1890 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1890 throughout the world.

List of years in baseball

Champions

Inter-league playoff: Brooklyn (NL) declined challenge by Boston (PL)

Inter-league playoff: Louisville (AA) declined challenge by Boston (PL)

Major league baseball final standings

National League final standings

National League W L Pct. GB Home Road
Brooklyn Bridegrooms 8643 0.667 58–16 28–27
Chicago Colts 8353 0.610 48–24 35–29
Philadelphia Phillies 7853 0.595 9 54–21 24–32
Cincinnati Reds 7755 0.583 10½ 50–23 27–32
Boston Beaneaters 7657 0.571 12 43–23 33–34
New York Giants 6368 0.481 24 37–27 26–41
Cleveland Spiders 4488 0.333 43½ 30–37 14–51
Pittsburgh Alleghenys 23113 0.169 66½ 14–25 9–88

American Association final standings

American Association W L Pct. GB Home Road
Louisville Colonels 8844 0.667 57–13 31–31
Columbus Solons 7955 0.590 10 47–22 32–33
St. Louis Browns 7858 0.574 12 45–25 33–33
Toledo Maumees 6864 0.515 20 40–27 28–37
Rochester Broncos 6363 0.500 22 40–22 23–41
Baltimore Orioles 1519 0.441 24 8–11 7–8
Syracuse Stars 5572 0.433 30½ 30–30 25–42
Philadelphia Athletics 5478 0.409 34 36–36 18–42
Brooklyn Gladiators 2673 0.263 45½ 15–22 11–51

Players' League final standings

Players' League W L Pct. GB Home Road
Boston Reds 8148 0.628 48–21 33–27
Brooklyn Ward's Wonders 7656 0.576 46–19 30–37
New York Giants 7457 0.565 8 47–19 27–38
Chicago Pirates 7562 0.547 10 46–23 29–39
Philadelphia Athletics 6863 0.519 14 35–30 33–33
Pittsburgh Burghers 6068 0.469 20½ 37–28 23–40
Cleveland Infants 5575 0.423 26½ 31–30 24–45
Buffalo Bisons 3696 0.273 46½ 23–42 13–54

Statistical leaders

National League statistical leaders

National League
TypeNameStat
AVGJack Glasscock NYG.336
HROyster Burns BNB13
Mike Tiernan NYG13
Walt Wilmot CHC13
RBIOyster Burns BNB128
WinsBill Hutchinson CHC42
ERABilly Rhines CIN1.95
StrikeoutsAmos Rusie NYG341

American Association statistical leaders

American Association
TypeNameStat
AVGJimmy Wolf LOU.363
HRCount Campau STL9
RBISpud Johnson CLB113
WinsSadie McMahon PHA/BAL36
ERAScott Stratton LOU2.36
StrikeoutsSadie McMahon PHA/BAL291

Players' League statistical leaders

Players' League
TypeNameStat
AVGPete Browning CEI.373
HRRoger Connor NYP14
RBIHardy Richardson BOS146
WinsMark Baldwin CHP34
ERASilver King CHP2.69
StrikeoutsMark Baldwin CHP211

Events

January–March

  • January 9 – The Brooklyn Gladiators are admitted to the American Association, joining Toledo, Rochester and Syracuse as new members.
  • January 28 – New York Supreme Court Justice Morgan J. O'Brien rules in favor of John Montgomery Ward's Reserve Clause case, and by extension the Players' League, by ruling baseball contracts lacked mutuality and were therefore unenforceable. This is the first in several rulings that allows the Players' League to proceed as planned.
  • February 1 – The National League finalizes its schedule for 1890, but refuses to release it. Speculation abounds that they are waiting for the Players' League to release their own schedule so that the new circuit may purposely schedule conflicting games in the same cities where both leagues have teams.
  • February 20 – Sam Rice is born in Morocco, Indiana. A quick outfielder with a great arm, Rice will lead the American League in hits twice, in stolen bases once, and collect at least 200 hits on six occasions, while finishing in the top ten in batting average eight times. Rice will gain election to the Hall of Fame in 1963.
  • February 24 – An anonymous group allegedly offers $1 million to purchase the entire National League. The National League, believing the offer a hoax, turns it down. Some believe the offer was made by the Players' League, knowing the new circuit would refuse the offer, so they could point to the refusal as proof that the National League was in much better financial shape than they claimed.
  • March 6 – The National League releases its official schedule although many believe it to be an intentional fake as it includes the Indianapolis Hoosiers and the Washington Nationals, who are rumored to be on the brink of being bought out by the league.
  • March 11 – The Players' League releases its schedule while claiming it paid no attention to the previously released National League schedule.
  • March 27 – The Inter-State League rejects an application from an all-black team made up of former Cuban Giants.

