Deasley Out; Robinson In

A dispatch was yesterday received from President Von der Ahe, of the St. Louis Club, stating that he had released Tom Deasley, so that it may reasonably be surmised that the latter will go with the New York League Club next season.  Walter Latham expressed his willingness to catch if Deasley were released, and in that case the natty little third base-man will resume his old position as back-stop.  At Boston Mr. Von der Ahe engaged W.H. Robinson, who attracted so much attention last season while with the Baltimore Unions.  He will catch and alternate with Latham at third.  Krehmeyer will probably assist behind the bat, and another experienced catcher will be secured; also a noted infielder, who is a terrific batsman.  The Browns will go into the field better generally in shape than they ever were before, and will have certain positions capably filled for the first time.  At the same time the bad, unreliable and insubordinate element has been gotten rid of, and the team will be one of the best behaved and best disciplined in the base-ball arena.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, December 14, 1884


That last sentence was a shot at Deasley. 

The 1884 Maroons: The Best Game Of The Series

The best game of the first home series between the Baltimore and St. Louis Union Clubs was played yesterday afternoon in the presence of over 6,000 spectators.  The heavy shower that fell between 2 and 3 o'clock kept many from attending and also gave the grounds a thorough wetting.  Nevertheless, the game was called promptly at 3:30, with the diamond in very fair condition.  Before the game was half over it was perfectly dry.  W. Sweeny and Fusselbach were the Baltimore battery, while Taylor and Baker filled similar positions for the home team.  The slippery condition of the ball in the opening innings made the pitchers' work difficult, and as a result two wild pitches were scored against each.  Fusselbach lost the game for his side, making four errors and having two passed balls.  Had he supported Sweeny as he usually does, the St. Louis Unions would, in all probability, now have one defeat to acknowledge.  Each side scored nine hits.  The only two-bagger was credited to Shafer.  Phelan led the batting with three hits out of four times at the plate.  Five of the home team and two of the visitors struck out.  The feature of the game was Seery's great performance in left field.  He made six catches, two of them exceptionally fine, and scored one assist which resulted in a double play.  The crowd cheered him repeatedly and at length.  Rowe, at center, accepted two opportunities and made one superb running catch.  Shafer captured three flies at right and threw two men out at first.  Oberbeck had but two chances and made the most of both, taking one in fine style.  Levis is playing in fine form.  His record was ten put-outs and one assist.  Quinn played first perfectly for the home team.  Dunlap covered second in his inimitable style, and scored five outs and three assists.  Whitehead was charged with two errors and credited with five assists.  His throwing to first is equaled by but few in the profession.  Say did not have many chances.  He made a bad muff, however, at a critical stage.  Dickerson is acting like a regular third baseman instead of the project of an emergency.  Robinson may be a good third baseman, but he appears to have too big a contract when he undertakes to properly cover his position and captain his nine.  In the ninth inning, when two men were on bases and a ball was fielded home from center, he left his base and ran to back up Fusselbach.  The latter got the ball, and Quinn, who was running for the plate, seeing himself cut off, turned back to third.  Without looking to see whether anyone was covering third or not, Fusselbach sent the ball flying over the bag to left, letting in Quinn and Dunlap.  Had Robinson held his position or called upon Say to take it when he left, Quinn would almost certainly have been put out.  

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, May 19, 1884


First of all, as I've stated on a few occasions, Yank Robinson was a hell of a player.  Second, I don't see how the play in the ninth was his fault.  You can blame Ed Fusselback for throwing to an undefended base and, to be fair, the Globe does indeed lay the loss at Fusselback's feet.  Also, Lou Say should have been covering third.  It was just one of those bad plays that Whitey Herzog used to call "horseshit baseball."

Moving on to the What Did Dunlap Do? segment of our show,  the great Fred did his T-800 thing and went two for five with a couple of runs scored.  The man was a machine.  And he also "covered second in his inimitable style."

The Maroons were 17-0 with Tim Murnane's Boston Unions coming to town.  Hopefully, we'll have a sighting of the very young Tommy McCarthy playing outfield for Boston.    

