5/20/2022: PAGE UPDATE: 1871-1910 “REPLAYS” NOW COMPLETE
SEE OPEN BASEBALL LEAGUE (OBL) RESULTS FOR THE WHOLE 19TH CENTURY (1871-1900) — AND NOW — THE FIRST DECADE OF THE 20TH BELOW
3/25/2022: WITH A “VINTAGE” O.B.L. LOGO IN PLACE, THIS IS THE ACTION-PAGE TO WATCH GOING FORWARD
This is the RetroPlay.net baseball project-related page that will see the most change in the coming months. While you’re (hopefully) roaming around RetroPlay Park, I’ll be pitting my birthplace-based teams against each other in order to determine Open Baseball League (OBL) seasonal champions for each year from 1871 through 2020. Once the roster-yielding templates are in place — as I’ve already discovered in trial runs — the process won’t take all that long. As the results are produced, you should be able to find periodic reports right here on this page. It’s my belief that once you see some patterns emerge — how localized teammates can come together to form teams that turn into franchise dynasties, for example — it’ll become more interesting and intriguing. If bookmarks are still a thing, I suggest you use one here.
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As we (that is, I ) “replay” on paper every “Major-League Baseball” season from 1871 through 2020, the team standings and rosters of the champions will be posted on this page. Now, just to be clear, this whole run-through has been done previously — twice — using different formats, which a microscopic few of you may even somehow recall. Those two previous iterations/forerunners were the “True Test League” (TTL) and the “Expanded Regional League” (ERL).
The TTL was a strict, state-borders affair, in which only a very small handful of American states could field enough native sons in a given year to even put on the field and cover the positions or fill out a roster (think New York and Pennsylvania in the earliest years, and California from about 1930 onward, and Ohio, Texas, Florida, and Illinois at various times; not many others). So that was little more than a crude experiment that fell way short on player participation and was not very intellectually satisfying; strike one.
The ERL pulled together states that couldn’t stand alone (almost all of ’em!) together into regional teams, but those teams only included players who had at least one season of 1.0 (or better) WAR, or in the case of Negro-Leaguers, who played shorter schedules, a season of 0.5 WAR or more. So here we can see that Black Baseball was on the RetroPlay radar quite some time ago, and that the ERL was an improvement as far as wider player participation goes (no American state was outside of a region’s scope), but still, it proved to be strike two because it became apparent that even the neutral/negative WAR players were needed to field full teams; hey, that’s just real life (I learned, or was reminded).
Once I’d wasted enough time on the learning curve/experimental phase, it became evident what should be done if this thing was going to be done right: every MLB/NLB player who met the minimum requirements for plate appearances/innings pitched — regardless of where in the world they were born — should be given a place to play, a regional team he could potentially join. In the earliest project years, the thinking was that we shouldn’t “saddle” a team with someone who made — numerically speaking — a relatively “negative” contribution, on the whole (which sets aside actual positive game-day contributions in certain cases that are lost in the statistical sea). That was wrongheaded, of course, as I’ve already indicated (that’s life, that’s how things work in reality). So the Open Baseball League saves me, I think, from taking strike three on this decades-long “vision.” I’m satisfied that this is as far as I can take this birthplace-based project, and that the final course of action is the best way to go.
I hope you will enjoy seeing the replay/season-simulation results as they’re posted here in this Retro-Fantasy league escape-scape. It’s not real history, but it can still stir the imagination and make real life — today — a bit more fun.
[Final note for today: as I’ve mentioned elsewhere, and if time permits, I’d really like to run the gamut — 1871 through 2020 — via simulated-season software. This is the remaining “pipe-dream”]
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“REPLAY”/SEASON-SIMULATION RESULTS (W.A.R.-BASED, BIRTHPLACE-DETERMINED TEAMS)
1901 – Parameters: 126 league games each, 16-man rosters; debut year of Appalachia franchise
- PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 88 – 38 .698 Mathewson 8.8, Bobby Wallace 7.8, Wagner 7.2
- OHIO TITANS 74 – 52 .587 Cy Young 12.5, Flick 6.7, Ed Delahanty 6.6
- WESTERN PIONEERS 69 – 57 .548 Orth 7.3, Griffith 7.2, Fred Clarke 5.0
