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Charlton's Baseball Chronology - 1896
January
| January 3 |
Pittsburgh acquires SS Fred Ely from St. Louis for P Bill hart‚ SS Monte Cross and $1500. |
| January 4 |
A portion of the fence surrounding the Polo Grounds blows down in a fierce storm. |
| January 14 |
A Chicago jury acquits OF Walter Wilmot of charges of violating the Sabbath law by playing Sunday baseball last year. Charges against other players are subsequently dropped‚ and the way is cleared for future Sunday ball in Chicago. |
| January 18 |
John Ward‚ who has not played or managed for the last 2 seasons‚ objects to being reserved by New York. At the NL meeting in February his appeal is upheld‚ and Ward is a free agent. |
February
| February 1 |
NL umpires oppose the proposed rule giving them the authority to eject "obstreperous players." They claim that the imposition of fines is a more effective form of discipline. |
| February 15 |
The Louisville infield is being rebuilt with base lines of blue clay. In addition‚ blue semicircles will radiate out from 1B and 3B‚ joining at 2B to form‚ along with the bottom half of the diamond‚ a heart. |
| February 16 |
New York City Parks Commissioner McMillan announces a plan to cut a street through the Polo Grounds leading to the Speedway‚ a new privately constructed horse track. The street is never built. |
| February 24 |
The NL adopts changes in the National Agreement. The minor leagues are divided into 6 classifications based on population‚ and new draft fees are instituted. |
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The NL forbids players from deliberately soiling baseballs‚ declares that "a ball cutting the corners of the home plate‚ and being the requisite height‚ must be called a strike‚" and empowers umpires to eject players. |
| February 29 |
Western League president Ban Johnson asserts that "the Western League has passed the stage where it should be considered a minor league…it is a first-class organization‚ and should have the consideration that such an organization warrants." Four years later Johnson will act upon this belief‚ taking the first steps toward moving the WL-renamed the American League in 1900-to ML status. |
March
| March 7 |
A Chicago writer quoted in the New York Clipper notes that "[Bill] Dahlen is one of the few now in the League who came blood new from a punky little league and became a good thing at first jump." Indeed‚ Dahlen eventually accumulates 2‚460 hits and a .272 average over a 21-year career. |
| March 13 |
OF Tommy McCarthy drops plans to retire and decides to report to Brooklyn. McCarthy had been traded there by Boston last October. |
| March 17 |
After a two-day meeting minor league magnates agree not to challenge the modifications of the National Agreement. |
April
| April 7 |
Louisville's Pete Cassidy becomes the first baseball player in history to be X-rayed‚ as a splinter of bone is removed from his wrist. |
| April 13 |
Organized baseball celebrates Harry Wright Day in honor of the baseball pioneer who had died last October of pneumonia. Veterans of the 1860s play an exhibition game in Rockford‚ IL‚ using 1860s rules. In Cincinnati‚ the 1896 Reds defeat the 1892 Reds 7-3. Other games are played in New York‚ Philadelphia‚ Louisville‚ Washington‚ and Indianapolis. The money raised will go to building a monument at a cemetery in Bala Cynwyd‚ Pennsylvania. |
| April 16 |
The 12-team NL season opens‚ with no franchise changes from last year. The largest Opening Day crowd in the 19th century‚ 24‚500‚ sees the opener in Philadelphia. |
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Veteran Cincinnati Reds 2B Bid McPhee opens the season wearing a glove for the first time‚ and survives several weeks of good-natured ribbing by opponents. He is the last to convert. |
| April 20 |
An overflow crowd of 18‚033 at Boston necessitates a ground rule of one base on a hit into the standing crowd. The Beaneaters then pound out 28 singles (and a double) in an 8-inning 21-8 win over Baltimore. This outburst equals the ML record for singles in one game set by Philadelphia against Louisville on August 17‚ 1894. |
| April 23 |
In Philadelphia's 19-8 win over New York‚ Dan Brouthers scores 5 runs for Philadelphia. |
| April 28 |
In a mid-afternoon game against the Columbus Senators‚ the Detroit Tigers (Western League) open their new Bennett Park before an overflow crowd of 8‚000. Named after Charlie Bennett‚ a popular catcher of the '80's who lost his legs in a train accident in 1894‚ the park is the first at Michigan and Trumbull Avenues. Wayne County treasurer Alex McCloud throws out the first pitch‚ caught by the wheel-chair bound Bennett‚ who will catch or toss the ceremonial first pitch every year until his death in 1927. The Tigers‚ led by player-manager George Stallings‚ then trounce the Senators‚ 17-2. Stallings hits a deep fly ball that goes for a home run when CF Dick Butler runs into a spectator crossing the field. |
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At Baltimore‚ Washington whips the Orioles‚ 9-5‚ with the help of a hidden ball trick applied by 1B Ed Cartwright on Willie Keeler. |
| April 29 |
The Cleveland Spiders score 2 runs in the 2nd inning to break a 22-inning scoreless streak by Pittsburgh Pirate pitchers‚ but fail to score again and lose 9-2. |
May
| May 2 |
At the West Side Grounds‚ Chicago defeats St. Louis‚ 15-8 with Walt Thornton the winning pitcher. Ted Breitenstein takes the loss on his way to 20 losses. He'll repeat that five years running. As Peter Morris notes‚ Josh Reilly makes his ML debut at 2B for Chicago‚ subbing for Bill Dahlen‚ who has a toothache. Reilly makes 3 errors‚ but in the 5th inning with two runners aboard and nobody out‚ he makes a spectacular diving catch and starts a triple play. This is Reilly's only game at shortstop as Dahlin returns tomorrow. |
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Kid Gleason has 5 hits to lead New York to a 15-10 win over Philadelphia. |
| May 3 |
The Louisville Colonels lose their 11th straight game‚ to Cincinnati‚ 5-3. |
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With an overflow crowd of 17‚231 at Chicago's West Side Grounds‚ the umpire rules that any ball hit into the crowd is a ground-rule triple. The Colts take advantage and crack 9 triples‚ including 3 by Bill Dahlen‚ to crush St. Louis‚ 16-7. |
| May 4 |
Cap Anson's bases-loaded single with no outs in the 9th scores 2 runs and gives Chicago a 2-1 win over Brooklyn. |
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Louisville loses its 11th straight to take its customary spot in the cellar. |
| May 7 |
Boston scores in all 8 innings in a 17-1 rout of the hapless Colonels‚ who help to dig their own grave by committing 10 errors. |
| May 8 |
The St. Louis Browns dismiss manager Harry Diddlebock for intoxication. Player Arlie Latham manages 3 games and and owner Chris Von der Ahe manages 2 games before Von der Ahe settles on Roger Connor. The Browns lose all 5 under the 2 interim skippers. Connor‚ the 4th manager this year will be gone after an 8-37 mark. |
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In the top of the 9th inning‚ Philadelphia's new player-manager Billy Nash starts to argue with the umpire over a called strike. Clark Grif?th throws a pitch in the midst of the argument‚ which nicks Nash's bat‚ resulting in a DP. Grif?th's quick thinking helps the Chicago Colts take a 5-3 victory. |
| May 9 |
