Baseball – 1891

Baseball in 1891

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January

January 2The owners of the new Athletics franchise in Philadelphia hire the old A’s manager Billy Sharsig.
January 13Committees from the American Association and the National League hold a joint session in New York to distribute players who had jumped to the PL.
January 14The NL votes to allow the AA to place a team in Boston‚ despite the vehement opposition of the owners of the Boston NL club.
January 15The AA finally reaches a settlement with the ousted Toledo‚ Syracuse and Rochester clubs‚ clearing the way for an 1891 circuit in St. Louis‚ Chicago‚ Louisville‚ Columbus‚ Washington‚ Baltimore‚ the Athletics‚ and Boston.
January 16The NL‚ AA‚ and Western Association sign a new National Agreement calling for the creation of a 3-man Board of Control to settle disputes between clubs and leagues.
January 17In an effort to bolster the “weak sisters”‚ the AA votes to split admission receipts evenly between the home and visiting clubs.
January 19Louis Bierbauer‚ who played with the Athletics in 1889 before jumping to the Brooklyn PL club in 1890‚ signs with the Pittsburgh NL club‚ much to the consternation of the Athletics and AA.

February

February 4The Athletics purchase Elton Chamberlain’s contract from Columbus for $2‚000.
February 5Harry Stovey‚ who played with the A’s in 1899‚ and like Lou Bierbauer‚ was not claimed by that club through a clerical error‚ signs with the Boston NL club for 1891.
February 6The New York Giants‘ salary list is leaked to the press. It shows a total player payroll of $54‚600 with Buck Ewing‘s $5‚500 salary topping the scale.
February 14The National Board of Control “reluctantly” awards 3 disputed players (Lou Bierbauer‚ Harry Stovey‚ and Connie Mack) to the NL clubs that signed them despite the prior claims of the AA. Philadelphia (AA)‚ assumed that with the disbanding of the Players League‚ Lou Bierbauer would return to play with them. They call the signing of the 2B by Pittsburgh a Piratical” move‚ and the nickname “Pirates” will stick.
February 17The AA meets and indignantly unseats President Thurman‚ then withdraws from the National Agreement. This means “war‚” and the AA’s first move is to switch its franchise from Chicago to Cincinnati to compete with the NL in the Queen City.
February 21The National Board of Control‚ with Thurman still acting as chairman‚ declares all AA players fair game for contract raiding.
February 23Columbus pitcher Mark Baldwin tells the AA club that it “can depend on me‚” even though subsequent events would prove that he had already signed with Pittsburgh in the NL. Pittsburgh also pirated 3B Charles Reilly from Columbus.

March

March 1Pittsburgh and Cleveland are the 2 NL clubs making the heaviest raids against AA player contracts. Pittsburgh further earns its new nickname of “Pirates” by signing Pete Browning and Scott Stratton away from Louisville.
March 5At the NL meetings at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York‚ the owners enthusiastically adopt the 1891 schedule drawn up by Brooklyn owner Charles Byrne and his secretary Charles Ebbets. They adopt it with no changes and ask Ebbets to send memoranda to the NL office to help with future scheduling. Under the new schedule‚ Chicago will be doing the most traveling with 11‚220 miles. Despite the efforts of Cleveland‚ Pittsburgh and Cincinnati to raise the visitor’s share of gate receipts to 50%‚ the vote is to keep it at 40%‚ but to reduce the home share from 60% to 50%. The remaining 10% will go to the league office to cover expenses‚ eliminating the need for assessments.

Mark Baldwin is arrested in St. Louis on conspiracy charges sworn out by AA club owner Chris Von der Ahe‚ who claims that Baldwin is trying to bribe players into reneging their legal contracts.
March 10The NL strikes a telling blow by buying out Al Johnson‚ who has been granted the AA franchise in Cincinnati. The AA vows to keep its club there.
March 25Albert G. Spalding retires from active participation in the affairs of the Chicago club and the NL. James A. Hart will assume the club presidency.

April

April 3The Cleveland Spiders beat Pittsburgh 6-3 in St. Augustine in the first spring training game between 2 ML teams ever played in Florida.

