Featured Partner
Charlton's Baseball Chronology - 1893
January
| January 7 |
Mike Kelly will appear on stage in blackface this week in Boston. |
| January 12 |
NL owners‚ led by Pittsburgh's A. C. Buckenberger‚ form the National Cycling Association. They hope to build bicycle tracks in at least 8 of the 12 NL parks. |
| January 14 |
The Cuban Giants‚ perhaps the nation's best black baseball team‚ announce their desire to join the proposed Middle States League. Their application is rejected. |
| January 25 |
Cincinnati business manager F. C. Bancroft reminisces about "the time when police had to escort the umpire to the depot‚ and when cannons were fired when a game was won. That's the sort of baseball you want." |
| January 28 |
It is announced that Bancroft is spending the remainder of the off-season serving as the manager of Linda Gardner's Mastodon Minstrels. |
|
The New York Clipper states that "an attempt will be made to change the rules so as to compel outfielders to discard gloves." |
February
| February 4 |
The first recorded version of "Casey at the Bat‚" as recited by Russell Hunting‚ hits the charts. DeWolf Hopper's more famous version will not be released until October 1906. |
March
| March 1 |
John Pickett wins $1‚285.72 in a lawsuit against Baltimore‚ his most recent team. Baltimore had claimed that they did not owe him this sum -Picket's entire 1892 salary-because he "was slow in his movement‚ and had a sore arm which incapacitated him from being of service to the club." |
| March 4 |
Andrew Carnegie donates a plot of land for the construction of a ballfield in Braddock‚ PA. |
| March 7 |
In arguably the most significant rule change in ML history‚ the NL eliminates the pitching box and adds a pitcher's rubber 5 feet behind the previous back line of the box‚ establishing the modern pitching distance of 60 feet 6 inches. In addition‚ bats flattened on one side to facilitate bunting are banned. |
| March 25 |
Louisville is forced to transfer its only three Sunday games because the suburb of Parkland‚ in which the Colonels' new ballpark is located‚ does not permit Sunday play. |
April
| April 13 |
Louisville owners refuse an offer from Milwaukee businessmen for their franchise. Nevertheless‚ many baseball officials believe Louisville is not a good baseball town and hope that the team is transferred to a bigger‚ more responsive city like Buffalo. |
| April 29 |
On the 2nd day of the season‚ the Brooklyn Bridegrooms score 5 runs in the bottom of the 9th to tie the host Philadelphia Phillies‚ then add 2 more in the 10th to win 11-10. |
May
| May 5 |
Ed Stein hurls a one-hitter to lead Brooklyn to a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. |
| May 6 |
Cincinnati wins its second consecutive extra-inning game over St. Louis‚ winning 3-1 in 13 innings. |
| May 7 |
St. Louis star southpaw Ted Breitenstein throws a two-hit shutout to defeat Chicago‚ 8-0. |
| May 8 |
The Reds third straight extra-inning game proves unlucky as Pittsburgh wins in 10 innings‚ 9-8. after tying the game with 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th with 2 out. |
| May 10 |
Brooklyn's joy over beating the New York Giants in the bottom of the last inning‚ 7-6‚ for the 2nd straight day is partially dashed as youngster Willie Keeler fractures a bone while sliding. Keeler will miss nearly 2 months of action. |
|
Led by Tom Dowd's 5 runs scored‚ the St. Louis Browns whip the Chicago Colts‚ 14-2. |
| May 11 |
George Davis goes 5-for-5 with a HR and a triple to lead New York to a 15-9 win over Philadelphia. |
|
The Beaneaters edge Brooklyn 9-8 with the help of Bobby Lowe's 5th inning grand slam. |
| May 12 |
Philadelphia gains revenge‚ scoring 11 runs in the 4th inning en route to an 18-6 rout of New York. |
|
Baltimore rallies with 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th to disappoint Washington‚ 7-6. Cleveland matches this feat by scoring 4 runs in the 9th to edge St. Louis‚ 8-7. |
| May 13 |
Baltimore blows a 10-2 eighth inning lead to Washington and falls‚ 12-10. |
| May 14 |
After allowing Chicago to build a large lead‚ Cincinnati storms back with 11 runs in the final 3 innings‚ including 4 in the bottom of the 9th‚ to triumph 13-12. |
| May 15 |