Washington defeats Pittsburgh 14-9 in a beanball battle. Nationals pitcher Win Mercer hits 3 Pittsburgh batters while Pirate "Pink" Hawley plunks 3 Washington batters in a disastrous 11-run 7th inning‚ tying a mark he set on July 4‚ 1894. Hawley retires in 1900 after only 9 seasons with a still-standing NL record of 195 hit batters. All told‚ 8 batters are plunked in the contest‚ an NL-record five by Hawley. The 5 Washington batters hit by pitches ties the NL mark and won't be matched till July 2‚ 1969. |
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Baltimore's Hughie Jennings knocks down Reds 3B Charlie Irwin before he can catch Bid McPhee's throw. Jennings scores afterward to give the Orioles a controversial 6-5‚ 10-inning win over Cincinnati. Umpire Bob Emslie is escorted out of the ballpark by Cincinnati police. |
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At Louisville‚ Herman Long of Boston hits for the cycle to pace the visitors to a 17-5 win over host Louisville. |
| May 13 |
Umpire Tim Keefe forfeits the Boston-Chicago game to Boston. The Beaneaters break a 4-4 tie with 6 runs in the top of the 11th. Flagrant stalling by Chicago in the bottom of the inning leads to the forfeit. |
| May 14 |
Pittsburgh's Jake Stenzel has 6 hits‚ all singles‚ and a stolen base in a 20-4 pounding of Boston. The Boston hurlers are Harry Dolan and Sullivan. |
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Despite going 5-for-5 with 2 doubles‚ Cincinnati's Charles "Dusty" Miller fails to score in the 13-2 win over Brooklyn. |
| May 20 |
In drizzly Pittsburgh‚ the Brooklyn Bridegrooms pile up a franchise record for runs in beating the Pirates 25-6‚ on 25 hits‚ a run mark they will tie on September 23‚ 1901. Mike Griffin scores 5 runs. Brooklyn led Pittsburgh 22-0 after 7 innings‚ but then P Bert Abbey takes pity and just lobs the ball over the last 2 innings. Brooklyn is scoreless in the 7th‚ but scores at least 2 runs in every other inning. Only 11 of the runs are earned for Brooklyn. |
| May 21 |
Cy Young gets Cleveland's 8th consecutive win with a 4-1 decision over Boston. The streak has helped the Spiders to solidify their hold on first place. |
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Louisville gets a rare victory‚ riding Mike McDermott's 2-hitter to a 1-0 win over Baltimore. This is McDermott's only good performance of the year. In the remaining 56 innings he will pitch this year‚ he allows 85 hits. |
| May 26 |
In the Reds 18-5 win over the Senators‚ Dummy Hoy scores 5 runs. |
| May 27 |
Cleveland takes advantage of Jouett Meekin's 13 walks and 3 wild pitches to beat the New York Giants 11-5. However‚ the Spiders fall to 2nd in the NL race behind Cincinnati‚ which whips Washington 10-6. |
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Boston scores 2 in the 9th to nip Pittsburgh‚ 15-14. |
| May 29 |
Baltimore leaps past Cincinnati in the NL race with a 4-1 defeat of the Reds. |
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Washington P Charlie "Silver" King makes his first ML appearance since 1893 a success‚ as he wins a 6-hitter over Pittsburgh‚ 11-6. Bill Joyce helps by hitting for the cycle. |
June
| June 3 |
Baltimore wins its 10th in a row over Pittsburgh‚ 5-4. The winning run scores in the bottom of the 9th when P Frank Killen hits Hugh Jennings with a pitch with the bases loaded. Jennings will set a ML record this season by getting hit by pitched balls 51 times according to STATS (Lanigan's 1922 Cyclopedia says 49 times). |
| June 4 |
The Reds' Red Ehret wins an 11-hit shutout over Brooklyn 6-0. |
| June 5 |
Cleveland defeats Baltimore 10-4 for its 2nd straight victory over the defending NL champions and replaces the Orioles in first place. |
| June 19 |
