Spalding's Baseball Guide and Official League Book for 1889 - Unknown

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: