Some Final Thoughts On The Browns' 1887 Player Sales

The first thing I should mention is that I no longer know what to call the events that took place in the fall of 1887. I used to call it a fire sale but it really wasn't that. A fire sale implies that the seller is being forced to sell because of financial stress and that wasn't what these moves were about. So I've taken to generically calling it a players sale. That's esthetically unpleasing but more accurate. Regardless, what I want to do here is give a quick summary of what took place and then look at the reasons for why the sales happened.

By the time the 1887 world's championship series ended, it was clear that the Browns were going to make some changes to their roster for the 1888 season. There had been rumors going back to the summer that some players were unhappy and wanted out of St. Louis. The events surrounding the players' refusal to play the Cuban Giants damaged the relationship between players and management. Von der Ahe was disappointed in the performance of some of the players in the world's series loss. A few players complained about their world's series share and others felt unappreciated. Essentially, the relationship between management and some of the players had broken down. The egos of players who had won three consecutive championships and the egos of management were in conflict and it was evident by the time the season ended that some players were going to be sold.

On November 22, it was reported that Curt Welch and Bill Gleason had been sold to Philadelphia. On November 24, Charles Byrne stated that he had completed the purchase of Doc Bushong and, a day later, it was reported that St. Louis had sold Bob Caruthers to Brooklyn. On November 29, Dave Foutz was sold to Brooklyn. In eight days, Chris Von der Ahe had sold the rights to five of the core members of his championship club for approximately $21,000 and the rights to Fredd Mann, Chippy McGarr and Jocko Milligan.

I think that the conventional historical wisdom is that Von der Ahe made the moves for financial reasons and out of a general unhappiness with some of his players. Financially, the club had seen its profits decline from 1886 to 1887 and there were rumors that Von der Ahe was going to move the club to New York for the 1888 season. However, the club was profitable. Von der Ahe, himself, stated that his club never lost money except during the 1890 Players' Revolt. It's true that attendance had declined somewhat but the club had made money and there was no reason to believe that it wouldn't continue to do so in the future.

Money certainly played a role in the sales. But the reason the players were sold for cash is that that was the way players were moved from team to team during the era. The rights to players were sold, not traded for other players. Brooklyn could not obtain Caruthers, Foutz and Bushong without purchasing their rights from St. Louis. Money was the means by which player transactions were conducted. So if Von der Ahe wanted to move his players for reasons other than financial, he was still going to receive money for their rights.

I think that people saw the fact that the players were sold and the amount of money the Browns received and naturally believed that the transactions were financially motivated. I do believe that finances played a part in the sales. The Browns were a successful club with many star players and there was stress placed by the players on management to increase salaries. By moving many of his stars, Von der Ahe removed some of the financial stress on the club. By replacing those stars with younger and cheaper players, the Browns became more profitable. But I don't believe that the transactions were motivated specifically by the money the club was receiving in return for the players. There was a financial motive in moving the players but it's not the one that most people believe.

As to Von der Ahe's unhappiness with his players, that absolutely played a role in the transactions. He was not happy with the world's series loss and the play of some the players, specifically Gleason, during the series. He was not happy with the players' refusal to play the Cuban Giants. He was not happy with the constant complaints about salary. Von der Ahe was unhappy with some of the players and some of the players were unhappy with Von der Ahe. In the end, Von der Ahe owned the team and the players got shipped out. In this clash of egos, the owner won, as they tend to do.

However, there's another aspect of this which doesn't fit neatly into the story of Chris Von der Ahe the greedy and egomaniacal owner who dumped his stars for cash and that is the role of Charlie Comiskey in all of this. Comiskey, while a player, ran the club on the field and was, for all intents and purposes, a part of management. The extent to which Comiskey was involved in the management of the club as a whole has been overblown historically, as a slight to Von der Ahe, but he did play a role. He had, for the most part, a good relationship with Von der Ahe and the Browns' owner respected his captain as a person and a baseball man. So if club management was unhappy with some of the players and wanted to move them, I think a relevant question is to what extent was Comiskey, as a part of the management team, involved in the decision to the move the players?

The evidence is conflicting and doesn't lend itself to an easy answer. Contemporary accounts at the time the transactions were happening state that the moves came as a surprise to Comiskey and that he was unhappy with the moves. However, a few months later, it was reported that Comiskey had been unhappy with some of his players. He felt that their egos had gotten a bit too large, that they were no longer manageable and he wanted them gone. According to these accounts, Comiskey was the driving force behind the moves. While it's difficult to resolve the contradictions, I don't believe that the moves would have been made without Comiskey's knowledge and approval. There are reports that Von der Ahe had wanted to sell Latham in the fall of 1887 but Comiskey disapproved and the sale never went through. I believe that Comiskey's reported unhappiness in December of 1887 has to do with the sale of Foutz, specifically, rather than the sale of the players in general.

While there had been rumors that Foutz was going to be one of the players moved, after the Caruthers' sale, Von der Ahe stated that he was finished moving players. Less than a week later, Foutz was sold to Brooklyn. The reasons for the Foutz sale are, to me, obvious. After Caruthers was sold to Brooklyn, he refused to sign and presented the club with financial demands. When the club met those demands, Caruthers still refused to sign. At that point, the Foutz deal was made. I believe that Brooklyn went back to Von der Ahe and bought Foutz because it was not clear that they would be able to sign Caruthers. The Foutz deal was not part of the original plan and was made only after the Caruthers deal looked like it was falling through. I think this was the source of Comiskey's unhappiness. Losing Foutz left him with an unexpected hole in right field.

Regardless of Comiskey's specific role in the transactions and his level of approval for the moves, it's clear that the ego of management was one of the reasons for the sale of the players. But there are a couple of other reasons for the sales, one of which has been brought up by other historians and one which seems to always be overlooked.

One of the reasons for the sales which has been brought up in the past is that Von der Ahe was attempting to strengthen some of the other teams in the American Association and, by doing so, strengthen the league as a whole. As mentioned earlier, attendance in St. Louis was down in 1887. The reason for this, it appears, is due the uncompetitive nature of the AA race in 1887, when the Browns won the league by fourteen games. In 1885, the Browns won the league by sixteen games and, in 1886, they won by twelve games. The Browns were the class of the AA and had run away with the championship for three straight seasons. By 1887, a sense of boredom or inevitability may have set in among the St. Louis baseball fans and driven down attendance. By strengthening Brooklyn and Philadelphia, Von der Ahe may have hoped to create a more balanced league and a more exciting pennant race. Also, by strengthening those two specific clubs, he was making the league stronger in two of the most important baseball markets in the country. If this was one of the goals of the sales, and Byrnes stated that it was, Von der Ahe succeeded to a certain extent. In 1888, the Browns still won the pennant but by only six and a half games. Brooklyn and Philadelphia finished second and third, respectively. In 1889, the AA experienced one of the great pennant races in baseball history with Brooklyn winning the pennant by two games over St. Louis and Philadelphia finishing a distant third. Von der Ahe, through his moves, strengthened the league in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, got a more competitive league and his club remained profitable. If these were indeed the motivating factors for the sales then Von der Ahe's moves succeeded.

The one thing that always gets overlooked when the sales are discussed is the possibility that the moves were made for pure baseball reasons. Doc Bushong was being phased out as the starting catcher in 1887 and the club had Jack Boyle to replace him. Bill Gleason had his worst year as a professional in 1887 and was in permanent decline. Curt Welch had a poor year at the plate that season and was a drunk. Both he and Gleason had been involved in altercations with their teammates, effecting the chemistry of the club. Dave Foutz had suffered a thumb injury to his throwing hand and it was unknown if he would ever be an effective pitcher again. Comiskey held to a theory of pitching that believed that pitchers, after a few years of hard use, quickly lost their effectiveness. He had ridden Caruthers and Foutz hard for several seasons and the club had good, young pitching in reserve so the Browns' two star pitchers were replaceable.

The Browns had an abundance of young talent and Von der Ahe, in the fall of 1887, was gathering more. They had Silver King and Nat Hudson on the mound and bought Icebox Chamberlain, giving Comiskey three pitchers who were twenty years old or younger. They had Jack Boyle, who was 22. They picked up the young Tommy McCarthy and had the players they obtained from Philadelphia. On top of that, Von der Ahe was putting together the St. Louis Whites and stocking the club with guys like Jake Beckley, Jack Crooks, Jim Devlin, Harry Staley and Joseph Herr. If you consider the Whites to be a farm club for the Browns, Von der Ahe's AA team was loaded with young talent and could afford to cycle out older stars. By selling some of the older guys, the Browns got younger and the payroll got smaller, without much of a loss in quality. By making these moves, the Browns remained a competitive club through the 1891 season. It's not certain that if they had kept Caruthers, Foutz, Welch, Bushong and Gleason, the club would have been anymore successful. That has to be the bottom line. The Browns, through these sales, got younger and cheaper and remained successful for four more seasons.

One could make the argument that if Von der Ahe had continued his experiment in farming players with the Whites, the club would have remained competitive throughout the 1890s. For some reason, it appears that, within a historical context, the player sales and the collapse of the club in the 1890s are linked, the common thread being Von der Ahe's suppossed mismangement of the team. Obviously, the two events have nothing to do with each other and it's interesting to consider how Von der Ahe's legacy would be different if he had continued operating the Whites and phased in their young players in the early 1890s.