After tagging out St. Louis Browns OF Steve Brodie in a collision at the plate‚ Cincinnati Reds C Harry "Farmer" Vaughn throws a bat at Brodie‚ hitting him on the shoulder. Vaughn is ejected and fined $25 as St. Louis wins 10-6 and moves past the Cleveland Spiders and the Pittsburgh Pirates into first place. |
| May 16 |
The idle Cleveland Spiders slip into first place as St. Louis loses to Cincinnati‚ 9-6. |
| May 19 |
Held scoreless for the first 8 innings‚ both Brooklyn and the Boston Beaneaters score 3 runs in the 9th to send the game into extra innings. Boston's Billy Nash hits the ball over the LF fence in the bottom of the 9th‚ but he stays on 3B "to bother the pitcher." The tactic works‚ as Nash does score. Both teams score one run in the 10th-Boston scoring on another Nash blow over the LF fence‚ which he runs out this time. Boston finally claims the game after a 12-inning struggle 5-4. |
| May 22 |
In the first game at the Louisville Colonels' new Parkland Field‚ "played by mutual agreement with the pitcher under the old rules‚" Cincinnati wins 3-1. |
|
In a pair of similar games‚ Philadelphia and Baltimore each score 5 runs in the 9th inning to edge Boston and New York‚ respectively. |
| May 24 |
Catcher Connie Mack "misses " a short popup in front of home plate and starts a triple play in the 4th inning. He also drives in the winning run in the bottom of the 8th to lead Pittsburgh to an 8-7 win over St. Louis. |
| May 26 |
Baltimore makes good use of a triple play and a 5-for-5 performance by Tim O'Rourke in downing Brooklyn‚ 6-1. |
| May 27 |
Despite losing at home to Cincinnati 4-1‚ the Pirates back into first place as the Cleveland Spiders fall to St. Louis 3-2. |
| May 29 |
New York pitcher Mark "Fido" Baldwin wins a three-hit shutout by driving in the games lone run to slip by Cincinnati. |
| May 30 |
Jake Beckley successfully pulls the "ancient" hidden-ball trick on Baltimore Oriole Joe Kelley‚ as Pittsburgh wins 9-1. He hides the ball under a corner of first base. |
|
Brooklyn's William "Brickyard" Kennedy allows a total of 8 hits in a doubleheader as he beats Louisville 3-0 and 6-2. |
June
| June 1 |
Harry Staley hits 2 HRs with 9 RBIs while pitching Boston to a 15-4 victory over Louisville. Billy Rhines takes the pounding from his fellow pitcher. |
| June 6 |
Cleveland explodes with 8 runs in the 9th to shock Boston‚ 13-11. |
| June 8 |
Billy Hamilton gets his 8th consecutive hit as Philadelphia beats Louisville 6-2. In defeat‚ Colonels 1B Willard Brown sets a ML record for assists with 6. |
| June 9 |
The Washington Nationals Jim O'Rourke legs out an inside-the-park homer. At the age of 42 year‚ 9 months he's the oldest ever to accomplish the feat. When Wagner does it in 1916‚ he'll be 5 months younger. |
| June 12 |
Brooklyn outslugs Cincinnati 14-13 to move into first place. |
| June 13 |
Despite losing Connie Mack with a serious injury in the first inning‚ Pittsburgh beats Boston 9-7. Mack will be out for 10 weeks. |
| June 14 |
In the 2nd inning Boston's Cliff Carroll makes a phenomenal catch to rob a St. Louis player of a HR. In the bottom of the 9th‚ Carroll knocks in 2 runs and scores the 3rd and decisive run to propel Boston to an 11-10 win. |
|
George Davis becomes the first player in ML history to hit a HR and a triple in the same inning as his Giants overcome the Chicago Colts 15-11. Davis's feat will not be matched until 1931‚ when the Detroit Tigers' Bob Fothergill turns the trick. |
|
Louisville's Bill Rhoades must be on the good (or bad) side of Billy Barnie as the manager lets the pitcher go the distance in just his 2nd start. Rhoades allows 55 total bases and loses. |
| June 18 |
After a day off, Cincinnati starts matters off by scoring 14 runs in the first inning‚ then cruises to a 30-12 victory over Louisville. Farmer Vaughn and James "Bug" Holliday lead the attack with 9 hits‚ including 5 extra-base hits‚ between them. Piggy Ward‚ with 2 singles‚ 5 walks‚ and a hit by pitch goes into the record books as the only man in major league history to reach base 8 times in a 9-inning game. He has now reached base safely 12 straight times. Bid McPhee and Arlie Latham have a record 8 plate appearances. The Reds tally 19 singles‚ 4 doubles‚ 5 triples‚ and 3 homers off Bill "Dusty" Rhodes‚ pitching in his only ML season.
