The First Game At The Union Grounds

The Sporting News, in an article that appeared in the August 23, 1886 issue, reported Henry Lucas' sale of the Maroons. Lucas stated that the both the team and the Union Grounds would most likely be "dismantled" after the season. To commemorate the sad occasion, The Sporting News published the box score from the first game played at the Union Grounds on April 3, 1884. I've posted on the game before but I had never seen the box score (which appears below).

One of the more interesting things about this game was that Joe Blong was still kicking around St. Louis playing baseball. It's entirely possible that he was trying to play his way onto the Maroons. Jack Brennan, who played in the game with the picked nine, did just that. "Brennan played so well in this game," The Sporting News article stated, "that at its conclusion he was given a regular position on the Union team and remained with it during its first season."