Year-by-year: Open Baseball League results

Year-by-year: Open Baseball League results

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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”]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~///~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“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

  1. PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS      88 – 38  .698  Mathewson 8.8, Bobby Wallace 7.8, Wagner 7.2
  2. OHIO TITANS                            74 – 52  .587  Cy Young 12.5, Flick 6.7, Ed Delahanty 6.6
  3. WESTERN PIONEERS                 69 – 57  .548  Orth 7.3, Griffith 7.2, Fred Clarke 5.0
  4. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS        66 – 60  .524  Lajoie 8.3, Bill Donovan 6.1, Chesbro 6.0
  5. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS            64 – 62  .508  Jimmy Collins 6.7, Dinneen 5.3, G. Davis 4.9
  6. MIDWEST                                   60 – 66  .476  McGinnity 7.6, Nichols 6.8, Chick Stahl 4.2
  7. APPALACHIA                              48 – 78  .381  Hahn 7.7, Burkett 7.2, Phillippe 5.9
  8. 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

  1. PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS       84 – 42  .667  Waddell 9.7, Wagner 7.4, Pittinger 6.3
  2. OHIO TITANS                              72 – 54  .571  Cy Young 10.2, Jack Taylor 10.0, Delahanty 6.8
  3. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS             65 – 61  .516  Tommy Leach 5.9, Dinneen/Bernhard/GDavis 5.8
  4. WESTERN PIONEERS                   64 – 62  .508  Ed Siever 5.4, Fred Clarke 5.0, Sam Crawford 4.8
  5. MIDWEST                                    60 – 66  .476  McGinnity 8.8, Jack Powell 6.2, Beaumont 5.1
  6. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS          58 – 68  .460  Lajoie and Fred Tenney 5.1, Red Donahue 4.5
  7. APPALACHIA                               56 – 70  .444  Hahn 8.5, Win Mercer 5.5, Strang 4.1
  8. 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

  1. PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS         96 – 30  .762  Mathewson 10.8, Wagner 7.6, Waddell 7.5
  2. WESTERN PIONEERS                    79 – 47  .627  Willie Sudhoff 6.5, Chance 5.8, Crawford 5.7
  3. OHIO TITANS                                73 – 53  .579  Cy Young 8.1, Bill Bradley 7.1, Mullin 6.0
  4. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS            69 – 57  .548  Donovan 8.0, Lajoie 7.9, Freddy Parent 6.4
  5. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                62 – 64  .492  Dinneen 6.5, J. Collins 5.3, Dahlen 5.0
  6. MIDWEST                                       59 – 67  .468  McGinnity 11.9, Donlin 4.4, Tom Hughes 4.3
  7. APPALACHIA                                  34 – 92  .270  Hahn 7.5, Phillippe 5.1, Strang 3.1
  8. 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

  1. PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS          104 – 36  .743  Waddell 10.5, Plank 9.3, Wagner 8.2
  2. OHIO TITANS                                   87 – 53  .621  Cy Young 9.6, Jack Taylor 6.8, Bradley 6.4
  3. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                  81 – 59  .579  G. Davis 7.2, Dahlen 5.5, Bill Bernhard 5.3
  4. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS               75 – 65  .536  Chesbro 11.4, Lajoie 8.5, Parent 6.3
  5. MIDWEST                                         68 – 72  .486  McGinnity 9.3, Nichols 8.5, C. Stahl 4.5
  6. WESTERN PIONEERS                        68 – 72  .486  Chance 5.9, Weimer 5.8, Fred Glade 4.6
  7. APPALACHIA                                     44 – 96  .314  Hahn 6.6, J. Tannehill 5.8, McGann 4.3
  8. 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)

  1. PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS              132 – 8  .943  Mathewson 10.5, Wagner 10.1, Waddell 9.4
  2. OHIO TITANS                                      97 – 43 .693  Cy Young and Bob Ewing 7.1, Flick 5.2
  3. WESTERN PIONEERS                          80 – 60  .571  Orth 5.8, Chance 5.6, Crawford 5.4
  4. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                     74 – 66  .529  Cy Seymour 8.0, G. Davis 7.2, Dahlen 5.4
  5. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS                  66 – 74  .471  Irv Young 8.7, Chesbro 5.3, Tenney 3.8
  6. MIDWEST                                            63 – 77  .450  Reulbach 8.2, Killian 8.0, Criger 2.9
  7. MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH                      44 – 96  .314  Howell 6.4, Doc White 5.1, A. Devlin 4.0
  8. ILLINOIS                                              38 -102  .271 Donlin 6.4, T. Hughes 3.9, Harry Bay 3.7
  9. 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

  1. PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS               112 – 14  .889  Wagner and Terry Turner 9.3, Waddell 5.5
  2. OHIO TITANS                                        86 – 40  .683  Flick 6.5, Jack Taylor 6.0, Bresnahan 5.5
  3. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                       83 – 43  .659  G. Davis 6.4, Duggleby 5.1, Otto Hess 4.7
  4. M.R.R. REGENTS                                    82 – 44  .651  Orth 9.1, George Stone 8.7, Steinfeldt 7.0
  5. MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH                        62 – 64  .492  Willis 8.2, A. Devlin 7.9, Sparks 7.3
  6. MIDWEST                                              56 – 70  .444  Mordecai Brown 7.4, Joss 5.0, Hemphill 4.5
  7. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS                    53 – 73  .421  Lajoie 10.0, Chesbro and Red Donahue 3.9
  8. WESTERN PIONEERS                             45 – 81  .357  Chance 7.3, Tinker 4.1, Ed Siever 2.4
  9. APPALACHIA                                         27 – 99  .214   Strang 4.3, Phillippe 3.8, H. Buckner 3.1
  10. 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

  1. PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS                  117 – 9   .929  Wagner 9.0, Mathewson 8.8, Ed Walsh 7.6
  2. OHIO TITANS                                          88 – 38  .698  Cy Young 7.8, Bob Ewing 6.0, Flick 5.6
  3. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                         77 – 49  .611  T. Leach 5.4, Evers 5.3, Hooks Wiltse 3.4
  4. MRR REGENTS                                        67 – 59  .532  C. Bender 5.5, G. Stone 5.4, F. Clarke 5.1
  5. MIDWEST                                                64 – 62  .508  Killian 7.9, Joss 6.2, Beaumont 4.5
  6. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS                      59 – 67  .468  Lajoie 7.6, Donovan 5.9, Chesbro 5.0
  7. WESTERN PIONEERS                               55 – 71  .437  Ed Karger 6.6, Crawford 5.9, Overall 5.8
  8. MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH                           53 – 73  .421  Ty Cobb 6.8, Howell and Doc White 4.9
  9. ILLINOIS                                                   28 – 98  .222  Lundgren 5.1, Leifield 2.5, Altizer 2.0
  10. APPALACHIA                                            22 -104 .175  Strang 2.6, McGann 2.5, Phillippe 1.6

1908 – Parameters:  126 league games each; still using 16-man rosters

  1. PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS                   111 – 15  .881  Mathewson 11.9, Wagner 11.5, Walsh 10.7
  2. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                           80 – 46  .635  G. McQuillan 8.9, H. Wiltse 7.7, Evers 5.6
  3. OHIO TITANS                                            74 – 52  .587  Cy Young 9.7, Bresnahan 5.9, Wilhelm 5.3
  4. MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH                            67 – 59  .532  Cobb 6.2, Nap Rucker 5.6, Lobert 5.1
  5. MIDWEST                                                  64 – 62  .508  M. Brown 9.1, Joss 8.8, George McBride 4.4
  6. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS                        61 – 65  .484  Lajoie 7.9, McIntyre 6.0, Donovan 4.5
  7. MRR REGENTS                                           52 – 74  .413  Kling 4.9, F. Clarke 4.8, Bender 3.4
  8. ILLINOIS                                                     47 – 79  .373  Donlin 6.0, J. Powell 5.1, T. Hughes 4.5
  9. WESTERN PIONEERS                                  44 – 82  .349  Tinker 7.9, Walter Johnson 5.3, Crawford 5.1
  10. 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)

