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User:Spesh531/1888 Major League Baseball season

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This page is about the 1888 Major League Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see 1888 in baseball.
1888 MLB season
LeagueAmerican Association (AA)
National League (NL)
SportBaseball
DurationRegular season:
  • April 18 – October 17, 1888 (AA)
  • April 20 – October 13, 1888 (NL)
World's Championship Series:
  • October 16–27, 1888
Number of games140
Number of teams16 (8 active per league)
Pennant winner
AA championsSt. Louis Browns
  AA runners-upBrooklyn Bridegrooms
NL championsNew York Giants
  NL runners-upChicago White Stockings
World's Championship Series
ChampionsNew York Giants
  Runners-upSt. Louis Browns
MLB seasons
Locations of teams for the 1888 American Association season
American Association
Locations of teams for the 1888 National League season
National League

The 1888 Major League baseball season began on April 18, 1888. The regular season ended on October 17, with the New York Giants and the St. Louis Browns as regular season champions of the National League and American Association, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the fifth World's Championship Series on October 16 and ended with Game 10 on October 27, in what was a best-of-eleven-playoff. The Giants defeated the Browns, six games to four, capturing their first World's Championship Series.

Over the offseason, the American Association's New York Metropolitans folded, and saw them replaced by the newly enfranchised Kansas City Cowboys. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Grays renamed as the Brooklyn Bridegrooms.

Schedule

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See also: Major League Baseball schedule

The 1888 schedule consisted of 140 games for all teams in the American Association and National League, each of which had eight teams. Each team was scheduled to play 20 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This continued the format put in place by the American Association since the 1886 season and was the first season that the National League adopted the format. This format would last until 1892.

American Association Opening Day took place on April 18 featuring all eight teams, while National League Opening Day took place on April 20, also featuring all eight teams. The American Association would see its final day of the regular season on October 15 with a game between the Cleveland Blues and Philadelphia Athletics, while the National League would see its final day of the season on October 13, featuring all eight teams.[1] The 1888 World's Championship Series took place between October 16 and October 27.

Rule changes

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The 1888 season saw the following rule changes:

  • A batter was credited with a base hit when a runner was hit by his batted ball.[2]
  • A batter was credited with a hit when a runner is out for being hit by the batted ball.[2]
  • The base on balls exemption from a time at bat was restored.[2]
  • Rules distinguishing earned runs from unearned runs were created, mainly that an earned run was defined as one unaided by errors, with an exception for bases on balls; a player that was walked and scores will be counted towards a pitcher's total earned runs.[3]
  • The total number of strikes needed for a strikeout were reduced from four to three (as they were, prior to 1887.[2]
  • The 1887 batting average rule which included balls in the calculation of the batting average is reversed.[2]

Teams

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An asterisk (*) denotes the ballpark a team played the minority of their home games at

League Team City Stadium Capacity Manager[4]
American Association Baltimore Orioles Baltimore, Maryland Oriole Park 5,000 Billy Barnie
Brooklyn Bridegrooms Brooklyn, New York Washington Park 3,000 Bill McGunnigle
Cincinnati Red Stockings Cincinnati, Ohio American Park 3,000 Gus Schmelz
Cleveland Blues Cleveland, Ohio National League Park Unknown Jimmy Williams
Tom Loftus
Kansas City Cowboys Kansas City, Missouri
Association Park
  		Unknown Dave Rowe
Sam Barkley
Bill Watkins
Exposition Park* 4,000*
Louisville Colonels Louisville, Kentucky Eclipse Park 5,860 Kick Kelly
Mordecai Davidson
Jack Kerins
Philadelphia Athletics Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Jefferson Street Grounds 15,000 Bill Sharsig
St. Louis Browns St. Louis, Missouri Sportsman's Park 12,000 Charles Comiskey
National League Boston Beaneaters Boston, Massachusetts South End Grounds 6,800 John Morrill
Chicago White Stockings Chicago, Illinois West Side Park 6,000 Cap Anson
Detroit Wolverines Detroit, Michigan Recreation Park (Detroit) Unknown Bill Watkins
Robert Leadley
Indianapolis Hoosiers Indianapolis, Indiana Seventh Street Park Unknown Harry Spence
New York Giants New York, New York Polo Grounds 20,709 Jim Mutrie
Philadelphia Phillies Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia Base Ball Grounds 12,500 Harry Wright
Pittsburgh Alleghenys Allegheny, Pennsylvania Recreation Park (Pittsburgh) 17,000 Horace Phillips
Washington Nationals Washington, D.C. Swampoodle Grounds 6,000 Walter Hewett
Ted Sullivan

Sunday games

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Blue laws restricted Sunday activities in several localities, causing several teams of the American Association (which was informally referred to as the "Beer & Whiskey League" due to its openness on alcohol, compared to the National League) to play at ballparks in a different locality.