|
| June 19 |
Philadelphia defeats Baltimore‚ 6-3‚ to move into first place. |
|
The Reds outslug Louisville to win, 13-10. Playing agains the team that traded him three days ago, Piggy Ward has a walk and four singles to run his consecutive on base streak to a ML record 17 at bats.
|
| June 21 |
Pittsburgh races past Cleveland 6-5 by scoring 5 runs in the bottom of the 9th. |
| June 23 |
New York's Roger Connor becomes the 2nd man ever to hit 100 HRs in his career with his 3rd of the season in an 11-5 win at Philadelphia. |
|
Boston moves into first place as Philadelphia loses. However‚ a Philadelphia victory the next day brings them into a first-place tie with Boston. |
| June 24 |
From the Sporting Life‚ June 24 issue a comment on the effect of the increased pitching distance: "Knocking pitchers out of the box is not a common an occurrence now as it was a month ago. It will probably be even less common another month from now." |
| June 26 |
New York and Cincinnati battle 17 innings to a 5-5 tie‚ the first ever game to go 17 innings. |
|
Jack Glasscock is traded by the St. Louis Browns to Pittsburgh in exchange for Frank Shugart and $500. Glasscock with 48 RBIs for the Browns‚ will total 66 at Pittsburgh; He is the first player to be traded during the season who has 100 ribbies. |
| June 30 |
In a wild game‚ Pittsburgh strands 14 runners‚ while Brooklyn leaves 16‚ a major-league record. Brooklyn bangs out 18 hits and scores 9 runs in the 6th inning to win 22-16. Pittsburgh outhits Brooklyn‚ collecting 19 safeties‚ in the loss. |
July
| July 1 |
Boston forges into the NL lead by beating St. Louis 12-5. Philadelphia loses to Cleveland 13-6‚ as the Spiders stage their 2nd 8-run 9th-inning rally in the last month. |
|
Despite getting only two hits off of Chicago rookie Hal Mauck‚ New York wins‚ 1-0. |
| July 3 |
Boston falls into a tie for first as Chicago's Bill Hutchinson limits them to 2 hits in a 3-0 win. |
| July 4 |
The Los Angeles and Stockton clubs of the California League play their 2nd game in 3 days under electric lights. |
| July 6 |
Jack Boyle's 6 hits off Bill Hutchinson go to waste as Chicago tops Philadelphia 11-10 in 11 innings. Meanwhile‚ Boston blows its chance to claim first as it allows Pittsburgh to win 10-9 with 5 runs in the 9th. |
| July 7 |
Philadelphia reclaims first place with a 13-10 win at Chicago. |
|
Louisville officials‚ frustrated by their inability to sell alcohol or play Sunday baseball in their new ballpark located in the suburb of Parkland whose laws proscribe such activities‚ get permission from the Kentucky Legislature to annex the land on which the ballpark is located without the consent of Parkland residents. Alcohol sales and Sunday baseball commence almost immediately. |
| July 9 |
Cincinnati scores all its runs in the bottom of the 9th in a 3-2 win over Baltimore. |
| July 10 |
Philadelphia holds onto first place by scoring five runs in the bottom of the 9th to edge St. Louis‚ 8-7. |
| July 11 |
After Louisville scores 8 runs in the 1st‚ Brooklyn storms back with 10 in the 5th inning and holds on to win‚ 13-11. |
| July 13 |
After Baltimore's Joe Kelley hits a HR in a game with Chicago‚ his bat disappears. The game is delayed at Kelley's next at bat until his bat is found-along with the bats on the Chicago bench. After that‚ Kelley lugs his stick to the outfield every inning. Baltimore wins‚ 7-3. |
| July 14 |
Right-handed P Tony Mullane‚ losing to Chicago‚ the team he played for earlier in the season‚ pitches the 9th inning lefthanded. Chicago adds 3 more runs to their total and whips Baltimore‚ 10-2. Mullane switch pitched once before‚ in 1882‚ losing then as well. |
| July 15 |
Jake Stenzel hits a HR and a triple‚ both with the bases loaded‚ along with 3 other hits as Pittsburgh (NL) annihilates Washington‚ 19-0. Jesse Duryea is the loser: last year he was on the long end of a 20-0 rout. |
| July 19 |
Pittsburgh uses 19 hits-all singles-to win in Cleveland 10-6. Pittsburgh is further aided by the defense of LF Elmer Smith‚ whose use of green glasses to fend off the sun "greatly helped him in his fielding." |
| July 20 |
Baltimore uses a triple play to spark a 5-3 win over Brooklyn. It is Baltimore's 2nd TP this year against Brooklyn. |
| July 22 |
Boston's Tommy Tucker ties a ML record by hitting 4 doubles‚ including 2 in one inning‚ in a 13-8 win over New York. |