  1. PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS                     105 – 27  .795  Mathewson 10.6, Wagner 9.2, F. Smith 7.8
  2. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                             97 – 35  .735  Eddie Collins 9.7, H. Wiltse 4.8, G. Gibson 4.7
  3. OHIO TITANS                                              96 – 36  .727  Cy Morgan 5.9, Bridwell and M. Mitchell 5.5
  4. WESTERN PIONEERS                                   83 – 49  .629  Overall 8.3, Crawford 5.6, Harry Krause 5.5
  5. MIDWEST                                                    77 – 55  .583  M. Brown 9.6, Donie Bush 6.5, Reulbach 5.4
  6. MRR REGENTS                                             61 – 71  .462  F. Clarke 5.3, Bender 5.1, Steinfeldt 3.9
  7. ILLINOIS                                                       60 – 72  .455  Fromme 5.9, J. Powell and Larry Doyle 3.8
  8. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS                           57 – 75  .432  Lajoie 6.5, Parent 5.3, Corridon 2.3
  9. MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS                             50 – 82  .379  Home Run Baker 5.7, Vic Willis 4.2
  10. APPALACHIA                                                45 – 87  .341  Howie Camnitz 5.5, Hoblitzell 4.1
  11. TEXAS-LATIN AMERICA                               31 – 101 .235  Speaker 6.3, Jose Mendez 3.6, Munoz 3.0
  12. 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

  1. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                             108 – 24  .818  Russ Ford 11.9, E. Collins 10.5, Scanlan 5.0
  2. PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS                           108 – 24  .818  Walsh 11.6, Mathewson 8.9, Magee 6.7
  3. OHIO TITANS                                                  84 – 48  .636  Earl Moore 5.9, Paskert 4.4, J. Bates 4.0
  4. MRR REGENTS                                                82 – 50  .621  Jack Coombs 9.9, Bender 6.1, Hofman 5.3
  5. WESTERN PIONEERS                                       82 – 50  .621  W. Johnson 10.6, Snodgrass 4.5
  6. MIDWEST                                                        65 – 67  .492  D. Bush 5.6, Konetchy 5.0, M. Brown 4.6
  7. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS                              57 – 75  .432  Lajoie 9.8, Ray Collins 6.0, Jack Barry 4.5
  8. TEXAS-LATIN AMERICA                                   50 – 82  .379  Speaker 7.7, H. Vaughn 5.0, Drucke 4.7
  9. ILLINOIS                                                           47 – 85  .356  Jake Stahl 3.8, Doyle 3.6, Leifield 3.3
  10. APPALACHIA                                                    38 – 94  .288  Cy Barger 4.6, C. Milan 4.5, Willett 3.0
  11. DEEP SOUTH                                                    36 – 96  .273  Cobb 10.5, Rucker 6.7, W. Mitchell 1.8
  12. 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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1871 – Parameters: 24 league games each, 12-man rosters

  1. NEW YORK (EXCELSIORS)      19–5  .760  Key players: Zettlein (4.5), Ross Barnes (2.1)
  2. PENNSYLVANIA (FOUNDERS) 11-13  .458  Dick McBride (3.4), Pratt (1.9), Meyerle (1.7)
  3. AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS    9–15  .375  Al Spalding (3.5), Cal McVey (1.7)
  4. NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE      9–15  .375  Rynie Wolters (4.4), George Hall (1.1)

1872 – Parameters: 40 league games each, 14-man rosters

  1. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS         25-15  .625  Zettlein (6.1), Barnes (4.3), G. Wright (3.0)
  2. AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS    24-16  .600  Spalding (12.5), Mathews (5.4), J. Hatfield (2.5)
  3. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS    18-22  .450  McBride (4.7),  Cherokee Fisher (2.2)
  4. NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE      13-27  .325  Candy Cummings (8.0), George Hall (1.5)

1873 – Parameters: 48 league games each, 14-man rosters

  1. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS         38-10  .792  Zettlein (7.8), Barnes (4.9), G. Wright (3.3)
  2. AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS    29-19  .604  Mathews (9.6), Spalding (9.2), Anson (2.0)
  3. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS    15-33  .313  McBride (6.3), Meyerle (1.7), Fulmer (1.3)
  4. NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE      14-34  .292  Cummings (7.9), Jim O’Rourke (1.8)

1874 – Parameters: 56 league games each, 14-man rosters

  1. AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS   40-16  .714  Mathews (13.7), Spalding (10.7), McVey (3.0)
  2. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS           31-25  .554  Zettlein (3.1), G. Wright (2.8), Pearce (2.5)
  3. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS     22-34  .393  McBride (6.3), Fisher (4.2), Meyerle (2.2)
  4. NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE       19-37  .339  Cummings (6.3), Jim O’Rourke (2.3)