In the end, there is no one reason for why the sales took place. It was a complicated series of transactions that involved multiple motives and I don't think it's possible to explain them in one simple sentance. It's wrong to say that Von der Ahe sold off his players for the money but money was one of the motivating factors. The players were also sold because Von der Ahe was attempting to manage not only his own club but also because he was involved in the management of the American Association as a whole. Where there altruistic reasons behind the sale? Sure. Von der Ahe was trying to strengthen the league so that it could succeed but, at the same time, it was selfish in that by strengthening the league, Von der Ahe strengthened his own position. The club, on the field, was strengthened in the long term by these moves and, in the short term, they rid themselves of some of the more egotistical, problem players. All of these motives came together in the fall of 1887 and led to the sales.

One point that I think is important to make is that if you look at all the things motivating Von der Ahe in the fall of 1887, the player sales were a success. The club won the championship in 1888. They continued to be profitable. There were more competitive pennant races. The club got younger. The payroll went down. They shipped out some, if not all, of the problem players. The AA was strengthened by having two good clubs in Brooklyn and Philadelphia. These transactions have historically been portrayed negatively and Von der Ahe criticized for them. But the club was successful until they moved to the National League in 1892, which probably says more about the comparative quality of the AA and the NL than it does about Von der Ahe's management of the club in the late 1880s and early 1890s. The sales were a bold move and I think they worked. I think they achieved every imaginable thing that you could possibly have wanted them to achieve. Instead of viewing them as a negative product of Von der Ahe's baseball management, they should be seen as a daring, unconventional and successful move by one of the great figures of 19th century baseball.

The Influence Of A Mother

Joe Pritchard's face wore a happy smile yesterday afternoon, but when night came the smile had vanished and a look of deep and lasting sorrow succeeded it. Joe has manipulated the deal for the transfer of Caruthers to Brooklyn, and thought he saw an end to his labor. He has worked hard and incessantly, and still Caruthers remains unsigned and is likely to remain so for some time to come. As announced exclusively in Friday's Globe-Democrat Caruthers was sold to the Brooklyns, and the only obstacle in the way of his signing was a difference of $500 in the salary question. This difficulty was removed yesterday. A telegram was brought to Joe Pritchard yesterday afternoon from Byrne of Brooklyn, stating that he would pay Caruthers the $500 demanded, making the pitcher's salary $5000. Upon receipt of the telegram Pritchard hastened to the Laclede Hotel, where he found a notice from the American Express Company announcing that it held the $1000 advance ready to hand over to Caruthers. Joe, thinking the deal settled, hunted up Caruthers, and the pair, accompanied by a Globe-Democrat reporter, repaired to the writing-room, where Joe asked Caruthers to sign for $4500. This Bob refused to do, then Joe with a smile of triumph, placed a contract for $5000 under Bob's nose, and asked him to sign it. Caruthers refused again until he could wire home and obtain the consent of his family. After sending there, the pair repaired to the Olympic Theater, to pass the time until an answer came to the message. After the theater the interested parties hastened back to the Laclede, where Caruthers received the replies to three telegrams. The first was from his mother, reading:

Do not sign under any circumstances. Come home at once.

The second was from his brother, saying:

Take mother's advice; do not sign.

The third one he refused to show. But the first two had done their work. After reading them Caruthers turned to Pritchard with the remark: "Well, Joe, I can not sign now. I leave for home to-morrow night. I am satisfied with my salary and all that, but will not go against my mother's wish. I may never play ball again."

Pritchard was sorely put out at this division, as he has obtained everything Caruthers demanded, and thought he held the pitcher safe. Caruthers positively leaves for home to-night. He is outspoken in his preference to play in Cincinnati, but says he would sign in Brooklyn if he could obtain the consent of his family. The Cincinnati offer to Caruthers is regarded in the light of an advertising dodge. A Cleveland paper, speaking of the matter, says: Around this neck of the woods the suspicion lurks that the $15,000 offer was in the nature of a catch-the-public bluff. Caruthers is worth no such money. Nor is any other player. And the Cincinnati management, generally astute and careful, never offered such a sum in good faith. It is a good thing for the Association that Caruthers didn't go to Cincinnati. What is needed is an equalization of strength.

Thus the matter stands. If Caruthers goes home the influence of a mother may win him from his passion. He loves to play ball, however, and he loves the money to be made at it, and it will take wonderful persuasion to keep him off the diamond.

Information was received yesterday that Bushong had signed with Brooklyn and Welch with the Athletics. This completes these deals. Gleason will probably sign in a few days.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, November 29, 1887

The Big Deal In Progress

A portion, at least, of the big base ball deal foreshadowed in Saturday night's dispatches to the Globe-Democrat was effected to-day, and two members of the present St. Louis Brown Stocking team will positively be found with the Athletics next season. President Von der Ahe got here this afternoon and had a long conference with the Athletic Directors. It is known that this deal is to involve five of the leading clubs of the American Association and was the subject under consideration. Manager Sharsig, of the Athletics, was inclined to be reticent when questioned by the Globe-Democrat reporter as to the outcome of the conference, but finally admitted that arrangements for the transfers of two of the St. Louis players to this city had been definitely concluded.

"Yes," said Mr. Sharsig, "we will have two of Mr. Von der Ahe's men next year, and they will be Gleason, the short-stop, Welch, the center-fielder. Both are good men and will greatly strengthen our team."

Mr. Sharsig refused to divulge the terms on which the deal was made. But it may be set down as a certainty that McGarr and one of the Athletic's catchers will go to St. Louis, and the Athletics will, besides, pay to Mr. Von der Ahe a handsome cash bonus. Mr. Von der Ahe was not very talkative.

"There had been a good deal of gossip about my team for next season," said he. "Oh, yes," he added, laughing, "I'll have to admit your paper has succeeded in getting the news pretty straight. There is a big deal in progress at present, but I can not divulge its exact nature until it's consummated."

Mr. Von der Ahe will go to New York to-morrow to complete the arrangements for the transfer of certain players to the Brooklyn club.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, November 22, 1887

A Deal In Progress

A big base ball deal is in progress of materialization at the present time, but all information pertaining to it is being carefully suppressed by those interested. The deal is said to be the largest ever made from a financial standpoint, and will involve between $30,000 and $40,000. Five clubs are interested in it, and there will probably be an interchange of players and money between them during the coming week. The clubs are the Athletic, St. Louis, Brooklyn, Baltimore and Louisville. President Christ Von der Ahe, of St. Louis, and Charles H. Byrne, of Brooklyn, are engineering the trade, which is expected to startle the base ball world. The Athletics are after at least six new men, and Manager Wm. Sharsig's trip to New York this week was made on behalf of his club. Mr. Sharsig returned from New York today. To a reporter of the Globe-Democrat he said:

"Yes, I have been trying to make a deal for some new men, but until I secure their names to contracts I will not make their names public."

While in New York Mr. Sharsig had several long talks with Mr. Byrne, and there is no doubt but that arrangements were made for the transfer of one or more of the Brooklyn and Metropolitan players to this city. The Athletic Directors held a secret meeting this afternoon and listened to Manager Sharsig's report, but action was deferred until the arrival of Mr. Von der Ahe in [Philadelphia] on Monday.

Changes in the St. Louis Team.

It is known that President Von der Ahe intends to make a number of changes in his champion team next season, and that he will dispose of a number of his crack players. The arrangements for the transfer of these men were partially made when Von der Ahe was in the East a week ago, and he is now on his way East again and is expected in [Philadelphia] Monday. Rumor has it that the Browns' best battery, Caruthers and Bushong, are among the players to be disposed of. Bushong will go to Brooklyn, that much is certain, as Mr. Byrne has made a standing offer of $5000 for the great catcher. It is probable that Byrne will also bag Caruthers, as he has made an offer of $10,000 for him, as much as Boston paid for Mike Kelly. The Athletics started the bidding on Caruthers at $5000, Baltimore offered $8000, and Brooklyn wound up with a bid of $10,000 for the great battery. Bushong is a native of [Philadelphia]. where he graduated from the famous Archer club. Curtis Welsh, Foutz, "Yank" Robinson and "Brudder Bill" Gleason are the other St. Louis players that are reported as anxious to get away.

"Robinson will not be sold or released to any club," said Von der Ahe, when in this city. The Athletics are after Welch and Gleason. Manager Sharsig is particularly anxious to secure the great centerfielder, and speaks hopefully of doing so. Von der Ahe likes McGarr, and is also said to be after one of the Athletic catchers. It is probable that Welch will play in [Philadelphia], and that the Athletics will trade two of their men for him.

The Purchase Of Gleason.