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: Game Three

The Detroits and Browns arrived over the Vandalia this morning from St. Louis on a special train, having made the run from St. Louis in fifteen hours. The day opened cold but clear, and with a brisk wind out of the north that made overcoats rather a welcome article of apparel. There were but few people to welcome the champions at the train, the crowd being confined principally to urchins and depot loungers. The morning was spent by the Browns in wandering about the city, taking in the sights. Towards afternoon the weather clouded considerably, which made it all the colder. After dinner on the dining-car the two teams dressed on the train and were driven to the grounds in hacks, preceded by a brass band. The crowd commenced to gather early, and when the two teams reached the grounds they were welcomed by 7000 people. It was the Browns' first appearance in Detroit, and they were enthusiastically received as they stepped on the field. The audience was thoroughly impartial throughout, and those present will long have cause to remember the struggle as one of the grandest ever fought on a ball field. It was, indeed, a meeting of champion club and they played almost perfect base ball. The final score should have been 1 to 0 in favor of St. Louis but for Kelly's questionable decision in deciding Ganzel safe, he finally making the winning runs. It was unfortunate that both the Detroits' runs were given them on Comiskey's errors-first his wild throw and then his muff. The Browns' captain feels very sore to-night over his errors. Latham set the crowd wild with his coaching, and he was the favorite of the day. He played a magnificent game, too, both at the bat and in the field. Caruthers' work in the box was the feature of the game, the Wolverines being able to get but seven hits off him in thirteen innings. Bushong caught him in perfect style. Getzein was hit freely, but was effective at critical points. Bennett supported him in magnificent style. Deacon White took the honors for the Detroits, doing some wonderful work at third. He also batted well. The work on both sides was so near perfect that individual praise is hardly merited. The Browns could have won a dozen times by one safe hit, but it was not forthcoming. An urchin came very near explaining the cause of defeat. As the Browns drove out of the gate he yelled: "Seventeen hits and one run. Where are your base runners!" Gaffney called the ball and strikes to-day and Kelly the field decisions.

The Game.

First inning-Detroit took the field. As Latham walked up to the plate, cries of "hit it, Arlie," showed that the Browns' third-baseman's fame had traveled even to the far North. The dude waited patiently, and as a reward, was presented with a base on balls. Gleason hit to Dunlap and was thrown out at first. Latham attempted to reach third on the play, but Ganzel's quick throw caught him, and the crowd cheered loudly. O'Neill ended the inning by flying out to Hanlon. Richardson hit to Latham, who threw very wild to Comiskey, but the Browns' captain reached the ball after an effort, receiving some slight applause. Ganzel hit to Comiskey and was retired at first. Rowe hit a sharp one to Richardson and died at first.

Second inning-Comiskey hit the first ball pitched him past Getzein, and as the sphere rolled into center, the Browns' captain trotted to first. Caruthers hit safe to right, and Comiskey went to second. Foutz flew out to Richardson. Welch flew out to Hanlon. Robinson now stepped to the front and hit a high fly which dropped between Hanlon and Dunlup, and Comiskey scored, Caruthers going to second. Robinson stole second. Bushong hit to White, who touched Robinson, making the third man out. Thompson was loudly cheered as he stepped up to the plate. Caruthers pitched three bad balls and then shot two good ones over the plate. On the third Thompson drove a hard ball to left, which O'Neill captured in fine style. White knocked a pop fly which Robinson gathered in. Dunlap hit to Robinson, and retired the side on the latter's assist.

Latham's Amusing Antics.

Third inning-Latham kept the crowd in a roar by his antics at the bat. Finally he changed the laugh to a cheer by driving a line ball to left for a base. Gleason hit to White, who doubled Latham at second, the batter reaching first on the play. O'Neill flew out to Dunlap. Comiskey flew out to White, leaving Gleason on first. Bennett hit a high fly which Welch gathered in his usual easy style. Hanlon hit a high fly which Latham captured. Getzein set the crowd wild by making the first hit scored by the Wolverines. Getzein stole second. Richardson hit a hot one at Caruthers, who fielded the batter out at first, leaving Getzein on second.