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 66 – 60 .524 Lajoie 8.3, Bill Donovan 6.1, Chesbro 6.0
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 64 – 62 .508 Jimmy Collins 6.7, Dinneen 5.3, G. Davis 4.9
- MIDWEST 60 – 66 .476 McGinnity 7.6, Nichols 6.8, Chick Stahl 4.2
- APPALACHIA 48 – 78 .381 Hahn 7.7, Burkett 7.2, Phillippe 5.9
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 35 – 91 .278 Vic Willis 8.7, H. Howell 4.1, Danny Green 3.9
1902 – Parameters: 126 league games each scheduled, but MAS completed only 56; same roster size
- PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 84 – 42 .667 Waddell 9.7, Wagner 7.4, Pittinger 6.3
- OHIO TITANS 72 – 54 .571 Cy Young 10.2, Jack Taylor 10.0, Delahanty 6.8
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 65 – 61 .516 Tommy Leach 5.9, Dinneen/Bernhard/GDavis 5.8
- WESTERN PIONEERS 64 – 62 .508 Ed Siever 5.4, Fred Clarke 5.0, Sam Crawford 4.8
- MIDWEST 60 – 66 .476 McGinnity 8.8, Jack Powell 6.2, Beaumont 5.1
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 58 – 68 .460 Lajoie and Fred Tenney 5.1, Red Donahue 4.5
- APPALACHIA 56 – 70 .444 Hahn 8.5, Win Mercer 5.5, Strang 4.1
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 10 – 46 .179 Willis 3.4 and Doc White 3.4, Danny Green 1.4
1903 – Parameters: 126 league games each; still 16-man rosters
- PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 96 – 30 .762 Mathewson 10.8, Wagner 7.6, Waddell 7.5
- WESTERN PIONEERS 79 – 47 .627 Willie Sudhoff 6.5, Chance 5.8, Crawford 5.7
- OHIO TITANS 73 – 53 .579 Cy Young 8.1, Bill Bradley 7.1, Mullin 6.0
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 69 – 57 .548 Donovan 8.0, Lajoie 7.9, Freddy Parent 6.4
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 62 – 64 .492 Dinneen 6.5, J. Collins 5.3, Dahlen 5.0
- MIDWEST 59 – 67 .468 McGinnity 11.9, Donlin 4.4, Tom Hughes 4.3
- APPALACHIA 34 – 92 .270 Hahn 7.5, Phillippe 5.1, Strang 3.1
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 32 – 94 .254 Willis 5.6, Doc White 5.4, D. Green 4.3
1904 – Parameters: 140 league games each; 16-man rosters continued
- PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 104 – 36 .743 Waddell 10.5, Plank 9.3, Wagner 8.2
- OHIO TITANS 87 – 53 .621 Cy Young 9.6, Jack Taylor 6.8, Bradley 6.4
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 81 – 59 .579 G. Davis 7.2, Dahlen 5.5, Bill Bernhard 5.3
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 75 – 65 .536 Chesbro 11.4, Lajoie 8.5, Parent 6.3
- MIDWEST 68 – 72 .486 McGinnity 9.3, Nichols 8.5, C. Stahl 4.5
- WESTERN PIONEERS 68 – 72 .486 Chance 5.9, Weimer 5.8, Fred Glade 4.6
- APPALACHIA 44 – 96 .314 Hahn 6.6, J. Tannehill 5.8, McGann 4.3
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 33 – 107 .236 H. Howell 6.7, Art Devlin 4.7, Green 4.2
1905 – Parameters: 140 league games each; 16-man rosters; Illinois split from MW (new franchise)
- PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 132 – 8 .943 Mathewson 10.5, Wagner 10.1, Waddell 9.4
- OHIO TITANS 97 – 43 .693 Cy Young and Bob Ewing 7.1, Flick 5.2
- WESTERN PIONEERS 80 – 60 .571 Orth 5.8, Chance 5.6, Crawford 5.4
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 74 – 66 .529 Cy Seymour 8.0, G. Davis 7.2, Dahlen 5.4
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 66 – 74 .471 Irv Young 8.7, Chesbro 5.3, Tenney 3.8
- MIDWEST 63 – 77 .450 Reulbach 8.2, Killian 8.0, Criger 2.9
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 44 – 96 .314 Howell 6.4, Doc White 5.1, A. Devlin 4.0
- ILLINOIS 38 -102 .271 Donlin 6.4, T. Hughes 3.9, Harry Bay 3.7
- APPALACHIA 36 -104 .257 J. Tannehill 6.0, McGann 4.9, Phillippe 4.5
1906 – Parameters: 126 league games each; Mississippi River Region (MRR) added as 10th franchise
- PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 112 – 14 .889 Wagner and Terry Turner 9.3, Waddell 5.5
- OHIO TITANS 86 – 40 .683 Flick 6.5, Jack Taylor 6.0, Bresnahan 5.5
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 83 – 43 .659 G. Davis 6.4, Duggleby 5.1, Otto Hess 4.7
- M.R.R. REGENTS 82 – 44 .651 Orth 9.1, George Stone 8.7, Steinfeldt 7.0
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 62 – 64 .492 Willis 8.2, A. Devlin 7.9, Sparks 7.3
- MIDWEST 56 – 70 .444 Mordecai Brown 7.4, Joss 5.0, Hemphill 4.5
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 53 – 73 .421 Lajoie 10.0, Chesbro and Red Donahue 3.9
- WESTERN PIONEERS 45 – 81 .357 Chance 7.3, Tinker 4.1, Ed Siever 2.4
- APPALACHIA 27 – 99 .214 Strang 4.3, Phillippe 3.8, H. Buckner 3.1
- ILLINOIS 24 -102 .190 Jack Powell 4.6, Fraser 3.0, Altizer 1.7
1907 – Parameters: 126 league games each; still using 16-man rosters
- PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 117 – 9 .929 Wagner 9.0, Mathewson 8.8, Ed Walsh 7.6
