Year-by-year: Open Baseball League results

10/4/2022 PAGE UPDATE: 1921-1930 “REPLAYS” NOW COMPLETE, POSTED; PLUS… PREVIEW OF OBL LEAGUE STRUCTURE GOING FORWARD (ERA #3 OF 5, 1931+)

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

8/9-10/2022 PAGE UPDATE: 1911-1920 “REPLAYS” NOW COMPLETE, POSTED

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

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 TWO DECADES 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)

1921 – Parameters: 14 teams; 130 league games each; 18-man rosters

M.R.R. REGENTS 95 – 35 .731 Faber 11.1, Bancroft 7.4, Bullet Joe Bush 5.7
WESTERN PIONEERS 86 – 44 .662 Heilmann 6.8, Pete Alexander, Ken Williams 5.5
TEXAS (+) (w. OK, NM) 84 – 46 .646 Hornsby 10.8, Rogan 8.5, Speaker 6.6
SOUTHEAST (debut) 74 – 56 .569 Cobb 6.8, Ben Taylor 6.7, Redding 4.9
OHIO TITANS 74 – 56 .569 Shocker 8.5, Sad Sam Jones 7.2, Sisler 5.8
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 73 – 57 .562 Carl Mays 7.4, C. Blackwell 6.8, J. Jeffries 5.7
MIDWEST MAJORS 72 – 58 .554 B. Grimes 8.0, Charleston 6.4, Sam Rice 4.4
NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 61 – 69 .469 Frisch 6.9, Mogridge 6.3, W. Hoyt 5.5
PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 56 – 74 .431 S. Coveleski 6.5, Bassler 3.1, Bill Francis 3.0
MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 56 – 74 .431 Ruth 12.6, Rommel 5.2, Rixey 4.5
LATIN AMERICA ESTRELLAS 54 – 76 .415 Leblanc 7.0, Torriente 6.2, Luque 5.1
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 49 – 81 .377 Oeschger 4.6, Shanks 4.0, Sheely 2.6
DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 46 – 84 .354 Joe Sewell 4.9, Glazner 4.6, Roy Roberts 4.4
NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 30 – 100 .231 L. Gardner 4.5, Maranville 4.2, Lefty Tyler 0.9

1922 – Parameters: 14 teams; 130 league games each; 18-man rosters

TEXAS (+) (w. OK, NM) 105 – 25 .808 Hornsby 10.0, Rogan 9.1, Speaker 6.9
M.R.R. REGENTS 96 – 34 .738 Faber 9.5, Bancroft 6.1, Vangilder 5.7
WESTERN PIONEERS 93 – 37 .715 K. Williams 7.9, Pillette 5.5, WJ, Heilmann 5.4
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 71 – 59 .546 O’Farrell 5.9, Pipp 4.5, Pfeffer, McManus 4.4
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 71 – 59 .546 Wilbur Cooper 7.5, Morrison 5.9, Veach 5.0
OHIO TITANS 71 – 59 .546 Sisler 8.7, Shocker 7.4, Uhle 5.7
SOUTHEAST 69 – 61 .531 Cobb 6.7, Dobie Moore 5.4, Redding 4.9
MIDWEST MAJORS 65 – 65 .500 Charleston 6.8, Carey 5.2, Babe Adams 4.6
NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 64 – 66 .492 Jack Quinn 4.6, Frisch 4.5, Schang 4.2
PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 61 – 69 .469 Shawkey 6.9, S. Coveleski 5.8, Daubert 4.1
MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 58 – 72 .446 Rommel 7.1, Ruth 6.4, Rixey, Blue 3.7
DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 42 – 88 .323 Padron 4.0, Doc Sykes 3.6, Joe Sewell 2.8
LATIN AMERICA ESTRELLAS 22 – 108 .169 Luque 3.1, Fabre and Dreke 2.2
NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 22 – 108 .169 Whitey Witt 2.8, Rosy Ryan 2.6, McNamara 1.7

1923 – Parameters: 14 teams; 130 league games each; 18-man rosters

TEXAS (+) (w. OK, NM) 87 – 43 .669 Speaker 9.1, Rogan 8.6, Hornsby 6.8
WESTERN PIONEERS 86 – 44 .662 Heilmann 9.3, K. Williams 7.7, Thurston 5.9
MIDWEST MAJORS 85 – 45 .654 Fournier 5.7, Dauss, Charleston 5.3
M.R.R. REGENTS 81 – 49 .623 Vangilder 5.8, Bullet Joe Bush 5.6, Ruel 4.7
NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 78 – 52 .600 Frisch 7.1, Ring 6.8, Eddie Collins 6.4
MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 73 – 57 .562 Ruth 14.2, Rommel 5.6, Rixey 5.4
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 69 – 61 .531 Riggins 5.0, O’Farrell 4.7, Dicta Johnson 3.7
DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 66 – 64 .508 J. Sewell 7.5, Padron 4.6, Malarcher 3.2
OHIO TITANS 65 – 65 .500 Uhle 7.9, Shocker 6.5, George Burns 4.2
LATIN AMERICA ESTRELLAS 55 – 75 .423 Luque 10.9, Torriente 5.4, Mendez 3.0
PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 51 – 79 .392 Pennock 6.2, Bassler 4.9, Joe Harris 4.7
SOUTHEAST 46 – 84 .354 Dobie Moore 6.7, Cobb 5.6, Meadows 3.0
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 41 – 89 .315 Johnston 4.3, W. Cooper 4.2, Morrison 4.0
NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 27 – 103 .169 Traynor 4.6, Friberg 3.9, Johnny Cooney 3.0

