PHENOMENAL CONTEST.

The most noteworthy contest of the season in the League championship arena in 1888, was the game played at the Polo Grounds on September 4, between the New York and Philadelphia teams. In this game eleven innings had been completed without either side being able to score a single run when sunset obliged the umpire to call the game on account of darkness. The turnstile count showed that 9,505 people had passed through the gates.

It was a pitchers' contest from start to finish, both Keefe and Sanders doing great work in the curving line. But ten base hits were made in the eleven innings, six against Sanders and but four against Keefe. O'Rourke, Richardson and Andrews led the little batting that was done.

The fielding play was of a phenomenal order, brilliant stops, catches and throws occurring in every inning, and being loudly applauded.

The Philadelphians all but had the game in the tenth inning, but over anxiety lost them the chance. Farrar was on third and might have scored on Mulvey's fly to Slattery. He left the base, however, before the ball was caught, and was promptly declared out. The score was:

NEW YORK.
| T.| R.| B.| P.| A.| E.
———————+—-+—-+—-+—-+—-+—-
Slattery, cf | 5| 0| 0| 1| 1| 0
Ewing, c | 5| 0| 0| 8| 3| 0
Tiernan, rf | 5| 0| 0| 1| 0| 0
Connor, 1b | 3| 0| 0| 15| 0| 0
Ward, ss | 4| 0| 0| 2| 3| 1
Richardson, 2b| 4| 0| 2| 3| 2| 0
Whitney, 3b | 3| 0| 1| 1| 5| 1
O'Rourke, lf | 4| 0| 2| 1| 1| 0
Keefe, p | 4| 0| 1| 1| 10| 0
+—-+—-+—-+—-+—-+—-
Totals | 37| 0| 6| 33| 25| 2

PHILADELPHIA.
| T.| R.| B.| P.| A.| E.
——————-+—-+—-+—-+—-+—-+—-
Andrew, 3 cf | 5| 0| 2| 1| 0| 0
Fogarty, rf | 4| 0| 1| 1| 0| 0
Farrar, 1b | 4| 0| 0| 12| 1| 0
Delahanty, lf| 4| 0| 0| 2| 0| 0
Mulvey, 3b | 4| 0| 0| 0| 2| 0
Sanders, p | 4| 0| 0| 1| 7| 0
Schriver, c | 4| 0| 1| 9| 4| 0
Irwin, ss | 4| 0| 0| 5| 4| 0
Bastian, 1b | 3| 0| 0| 2| 3| 0

+—-+—-+—-+—-+—-+—-
Totals | 36| 0| 4| 33| 18| 0

Philadelphia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0—0
NewYork 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0—0

Two-base hit—O'Rourke. Double plays—Keefe and Connor, Farrar and
Sanders. First base on balls—Connor, Whitney, Bastain. First base on
errors—Philadelphia, 1. Struck out—Tiernan, Whitney, Keefe, 2; Andrews,
Fogarty, 2: Delehanty, Mulvey, Sanders, Schriver, Irwin. Wild pitches—
Keefe, 2; Sanders, 1. Time—Two hours. Umpire—Kelly.

REMARKABLE EVENTS.

LONGEST GAME.—Played at Boston May 11, 1877, between the Harvard College nine and the Manchester professional team, twenty-four innings, score 0 to 0.

BEST LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH.—Played August 17, 1882, at Providence, between the Providence and Detroit teams, eighteen innings, score 1 to 0— seventeen innings without a run!

NEXT BEST LEAGUE CLUB GAME.—Played at St. Louis on May 1, 1877, between the St. Louis team and the Syracuse Stars, fifteen innings, score 0 to 0— a drawn match.

BEST INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION GAME.—Played May 7, 1878, at Lynn, Mass., between the Live Oak team of Lynn, and the Crickets of Binghamton, fifteen innings, score 1 to 0.

BEST JUNIOR GAME.—Played at Hoboken, August 19, 1878, fifteen innings, score 1 to 0.

SHORTEST GAME.—Excelsior vs. Field in Brooklyn on Excelsior's grounds, in May, 1861—50 minutes, 9 innings.

LONGEST THROW.—By John Hatfield, made at Union Grounds, Brooklyn, Oct. 15, 1872. Distance 133 yards, 1 foot, 7 inches— over 400 feet.