| July 24 |
Washington scores 9 runs in the last 2 innings‚ including 5 in the 9th‚ to hold off rallying Boston‚ 17-15. |
| July 27 |
Boston takes the NL lead for good by defeating Baltimore 6-2. |
| July 31 |
The Philadelphia outfield records no chances in a 7-4 loss to Boston. |
|
New York's Mark Baldwin surrenders only 3 hits‚ but is out dueled by Ed Stein‚ who pitches his 2nd one-hitter of the season to lead Brooklyn to a 3-0 victory. |
August
| August 1 |
Pittsburgh crushes hapless St. Louis‚ 25-2 in game 1‚ then wins the second game‚ 6-1 on 17 hits‚ just 3 fewer than they garnered in the earlier match. Frank Killen wins both games en route to a 34-win season. |
|
At the Polo Grounds‚ New York beats Brooklyn‚ 8-3 behind Amos Rusie. Ward's triple with the bases loaded is the big support. |
|
In the Ball Players Sweepstakes at the Pelhamville Gun Club‚ dark horse Mark Baldwin outshoots all the competition to win. Les German‚ who club members felt had the best form‚ was a close second‚ losing only when a shot bird landed one foot out of bounds. Captain Ward‚ the favorite‚ finished last with just two birds shot. Before today‚ Ward had been considering challenging Cap Anson‚ one of the best smateur shots in the country. |
| August 2 |
Philadelphia snaps Boston's 9-game winning streak with a 7-4 victory. |
|
Baltimore rallies for four runs in the bottom of the 9th for an 8-7 win over Washington. |
| August 4 |
Washington suffers yet another late inning shock as Philadelphia erupts for 7 runs in the 10th for a 14-7 win. |
| August 5 |
Brooklyn unveils its new cleanup hitter-5 foot 4 inches Willie Keeler-against first place Boston. Despite hitting .313 in this role for his new team‚ Keeler is released to the Binghamton‚ NY‚ team of the Eastern League on August 26th. The Beaneaters are unfazed‚ winning 6-3 and 12-5. |
|
Bill Hallman scores 5 runs to pace the Phillies to a 21-8 thrashing of Washington. |
| August 6 |
While traveling between Cleveland and Chicago‚ the Lake Shore train carrying the Chicago team derails. Several team members are bruised but CF Jimmy Ryan is hurt seriously and he will remain in the hospital for the rest of the season. The 1894 Reach Guide states " . . . it is doubtful whether his recovery will be entire while he lives. So bad were his injuries‚ that the railroad company compromised by paying him $10‚000." As noted by historian Dan Levitt‚ the Guide also mentions the deaths of three umpires killed in train accidents: Ben Young‚ a "well-known umpire" in a rail collision in Oregon in 1890; NL ump Tom Zacharias‚ run over in his hometown of Homestead‚ PA; and Southern League ump William Nelson who died after he fell under a moving train. |
| August 7 |
Facing a lefthanded Brooklyn pitcher‚ New York 1B Roger Connor bats righthanded for the first time in his career and slugs 2 HRs and a single in a 10-3 win. |
| August 8 |
Sam Dungan of Pittsburgh starts the game against Chicago by scoring from 1B as George Van Haltren's wild throw rolls into a rat hole under the grandstand. Pittsburgh finishes up by scoring 5 runs in the top of the 9th and hanging on for a 9-8 win. |
| August 11 |
Philadelphia collapses at the end‚ allowing 6 runs in the last 2 innings to lose 10-7 to New York. |
| August 12 |
After making 3 errors in a 9-3 first game loss in Cleveland‚ St. Louis LF Jesse Burkett is criticized for forgetting to follow Elmer Smith's example and wear sunglasses. Cleveland wins game 2‚ 4-3. |
| August 14 |
The Phillies' Billy Hamilton is diagnosed with typhoid fever‚ and will miss the remainder of the season. |
| August 16 |
Bill Hawke of Baltimore pitches a 5-0 no-hitter against Washington. |
|
At Philadelphia‚ the Phillies lose a shutout to Boston and Kid Nichols. They won't be shutout at home again until October 3‚ 1898‚ a record 367 games. |
| August 19 |
In the first game of a twinbill with Pittsburgh‚ four Boston batters get hit by pitches in the 2nd inning to set ML record. Boston wins 13-10 with game 2 ending in a 5-5 tie. |
|
Amos Rusie fires a 2-hit shutout to lead New York to a 2-0 win over Cleveland. |
| August 20 |
Chicago C Malachi Kittridge allows a Washington player to score as he sweeps off the plate without calling time out. Chicago still prevails‚ 11-7. |
|