In reference to Gleason, Manager Sharsig said: "I think Bill Gleason is as good as he ever was. I would like to have him to play short-stop and captain the team." Gleason's release will cost the Athletic club at least $3000. Dave Foutz, the Bay City pitcher, who cost Von der Ahe $8000, will probably play in Baltimore. He has many friends in the Monumental City, and Vonderhost and Barnie are reported to have offered $4000 for his release. Louisville will also have a finger in the big deal and it is reported that Guy Hecker, their best pitcher, will be sold to the Brooklyn club for $8000. Kerins, the first baseman and catcher, would like to get away from Louisville and the Athletic and Brooklyn clubs have bid as high as $4000 for him, but he will probably remain where he is. McTamany, of the Brooklyn club, is another player who is likely to wear the blue stockings of the Athletic club next season, and one of the Brooklyn or Metropolitan pitchers may come along with him. President Von der Ahe is rapidly adding to his already long list of new players. Following up his engagement of James McCormick, the agent of the St. Louis President in [Philadelphia] to-day signed Bart Cantz, one of the Newark club catchers. Cantz is a good general player and hard hitter, a strong thrower to bases, and formerly caught for Knouff, who is now with the St. Louis club. Cantz's contract calls for $1700, of which $300 is in advance.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, November 20, 1887

Welch Vs. Latham

Since we've reached the point in our coverage of the 1887 world series where Detroit has clinched the World's Championship, I'm going to take a short break and talk about something that's been on my mind for a few days. I'll get back to the last few games of the 1887 series and try to wrap that up as quickly as possible but at the moment I want to talk about Curt Welch and Arlie Latham.

In game ten of the 1887 series, both Welch and Latham homered and I went to Baseball Reference to see how many home runs each had hit during the 1887 season. While looking at their career numbers, it occurred to me that Latham may have been a better player than Welch. This came as a surprise because I had always considered Welch the superior player. But is that actually true?

Who was the better player, Curt Welch or Arlie Latham?

It's a rather difficult question to answer and I think the final answer depends on what weight you give to the different kinds of evidence that one brings to the argument. There are a lot of ways to slice this pie and how you slice it or what piece you look at will influence how you answer the question.

I believe that, generally speaking, their contemporaries believed that Welch was the better ballplayer. He was regarded as an outstanding outfielder and many believed that he was the best defensive outfielder in the game. He was also considered to be a smart player, a great athlete and a good base runner. While not a heavy hitter, Welch was considered to be steady at the bat and a consistent offensive contributor.

As far as Latham is concerned, the contemporary record usually focused on his personality and his on-field antics rather than on his contributions as a player. His defensive reputation was mixed. Some considered him to be an outstanding fielder with a strong arm but others noted that he was often lackadaisical at third and that his arm never recovered from a throwing contest with Doc Bushong in 1885. Everyone agreed that he was very fast and an outstanding baserunner. Offensively, he was noted for having a "scientific approach" to hitting but also for being inconsistent.

Latham was probably the better teammate. His coaching and banter was an important part of the make-up of the Browns' championship club and he was probably one of the leaders in the clubhouse. However, he had serious personal problems that leaked into the press, was accused of throwing games in 1889 and had an up and down relationship with Chris Von der Ahe. Welch, on the other hand, was a drunk who wore out his welcome in St. Louis very quickly and drank himself out of the game. It's entirely possible that Charlie Comiskey ordered Tip O'Neill to "accidentally" hit Welch with a bat in 1887. Latham could be self-centered and childish but Comiskey never ordered O'Neill to assault him.

So looking at just the contemporary evidence, I think it's a fair conclusion to say that Welch was viewed as the better player. Looking at just their on-field abilities, it was believed that Welch was the more talented baseball player.

However, things aren't that simple. Welch was a center fielder while Latham was a third baseman. I think it's safe to say that in the 1880s, a third baseman was more valuable than a center fielder. So while Welch was a better player, would you trade Latham for Welch? I'm not sure that the Browns would have done that. Latham was perfect for the kind of game that Comiskey wanted to play and he was probably more valuable to the Browns than he would have been for anybody else. As a third baseman, a lead-off man and a rabbit on the bases, Latham was probable more valuable to the Browns than Welch. That has to count for something.

But what really got me thinking about this question was their statistics and how that data is interpreted by modern baseball metrics. And the modern metrics show Latham to be a much better player than Welch.

However, before I present that data, we need to get into the caveats. While there are a lot of very smart people working on this, 19th century statistical data is full of holes. We're lacking important pieces of information such as the caught-stealing and grounding into double play numbers. The defensive data, specifically, is terribly problematic and it's difficult to evaluate a player's defense when there are questions about the number of balls in play, how many left-handed batters are in the league and how errors are assigned. There are people doing great work with the 19th century data but I'd think that even they would say that the accuracy of their analysis is not the same as the analysis we now have in modern baseball.

Also, I want to add that I'm not a sabrmetrician. I'm a historian. So I'm a bit out of my comfort zone when attempting to explain the modern metrics. However, there's nothing wrong with that and I freely admit that I have nothing more than a layman's understanding of WAR, UZR and the like. I love that stuff and think that it's added to our understand of the game. I also love the fact that there are people who are applying it to 19th century baseball. But I'm not an expert and I'd love to hear from anyone who has a better understanding of all of this.

So having said that...

Just looking at the WAR numbers at Baseball Projections, Latham had 35.1 WAR in 7495 plate appearances while Welch had 21.0 in 4939. Fangraphs has slightly different numbers but not enough to comment on. Regardless, Latham appears to have been better than Welch over their careers.

Of course, Latham had a significantly longer career and that accounts for some of the differences in their WAR. If one looks at the numbers on a season by season basis, however, Latham still looks like the better player. His five best seasons, measured in WAR, are 5.7, 5.3, 4.7, 4.7, and 3.8. Welch's five best seasons are 4.4, 3.8, 3.6, 2.7, and 2.7. Welch does not have one season that was as good as Latham's top four seasons. Measured in WAR, Latham was the vastly superior player, not only over the course of his career, but also at his peak.

Breaking the numbers down, Welch was the vastly superior offensive player and it wasn't even close, although other metrics have Latham as a better offensive player than Batting Runs does. But the argument for Latham being better than Welch never rested on his being a great offensive player. Welch was just a better hitter. He had more power, got on base more and was more consistent season to season.

As base runners, Latham was clearly better but Welch was also a very good base runner. Base running runs, again, just tell us what we already know. Welch had 453 stolen bases for his career with 215 doubles and 66 triples. Latham had 742 stolen bases, 245 doubles and 85 triples. I don't think that there's any doubt that Latham was faster than Welch and more valuable on the bases.

Where it gets interesting is in the defensive numbers. Total Zone, measuring defensive range, has them both as superior defensive players but has Latham as a historically great defensive third baseman in 1883 and 1884. I think that the modern metrics have Latham as the best defensive third baseman of the 19th century while Welch is merely one of the best defensive outfielders of the era.

This obviously goes against the accounts of contemporary observers. Is there something in the data that could skew things in this direction? I'm not sure but it's possible that 19th century ground ball tendencies and an overwhelming number of right handed batters could make Latham's defensive numbers look better than they are. Also, we don't have any data on Welch's outfield arm which would probably have a positive impact on his numbers. But the fact is that modern metrics rate Latham as a better defender than Welch and as a historically great defensive third baseman.

What puts Latham ahead of Welch as far as the modern metrics is concerned, though, is the positional adjustments that are made when calculating WAR. For some reason that I can't explain and have not been able to find an explanation for, Welch has a positional adjustment of negative fifty-three runs. Basically, they're treating him like a modern corner outfielder and that makes no sense. On the other hand, Latham, as expected, receives a positional adjustment of fifty-two runs. Also, there's a relative positional adjustment based on a league average player at that position and a replacement player. Latham cleans up on this in the 1890s when, I guess, nobody could find a decent third baseman.

While I don't claim to really understand any of that, I think (and please, dear Lord, feel free to correct me) that the bottom line is that a third baseman, according to modern metrics, was substantially more valuable than a center fielder in the 19th century. And, therefore, a great defensive third baseman like Latham, who could run and occasionally hit, was much more valuable than a good defensive third baseman like Welch who could run and hit. I think that's likely true but I'm not sure I'd put as much weight on it as we do while calculating WAR.

So, bottom line: Who was better?

The honest answer is that I have no idea. Most of their contemporaries would say that Welch was, at his best, better than Latham. But, in the end, I think you have to come to the conclusion that Latham was the more valuable player for his era. If I was ranking the greatest St. Louis baseball players of the 19th century, I'd have to rank Latham higher than Welch. His skill set was more valuable and difficult to find in the 19th century than Welch's. Latham was irreplaceable and Welch wasn't.

The 1887 World Series: A Game Ten Post Full Of Luck, Nerve And Vim

On October 20th, St. Louis and Detroit played a world series doubleheader, with the first game in Washington, D.C., and the second in Baltimore. This is, to the best of my knowledge, the only World Series doubleheader in the history of baseball.