1924 – Parameters: 14 teams; 130 league games each; 18-man rosters

TEXAS (+) (w. OK, NM) 103 – 27 .792 Hornsby 12.3, Dave Brown 6.7, Youngs 5.9
M.R.R. REGENTS 89 – 41 .685 Vance 10.3, Zack Wheat 6.8, B.J. Bush 5.7
MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 86 – 44 .662 Ruth 11.8, Winters 8.0, Goslin 6.5
DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 82 – 48 .631 Wingard 5.2, Newt Joseph 5.1, Streeter 4.7
WESTERN PIONEERS 78 – 52 .600 W. Johnson 7.5, Heilmann 6.5, G. Kelly 4.9
NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 72 – 58 .554 Ehmke 8.2, Frisch 7.5, E. Collins 5.2
PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 70 – 60 .538 Pennock 7.8, Shaute 6.8, Bassler 4.3
MIDWEST MAJORS 66 – 64 .508 Fournier 6.4, Cuyler 4.7, Grimes 3.0
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 58 – 72 .446 High 4.9, Jacobson 4.5, Yde 3.3
SOUTHEAST 56 – 74 .431 D. Moore 6.3, Sherry Smith 5.7, Cobb 5.5
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 49 – 81 .377 C. Mays 4.0, W. Cooper 3.7, Warfield 2.6
LATIN AMERICA ESTRELLAS 42 – 88 .323 Torriente 5.1, Levis 3.1, Dihigo 2.8
OHIO TITANS 31 – 99 .238 Shocker 4.9, Peckinpaugh 4.3, S.S. Jones 2.9
NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 28 – 102 .215 Johnny Cooney 3.9, Hartnett, Maranville 3.6

1925 – Parameters: 14 teams; 130 league games each; 18-man rosters

TEXAS (+) (w. OK, NM) 107 – 23 .823 Hornsby 10.3, Rogan 9.9, Pete Donohue 6.9
MIDWEST MAJORS 79 – 51 .608 Cuyler 6.8, Al Simmons 6.6, Dauss 4.2
WESTERN PIONEERS 74 – 56 .569 Heilmann 7.0, W. Johnson 6.7, Alexander 4.7
MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 73 – 57 .562 Winters 6.6, Goslin 6.5, Rixey 6.3, Rommel 5.4
M.R.R. REGENTS 73 – 57 .562 Vance 5.9, Bancroft 5.2, Z. Wheat 5.1
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 72 – 58 .554 Bottomley 5.6, Hal Carlson 4.6, Ray Blades 4.5
SOUTHEAST 69 – 61 .531 Jack Scott 5.9, Cobb 5.8, Al Wingo 5.4
PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 65 – 65 .500 Pennock 6.4, Sherdel 5.6, Joe Harris 3.7
DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 65 – 65 .500 J. Sewell 5.3, Ted Lyons 4.9, Padron 4.5
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 61 – 69 .469 Stearnes 5.4, Combs 4.0, George Britt 3.2
NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 57 – 73 .438 E. Collins 5.2, W. Hoyt 5.1, Ehmke 4.9
OHIO TITANS 50 – 80 .385 Shocker 6.3, Jake Miller 4.3, Sisler 2.8
LATIN AMERICA ESTRELLAS 35 – 95 .269 Luque 6.8, Dihigo 3.3, Montalvo 2.8
NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 30 – 100 .231 Traynor 3.6, Hartnett 3.5, J. Cooney 3.4

1926 – Parameters: 14 teams; 130 league games each; 18-man rosters

TEXAS (+) (w. OK, NM) 106 – 24 .815 Willie Foster 8.5, William Bell 5.9, Falk 5.7
MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 84 – 46 .646 Ruth 11.6, Goslin 6.9, Grove 6.6
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 83 – 47 .638 H. Carlson 8.7, Mostil 6.4, O’Farrell 3.9
M.R.R. REGENTS 82 – 48 .631 Hensley 5.6, Travis Jackson 4.4, Bancroft 4.2
DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 76 – 54 .585 J. Sewell 6.0, Lyons 5.8, Manush 5.3
WESTERN PIONEERS 75 – 55 .577 Ray Kremer 6.6, Heilmann 5.3, Kamm 5.2
PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 72 – 58 .554 Hack Wilson 5.4, S. Adams, L. Bell 4.6, Shaute 3.9
MIDWEST MAJORS 61 – 69 .469 A. Simmons 5.2, Cuyler 4.4, Grimes 3.0
NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 60 – 70 .462 Gehrig 6.9, Frisch 4.6, Ehmke 3.1
OHIO TITANS 51 – 79 .392 Uhle 9.3, G. Burns 5.1, Shocker 5.0
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 47 – 83 .362 Stearnes 6.0, C. Mays 4.4, Bob Smith 3.6
LATIN AMERICA ESTRELLAS 46 – 84 .354 Dihigo 5.5, Torriente 3.7, Rosell 2.6
SOUTHEAST 42 – 88 .323 Zachary 4.5, Sam Gibson 3.6, Otto Briggs 1.8
NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 25 – 105 .192 Jack Quinn 3.2, Traynor 3.1, Hartnett 2.6

