize Denny. But the ploy does not save the Hoosiers from an 8 – 7‚ 10-inning defeat in Boston.

The Louisville Colonels were playing in Philadelphia against the Athletics when Lave Cross batted out of order and made outs in the second and fifth innings. In the seventh, he singled and this time Philadelphia pointed out that he was not the proper batter. However, Ned Cuthbert, the umpire ruled that since he had been allowed to bat out of order twice, that the protest was denied. There was nothing in the rule of the time that allowed for that ruling.

1887 – During a lull before the start of today’s Boston-Philadelphia game‚ leadoff batter Joe Hornung stands his bat on home plate and challenges P Charlie Ferguson to hit it. Fergy does it on the first try.

Today’s Chicago Tribune publishes NL batting figures through May 31st that show Fred Carroll (.476)‚ Sam Thompson (.454)‚ and Paul Hines (.438) leading the league. Walks are counted as hits this year.

At the Polo Grounds‚ the Giants make it easy by scoring 11 runs in the opening inning en route to a 26 – 2 pasting of Washington. New York collects 10 hits in the big inning‚ including 2 hits apiece by Mike Tiernan‚ Buck Ewing‚ and Monte Ward. Danny Richardson is 6 for 7 for New York with 6 singles. This is the second time this season the Giants have scored 26 runs: in 4 days they’ll score 29. The starter and loser for Washington is Dupee Shaw‚ the inventor of the windup. Ugly rumors will erupt about today’s big loss‚ and Washington will release Shaw in August. The Boston Globe will report on his release that he “had shown lack of heart in his work and was sick of the club. It is said he never recovered emotionally from the effects of the accusation late last year that he was crooked in some of his work versus certain clubs.”

Detroit’s Fred Dunlap establishes a National League record by starting 4 double plays at second base. He participates in 5 double plays in all to tie the existing major league mark and helps the Sluggers edge the Hoosiers‚ 7 – 6.

1887 – A huge brawl breaks out in the 9th inning of a game between the Browns and Orioles in Baltimore, MD when Curt Welch bowls over Orioles 2B Bill Greenwood in the 9th inning with the score tied, 8 – 8. Thousands of spectators run on to the field, clamoring for Welch’s arrest – or worse. Police have to intervene, and the game is called. Welch is whisked away to safety while Browns pitcher Dave Foutz, a Baltimore native, speaks to the crowd to calm them slightly. However, another mob gathers at the train station, preventing Welch from leaving town. He will be forced to attend a court hearing the next day, where Greenwood pleads in his favor, stating that the play was nothing out of the ordinary in a baseball context, although some of the Orioles’ fans would like to see criminal charges laid. Wisely, the Browns will keep Welch out of the next day’s game to ease tensions.

Athletics manager Frank Bancroft is given a 3-day vacation to be with his ailing son. Before the month is over‚ however‚ he will be officially fired. Captain Harry Stovey is in charge of the team on the field and no new manager will be hired.

The Chicago White Sox batting order in Boston against the Beaneaters had Mark Baldwin hitting 8th and Tom Daly 9th. The first time through the order they batted in reverse order. The second time through with two out Daly again hit before Baldwin and reached second on two errors. After the first pitch, a ball, was thrown to Baldwin, Boston protested, and after some discussions by the umpires and the teams’ captains, Phil Powers ruled Baldwin out for batting out of order. He was not the proper batter as the lead off man would have been under today’s rules. The rule in place at the time was as clear as the current one, but under both Chicago should have been able to put the proper batter up with a 1-0 count.

1887 – At the Mets’ grounds on Staten Island‚ Philadelphia Athletic batter Gus Weyhing hits an apparent triple that RF Ed Hogan kicks into the stage of the play “The Fall of Babylon.” Since the ground rules at the park call for a double on hits into the theatrical set‚ the umpire orders Weyhing back to second base. After a futile argument‚ the Athletics leave the field and forfeit the game‚ 9 – 7.

ezra sutton

Mike Kelly and Ezra Sutton score 6 runs each‚ a Major League record for 2 teammates

1887 – Following a 3-game sweep at the hands of the Detroits‚ Boston removes King Kelly as captain and gives the job back to 1B John Morrill.

Hugh Nicol of the Cincinnati Redlegs steals six bases in one game, tying his own major league record

Chicago whips the visiting Phillies‚ 17-12‚ for their 3rd win in a row over the Philadelphians. The Phils will not lose for the rest of the season. Adrian “Cap” Anson is 3-for-5‚ giving him 17 hits in the last 5 games. His hot streak will win him the NL batting title with an official .421 average (without walks‚ which are counted as hits‚ Sam Thompson would have won the title with a .372 mark).

