The Red Stockings Of Cincinnati Visit St. Louis: Part Two

So, having beaten up on the Union and Empire Clubs in 1869 (and everybody else for that matter), the Red Stockings came back for more in 1870.

The Red Stockings of Cincinnati visited St. Louis on September 28, 1870, and brought with it one of the most perfect ball playing days that could be vouchsafed. The sun was obscured by clouds during the greater portion of the game with the Union Club and the heat was not too oppressive. The attendance was large, ladies constituting the majority. The Union players were tardy in making their appearance, Easton failing to show up at all and Turner not till the second inning was closed. McGreery, a late acquisition to the Union from the Olympic Club, played second base in first-class style until Turner relieved him, when he filled Easton's place at first equally as creditably.

The fielding of the Unions was generally good with the exception of Stansbury, who repeatedly allowed balls to pass him at third base. Wolff made a muff in the first inning for which he made atonement by taking several fine flies. Gorman and O'Brien never did better. Greenleaf and Turner sustained their good repute and Lucas pitched well for three innings when the sprain he got early in the season told on him lessening the speed of his delivery. The Unions made but a poor showing at the bat. Greenleaf was the lone scorer.

When the Champions of Missouri faced the Red Stocking experts on the ensuing day it was with a full resolve to do or die, and to do meant to do better than the Unions had done with the crimson limbed players from Porkopolis and not that they entertained for one moment the idea of wiping up the earth with the Reds. They adhered to this resolution, carried out their program and the unfinished score leaves room for speculating upon what it might have been had full nine innings been played, but rain barred further proceedings.

-E.H. Tobias, writing in The Sporting News, December 28, 1895