The 1884 Maroons: My God - They Lost To St. Paul

The St. Paul Club again proved themselves a fine lot of ball players yesterday by defeating the St. Louis Unions, before a gathering of nearly 5,000 persons.  In the opening inning Sweeny was sent in to pitch for St. Louis, and in the two innings in which he held the position six of the visitors struck out in the order of their coming to the bat.  Not caring to make a record against the St. Pauls, however, and just to give the fielders a chance, Sweeny went to left field and Boyle went in to pitch.  He did quite well, and honors would have remained easy but that in the fourth inning, after Carroll had flown out to Whitehead, the latter fumbled a grounder sent him by Barnes.  After reaching first Barnes lost no time in stealing second.  Hengle hit to Boyle and the ball was thrown to first.  Barnes ran at top speed for third.  Quinn threw over there to catch him but threw too low and the ball getting by Gleason, Barnes came home.  In the fifth threatening clouds hovered above the park and the home team tried hard to even things up but failed and before a sixth inning could be played the clouds broke and the rain came down in torrents...[After] the expiration of thirty minutes Umpire McCaffery pronounced the field too wet to play upon and called the game.  

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 6, 1884 


It took an act of God but St. Paul beat the Maroons.

And this tells you everything you need to know about the UA:  "Not caring to make a record against the St. Pauls, however, and just to give the fielders a chance, Sweeny went to left field and Boyle went in to pitch."

The 1884 Maroons: Sweeney Throws A One-Hitter

The Cincinnati Unions failed to make a run yesterday in the game with the St. Louis Unions, which was witnessed by about 3,000 persons.  Sweeny's pitching was wonderfully effective, only one hit being made off his delivery.  On the other hand, the local batsmen found no difficulty in hitting Bradley's delivery, and the result of their operations at the plate were thirteen hits and a total of sixteen bases.  The fielding errors were limited to four by the Cincinnati team, Sylvester making three and Jones one, while Whitehead's two fumbles constituted the only misplays on the part of the home nine.  In both instances Whitehead recovered the ball quickly and sent it like a shot to first, making the decision extremely close.  Neither Baker nor Crotty acquitted themselves very creditably behind the bat, the former having two and the latter four passed balls.  In all other respect the fielding was sharp and brilliant.  While the game was not exciting on account of the inability to hit Sweeny's delivery, it was nevertheless greatly enjoyed by the spectators, all of whom were curious to see how the Californian would succeed when opposed by the Cincinnati delegation.  It is scarcely necessary to remark that his skillful work elicited general admiration and all observers agreed that he is an invaluable acquisition to the Unions.  It was not until the seventh inning that the visitors scored their solitary hit.  Then Sylvester drove the ball to right and came near being thrown out at first by Shaffer, the accuracy of the decision being doubted by many.  Bradley exercised all of his old time cunning, but the local sluggers were remorseless and drove the ball right and left with vigor and viciousness.  Rowe led at the bat with three hits, one a two-bagger, and Dunlap, Shaffer, Quinn and Sweeny each scored two hits, Dunlap and Shaffer each making a two-bagger.  

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 6, 1884

Sweeny Conforms

George Seward, before calling play yesterday, notified Sweeny that he would have to deliver the ball with his arm below his shoulder or pass a balk called for every infraction of the rule.  Sweeny conformed to the rule and all reports that he could not do so proved to be false.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 6, 1884

Sweeney Got A Two-Year Contract

Charles Sweeny yesterday closed a contract with President Lucas by which his services go to the St. Louis Unions until the close of the season of 1885.  This makes three men signed by Mr. Lucas for next year.  They are Dunlap, Shafer and Sweeny.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 2, 1884