1875 – Parameters: 60 league games each, 14-man rosters

  1. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS          34-26  .567  Zettlein (7.6), Barnes (5.2), Deacon White (4.4)
  2. AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS     31-29  .517  Spalding (14.2), Mathews (7.5), McVey (4.5)
  3. NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE       28-32  .467  Cummings (11.7), Tommy Bond (11.5)
  4. 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)

  1. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS     39-21  .650  Jim Devlin (18.3), Bradley (9.2), Battin (3.5)
  2. AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS      30-30  .500  Spalding (10.2), Anson (3.7), McVey (3.5)
  3. NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE        25-35  .417  Bond (10.4), Cummings (3.5), O’Rourke, Hall (2.5)
  4. 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

  1. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS           29-19  .604  D. White (3.4), Start (2.6), T. Larkin (2.3)
  2. NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE        28-20  .583  Bond (11.4), Tricky Nichols (3.1), O’Rourke (2.6)
  3. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS      23-25  .479  Devlin (13.5), Bradley (2.8), Orator Shafer (1.8)
  4. 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)

  1. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS           31-25  .554  T. Larkin (5.6), Ferguson (3.1), White, Start (2.4)
  2. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS      30-26  .536  Sam Weaver (10.2), John Ward (4.7), Shafer (3.5)
  3. NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE        27-29  .482  Bond (13.4), Jim McCormick (2.1), Higham (2.0)
  4. 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

  1.  NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE      44-28  .611  Bond (14.3), McCormick (9.8), John O’Rourke (3.5)
  2.  NEW YORK EXCELSIORS           40-32  .556   T. Larkin (4.9), Harry McCormick (4.6), Wright (4.3)
  3.  AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS     34-38  .472   Galvin (9.0), C. Jones (4.5), Hines (4.4)
  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

  1.  NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE      42-30  .583   J. McCormick (10.8), Gore (4.6), Tim Keefe (4.6)
  2.  AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS      37-35  .514   Lee Richmond (7.3), Anson (5.1), Hines (4.2)
  3.  PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS      34-38  .472   Ward (7.7), Bradley (4.6), Fred Dunlap (3.8)
  4.  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

  1. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS             39-33  .542  Jim Whitney (8.7), Welch (5.6), King Kelly (2.8)
  2. AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS        39-33  .542  Galvin (7.5), Anson (5.9), Lee Richmond (4.4)
  3. NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE          35-37  .486  George Derby (7.5), J. McCormick (7.0), Gore (2.5)
  4. 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

  1. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS             42-33  .560  Will White (11.4), Weidman (9.8), Brouthers (5.9)
  2. AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS        38-37  .507  Glasscock (4.9), Browning (4.5), Anson (4.4)
  3. NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE          37-38  .493  J. McCormick (10.9), Mullane (6.2), Connor (4.5)
  4. 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)

  1. NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE          65-31  .677  Keefe (20.2), McCormick (8.3), Mullane (6.4)
  2. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS               63-33  .656  Radbourn (14.4), Whitney (13.5), W. White (9.2)
  3. AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS         50-46  .521  Galvin (9.8), McGinnis (5.8), Buck Ewing (4.8)
  4. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS         41-55  .427  Bennett (4.9), Ward (4.6), Dunlap (4.5), Stovey (3.7)
  5. 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

  1. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS        75-37  .670  Guy Hecker (17.8), Dunlap (7.8), B. Sweeney (7.3)
  2. NEW ENGLAND (PILGRIMS)           73-39  .652  Buffinton (16.3), Keefe (8.3), Jim O’Rourke (4.9)
  3. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                65-47  .580  Radbourn (19.5), Whitney (8.4), Ezra Sutton (6.2)
  4. NEW YORK CITY (5 BOROUGHS)   54-58  .482  M. Welch (12.3), Ed Morris (8.5), Dave Orr (5.8)
  5. CANADA-EUROPE ALLIANCE        49-63  .438   J. McCormick (14.8), Mullane (13.3), Pop Smith (4.1)
  6. MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH                 48-64  .429   Billy Taylor (11.5), Paul Hines (4.7), C. Jones (4.3)
  7. WESTERN (PIONEERS)                    44-68  .393  Galvin (18.5), C. Sweeney (11.2), Anson (4.9)
  8. 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)