John M. Ward returns from Paris with the announcement that he has reconciled with his wife‚ actress Helen Dauvray. The stormy marriage between stars of baseball and the stage is one of the most publicized in America.
April 4“Kelly’s Killers”‚ as the new Cincinnati AA team managed by King Kelly is called‚ draw 7‚000 for the Fast Day exhibition opener in Boston against the AA Boston Reds.
April 6The International League changes its name to the Eastern Association because it no longer has any Canadian clubs.
April 8Opening Day in the AA with 4 games. In St. Louis‚ the Cincinnati Kellys walk off the field in the 9th inning after new umpire Billy Gleason makes several questionable decisions in favor of his old Browns teammates. Gleason will be fired in 2 days‚ and the game will be replayed.

In Denver‚ the Chicago club beats Denver‚ 9-8‚ in a spring training game. Chicago’s last game is on April 12th and they will barnstorm East after that.
April 9Baltimore loses to Boston‚ 8-7‚ on 8th-inning errors by C Wilbert Robinson and SS George Van Haltren. Shortstop will be a trouble spot for Baltimore all year‚ and the lefthanded Van Haltren will play 59 games there.
April 11Clark Grif?th‚ 21 years old‚ makes his ML debut‚ pitching the St. Louis Browns to a 13-5 victory over Cincinnati. After spending much of 1892 and 1893 in the minors‚ Grif?th will return to remain active in the majors as a pitcher‚ manager‚ and club owner until his death in 1955.

In an unusual move‚ Louisville AA uses 3 pinch hitters in 7-3 loss to Columbus. Daily‚ Cook‚ and Reeder are the pinchhitters‚ with Cook drawing a walk. (as noted by Cliff Blau with some additional information from David Ball and John Lewis).
April 13The Washington Statesmen (AA) open their new National Park before a crowd of 4‚365 as Boston wins‚ 6-0.. This site at 7th Street and Georgia Avenue‚ N.W.‚ will serve ML baseball in the nation’s capital through 1961‚ except for one 4-year period (1900-1903). Initially hewn from a forest‚ in this first year of play the field is surrounded by overhanging trees that cause many drives that would have been homers to rebound back onto the playing field.
April 20Against Baltimore (AA)‚ Washington 2B Fred Dunlap‚ once considered the greatest in the game‚ suffers a career-ending broken left leg. The injury occurs in the 1st inning after Dunlap walks‚ steals‚ 2B‚ and‚ following a single‚ circles 3B and attempts to return to the bag when he sees he can’t get home. As noted by Bob Schaefer‚ it is the 2nd time that Dunlap has broken a leg in a game: the first occurred on July 5‚ 1887 when he collided with Sam Thompson in the 7th inning.
April 22Opening Day in the NL. The largest crowd (17‚355) is in New York‚ where the Giants lose to the Boston Beaneaters 4-3 on a 9th-inning muff by CF George Gore. The game is the first NL game in last year’s PL Polo Grounds at 157th St. and 8th Avenue‚ imm3diately north of the old NL Polo Grounds. This site will serve the Giants through 1957 and the Mets in 1962-63.
April 23With no outs and the bases loaded in the 9th‚ Brooklyn’s Darby O’Brien hits into a triple play against Philadelphia’s John Thornton to end the game‚ a 3-1 loss. New York’s Mickey Welch will match Darby next month.
April 25The Senators blow 3-run leads in both the 9th and 10th innings and lose to the Athletics‚ 12-11. Washington manager Sam Trott is fired after the game and replaced by veteran catcher Charley “Pop” Snyder.

In his debut for the Reds‚ Hoss Radbourn is peppered as Cleveland wins‚ 13-3. George Davis has 3 triples for the winners‚ including one in the 7th inning when he adds a homer.
April 26Local Cincinnati authorities allow the Kellys to play their Sunday game‚ which is won by the Louisville Colonels (AA) 12-6‚ but then arrest all the players on charges of violating the state’s Blue Laws.
April 27The Bridegrooms play their home opener at Eastern Park in the East New York section of Brooklyn‚ a 6-5 loss to New York. The park was used by the PL club in 1890‚ and the NL club will occupy it for 7 years. It is located near a complex of streetcar and suburban railroad lines‚ forcing fans to “dodge trolleys” to get to the gates. This spawns the name “Trolley Dodger” or “Dodgers” for the ball club.