The 1884 Maroons: A Battery Equal To Any In The Country

The second game at Union Park between the St. Louis and Kansas City Unions resulted in a victory for the home nine in a very pretty game.  Sweeny made his first appearance with the Unions and pitched in great form, not a hit being made off his delivery in the first five innings.  In the sixth Oberbeck scored a safe one to center.  In the eighth Shafer sent a slow one toward third, and by good running beat the ball to first, scoring the second hit.  The third was made in the same inning by Kirby.  In the ninth Davis made a single and Turbidy a two-bagger.  His effectiveness is shown by the fact that he struck out ten men.  The ease with which Baker handled his delivery was pleasing to behold and the general verdict is that no catcher is doing better work.  That the Unions now have a battery equal to any in the country can hardly be denied.  The Kansas Citys were short of a pitcher, McLaughlin having failed to arrive, and they secured the services of Kirby, of the Wedge House nine.  The latter was quite a surprise to all but his immediate friends, for he not only held the sluggers down below anything that was anticipated, but showed good qualities as a batsman, facing Sweeny like a veteran, and making one of the hits credited to the visitors.  The fielding was sharp on both sides, Strief carrying off the honors with five put-outs and six assists.  Baker and Quinn put out twenty-one of the visitors, and Baldwin, Cudworth and Strief put out twenty of the twenty-four of the local players that were retired.  Oberbeck made a fine catch of a long fly by Dunlap, taking the ball close to the left field fence.  Boyle led at the bat, scoring two two-base hits, one a drive to the screen over the left fence.  Sweeny made a single and a two-bagger, and Geo. Shafer made two singles. 

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 2, 1884


So Sweeney's finally in the fold and pitching for the Black Diamonds.  But, to me, the most interesting thing here is the major league debut of John Kirby.  David Nemec has a nice right-up on Kirby in Major League Baseball Profiles and I'll pass that along in the next day or so.

The 1884 Maroons: Sweeney In The Box

The St. Louis Unions had no trouble in defeating the Kansas City Unions to-day, the score standing 9 to 1.  A finer exhibition of ball-playing than that of Lucas' champions was never seen, their work at the willow being very clever, they hitting Hickman hard for twelve hits, with a total of fifteen bases, and playing a faultless fielding game, not a single error being charged against the whole team.  Every play was made with clock-work precision, some of them being remarkably brilliant, Dunlap, as usual, carrying off the honors of the infield by some magnificent running catches.  Shaffer in right field and Boylein left also succeeded in throwing out men at first and second.  Sweeney's work in the box was excellent, although he did not strike out as many of the Kansas City nine as was expected.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 30, 1884


This was the first game that Charles Sweeney pitched for the Maroons.

The 1884 Maroons: Up Around The Gold Diggings

Sweeny, the new pitcher of the St. Louis Unions, is only 22 years of age.  He and Nava, the Providence catcher, were both born in California.  They did their first work with the Athletics, of San Francisco.  Sweeny, when not engaged at ball playing, was up around the gold diggings, and he talks of gold, quart and mining like an old veteran.  He and Nava are much attached to each other.  It was Nava that had him brought to Providence, and the little Spaniard would like to follow him here.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 29, 1884

The 1884 Maroons: Sweeney Hits Town

Sweeny, the new pitcher of the Unions, arrived yesterday morning from Providence.  In the afternoon he attended the game between the Columbus club and the Browns, and was cordially greeted by the Browns, on whose bench he occupied a seat for some time.  He said but little about his trouble with the Providence club, except that he did not want to go to right field after having pitched seven innings of the game in which the trouble occurred, and Bancroft threatened to fine him $50.  He then left the field, took off his uniform, gave Bancroft a piece of his mind, in language more expressive than elegant, told him to keep his salary, and left the ground knowing very well that he would be expelled.  He does not think very highly of Bancroft as a manager, and his views in this respect are shared by Dunlap and Shafer.  Sweeny left last night for Kansas City, where he joins the Unions to-day.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 28, 1884

The 1884 Maroons: The St. Louis Unions Have Engaged Sweeney

As was indicated in the Globe-Democrat yesterday, the St. Louis Unions have engaged Sweeny, the phenomenal California pitcher, recently expelled by the Providence club.  He has been engaged at a larger salary than is paid to any other pitchers in the country.  He joined the Providence club last year and proved a valuable man.  This year he is greatly improved and has had wonderful success against the Boston Club, the League champions.  That he is the equal of any pitcher in the League is generally conceded.  He left Providence last night and will arrive here to-morrow.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrats, July 25, 1884


And just like that, Charlie Sweeney was a Maroon and Lucas finally had a star pitcher.