  1. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS             79-31  .718  J. Clarkson (12.8), Roger Connor (8.2), Keefe (6.7)
  2. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                  77-33  .700  E. Morris (12.7), M. Welch (10.6), Brouthers (5.2)
  3. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS            65-45  .591  Hecker (8.2), Hardie Henderson (7.8), Bennett (4.5)
  4. MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH                   42-68  .382  Caruthers (10.0), Ferguson (8.2), C. Jones (4.0)
  5. MIDWEST INDEPENDENTS              23-31  .426  Browning (2.6), Glasscock (2.5), Pechiney (1.7)
  6. 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

  1. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                 95-25  .792  Lady Baldwin (10.5), Morris (10.4), Brouthers (8.2)
  2. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS               76-44  .633  Keefe (9.5), Connor (7.1), J. Clarkson (6.8)
  3. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS             72-48  .600  Kilroy (6.2), Hecker (6.0), Henry Larkin (4.4)
  4. MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH                    61-59  .508  Ferguson (11.7), Caruthers (11.5), Foutz (11.0)
  5. MIDWEST (debut year)                     49-71  .408  Toad Ramsey (12.5), Sam Thompson (4.1)
  6. OHIO VALLEY (debut year)               45-75  .375  Glasscock (7.0), Cushman (3.9), Curt Welch (3.4)
  7. 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)

  1. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS            76-44  .633  Kilroy (12.1), Elmer Smith (10.8), J. Ward (6.6)
  2. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                    75-45  .625  Dan Casey (9.3), Whitney (8.3), Brouthers (5.3)
  3. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS                64-56  .533   J. Clarkson (15.0), Keefe (7.5), Connor (6.2)
  4. OHIO VALLEY                                     54-66  .450  Seward (6.4), Browning (6.0), Glasscock (5.4)
  5. MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH                     47-73  .392  Caruthers (10.7), Ferguson (10.0), B. Nash (3.9)
  6. 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

  1. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS                74-46  .617  Buffinton (12.0), Keefe (9.1), Connor (7.6)
  2. OHIO VALLEY                                      74-46  .617  Seward (9.9), John Reilly (5.3), Buck Ewing (4.4)
  3. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                      69-51  .575  M. Welch (7.8), Brouthers (6.6), Ed Morris (5.0)
  4. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS                62-58  .517  Pete Conway (6.9), Stovey (5.4), E. Smith (5.0)
  5. MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH                       51-69  .425  Ben Sanders (8.5), Caruthers (6.6), Nash (5.3)
  6. WESTERN PIONEERS                            50-70  .417  Silver King (16.0), Anson (6.9), Galvin (5.7)
  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

  1. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS                  93-39  .705  J. Clarkson (16.2), Buffinton (11.1), Tucker (6.0)
  2. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS                 74-58  .561  Kilroy (8.7), Henry Boyle (6.3), Stovey (5.4)
  3. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                       72-60  .545  Chamberlain (9.2), Brouthers (6.2), Welch (6.2)
  4. WESTERN PIONEERS                             68-64  .515  Duryea (9.1), S. King (8.6), Anson (6.4)
  5. MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH                        67-65  .508  Caruthers (8.4), B. Sanders (7.5), Tiernan (5.2)
  6. OHIO VALLEY                                        58-74  .439  Glasscock (6.6), D. Lyons (5.4), G. Weyhing (3.0)
  7. 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)

  1. OHIO VALLEY  (now, the TITANS)          84-42  .667  S. Stratton (10.8), Glasscock (7.1), H. Collins (5.6)
  2. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS                     71-55  .563  J. Clarkson (8.8), Hutchison (8.3), Connor (6.0)
  3. MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH                          71-55  .563  Kid Gleason (12.0), McMahon (10.6), Childs (6.4)
  4. MIDWEST                                                68-58  .540  Kid Nichols (13.0), Rusie (8.2), Pinkney (5.5)
  5. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS                   68-58  .540  Rhines (10.5), Stivetts (7.6), McTamany (3.9)
  6. WESTERN PIONEERS                               59-67  .468   S. King (12.4), Anson (5.4), Werden (5.2)
  7. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                         53-73  .421   Radbourn (7.8), McPhee (5.1), M. Welch (4.8)
  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