Fourth inning-Caruthers hit a hot one at Getzein, who made a clever one-hand stop and threw the batter out at first. Foutz flew out to Dunlap. Welch hit to Deacon White and retired the side on the latter's assist. Ganzel hit a corker to right and the ball got away from Foutz. Before the lean pitcher had recovered the sphere Ganzel had reached third. Rowe flew out to O'Neill, and the crowd groaned. Thompson hit a foul fly which Latham took after a hard run and the Detroits stock fell like lead. "Bring in Jim," shouted Hanlon from the coacher's box, as Deacon White stalked up to the plate, but Jim was unable to save his side, hitting to Latham and going out at first.

Robinson Gets His Base.

Fifth inning-Robinson once more demonstrated that he is a waiter and went to first on five balls. He was thrown out trying to steal second. Getzein continued very wild and Bushong went to first on Balls. Latham hit to White and Bushong was doubled at second. Latham made a great steal of second. Gleason hit an easy bounder to Rowe and died at first, leaving Latham on second. Dunlap hit to Comiskey and died at first. Bennett went to first on balls, Caruthers being unsteady for the first time during the game. Hanlon hit the first ball pitched to right for a base, Bennett going to second. Getzein, who had been hitting Caruthers very hard, struck out, and the Browns' stock went up. Richardson hit to Caruthers, who made a great one-hand stop and threw the batter out at first.

Sixth inning-O'Neill again hit the ball into the air, this time to Hanlon, and sat down. Comiskey hit to center for a base and reached second on Hanlon's wild return to Dunlap. Caruthers foul tipped out. Foutz hit a hard line ball to Thompson, leaving Comiskey on second. The excitement now became intense, and every play was watched with the most intense interest. Ganzel hit to Robinson and was retired at first. Rowe hit an easy ball between Caruthers and Gleason, and reached first amidst the greatest enthusiasm. Thompson drove a terrific ball to Foutz, and Dave this time gathered it in. Rowe stole second. White again had a chance to tie the score, and for the second time retired his side on an easy hit to Caruthers.

Welch Left On Second.

Seventh inning-Welch hit a hard ball along the left foul-line for a couple of bases. Robinson flew out to Dunlap, and Bushong followed suit to Rowe, and everything now depended on Latham. The dude bunted the ball and was thrown out on a very close play, the ball just beating him to first, White making the assist. Dunlap hit a hot one to Gleason, and was thrown out at first. Bennett hit a hard ball at Latham, and was unable to reach the initial bag. Hanlon attempted to bunt the ball, but was thrown out by Caruthers.

Eighth inning-Brother Bill led off with a corker to center for a base. O'Neill advanced him to second on an easy hit to White, on which the batter was thrown out. Comiskey hit to Getzein and was thrown out at first, but Gleason reached third on the play. Caruthers hit a hot one to Gunzel and was retired at first. "Kill it, Getz," shouted the crowd to Detroit's pitcher, as he stepped up to the plate, but Getz, after four frantic attempts to hit the ball, sat down. Richardson was unable to do any better, and although Bushong muffed the fourth strike, he threw the latter out at first. Ganzel hit to Caruthers, who threw wild to first and the batter was safe, the decision being very questionable. This was a chance and the crowd yelled. Rowe bunted the ball and beat it to first. Ganzel started for third, and as Comiskey threw wild the runner crossed the plate with the coveted run. The scene at this point beggers description. Hats, umbrellas and canes were thrown in the air, the owners seeming to care little what became of them. When the enthusiasm had subsided Thompson flew out to Latham, ending the trouble.

White's Wonderful Work.

Ninth inning-Foutz hit to Rowe and died at first. Brown Stocking enthusiasm burst forth when Welch drove a safe hit to center. Robinson hit hot toward third and White made a wonderful stop, forcing Welch at second. Bushong hit to right, and although Dunlap made a great one-hand stop he could not recover in time to catch the Doctor. Latham hit to White and was retired at first, leaving Robinson and Bushong. White hit at Gleason and the ball passed through his legs. Dunlap hit a terrific liner to Foutz, who gathered the ball in and doubled White up, the crowd groaning at first, but breaking out in a cheer at the conclusion of the play. Bennett hit to Latham and was thrown out at first.

Tenth inning-The excitement was now at fever heat. Gleason hit a short fly, which Ganzel gathered in. O'Neill lifted a high fly, which Hanlon, who was playing a very deep field, took in. Hanlon hit to Comiskey and the Browns' Captain was waiting on the bag when the batter arrived. Getzein hit a high fly to short right and Robinson took care of it. Richardson hit to Caruthers, who again threw wild, the ball rolling into the seats. Richardson, owing to ground rules, was only allowed second on the play. Ganzel ended the agony by hitting to Comiskey and dying at first.