The 1884 Maroons: Conspiracy Theories

Before we leave Old Hoss and Providence behind and get on with the rest of the Maroons' 1884 season, I wanted to post one more excerpt from Fifty-Nine in '84.  I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again but Charlie Sweeney was a piece of work:

From the start and for years to come, Sweeney believed that he had been the victim of a conspiracy.  He claimed that Ned Allen even divulged the dirty secret to Lucas in 1885-that Radbourn, jealous of Sweeney, had engaged in an underhanded plot to force the young pitcher off the team.  Radbourn supposedly had complained to Bancroft that "Sweeney was getting all the credit for everything," and had promised to stop slacking off and start working hard if the club would just dump his competition.  Sweeney also disputed the charge that he had shown up drunk in the fateful game against Philadelphia, arguing that it was unlikely he could have pitched seven strong innings while intoxicated.  "At any rate," he added mischievously, "wouldn't it have been better to let the drunken man stay in" than to take him out and lose the game?  

Again, I encourage you to pick up Ed's great book and read the whole story of Radbourn's fantastic 1884 season.  

The 1884 Maroons: I Can Never Get Back Into The League

Radbourne will not come to St. Louis.  The Providence management has reinstated him and expelled Sweeney, and he is now satisfied.  Sweeney,, however, will very likely come here... 

The Boston Globe of Sunday says: It was generally understood around the city last Sunday that Radbourn had signed with the St. Louis Unions, and will make his appearance with them on their return West.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 24, 1884

On the day after Sweeney's expulsion, the Grays faced a game against third-place New York.  Would Miller pitch, with his sore arm, after his horrible performance against the Phillies?  Or would the Grays send in the baby-faced, overmatched Conley?  Or had some other equivalent of a wooden cigar-store Indian been found? As the game was about to begin, the startled crowd at the Messer Street Grounds saw a familiar figure stroll to the box in his nonchalant, businesslike fashion, as a smattering of applause built to a crescendo of cheers. 

He was not leaving for St. Louis, after all.  Charlie Radbourn was back in a Grays uniform, and he was going to pitch.

-Fifty-nine in '84


So what happened?  According to several sources, Radbourn was going to jump to the Maroons.  It was a done-deal.  I'll let Brian McKenna explain, quoting from his SABR BioProject piece:

The Providence directors met to decide how to proceed with the rest of the season, or if to proceed at all. Few viable starters were available on the market with rosters stretched thin with upwards of 33 clubs that season spread over three major leagues. Their record stood at 43-19-1, a mere 2.5 games behind first place Boston in the standings and 5.5 games up on third place New York. After falling so close to the pennant in previous seasons, all of Providence wanted the chance to seize first place. Bancroft consulted with Radbourn and the directors. Ultimately, Rad agreed to pick up much of the slack through the rest of the season for consideration. In his words, “I’ll pitch every day and win the pennant for Providence, even if it costs me my right arm.” First, the reserve clause was stricken from his contract, allowing him to become a free agent at the end of the season. Second, his salary was raised substantially; in essence, Radbourn was paid the salary of two pitchers for the remainder of the season. Third, fearing that he was also in consultation with the Union Association, management gave him $1,000 according to newspaper accounts. In total, he made upwards of $5,000 in 1884, one of the highest figures in baseball history to date. 

Ed adds some color to the story in Fifty-nine in '84:

This was not a bad deal.  Though $5,000 awaited him in the Union Association, Radbourn knew full well that he risked lifetime expulsion from organized baseball if he violated his contract.  It was true that he could escape immediately from Providence if he jumped, and avoid toiling all season for owners who, in his view, had betrayed him.  But he feared that the outlaw league would not last.  "I can jump a contract with the league and join the [Union] association, but I can never get back into the league," he pointed out at the end of the season.  This hard profession gave his life meaning, and he did not feel good about placing all his chips on the fate of the Unions.  There was only one safe passage out: a release from his contract and freedom from the reserve clause. 

And here, Bancroft and Allen were finally offering him what he had sought for so long: to receive extra pay for doing extra work, to prove that he was the slave of no man, to break the chains of the reserve clause, to escape to a bigger market and a bigger payday, [and] to make himself the master of his own life... 

Sweeney was gone.  And Radbourn, refreshed by six days without pitching, returned in fine form... 

The greatest sustained pitching performance in baseball history had begun.

So, in the end, both Radbourn and Sweeney got paid, they got away from each other, each became the undisputed star pitcher on their club and each won a championship.  After all the drama, everything worked out.  