- OHIO TITANS 88 – 38 .698 Cy Young 7.8, Bob Ewing 6.0, Flick 5.6
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 77 – 49 .611 T. Leach 5.4, Evers 5.3, Hooks Wiltse 3.4
- MRR REGENTS 67 – 59 .532 C. Bender 5.5, G. Stone 5.4, F. Clarke 5.1
- MIDWEST 64 – 62 .508 Killian 7.9, Joss 6.2, Beaumont 4.5
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 59 – 67 .468 Lajoie 7.6, Donovan 5.9, Chesbro 5.0
- WESTERN PIONEERS 55 – 71 .437 Ed Karger 6.6, Crawford 5.9, Overall 5.8
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 53 – 73 .421 Ty Cobb 6.8, Howell and Doc White 4.9
- ILLINOIS 28 – 98 .222 Lundgren 5.1, Leifield 2.5, Altizer 2.0
- APPALACHIA 22 -104 .175 Strang 2.6, McGann 2.5, Phillippe 1.6
1908 – Parameters: 126 league games each; still using 16-man rosters
- PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 111 – 15 .881 Mathewson 11.9, Wagner 11.5, Walsh 10.7
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 80 – 46 .635 G. McQuillan 8.9, H. Wiltse 7.7, Evers 5.6
- OHIO TITANS 74 – 52 .587 Cy Young 9.7, Bresnahan 5.9, Wilhelm 5.3
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 67 – 59 .532 Cobb 6.2, Nap Rucker 5.6, Lobert 5.1
- MIDWEST 64 – 62 .508 M. Brown 9.1, Joss 8.8, George McBride 4.4
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 61 – 65 .484 Lajoie 7.9, McIntyre 6.0, Donovan 4.5
- MRR REGENTS 52 – 74 .413 Kling 4.9, F. Clarke 4.8, Bender 3.4
- ILLINOIS 47 – 79 .373 Donlin 6.0, J. Powell 5.1, T. Hughes 4.5
- WESTERN PIONEERS 44 – 82 .349 Tinker 7.9, Walter Johnson 5.3, Crawford 5.1
- APPALACHIA 30 – 96 .238 Ed Willett and Clyde Milan 3.1
1909 – Parameters: 132 league games each; debuts of Texas-Latin America (TXL) and Deep South (DS); 18-man rosters; Mid-Atlantic-and-South (MAS) becomes Mid-Atlantic (MAT)
- PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 105 – 27 .795 Mathewson 10.6, Wagner 9.2, F. Smith 7.8
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 97 – 35 .735 Eddie Collins 9.7, H. Wiltse 4.8, G. Gibson 4.7
- OHIO TITANS 96 – 36 .727 Cy Morgan 5.9, Bridwell and M. Mitchell 5.5
- WESTERN PIONEERS 83 – 49 .629 Overall 8.3, Crawford 5.6, Harry Krause 5.5
- MIDWEST 77 – 55 .583 M. Brown 9.6, Donie Bush 6.5, Reulbach 5.4
- MRR REGENTS 61 – 71 .462 F. Clarke 5.3, Bender 5.1, Steinfeldt 3.9
- ILLINOIS 60 – 72 .455 Fromme 5.9, J. Powell and Larry Doyle 3.8
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 57 – 75 .432 Lajoie 6.5, Parent 5.3, Corridon 2.3
- MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 50 – 82 .379 Home Run Baker 5.7, Vic Willis 4.2
- APPALACHIA 45 – 87 .341 Howie Camnitz 5.5, Hoblitzell 4.1
- TEXAS-LATIN AMERICA 31 – 101 .235 Speaker 6.3, Jose Mendez 3.6, Munoz 3.0
- DEEP SOUTH 30 – 102 .227 Cobb 9.9, Rucker 7.1, John Henry Lloyd 2.0
1910 – Parameters: 132 league games each; 18-man rosters continued; NOTE: NY won tiebreaker for title
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 108 – 24 .818 Russ Ford 11.9, E. Collins 10.5, Scanlan 5.0
- PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 108 – 24 .818 Walsh 11.6, Mathewson 8.9, Magee 6.7
- OHIO TITANS 84 – 48 .636 Earl Moore 5.9, Paskert 4.4, J. Bates 4.0
- MRR REGENTS 82 – 50 .621 Jack Coombs 9.9, Bender 6.1, Hofman 5.3
- WESTERN PIONEERS 82 – 50 .621 W. Johnson 10.6, Snodgrass 4.5
- MIDWEST 65 – 67 .492 D. Bush 5.6, Konetchy 5.0, M. Brown 4.6
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 57 – 75 .432 Lajoie 9.8, Ray Collins 6.0, Jack Barry 4.5
- TEXAS-LATIN AMERICA 50 – 82 .379 Speaker 7.7, H. Vaughn 5.0, Drucke 4.7
- ILLINOIS 47 – 85 .356 Jake Stahl 3.8, Doyle 3.6, Leifield 3.3
- APPALACHIA 38 – 94 .288 Cy Barger 4.6, C. Milan 4.5, Willett 3.0
- DEEP SOUTH 36 – 96 .273 Cobb 10.5, Rucker 6.7, W. Mitchell 1.8
- MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 35 – 97 .265 HR Baker 5.2, George Suggs 4.8
WRAP-UP, 1901-1910: The only thing standing in the way of Pennsylvania “running the table” for these 10 straight seasons was exactly one game; though both PA and NY both ended up with 108 season wins and a phenomenal .818 W/L percentage, New York won the tiebreaker (head-to-head series) to claim the 1910 title. When the dust of the first 40 OBL seasons had cleared, however, the Premiers (they’d changed their nickname from Founders beginning in the 1901 season) stood alone at the top of the heap with 12 titles. The Excelsiors of New York had won 10; Ohio, 9 and New England, 7 (the Western Pioneers [1897] and the long-defunct American Independents [1874] took one title each). Only in 1897 did a team based west of the Mississippi River come out on top (39 of 40 champions were eastern-U.S.-based, with 29 titles going to teams based on the East/Atlantic coast; we’ll see this change, I’m sure, in subsequent decades).