The Browns won a game from Detroit this morning. It was a long and weary wait for victory, but it came at last and was appreciated beyond measure by the admirers of the world's champions. The Browns played ball as of yore, and put up a game which could have beaten any club in the country. They knocked Getzein all over the field and practically knocked his pretzels out of the box. The game was full of incidents. Bennett's sore hand at last became so painful that he retired in favor of Ganzel. Dunlap was run into by Robinson and his broken leg again was hurt. The lively batting and sharp fielding dept up the interest to the close. Latham, Welch and Richardson made home runs and Foutz a three-bagger. Gleason's triple play was a magnificent piece of work, while his batting was a feature of the game. Brother Bill seems to have recovered his nerve, and much may now be expected of him. Caruthers, although suffering from a very sore arm, kept the Wolverines down in good shape. It looked as though they were going to knock him out of the box in the first inning, when they opened with a home run and a single, but after that they could do but little with him. The Detroits did not play with the same vim that has characterized their work on the trip, and seemed badly rattled by the Browns' new showing. Kelly called the balls and strikes and Gaffney took care of the field. Owing to the fact that the game took place in the morning, only about 3000 people attended. The grounds were soft from last night's rain and many of the errors were caused on this account.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 22, 1887

Only good things happen when a ball club recovers its luck and nerve and their opponent loses its vim. A couple of home runs and a triple doesn't hurt either. Where's Ken Tremendous and the boys when you need them?

Here's the Globe's description of the triple play, which occurred in the top of the third:

Richardson hit a high fly, which dropped between O'Neill and Gleason. Ganzel drove a corker to right for a base, Richardson going to second. Rowe also popped up a high fly and once more did the ball fall on vacant ground, this time between Foutz and Comiskey. The bases were full, and with Thompson at the bat the prospect looked blue for the Browns, but the St. Louis lads completed a play which happens but seldom on a ball field. Thompson drove a terrific liner at Gleason, who caught the ball. Richardson had started for home and Rowe for third, and the ball flew to Latham and then to Robinson and a triple play was the result. The crowd applauded vociferously.

Besides starting a triple play, Gleason, all full of newly recovered nerve, also had three hits.

Yank Robinson also had an interesting game. In the first, he took a ground ball to the mouth, off the bat of Thompson. Then in the fourth, he tried to advance from first to second on a passed ball and took out Dunlap, who had to retire from the game and was unable to recover for the afternoon game.

Dunlap, of course, suffered a series of leg injuries throughout his career and they eventually forced him to retire. I bring this up because I just noticed that Dunlap's number one comp at B-Ref is Fernando Vina, who also suffered numerous leg injuries throughout his career. With this being the dead of winter, I really have nothing else to do but wonder what Freddy Vina would have hit if he had played for the 1884 Maroons.

I guess I should also mention the home runs by Welch and Latham. Welch's was in the fifth and cleared the fence. Latham's was in the sixth and was an inside-the-parker. Welch hit three home runs in the regular season for the Browns in 1887 and Latham hit two so I guess you could say that both home runs were a pleasant surprise.

A quick bit of trivia: Who hit more home runs in their career, Welch or Latham? Don't cheat and go to B-Ref because I'll give you the answer in a second. But I was surprised by the answer. Welch hit 16 home runs in 1107 games over his career. Latham hit 27 in 1629 games. Latham also had more career doubles and triples than Welch, although Welch had a higher career slugging percentage.

It's always been my perception that Welch was a vastly better player than Latham but now I'm not certain that it's true. Over their careers, they created about the same number of runs (77 for Latham and 73 for Welch) and both averaged 4.0 runs created per game. Now RC is hardly the end-all and be-all of baseball analysis but it certainly gives us a good idea of the general value of a player and it has Welch and Latham as being equally valuable. If you measure them by WAR, I think Latham might come out a bit ahead.

I really am having a difficult time getting my head around the idea that Latham was measurably as good or better than Welch. There's a lot of ways to slice the pie and I can see both sides of an interesting argument here. I think I'm going to have to write up a post in the near future taking a closer look at this. While I'm at it, I should also do a Caruthers vs. Foutz post because I really don't see much difference between the two even though the general wisdom insists that Caruthers was the better player.

The 1887 World Series: A Hustler From Way Back

George Munson, secretary of the St. Louis ball club, made a flying visit to Boston yesterday to look after some of the details of the great game on the Union grounds next Tuesday in the world's championship series. Mr. Munson, who is acting as advance agent for the club, is known the country over as Von der Ahe's right bower. George is a hustler from way back and is noted for the great amount of work he can accomplish in a short space of time.

Secretary Munson went over to the Union grounds with Superintendent Murnan and inspected the arrangements in progress for the game. The grounds have been greatly improved. All the bad places have been filled up and rolled. The catcher's territory has been evened up by filling in the bicycle track with loam and is in excellent condition. The approaches to each base have been covered with loam and clay and well rolled to permit of all the sliding that either the Browns or Detroits may want to attempt. The seats and grand stand have been repaired and strengthened. Mr. Munson was very much pleased with the condition of the grounds. He said he anticipated an enormous crowd if the advance sale of tickets indicated anything. "Whether there are 10 men or 10,000," said Mr. Munson, "they will see some wonderful ball playing. Your cranks here talk about Johnson being the greatest centre fielder. I'll admit he's a good one, but your Johnson shouters have never seen Curt Welch. Out in St. Louis they thing the equal of Welch doesn't exist and they are pretty near right. Welch covers the whole diamond. As an actual fact he has been known to put a man out at third base. The Browns play altogether different ball from the league clubs you have had in Boston, and whether they win or lose, their style will be a revelation to Boston cranks."

Mr. Munson returned to New York last night and will go to Philadelphia tomorrow to arrange the details of Monday's game in that city.

-Boston Daily Globe, October 15, 1887

Breaking Down The $15,000 Slide

I was going to do this big post breaking down the contemporary accounts of the winning play of the 1886 series and then contrast that with later accounts to show how the myth of the $15,000 Slide developed but Jon David Cash, in Before They Were Cardinals, has already done that and has done it better than I could have. So I'm just going to let him tell the story (and if you haven't read Cash's book, you really should; it's a good read and strong on the Four Time Championship era):

In a relatively recent publication, Lowell Reidenbaugh of the Sporting News described the winning play of the 1886 World Series: "The deciding run was scored in the tenth inning of the final game by Curt Welch. Newspaper accounts of the day reported that Welch scored on a wild pitch. [Modern] history has recorded the play as a steal of home."

The uncertainty surrounding the winning run apparently stems from an account given by Charles Comiskey. In a 1919 biography, Gustav Axelson included Comiskey's recollection of the decisive run. Comiskey stated that Welch was running on the pitch, drew a pitchout, and crossed home safely on a "$15,000 Slide" that gave St. Louis the entire gate receipts of the winner-take-all World Series. Later, Arlie Latham related a similar version of Welch's "steal" to author Robert Smith, who included it in his landmark 1947 work Baseball and other books he wrote on the history of the sport. Together, Axelson and Smith ensured that the former Browns' narrative of the "$15,000 Slide" passed into baseball folklore.

One contemporary newspaper report seems to corroborate part of the description offered by Comiskey and Latham. According to the Chicago News, as soon as third baseman Burns "gave Kelly a signal to catch Welch at third," the Chicago catcher responded by calling a pitchout. A mishap transpired, though, between the Chicago batterymates: "Kelly played away from the plate...but Clarkson put a ball over the plate which Kelly just touched with his fingers and bounded away to the grandstand, while Welch came in with the winning run."

Other nineteenth-century newspapers said nothing about a steal, but instead debated whether Welch scored on a wild pitch or a passed ball. While the Chicago Tribune considered the play a passed ball on the part of Kelly, three St. Louis publications-the Republican, Globe-Democrat, and Sporting News-claimed Clarkson had been guilty of a wild pitch. The Post-Dispatch tried to settle the question by simply asking Kelly. The Chicago catcher seemed willing to accept responsibility ("I would say it was a passed ball"), yet he also emphasized how difficult it was to catch this particular pitch: "I signaled Clarkson for a low ball on one side, and when it came it was high up on the other. It struck my hand as I tried to get it...Clarkson told me that it slipped from his hands."

One might suspect that Comiskey and Latham embellished their tales of the play when they later recalled it, some thirty-three and sixty-one years after Welch scored. But it would be a very smug act on the part of present-day historians to state definitively that they understood an event better than two eyewitnesses. Without photographic evidence of any sort, we must rely on the various first-hand accounts to recreate what may have happened on the "$15,000 Slide." Except for the reminiscences of Comiskey and Latham, no primary sources indicate that Welch was running with the pitch or ever slid across the plate. Still, Comiskey's detailed analysis of the play cannot be altogether dismissed as mere baseball mythology. In fact, the Comiskey/Latham explanation meshes well in some aspects with some of the contemporary newspaper reports. For example, the two old Browns agreed with the Chicago News' assertion that Kelly called for a pitchout. On Clarkson's first pitch to Bushong, Welch danced down the third-base line, straying so far from the bag that Kelly "could have nailed him easily" with a throw. Seeing this, Burns and Kelly cooked up a scheme to trap the reckless Browns' runner in the snare of a pitchout. Meanwhile, Comiskey, stationed at the third-base coaching box, encouraged Welch to take another long lead. This strategy distressed Clarkson, and it would have enabled Welch to get a great start for home on any grounder hit by Bushong.