The 1884 Providence Grays: Drunk Enough To Be Stupid

In to-day's game Sweeney pitched up to the eighth inning; the score at that time stood 6 to 2 in favor of Providence.  Then Miller, the new pitcher, was sent in to pitch, but Sweeney refused to go to right field.  He abused Manager Bancroft, and finally ended by talking off his uniform and leaving the grounds.  Sweeney was expelled to-night.  This action was probably the result of the efforts of Union Club managers who have attempted to take the players.  In the eighth and ninth innings the Providence Club played with eight men and the Philadelphias scored 8 runs, winning the game.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 23, 1884

By reference to the Globe-Democrat's special from Providence it will be observed that Sweeny, the rising phenomenon in the pitcher's box, was expelled last night.  He will, of course, now seek an engagement in the Union Association, and will no doubt get one at an early date.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 23, 1884


I have brazenly stolen the title of this post from Ed's chapter about the Sweeney incident in Fifty-Nine in '84.  Here's a condensed version of Ed's account of the incident:

Charlie Sweeney woke up on Tuesday morning, July 22, with a howling headache.  A glance at his pocket watch told him he had missed the Grays' mandatory morning practice, and if he did not get a move on, he would miss his scheduled start against the Phillies that afternoon in Providence.  The unpleasant prospect of fines and hectoring lectures confronted him.  Staggering, stinking of drink-apparently still drunk-he got up and got dressed. 

When he arrived at the Messer Street Grounds that afternoon, Charlie was showing the influence of liquor, Bancroft recalled.  The pitcher found his frowning manager in a side room off the clubhouse.  "If you want to know why I was not here this morning, I will tell you.  I was drunk last night and did not get home," Sweeney confessed.  That was a violation of his temperance pledge, certainly, and an admission of reckless disregard of managerial authority, but Sweeney had at least conceded the truth, and he wanted to make up for his lapse by pitching.  Bereft of Radbourn, Bancroft felt he had little choice but to cut his ace some slack and send him out to the box.  Bancroft posted Miller in right field, planning to bring him in during the later innings if Sweeney faltered. 

Sweeney worked effectively for five innings, finding the plate in spite of his woozy condition.  He was ahead, 6-2, when Bancroft, worried that the pitcher was beginning to get hit hard, and not wishing to risk Sweeney's recently healed arm, asked his field captain, Joe Start, to make the pitching switch.  But when the first baseman went to the box and relayed the order, the pitcher barked at him to go away...For two more innings, the manager let him get away with this flagrant insubordination, but in the seventh, Bancroft called Sweeney over to the scorer's stand behind home plate and instructed him to let Miller pitch for a while... 

"You go out to right field and let Miller come in and pitch the game out," Bancroft told Sweeney... 

"As long as I've got my game won, I'll finish it," Sweeney replied. 

Bancroft was through negotiating.  "You go out in right field or I will fine you $50." 

Sweeney, his anger rising, asked Bancroft if he meant it. 

"You will find out that I do," the manager replied icily. 

"All I have asked you to do is to let me finish this game and you want to fine me $50 for it," Sweeney complained.  "You can take that $50 along with the rest of my salary"-and, surely added, shove it somewhere. 

The Evening Telegram reported that Sweeney told Bancroft: "I give you a tip.  I finish all the games I start, or I don't play ball."  When Bancroft told him to stop that foolishness, the pitcher declared, "I guess I'll quit," and stomped off... 

...In the next inning, only eight men left the bench and jogged into the field.  Sweeney was nowhere to be seen.  Bancroft trotted down the grandstand stairs and found him in the dressing room, already in his street clothes.  When he ordered Sweeney to put on his uniform again and go out and play, the twenty-one-year-old "most villainously abused" him.  "It is true I called him names," the pitcher later admitted, "but I think at the time and under the circumstances that I had sufficient provocation, and when you take into consideration the work I had done in keeping the club in the lead and the little wish I wanted Bancroft to grant me, that of finishing the game, I think he could have reasonably complied with it without injury to his managerial dignity, where he so inclined."

Sweeney went so far as to come back out on the field in his dress clothes, "arrogantly watching his teammates flounder while the crowd of 450 hissed him."  Later, and this may be my favorite part of the story, he left the grounds in the company of two prostitutes, who he had actually brought with him, earlier, to the ballpark.  Sweeney had come to the ballpark late, drunk and in the company of two prostitutes before he quit on his team.  So, yeah, later the directors of the club met and kicked him off the club.  Ed has a great quote from the Sunday Morning Journal which called Sweeney's actions that day "one of the most disgraceful exhibitions ever witnessed on a ball field."