5/20/22 Session sign-off: Missing team nicknames will be (retro-actively) assigned after further “research,” although folks familiar with the actual history of top-level baseball recognize that in the earliest decades, not every squad had agreed-upon nicknames; they were ever-shifting and often whimsical, if they existed at all. Usually, the “Philadelphias” would play against the “Bostons,” and so forth; this mostly-geographical naming convention endured even into the 20th Century. My own preference is to not name teams of men after birds and other animals, but to go for a little more dignity. On the other hand, whatever dignity might be conferred on an aggregation of perennial losers — as things turn out — would quickly go down in a hail of well-aimed, well-deserved mockery; easy targets for the name-callers, certainly. Quick example: knowing human nature as many of us do, what would stop critics — or fans — of a sub-standard Pennsylvania team (before 1901) from dubbing them the Flounder-ers, or simply, the Flounders (big fishes)? And can you imagine that every single 19th-Century critic/wag would pass up the opportunity to tag the New England Alliance — in a period of extended absence of winning base ball — as the New England Dalliance? [They were more civil in print in those days, folks, but I’m guessing these tame slurs would’ve still stung their targets — then — with the intended impact].
In any case, we’re caught up with the results from the first 40 of 150 seasons (batting .267 at this point). The next data dump will probably be a few weeks down the road, as mucho yard-work is still to be done before outside temps head north of 75 (and I head indoors to most-welcome AC, the Lord and the “grid” willing). Feel free to do some laps at both of my sites: retroplay.net and baseball150.com in the meantime.
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1871 – Parameters: 24 league games each, 12-man rosters
- NEW YORK (EXCELSIORS) 19–5 .760 Key players: Zettlein (4.5), Ross Barnes (2.1)
- PENNSYLVANIA (FOUNDERS) 11-13 .458 Dick McBride (3.4), Pratt (1.9), Meyerle (1.7)
- AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS 9–15 .375 Al Spalding (3.5), Cal McVey (1.7)
- NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE 9–15 .375 Rynie Wolters (4.4), George Hall (1.1)
1872 – Parameters: 40 league games each, 14-man rosters
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 25-15 .625 Zettlein (6.1), Barnes (4.3), G. Wright (3.0)
- AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS 24-16 .600 Spalding (12.5), Mathews (5.4), J. Hatfield (2.5)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 18-22 .450 McBride (4.7), Cherokee Fisher (2.2)
- NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE 13-27 .325 Candy Cummings (8.0), George Hall (1.5)
1873 – Parameters: 48 league games each, 14-man rosters
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 38-10 .792 Zettlein (7.8), Barnes (4.9), G. Wright (3.3)
- AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS 29-19 .604 Mathews (9.6), Spalding (9.2), Anson (2.0)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 15-33 .313 McBride (6.3), Meyerle (1.7), Fulmer (1.3)
- NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE 14-34 .292 Cummings (7.9), Jim O’Rourke (1.8)
1874 – Parameters: 56 league games each, 14-man rosters
- AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS 40-16 .714 Mathews (13.7), Spalding (10.7), McVey (3.0)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 31-25 .554 Zettlein (3.1), G. Wright (2.8), Pearce (2.5)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 22-34 .393 McBride (6.3), Fisher (4.2), Meyerle (2.2)
- NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE 19-37 .339 Cummings (6.3), Jim O’Rourke (2.3)
1875 – Parameters: 60 league games each, 14-man rosters
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 34-26 .567 Zettlein (7.6), Barnes (5.2), Deacon White (4.4)
- AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS 31-29 .517 Spalding (14.2), Mathews (7.5), McVey (4.5)
- NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE 28-32 .467 Cummings (11.7), Tommy Bond (11.5)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 27-33 .450 McBride (9.7), Fisher (7.9), George Bradley (3.6)
Composite Standings, first 5 years: NY 147-81 (.645); AI 133-95 (.583); PA 93-135 (.408); NEA 83-145 (.364)
1876 – Parameters: 60 league games each scheduled, but NY had to cut season short at 30 games (ran out of pitchers)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 39-21 .650 Jim Devlin (18.3), Bradley (9.2), Battin (3.5)
- AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS 30-30 .500 Spalding (10.2), Anson (3.7), McVey (3.5)
- NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE 25-35 .417 Bond (10.4), Cummings (3.5), O’Rourke, Hall (2.5)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 11-19 .367 Barnes (2.8), D. White (1.8), G. Wright (1.6)