As the scene actually unfolded, the first of these advantages came into play. Clarkson, aware of Welch's capability to steal home, certainly seemed to ponder the prospect. While Welch scampered down the third-base line, the Globe-Democrat observed the disturbing effect this exerted upon the Chicago pitcher: "Clarkson, who is usually so cool, was visibly nervous. He rolled and twisted the ball around in his hands several times before he got in position to pitch it." A distracted pitcher, under such circumstances, might balk in a run, uncork a wild pitch, or even miss his catcher's signal for a pitchout. It appears plausible that Clarkson simply missed the pitchout signal and later, rather than admitting his mental mistake to Kelly, presented instead the physical alibi of a pitch that "slipped from his hands." So at the same moment Kelly moved away from the plate in expectation of a low outside pitchout that would allow him to make a quick throw to third, Clarkson let go a high inside fastball designed to jam Bushong and force a futile infield pop-up. Kelly barely managed to reach back and get his fingers on the ball, but he could not prevent it from rolling all the way to the grandstand as Welch scored the winning run.

The only question left to resolve is precisely what Welch did once the pitch was released. It is possible to surmise that Welch instantly recognized the miscommunication between the Chicago batterymates, and as soon as the ball left Clarkson's hand, galloped ahead thinking he could reach home before Kelly ever got the errant pitch. However, Ed Sheridan, reporting in both the Republican and the Sporting News, strongly suggested otherwise with his brief notation: "Welch trotted home." This same comment also indicates that, in all probability, Welch did not slide home.

The 1886 World Series: Game Six, Part Two

The afternoon was dark and cloudy, and every moment it looked like rain. The threatening weather, however, did not keep the people away, and long before the time of calling the game every available seat was taken. The tops of the grand stand were utilized and a couple of thousand were content to stand back of the right foul line along the fence. By turn-stile count the attendance was 11,500. About 2:15 o'clock Mr. H. Clay Sexton and President Von Der Ahe appeared on the field. The Browns were stopped in their practice and called to the plate. Mr. Sexton, in a brief speech, presented Bushong with a handsome silver tea set, a gift from the members of the Merchants' Exchange. The set was manufactured by the E. Jaccard Jewelry Company. Mr. Sexton also assured the audience that the game was to be for blood, and that it was not a hippodrome. Grace Pierce was chosen umpire. He favored the Chicagos every time it was possible for him to do so. It was precisely 2:18 o'clock when time was called. The Chicagos were first at bat. Caruthers' work in the opening innings was anything but encouraging. He was batted much harder than the score shows. The outfielders were kept busy, and they did their work well. It was just the opposite with Clarkson.

He appeared to be in his best form and the Browns could not touch his deceptive balls. The side was retired on flies. Gore's went to O'Neil. Kelly's to Caruthers and Anson's to Foutz. For the Browns, Latham went out from pitcher to first. Caruthers struck and Bushong got his base on balls, but Gleason left him by striking out. In the second inning the Chicagos scored their first run. Pfeffer brought it in. He also scored the Chicagos' other two runs-a remarkable feature of the game. He made a safe hit to right and stole down to second, while Bushong's only passed ball let him go to third. Caruthers successfully struck out the next two men-Williamson and Burns-but Ryan made a single to left and Pfeffer came in. Dalrymple's liner to Welch retired the side. Comiskey, for the home club, went out at first on his grounder to Williamson, Welch struck out and Foutz knocked a fly to right. It looked to be safe, but Ryan made a run after it and caught it in fine style.

In the third, Gore went all the way to third base on Latham's wild throw of his grounder to first, after Caruthers had made a remarkable catch of a foul fly from Clarkson's bat. Kelly knocked a grounder to third, and Gore started to come in, but Latham's good throw to Bushong cut him off by several feet. The Browns were again retired in order. Pfeffer scored his second run in the fourth. He was the first batter, and almost the very first ball that Caruthers pitched to him he knocked into the right-field seats, and made the circuit of the bases before Foutz could recover the ball. In this same inning the Chicagos had two men left on bases, and only unfortunate batting prevented them from scoring runs. Williamson went out on a fly to Foutz and Burns made a drive to left for a single. Ryan knocked a liner to O'Neil, and Dalrymple batted the ball so slowly in the direction of second that he got his base before the ball could be handled quick enough to throw him out. A wild pitch advanced him to second and sent Burns to third. Clarkson's fly to Welch, however, left them both. Once more the Browns went out in order, Caruthers, O'Neil and Gleason coming to the bat.

The Chicagos were put out quickly, and on easy plays in the fifth. Gore and Anson went out from second to first, and Kelly from third to first. For the Browns, Welch went out from short to first, Welch struck out and Foutz's fly to right was captured by Ryan. The Chicagos' last run was made in the sixth. Pfeffer again scoring it. He knocked an easy grounder to second, which Robinson should have stopped without any trouble but he let it roll through him. Foutz backed up Robinson, and when the ball came to him he let it get by him. These two bad errors enabled Pfeffer to go all the way around to third and Williamson's fly to Foutz brought him in. Burns and Ryan, the next two men, were retired on easy flies. Robinson and Latham both struck out for the Browns and Bushong knocked the ball to Pfeffer, who easily threw him out. The Chicagos were retired in order in the seventh. Caruthers, the first batsman for the Browns, struck out. O'Neil then came to the bat and made the first hit, and was retired at third in the manner mentioned above. Gleason was thrown out at first on a bunt to Clarkson, although he came very near making his base. The Chicagos could now do nothing with Caruthers' pitching and went quickly. It was here, though, that the Browns made their three runs and tied the score. Comiskey made a good beginning by knocking the leather safely to right for a single. Welch made a safe hit to third, sending Comiskey made a good beginning by knocking the leather safely to right for a single. Welch made a safe hit to third, sending Comiskey to second. The latter went to third on a passed ball and scored on Foutz's sacrifice fly to center. Robinson went out on a fly to Anson, and Bushong got his base on balls. Latham now came to bat. Two strikes had been called on him when he lifted the ball to extreme left for three bases, sending Welch and Bushong home. Caruthers out from Burns to first left Latham on third.

Williamson opened the ninth for the Chicagos by striking out, but Burns followed with a two-bagger. The latter went to third on a sacrifice by Ryan, but Dalrymple left him by striking out. O'Neil was the first batter for the Browns and he sent the ball sailing to the right. It looked to be good for two bases, but Ryan jumped for it and made one of the most remarkable catches ever seen on the grounds. Gleason went out on a foul to Kelly and Comiskey from third to first. The tenth inning was commenced. Clarkson struck out and both Gore and Kelly knocked flies to left field. Welch was the first batsman for the Browns. He took a position pretty close to the plate and Clarkson hit him with the ball. Welch took first, Anson protested and a wrangle ensued. The umpire finally called Welch back, claiming that he tried to get hit with the ball. To the great delight of the audience, however, Welch knocked the first ball that was pitched to him for a single to center field. Foutz was the next man to handle the stick. He batted a grounder back of the pitcher, between short and first. Williamson made a run for it and fumbled it. Foutz, of course, got safe on the error, and Welch went to second. Robinson advanced both men on his sacrifice from short to first. With a man on second and another on third and only one out, the chances were good for a run. Bushong came to the bat, but he did not get an opportunity to hit the ball. Clarkson, who is usually so cool, was visibly nervous. He rolled and twisted the ball around in his hands several times before he got in position to pitch it. He finally delivered it, but it was far over Kelly's head. The latter made no effort to get it, and like the other member of the team, stood in a half dazed manner and watched Welch come in with the deciding run. The Chicagos packed up their bats and got off the grounds as quickly as possible.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 24, 1886

I going to discuss the "$15,000 Slide" in a separate post in a few days, after I finish covering the series itself. It's rather interesting that what has been described as the most famous play in the history of 19th century baseball was neither a slide nor worth $15,000. But I'll get into that latter. For now, the Browns are the 1886 world's champions and the rooster makes another appearance at TGOG. The series, itself, may not have been a great display of baseball but game six was certainly a humdinger. It's absolutely on the list of 19th century baseball games I'd like to have attended.

One thing that should be noted, in light of the discussions we've had about the attendance figures for the series, the Globe states that the attendance figure for game six was taken from the turnstile count.

The 1886 World Series: Game Six, Part One

The St. Louis Browns are champions of the world at the national game of base ball for another year at least. That was decided at Sportsman's Park yesterday afternoon by their great victory over the Chicagos in the sixth game of the world's championship series. No one-not even the most devoted friends and admirers of the Chicagos-can dispute their right to the title, or can say that it was won in anything but a fair, square and honest manner. The struggle was not such a hard one for the Browns, after all. Taking everything into consideration, they won the battle with comparative ease. Their victory, however, was not due to any luck, but was only secured by playing a superior game of ball. Their hard, steady and all-pull-together style of playing landed them on top on more than one occasion when defeat seemed inevitable. The Chicagos are an excellent team of ball players, but, as has already been mentioned, they are out of their class when they face the Browns in a contest, as has been plainly shown in the six games played between them. The Browns have made more runs, more hits, more total bases, less errors, have presented stronger batteries, and outplayed the Chicagos all around. It does not require any more facts to convince people which is the better club. Since the initial game was played in Chicago last Monday, there have been a number of people shouting hippodrome and claiming that the Chicagos would win the series without any trouble; that they were merely toying with the Browns; that they were merely working things to increase the gate receipts, but yesterday's play dispelled all suspicion.