Chicago defeats Cleveland 8-3 in a turbulent game. In the 7th‚ umpire Tom Lynch changes a close call at first base and enrages Cleveland manager-1B Patsy Tebeau. Lynch ejects Tebeau but Tebeau refuses to leave the field. The two square off and a near riot ensues. Lynch refuses to continue‚ and players Cy Young of Cleveland and backup catcher Con Daily of Chicago alternate as umpires. |
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Baltimore reclaims first place with a 9-4 triumph over Philadelphia plus Cleveland's 8-3 loss to Chicago. |
| June 25 |
Jake Stenzel's 5 singles are not enough‚ as Pittsburgh falls to Chicago‚ 17-10. |
| June 27 |
In an aftermath to the previous day's brawl‚ several Cleveland players are brought before a Louisville court on a warrant sworn by Louisville owner Hunt Stuckey. Manager Tebeau is fined $100 for disturbing the peace. Ed McKean and Jimmy McAleer are fined $75 each‚ and Jesse Burkett‚ $50. |
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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. |
| June 29 |
The NL Board of Directors meets and fines Patsy Tebeau $200 for rowdyism. Tebeau refuses to pay and announces he will seek legal redress. In another action‚ the board denies the appeal of Amos Rusie against fines levied last year by New York president Andrew Freedman. Rusie is in the process of sitting out the 1896 season. |
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The Reds strip the Colonels in Lousiville‚ 20-8‚ as Heinie Peitz scores 5 runs. |
July
| July 1 |
With Cupid Childs scoring 5 runs‚ Cleveland wins 19-7 over Chicago to run its winning streak to 6. The Spiders are 36-18 and tied for first with Baltimore at 38-19. |
| July 2 |
Kid Nichols wins a battle of 2-hitters with Washington's James "Doc" McJames to give Boston a 4-2 decision. |
| July 3 |
New York wastes a triple play and 2 DPs and is whitewashed by Baltimore 6-0. |
| July 4 |
Washington and Philadelphia split a wild doubleheader. Washington wins the opener 13-8‚ while Philadelphia overcomes a 14-5 deficit to win the nightcap 15-14. The 2 teams combine for a ML record 73 hits for the twin bill. The record is tied on July 6‚ 1929. |
| July 5 |
Led by manager Charles Comiskey‚ St. Paul (Western League) whips host Minneapolis‚ 41-9. The Apostles score in every inning and clout 8 home runs. SS Jack Glasscock bats 9 times‚ making 8 hits and scoring 7 runs. |
| July 6 |
After the Pittsburgh-Washington contest‚ a 6-2 Washington win‚ umpire Tim Hurst hits Pirate players Jake Stenzel and Emerson "Pink" Hawley in the jaw in response to repeated verbal attacks by the players during the game. According the New York Clipper "neither player resented the attack." |
| July 8 |
St. Louis suffers its 14th straight loss‚ the longest losing streak of the season. Roger Connor (8-37) is fired and replaced as player-manager by Tommy Dowd‚ who becomes the 5th St. Louis manager of the season. The team will actually be decent under Dowd‚ going 25-38‚ but a slow start in 1897 will doom him. |
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The Pirates hammer out 22 hits in a driving rain to humiliate Washington‚ 19-0. The Pirates' Jim Hughey is the winner. It is the 2nd time in three years that Pittsburgh has beaten Washington 19-0. |
| July 10 |
Henry Long‚ 26-year-old pitcher for Hagerstown (Cumberland Valley League) is accidentally run over and crushed by a Western Maryland RR train. Long dies the next day. |
| July 13 |
Ed Delahanty of Philadelphia hits 4 HRs against Chicago‚ 3 in consecutive at bats‚ connecting in the 1st‚ 5th‚ 7th and 9th innings. His 5th inning HR is "over the scoreboard and out of the enclosure-the longest hit of the year on local grounds." Chicago Tribune. The last 2 homers are inside-the-park (this is noted by historian Al Kermisch in 1978; it had been erroneously recorded earlier by Ernie Lanigan that all 4 HRs were IPHR) and both times he beats Lange's throws from CF. He also has a single and drives in 7 runs. Despite the heroics‚ the Phillies lose 9-8 to P Adonis Terry. Tomorrow‚ Delahanty tallies 2 doubles and a triple‚ giving him a record 7 extra base hits in 2 games‚ a mark that won't be matched for 30 years (Earl Sheely‚ 1926). |