1877 – Parameters: 48 league games each, still 14-man rosters
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 29-19 .604 D. White (3.4), Start (2.6), T. Larkin (2.3)
- NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE 28-20 .583 Bond (11.4), Tricky Nichols (3.1), O’Rourke (2.6)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 23-25 .479 Devlin (13.5), Bradley (2.8), Orator Shafer (1.8)
- AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS 16-32 .333 Charley Jones (2.3), Anson (2.2), Gerhardt (2.1)
1878 – Parameters: 56 league games each scheduled, but Independents only made it through 20 games (same problem as New York, 1876)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 31-25 .554 T. Larkin (5.6), Ferguson (3.1), White, Start (2.4)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 30-26 .536 Sam Weaver (10.2), John Ward (4.7), Shafer (3.5)
- NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE 27-29 .482 Bond (13.4), Jim McCormick (2.1), Higham (2.0)
- AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS 6-14 .300 Hines (2.8), C. Jones (2.8), Gerhardt (2.5)
1879 – Parameters: 72 league games each, still 14-man rosters
- NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE 44-28 .611 Bond (14.3), McCormick (9.8), John O’Rourke (3.5)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 40-32 .556 T. Larkin (4.9), Harry McCormick (4.6), Wright (4.3)
- AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS 34-38 .472 Galvin (9.0), C. Jones (4.5), Hines (4.4)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 26-46 .361 Ward (9.2), Williamson (4.2), Flint (3.2)
1880 – Parameters: 72 league games each, still 14-man rosters
- NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE 42-30 .583 J. McCormick (10.8), Gore (4.6), Tim Keefe (4.6)
- AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS 37-35 .514 Lee Richmond (7.3), Anson (5.1), Hines (4.2)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 34-38 .472 Ward (7.7), Bradley (4.6), Fred Dunlap (3.8)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 31-41 .431 Larry Corcoran (7.0), M. Welch (6.5), J. Clapp (3.6)
Composite Standings, first 10 years: (Titles: NY 6, NEA 2, Independents, Founders 1 each)
1. NY 289-217 (.571); 2. AI 256-244 (.512); 3. NEA 249-287 (.465); 4. PA 245-291 (.457)
1881 – Parameters: 72 league games each, still 14-man rosters; NY won tiebreaker with AI for title
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 39-33 .542 Jim Whitney (8.7), Welch (5.6), King Kelly (2.8)
- AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS 39-33 .542 Galvin (7.5), Anson (5.9), Lee Richmond (4.4)
- NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE 35-37 .486 George Derby (7.5), J. McCormick (7.0), Gore (2.5)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 31-41 .431 Charlie Bennett (4.3), Dunlap (3.9), Williamson (3.3)
1882 – Parameters: 75 league games each, first time with 15-man rosters
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 42-33 .560 Will White (11.4), Weidman (9.8), Brouthers (5.9)
- AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS 38-37 .507 Glasscock (4.9), Browning (4.5), Anson (4.4)
- NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE 37-38 .493 J. McCormick (10.9), Mullane (6.2), Connor (4.5)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 33-42 .440 Weaver (6.6), Bennett (4.2), Williamson (4.0)
1883 – Parameters: 96 league games each, 16-man rosters, 3 starting pitchers counted (first time); debut of a 5th franchise, Mid-Atlantic-and-South (MAS)
- NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE 65-31 .677 Keefe (20.2), McCormick (8.3), Mullane (6.4)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 63-33 .656 Radbourn (14.4), Whitney (13.5), W. White (9.2)
- AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS 50-46 .521 Galvin (9.8), McGinnis (5.8), Buck Ewing (4.8)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 41-55 .427 Bennett (4.9), Ward (4.6), Dunlap (4.5), Stovey (3.7)
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 21-75 .219 Jack Farrell (5.3), Mathews (4.6), H. Richardson (4.1)
1884 – Parameters: 112 league games each, 16-man rosters, 3 counting pitchers, 4 new teams
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 75-37 .670 Guy Hecker (17.8), Dunlap (7.8), B. Sweeney (7.3)
- NEW ENGLAND (PILGRIMS) 73-39 .652 Buffinton (16.3), Keefe (8.3), Jim O’Rourke (4.9)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 65-47 .580 Radbourn (19.5), Whitney (8.4), Ezra Sutton (6.2)
- NEW YORK CITY (5 BOROUGHS) 54-58 .482 M. Welch (12.3), Ed Morris (8.5), Dave Orr (5.8)
- CANADA-EUROPE ALLIANCE 49-63 .438 J. McCormick (14.8), Mullane (13.3), Pop Smith (4.1)
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 48-64 .429 Billy Taylor (11.5), Paul Hines (4.7), C. Jones (4.3)
