October 15th In 19th Century St. Louis Baseball History

On this day in 1885, game 2 of the championship series is forfeited to Chicago. In the top of the 6th inning‚ Browns manager Charlie Comiskey calls his men off the field to protest a ruling made by umpire Sullivan.

In 1889, the Browns hopes for a 5th straight pennant end when the Reds win game 1‚ 8-3. St. Louis wins the 2nd game but they are eliminated from the race and will not play the 3 games in Philadelphia.

-from Baseball Library

A note on game 2 of the 1885 World Series: "Comiskey pulled the Browns off the field in the sixth inning," David Nemec wrote in The Beer & Whiskey League, "when umpire Dave Sullivan called a ball White Stockings third baseman Ned Williamson tapped down the first baseline fair after it had started out foul, then hit something outside the line and ricocheted back into fair territory subsequent to Sullivan's initial call of foul. Sullivan denied he had uttered any such call, claiming White Stockings first baseman Cap Anson was the one who had shouted foul from the bench, and several hours later, from the safety of his hotel room, he forfeited the game to Chicago after St. Louis, trailing 5-4 at the time, refused to play on." Sullivan would never work again as an umpire in the major leagues.