The contest between the two clubs yesterday afternoon was the most exciting and most brilliantly played game ever seen in St. Louis, or any other city, in the history of the national sport. It was the hardest battle of all the six games, and it was not decided until a wild pitch allowed Welch to cross the plate with the winning run in the tenth inning. The Chicagos started out to play in a manner that meant business and it looked like defeat for the Browns. The home club never once gave up, though, and with the score standing 3 to 0 against them at the end of the seventh inning they played just as hard and steady as they did at the opening of the game. For six straight innings they went to the bat and six straight times they were retired without a hit, much less a run, or anything that looked like one. Bushong got his base in the first inning, but never advanced from the bag. In the seventh inning O'Neil made the first hit of the game for the Browns. He drove the ball far up in the air and out in the field beyond all reach of the fielders for three bases. But Jim in his effort to make third in safety, ran over the bag. The ball was fielded quickly and returned to Burns and as O'Neil went over the base, he was touched by the ball and put out. This terrible luck did not dishearten the Browns but they kept striving to get a run. In the seventh they tied the score and Latham assisted no little in doing it. With one run in, two men on the bases, two men out and two strikes and three balls called on Latham, the latter lifted the sphere to the left field over Dalrymple's head for three bases, sending in the two men.

The demonstrations on the part of the spectators when the score was tied was such that has never been equaled at any game of base ball before. The immense crowd seemed to go crazy. They yelled and cheered until they grew hoarse. Men and boys shook hands and embraced each other, turned summersaults on the grand-stand and in the field, and many actually wept tears of joy. The air was full of hats, handkerchiefs and umbrellas, and it was nearly five minutes before the crowd could be quieted sufficiently to go on with the game. It was a sight that will never be forgotten by those who were present. But the scene in the tenth inning when the winning run was scored and the Browns had secured the championship is almost beyond description. As soon as Welch had crossed the plate and the 10,000 people who filled the grand-stands and stood in rows ten or twelve deep in a circle around the field, more than half of them made a grand rush for the players, yelling and making all manner of noises and demonstrations. As soon as they would run up against a man in the Browns' uniform they would throw him upon their backs and carry him off the field. The entire nine were taken to the dressing-room in this manner. At various places in and around the park a crowd would congregate, and when some one would propose three cheers for the championship, they would be given with a will. Everybody was happy and everybody wanted to shake hands with everybody else. A crowd numbering perhaps 3,000 lingered around the park until after the members of the club had dressed. Wherever one of them was seen, a big crowd immediately circled around and cheer him heartily. It was long after dark before Sportsman's Park and vicinity had settled down to its usually quiet state. It is not likely that such scenes of enthusiasm will be seen again at St. Louis base ball parks for a long time to come.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 24, 1886

I thought it would be a good idea to divide this rather long article into two parts and I'll have the second half, which is the inning by inning account of game six, tomorrow. There will be much more on game six and the aftermath of the 1886 series in the days to come.

Curt Welch On Hand Ball

I was talking to Curt Welch, the Browns' centre fielder, on the preliminary practice usually taken y clubs in the early spring. "I am a great believer in good, honest athletic exercise in the gymnasium," he remarked, "but my hobby is hand ball. I believe you can get more solid benefit out of hand ball than in any other mode of exercise. To play the game as it should be played will develop all the muscles that are called into play on the diamond. It sharpens a man's appetite for physical culture, stimulates his muscular powers, and keeps him hustling to excel in his work. It brightens up the eye, is a damper on sluggishness, and calls into play a fellow's best energies. It's no game for a lazy man, but on the contrary has physically bettered many and many a player who might otherwise be inclined to inactivity. Just give me plenty of systematic hand ball exercise and I'll be in good condition to play ball for all that's in me all summer."

If Curt's field work is any criterion of his love of hand ball, its general adoption by the fraternity in general could find no better endorsement.

-Sporting Life, March 9, 1887

The World's Champion Fielder

East Liverpool in Major Leagues.-Curtis Welsch played with the Crockery City team in 1877, '78, '79, '80, '81, '82. Then he was sent by Manager W.J. Calhoun to Toledo where he played two years. He went to St. Louis in 1885 and remained there for three consecutive years as a member of the great St. Louis Browns, owned by the famed Cris Von Der Ahe and managed by Charles Comiskey. Welch became the "World's Campion Fielder." He was finally sold to the Philadelphia Americans and finished his career with the Cincinnati Nationals. He passed away in East Liverpool in 1896.

-Harold B. Barth, History of Columbiana County, Ohio

Curt Welch was twenty-two years old during his first major league season with Toledo in 1884. Therefore, if I'm doing the math correctly, he was fifteen when he started with the Crockery City club. I've stated a few times that most of the guys that Von der Ahe sold off after the 1887 season had peaked as players. Welch was not one of them. He was only twenty-five when he was sold to Philadelphia and was a very good everyday player through 1891.

Barth leaves out a few of the clubs that Welch played for, including Baltimore in 1890 and 1891, Brooklyn in 1892 and Louisville in 1893. Welch was still a young man when his major league career ended, being only 31 years old. However, he was an alcoholic and basically drank himself out of baseball. His drinking cost him jobs with both Baltimore and Cincinnati. In 1894 and 1895, he played with Syracuse of the Eastern League but by then he was already showing signs of the consumptive illness that took his life in 1896.

Comiskey On The 1886 World Series: Kelly's $10,000 Error

During the year before we had won the American Association pennant, and played out the post season series with Anson's White Sox of the National League for the world honors. Although the deciding game was called a tie. I have always maintained that the honors should justly have gone to the Browns. As a result of the discussion, when we were arrayed against the White Sox the next season for a similar series, we agreed that the winning team should take the entire gate receipts, half of which was to go to the players. In some ways I think it was the most exciting duel in the history of Baseball. There was a cool twenty thousand dollars hinging on the result.

Of the first three games, played in Chicago, the White Sox won two, and came down to St. Louis, confident of an easy victory, only to run into two straight defeats, which left the odds one game in our favor when the sixth contest of the series was called. Realizing that it was their last chance of evening the score and forcing an extra game, Anson's men opened the battle with such a display of ginger that for seven innings they led us 3 to 0. In the eighth inning with three of our men on bases Dalrymple misjudged a fly, and we tied the count.

With a small fortune hinging on the result, the game went into extra innings, while a special train waited on a siding to carry both teams to Cincinnati for the deciding contest if the White Sox forced over another run. It was one of the few times of my life that I realized I had nerves.

In the tenth inning Curt Welch got around to third. When Bushong went to the bat, we knew that if he made a safe hit twenty thousand dollars and the world's championship were ours. Curt did not have his superior as a base stealer, either in those days or these. With the first ball thrown he was well off third. I saw that he didn't intend to wait for Bushong, but that he was going to risk a dash for home at the first chance offered him. "King" Kelly, behind the bat, saw it also, and motioned to Clarkson in the box for a high one inside, with the intention of snipping Welch with a snap throw.

It was then that the costliest blunder of the diamond occurred, Kelly's famous ten thousand dollar passed ball. Clarkson followed his instructions and Kelly extended his hands for an easy catch. I saw the ball settle between his fingers, saw Kelly's arm go back, and knew that if he made connections with third Welch was doomed. It was as though the breath of every person in the bleachers had suddenly been shut off. And then we saw the ball roll from Kelly's fingers behind him and the "King" scrambling wildly after it. Just how it happened I have never been quite able to understand. Probably Kelly was suffering from over-strained nerves like the rest of us, and at the critical moment they broke.

In the same instant, Welch, grasping the situation, sprinted like an escaping convict for the home plate. When a dozen feet away, he threw himself flat on his face in a desperate head foremost slide. A cloud of yellow dust settled over him, and when it cleared we saw him still on his face with the tips of his right fingers touching the plate, and Kelly thumping his shoulders. But the decision was ours.

I still have that ball, with the score on it in gilt letters, among my trophies. Perhaps I am unduly sentimental. but you must pardon a veteran!

-Charles Comiskey, Thirty-Seven Years of Baseball (Pearson's Magazine, Volume 31)

This is as good and concise an account of what Bill James called the most famous play in 19th century baseball I've ever read. Of course, according to Comiskey, twenty-eight years after the fact, the $15,000 slide was actually worth $10,000 (or $20,000, depending on how you look at it). He also seems rather certain of the fact that the play was a passed ball rather than a straight steal. Maybe we should start calling it Kelly's $10,000 error rather than Welch's $15,000 slide.

Comiskey's Thirty-Seven Years of Baseball is a nice little article and worth a read. There's some good stories about Cap Anson and King Kelly in it that you might find interesting.

The Browns In San Francisco

California League Base Ball Grounds

End of Haight street Cable Road

Saturday, January 7th, at 2:30 P.M.

St. Louis Browns vs. Haverlys!

Sunday, January 8th, at 11 A.M.

Hardies vs. Keane Bros.

at 2 P.M.

St. Louis Browns vs. New Yorks!