The Browns Have Two Men Left.

Eleventh inning-Caruthers bunted the ball to White and beat it out. Foutz hit a terrific liner, which hit Getzein on the right leg and bounded off to Rowe. The runner reached first in safety and Caruthers went to second. Welch flew out to Thompson, without advancing either runner. Robinson could do nothing better than hit the air four times. Bushong flew out to Hanlon and what had promised big results ended in a blank. Rowe hit a high fly, which Welch gathered in. Thompson hit a terrific grounder to Latham, and the dude retired the big right-fielder on a perfect throw to Comiskey. White hit a line ball to O'Neill, and the eleventh inning was at a close with the score still a tie.

Twelfth inning-Latham hit past White for a base. Gleason hit to Dunlap and was thrown out at first, but Latham reached second on the play. It was once more the giant batter's turn at the bat. O'Neill hit a high fly which Dunlap captured, but Latham made a daring break for third and as he landed safe the crowd cheered. He was left, however, as Comiskey hit to Rowe and died at first. Dunlap hit a high fly to right when Robinson captured after a hard run. Bennett hit a high foul fly which Latham caught almost off the open seats. Hanlon hit to Robinson and was thrown out at first, and once more the teams were on even terms.

The Winning Run.

Thirteenth inning-Caruthers hit hard to right but the ball rose too high, and when it landed it was between Thompson's hands. Foutz hit a high fly, which Hanlon took on a hard run. Welch hit a corker to center. Robinson again had a chance to distinguish himself, and again failed ignominiously, striking out. Getzein hit a high fly, which dropped between Comiskey and Foutz, either of whom could have taken it. Richardson hit to Robinson and was thrown out at first, Getzein going to second. Ganzel hit to Robinson, who made a beautiful stop and throw, retiring the batter, Getzein going to third. It was now Rowe's chance to even the game. He hit a hot one to Robinson, and as Comiskey muffed the throw, Getzein shot across the plate with the winning run. With one yell the crowd sprang into the field, and cheer after cheer rent the air. The Detroit players were given an ovation, while the Browns, too, came in for their share of the applause, and thus ended one of the greatest ball games ever played in the United States.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 13, 1887

Kind of a shocking end to a good game. It's odd seeing Comiskey as the goat but these things happen.

The most interesting thing in the article, I thought, was the reference to Yank Robinson, who they called a "waiter." I assume that there was a bit of a negative connotation to that but it's true, as I've mentioned before, that Robinson was good at taking a walk. He led the AA in walks twice and also led the UA in walks in 1884. Three times in his career, Robinson had over one hundred walks and once he had over ninety. In 1889, he hit .208 with a slugging percentage of .292 but had an on-base percentage of .378. That's kind of a weird line. He basically hit like 2010 Brendan Ryan but walked 118 times.

A Eulogy For Fred Dunlop

When the late Fred Dunlap was in his prime, he was generally referred to as the king of second baseman; yet his claim to that title was always disputed. As a matter of fact there were at least two men covering the same position whose respective followers claimed that their particular favorite was the only real king. Fred Pfeffer, of the Chicagos, and Bid McPhee, of the Cincinnati (Association) Reds, were the men who divided the honors with Dunlap. Burdock, of the Bostons; Lew Bierbauer, of the Athletics (although the latter was a comparatively kid player at the time), and Yank Robinson, of the St. Louis Browns, also had their admirers, who thought them just as good as the others. To-day there can be no question about the premiership of second base. Lajoie is first in a class by himself.