1927 – Parameters: 14 teams; 130 league games each; 18-man rosters

TEXAS (+) (w. OK, NM) 116 – 14 .892 Hornsby 10.2, W. Foster 7.4, Wells, P. Waner 7.0
MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 85 – 45 .654 Ruth 12.6, Tommy Thomas 7.9, Grove, Goslin 5.3
DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 84 – 46 .646 Lyons 8.0, Lundy 5.5, L. Farrell, Parnell 5.3
WESTERN PIONEERS 82 – 48 .631 Heilmann 7.1, Kremer 6.7, Lazzeri 6.4
M.R.R. REGENTS 72 – 58 .554 Vance 7.5, T. Jackson 5.3, Whitehill 5.0
NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 70 – 60 .538 Gehrig 11.9, Frisch 9.4, W. Hoyt 6.1
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 67 – 63 .515 Combs 7.1, Red Lucas 5.8, George Harper 5.4
OHIO TITANS 58 – 72 .446 Ed Rile 6.9, Jesse Haines 5.2, Fothergill 4.5
PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 53 – 77 .408 H. Wilson 6.3, Pennock 3.2, Max Bishop 2.9
NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 49 – 81 .377 Hadley 5.2, Quinn 4.2, Traynor 4.1
MIDWEST MAJORS 49 – 81 .377 A. Simmons 5.9, Charleston 4.7, Grimes 2.8
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 48 – 82 .369 Bottomley, Dressen 4.4, Ossie Bluege 3.5
SOUTHEAST 44 – 86 .338 Bill Terry 5.3, Meadows 4.8, Cobb 4.5
LATIN AMERICA ESTRELLAS 33 – 97 .254 Rosell 3.8, Dihigo 3.4, Luque 3.3, Levis 3.2

1928 – Parameters: 14 teams; 130 league games each; 18-man rosters

DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 106 – 24 .815 Manush 7.3, Trent 6.9, J. Sewell 5.4, Paige 5.1
MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 103 – 27 .792 Ruth 10.2, Goslin 7.5, Grove 7.2
TEXAS (+) (w. OK, NM) 91 – 39 .700 Hornsby 8.9, P. Waner 6.8, Willie Wells 6.2
M.R.R. REGENTS 80 – 50 .615 Vance 10.3, Benton 6.5, T. Jackson 5.3
WESTERN PIONEERS 68 – 62 .523 Hafey 5.2, Lazzeri 4.6, Alexander 4.1
PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 65 – 65 .500 Sherdel 6.1, Pennock 5.9, H. Wilson 5.5
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 63 – 67 .485 Sheriff Blake 5.4, Combs, Carl Glass 4.7
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 61 – 69 .469 Lindstrom 6.0, Bottomley 5.6, Ruffing 4.8
MIDWEST MAJORS 60 – 70 .462 Grimes 7.2, Simmons 4.6, Gehringer 4.5
NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 57 – 73 .438 Gehrig 9.5, W. Hoyt 5.2, Frisch 4.4
NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 53 – 77 .408 Hartnett 5.0, Bissonette 4.4, Hadley 4.2
OHIO TITANS 48 – 82 .369 S.S. Jones 6.2, J. Haines 4.4, English 2.7
SOUTHEAST 42 – 88 .323 Braxton 5.6, Crowder 4.7, B. Terry 4.2
LATIN AMERICA ESTRELLAS 13 – 117 .100 Rosell 3.6, Heliodoro Diaz 2.8, Oms 1.7

1929 – Parameters: 13 teams; Latin-America franchise discontinued, but players released to Southeast; 132 league games each; 18-man rosters

TEXAS (+) (w. OK, NM) 108 – 24 .818 Hornsby 10.5, Hudlin 7.3, Marberry 7.1
WESTERN PIONEERS 100 – 32 .758 Lazzeri 7.8, O’Doul 7.4, Chet Brewer 6.2
DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 86 – 46 .652 Mel Ott 7.2, Watty Clark 5.6, Stephenson 4.8
MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 75 – 57 .568 Ruth 8.1, Foxx 7.9, M. Gaston, T. Thomas 4.8
MIDWEST MAJORS 74 – 58 .561 Simmons 7.9, John Williams 6.2, Gehringer 5.9
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 69 – 63 .523 Lucas 6.1, Dale Alexander 5.2, Combs 5.0
M.R.R. REGENTS 64 – 68 .485 Walberg 6.4, T. Jackson 5.8, Rector 5.0
SOUTHEAST 62 – 70 .470 Wes Ferrell 6.5, Ch. Smith 4.8, Terry, Dixon 4.6
PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 54 – 78 .409 H. Wilson 6.1, Pat Malone 4.8, Dykes 4.1
NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 49 – 83 .371 Gehrig 7.5, Earnshaw 5.4, Babe Herman 4.6
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 42 – 90 .318 Bill Walker 4.0, Bottomley, McManus 3.3
OHIO TITANS 41 – 91 .311 Uhle, Root 4.6, Wade Johnston 2.4
NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 34 – 98 .258 Cochrane 3.9, Macfayden 3.4, Traynor 3.2