Chicago pitcher Pat Luby finally loses as Cincinnati beats him‚ 1-0. Luby finished the 1990 season with a club-record 17 straight wins. He’ll win his next two starts‚ but will finish the year at 8-11.
April 28The new rule allowing for an unlimited number of substitutions gives managers new flexibility. Today‚ Beaneater manager Frank Selee gives rookie Jim Sullivan a chance to pitch in the 9th inning with Boston leading‚ 11-2. But when the youngster walks 5 men and allows 4 runs‚ Selee brings in Kid Nichols to save the victory.
April 30Although a small grandstand fire was extinguished during the game‚ the heated action in Cincinnati comes immediately after the Reds lose to Cleveland‚ 4-3. Reds pitcher Tony Mullane charges umpire Phil Powers and punches him in the face. Mullane will not end up being suspended‚ and rumors will have it that the NL president will rescind his fine.

May

May 1Cleveland opens new League Park at 66th and Lexington with Cy Young pitching the Spiders to a 12-3 victory over the Reds before a crowd of about 9‚500.
May 3With the team in 7th place‚ Manager Billy Sharsig of the Athletics is fired. Captain George Wood will be put in charge on an interim basis‚ but then take over as the regular manager.
May 5Pittsburgh’s Pete Browning bunts into a triple play in the top of the 6th inning and makes an error to allow a run in the bottom of the frame‚ causing Pittsburgh to lose to the Chicago Colts 1-0.
May 7King Kelly’s drive over the fence in Boston gives Cincinnati (AA) a 10-9 decision in the 14th inning. Since Kelly’s blast came in the bottom of the last frame with the score tied and a man on base‚ he is only credited with a triple. Tom Brown has 3 triples for Boston‚ all in the first 9 innings.
May 11After having played 14 home games this season at Oriole Park‚ the Baltimore club inaugurates its new Union Park on Huntington Avenue and Barclay Street with an 8-4 victory before 10‚412 fans. The Orioles’ new home will serve through 1899.

The Louisville Courier-Journal announces that yesterday the John Chapman Club-a top Louisville semi-pro team named for the Colonels’ manager-defeated the Mafia Ball Club.
May 16Chicago boosts its league lead to 2 games over Boston with a 10-inning 11-9 win against Brooklyn. Jimmy Ryan paces the Colts with 5 runs and has 5 hits‚ including 3 doubles and a triple.
May 18Ed Delahanty refuses to play today after Phillie manager Harry Wright denies him permission to bring a young boy on the team omnibus from the hotel to the ball park. Delahanty is suspended and fined $100‚ although the fine will be reduced to $25 after he apologizes.
May 19Chairman Nick Young of the Board of Control rescinds the new scoring rule requiring scorers to compile “runs batted in.” This rule‚ which was adopted last winter‚ will still be used by the AA‚ however.
May 20Jim Fogarty, 26, dies in Philadelphia of consumption. He arrived East from California in February with a heavy cold. The versatile OF, who also pitched a few games and managed some games in the Player’s League last season, was on the Spalding World Tour of 1888-89. He was negotiating to play with Pittsburgh when he took ill.
May 22Against Cincinnati’s Billy Rhines‚ New York’s Mickey Welch hits into a game-ending triple play‚ and Reds down New York‚ 8-3.
May 26Billy “Yank” Robinson has a perfect day and sets a world record (according to historian Ernie Lanigan) while playing 2B for Cincinnati (AA) against Boston. Yank has 7 fielding chances and makes 7 errors‚ but John Dwyer still wins‚ 21-16.
May 30Jack Stivetts wins both the morning and afternoon games for the Browns‚ although he leaves both games early when St. Louis gets out to big leads in both games. The Athletics lose 17-2 and 15-3.