Dunlap was undoubtedly one of the most finished players that ever handled a ball. In ease of action, Lajoie and Collins are the only men playing to-day who approach him. He handled a ball "clean" and rarely fumbled or missed it on the first attempt. How accurate his eye for distance must have been is best shown by the fact that in all the years he played ball he never broke a finger or had a knuckle out of place. But for the muscularity of his hands he could have been taken for a billiard rather than a base ball expert. Nobody better knew the points of the game and no one exercised more skill and audacity in working them. He was unusually successful in working the "trapped ball" trick before that play was legislated out of existence, and in conjunction with Briody he seemed to have all the other second basemen beaten in heading at the plate a runner who tried to score from third on another runner's attempt to steal second. He never lost sight of the runner third and if he saw the latter was only making a bluff of running home, he rarely missed the man running to second. In working a double play from short to second to first, the writer has seen Dunlap stop a poor throw with his left hand, and with the same motion throw the ball into his right, and then fire it up to first in time to head his man. Dunlap was only a mediocre batsman, but he was a good inside man at that. He was a hard man to pitch to and got more than his allowance of bases on balls. He was a splendid man on the bases when a run was needed but took no chances when there was no necessity to do so. He made it a point to run everything out and never lost sight of the ball. he always overran first and turned on a base hit, and if the fielder made the slightest miscue the chances are that "Dunny" would make second.

But Dunlap's claims to distinction in base ball were not confined to his ability as a player. He will probably be remembered longer as the player who blazed the road to high salaries. He is said to have received as high as $7000 in one season from Pittsburg and it was his boast that he never lost a penny on a contract. As a boy he had comparatively few educational advantages, but he did possess a big stock of sound horse sense. He always had his contract drawn up by a lawyer of his own selection and no amount of persuasion could induce him to change his practice. When he retired permanently from the game in about 1901, Dunlap was supposed to be worth about $35,000. For five or six years he was a familiar sight about town, always looking as though he had just emerged from a bandbox. Always taking out and never putting in, Dunny's roll began to diminish. Finally he went broke. Too proud to let his wants be known even to his friends, he was almost lost sight of until by the merest accident one of his old-time friends learned of his condition and secured him a room in St. Agnes' Hospital. He was beyond all human aid, and died three weeks later.

-Philadelphia Inquirer, December 8, 1902

Shockingly, this is only my second post about Fred Dunlap in the last year. I feel kind of bad about that and plan to address this neglect in the near future.

The 1886 World Series: Game Three

Caruthers was again put in to face the Chicagos from the pitcher's box to-day in the third game of the world's championship series, and had he pitched one-quarter as good a game as he did yesterday the Browns would have again come out victorious. No greater mistake could have possibly been made than in again allowing him to do the twirling. He felt so confident, though, of giving a repetition of his good work of yesterday, and was so certain of success, that President Von der Ahe was finally induced to grant his request. The score tells how the experiment worked. He was batted hard and often, a total of twenty-one bases being made off him. Home-runs were made by Gore and Kelly, a three-bagger by Burns and a double by Ryan, while every man in the Chicago team, with the exception of Clarkson, Anson and Williamson, made singles. The two runs which were given to the home club in the first inning by Caruthers' wildness, took the heart out of the Browns, and they played something after the style in which they handled themselves in Monday's game. They batted Clarkson hard though, but their hits were mostly unlucky ones and scattered badly. They also fielded in excellent style, making many remarkable catches, which were roundly applauded by the spectators. But two errors are placed against them and the Chicagos won simply through their batting. In the seventh inning Bushong retired to third base, and Latham came in and caught for the remainder of the game, doing very well. In the eighth, Anson relieved Kelly behind the bat, and Williamson succeeded Clarkson in the box. John Kelly officiated as umpire. The attendance was 5,000. Both clubs left for St. Louis this evening. It has been decided to play the odd game in Cincinnati.

The Browns won the toss for the first time, and went to the field. Caruthers pitched six bad balls to Gore, the first batter, giving him his base. Kelly got to the bag in the same manner. Anson went out on a grounder to first, sending both runners ahead a base. Pfeffer also got his first on balls, filling the bases, and Williamson then came to the bat, and much to the disgust of the audience Caruthers sent him to his base on balls, forcing Gore across the plate with the first run of the game. Burns knocked a grounder down to Robinson. The latter threw to first in time to cut him off; Pfeffer was playing quite a distance off third, and Comiskey threw to Latham, putting him out also. This double play retired the side, but not until Kelly scored. For the Browns, Latham struck out, much to the delight of the spectators. Caruthers got his base on balls. O'Neil also got his base on balls. Both men were sent ahead on a passed ball. Gleason went out on a fly to Pfeffer, who made a remarkable catch, running with the ball. Comiskey retired the side with a liner into Pfeffer's hands.