I was going to write something about how, in this day and age, we're used to this kind of behavior on the part of our star athletes.  But, come on.  If Stephen Strasburg showed up late, drunk and in the company of a couple of hookers then started the game, only to get into a fight with Davey Johnson, walk off the field and quit the Nationals, can you imagine what would happen?  It would be 24 hours a day, wall to wall coverage.  It would be all Strasburg, all the time.  ESPN would self-combust in excitement.  It would be pure insanity.

And now imagine if Strasburg turned around the next day and had another team give him a job, with a pay raise.      

The 1884 Providence Grays: The Truth Has At Last Come Out

Old Hoss

The truth has at last come out, and the mysterious trouble which seemed to be undermining the Providence Baseball Club and bringing it to ruin has been unveiled.

-New York Times, July 23, 1884

There were rumors, specifically, that [Radbourn's] "sudden lameness, which was set down as rheumatism," had all been an act and that, in truth, he was "anxious to leave the League and join the St. Louis [Union Association club,] which would be nearer his home, which is in Bloomington, Ill., the Telegram reported.  Considering the "dark insinuations afloat" about Radbourn's intentions, the Journal though management had shown extraordinary patience, but "when every inducement, financial and otherwise, has been offered him to play ball to his best ability, and he had been coaxed and petted beyond all reason to seek to carry the nine to victory, it is high time that more compulsory measures be undertaken."...[On] July 20, the Boston Herald reported some hair-raising news "on perfectly reliable authority": the great Charles Radbourn had agreed to sign a contract with St. Louis's Maroons and would journey west within days, abandoning Providence-and breaking a contract that was still in effect, even though the Grays were no longer paying his salary.  Lucas offered Radbourn a whopping $5,000, covering the rest of the 1884 season and all of 1885, with $1,000 of it in advance.

-Fifty-Nine in '84

And, here exactly and finally, is where the Maroons' season collides head-on with the Gray's season, where my work intersects with Ed's fine work on Fifty-Nine in '84 and where This Game of Games becomes a blog about the history of 19th century baseball in Providence, Rhode Island.

By the way, if I haven't mentioned it, you should really pick up and read Ed's book, if you haven't yet done so.  And I'm not just saying that because I'm quoting long stretches of Fifty-Nine in '84 without permission and I don't want Ed to sue me.  It's a wonderful book, rich in detail and extremely well-written.  Ed did a fantastic job bringing Radbourn's story to life and if you like the history of 19th century baseball, you'll love the book.  Do yourself a favor and read it.

To give you a quick understanding of what was happening in Providence in 1884, with regards to Radbourn and Sweeney, I'm going to turn to another friend of the blog, Brian McKenna, who wrote the SABR BioProject entry on Radbourn:

[1884] started out on a somber note. On February 8, reports circulated out of Bloomington that the great Radbourn was shot in the thigh in a tiff with a female acquaintance. Luckily for baseball fans, it was actually one of Radbourn’s cousins that suffered the injury. For the first time, the National League allowed pitchers to raise their arm above their shoulder, effectively legalizing the overhand delivery. The ruling sparked a great deal of controversy throughout the summer and into the following winter. Many feared that pitchers had gained too great an advantage. The American Association avoided the debate; their pitchers were still bound by the previous rules, which in truth were hard, if not impossible, to enforce. Pitchers always had and always would push the boundaries. 

Radbourn’s disgruntlement with his salary spilled over into spring training. Twenty-one-year-old Charlie Sweeney entered the season as Providence’s other main starter. He pitched the lion’s share of the games in the spring and was paid extra to do so which antagonized Radbourn, who also didn’t care for the gushing plaudits that were being heaped on his young colleague. Once the season began, Radbourn took his place in the rotation. Through June, the pair started all but one of the club’s 47 games, with Radbourn starting 24 of them. Sweeney, perhaps sore from the new overhand pitching style, fell out of the rotation on June 27. Radbourn was forced to fill in, starting and finishing ten of the next 12 games. He wasn’t happy about it, especially considering he didn’t receive extra cash as Sweeney had during the preseason. It’s obvious that Sweeney and Radbourn were having some sort of a running feud, as Rad pitched that many games straight at least twice the previous season without complaint. After a loss on July 12, a local newspaper, the Providence Evening Bulletin, described the pitcher as acting “careless and indifferent.” It seems he was drinking heavier than usual during this time as well. 