- WESTERN (PIONEERS) 44-68 .393 Galvin (18.5), C. Sweeney (11.2), Anson (4.9)
- MIDWEST INDEPENDENTS 40-72 .357 Fred Pfeffer (5.5), Buck Ewing (5.0), J. Reilly (4.7)
1885 – Parameters: 110 games each scheduled, but MI only played 54; 3 pitchers counted, 16-man rosters; down to only 6 teams (NYC was one-off in ’84, and CEU dropped out, forming once more in 1890)
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 79-31 .718 J. Clarkson (12.8), Roger Connor (8.2), Keefe (6.7)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 77-33 .700 E. Morris (12.7), M. Welch (10.6), Brouthers (5.2)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 65-45 .591 Hecker (8.2), Hardie Henderson (7.8), Bennett (4.5)
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 42-68 .382 Caruthers (10.0), Ferguson (8.2), C. Jones (4.0)
- MIDWEST INDEPENDENTS 23-31 .426 Browning (2.6), Glasscock (2.5), Pechiney (1.7)
- WESTERN PIONEERS 16-94 .145 Anson (3.9), Fogarty (2.3), John Kirby (1.0)
1886 – Parameters: 120 league games each, 3 pitchers fully-counted, 16-man rosters, 2 new teams formed from now-defunct Midwest Independents
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 95-25 .792 Lady Baldwin (10.5), Morris (10.4), Brouthers (8.2)
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 76-44 .633 Keefe (9.5), Connor (7.1), J. Clarkson (6.8)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 72-48 .600 Kilroy (6.2), Hecker (6.0), Henry Larkin (4.4)
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 61-59 .508 Ferguson (11.7), Caruthers (11.5), Foutz (11.0)
- MIDWEST (debut year) 49-71 .408 Toad Ramsey (12.5), Sam Thompson (4.1)
- OHIO VALLEY (debut year) 45-75 .375 Glasscock (7.0), Cushman (3.9), Curt Welch (3.4)
- WESTERN PIONEERS 22-98 .183 Anson (7.0), Galvin (5.1), Fred Carroll (4.0)
1887 – Parameters: 120 league games each, 3 pitchers fully-counted, 16-man rosters, Western was no-go, so 3 of its players loaned to Midwest (Pud Galvin, Silver King, and Billy Gleason; all Missouri-born)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 76-44 .633 Kilroy (12.1), Elmer Smith (10.8), J. Ward (6.6)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 75-45 .625 Dan Casey (9.3), Whitney (8.3), Brouthers (5.3)
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 64-56 .533 J. Clarkson (15.0), Keefe (7.5), Connor (6.2)
- OHIO VALLEY 54-66 .450 Seward (6.4), Browning (6.0), Glasscock (5.4)
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 47-73 .392 Caruthers (10.7), Ferguson (10.0), B. Nash (3.9)
- MIDWEST 44-76 .367 Ramsey (7.8), Thompson (5.3), Comiskey (2.7)
1888 – Parameters: 120 league games each, 3 pitchers fully-counted, 16-man rosters; Western re-grouped and fielded an improved team that completed the full slate of league games; New England won tiebreaker with Ohio Valley for title
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 74-46 .617 Buffinton (12.0), Keefe (9.1), Connor (7.6)
- OHIO VALLEY 74-46 .617 Seward (9.9), John Reilly (5.3), Buck Ewing (4.4)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 69-51 .575 M. Welch (7.8), Brouthers (6.6), Ed Morris (5.0)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 62-58 .517 Pete Conway (6.9), Stovey (5.4), E. Smith (5.0)
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 51-69 .425 Ben Sanders (8.5), Caruthers (6.6), Nash (5.3)
- WESTERN PIONEERS 50-70 .417 Silver King (16.0), Anson (6.9), Galvin (5.7)
- MIDWEST 40-80 .333 Gus Krock (6.2), Nat Hudson (4.9), Pinkney (3.6)
1889 – Parameters: 132 league games each, 3 pitchers fully-counted, 16-man rosters
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 93-39 .705 J. Clarkson (16.2), Buffinton (11.1), Tucker (6.0)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 74-58 .561 Kilroy (8.7), Henry Boyle (6.3), Stovey (5.4)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 72-60 .545 Chamberlain (9.2), Brouthers (6.2), Welch (6.2)
- WESTERN PIONEERS 68-64 .515 Duryea (9.1), S. King (8.6), Anson (6.4)
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 67-65 .508 Caruthers (8.4), B. Sanders (7.5), Tiernan (5.2)
- OHIO VALLEY 58-74 .439 Glasscock (6.6), D. Lyons (5.4), G. Weyhing (3.0)
- MIDWEST 30-102 .227 Wilmot (4.0), Darby O’Brien (3.6), Staley (2.8)
1890 – Parameters: 126 league games each; 3 SPs; 16-man rosters; Canada-Europe (CEU) made second and last appearance (these players otherwise assigned to New England Alliance (1871-1883) or New York Extended (1885-1889 and 1891-1900 in the 19th Century)
- OHIO VALLEY (now, the TITANS) 84-42 .667 S. Stratton (10.8), Glasscock (7.1), H. Collins (5.6)
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 71-55 .563 J. Clarkson (8.8), Hutchison (8.3), Connor (6.0)
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 71-55 .563 Kid Gleason (12.0), McMahon (10.6), Childs (6.4)
- MIDWEST 68-58 .540 Kid Nichols (13.0), Rusie (8.2), Pinkney (5.5)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 68-58 .540 Rhines (10.5), Stivetts (7.6), McTamany (3.9)