  1. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS                      90-36  .714  J. Clarkson (9.9), Hutchison (9.5), Connor (5.7)
  2. MIDWEST                                                  63-63  .500  Nichols (9.2), Rusie (8.7), Herman Long (4.7)
  3. OHIO VALLEY TITANS                                62-64  .492  G. Weyhing (7.8), Cy Young (6.1), Lyons (4.5)
  4. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                            62-64  .492  Brouthers (5.7), McPhee (4.5), Mullane (4.1)
  5. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS                      58-68  .460  Stivetts (9.1), Stovey (4.5), Milligan (3.8)
  6. MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH                             57-69  .452  McMahon (9.4), Kid Gleason (6.9)
  7. 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

  1. OHIO VALLEY TITANS                                90-54  .625  Cy Young (13.0), Weyhing (7.4), Ewing (4.5)
  2. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS                       82-62  .569  Stivetts (7.1), Oyster Burns and Virtue (4.7)
  3. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS                          78-66  .542  Hutchison (9.1), Connor (6.3), Dwyer (5.8)
  4. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                              77-67  .535  Brouthers (8.8), Dahlen (6.1), Mullane (6.0)
  5. MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH                               63-81  .438  Childs (7.1), Kid Gleason (6.3), Hamilton (6.1)
  6. MIDWEST                                                     60-84  .417  Kid Nichols (8.8), Rusie (7.2), Thompson (4.7)
  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

  1. OHIO VALLEY TITANS                                 87-39  .690   Young (10.6), Delahanty (6.9), Kennedy (6.0)
  2. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS                        65-61  .516   Killen (8.5), E. Smith (5.3), Stivetts (4.6)
  3. MIDWEST                                                     62-64  .492   Nichols (11.7), Rusie (11.2), Thompson (4.2)
  4. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                              59-67  .468   Geo. Davis (5.7), Mullane (4.7), McGraw (4.3)
  5. MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH                               58-68  .460   McMahon (6.1), McGill (5.6), Hamilton (5.0)
  6. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS                           55-71  .437   Connor (4.4), Dwyer (4.2), Hutchison (3.6)
  7. 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

  1. OHIO VALLEY TITANS                                  78-48  .619  Young (8.5), Hemming (6.5), Delahanty (6.0)
  2. MIDWEST                                                      69-57  .548  Rusie (13.7), Meekin (11.1), Thompson (5.3)
  3. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS                            63-63  .500  Duffy (6.8), Joe Kelley (6.5), Dwyer (4.6)
  4. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                                62-64  .492  G. Davis (5.4), McGraw (4.9), Carsey (2.4)
  5. WESTERN PIONEERS                                     59-67  .468  Breitenstein (9.1), Griffith (5.9), Joyce (4.0)
  6. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS                          56-70  .444  Stivetts (5.8), Jennings (4.8), E. Smith (4.1)
  7. 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

  1. OHIO VALLEY TITANS                                   87-45  .659  Young (11.6), Delahanty (6.9), Stenzel (5.3)
  2. WESTERN PIONEERS                                      81-51  .614  Griffith (9.3), Hoffer (7.9), Bill Lange (5.4)
  3. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS                             64-68  .485  Kelley (5.9), Dwyer (4.8), A. Terry (4.6)
  4. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS                          62-70  .470  Jennings (7.5), Maul (4.9), Cartwright (4.3)
  5. MIDWEST                                                       58-74  .439  Hawley (11.0), Nichols (9.5), S. Thompson (6.0)
  6. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                                 57-75  .432  Mike Griffin (5.6), Keeler (5.3), Dad Clarke (4.9)
  7. 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

  1. OHIO VALLEY TITANS                                    85-41  .675  Young (10.5), Delahanty (7.3), Ehret (5.8)
  2. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS                           77-49  .611  Killen (8.4), Jennings (8.3), E. Smith (5.7)
  3. WESTERN PIONEERS                                      69-57  .548  Hoffer (8.3), Griffith (6.4), Joyce (6.2)
  4. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS                             54-72  .429  Dwyer (7.6), Kelley (7.0), Connor (2.8)
  5. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                                 54-72  .429  Dahlen (7.1), Keeler (5.3), G. Davis (4.6)
  6. MIDWEST                                                        53-73  .421  Cuppy (10.4), Hawley (8.3), H. Long (4.0)
  7. 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