June

June 2Hoss Radbourn‚ 36‚ wins his 300th game‚ pitching Cincinnati to a 10-8 win over Boston’s John Clarkson. Hoss scatters 11 hits. He’ll win 9 more games before hanging up his spikes at the end of the season. Radbourn will contemplate a comeback in 1894 but will get shot in a hunting accident (as reported by Fred Ivor-Campbell)‚ which will leave him half blind and semi-paralyzed.
June 3The AA holds an emergency meeting in Cincinnati to discuss the future of the shaky franch8ise there‚ which plays far from the center of town and may not be able to stage Sunday games pending several legal actions.
June 6St. Louis beats Boston‚ 11-10‚ in 10 innings to supplant the Reds as leaders in the AA race. Tommy McCarthy stars in the end‚ saving the game by throwing out a man at home in the bottom of the 9th and driving home the winning run with a long fly in the 10th.
June 7The Boston Reds regain the AA lead by edging the Browns 6-5 before a St. Louis crowd of 17‚439‚ the largest of the AA season.
June 8Walt Wilmot hits a pair of 2-run ho ers‚ and Bill Dahlen adds a solo shot to power the Colts to a 5-3 win over the Beaneaters. The defeat pushes Boston under the .500 mark and 5 1/2 games behind first-place Chicago.
June 9The Giants win hteir 10th in a row‚ beating Pittsburgh‚ 7-3. New York now trails Chicago by one game.
June 10Cleveland Spiders C Chief Zimmer makes 6 errors‚ and the opposing Brooklyns steal 10 bases. The Bridegrooms win by only 9-8.
June 11Herman Long goes 6-for-6 with 4 runs scored as the Boston Beaneaters climb back over .500 with a 14-6 rout of the Chicago Colts.
June 12A grand slam in the first inning by George Gore and a tie-breaking‚ 3-run homer by Roger Connor gives the Giants a 9-6 triumph over the Colts. The Giants have a one-game lead in the NL race.
June 13A new ML attendance record is set as 22‚289 jam the Polo Grounds to see the Giants nip the Colts 8-7. This crowd surpasses the old record of 22‚121 set in Brooklyn on Memorial Day 1989.
June 15Although they nearly blow a 13-2 lead‚ the Giants hang on to beat the Colts‚ 14-13‚ thanks to a great catch in the 9th by CF Mike Tiernan.
June 16Amos Rusie’s three-hit‚ 5-0 shutout gives New York a 4-game sweep and a 4-game lead over Chicago.
June 17Washington (AA) and Baltimore start the game with a bang-several‚ in fact. Washington scores 14 runs in the 1st inning and Baltimore answers with 5 runs‚ a ML record 19 for the opening frame. Washington’s Larry Murphy has 3 at bats in the frame as Baltimore loses‚ 20-19.

Washington signs veteran Ed Daily‚ released recently by Louisville. He will be team captain and play RF‚ not pitcher‚ but he’ll hit poorly and be released in July.
June 19Playing on a muddy field‚ NY 3B Lew Whistler sets a NL record by making 4 errors in one inning as the Giants lose to the Phillies 11-4.
June 22Tom Lovett of Brooklyn no-hits New York 6-0‚ giving up 3 walks. Amos Rusie is the losing pitcher.
June 25Tom Brown and Bill Joyce of the Boston Reds (AA) become the first pair in ML history to open a game with back-to-back HRs‚ starting Boston off to a 13-5 defeat of Sadie McMahon and the Baltimore Orioles. Brown continues his hit streak‚ which will reach 21 games before being stopped on June 30.
June 27Six innings of strong relief work by Clark Griffith enable St. Louis to beat Columbus‚ 12-6‚ and move back into first place.
June 29Chicago pitcher Bill Hutchison beats Pittsburgh‚ 8-3‚ for his 13th straight win over them. The streak started on April 30th of last year.
June 30In a 4-1 10-inning loss at Brooklyn‚ Boston’s Harry Stovey strikes out 5 times versus George Hemming. No Brave will fan five times in a game until Bob Sadowski matches Stovey on April 20‚ 1964.

July

July 1In Chicago’s 9-3 win over visiting Cleveland‚ Jimmie Ryan hits for the cycle.
July 2The Boston Reds (AA) down Washington‚ 9-4‚ to maintain their half game lead over the St. Louis Browns‚ also winners today. Bill Joyce helps the win by reaching base in his 64th consecutive game starting on April 8‚ but is injured and will not appear again until the last game of the year when he goes 0-for-2. (as noted by Trent McCotter). Joyce plays only 65 games this year. Joyce will also have CGOB streaks of 54 in 1894 and 56 in 1896; only Ted Williams will have 3 streaks over 50 games.
July 3The Columbus Buckeyes release Jack O’Connor for habitual drunkenness. He will resurface with Cleveland next year and remain an active player through 1907.
July 4New York regains the NL lead by winning 2 games in Cincinnati while Chicago loses a pair at home to Brooklyn. Will Hutchison loses the afternoon game for the Colts‚ making his record at the South Side Park just 2-2‚ compared to 11-1 at West Side Park and 8-6 on the road. The Colts play on the West Side on Mondays‚ Wednesdays‚ and Fridays‚ and on the South Side on Tuesdays‚ Thursdays‚ and Saturdays.
July 7Baltimore (AA) sets a ML record by leaving 18 men on base in an 8-2 loss to the Cincinnati Kellys. This record would not be broken until September 21‚ 1956.
July 8Jack Stivetts yields 7 runs in 5 innings before being relieved. He stays in the game in the OF and drives home the winning run with a fly ball in the bottom of the 9th as the Browns edge the Reds‚ 8-7.
July 9Tip O’Neill’s RBI double caps an 8th inning rally for St. Louis that beats Boston‚ 4-3‚ and moves the victors into first place in the AA race.
July 11Powered by Duke Farrell‘s 3-run home run‚ Boston beats St. Louis‚ 5-2‚ to regain the AA lead. The Reds will hold it for the rest of the season.