In those ten games, Rad posted a so-so 6-4 record. On July 16, he lost to Boston 5-2 after becoming erratic and ceding a couple runs in the eighth after being called for a balk. Providence management immediately suspended him because of poor play. Per the Boston Advertiser, “There have been unpleasant reports of the dissatisfaction of Radbourne (sic), pitcher of the Providence club, current for some time. This evening the board of directors of the Providence association decided to summon him to appear before them tomorrow and answer certain questions regarding his conduct for the past three weeks.” Baseless accusations were even mounted that perhaps he was throwing games. The Boston Globe described his frame of mind; “Radbourn was in no condition, physically or mentally, to pitch.” He apparently snapped in the eighth in a dispute with the umpire and his catcher Barney Gilligan. The sloppy play included a walk, an error by Gilligan, a fumble by the third baseman and the balk call on an apparent third strike. “This seemed to break up Rad, and then he pitched the ball so wild that no man could hold it, and two men came home.” 

Cyclone Miller started the next two games and Ed Conley the following. Sweeney relieved in two of the games and wasn’t pleased about being pressed into action. 

So lets return to the rather interesting Times article that started this post:

Some time ago crookedness was suspected, and to-day the cold fact stares the management in the face that they have been "played for sailors."  When the season of 1883 closed Radbourn threatened not to sign for this year.  A combination was formed by him and Carroll not to sign, and only after prolonged persuasion could either be induced to put their names to contracts, Carroll only giving in when he was cornered and almost obliged to give up a hunting trip with Radbourn, the management threatening to hold him until Oct. 1 and make him come to this city before he would be paid off and released for the year.  When this season opened Radbourn and Sweeney became jealous of each other.  Sweeney had been kept in the background and Radbourn billed as the star pitcher.  Sweeney asked leave to occupy the "points."  He did so, and proved such a success that he even pitched on days when Radbourn was to toss the sphere, and was paid extra for those games.  When Sweeney became lame Radbourn had to do double duty, and "kicked" because he was not also paid extra for Sweeney's dates.  About this time Radbourn began to show an ugly disposition, and finally, in games last week, he is charged with throwing a game because everything did not go to suit him.  Since then Sweeney has been owlish, and to-day his disaffection, like Radbourn's, took a tangible shape.  His first kick over the traces was yesterday, when the club went to Woonsocket to play an exhibition game.  He appeared on the grounds with a woman whom he gave a seat on the grand stand, and after the game, when ordered to pack up and come home with the boys, he refused to do so, remaining until a late train.  To-day he began to pitch a "stuffy" game; he was surly and owlish, and pitched without speed or any great effort to win.  At the close of the seventh inning Providence had 6 to 2 runs and had the game won, as the Philadelphia Club was batting weakly and fielding badly.  To ease up on Sweeney's lame arm, Manager Bancroft told the Californian to go into the field and let Miller pitch out the game.  He became very angry and left the field, evincing jealousy of young Miller who is a promising ball-tosser.  Philadelphia went to the bat in the inning, and it was found that Providence had but eight men in the field.  Sweeney was missing.  Bancroft went in search of him, and found him in the dressing room with his store clothes on.  He requested him to go out and play,, but was most villainously abused.  Director Allen then threatened to lay Sweeney off without pay, but to this threat Sweeney sarcastically replied that he did not care, as he could make more money if he did not play here.  Providence went on and finished the game with eight men.  The eight innings was handsomely played, but in the ninth, fly balls were hit between the regular out-field positions, and the men being unable to cover so much ground, the hits became safe.  Then Miller was pounded for five hits, Providence giving him bad support, as bad as could be looked for, and the Philadelphia Club won the game.  Convinced from what Sweeney had said, and from his conduct and Radbourn's peculiar actions that the "Wreckers' Union" had been at work, the management to-night expelled Sweeney from the league and will cause his name to be put on the black list. 