Team City Stadium Capacity Games played
Brooklyn Bridegrooms[5] Ridgewood, New York Ridgewood Park 10,000 20
Cleveland Blues[6] Bainbridge Township, Ohio Geauga Lake Grounds Unknown 3
Newburgh Township, Ohio[A] Beyerle's Park Unknown 1
Philadelphia Athletics[7] Gloucester City, New Jersey Fireworks Park Unknown 2
Gloucester Point Grounds Unknown 1

Standings

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American Association

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American Association
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
St. Louis Browns 92 43 .681 — 60‍–‍21 32‍–‍22
Brooklyn Bridegrooms 88 52 .629 6½ 53‍–‍20 35‍–‍32
Philadelphia Athletics 81 52 .609 10 55‍–‍20 26‍–‍32
Cincinnati Red Stockings 80 54 .597 11½ 56‍–‍25 24‍–‍29
Baltimore Orioles 57 80 .416 36 30‍–‍26 27‍–‍54
Cleveland Blues 50 82 .379 40½ 33‍–‍27 17‍–‍55
Louisville Colonels 48 87 .356 44 27‍–‍29 21‍–‍58
Kansas City Cowboys 43 89 .326 47½ 23‍–‍34 20‍–‍55

National League

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National League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Giants 84 47 .641 — 44‍–‍23 40‍–‍24
Chicago White Stockings 77 58 .570 9 43‍–‍27 34‍–‍31
Philadelphia Quakers 69 61 .531 14½ 37‍–‍29 32‍–‍32
Boston Beaneaters 70 64 .522 15½ 36‍–‍30 34‍–‍34
Detroit Wolverines 68 63 .519 16 40‍–‍26 28‍–‍37
Pittsburgh Alleghenys 66 68 .493 19½ 37‍–‍30 29‍–‍38
Indianapolis Hoosiers 50 85 .370 36 31‍–‍35 19‍–‍50
Washington Nationals 48 86 .358 37½ 26‍–‍38 22‍–‍48

Postseason

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Bracket

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World's Championship Series
            
AA St. Louis Browns 1 3 2 3 4 5 78 3 14 18
NL New York Giants 2 0 4 6 68 128 5 11 11 7

Managerial changes

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Off-season

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Team Former Manager New Manager
Brooklyn Bridegrooms Charlie Byrne Bill McGunnigle
Indianapolis Hoosiers Horace Fogel Harry Spence
New York Metropolitans Ollie Caylor Team folded
Philadelphia Athletics Charlie Mason Bill Sharsig
Washington Nationals John Gaffney Walter Hewett

In-season

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Team Former Manager New Manager
Cleveland Blues Jimmy Williams Tom Loftus
Detroit Wolverines Bill Watkins Robert Leadley
Kansas City Cowboys Dave Rowe Sam Barkley
Sam Barkley Bill Watkins
Louisville Colonels Kick Kelly Mordecai Davidson
Mordecai Davidson John Kerins
Washington Statesmen Walter Hewett Ted Sullivan

League leaders

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American Association

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Hitting leaders[8]
Stat Player Total
AVG Tip O'Neill (STL) .335
OPS John Reilly (CIN) .864
HR John Reilly (CIN) 13
RBI John Reilly (CIN) 103
R George Pinkney (BKN) 134
H Tip O'Neill (STL) 177
SB Arlie Latham (STL) 109
Pitching leaders[9]
Stat Player Total
W Silver King (STL) 45
L Henry Porter (KC) 37
ERA Silver King (STL) 1.63
K Ed Seward (PHA) 272
IP Silver King (STL) 584.2
SV John Corkhill (BKN/CIN)
Bob Gilks (CLE)
Tony Mullane (CIN) 		1
WHIP Silver King (STL) 0.874

National League

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Hitting leaders[10]
Stat Player Total
AVG Cap Anson (CHI) .344
OPS Cap Anson (CHI) .899
HR Jimmy Ryan (CHI) 16
RBI Cap Anson (CHI) 84
R Dan Brouthers (DET) 118
H Jimmy Ryan (CHI) 182
SB Billy Hoy (WSH) 82
Pitching leaders[11]
Stat Player Total
W Tim Keefe (NY) 35
L Hank O'Day (WSH) 29
ERA Tim Keefe (NY) 1.74
K Tim Keefe (NY) 335
IP John Clarkson (BOS) 483.1
SV George Wood (PHQ) 2
WHIP Tim Keefe (NY) 0.937

References

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  1. ^ "1888 Major Leagues Schedule". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e "MLB Rule Changes | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  3. ^ admin. "How Bases on Balls were Scored: 1864–1888 – Society for American Baseball Research". Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  4. ^ "1888 Major League Baseball Managers". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  5. ^ "Brooklyn Gladiators – Seamheads.com Ballparks Database". www.seamheads.com. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  6. ^ "Cleveland Spiders – Seamheads.com Ballparks Database". www.seamheads.com. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  7. ^ "Philadelphia Athletics – Seamheads.com Ballparks Database". www.seamheads.com. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  8. ^ "1888 American Association Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  9. ^ "1888 American Association Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  10. ^ "1888 National League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  11. ^ "1888 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
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