-Daily Evening Bulletin, January 6, 1888

To-morrow at the Haight street Grounds will be played the game of the winter season, being the opening contest between the St. Louis Browns and the New Yorks, and an immense attendance is expected.  Notwithstanding this fact the management has decided not to increase the price of admission.

-Daily Evening Bulletin, January 7, 1888

Making the trip and playing for the Browns was King, Bushong, Comiskey, McPhee, Latham, Robinson, O'Neill, Welch and Foutz.  Keefe, Brown, Ewing, Richardson, Denny, Ward, Tiernan, Van Haltren and Fogarty were scheduled to play for New York.  

The base ball game at the Haight street grounds Saturday afternoon was not an exciting one.  Only about one thousand people were on the grounds.  The St. Louis Club won the game by a score of 14 to 4, the playing of the Haverlys being very poor.  Twelve base hits were made off Incell and ten off Foutz.  The Haverlys made 9 errors and the St. Louis club 3.

A large crowd witnessed the first game of the series of three between the New York Giants and the St. Louis Browns which took place at the Haight street Grounds yesterday.  It was considered the best game ever played in this State, and few better games have ever been played anywhere.  The game resulted in a victory for the Browns by a score of 1 to 0.

-Daily Evening Bulletin, January 9, 1888

Notwithstanding the intense cold several thousand people assembled at the Haight street Grounds yesterday afternoon to witness the second of the series of base-ball games between the St. Louis Brownd and the New York Giants.  The game was an excellent one, each club doing its best to win.  Van Haltren's pitching proved too much for the Browns, and not one hit was made off his deliverys, while the New Yorkers secured nine hits off King's pitching.

  -Daily Evening Bulletin, January 16, 1888

New York won the second game by a score of 5-0.  The Browns were scheduled to play a local club, the G. & M.'s, on January 21st and the third and final game of their series against New York on the 22nd but I didn't find any reports of those games.

Nearly all the Eastern ball-players have returned to their homes, the contingent now in this city being Foutz of the Browns, Williamson and Carroll of the Chicagoes, Brown and Denny of the New Yorks and Irwin, Wood and Fogarty of the Philadelphias, and these players will remain until the opening of the Eastern season.  The winter season on this coast has been a financial failure, owing chiefly to the bad weather; but the lack of public interest in exhibition games was another prominent factor.

-Daily Evening Bulletin, January 25, 1888

These were the final games of the Browns' "Big Trip" which took them to Memphis, Nashville, Atlanta, Charleston, New Orleans and, finally, San Francisco.  It seems that their opponent for most of the trip was the Chicago White Stockings.  Interestingly, it was during this trip, which began on October 30, 1887, that Von der Ahe sold off Caruthers, Foutz, Gleason, Welch and Bushong.  Jon David Cash, in Before They Were Cardinals, writes that "Foutz, Bushong, and Welch had a chance to complete their careers with the Browns in one last blaze of glory.  For Welch, the games seemed so important that he disregarded an urgent message to return home to his wife, who had just given birth to twin boys, and instead stayed in San Francisco through the Christmas holidays."

Curt Welch's Obit

Curtis Benton Welch, the ball player, died at an early hour this morning at his home in (East Liverpool, Ohio) of consumption.

Welch became famous as a member of the St. Louis Browns, which won the championship so many times. He was a brilliant fielder, and some of his catches are in history as the most daring efforts in that line. The man had no fear of personal injury and would plunge headlong for the ball. At the bat he would brave the fastest pitching. He frequently permitted the ball to hit him in order to secure a base.

Curtis Welch, the peerless outfielder, was a native of Liverpool, O. and was born in 1862. In 1883 he secured his first engagement to play centerfield with Toledo. He remained with the club during the season of 1884, and in 1885 was sold to St. Louis.

During 85, 86, 87, 88 and a part of 89 he continued with the Browns, and in that time built up his reputation of king pin outfielder of the world. In 1890 he was with the Athletics of Philadelphia, and at the end of that year went to Baltimore.

Welch was, without a doubt, one of the most "heady" ball players in the profession. He knew every point of the game and never lost an opportunity to take advantage of his knowledge. As a fielder he had no superior, and his batting was always steady and reliable. He covered immense amount of territory and his coolness and good judgement made him a terror to catchers when he was on the bases.

"Curt" was called tricky, but never by the members of the team he played upon. Some of his methods were not in precise accord with the rules of the game, but by them he made runs, and the public, wherever he played, was more than satisfied.

He was a man who would rather miss his dinner than a game, and he took defeat sorely to heart. He was always for his team and never for Welch.

He played with Baltimore in 92. In 93 he went to Louisville, which was his last year in the big league. His last engagement was at Syracuse last year.

-Boston Daily Globe, August 30, 1896

The Color Line Has Been Drawn

A COLOR LINE IN BASEBALL

THE ST. LOUIS BROWNS REFUSE TO PLAY WITH THE CUBAN GIANTS

Philadelphia, Sept. 11.-The Philadelphia Times will say to-morrow that for the first time in the history of baseball the color line has been drawn, and that the "world's champions," the St. Louis Browns, are the men who have established the precedent that white players must not play with colored men. There have been little dissensions before, but only about a player here and there. The Browns were in open revolt last night. Some time ago President Von Der Ahe arranged for his club to play an exhibition game at West Farms, near New York, with the Cuban Giants, the noted colored club. He was promised a big guarantee, and it was expected that fully 15,000 persons would be present. The game was to have been played to-day, and President Von Der Ahe yesterday purchased railroad tickets for all his players and made all the arrangements for the trip. While he was at supper at the Continental Hotel last night thinking over the misfortune that had befallen Capt. Comiskey, he was approached by "Tip" O'Neill, the heavy slugging left fielder, who laid out a letter on the table and then hastily slipped out of the room. The letter read as follows:

Philadelphia, Penn., Sept. 10.
To Chris Von Der Ahe, Esq.:
Dear Sir: We, the undersigned members of the St. Louis Baseball Club, do not agree to play against negroes to-morrow. We will cheerfully play against white people at any time, and think, by refusing to play, we are only doing what is right, taking everything into consideration and the shape the team is in at the present.

W.A. Latham, John Boyle, J.E. O'Neill, R.L. Caruthers, W.E. Gleason, W.H. Robinson, Charles King, Curt Welch.

President Von Der Ahe did not wait to finish his meal. He left the table hastily and went downstairs into the corridor, where he found the players talking in a group. The sudden appearance of their manager among them surprised the players and they acted like a ship's crew about to mutiny. When Von Der Ahe asked the meaning of the letter he had just received, nobody answered him. "Yank" Robinson hung his head and sneaked to the rear of the crowd. "Silver" King opened his mouth, but his tongue refused to move, and even Arlie Latham, whose jaws are always going, couldn't get out a word. Receiving no reply, President Von Der Ahe said quietly: "As it seems to be a matter of principle with you, you need not play to-morrow."

President Von Der Ahe said to a Times reporter to-night: "I am sorry to have disappointed the people of West Farms to-day, as I always fulfill my engagements. I was surprised at the action of my men, especially as they knew a week ago that the game was arranged, and yet they waited until the very last minute before they informed me of their opposition."

The St. Louis players were not disposed to talk of their action. Latham, Boyle, and O'Neill were the leaders, it is said, and they had considerable trouble in securing the signatures of some of the men. Capt. Comiskey didn't know anything about the matter, and Knouff refused to sign the letter. They ad played with the Cuban Giants once before last season, and they seemed to enjoy it better than a contest with white players. Curtis Welch, the centre fielder, played with the Toledo Club when The Walker, the colored player, was a member of the team. "I think some of the boys wanted a day to themselves," said Capt. Comiskey. "They have played against colored clubs before without a murmur and I think they are sorry for their hasty action already."

The Cuban Giants were originally organized at Trenton about two years ago as an independent club. This season they have been in various places in close proximity to New York City. They are good players and the team has made money. They have played games with the Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, Louisville, Athletic, and other prominent clubs, and this is the first time that any club has refused to play with them on account of their color. The International League recently adopted a resolution prohibiting the employment of colored players by its clubs. This was caused by opposition from the players, who objected to playing with Second Baseman Grant, of the Buffalo Club, and colored Pitcher Stovey, of the Newark Club.

-The New York Times, September 12, 1887


I think that the significance of the Browns' refusal to play the Cuban Giants in 1887 has been overstated and, while it does not reflect well on the club, the reasons for it are more complex than is usually stated.

Comiskey, who due to injury was not with the team at the time, said that the reason for the Browns' refusal to play the Cuban Giants was that the players did not want to give up their day off just to play an exhibition game. The Browns were in Philadelphia at the time, playing the Athletics. They had a game on September 9th and 10th, a day off, a game on the 12th, had to travel to Baltimore , and then play three games against the Orioles on the 14th and 15th. According to the Globe-Democrat, several of the players had tickets to a Philadelphia theatre on the 11th. The desire for a night on the town, coupled with the team's schedule, and the injuries that the team was suffering led to the refusal to play the exhibition game.