1930 – Parameters: 13 teams; Latin-America franchise discontinued, but players released to Southeast; 132 league games each; 18-man rosters

TEXAS (+) (w. OK, NM) 89 – 43 .674 W. Wells 6.8, C. Reynolds 6.3, Joe Williams 4.6
MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 83 – 49 .629 Ruth 10.5, Grove 10.4, Foxx 6.9
WESTERN PIONEERS 82 – 50 .621 Cronin 8.5, O’Doul 4.7, Larry French 3.4
DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 80 – 52 .606 Ott 6.5, Lyons 6.3, Streeter, Radcliffe 4.4
SOUTHEAST 69 – 63 .523 W. Ferrell 9.4, B. Terry 7.9, Vic Sorrell 5.7
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 68 – 64 .515 Lefty Stewart 7.8, Combs 5.3, Bob Smith 4.7
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 67 – 65 .508 Lindstrom 6.6, Ed Morgan 5.7, Phil Collins 5.6
M.R.R. REGENTS 61 – 71 .462 Vance 6.7, Glenn Wright 5.1, T. Jackson 4.8
PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 61 – 71 .462 H. Wilson 7.4, P. Malone 4.7, M. Bishop 4.6
NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 54 – 78 .409 Gehrig 9.6, Babe Herman 6.9, Earnshaw 4.5
MIDWEST MAJORS 51 – 81 .386 Simmons 7.8, Gehringer 6.6, Grimes 3.4
NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 48 – 84 .364 Cochrane 5.2, Hartnett 5.1, Hadley 4.9
OHIO TITANS 45 – 87 .341 Uhle 7.3, English 5.7, Hodapp 4.8

WRAP-UP, 1921-1930: In the first decade of the 20th Century, the Pennsylvania Premiers won 9 out of 10 titles, and fellow original-franchisee New York squeaked out a tiebreaker-determined title in 1910, so it was all about the East Coast, geographically-speaking. Between 1911 and 1920, titles were spread out among Pennsylvania (3 more, to make 15 total, in 1911, 1912, 1915); the Western Pioneers (back-to-back in ’13 and ’14); the Deep South Monarchs (’16 and ’20); and Ohio (1918) and MIdwest (1919). So all but 3 titles were won by teams west (inland) from the Atlantic seaboard. The trend away from the Eastern-based teams was solidly established in the third-decade seasons from 1921 through 1930, when every single championship squad was Western/centrally-based. The Regents of the Mississippi River Region took the honors in ’21, then it was six in a row for Texas(+) (’22 through ’27), a third title for Deep South in ’28, and another pair of titles for the decade-dominating Texas (+) squad. Clearly, the older, mostly East-Coast teams dropped from the top of the heap, and this is probably what one might expect, as the American population moved steadily inward and westward. I’ve always been attracted to this sprawling project by more than an attachment across time to the players of the various historical eras; the geographical element — and what’s more fundamentally geographical than birthplaces? — is what I’ve been most curious about all along. Comparing players between eras is only of secondary interest to me, and that’s something that the WAR formulas can help with, certainly. For me, it’s more intriguing to see how local concentrations of players would’ve fared (on paper, and only hypothetically, of course) against each other within a particular era, and during a particular year in MLB history.

With 40% of our targeted 150 seasons already “in the books,” I’m looking forward to the seasons from 1931 through 1960 (Era III); 1961 through 1990 (Era IV); and, finally (?), 1991 through 2020 (Era V, and project’s end). I’m finding that re-combinations of players have sometimes become necessary as player-populations rose and fell in various regions, but great “pains” have been taken to stay true to the most natural geographical groupings while giving all players world-wide a team for which they can play (if they’re good enough).

Moving forward, here is how the Open Baseball League will be structured until further notice: the league will consist of 16 teams, which represents a one-to-one correspondence with the historical number of Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises from 1901 through 1960 (1914 and ’15 excepted). Seasons will be 150 games in length (compared with 154 historically), and no post-season provisions have been made or planned (as yet). Rosters will be more flexible (expanded size as needed, inclusion of more minor leaguers and “anonymous locals” in position “emergencies,” where the worse alternative would be to cancel/forfeit league games). The WAR values for these non-MLB, non-NLB players — which I’ve had to use only sparingly thus far — by position, are as follows (reflecting the classic defensive spectrum): 1B = -0.1; LF = -0.2; RF = -0.3; 3B = -0.4; CF = -0.5; 2B = -0.6; SS = -0.7; C = -0.8; P = -0.9. As I’ve hinted, these “phantom” players are used only as last resorts, especially when a reasonable shift of a real player from one position to another makes more sense for the team in question (can’t play two All-Star-quality shortstops at short, so can one play 2B? any experience in the OF?, etc.); objective fairness to all teams is the goal, but I imagine that I’m acting in the best interests of each team before moving to the next.