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Cleveland falls to 3rd place (behind Cincinnati and Baltimore) after its 5-2 loss to New York. Spider manager Patsy Tebeau‚ after being suspended by NL president Nick Young for past transgressions‚ plays anyway after obtaining restraining orders on umpire Tim Hurst‚ New York manager Arthur Irwin‚ and Giant captain William "Kid" Gleason. |
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Deacon McGuire's 5 hits‚ including 2 doubles‚ are enough to lead Washington to a 14-1 win over St. Louis. |
| July 15 |
Bones Ely's 5 hits fail to prevent Pittsburgh's 2-1 loss to Boston. |
| July 16 |
Cincinnati beats Baltimore 5-0 for its 11th straight win. The streak has moved the Reds into first place. |
| July 17 |
Pittsburgh defeats Philadelphia 8-7 in a bizarre ?nish. The Phillies score 3 runs in the top of the 9th inning to take a 7-5 lead only to see Pittsburgh score 3 in the bottom of the inning for the win. Ely scores the tying run from 3B as the Phillies argue with umpire Bette following a disputed call. Philadelphia had neglected to request time out. Kid Carsey then comes in to relieve Jack Taylor and balks in the winning run. |
| July 19 |
A crowd of 24‚900 at Cincinnati is disappointed when the Reds lose to Baltimore 14-6. The Orioles score 9 runs in the 7th to tie Cincinnati for first place. |
| July 21 |
Cleveland shuts out visiting Washington in both games of their doubleheader‚ 2-0 and 7-0. Five of the 7 NL games today are shutouts. |
| July 23 |
Cy Young pitches no-hit ball for 8 2?3 innings before surrendering a single to Ed Delahanty in a 2-0 win over Philadelphia. The win is Cleveland's 6th straight and leaves them one game out of first place. |
| July 24 |
Baltimore wins over St. Louis by forfeit. After the Orioles score the first 5 runs in the top of the 13th to break an 8-8 tie‚ St. Louis flagrantly delays in the bottom of the inning‚ prompting umpire Bob Emslie to call the forfeit. |
| July 25 |
The 2nd game of the doubleheader between New York and Pittsburgh is stopped after the top of the 8th with the Pirates ahead 7-2 because the flooding Allegheny has inundated the field. New York wins the opener‚ 10-7. |
| July 26 |
In the 8th inning of Cincinnati's 10-1 win over Cleveland‚ Cincinnati's Eddie Burke steals 2nd and collides with 2B "Cupid" Childs. The subsequent fist fight is joined by other players‚ and then Cincinnati fans. More than 50 police are needed to clear the field. |
| July 28 |
Cincinnati's 9-8 win over Cleveland is the Reds' 8th straight victory. Upset by the umpiring‚ Cleveland player-manager Tebeau comes in to pitch in the 9th with runners on 2B and 3B‚ no outs‚ and an 8-8 tie. He promptly gives up the game-winning hit to Germany Smith. This would be Tebeau's only ML pitching appearance. |
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St. Louis takes advantage of 18 hits‚ 13 Louisville errors‚ and 11 walks to stomp the Colonels 20-5. |
| July 30 |
The Pirates and Giants trade first basemen‚ the Bucs sending future Hall of Famer Jake Beckley to NY for Harry Davis. Beckley will move on to the Reds in May‚ 1997 and hit .300 in 7 of his next 8 seasons‚ while Davis will lead the AL in RBIs in 1905-06. |
| July 31 |
After a disputed call‚ Pirates P Frank Killen hits umpire Daniel Lally in the face. When Lally responds in kind‚ hundreds of Pittsburgh fans charge onto the field. Eventually Killen is arrested for disorderly conduct. Pittsburgh wins 9-7 over host Cincinnati. |
August
| August 2 |