At Boston‚ the Reds Frank Dwyer takes a 7-5 lead into the bottom of the 9th. After two singles‚ Bobby Lowe walks‚ and a wild pitch follows‚ leaving 1B open. Dwyer hands out an intentional walk to Hugh Duffy to get to cleanup hitter and future Hall of Famer Tommy McCarthy (as noted by Clifford Blau). Two singles follow giving Boston the game. |
| August 21 |
Visiting St. Louis frustrates Philley fans for the 3rd straight time by winning in the bottom of the last inning‚ 9-8. |
| August 24 |
After incessant rains‚ the Polo Grounds OF is flooded with nearly 2 feet of water. Officials respond by moving the diamond 45 feet closer to the grandstand. Chicago handles the conditions better and defeats New York 10-4. |
| August 25 |
Lowly Louisville upends Philadelphia with a 4-run rally in the bottom of the 9th to win‚ 8-7. |
| August 29 |
Baltimore scores 5 runs in the 9th to turn back Cleveland‚ 9-7. |
September
| September 2 |
In a lengthy interview in the New York Clipper‚ John Ward describes in detail Boston's invention and use of new strategies like the hit-and-run and the delayed steal. |
| September 4 |
Baltimore explodes for 10 runs in the 2nd inning‚ but Chicago responds back to win‚ 15-10. |
|
Philadelphia scores 5 runs in the bottom of the 9th to tie Cincinnati‚ then wins in the 10th‚ 11-10. |
| September 8 |
Cleveland shrugs off a first inning triple play and whips Washington‚ 7-0. |
| September 11 |
George Davis's 33-game hitting streak is broken as his Giants lose at Cleveland 8-6. |
| September 13 |
Boston star Tommy McCarthy dislocates 2 toes sliding into 3B against Chicago. His loss is felt as the game ends in a 5-inning 8-8 tie. |
|
Another tie takes place between Cincinnati and Philadlephia‚ 1-1 in 15 innings. |
| September 18 |
Preceding the Reds home game‚ a 7-6 win over Baltimore‚ Cincy's assistant grounds keeper‚ Louis Can‚ marries his fiancé in a ceremony at home plate. After the game the newlyweds leave for a honeymoon at the World's Fair in Chicago. |
|
Louisville pitcher George "Old Wax Figger" Hemming walks the first 4 New Yorkers he faces‚ but with a DP and a failed steal he escapes with no runs scored. Louisville wins‚ 8-6. |
|
Cleveland pitcher John Clarkson hits a game-ending homer in the 10th against Boston‚ to give his team a 7-6 win. |
| September 19 |
Louisville's Scott Stratton gives up 13 hits but still shuts out New York‚ 3-0. Stratton's generosity is a 19th century mark. |
| September 21 |
John "Bid" McPhee‚ the Reds' star 2B‚ tries a glove for the first time. However‚ he ends the experiment before the end of the season‚ but will convert in two years. |
| September 26 |
Baltimore rallies for 5 runs in the bottom of the 9th to topple St. Louis‚ 8-7. |
| September 28 |
After moving into the lead with 3 runs in the top of the 9th‚ Philadelphia players allow themselves to be retired quickly in order to ?nish the game before it is called on account of darkness. However‚ Cleveland foils their plans by scoring 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th to win 11-10. |
| September 30 |
On the last day of the season St. Louis takes two from the NL champion Boston Beaneaters‚ winning 17-6 and 16-4. In game 2‚ St. Louis rookie Duff Cooley goes 6-for-6 while teammate Frank Shugart scores 5 runs. It's a good day for Joe Quinn. In pre-game ceremonies‚ the St. Louis second baseman is honored by The Sporting News as the most popular baseball player in America‚ and receives a gold watch. The Aussie-born Quinn then collects 8 hits in the doubleheader‚ the first player to accomplish that feat. |
October
| October 14 |
Baseball legend Harry Wright suggests that umpires keep the ball-strike count a secret until the at bat is concluded. He feels this rule change will increase offense. |
November
| November 4 |
John Ward comments that a professional football league "may eventually come‚ but . . .the game is so complicated that . . . the general public does not understand it." |
| November 18 |
Baseball officials continue to discuss the possibility of abolishing the bunt‚ or at least call foul bunts strikes‚ in an effort to reduce the art of place hitting. |
| November 21 |
Ban Johnson is named president‚ secretary‚ and treasurer of the recently reorganized Western League. Under Johnson's leadership the Western League will prosper. |