Bob Leadley‚ who has made himself unpopular with the players by banning three-card poker in the Cleveland clubhouse‚ is fired as Spider manager and replaced by captain Patsy Tebeau.
July 14Billy Hamilton’s 3 triples help Philadelphia (NL) down the Reds‚ 9-1. It is Billy’s 2nd three triple game.
July 15The Washington club releases Ed Daily‚ its team captain signed in June. The Post will report on August 3 that Daily is opening a saloon‚ but then it is reported on October 22 that he died the night before of “quick consumption.” The Post will report that when he played for the Senators his health was not good.

Hardie Richardson returns to the Boston AA lineup after being out since April with a broken foot. The Reds beat Cincinnati‚ 15-12‚ as reliever George Haddock‘s grand slam highlites a 10-run seventh-inning rally.
July 16After Louisville falls into last place in the AA‚ a Louisville Courier-Journal headline asks that someone “Give Them a Commercial Name to Advertise Something Outside the City.” This headline reflects the relationship between baseball and business in the 19th-century city.

Chicago squeezes by Boston 8-7 with 3 runs in the bottom of the 12th to complete a 3-game sweep. The Colts move into first place when the Giants lose to Cleveland‚ 12-6.
July 18After the AA grants Boston the right to lower its admission price from 50 cents to 25 cents‚ 4‚723 pay to see the Reds beat the Colonels 9-0. Only 986 had attended yesterday’s game.
July 21The Giants give pitcher Tim O’Keefe the required 10-day notice of his release.
July 23The Boston Reds win their 11th game in a row‚ beating the Washington Statesmen 6-1 in a 5-inning affair featuring two HRs by captain Hugh Duffy. Both are inside-the-park-the 2nd time in his career he’s legged out a pair of homers in one game. The 11 victories constitutes the longest winning streak in the AA.
July 24The Browns score in all 8 innings in which they bat‚ as they trounce Cincinnati 20-12. Frank Dwyer pitches the entire game for the losing Kellys.
July 25An over-the-fence drive by Cliff Carroll caps a 4-run rally in the bottom of the 9th to give the Chicago Colts a 15-14 victory in Cleveland. Although the ground rules at this park call for a HR on balls hit over all OF fences‚ the winning run scores from 2B‚ so Carroll gets credit for only a double.
July 26Louisville snaps its 15 game losing streak‚ the longest losing streak in the majors this year‚ by beating host Cincinnati‚ 9-5 behind Jouett Meekin.

Judging that newly acquired Jesse Duryea to be the better pitcher‚ St. Louis releases Clark Griffith. Griff will sign with Boston in a week.
July 27Future Hall of Famer Joe Kelley makes his ML debut with the Boston Beaneaters‚ singling off of Mickey Welch in his first at bat.
July 30Two ML clubs change managers. Bill McGunnigle takes the reins in Pittsburgh‚ Ned Hanlon being demoted from manager-captain to just captain. And Dan Shannon replaces Charley Snyder in both capacities with Washington.
July 31New York Giants P Amos Rusie hurls a no-hitter against Brooklyn‚ winning 6-0‚ over Bill Terry. He walks 8‚ hits one‚ and fans 4. Rusie lost on a no-hitter last month.