Still Bill Hill's 2-hitter helps Louisville edge Chicago 2-1. In the 6th inning Billy Clingman‚ in a failed attempt to score the game's first run‚ spikes Chicago C Tim Donahue. Donahue attempts to retaliate by throwing the ball at Clingman but is prevented from doing so. Chicago's George Decker fails to hit safely ending his 26-game hit streak. |
| August 6 |
Cincinnati's Frank Dwyer defeats Pittsburgh 4-2 for his 13th consecutive win. |
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Philadelphia jumps to a 10-0 lead over Brooklyn‚ but the Bridegrooms charge back‚ scoring 2 runs with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th to claim a well-earned 11-10 victory. |
| August 8 |
paced by Joe Kelley's 5 runs‚ Baltimore defeats Washington 21-16. Each team hits exactly the same number of singles as its run total‚ with the 37 singles establishing a still-standing ML record for a 9-inning game. Baltimore star John McGraw makes his first appearance of the season when he pinch-hits in the 3rd. McGraw has been sidelined with typhoid fever. The New York Clipper box score for the game credits the Orioles with only 20 singles (plus 3 doubles and a HR)‚ not 21. The record claimed for singles in this game may be suspect. |
| August 9 |
New York announces that Manager Arthur Irwin is going on "vacation" for the rest of the season so that the newly acquired Bill Joyce can take over the managerial reins. |
| August 10 |
The Orioles take sole possession of first place for the first time since July 4th‚ with their 10th straight win‚ an 11-4 decision over Washington. |
| August 11 |
Cincinnati suffers its first shutout of the season in a 6-0 setback to Chicago. |
| August 12 |
Napoleon Lajoie‚ who batted .429 in the New England league‚ makes his ML debut for the Philadelphia Phillies. He goes 1-for-5 in a 9-0 win over Washington. |
| August 13 |
After losing to Brooklyn the 2 previous games‚ Baltimore gains revenge by scoring 10 runs in the first inning and continuing the onslaught to beat the Bridegrooms 19-3. |
| August 15 |
In attempting to tag out Brooklyn's rookie Fielder Jones at 2B‚ Herman Long accidentally spikes him just above the right eye. Jones is safe‚ but the Bridegrooms lose to Boston 8-3. Jones is not seriously hurt. |
| August 17 |
Baltimore wins a pair of one-run games from Philadelphia 3-2 and 16-15. The Orioles score 8 runs in the bottom of the 9th to win the nightcap. |
| August 19 |
Cincinnati retakes first place with a 9-7 triumph over Boston‚ while Baltimore loses by the same score to St. Louis. |
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Philadelphia becomes the 2nd team in 6 days to score 10 runs in the first inning. Not surprisingly‚ they defeat last place Louisville 15-0. |
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Cleveland sweeps a pair from Washington‚ winning 13-6 and 7-2. Washington SS DeMontreville makes Cupid look stupid as he catches Childs with a hidden ball trick. |
| August 21 |
Baltimore takes over first place for good with a 7-0 win over St. Louis‚ while Cincinnati loses 10-9 to Boston. For the Reds‚ it is the start of an 11-gamed losing streak. They'll finish 3rd behind Cleveland‚ which will play Baltimore for the Temple Cup. |
| August 31 |
Washington's Win Mercer shuts out Chicago 1-0 in 11 innings for the first Senators shutout since September 17‚ 1893. |
September
| September 2 |
Boston sweeps a pair from St. Louis‚ winning 18-3 and 12-8. Jack Stivetts plates 5 runs in the opener. |
| September 3 |
Boston hammers St. Louis again with 30 hits in a 28-7 win in the first game of a twin bill. Billy Hamilton‚ Fred Tenney‚ and Jimmy Collins each have 5 hits‚ while Hugh Duffy's 4 hits include 2 HRs. Hamilton scores 5 runs. Boston wins game 2‚ 8-3. |
| September 7 |
On Labor Day‚ Baltimore wins a rare tripleheader from Louisville 4-3‚ 9-1‚ and 12-1 in 8 innings. |
