After not appearing in any games during the 1875 season, Aron Mousser announces he does not intend to play at all during the 1876 campaign to concentrate on his duties as field captain. Philadelphia owner Zacariah Franklin relieves Mousser of his duties. “There is no profit in a man who can not play and run a ball club at the same time. The day a man has enough base ball intellect to merely sit back and watch the action unfold is a long way off.” The day isn’t as long off as Franklin thinks, as Mousser takes the helm of the Chicago franchise the next season, and while not appearing in any league games, he will continue to play in exhibitions until an errant throw by a backup second baseman breaks three of his fingers in 1886 when he is 50 years old. Mousser began playing for pay before the War Between the States, and while his totals in the Empire are unimpressive, his contributions to the game (reportedly he was the inventor of the short stop position, and is regarded by many as the first ‘modern’ manager) go well beyond hits and outs.
Code:
Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS Teams
1871 9 26 4 0 1 0 3 0 1 2 0 0 .154 .185 .231 .416 PHI
1872 17 34 8 0 0 0 7 1 2 2 0 1 .235 .278 .235 .513 BAL
1873 10 21 6 1 0 0 4 3 2 0 0 1 .286 .348 .333 .681 BAL
1874 6 7 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 .571 .571 .571 1.143 BAL
Total 42 88 22 1 1 0 14 5 5 4 0 2 .250 .290 .284 .574
Even with two franchises failing, the league extends the season to 90 games, the longest yet. Some owners do grumble about the shrinking opportunities to schedule the highly profitable exhibition games with lesser clubs, but nothing comes of it. The owners are also concerned about the expansion of rosters that could follow the expanding seasons. While there are no set roster rules, a team could conceivably carry a nine-man squad through an entire season, teams usually have twelve to eighteen men under contract at any one time. Travel, injuries, and number of consecutive games affect the number of ‘active’ players at any one time. The sporting press also expresses concern the extended seasons are not ‘healthful’ for players; citing the rash of injuries at the end of the previous year. Wm Bausman of Saint Louis is philosophical, “Is four or five months of ball really more injurious to a man’s health than the rail man’s daily toil? The concern is not whether the player is to be injured, but whether the team is to be. The more time spent with osteopath lessens the chance of victory.”
With Chicago struggling early because of weak pitching, and Brooklyn unable to find enough offense or time for all of their hurlers, the first ‘trade’ in history takes place. The Atlantics send Aron Boday and Sydney Kubiszewski to the Browns for Alton Emch and Price Gray. Emch had not found his hitting stroke yet, but Thaddeus Hamilton felt a return east would clear the batsman’s mind. Chicago, with the improved pitching, makes an immediate run at first place, while Brooklyn continues to struggle along.
The trade for pitching proves fortuitous for the Browns. Brice Kinan, a former 4 year starting pitcher for the New Yorks missed significant time with an elbow complaint and Flip Giles, a talented, but oft injured thrower missed the beginning and middle of the season with various muscle and back problems.
Leander Tanner managed to stick with the Eries as a substitute, and was not performing well in the role (4-25) when starter Nelson Hepworth strained his back and would miss a 1/3 of the season. Cleveland had spent most of the first part of the year in the first division until the team went into a collective slump dropping them out of the race.
Both Brooklyn and Cincinnati tear off 10 game win streaks in the first half to stay in the race, conversely Hartford brings back memories of the 1871 Philadelphia squad with their 16 game losing streak. Cincinnati’s 2nd 10 game streak of the year push them into first with 1/3 of the season left.
Late injuries to second baseman Raymond Flake and pitcher Aron Boday cool off the Browns into 4th place.
For the first time ever, a western club wins the Empire League title. The Cincinnati Kings, the pitching lead by Boris Seekell and Rodney Stollings at the bat, outpace Boston and Philadelphia by 4 games. “It is appropriate the Cincinnati, whom Tory and I represented in the days before the Empire, win this crown,” Stollings remarked. “We are the Kings in more than name.”
Henry Pannell of Cleveland wins his second batting title with a .416 average; Norman Lent is second with his first sub-.400 season. Rodney Stollings leads in Long Hits, 61 of his 138 total and runs, 70. Steve Alves of Chicago takes the most extra bases with 27.
Boris Seekell is credited with pitching in 20 victories and 2.21 responsible runs allowed. Merlin Humphries of Cleveland is credited with 779 outs pitched; this will be changed to innings pitched for 1877. Brice Kinan of Chicago leads with 61 batters struck.
Other than Hartford (which finished 36 games behind Cincinnati), the New York Nine score the fewest runs. But somehow, Frank Richardson leads them to a 42-48 record, which could have been even better if not for a season ending 8 game losing streak. Making due with players like Kurtis Holderby, starter in 81 games at first and hitting .181 on the year, Richardson kept the club competitive for the entire season. A tribute to his will to win.
Cleveland finished in 9th, as the pitching was the worst in the league. Leander Tanner showed some improvement at the bat, raising his average every month, and showed promise not as a shortstop, but as a back up catcher.
Alton Emch never gets on track in Brooklyn, but the Atlantics do finish a respectable 5th, winning 50 games. It is puzzling to many why the Atlantics did not do better, as the pitching and hitting are both among the best in the Empire League. Thaddeus Hamilton attributes the placement to the poor showing on the road, and has high hopes for the next season. He is very pleased at finishing 8 games better than New York. "If I can not have a championship," he confides in William Adams, "at least let us best the New Yorks."
While his former club did not win, James McCormick was very pleased to see the stranglehold Boston had on the League title end. Finally, other cities could expect a championship. The fear he held that domination by Boston and New York would choke off interest could be placed aside. Besides, he knew the upcoming owner’s meeting would be more exciting than any pennant race; he knew victory over his rival was at hand; and with it, the power and pennants would surely move west . . .
Code:
Team W L PCT GB Home Away XInn 1Run
Cincinnati 57 33 .633 - 29-16 28-17 3- 3 18-18
Boston 53 37 .589 4.0 26-19 27-18 5- 3 15-11
Philadelphia 53 37 .589 4.0 29-16 24-21 5- 2 18-12
Chicago 51 39 .567 6.0 25-20 26-19 4- 0 11-10
Brooklyn 50 40 .556 7.0 28-17 22-23 4- 2 13-12
Saint Louis 47 43 .522 10.0 29-16 18-27 5- 4 12-15
New York 42 48 .467 15.0 21-23 21-25 4- 5 17-13
Pittsburgh 40 50 .444 17.0 24-22 16-28 5- 2 21-15
Cleveland 36 54 .400 21.0 20-25 16-29 1-10 8-19
Hartford 21 69 .233 36.0 15-30 6-39 2- 7 10-18