Sporting a tall stovepipe hat and a magnificent handlebar mustache, Mutrie arrived in New York in 1880 determined to create a great baseball team. By 1883, with the backing of John B. Day, he was able to gain admission to the American Association for the New York Metropolitans with himself as manager. At the same time, he organized a National League New York team. After the Metropolitans won the AA pennant in 1884, Mutrie became manager of the NL team, taking several Metropolitan players with him. He built the NL team into a powerhouse by adding such stars as future Hall of Famers Buck Ewing, Tim Keefe, and Mickey Welch. The team was unusually tall, and Mutrie’s repeated references to “his giants” evolved into the accepted name for the team. The Giants won NL pennants in 1888 and 1889. Defections to the Players’ League in 1890 depleted the team, and after 1891 Mutrie was forced out as manager.