Under this interpretation, the reasons stated in the letter to Von der Ahe for the refusal to play the exhibition game was merely a pretext. The fact that the desire not to play baseball with African-Americans would be a socially acceptable pretext says more about that day and age than it does about baseball in general or the Browns specifically.

The conventional interpretation of this event has the Browns in "revolt" or "on strike" because of the racism that was systemic in baseball. The incident is then used to support a specific narrative about the creation and sustainment of the color barrier. However, there is a very real possibility that the conventional interpretation is wrong. It's possible that all that was going on was that a physically beat up team in the middle of grinding road trip who had already clinched a pennant and were looking at a postseason series in a few weeks just wanted to enjoy their day off.

Comiskey, Dave Foutz, and Doc Bushong were all in St. Louis getting treatment for injuries and the Browns were down to nine players. Curt Welch, Bob Caruthers, and Yank Robinson were banged up but had to play because the team had no other option. The Browns couldn't put nine healthy players on the field but Von der Ahe wanted them to play an exhibition game on a scheduled day off.

Von der Ahe stated that "(if) it was a question of principle with any of my players, I would not say a word, but it is not." Comiskey reminded that Globe that the Browns had played the Cuban Giants, as well as other African-American teams, in the past with no problems and said that "I think some of the boys wanted a day to themselves." So at the time all of this went down neither Von der Ahe nor Comiskey believed that the players were refusing to play the Cuban Giants because of the color of their skin.

Von der Ahe obviously lost money because of the cancellation of the game but he also had to reach a financial settlement with Giant's owner John Bright. Supposedly, there was some kind of contractual arrangement with regards to the game and tickets had already been sold. Bright demanded financial compensation for his losses and Von der Ahe was forced to pony up. He told the Globe that "(the) refusal of my men to play the Cuban Giants cost me at least $1000..."

The idea that this event created the color line in baseball is simply not accurate. While I'm not an expert on the color line or black baseball, the above Times article states that the International League had already passed laws "prohibiting the employment of colored players" and as early as 1867 the National Association moved to exclude African-Americans from their league. These events are certainly more significant than the Browns' actions in 1887. While the Browns refusal to play the Cuban Giants can be seen as a milestone on the road to the establishment of the color line, if looked at in context the idea that the Browns "established the precedent that white players must not play with colored men" is ridiculous.

News Of Such A Startling Character

A dispatch from St. Louis says the proposed new baseball League in the East is creating alarm among the stockholders of the St. Louis Browns. President Von der Ahe, since his return from the East, has had several conferences with other stockholders in the club, and he has imparted to them news of such a startling character that many of them are publicly asserting that baseball in the West next year will be practically dead. The President of the Browns says that Day, Byrne, and Barnie are heartily in favor of the scheme, and that if they pulled the other strong Eastern clubs into line the scheme would be adopted. "Without the big Eastern clubs," said he, "the business would go to smash, and if war was declared the East would have the advantage from the beginning." Foutz, Welch, and Bushong of the home team are to be traded off or sold, and if the proposed Eastern League is an assured fact the stars of the Browns will doubtless be sold and St. Louis will be contented with its little Western League Club.

-The New York Times, November 20, 1887


The rumor about the Eastern clubs splitting off to form their own league is relatively interesting and I was vaguely aware of it but the idea that this potential threat was one of the reasons for the Browns' sell-off in 1887 is a new one to me. I'm not certain that I'm buying it. There were already enough reasons for the fire sale (which I've written about before on a few occasions) without complicating the matter with rumors of potential threats to the Browns' viability. Most likely, this news was disseminated to the stockholders and the public in order to lessen a potential uproar over the breaking up of the championship team. It was probably easier to say that we need to move these players to strengthen our financial position in the face of a grave threat from the Eastern clubs rather than to talk about how Von der Ahe needed to squeeze more money out of the Browns' in order to fund his other ventures, how Comiskey was unhappy with attitudes of some of his star players, and how Von der Ahe felt it was in the Browns' best interests to strengthen some of the other AA clubs.

The 1886 Lone Jack Cigarette Cards

The 1886 Lone Jack Cigarette card set is, according to David Rudd Cycleback, among the rarest of 19th century tobacco inserts. Issued by the Lone Jack Cigarette Co. of Lynchburg, Virginia, the set contains thirteen players from the Browns. The pictures used for the cards were taken from the Old Judge set.

The images above are of the Bob Caruthers, Tip O'Neill, and Curt Welch cards.

Bill Gleason

According to Baseball Reference, Bill Gleason was traded with Curt Welch to the Philadelphia Athletics on November 21, 1887 for Fred Mann, Chippy McGarr, Jocko Milligan, and $3,000. This, of course, was part of the Browns' big fire sale. The image above is Gleason's Old Judge Card from 1888, the only season he played with Philadelphia.

Curt Welch

He of the $15,000 slide.

Curt Welch, the center fielder of the St. Louis Browns, when they were winning American Association and World's Championships in the eighties, was by long odds the greatest fielder of his day.

Welch was a rough diamond, uncouth, uneducated but a born athlete and player.

He did more than his share in the winning of championships for the St. Louis Browns during their wonderful success in the eighties.

Welch at this time was one of the most enthusiastic and aggressive players in the business. In fierce and offensive play he had no superiors. He would take any chance when running the bases and would buck a stone wall if that sort of thing was necessary.

He was a fine, plucky player, being always a good man in the breach and it was his ability to hit the ball when a hit was needed, or to steal a base when the steal meant a victory, that won many a game for his side.

But it was at fielding the ball that Welch excelled all other fielders of his day.

It was claimed that his skill in fielding the ball was due to his keen sense of hearing. It was said that he could tell by the sound of the crack of the bat just how far the ball was going to go. One thing is certain, no man that has ever played at center has excelled Welch when it came to rapid work in the field. In judging all kinds of high hits Welch was superb. He covered a great stretch of ground and seldom went after the ball without landing it.

In base running, too, he had no equal when it came to terrific head slides.

From The National Game

Bill James, in The Historical Baseball Abstract, wrote that "Curt Welch's '$15,000 slide' is the most famous play of 19th century baseball. Recent writers have for some reason taken to questioning whether Welch actually slid across the plate. G.W. Axelson in his 1919 biography of Comiskey (Commy) quotes Comiskey about the play, and Comiskey clearly states that Welch slid."

From Welch's obituary in The East Liverpool (Ohio) Review, August 31, 1894:

Curtis Benton Welch...was born on his father's farm near Williamsport, Feb. 10, 1862. He went to the village school, and when the family took up residence in this city he worked in the pottery.

In April of 1884 he married Miss Anna Boyle of Salineville and the union was blessed with two children.

In the spring of 1877 the famous Crockery City ball club was at the Cleveland and Pittsburgh station about to take a train to Steubenville. The catcher...was ailing with an injured hand and much doubt was expressed to the outcome of the game. Someone noticed a shy youth in the crowd of admirers present, and suggested they give Curt Welch a chance to prove his ability.

He accepted the position and did so well that his local reputation was made. Not a ball passed him that day and his brilliant playing was applauded. During the remainder of the season he played on several occasions with the club and the following spring was the prime mover in the organization of the Stars. He was a pitcher at this time and played well, but the Crockery City boys defeated the Stars in a series of seven games.

Welch became a member of the team and remained with them until June of 1883 and was regarded as the best player in the city. He could fill any position well and his fame soon spread through the surrounding country.

Then his professional career began. Toledo was the champion of the North-western league and Welch was signed by the management in June. His salary was fixed at $110 a month and he remained with the organization for two years. Welch played winning ball in those days, and few men have been accorded the reception given him in Toledo. His principal friends were Barclay and Mulane...and the trio were signed by Von Der Ahe, for his Association team in St. Louis in the winter of 1885. Welch was placed in middle field and played his position such as it had never before been filled. He was the admiration of the base ball world and his praises were sung in all parts of the country. The St. Louis Browns were champions of the Association at that time, and Welch was the favorite of the team. Von Der Ahe was offered $10,000 for his release but would not part with him. In 1888 when his base ball venture was not what he desired, the manager released Welch for $6,000 to the Athletics of Philadelphia and he played at the highest salary, $3,300, ever paid an outfielder. He also got $450 a season for filling the position of captain, and was never found wanting at a critical point.

In 1891 he signed with Baltimore through one season and part of the next. Released in 1893 he went to Cincinnati and played for a short time under his old manager, Comiskey, but he was not the player of his youth and soon went to Louisville. Here it was developed that he could not stay in the big league and he did not finish the season. In 1894 he signed with Syracuse and did excellent work until the beginning of the next season, when he was released and taken by Hazelton, Pa. He was released last fall, and signed with Carbondale, Pa. but was too ill when the summer opened to play ball...

Mr. Welch had been a sufferer of consumption but battled bravely against the illness. Several years ago when it first showed itself he felt confident that it would eventually cause his death, as his father and four brother died that way. He had been seriously ill for several months but borne up by the hope that the warm weather would make him much better and he refused to remain in his room. When the conviction was reached that he could not long survive he was forced to remain bedfast. He then lost consciousness and began to sink. On Aug. 28 he was a little better and recognized his family and could carry a little conversation. He then began to sink rapidly and died Aug. 29, too weak to make an effort toward resistance.