  1. WESTERN PIONEERS                                      72-54  .571  Breitenstein (8.0), Fred Clarke (6.6)
  2. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                                  70-56  .556  Keeler (7.1), G. Davis (6.9), J. Collins (5.3)
  3. OHIO VALLEY TITANS                                      67-59  .532  Young (6.7), Delahanty (5.7), Mercer (5.1)
  4. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS                               63-63  .500  Lajoie (5.2), Dwyer (5.1), Kelley (5.1)
  5. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS                            62-64  .492  Jennings (7.3), Rhines (4.2), Wallace (4.2)
  6. MIDWEST                                                         61-65  .484  Nichols (11.1), Rusie (8.3), Reitz (3.4)
  7. 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

  1. OHIO VALLEY TITANS                                     91-47  .659  Tannehill (7.4), Young (7.3), Delahanty (6.2)
  2. WESTERN PIONEERS                                        77-61  .558  Griffith (10.5), Gene Demontreville (5.0)
  3. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                                  75-63  .543  McGraw (7.1), J. Collins (6.9), T. Lewis (6.9)
  4. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS                            73-65  .529  Maul (7.7), Jennings (7.5), Wallace (4.7)
  5. MIDWEST                                                         66-72  .478  Nichols (11.1), Hawley (5.4), L. Cross (4.5)
  6. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS                               56-82  .406  Jimmy Ryan (4.3), Dwyer (4.0), Kelley (3.8)
  7. MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH                                    45-93  .326  McJames (7.5), Bert Cunningham (7.2)

1899 – Parameters: 138 league games each, 4/17 (same as 1898)

  1. OHIO VALLEY TITANS                                     98-40  .710  Young (8.3), Tannehill (8.1), Delahanty (8.0)
  2. WESTERN PIONEERS                                        75-63  .543  Jay Hughes (7.9), Jimmy Williams (6.9)
  3. MIDWEST                                                         71-67  .514  McGinnity (8.4), Kitson (8.1), C. Stahl (5.5)
  4. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS                            70-68  .507  Honus Wagner (5.8), Jack Dunn (3.9)
  5. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                                  68-70  .493  McGraw (8.0), Seymour (5.3), Davis (4.9)
  6. NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS                               51-87  .370  Tenney (5.3), Kelley (4.5), Callahan (4.1)
  7. 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)

  1. OHIO VALLEY TITANS                                     103-17  .858  Young (7.3), Flick (5.9), Burkett (5.3)
  2. WESTERN PIONEERS                                          68-52  .567  Griffith (5.0), Beckley (4.3), Orth (4.2)
  3. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                                    61-59  .508  Dinneen (6.9), McGraw (5.3), Davis (4.1)
  4. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS                              60-60  .500  Wagner (6.4), Waddell (3.5), Thomas (3.1)
  5. MIDWEST                                                           58-62  .483  McGinnity (5.1), Nichols (4.6), Long (2.4)
  6. MID-ATLANTIC-SOUTH                                     38-82  .317  Hahn (6.2), Phillippe (4.8), Hamilton (4.2)
  7. 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)

    1. OHIO VALLEY TITANS                               1163 – 757    .606  9 Titles in 15 seasons
    2. NEW YORK EXCELSIORS                            1584 – 1307   .548  9 Titles in 30 seasons
    3. NEW ENGLAND ALLIANCE/PILGRIMS       1522 – 1399   .521  7 Titles in 30 seasons
    4. PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDERS                      1507 – 1414   .516  3 Titles in 30 seasons
    5. WESTERN PIONEERS                                    918 – 1104   .454  1 Title in 15 seasons
    6. MIDWEST                                                     852 – 1068   .444  0 Titles in 15 seasons
    7. MID-ATLANTIC (and) SOUTH                       921 – 1317   .412  0 Titles in 18 seasons

Among franchises no longer in operation:

  1. AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS (1871-1883)              383 – 360     .515  1 Title in 13 seasons
  2. NEW YORK CITY (5 Boroughs)                                  54 – 58      .482   in 1884 only
  3. MIDWEST INDEPENDENTS (1884-1885)                   63 – 103    .380   1885-1886 only
  4. 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…