- WESTERN PIONEERS 59-67 .468 S. King (12.4), Anson (5.4), Werden (5.2)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 53-73 .421 Radbourn (7.8), McPhee (5.1), M. Welch (4.8)
- CANADA-EUROPE ALLIANCE 30-96 .238 Getzien (5.4), Mullane (5.2), J. Knowles (4.2)
Composite Standings, first 20 years: (Titles: NY 9, NEA/NEL 6, Founders 3, American Independents, Ohio Valley Titans 1 each)
1. NY 939-650 (.591); 2. NEA/NEL 916-703 (.566); 3. PA 842-777 (.520); 4. OHV 315-303 (.510); 5. MAS 408-528 (.436); 6. MW 231-387 .374; 7. WST 259-461 (.360). “Extinct” franchises: 1. American Independents 383-360 (.515), 13 seasons; 2. New York City 54-58 (.482), 1884 only; 3. Midwest Independents 63-103 (.380), 1884-1885 only; 4. Canada-Europe Alliance (CEU) 79-159 (.332), ’84, ’90 only
1891 – Parameters: 126 league games each, 3 fully-counted pitchers, 16-man rosters; back down to 7 teams
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 90-36 .714 J. Clarkson (9.9), Hutchison (9.5), Connor (5.7)
- MIDWEST 63-63 .500 Nichols (9.2), Rusie (8.7), Herman Long (4.7)
- OHIO VALLEY TITANS 62-64 .492 G. Weyhing (7.8), Cy Young (6.1), Lyons (4.5)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 62-64 .492 Brouthers (5.7), McPhee (4.5), Mullane (4.1)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 58-68 .460 Stivetts (9.1), Stovey (4.5), Milligan (3.8)
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 57-69 .452 McMahon (9.4), Kid Gleason (6.9)
- WESTERN PIONEERS 49-77 .389 Knell (6.1), Beckley (4.1), Crooks (4.1)
1892 – Parameters: 144 league games each, 3 fully-counted pitchers, 16-man rosters
- OHIO VALLEY TITANS 90-54 .625 Cy Young (13.0), Weyhing (7.4), Ewing (4.5)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 82-62 .569 Stivetts (7.1), Oyster Burns and Virtue (4.7)
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 78-66 .542 Hutchison (9.1), Connor (6.3), Dwyer (5.8)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 77-67 .535 Brouthers (8.8), Dahlen (6.1), Mullane (6.0)
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 63-81 .438 Childs (7.1), Kid Gleason (6.3), Hamilton (6.1)
- MIDWEST 60-84 .417 Kid Nichols (8.8), Rusie (7.2), Thompson (4.7)
- WESTERN PIONEERS 54-90 .375 Holliday (4.7), S. King (3.3), Anson (3.2)
1893 – Parameters: 126 league games each, 3 fully-counted pitchers, 16-man rosters
- OHIO VALLEY TITANS 87-39 .690 Young (10.6), Delahanty (6.9), Kennedy (6.0)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 65-61 .516 Killen (8.5), E. Smith (5.3), Stivetts (4.6)
- MIDWEST 62-64 .492 Nichols (11.7), Rusie (11.2), Thompson (4.2)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 59-67 .468 Geo. Davis (5.7), Mullane (4.7), McGraw (4.3)
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 58-68 .460 McMahon (6.1), McGill (5.6), Hamilton (5.0)
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 55-71 .437 Connor (4.4), Dwyer (4.2), Hutchison (3.6)
- WESTERN PIONEERS 55-71 .437 Breitenstein (11.0), Beckley (4.6), Van Haltren (3.3)
1894 – Parameters: 126 league games each, 3 fully-counted pitchers, 16-man rosters
- OHIO VALLEY TITANS 78-48 .619 Young (8.5), Hemming (6.5), Delahanty (6.0)
- MIDWEST 69-57 .548 Rusie (13.7), Meekin (11.1), Thompson (5.3)
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 63-63 .500 Duffy (6.8), Joe Kelley (6.5), Dwyer (4.6)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 62-64 .492 G. Davis (5.4), McGraw (4.9), Carsey (2.4)
- WESTERN PIONEERS 59-67 .468 Breitenstein (9.1), Griffith (5.9), Joyce (4.0)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 56-70 .444 Stivetts (5.8), Jennings (4.8), E. Smith (4.1)
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 54-72 .429 Hamilton (8.2), “Brewery” Jack Taylor (6.3)
1895 – Parameters: 132 league games each, 4 fully-counted pitchers okay, 17-man rosters
- OHIO VALLEY TITANS 87-45 .659 Young (11.6), Delahanty (6.9), Stenzel (5.3)
- WESTERN PIONEERS 81-51 .614 Griffith (9.3), Hoffer (7.9), Bill Lange (5.4)
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 64-68 .485 Kelley (5.9), Dwyer (4.8), A. Terry (4.6)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 62-70 .470 Jennings (7.5), Maul (4.9), Cartwright (4.3)
- MIDWEST 58-74 .439 Hawley (11.0), Nichols (9.5), S. Thompson (6.0)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 57-75 .432 Mike Griffin (5.6), Keeler (5.3), Dad Clarke (4.9)
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 53-79 .402 Hamilton (6.1), J. Taylor (5.3), Foreman (4.6)
1896 – Parameters: 126 league games each, 3 fully-counted pitchers, back to 16-man rosters
- OHIO VALLEY TITANS 85-41 .675 Young (10.5), Delahanty (7.3), Ehret (5.8)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 77-49 .611 Killen (8.4), Jennings (8.3), E. Smith (5.7)
- WESTERN PIONEERS 69-57 .548 Hoffer (8.3), Griffith (6.4), Joyce (6.2)