August

August 1Two home runs by Farrell pace Boston to a 7-3 triumph in St. Louis in the first game of a critical four-game series.
August 3Scott Stratton shuts out the Philadelphia Athletics on one hit‚ 6-0‚ to snap Louisville’s losing streak at 15 games‚ the longest in the major leagues this year.
August 4Tip O’Neill goes 4-for-4 for the 2nd day in a row to lead the Browns to an 8-0 victory over the Reds. St. Louis wins the series 3 games to 1 and now trail Boston by just 4 percentage points.
August 5In St. Louis‚ Athletics pitcher Ben Sanders uses just 91 pitches in an 11-inning game with St. Louis‚ in which the A’s win‚ 4-3. He walks one‚ gives up 7 hits‚ and strikes out 4. (as noted by Cliff Blau). The Sporting Life of August 15 estimates he may have thrown 15 called balls and strikes‚ excluding the walk and strikeouts.
August 6Jack Stivetts of the St. Louis Browns (AA) hits 2 HRs and strikes out 10 against the Athletics‚ but loses the game‚ 7-5. It is Stivetts’ 2nd 2-homer game.
August 7A run-scoring wild pitch by John Clarkson allows Chicago to beat Boston 6-5 in 10 innings. This makes 4 straight games (dating back to the series in July that the Colts have beaten the Beaneaters in extra innings.
August 8Boston edges Chicago 4-3 in 9 innings. The Colts now lead the Giants by 2 games and the Beans by 2 1/2.
August 9Unofficial averages in the Chicago Tribune show Billy Hamilton leading the NL with a .343 average. Mike Tiernan is 2nd at .338.
August 11The Boston Reds beat Kelly’s Killers 9-3 for their 7th straight victory since leaving St. Louis. The slumping Browns have fallen 5 1/2 games behind.
August 13Bob Barr‚ recently acquired from Buffalo‚ has his Giant debut ended in an abrupt and bizarre manner when he is accidentally hit on the head by a ball thrown back over the grandstand after it is fouled out of play. The Giants lose 7-4 to Cincinnati and are now in 3rd place‚ 2 games behind Chicago.
August 17The underfinanced AA franchise in Cincinnati folds. Milwaukee of the Western Association is elected to take its place‚ a move that dooms that minor league. The Brewers sign 4 of the Kellys and several players from other WA clubs. “The King of Ballplayers‚” Mike Kelly‚ joins the Boston Reds (AA) and is appointed captain.
August 18Milwaukee is victorious in its first AA game‚ beating the Browns in St. Louis 7-2. Back in Cincinnati‚ the NL game is enlivened by Cleveland’s Jimmy McAleer chasing the Reds’ Arlie Latham around the field with a baseball bat. Latham had tripped McAleer as the runner rounded 3B/ No blows are struck as Cleveland wins‚ 6-2.
August 19In Boston‚ when deposed captain Hugh Duffy comes to the plate in the 2nd inning. He is presented with an elegant cane and a testimonial speech. When play resumes‚ he bangs out a two-run single to help the Reds to a 6-2 win over the Orioles before the largest crownd of the season (11.201).
August 21George Hemming‚ who fanned Harry Stovey 5 times on June 30th‚ fans Stovey 4 times today as the Bridegrooms beat the Beaneaters‚ 8-1.

Jim McTamany and Henry Larkin‚ the first two batter for Philadelphia (AA) crack homers off Boston’s Darby O’Brien. Darby shrugs it off and Boston wins‚ 11-4.
August 22In six plate appearances‚ Walt Wilmot of the Chicago Colts draws 6 bases on balls from Cleveland Spider pitchers Lee Viau and Cy Young to set a ML record for walks in a game. Jimmie Foxx (6/16/38) and Andre Thornton (5/2/84) will be the only players to tie this record. Chicago wins today‚ 11-9.
August 24A peace conference between club owners from the AA and the NL opens in Washington.
August 25The Boston NL club shocks the baseball world by announcing the signing of King Kelly away from the rival Boston AA club‚ thereby wrecking peace talks between the leagues. Kelly signs through the 1892 season for a total of $25‚000‚ a figure that will not be topped by any player until the Federal League war of 1914 and 1915.

Chicago beats up on Brooklyn‚ 28-5. Walt Wilmot starts swinging‚ collecting 4 hits and Jimmy Ryan has 8 plate appearances.
August 27In what is called the “longest short game of the season” St. Louis beats Washington 10-8 in a game called due to darkness after 6 innings. The “marathon” takes 2 hours and 15 minutes‚ longer than most 9-inning games.
August 28Piladelphia beats Chicago 8-5 to snap the Colts’ winning streak at 11 games. Chicago leads Boston by 4 games.
August 31In the season’s best pitching duel‚ Chicago’s Bill Hutchison and New York’s Amos Rusie battle to an 11-inning scoreless tie. A great throw from CF to home plate by Jimmy Ryan saves the day for the Colts.