The NY Giants were in Chicago playing the White Stockings (now Cubs). Jim O’Rourke was listed twice in the batting order. The first was “O’Rourke or Brown, catcher” and the second was “Nelson or O’Rourke, third base.” In the second inning, O’Rourke was out at 1B batting out of order but nothing was said. In the fourth, he hit a home run into the carriages beyond the outfielders but was called out after Chicago manager Cap Anson appealed to umpire Phil Powers.

9/15/1887: The NY Giants were in Chicago playing the White Stockings (now Cubs). Jim O’Rourke was listed twice in the batting order. The first was �O’Rourke or Brown, catcher� and the second was �Nelson or O’Rourke, third base.� In the second inning, O’Rourke was out at 1B batting out of order but nothing was said. In the fourth, he hit a home run into the carriages beyond the outfielders but was called out after Chicago manager Cap Anson appealed to umpire Phil Powers.

The Indianapolis Hoosiers lineup for their home game against the Philadelphia Quakers has the pitcher Lev Shreve batting eighth and the catcher John "Tug" Arundel ninth. At one point in the game Arundel batted ahead of Shreve and John Valentine correctly called Shreve out. 

The Indianapolis Hoosiers lineup for their home game against the Philadelphia Quakers has the pitcher Lev Shreve batting eighth and the catcher John “Tug” Arundel ninth. At one point in the game Arundel batted ahead of Shreve and John Valentine correctly called Shreve out. 

9/16/1887: Bob Pettit of Chicago (NL) ran the circuit on a hit but was called out on appeal for missing 3B in the third inning.

Detroit runs its lead in the WS to 7 games to 2 with a 4-2 victory at the Athletics’ Park. This follows a 3-1 win at the Phillies’ Park on the 17th and a 9-2 rout on the 18th at the old Dartmouth Street Grounds in Boston‚ where Sam Thompson poled two HRs.

The World Series winds up with a game back at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis. St. Louis wins the final game but loses the series‚ 10 games to 5. Sam Thompson leads all hitters in the series with a .362 average.

The American Association’s Philadelphia Athletics are sold to a syndicate headed by Henry C. Pennypacker. The three long-time partners, Bill Sharsig, Lew Simmons, and Charlie Mason, still hold a sizable block of stock.

1887 – The directors of the Omaha club agree to pay $3,000 per month to manager Frank Selee to bring his team from Oshkosh, where it won the Northwestern League pennant this year. Two top stars, outfielders Tommy McCarthy and Dummy Hoy, will spend 1888 in the major leagues.

1887 – The Washington Statesmen sell veteran outfielder Paul Hines to the Indianapolis Hoosiers for $5,000.

1887 – The Cleveland Blues of the American Association announces a new uniform design featuring dark blue stripes and piping. The new suit will inspire the nickname “Spiders” because of the web-like pattern.

1887 – The Joint Rules Committee does away with the four-strike rule and with the scoring of walks as hits. Five balls for a walk remains the rule.

Dan Brouthers Brooklyn Dodgers

The National League meets and officially recognizes the Brotherhood 

On November 18, 1887 -- The National League adopts a new contract that spells out reserve provisions for the first time. The NL refuses to accept the players' demand that the salary be written out on all contracts, however.

The National League adopts a new contract that spells out reserve provisions for the first time.

1887 – In the American Association, the St. Louis Browns announce a trade that ships Bill Gleason and Curt Welch to the Philadelphia Athletics in exchange for Fred Mann, Chippy McGarr, and Jocko Milligan, plus $3,000. This is the first of a number of trades or sales, mostly to the Brooklyn Bridegrooms.

1887 – The International League disbands. The teams in Syracuse, Toronto, Hamilton, and Buffalo split off to form the International Association, while those in Newark, Jersey City, Wilkes-Barre, and Scranton become the nucleus of the Central League.

1887 – The Arbitration Committee meets and grants reserve rights to minor league clubs for the first time. In the most prominent contract dispute‚ prospect Bug Holliday signs with minor league Des Moines‚ despite the claims by major league St. Louis.

1887 – In a controversial move the American Association doubles its basic admission price to 50 cents. In late August 1888, the league, suffering from decreases in attendance and revenues, will reinstitute the old admission fee.

A baseball reporters association is organized. It pledges to work to standardize scoring practices, especially in the gray area of stolen bases.

A baseball reporters association is organized. It pledges to work to standardize scoring practices, especially in the gray area of stolen bases.

Chris Von der Ahe completes his biggest deal, selling Bob Caruthers to Brooklyn for $8,250. The deal is delayed by Caruthers’s negotiations with Brooklyn, but he finally agrees to a $5,000 salary for 1888.

1887 – The Texas League is organized at a meeting in Austin, thanks largely to the efforts of John J. McCloskey.

Hall of Famer José Méndez is born in Cardenas, Cuba

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