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 54-72 .429 Dwyer (7.6), Kelley (7.0), Connor (2.8)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 54-72 .429 Dahlen (7.1), Keeler (5.3), G. Davis (4.6)
- MIDWEST 53-73 .421 Cuppy (10.4), Hawley (8.3), H. Long (4.0)
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 49-77 .389 Childs (6.2), Hamilton (5.8), Z. Wilson (3.5)
1897 – Parameters: 126 league games each, 3 fully-counted pitchers, 16-man rosters
- WESTERN PIONEERS 72-54 .571 Breitenstein (8.0), Fred Clarke (6.6)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 70-56 .556 Keeler (7.1), G. Davis (6.9), J. Collins (5.3)
- OHIO VALLEY TITANS 67-59 .532 Young (6.7), Delahanty (5.7), Mercer (5.1)
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 63-63 .500 Lajoie (5.2), Dwyer (5.1), Kelley (5.1)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 62-64 .492 Jennings (7.3), Rhines (4.2), Wallace (4.2)
- MIDWEST 61-65 .484 Nichols (11.1), Rusie (8.3), Reitz (3.4)
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 46-80 .365 Hamilton (4.9), J. Taylor (4.0), Childs (3.7)
1898 – Parameters: 138 league games each, 4 fully-counted pitchers, 17-man rosters
- OHIO VALLEY TITANS 91-47 .659 Tannehill (7.4), Young (7.3), Delahanty (6.2)
- WESTERN PIONEERS 77-61 .558 Griffith (10.5), Gene Demontreville (5.0)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 75-63 .543 McGraw (7.1), J. Collins (6.9), T. Lewis (6.9)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 73-65 .529 Maul (7.7), Jennings (7.5), Wallace (4.7)
- MIDWEST 66-72 .478 Nichols (11.1), Hawley (5.4), L. Cross (4.5)
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 56-82 .406 Jimmy Ryan (4.3), Dwyer (4.0), Kelley (3.8)
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 45-93 .326 McJames (7.5), Bert Cunningham (7.2)
1899 – Parameters: 138 league games each, 4/17 (same as 1898)
- OHIO VALLEY TITANS 98-40 .710 Young (8.3), Tannehill (8.1), Delahanty (8.0)
- WESTERN PIONEERS 75-63 .543 Jay Hughes (7.9), Jimmy Williams (6.9)
- MIDWEST 71-67 .514 McGinnity (8.4), Kitson (8.1), C. Stahl (5.5)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 70-68 .507 Honus Wagner (5.8), Jack Dunn (3.9)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 68-70 .493 McGraw (8.0), Seymour (5.3), Davis (4.9)
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 51-87 .370 Tenney (5.3), Kelley (4.5), Callahan (4.1)
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 50-88 .362 Vic Willis (10.1), Hahn (7.8), Keister (3.7)
1900 – Parameters: Schedule reduced to 120 league games, 16-man rosters (pitchers counted as needed to cover starts)
- OHIO VALLEY TITANS 103-17 .858 Young (7.3), Flick (5.9), Burkett (5.3)
- WESTERN PIONEERS 68-52 .567 Griffith (5.0), Beckley (4.3), Orth (4.2)
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 61-59 .508 Dinneen (6.9), McGraw (5.3), Davis (4.1)
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 60-60 .500 Wagner (6.4), Waddell (3.5), Thomas (3.1)
- MIDWEST 58-62 .483 McGinnity (5.1), Nichols (4.6), Long (2.4)
- MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH 38-82 .317 Hahn (6.2), Phillippe (4.8), Hamilton (4.2)
- NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 32-88 .267 Lajoie (4.2), Kelley (3.5), R. Donahue (2.1)
COMPOSITE RESULTS FOR THE 19TH CENTURY (1871 through 1900)
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- OHIO VALLEY TITANS 1163 – 757 .606 9 Titles in 15 seasons
- NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 1584 – 1307 .548 9 Titles in 30 seasons
- NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE/PILGRIMS 1522 – 1399 .521 7 Titles in 30 seasons
- PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS 1507 – 1414 .516 3 Titles in 30 seasons
- WESTERN PIONEERS 918 – 1104 .454 1 Title in 15 seasons
- MIDWEST 852 – 1068 .444 0 Titles in 15 seasons
- MID-ATLANTIC (and) SOUTH 921 – 1317 .412 0 Titles in 18 seasons
Among franchises no longer in operation:
- AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS (1871-1883) 383 – 360 .515 1 Title in 13 seasons
- NEW YORK CITY (5 Boroughs) 54 – 58 .482 in 1884 only
- MIDWEST INDEPENDENTS (1884-1885) 63 – 103 .380 1885-1886 only
- CANADA-EUROPE ALLIANCE (CEU) 79 – 159 .332 1884 and 1890 only
Okay, we’re all caught up with OBL history as “replayed” through the first 30 years. The “staff” will continue to work through the years 1901-1930, and that will bring to a close the 19th-Century era and the first 30-year era of the 20th Century. After this 4/24/22 update, there will probably be a fairly good chunk of “down” time (NON-posting period) for this page and the site in general (a yard to be weeded, garden to plant, and other activities that will have to take priority). Some re-formatting of this page will probably be in order, but that will do it for now; just wanted to get those results up ASAP. RetroPlay/Baseball 150.com guy out…