September

September 4“Old Man” Cap Anson answers the critics who have been calling for his retirement by showing up for today’s game wearing a wig and a long white beard much to the delight of the Chicago crowd. Anson wears this costume throughout the game‚ which his Colts‚ 5-3‚ win over the Beaneaters‚ stretching Chicago’s lead to 7 games over Boston.
September 5Boston salvages the final game of the 3-game series in Chicago‚ 3-2. Billy Nash scores the winning run in the 8th on a double steal.
September 7Anson sleeps through the morning game of a Labor Day bill in Brooklyn and his Colts lose 21-3. But he homers in the p.m. game‚ which Chicago wins‚ 3-2.
September 8Boston (AA) beats St. Louis 9-2‚ scoring 4 runs on one play as a bases-loaded single is followed by three throwing errors by the Browns. With a 9 1/2 game lead‚ the Reds seem assured of the AA pennant.
September 9Disgusted with owner Von der Ahe’s constant criticism‚ St. Louis stars Tommy McCarthy and Jack Stivetts sign with the Boston Beaneaters (NL) for 1892.
September 10In its first AA home game‚ after taking the Reds place in the league‚ the Milwaukee Brewers blasts out a 30-3 triumph over Washington to the delight of 2‚450 fans. The Brewers would log a record of 14-5 home record by the season’s end.
September 12Mark Baldwin of Pittsburgh pitches 2 complete-game victories in Brooklyn‚ winning 13-3 and 8-4 while allowing a total of 11 hits. This gives him 4 wins in 6 days.
September 14Wild Bill Hutchison posts his 40th win of the season‚ beating Boston 7-1.
September 15Chicago wins the second game of the series with Boston‚ 8-4‚ to extend its NL lead over the Beaneaters to 6 1/2 games iwith just 16 playing dates remaining.
September 16Last place Louisville (AA) wins their 2nd game in a row beating Washington‚ 7-0‚ to move out of last place. Their streak will reach 12 wins. Washington drops to last place and will soon get replace manager Dan Shannon with Sandy Griffin‚ the 4th manager this year.

Boston salvages the final game of the series 7-2 as Kid Nichols beats Chicago for the first time after 9 losses to the Colts.
September 18Billy Hamilton steals 4 bases to pace the Phillies to an 11-6 decision over the Cincinnati Reds. Sliding Billy will ?nish the season with a league-leading 115 steals‚ breaking the 100 mark for the 3rd year in a row.
September 19Amos Rusie beats Chicago for the second time in 3 days as the Giants complete a 3-game sweep of the Colts. Boston‚ having meanwhile won 3 from Pittsburgh‚ closes to within 2 1/2 games of first place.
September 21Brooklyn loses to Boston 6-1 as the Bridegrooms 2B John Ward makes 2 key errors in the 5-run 8th inning.
September 23Aided by sloppy fielding and suicidal baserunning of Brooklyn‚ the Beaneaters win a doubleheader‚ 5-1 and 9-2‚ to edge within two games of the Colts.
September 25The Boston Reds clinch the AA pennant with a 6-2 victory in Baltimore.

The Boston Beaneaters win their 10th in a row‚ beating the Phillies 6-3‚ thanks to 3 errors by 3B Ed Mayer.
September 26Amos Rusie wins both ends of a doubleheader in Brooklyn for the Giants. He is then given the final week of the season off‚ so he will not pitch against Boston.
September 27Louisville wins a pair in St. Louis to extend its winning streak to 11 games‚ tying the best streakin the AA this year.
September 28The Giants arrive in Boston without their two best pitchers (Amos Rusie and John Ewing) and their best hitter (Roger Connor) and arrange to play 5 games in 3 days. They lose the first one 11-3 as the Beaneaters move to within one-half game of Chicago‚ which loses to Cy Young and Cleveland‚ 4-2.
September 29Dan Shannon resigns as Washington’s manager. Sandy Griffin will finish the season in charge of the last-place Senators.
September 30The Beaneaters complete a 5-game sweep of the Giants and vault into first place in the NL race with just 3 days to go. Chicago president James A. Hart protests the extra makeup games played by the Giants in Boston. Several sportswriters are convinced that the eastern clubs have purposely let Boston win the recent games‚ especially after 4 Giants are retired at home plate in the final game‚ which Boston wins 5-3.

The Athletics sign Orioles manager Billy Barnie to manage their club in 1892. Barnie will finish the season with the O’s including 3 games against the A’s.

October

October 1Boston clinches the NL pennant with its 17th consecutive victory‚ 6-1‚ in Philadelphia‚ while Chicago is losing to Cincinnati by the same score. Herman Long stars in the clincher with 5 double-play pivots and a tie-breaking hit.