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William "Brickyard" Kennedy allows only one single to lead Brooklyn to a 6-1 win over Cincinnati. |
| September 8 |
Baltimore wins 2 more from Louisville 10-9 and 3-1. The 5 wins in 2 days give Baltimore a record of 82-34 and a 10-game lead over 2nd-place Cincinnati. |
| September 12 |
The Orioles clinch their 3rd straight NL pennant with a 9-5 win over Brooklyn. |
| September 15 |
After umpire Tim Hurst becomes ill in the 3rd inning of the Brooklyn-Washington game‚ "local man" John Heydler replaces him. Heydler soon joins the NL on a permanent basis and rises quickly in the hierarchy. In 1918 he is elected president of the NL. |
| September 16 |
Cincinnati shuts out home team Pittsburgh in a doubleheader 11-0 and 4-0 behind the pitching of Billy Rhines and Frank Dwyer.Rhines' job is made easier as the Reds score 10 runs in the 1st inning. Irate Pittsburgh fans throw stones‚ a board‚ and a pop bottle at umpire John Sheridan. He is rescued from a crowd of 200 angry spectators by players from both teams. |
| September 19 |
Cy Young throws a 7-hitter and hits a HR‚ while Jesse Burkett gets 5 hits‚ in Cleveland's 21-2 win over visiting Cincinnati. The game is called on account of darkness and mercy after 7 innings. |
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Kid Nichols wins his 30th game for the 6th straight year in Boston's 3-1 victory over Brooklyn. |
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Former ML pitcher Cannonball Crane commits suicide by taking an overdose of chloral. |
| September 21 |
Pittsburgh manager Connie Mack announces that he will manage the Milwaukee club of the Western League in 1897. |
| September 26 |
Jesse Burkett gets 3 hits for Cleveland in the final game of the season‚ a 3-2 win over Louisville‚ to ?nish at .410‚ becoming the first major leaguer to hit .400 in consecutive seasons‚ a feat later duplicated by Ty Cobb and Rogers Hornsby. |
October
| October 1 |
Regular-season WL champion Minneapolis defeats Indianapolis 4-games-to-2 to win the WL title and the Detroit Free Press Cup. |
| October 2 |
Following a rainout‚ Baltimore and Bill Hoffer defeat 2nd-place Cleveland and Cy Young 7-1 in the first game of the Temple Cup. |
| October 3 |
Baltimore takes the 2nd game 7-2. The losing pitcher is Bobby Wallace‚ who will be moved to 3B next season‚ and later to SS where he builds a Hall of Fame career. |
| October 4 |
The Cuban Giants defeat the Chicago Unions 11-9 and claim the title of black champions of America. The Giants won yesterday‚ 16-5. |
| October 5 |
Baltimore goes ahead 3-0 in the Temple Cup with a 6-2 win over the Spiders. |
| October 8 |
Following another rainout‚ the Orioles defeat Cleveland 5-0 to win the Temple Cup in a 4-game sweep. The Cup games are poorly attended‚ while the rowdy behavior of both teams does nothing to enhance the stature of the troubled series. |
| October 11 |
The annual NL meeting gets underway in Chicago. Brooklyn owner Ferdinand H. Abell proposes to make all players free agents between January 1st and March 1st and allow all teams to bid on them‚ subject to a salary limit. The plan is studiously ignored. |
| October 12 |
Volatile New York Giants owner Andrew Freedman is found guilty of an April 22nd assault on baseball writer Edward Hurst. He receives a suspended sentence. |
| October 13 |
The NL votes to award Henry Chadwick $50 per month for life in recognition of his past services to the game. |
December
| December 1 |
Amos Rusie‚ a season-long holdout‚ announces he will settle with New York and play next season. |
| December 10 |
Amos Rusie's attorneys drop his suit in the U.S. Circuit Court. He is later reimbursed for a reported $3‚000 by the NL owners for his lost season. |
