The 1876 Brown Stockings: Posessed Of Nerve And Pluck

The attendance at the third game between the Athletics and St. Louis showed a decided falling off. The Athletics changed their nine-Knight pitching, Zettlin playing at center field, Sutton going to third, and Meyerle to second.

First Inning.

St. Louis again lost the toss and went to the bat first. Cuthbert fouled out. Clapp and McGeary hit safe, the former scoring on Pike's out at first. Battin out on a fly to the pitcher.

The Athletics got in two unearned runs. Force got first on a weak fair foul. Fisher helped him along by a hot one past Battin, both scoring on a safe hit by Meyerle-Sutton, Malone and Coons then going out.

Second Inning.

Blong, Bradley and Dehlman went out on easy chances, the last named being called out on strikes without calling the fair ball. Hall and Knight got on to Bradley for two bases Zettlein out on a foul to Cuthbert. Force to first on an error of McGeary's, but was forced out at second on Fisler's hit. Meyerle out at first.

Third Inning.

Force fielded Mack and Cuthbert out and threw well to Fisler on Clapp's hit, but Fisler dropped it. McGeary hit to short and was out. Malone made a base hit, but was left by the other three strikers.

Fourth Inning.

Pike and Battin opened with safe hits, and Hall dropped Blong's hit. Bradley hit safe, bringing in two runs. Blong was run out at second, and Bradley decided out at second. Dehlman retired on a foul fly. The Athletics went out in one, two, three order.

Fifth Inning.

Mack to first on called balls. Cuthbert, McGeary and Pike followed with safe hits. Battin out on a fly to right. Blong struck out. The Athletics tied the score by safe hits of Meyerle and Sutton and a passed ball.

Sixth Inning.

Two runs for St. Louis were made by the safe hits of Bradley and Cuthbert, Dehl taking first on called balls. Another whitewash for the Athletics, Battin, McGeary and Dehlman making a neat double play.

Seventh Inning.

Clapp hit safe, but went out at second on a throw by Malone; McGeary out on a fly to right field. Pike reached second on a dropped fly at right, and home on Battin's safe hit to center. Blong brought Battin home on a two baser to left, but was put out trying to make third. Force, Fishler and Sutton went out, and Meyerle was left after making first on a safe hit.

Eighth Inning.

St. Louis out in stairstep order. The Athletics, on good batting, and bad throwing of Battin and Dehlman, scored six runs. The Browns were not to be outdone, and after Cuthey had tipped out in the

Ninth Inning,

every man in the nine went in with a will and earned seven runs, and then blanked the Athletics.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, June 4, 1876

So the Brown Stockings escape Philadelphia after a rather interesting week. They took three straight from the Athletics, Miller died and the McGeary situation may have divided the team. Brilliant reader David brought up some good points about the McGeary/Graffen relationship in the comments and you should check them out. I think that it may be reasonable to argue that the way the club dealt with McGeary following his suspension may have led to Graffen's leaving the club towards the end of the season. It was an eventful week and it may have been the most significant weeks in the history of the club, setting the seeds for everything that would happen in 1877.

The club, at this point, was 12-6 and only three games out of first. However, they were on their way to Hartford, where their pennant hopes would die.