“BONUS” SNEAK PREVIEW: The results of the 1931 season are complete: Mid-Atlantic Seacaps take first title (Ruth 10.5, Grove 10.0, Goslin 5.7, Lu Blue 5.2, Foxx 4.6 (3B); congrats to Babe & company!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ End of 10/4/22 update ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“REPLAY”/SEASON-SIMULATION RESULTS (W.A.R.-BASED, BIRTHPLACE-DETERMINED TEAMS)

1911 – Parameters: 132 league games each; 16-man rosters

PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 112 – 20 .848 Walsh 9.1, Mathewson 7.8, Wagner 6.6
WESTERN PIONEERS 106 – 26 .803 W. Johnson 8.8, Gregg 8.5, Crawford 5.7
OHIO TITANS 94 – 38 .712 Mullin 6.4, Marquard 6.1, J. Bates 4.2
NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 78 – 54 .591 Russ Ford 7.2, E. Collins 6.6, Schulte 5.2
MIDWEST LAKERS 64 – 68 .485 Babe Adams 6.7, Konetchy 5.2, M. Brown 4.1
DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 61 – 71 .462 Cobb 10.7, Joe Jackson 9.2, Rucker 8.7
NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 58 – 74 .439 L. Gardner 4.2, McIntyre 4.1, Ray Collins 4.0
TEXAS-LATIN AMERICA 47 – 85 .356 Speaker 6.2, Mendez 4.2, O. Wilson 3.0
M.R.R. REGENTS 45 – 87 .341 Joe Wood 6.3, Bender 5.5, Fred Clarke 3.8
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 43 – 89 .326 Milan 4.9, L. Tannehill 3.2, H. Camnitz 2.6
MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 42 – 90 .318 Baker 6.4, Suggs 4.5, Buck Herzog 3.7
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 42 – 90 .318 Leifield 6.4, L. Doyle 5.2, Fletcher 3.4

1912 – Parameters: 132 league games each; 16-man rosters

PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 98 – 34 .742 Walsh 12.1, Mathewson 8.2, Wagner 8.0
WESTERN PIONEERS 87 – 45 .659 W. Johnson 14.2, V. Gregg 7.2, Crawford 4.7
NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 79 – 53 .598 E. Collins 8.8, Zimmerman 7.1, R. Ford 5.7
NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 71 – 61 .538 R. Collins 5.8, Gardner 5.8, McInnis 5.7
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 70 – 62 .530 Warhop 7.2, Milan 5.4, B. Sweeney 5.3
DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 69 – 63 .523 J. Jackson 9.5, Cobb 9.2, Rucker 8.3
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 63 – 69 .477 E. Foster 5.4, L. Doyle 5.0, Fromme 4.4
OHIO TITANS 58 – 74 .439 Marquard 6.0, Sallee 5.5, Shotton 3.9
M.R.R. REGENTS 56 – 76 .424 Joe Wood 11.4, Tesreau 4.8, Moeller 3.3
MIDWEST LAKERS 51 – 81 .386 Donie Bush 5.0, Konetchy 3.8, Benz 2.5
TEXAS-LATIN AMERICA 49 – 83 .371 Speaker 10.1, Wilson, Rath 4.0, Mendez 2.5
MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 41 – 91 .311 Baker 9.3, Suggs 5.1, Benton 3.0

1913 – Parameters: 132 league games each; 16-man rosters

WESTERN PIONEERS 99 – 33 .750 Johnson 16.5, J. Scott 6.7, Cravath 5.7
NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 87 – 45 .659 Collins 9.0, Rudolph 4.8, Zimmerman 4.6
OHIO TITANS 77 – 55 .583 Sallee 6.2, Marquard 5.6, Shotton 4.9
DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 76 – 56 .576 Reb Russell 9.2, Joe Jackson 7.6, Cobb 7.4
PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 74 – 58 .561 Mathewson 7.1, R. Caldwell 4.6, Daubert 4.0
MIDWEST LAKERS 73 – 59 .553 Adams 9.3, Cicotte 7.2, Dauss 3.8, Saier 3.7
NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 70 – 62 .530 R. Collins 5.6, McInnis 5.4, Lajoie 5.3
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 56 – 76 .424 Falkenberg 6.8, Fletcher 4.6, Demaree 3.7
M.R.R. REGENTS 54 – 78 .409 Tesreau 5.7, Chick Gandil 3.9, Bender 3.5
TEXAS-LATIN AMERICA 50 – 82 .379 Speaker 8.4, Joe Williams 3.4, Torriente 2.9
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 40 – 92 .303 Milan 4.3, Boehling 3.9, Ray Chapman 2.7
MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 36 – 96 .273 Baker 7.9, Lobert 3.9, Boardwalk Brown 0.9