Ryan, in the second inning, made the first hit of the game. Dalrymple went out on a long fly to Hudson. Clarkson knocked the ball to Gleason, forcing out Ryan at second. Clarkson stole second, and Gore sent a fly to left, which O'Neil captured in good style.

For the Browns, Welch hit safely to right; Robinson made a single to the same field; Kelly missed Hudson's third strike, but threw Welch out at third, who was forced to run. A long wrangle and discussion followed between Anson, Umpire Kelly and others. The former claimed that Hudson was out for not running immediately after Kelly had dropped the ball. The umpire finally decided it a fair play. Bushong hit to center for a single, and Robinson scored. A wild throw in by Gore let Hudson to third. Latham struck out, and Caruthers went out from second to first, ending the inning and leaving two men on bases.

In the third Kelly was retired on a fly to Hudson. Anson went out from second to first, and Pfeffer went out on a grounder to Comiskey. For the Browns, O'Neil struck out, Gleason fouled out to Anson, and Comiskey also struck out.

In the fourth Williamson led off with a grounder to Comiskey, on which he was easily put out. Burns knocked the leather to center for three bases, and was only prevented from making a home run by the quick fielding of the ball on the part of Welch. Ryan went out on a long fly to Welch, and before it could be returned to the the plate Burns had scored. Dalrymple went out from short to first. Welch for the visitors secured his base on balls. Robinson knocked a fly to Dalrymple, who muffed it. A passed ball advanced both men a base, but Welch only got to third safely by one of his remarkable steals. On Hudson's grounder to Williamson Welch started to come in, but was thrown out. Bushong went out on a fly to center, on which Robinson tried to come in, but he was also retired. Kelly stood on the plate as Robinson came in, and the latter ran into him and doubled him up on the ground.

In the fifth Clarkson knocked a long fly to Welch, which the latter caught easily. Gore went out from second to first. Kelly knocked the ball over the right-field fence for a home run, amid great applause. Anson fouled out to Bushong. Latham, for the Browns, knocked a liner directly in Williamson's hands. Carruthers hit safely to left for a single, and got second on a passed ball. O'Neil knocked the sphere to right for a single, and Gleason was retired on a fly to Anson. Comiskey wound up the inning with a fly to Ryan, leaving two men on bases.

In the sixth Pfeffer opened with a fly to Robinson, and Williamson struck out. Burns hit the ball to right for a single and Ryan followed with a double to the same field. Dalrymple knocked a high fly back of first, which Comiskey muffed, and Burns and Ryan came home. Clarkson went out on a fly to center. For the Browns in this inning Welch made a single to center and Gore let the ball roll through his legs and Welch made third on the error, coming home on Robinson's short hit to right. Hudson flew out to Pfeffer. Robinson got third on a half-passed ball enabled him to reach third. Bushong was thrown out at first on his grounder to right field, but Robinson scored on it. Latham hit safely to left center. Caruthers went out on a grounder to Anson.

Gore opened the seventh by a base hit to Robinson, who could not recover himself in time to throw to first. Kelly hit safely, while Anson went out on a fly to Hudson, which advanced both men a base. Pfeffer hit safely and Gore scored. Williamson knocked a fly to Latham, which the latter purposely muffed, forcing Kelly out at third. Burns hit a hard grounder to second, which Robinson fumbled, falling down in attempting to get it up. Pfeffer crossed the plate on the play. Williamson also started to come in, and Robinson made a very bad throw to head him off, but he scored on the error and Burns reached third. Ryan retired the side with a fly to O'Neil. For the Browns, O'Neil went out from second to first, Gleason struck out, and Comiskey retired on a foul fly to Anson. In the eighth Dalrymple hit safely to center. Clarkson's long fly to O'Neil sent Dalrymple to second. Gore lifted the ball to center field far over Welch's head for a home run. Kelly hit safely to center. Anson went out to the catcher. Welch for the Browns led off with a two-bagger to left. He got to third on a passed ball, and came home on a wild pitch. Robinson got first on Anson's miss of his third strike, and stole second. Hudson struck out, Bushong flew out to Gore and Latham fouled out to the catcher. The game was then called on account of darkness.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 21, 1886

Kind of an interesting game, wasn't it? Some random stuff that jumped out at me:

-Von der Ahe made the call on who was going to start game three? I don't really see this as an instance of VdA meddling with the team but rather Caruthers going over Comiskey's head. Regardless, Caruthers wasn't too sharp to start the game.