GREATEST SCORE.—In match between the Niagara Club, of Buffalo, and a visiting nine at Buffalo in 1864, score 202 to 26.

THE THROWING CONTESTS RECORDS.

The longest throw of a baseball on record up to 1872 was that made in 1868 by John Hatfield, then a member of the Cincinnati team, he then throwing a ball 132 yards. In October, 1872, a throwing contest took place on the old Union ball grounds, Brooklyn, in which John Hatfield—then of the Mutuals—threw the ball 133 yds, 1 ft 7-1/2 in., the distance being officially measured. The contest was also participated in by Andy Leonard, whose record was 119 yds. 1 ft. 10 in.; George Wright, 117 yds. 1 ft. 1 in.; Billy Boyd, 115 yds. 1 ft. 7 in.; Fisler, 112 yds. 6 in., and Anson, 110 yds. 6 in. This throw of Hatfield's—over 400 ft.—has never been equaled in any regular throwing contest.

On September 9, 1882, a throwing match took place on the Chicago ball grounds between E. Williamson of the Chicago Club and Pfeffer of the Troys. Three trials were had and Pfeffer's best throw was 132 yards and 5 inches. Williamson's best throw was 132 yards, 1 foot, or four feet seven and one half inches short of Hatfield's champion throw.

In 1884, while connected with the Boston Union Association Club, Ed Crane, while in Cincinnati October 12 of that year, was credited with throwing a baseball 135 yards, 1 foot, and 1/2 inch, and also again at St. Louis on October 19, he was credited with throwing a ball 134 yards, 5 inches. But the circumstances attendant upon both trials were not such as to warrant an official record, so the Clipper says, through its editor for 1888, Mr. A. H. Wright, in his answer to a query on the subject. At any rate, Crane has not since reached such figures, and he is as swift a thrower now as ever.

The throwing contest which took place at Cincinnati in 1888, at intervals through the summer and fall, failed to result in the record being beaten, though some very good long distance throwing was done, as will be seen by the appended record:

When Williamson threw, the grounds were slippery, but he managed to easily win the $100 prize money and diamond locket. One hundred and thirty- three yards eight inches, was the distance Williamson threw, and he would have done still better and beaten Hatfield's throw, had the conditions been more favorable.

The best throw of a cricket ball on record is that of W. F. Torbes, of
Eton College, England, in March, 1876, the distance foeing 132 yards.

The longest throw of a lacrosse ball is that made by W. B. Kenny, at Melbourne, Australia, in September, 1886, the ball being thrown from his lacrosse stick 446 feet. The longest in America was that of Ross McKenzie, in Montreal, on October, 1882, he throwing the ball 422 feet.

THE TRIP TO ENGLAND IN 1874.

Mr. Spalding made an effort to introduce base ball in England in 1874, but the experiment proved to be a costly one financially, and it did not result favorably in popularizing the American game in England. The two teams who visited England in July, 1874, included the following players of the Boston and Athletic clubs of that year:

BOSTON. POSITIONS. ATHLETIC.
————————————————————————-
James White Catcher James E. Clapp.
A.G. Spalding Pitcher James D. McBride.
James O'Rourke First Base West D. Fisler.
Ross C. Barnes Second Base Joseph Battin.
Henry Shafer Third Base Edward B. Sutton.
George Wright Short Stop M.H. McGeary.
And. J. Leonard Left Field Albert W. Gedney.
Harry Wright Center Field James F. McMullen.
Col. C. McVey Right Field A.C. Arisen.
George W. Hall Substitute Al. J. Reach.
Thomas L. Beals Substitute J.P. Sensenderfer.
Sam Wright, Jr Substitute Thomas Murnan.[A]

[**Proofreaders note A: "Murnan" might be a typo, as it appears as
"Murnam" later on the page.]

The record of the games played in England on the trip is as follows:

Boston victories 8, Athletic victories 6.

In the percentage of base hits of those who played in a majority of the games on the Boston side McVey led with .435, Leonard being second, with .418, and George Hall third, with .364, Barnes, O'Rourke, Schafer, Harry and George Wright and Spalding following in order. On the Athletic side Anson led with .437, McGeary being second, with .388, and McMullen third, with .367. McBride, Clapp, Murnam, Sutter, Gedner and Battin following in order, the latter having a percentage of .323. Sensenderfer only played in 9 games, Kent in 8, Fisler in 5, and Beals in 4. All the others played in 10 games and over.