1914 – Parameters: 132 league games each; 16-man rosters

WESTERN PIONEERS 97 – 35 .735 Johnson 12.7, Alexander 9.1, Crawford 6.2
NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 89 – 43 .674 E. Collins 9.1, Jack Quinn 6.8, G. Burns 6.5
OHIO TITANS 86 – 46 .652 Dutch Leonard 9.3, Kauff 7.8, Weilman 6.9
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 80 – 52 .606 Falkenberg 8.0, Pfeffer 7.5, Art Wilson 6.4
PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 68 – 64 .515 Caldwell 6.6, H. Coveleski 5.9, S. Magee 4.8
DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 65 – 67 .492 Erskine Mayer 6.0, Cobb 5.6, Ben Taylor 5.2
MIDWEST LAKERS 54 – 78 .409 D. Bush 5.6, Saier 4.2, Babe Adams 4.0
NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 54 – 78 .409 Maranville 5.0, J. Barry 4.3, R. Collins 4.0
TEXAS-LATIN AMERICA 52 – 80 .394 Speaker 9.9, Pareda 6.7, Rube Foster 3.8
MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 52 – 80 .394 Baker 7.4, Suggs 6.5, Buck Herzog 5.3
M.R.R. REGENTS 49 – 83 .371 Tesreau 5.7, Zwilling 5.1, Zack Wheat 4.9
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 46 – 86 .348 Tillie Walker 5.8, Warhop 3.3, Griner 3.0

1915 – Parameters: 132 league games each, 16-man rosters; debut year of Latin America franchise (13th team)

PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 92 – 40 .697 Plank 7.0, R. Caldwell 5.8, Wagner 5.6
MIDWEST LAKERS 86 – 46 .652 Fournier 5.9, Luderus 5.7, Dauss 5.7
WESTERN PIONEERS 84 – 48 .636 Johnson 12.5, Alexander 10.9, Cravath 7.0
DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 83 – 49 .629 Cobb 9.5, Davenport 7.3, Guy Morton 6.8
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 70 – 62 .530 Pfeffer 6.5, L. Doyle 4.5, Schalk 4.2
OHIO TITANS 70 – 62 .530 Kauff 6.8, Weilman 5.8, Shotton 4.6
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 69 – 63 .523 Toney 7.3, B. Veach 4.9, Doc Ayers 4.9
NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 68 – 64 .515 E. Collins 9.4, Groh 5.6, Rudolph 3.9
M.R.R. REGENTS 59 – 73 .447 Tesreau 6.0, Joe Wood 5.7, Bancroft 4.2
TEXAS PLUS (TX-OK-NM) 55 – 77 .417 Speaker 7.1, Rube Foster 5.6, F. Snyder 5.3
MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 54 – 78 .409 Herzog 5.2, Shore 4.9, Babe Ruth 4.1
NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 41 – 91 .311 Ray Fisher 4.3, Maranville 3.7, Gardner 2.3
LATIN AMERICA ESTRELLAS 27 – 105 .205 Junco 3.9, Pedroso 3.8, Torriente 2.9

1916 – Parameters: 132 league games each, rosters sized as needed to cover schedule (16 full-time slots)

DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 94 – 38 .712 Juan Padron 9.6, Cobb 8.0, Joe Jackson 7.1
WESTERN PIONEERS 93 – 39 .705 Alexander 12.0, Johnson 11.0, Hal Chase 4.2
PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 85 – 47 .644 H. Coveleski 7.0, Shawkey 6.6, Strunk 5.6
OHIO TITANS 81 – 51 .614 D. Leonard 5.3, G. Sisler 5.1, Shotton 4.8
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 77 – 55 .583 Pfeffer 7.3, Fletcher 6.3, Pipp 4.2
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 72 – 60 .545 Wilbur Cooper 6.0, C. Mays 5.6, B. Veach 5.0
MIDWEST LAKERS 70 – 62 .530 Max Carey 5.2, Felsch 4.2, Cicotte 3.6
NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 65 – 67 .492 E. Collins 7.0, Groh 5.3, Zimmerman 3.8
TEXAS PLUS (TX-OK-NM) 55 – 77 .417 Speaker 8.7, H. Vaughn 5.9, Hornsby 4.9
MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 50 – 82 .379 Ruth 10.4, Harry Harper 5.1, Baker 3.6
M.R.R. REGENTS 47 – 85 .356 Wheat 6.0, Bullet Joe Bush 5.0, Bancroft 3.2
NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 37 – 95 .280 Maranville 5.3, Gardner 4.7, Lefty Tyler 3.2
LATIN AMERICA ESTRELLAS 32 – 100 .242 Junco 5.6, Torriente 2.6, Pedroso 2.5

1917 – Parameters: 132 league games each, rosters sized as needed to cover schedule (16 full-time slots)

DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 108 – 24 .818 Cobb 11.3, Jim Bagby (Sr.) 8.8, Padron 8.8
MIDWEST LAKERS 88 – 44 .667 Cicotte 11.9, Max Carey 5.2, Roush 4.9
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 86 – 46 .652 Ray Chapman 7.8, W. Cooper 7.5, Veach 6.6
WESTERN PIONEERS 80 – 52 .606 Alexander 9.7, Johnson 8.2, Cravath 4.4
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 79 – 53 .598 Fletcher 7.4, Cadore 5.4, Pfeffer 4.6
TEXAS PLUS (TX-OK-NM) 68 -64 .515 Hornsby 9.9, Speaker 7.7, H. Vaughn 6.6
PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 65 – 67 .492 S. Coveleski 7.7, Shawkey 4.1, Strunk 3.6
NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 64 – 68 .485 Groh 7.0, George Burns (OF) 6.1, Ehmke 2.1
M.R.R. REGENTS 58 – 74 .439 Bender 3.8, Baird 3.6, Elmer Jacobs 3.5
OHIO TITANS 51 – 81 .386 Sisler 5.8, Kauff 4.7, D. Leonard 4.4
NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 46 – 86 .348 Maranville 4.5, Gardner 4.1, Tyler 3.6
MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 36 – 96 .273 Ruth 8.6, Baker 4.5, Fred Anderson 2.7
LATIN AMERICA ESTRELLAS 29 – 103 .220 Junco 4.3, B. Jimenez 3.5, Guerra 2.5

1918 – Parameters: 120 league games, rosters sized as needed to cover schedule (16 full-time slots)

OHIO TITANS 74 – 46 .617 Sisler 6.6, G. Burns (1B) 5.9, Sothoron 3.9
WESTERN PIONEERS 73 – 47 .608 Johnson 11.7, Harry Hooper 4.9, Southworth 3.6
TEXAS PLUS (TX-OK-NM) 70 – 50 .583 Vaughn 8.2, Scott Perry 7.4, Speaker 5.5
MIDWEST LAKERS 69 – 51 .575 Grimes 4.4, Carey 4.3, Roush 4.1, Cicoote 3.8
M.R.R. REGENTS 69 – 51 .575 Hollocher 5.0, Donaldson 4.5, B. Joe Bush 4.2
DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 68 – 52 .567 Cobb 6.5, Brad Hogg 4.8, Bagby (Sr.) 4.3
PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 66 – 54 .550 S. Coveleski 9.5, Daubert 3.1, Caldwell 2.9
NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 66 – 54 .550 Groh 4.7, G. Burns (OF) 4.3, Boland 4.2
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 64 – 56 .533 W. Cooper 4.7, C. Mays 4.7, T. Walker 3.5
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 61 – 59 .508 Fletcher 4.6, Cutshaw 3.3, E. Hamilton 2.8
MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 41 – 79 .342 Ruth 7.0, Baker 4.9, Harry Harper 3.8
NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 33 – 87 .275 Tyler 7.1, Gardner 4.1, Dave Shean 2.5
LATIN AMERICA ESTRELLAS 26 – 94 .217 Torriente 5.2, Calderin 2.8, Mike Gonzalez 2.4

1919 – Parameters: 120 league games, rosters sized as needed to cover schedule (16 full-time slots)

MIDWEST MAJORS 83 -37 .692 Cicotte 9.7, Babe Adams 7.5, Roush 5.1
OHIO TITANS 75 – 45 .625 Peckinpaugh 6.3, Sisler 6.1, Sothoron 5.8
WESTERN PIONEERS 73 – 47 .608 Johnson 10.8, Alexander 7.5, Heilmann 3.8
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 70 – 50 .583 Cadore 5.5, Fletcher 5.3, Milt Stock 4.8
NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 69 – 51 .575 Groh 5.4, E. Collins 5.1, Boland 4.5
TEXAS PLUS (TX-OK-NM) 67 – 53 .558 Vaughn 7.3, Hornsby 6.7, Speaker 5.2
PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 64 – 56 .533 S. Coveleski 7.1, Jim Shaw 6.2, S. O’Neill 4.0
DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 62 – 58 .517 Joe Jackson 5.8, Cobb 5.5, Bagby (Sr.) 4.7
M.R.R. REGENTS 58 – 62 .483 Lefty Williams 5.4, Hollocher 4.3, D. Kerr 4.1
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 57 – 63 .475 Veach 6.7, W. Cooper 5.1, C. Mays 4.5
MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 47 – 73 .392 Ruth 9.9, Baker 4.0, Lee Meadows 3.2
NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 32 – 88 .267 Maranville 4.2, Gardner 3.2, Kopf 2.8
LATIN AMERICA ESTRELLAS 23 – 97 .192 Torriente 3.9, Leblanc 3.4, Mendez, Chacon 1.5

1920 – Parameters: 132 league games each, rosters sized as needed to cover schedule (16 full-time slots)

DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 88 – 44 .667 Bagby 9.5, Joe Jackson 7.5, Del Pratt 4.7
TEXAS PLUS (TX-OK-NM) 85 – 47 .644 Hornsby 9.6, Speaker 8.6, Vaughn 5.8
MIDWEST MAJORS 84 – 48 .636 Grimes 8.5, Charleston 6.6, Roush 5.9
WESTERN PIONEERS 75 – 57 .568 Alexander 12.6, H. Hooper 5.2, Ruether 4.5
PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERS 73 – 59 .553 S. Coveleski 8.9, Shawkey 8.0, S. O’Neill 4.4
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 69 – 63 .523 Jacobson 6.0, Cadore 4.7, Fletcher 4.5
M.R.R. REGENTS 69 – 63 .523 Bancroft 7.0, Faber 5.1, Wheat 4.7
OHIO TITANS 65 – 67 .492 Sisler 9.9, Shocker 6.7, Hi Myers, E Smith 4.1
NEW YORK EXCELSIORS 59 – 73 .447 E. Collins 7.9, G. Burns (OF) 4.6, Ehmke 4.3
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 57 – 75 .432 C. Mays 6.3, W. Cooper 6.2, B. Veach 4.3
LATIN AMERICA ESTRELLAS 55 – 77 .417 Torriente 6.1, Leblanc 5.8, Cheo Hernandez 5.0
MID-ATLANTIC SEACAPS 42 – 90 .318 Ruth 11.8, Dixie Davis 5.9, Rommel 5.5
NEW ENGLAND PILGRIMS 37 – 95 .280 Gardner 4.0, Cy Perkins 3.0, Tyler, D. Keefe 2.9

WRAP-UP, 1911-1920: If the Pennsylvania Premiers had not lost out on the 1910 tiebreaker-decided title, they’d have been OBL champions for 12 straight seasons, as they continued to come out on top in 1911 and 1912; their utter dominance continued. With another championship in 1915, the Pennmen made it 15 titles through 1920 (the last season “replayed” in the OBL system so far). However, this decade — from 1911 through 1920 — also produced two first-time champions: After the Walter Johnson-led Western Pioneers won back-to-back titles in 1913 and 1914 (and PA took title #15 in ’15), the Deep South Monarchs won a pair of titles in 1916 and 1917 and the Midwest Majors (nee Lakers) emerged atop all others in 1919. So between the Monarchs representing the Southern region of the U.S. for the first time as champs, and the Majors representing the central North/midwestern U.S. in the same manner, the geographical distribution of the superior teams was increasingly diversified in this 10-year span. Before this decade, only once did a team west of the Mississippi River prevail (Western Pioneers, 1897), but when the dust cleared at the end of the 1920 season, three titles had been taken home to western regions, and more notably, 7 out of 10 titleists were not East-coast teams. The shift was on, with dominance waning in the East and growing in the southern and more-central regions of America. Although in 1915, the Latin-American players (born outside of the U.S., mostly in Cuba) finally fielded their own franchise, those early squads were not competitive. [Technical/process note: Because all but a few of those players played in the Negro Leagues, and not in the then-established (U.S.) Major Leagues, they generally lacked games-played numbers that would support a full season’s schedule, so the following concession was made: multiple players could be rolled into one position on the roster (out of 16, usually); their WAR numbers were added together to “create” a composite player, in other words (this seemed to be the approach that would be the most judicious, regarding NLB players in general). This explains the notations above: “rosters sized as needed to cover schedule (16 full-time slots)” ].

With this, our 8/9-10 update session comes to a close. Next up: 1921-1930 “replays.” This next batch shouldn’t take as long to process, since much of my time lately was spent on “cementing” into place all of my NLB-OBL connections and finalizing all related data. The whole idea was to make sure that — in the event of Seamheads.com discontinuing posting their NLB Database pages (no rumors to that effect, but it would cause mourning and gnashing of teeth here, I can tell you, if that ever took place) — I’d still have access to the data that I need to complete my historical replay project(s). Anyway, that was a necessary detour, IMO, but the road is again clear to make steadier progress. See you ASAP; check back when you think of it.

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

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 LAKERS 60 – 66 .476 McGinnity 7.6, Nichols 6.8, Chick Stahl 4.2
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 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 LAKERS 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 WOODSMEN 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 LAKERS 59 – 67 .468 McGinnity 11.9, Donlin 4.4, Tom Hughes 4.3
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 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 LAKERS 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 WOODSMEN 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 LAKERS 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 WARRIORS 38 -102 .271 Donlin 6.4, T. Hughes 3.9, Harry Bay 3.7
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 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 LAKERS 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 WOODSMEN 27 – 99 .214 Strang 4.3, Phillippe 3.8, H. Buckner 3.1
ILLINOIS WARRIORS 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 LAKERS 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 WARRIORS 28 – 98 .222 Lundgren 5.1, Leifield 2.5, Altizer 2.0
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 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 LAKERS 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 WARRIORS 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 WOODSMEN 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 LAKERS 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 WARRIORS 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 WOODSMEN 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 MONARCHS 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 LAKERS 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 WARRIORS 47 – 85 .356 Jake Stahl 3.8, Doyle 3.6, Leifield 3.3
APPALACHIA WOODSMEN 38 – 94 .288 Cy Barger 4.6, C. Milan 4.5, Willett 3.0
DEEP SOUTH MONARCHS 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 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

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)

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:

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…