-Even with Caruthers not pitching well, the Browns still had a chance to win the game. Two things did them in. They had two runners thrown out at the plate in the fourth and if both runners had scored, they would have tied the game up. In the seventh, Yank Robinson just killed them in the field.

-Lots of walks, strikeouts and home runs in this game. Combined with the errors and poor baserunning, it was kind of like a modern game, except that they played it in two hours and fifteen minutes. And Arlie Latham was running around like a maniac.

-Completely random but Yank Robinson led the AA in walks in 1888 and 1889. He also led the Union Association in walks in 1884 when he was playing with Baltimore. Don't let this one game color your opinion of him. He was a heck of a ballplayer and was a starter on all four of the Browns' championship teams.

Yank Robinson Gets A Medal

W.H. Robinson was born in West Philadelphia, and is 28 years of age. He played ball in Philadelphia with amateur clubs when very young. In 1881 in Detroit, 1883 in Saginaw, and 1884 with the Baltimore Unions. It was while playing with this club last winter that Von der Ahe secured him and he has proved a valuable man. Since he joined the Browns he has developed into a splendid base-runner. While recently in Philadelphia a number of his friends presented him with a beautiful gold medal.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 8, 1885

The Most Disgusted Lot of Ballplayers That Ever Stood Before A Bar

A bout of rage swept through Sportsman's Park today until Von der Ahe threw up his hands in desperation and fled from the scene. The association champions are the maddest, most disgusted lot of ball-players that ever stood before a bar and cursed a manager. The trouble is this: At the annual meeting of the association $1,200 of the money received from minor league clubs was set aside as a prize to be divided among the players of the team winning the association championship. The Browns won it. When the series with New York was arranged, the players allege, a contract was made, which is now in possession of Mutrie, setting forth that the players of each team should receive $200 each, win or lose. The Browns lost. After the series a benefit game was arranged which knotted the players of each team $28 each. The New Yorks received their share, but the Browns have not received the association prize money, nor the $200 for the world series, not the $28 benefit. Von der Ahe, they claim has pocketed everything in sight and told them they were "chumps." King says: "I will never pitch another ball for that fellow if I can help it. He has gouged every player in the club out of $300, for that is what is coming to us." Tom Dolan, the catcher, gave Von der Ahe a terrible roasting to his face, while Big Jack Milligan, Robinson, and O'Neill threatened to make a slaughter-house of the office on Grand Avenue.

-The Chicago Daily Tribune, November 1, 1888

Just Looking For An Excuse To Post This Picture Of Yank Robinson

(Yank) Robinson, born in Philadelpia, had made his major-league debut in 1882, playing eleven games for the Detroit Wolverines of the National League. In 1884 he joined the Baltimore Monumentals of the Union Association. Robinson had displayed so many skills that the Post-Dispatch praised him as "the best all-around player in the Union Association." He participated in 102 games for the Monumentals-catching eleven games, pitching another eleven, and also seeing action seventy-one times at third base, on fourteen occasions as a shortstop, and in three appearances at second base. Robinson won three games and lost three as a pitcher, hit .267, and led Union Association third basemen in fielding average...

...Robinson had not played in either the National League or the American Association during 1883, and thus was not subject to the blacklisting provisions of the Day Resolution. In a lively bidding war for Robinson's services, Von der Ahe triumphed over the Baltimore Orioles and other Association teams as well as three National League clubs-the Chicago White Stockings, Providence Grays, and Philadelphia Quakers. Von der Ahe promised St. Louis baseball fans that his newest recruit was "one of the best players in the country."

-From Before They Were Cardinals

Yank Robinson

William Robinson, the second baseman of the four-time winner St. Louis Browns, was one of the most brilliant second base players of his day.

Robinson was one of the old "Stonewall Infield," the infield that included Comiskey at first, Robinson at second, Latham at third, and W. Gleason at short field.

Robinson covered a fine lot of ground. He was especially good at backing up quickly and grabbing the short flies that were hit just over second base. He was a fine fielder and thrower and a fine emergency batsman.

-From The National Game