A meeting will probably be held to-morrow to consider whether the club shall be disbanded.  There are no pitchers to be had, and, with the present feeling in the team, the pennant cannot possibly be won.  If the association stops short to-day there will be a surplus of $17,000 on hand.  The St. Louis Union Association are suspected of having approached the malcontents.  There is still further trouble, based upon Catholicism and Protestantism.

The Sweeney incident, as I'm sure you know, is much more interesting than the Times reported and I'll get into that tomorrow.  But to wrap this up, I'll quote, once again and not for the last time, Fifty-Nine in '84:

Suddenly the Grays, who had been blessed only a week earlier with arguably the two best pitchers in baseball, now had neither, with little prospect of finding replacements.  Rumors swept the city that the directors intended to parcel out among the stockholders the $17,000 left in the coffers and close the business down.  The rumors were true.  "The club was going to disband, for pitchers were scarce and things looked bad," Bancroft recalled.  "The directors were about to toss up the sponge."  Miller, who could barely get through a game without collapsing, could hardly pitch the rest of the way alone, and Conley was no major league major leaguer.  

The Providence situation was a soap opera and the Maroons were playing a major part in all of their drama.    

The 1884 Maroons: Dupee Shaw Dosen't Set The Record For Most Strikeouts In A Game

It was not Shaw's fault that the Boston Unions lost to-day's game.  The blame can be laid to poor base-running and costly errors behind the bat.  The visitors found Shaw even harder to hit than in his former game against them, and their perplexing endeavors to hit the sphere were as laughable to their companions as to the spectators.  Shaffer cut up some wonderful antics in his frantic efforts to hit the ball, Brennan and Whitehead struck out every time they came to the bat, and every man went out on strikes except Rowe, the total number being eighteen.  Boyle pitched a very fine game and the Boston Unions gave a poor exhibition of their batting abilities.  The only run of the game was made in the sixth inning when Gleason's third strike was muffed by Brown and fielded so poorly that the runner got two bases.  Rowe's out took him to third and a wild pitch enabled him to score.  Three times the St. Louis had men on third only to be left, as Shaw invariably was too much for their successors, who failed even to hit the ball.  In the fourth inning Murnan made a hit and stole second, and in attempting to score on Shafer's fumble of Shaw's hit was thrown out at the plate.  In the eighth McCarty made a fine three-base hit, and had he remained upon that base would undoubtedly have scored, as Butler followed with a single, but he was foolishly coached on, at once depriving the nine of a chance to tie or win.  The infielding of the St. Louis was very fine.  Umpire Sullivan was unjustly hissed while leaving the grounds.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 20, 1884



I saw that Shaw struck out eighteen guys in a game and thought that he had set the record for most strikeouts in a game.  But he did not.  On July 7, 1884, both Charlie Sweeney, pitching for Providence, and Hugh Daily, pitching for the Chicago Unions, each struck out nineteen guys.

Later in the season, Henry Porter, pitching for the Milwaukee Unions, also struck out eighteen guys.  So without looking anything up, I'm guessing that strikeouts were way up in 1884.

The 1884 Providence Grays: Hurting In Body And Soul

Radbourn, pitcher of the Providence Club, has been cited by the Association to explain his conduct for the last three weeks.  Pending inquiry, Miller and Sweeney will play in the box.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 17, 1884

I love how the story of the 1884 Maroons has intersected with the story of the 1884 Grays.  Lucky for me Ed Achorn has written the book on that Providence club and that makes my job much easier.

The Radbourn/Sweeney situation was coming to a head and it would end with the Maroons finally getting the big-time pitcher that Lucas had been hunting for since before the season started.  However, it was not the Providence pitcher he was originally after and, here shortly, I'm going to have to write up a long post on Radbourn's situation with the Grays.  At this point, I'll just say that he had been suspended by the club and Ed wrote that Radbourn was "hurting in body and soul."

With Radbourn having melted down, with Sweeney about to hit the bottle a bit too hard and with the Maroons in desperate need of a pitcher, things were about to get interesting.    

The 1884 Maroons: Let The Rumors Begin

A gentleman identified with the St. Louis Unions says that when that club reappears on the home grounds, July 29, it will present a pitcher who is second to none in the country.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 12, 1884


You would think that they were talking about Sweeney but his problems with Providence didn't come to a head until July 22.  At the beginning of the month, Sweeney was nursing a sore arm and, although it looks like Lucas was after one of Providence's pitchers, it doesn't appear that he was originally after Sweeney.  And he wasn't after Ed Conley.