Ice Box Chamberlain switch pitches against Baltimore (AA) in a 16-4 Philadelphia win. Ice Box did the same thing in 1888 against KC.
October 2In the first-ever ML game in Minnesota‚ the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Columbus Buckeyes 5-0 in Minneapolis’s Athletic Park. Winning pitcher Frank Killen had starred for the WA Millers before the club folded in August.

Boston wins its 18th in a row as Kid Nichols becomes a 30-game winner for the first of 7 times in his career.
October 3At Chicago‚ Cincinnati rolls to a 15-9 season-ending win over Chicago‚ their 3rd in a row in the Windy City and their 7th overall. The Reds are led by John Reilly‚ who hits 2 triples and 2 singles. The Reds escape the cellar and finish 2 percentage points ahead of Pittsburgh‚ which ended the season with 8 straight losses.

Tom Brown of the Boston Reds is voted the team’s most popular player by a local newspaper. Brown receives a watch.
October 4Browns rookie Ted Breitenstein gets his first start on the final day of the season and hurls a no-hitter versus Louisville. He wins 8-0 while walking one and facing the minimum 27 batters.
October 5A fiasco in Washington: After the Senators tie the game with 3 in the top of the 6th‚ The Orioles refuse to make put outs in the hopes that they can delay for darkness and have the score revert. But after 22 runs have crossed the plate‚ the umpire forfeits the game to Washington.
October 6The AA season closes with Baltimore winning 2 games in Washington to capture 3rd place‚ one-half game ahead of the Athletics. There will be no all-Boston World Series because of the intransigence of the Beaneater owners.
October 10The Louisville club announces that it lost $10‚516.75 on the season. Most clubs apparently lost money.
October 14Former Chicago pitcher Larry Corcoran dies in Newark at the age of 32 of Bright’s Disease and alcoholism. Corcoran’s best year was 1884 when he went 27-12.
October 17A New York judge rules that the Giants do not have to put a roof on their bleacher seats‚ despite a recent ordinance passed by the Board of Aldermen.
October 20Billy Hallman of the A’s announces that he has signed with the Phillies‚ opening a wave of player jumps.
October 21As reported in the Washington Post‚ veteran pitcher Ed Daily‚ who captained the Senators earlier this year‚ dies of “quick consumption.” Third baseman Will Smalley‚ 20‚ who played poorly for Washington and was also released‚ died 10 days ago.
October 26The Colts rookie star Bill Dahlen sings with the AA Milwaukee club for next season for $3500‚ including $500 in advance. Although the club would not field a major league team in 1892‚ it will be able to recover the $500 after a long court battle.

November

November 3Giants stalwarts Roger Connor and Danny Richardson jump to the Athletics.
November 4Charlie Comiskey‚ having had enough of Browns owner Chris Von der Ahe‚ signs to manage and captain the NL Cincinnati Reds.
November 11The NL meets and dismisses the charges of collusion and game throwing against the eastern clubs brought by Chicago‚ thereby formally giving Boston the pennant. The league also plans its strategy for conquering the association by consolidating the 4 strongest AA clubs into a 12-team league for next year.
November 16The Louisville Colonels club is sold at auction to satisfy a $6‚359.40 mortgage. The new ownership is headed by Dr. T. Hunt Stuckey.
November 26A series for the championship of the Pacific Coast begins between the champions of the California League (San Jose) and the Pacific Northwest League pennant winners (Portland). San Jose wins the opener‚ 8-6. The series will last until January 10 with San Jose winning 10 games to 9. All the games are played in San Jose.
November 28AA president Zach Phelps announces that the rumored 12-club consolidation is impossible. He does not realize that the NL has already begun to win over individual AA owners to the plan.

December

December 11George Wagner‚ one of the owners of the Athletics‚ agrees to terms which will allow him to purchase the Washington club‚ thereby clearing a major stumbling block in Philadelphia.
December 15The AA and NL meet together in Indianapolis to settle the matter with the “frozen out” AA members: Milwaukee‚ Columbus‚ Chicago and Boston.
December 17The American Association passes out of existence after ten years as a settlement is finally reached. Four AA clubs (St. Louis‚ Louisville‚ Washington‚ and Baltimore) join with the NL 8 in a 12-club league formally styled “The NL and American Association of Professional Base Ball Clubs.” The other 4 AA clubs are bought out for about $130‚000. The NL will allow Sunday games for the first time but will retain its 50 cent minimum admission price.