In the description of the players of the team given in the London papers at the time of their visit the following paragraph appeared, quoted from Mr. Chadwick's comments in the Clipper:

"Spalding is justly regarded as one of the most successful of the strategic class of pitchers. In judgment, command of the ball, pluck, endurance, and nerve, in his position he has no superior; while his education and gentlemanly qualities place him above the generality of base- ball pitchers. As a batsman he now equals the best of what are called 'scientific' batsmen—men who use their heads more than their muscle in handling the ash. His force in delivery is the success with which he disguises a change of pace from swift to medium, a great essential in successful pitching. Spalding is a thorough representative of the spirited young men of the Western States, he being from Illinois."

Of George Wright the same writer said: "George Wright is generally regarded as a model base-ball player, especially in his responsible position of short-stop; and until he injured his leg he had no equal in the position. He is a jolly, good-natured youth full of life and spirit, up to all the dodges of the game, and especially is he noted for his sure catching of high balls in the infield, and for his swift and accurate throwing. At the bat, too, he excels; while as a bowler, fielder, and batsman, in cricket, he ranks with the best of American cricketers. He comes of real old English stock, his father being a veteran English cricketer, and formerly the professional of the St. George Cricket Club of New York."

Besides the base-ball matches played during the tour, the following table shows what the two clubs combined did on the cricket field, against the strongest players of London, Sheffield, Manchester and Dublin. The sides in each contest were eighteen Americans against twelve British cricketers:

|AMERICANS vs. |AMERICANS. |OPPONENTS.
—————-+—————————-+————————+——————
| |1st.|2d. |Total|1st.|2d. ||Total
—————-+—————————-+——+——+——-+——+——++———
Aug. 3,4 |12 Marylebone | 107| —-| 107 | 105| —-|| 105
|Club on Ground at | | | | | ||
|Lords | | | | | ||
Aug. 6,7 |11 Prince's C. C. | 110| —-| 110 | 21| 39|| 60
|at Prince's | | | | | ||
Aug. 8 |13 Richmond C at | 45| —-| 45 | 108| —-|| 108
|Richmond[1] | | | | | ||
Aug. 13,14 |11 Surrey C. S. at | 100| 111| 211 | 27| 2|| 29
|Ovalt[2] | | | | | ||
Aug. 15,17 |12 Sheffield, at | 130| —-| 130 | 43| 45|| 88
|Sheffield | | | | | ||
Aug. 20, 21|11 Manchester, at | 121| 100| 221 | 42| 53|| 95
|Manchester | | | | | ||
Aug. 24, 25|11 All Ireland, at | 71| 94| 165 | 47| 32|| 79
|Dublin |____|____|_____|____|____||____
|Totals | 684| 305| 989 | 393| 171 || 564

[Footnote 1: Unfinished innings, only six wickets down.]
[Footnote 2: Second innings unfinished, only four wickets down.]

The ball players did not lose a single game, and had the best of it in the games which were drawn from not having time to put them out. The trip cost the two clubs over $2,000, exclusive of the amount received at the gate. In fact, the Britishers did not take to the game kindly at all.

To show what the All England eleven could do in the way of playing base ball, the score of a game played in Boston in October, 1868, after the All England eleven had played their cricket match there, is given below:

American Nine 3 2 0 0 1 6 3 5 0 || 20
English Cricketers' Nine 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 || 4

George Wright pitched for the cricketers, the nine including Smith c;
Tarrant 1b; Peeley 2b; Shaw 3b; Humphrey ss; Jupp lf; Clarkwood cf, and
Rowbotham rf.

The American nine was a weak picked nine, including O'Brien—a Boston cricketer—and Archy Buch, of Harvard, as the battery; Shaw, Barrows and Lowell on the bases; Pratt as short stop, and Smith Rogers and Conant in the out field.

In all the base-ball games in which the English professional cricketers took part during their visits to America from 1859 to 1880, they failed to begin to equal in their ball play the work done by the ball players in cricket in England.

* * * * *

THE GREAT BASE BALL TRIP AROUND THE WORLD IN 1888-'89.

[Illustration: ALL AMERICA.
BROWN FOGARTY CARROLL WARD HEALY HANLON WOOD CRANE MANNING EARLE.]

[Illustration: CHICAGO TEAM.]