I'll have much more to say about all of this in the near future because Henry Lucas was a bit tired of the way the baseball establishment was treating his new league and, at the same time, there was an unhappy pitcher in Providence who was ready to listen to what Lucas had to say.

And if you haven't figured it out yet, I'm talking about Charles Radbourn.  So I guess I'm going to have to get Ed Achorn's book off the shelf and share some of that with you here soon.  

The 1884 Maroons: Things Are Looking Bad

The St. Louis Base Ball team lost its second game this season, out of twenty-four played, to the Chicago Unions today, after an exciting contest of ten innings.  Taylor and Baker formed the battery for the visitors, and Daily and Krieg did the fine work for Chicago.  During the first five innings the home nine failed to get a base, while their opponents scored four runs.  They then tied the game by two runs in the sixth on a base on balls, a hit and two wild throws, and two more in the seventh on Krieg's hit and three errors.  Daily made the winning run and ended the game in the tenth inning by a base on balls, Ellick's clean hit and a wild pitch.  The St. Louis nine made their runs in the second and sixth innings, by hard hitting, coupled with costly errors by the Chicago infield.  They had men on bases in every inning but one, and their field play was perfect until near the close of the contest, when wild throws lost them the game.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, June 2, 1884


With their second lose in six games, the Maroons were falling apart.  Lucas needed to go to Providence and get Charlie Sweeney drunk.  Up four nothing, they gave up two in the sixth and two in the seventh.  Then in the tenth, they lose by a walk, a Joe Ellick hit and a wild pitch.  That's a tough way to lose.  And to make matters worse, they lost a half game in the standings, their lead falling from 6.5 games to 6.  Somebody buy Sweeney some drinks.

As if things couldn't get any worse, I think Fred was in a slump.  What Did Dunlap Do?  He had one measly hit, after going hitless in the last game.  The T-800 needed a tune-up.    

This Will Become Relevant Soon Enough

Sweeny, of Providence, pitches as a roundarm cricket bowler delivers the ball.  The ball leaves his hands above his head, takes a most decided drop, and is very puzzling.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, April 27, 1884

Sweeney Seems To Have Become Demoralized

Mr. Lucas came home last Friday and I fear his absence has been felt by the Maroons. Sweeney seems to have become demoralized, and, if reports are true, he should be severely dealt with. It stands him in poor grace to make such a spectacle of himself as he has at Boston and Providence. He owes everything to Mr. Lucas, and to thus repay him the generosity of the man, who stood by him in the hour of need, is not simply ungrateful, but most unmanly. He knows or ought to know that upon his good conduct depends not only his own future, but business interests of his employers. Drunkeness is one of the worst elements to contend with among base ball clubs and expulsion should be the inevitable reward of the drunkard. It may be a hard thing to do, but every one will endorse Mr. Lucas if he promptly expels Sweeney if he again repeats his late errors. I do not think that Sweeney intends to do wrong, but he seems to be unable to resist temptation and lacking in good steady habits.

-Sporting Life, May 27, 1885

The last sentence is, without a doubt, an interesting summary of Charlie Sweeney's character.

Sweeney And Dolan Released

The management of the Maroons yesterday took a step in the right direction, and released a member of the club who has for some time past been bringing the team into disrepute. It was Charles Sweeney who got his walking papers, and his catcher, Tom Dolan, accompanied him. It is said that the cause of their release was for a disgraceful exhibition of themselves at Sportsman's Park Sunday. It appears that they were "guying" one another over their respective abilities as ball tossers, and were so loud and abusive in their use of language as to attract the attention of the occupants of the grand stand. The other members of the Maroons were also present at the time. Sweeney has been playing miserably all season, and his pitching has been such that any amateur might be ashamed of. This he accounted for "owing to the bad condition of his arm." Sweeney has been played out for some time and there is but little doubt that his ball-playing days are over. His release yesterday was no surprise, as Manager Schmelz has been contemplating letting him go for some time past, and it is only a wonder that he has hung on as long as this. The release of Dolan, however, was something of a surprise. He is a fair ball player, and his catching this season had greatly improved. Both players were also fined $50 apiece.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, June 29, 1886