April–June

  • April 15 – A judge in Philadelphia, citing the John Montgomery Ward decision, refuses to grant an injunction against Bill Hallman that would keep him from playing in the Players' League.
  • April 17 – The Players' League is officially launched even though the structure has been in place for several months. Due to player contract wording, the PL's legal representation thought is best to wait until 1890 to officially form. The Players' League had also decided to wait until several lawsuits and injunctions were decided.
  • April 17 – The American Association season begins. Despite being only marginally involved in the war between the Players' League and the National League, the AA will receive as many battle wounds as the 2 openly fighting leagues do.
  • April 19 – Amid much hoopla, the National League and the Players' League both open their seasons with directly conflicting games. Both leagues will inflate attendance figures all season in an effort to influence public opinion.
  • April 19 – George Davis makes his major league debut with the Cleveland Spiders.
  • April 19 – Henry Gruber of the Cleveland Infants walks 16 batters in one game.[1]
  • April 22 – The Philadelphia Athletics of the American Association steal 19 bases against rookie catcher Grant Briggs of the Syracuse Stars in a 17–6 victory.
  • April 22 – Jesse Burkett makes his major league debut with the New York Giants.
  • April 23 – Kid Nichols makes his major league debut with the Boston Beaneaters.
  • April 26 – Charlie Ganzel of the Boston Beaneaters tags 2 runners out at the plate in completing a triple play against the New York Giants.
  • May 1 – George Pinkney of the Brooklyn Bridegrooms has his consecutive games streak stopped at 577 after being spiked in a game. Pinkney's game streak would stand until 1920 when it was broken by Everett Scott but Pinkney's consecutive innings streak, however, would last until it was broken by Cal Ripken, Jr. nearly 100 years later.
  • May 8 – Wee Willie McGill starts today for the Cleveland Infants against the Buffalo Bisons in a Players' League game. McGill, a virtual infant himself at only 16 years and 6 months old, yields 7 hits, walks 7, strikes out 10, and singles in a 14–5 complete game victory.
  • May 3 – Jack Stivetts of the St. Louis Browns strikes out 7 consecutive batters for the 2nd time in a week.
  • May 12 – Mike Tiernan of the New York Giants hits a mammoth 13th inning solo home run off of Boston Beaneaters pitcher Kid Nichols to give Amos Rusie a 1–0 win. Tiernan's shot lands in the outfield of the adjacent Polo Grounds while a Players' League game is being played. Crowds from both games cheer Tiernan as he circles the bases.
  • May 22 – Harry Wright, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, is inexplicably struck blind. It will take 10 days before Wright can even distinguish light from dark and he will not return to managing until August 6.
  • May 31 – George Gore, Buck Ewing and Roger Connor of the Players' League New York Giants become the first trio to hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in a win over the Pittsburgh Burghers.
  • June 4 – Tim Keefe of the New York Giants of the Players' League wins his 300th career game with a 9–4 victory over the Boston Reds.
  • June 7 – Jack McFetridge of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches a 5-hitter in his major league debut, winning 4–1. McFetridge will not appear again in the majors until 1903, when he goes 1–11 for the Phillies.
  • June 15 – Bill Greenwood of the Rochester Broncos becomes the only left-handed shortstop to participate in a triple play as the Broncos turn it against the Syracuse Stars. It is the last game Greenwood plays at shortstop in his career.
  • June 21 – Silver King of the Chicago Pirates of the Players' League pitches a no-hitter against the Brooklyn Ward's Wonders but loses 1–0 when the game's only run comes on a 2-base error. As King only pitched eight innings, Brooklyn not having to bat in the bottom of the ninth, this game is not an official major league no-hitter.
  • June 23 – Mike Griffin of the Players' League Philadelphia Quakers sets a record by reaching base by way of error in all 4 at-bats in a game against the Pittsburgh Burghers.
  • June 28 – Mike Tiernan of the New York Giants hits for the cycle for the 2nd time in his career.

July–September

October–December

  • October 3 – In a game because of darkness after seven, Chicago's Pat Luby beats the Giants, 3-2, for his 17th consecutive win. Amos Rusie is the losing pitcher.
  • October 9 – Cincinnati Reds owner, Aaron Stern, sells the club for $48,000 to club owners in the Players' League.
  • October 12 – Hank Gastraight of the Columbus Solons pitches a no-hitter against the Toledo Maumees in a game called after 8 innings.
  • October 17 – The Brooklyn Bridegrooms wins Game One of the World Series, 9–0, over the Louisville Colonels.
  • November 22 – At the American Association annual meeting in Louisville, the Philadelphia Athletics are expelled for violating the league's constitution. A new team in Philadelphia is admitted, plus entries from Boston, Washington and Cincinnati, replacing Syracuse, Toledo and Rochester.

Births

January–April

 

  • Some sources show 1889
    ** Some sources show 1888

May–August

September–December

Deaths

References

  1. Pellowski, Michael J (2007). The Little Giant Book of Baseball Facts. United States: Sterling Publishing Co. pp. 352. ISBN 9781402742736.
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