The greatest historical event recorded in the annals of the national game was undoubtedly the journey to Australia, which began in November, 1888, and ended in March, 1889, on a trip around the world. While in 1874 Mr. A. G. Spalding was the avant cornier of the visiting party of base ball players to England, and also one of the most prominent of the victorious team players; in 1888 Mr. Spalding was the originator of the trip, the master spirit of the remarkable enterprise, and the leader of the band of base ball missionaries to the antipodes. Of course, in recording the Australian trip in the GUIDE for 1889, only a cursory glance can be taken of the trip, as it would require a volume of itself to do the tour justice. Suffice it to say that the pluck, energy and business enterprise which characterized the unequaled event reflected the highest credit not only on Mr. Albert G. Spalding, as the representative spirit of Western business men, but also on the American name in every respect, and it did for the extension of the popularity of our national game in six short months what as many years of effort under ordinary circumstances would have failed to do.

The party of tourists which started on their journey to Australia on October 20, 1888, met with an enthusiastic welcome on their route to San Francisco, and in that city they were given a reception on their arrival and a send-off on their departure for Australia, unequaled in the history of the game on the Pacific coast. The record of the series of games played by the two teams—Chicago and All America—en route to San Francisco and while in that city, is appended:

The teams, when they left San Francisco on November 18, 1888, included the following players:

CHICAGO TEAM.
A. C. Anson, Capt. and 1st baseman.
N. F. Pfeffer, 2d baseman.
Thos. Burns, 3d baseman.
E. N. Williamson, .short stop.
M. Sullivan, left fielder.
Jas. Ryan, center fielder.
R. Pettitt, right fielder.
Thos. P. Daly, catcher.
J. K. Tener, .pitcher.
M. Baldwin, pitcher.

ALL AMERICA TEAM.
J. M. Ward, Capt. and short stop.
G. A. Wood, 1st baseman.
H. C. Long, 2d baseman.
H. Manning, 3d baseman.
J. Fogarty, left fielder.
E. Hanlon, center fielder.
J. C. Earl, right fielder.
F. H. Carroll, catcher.
John Healy, pitcher.
F. N. Crane, pitcher.

Earl also acted as change catcher. The All America team included players
from the League clubs of New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, Pittsburg and
Indianapolis, and from the American Association clubs of Cincinnati and
Kansas City. Mr. Spalding stood at the head of the tourist party, with Mr.
Leigh S. Lynch as his business manager, and H. H. Simpson as assistant,
Mr. J. K. Tener being the treasurer and cashier.

The record of the games played by the two teams with outside clubs en route to San Francisco and in California is as follows:

While en route to Australia the tourists stopped at Honolulu, where they were given a public reception, by King Kalakaua, but their first game played after they had left California was at Auckland, where they first realized what a cordial reception the Australians had prepared for them. On their arrival at Sydney, and afterward at Melbourne, the hearty welcome accorded them, not only as ball players but as representatives of the great Western Republic, was such as to surpass all their anticipations, the heartiness of the greeting, the boundless hospitality and the crowded attendance at their games imparting to their visit a brilliancy of success which fully remunerated Mr. Spalding for all the pecuniary risks he had incurred by the trip. It was originally intended to have made the tour of the colonies a more extended one than was afterward found possible, and so the sojourn of the players on the Australian continent ended sooner than anticipated, only four cities being visited, instead of eight or ten, as laid out. The record of the games played in Australia is as follows:

DATE. |CLUBS. |CITIES. |PITCHERS. |Score.
———-+—————————-+————-+———————+———-
Dec. 10|Chicago vs. America|Auckland |Baldwin, Crane| 22-13
" 15|America vs. Chicago|Sydney |Healy, Tener | 5-4
" 17| " " " | " |Healy, Baldwin| 7-5
" 18| " " " | " |Healy, Tener | 6-3
" 22|Chicago vs. America|Melbourne|Tener, Crane | 5-3
" 24|America vs. Chicago| " |Healy, Ryan | 10-13
" 26| " " " |Adelaide |Healy, Tener | 19-14
" 27|Chicago vs. America| " |Baldwin, Healy| 12-9
" 28| " " " | " |Ryan, Simpson | 11-4
Dec. 29|America vs. Chicago|Ballarat |Healy, Baldwin| 11-7
Jan. 1 |Chicago vs. America|Melbourne|Tener, Healy | 14-7
" 1 | " " " | " |Baldwin, Crane| 9-4
" 5 | " " " | " |Baldwin, Crane| 5-0
" 26 |America vs. Chicago|Colombo |Crane, Baldwin| 3-3

After leaving Australia the tourists called at Colombo, Ceylon, and from thence went to Cairo, and while in that city visited the Pyramids, and they managed to get off a game on the sands in front of the Pyramid Cheops on Feb. 9. Their first game in Europe was played at Naples on Feb. 19, and from there they went to Rome, Florence and Nice, the teams reaching Paris on March 3. The record of their games in Europe is as follows:

In commenting on the physique of the American ball players, the editor of the Melbourne Argus says:

"Right worthy of welcome did those visitors appear-stalwarts every man, lumps of muscle showing beneath their tight fitting jersey garments, and a springiness in every movement which denoted grand animal vigor and the perfection of condition. We could not pick eighteen such men from the ranks of all our cricketers, and it is doubtful if we could beat them by a draft from the foot ballers. If base ball has anything to do with building up such physique we ought to encourage it, for it must evidently be above and beyond all other exercises in one at least of the essentials of true athletics."

The Melbourne Sporteman in its report of the inaugural game in that city, said: "The best evidence offered that Melbournites were pleased and interested in the exhibition lies in the fact that the crowd of nearly ten thousand people remained through not only nine but twelve innings of play, and then many of them stayed to see a four inning game between the Chicago team and a nine composed mainly of our local cricket players, who made a very creditable show, considering the strength of the team they were playing against, and the fact that they were almost utter strangers to base ball. Not only did the spectators remain upon the ground but they heartily applauded the heavy batting, the base running and base sliding and the brilliant fielding executed by our Yankee visitors. Perhaps the truest realization of just how difficult it is to play a finished game of base ball was obtained by the cricketers who went in against the Chicagos. A man may be able to guard a wicket with a degree of skill that would win him wide fame in cricket circles, but when it comes to standing beside the home plate of a base ball diamond, and mastering the terrific delivery of an American professional pitcher, the average cricketer is compelled to acknowledge the wide difference existing between the two positions. Then again, the quick handling of a batted or thrown ball, that it may be returned with all accuracy and lightning like rapidity to the waiting basemen are points which our cricketers are deficient in, when compared with the American professional ball player. It can be seen at a glance that the game is prolific of opportunities for quick and brilliant fielding."

The following is the score of the first match at cricket played by the base ball tourists with Australian cricketers in Sydney on December 18, 1888:

BASE BALL EIGHTEEN.

Anson, b. Charlton 15
Williamson, c. Woolcott, b. Charlton 0
Ward, b. Charlton 1
Spalding, b. Charlton 0
Wright, b. Gregory 11
Pfeffer, b. Gregory 16
Wood, b. Gregory 0
Carroll, c. Robinson, b. Gregory 0
Earle, st. Crane, b. Gregory 0
Fogarty, b. Charlton 0
Burns, b. Charlton 10
Hanlon, hit wicket, b. Gregory 2
Manning, c. Woolcott, b. Gregory 14
Pettit, b. Gregory 3
Ryan, c. Robinson, b. Gregory 3
Sullivan, c. Halligan, b. Gregory, 0
Baldwin, not out 0
Sundries 5
——
Total 81

SYDNEY ELEVEN.

Robinson, l. b. w., b. Earle 1
Halligan, c. Burns, b. Anson 21
Kidman, c. Pfeffer, b. Anson 19
Woolcott, c. and b. Anson 4
Crane, c. Williamson b. Earle 14
A. Gregory, c. Burns, b. Wright 35
Hemsley, not out 18
Sundries 3
——-
Total for six wickets 115

We are compelled to omit the National Agreement for want of space. It will be given in the Official League Book.

[Illustration: A. G. MILLS.]

Mr. A. G. Mills was connected with the Chicago Club at the organization of the National League, and he participated in the legislative work of the League from 1876 to 1885 when he resigned his position as President, to which position he was unanimously elected on the death of President Hulbert. To his efficient services as President and one of the Board of Directors is the success of the League after the death of its founder largely due. He was the originator of the National Agreement which has so firmly bound together the National League and the American Association. Since he resigned his position as President of the League in 1885, he has been practically out of Base Ball, although he still takes a deep interest in the game. He was succeeded by the worthy President, Mr. N. E. Young.

* * * * *