Eastern New England League

Last updated
Eastern New England League
Classification Independent (1885)
Sport Minor League Baseball
First season1885
Ceased1885
Replaced by New England League
PresidentUnknown 1885
No. of teams6
Country United States of America
Most titles1
Lawrence 1885

The Eastern New England League was a minor league baseball league that played in the 1885 season. League teams were based in Maine and Massachusetts. The league evolved into the New England League in 1886.

Contents

History

The Eastern New England League was a minor league baseball league that played one season before changing its name to become the long tenured New England League. In 1885, the Eastern New England league began play with five teams, four based in Massachusetts and one in Maine. [1] The five charter teams were Biddeford Clamdiggers, Haverhill, Lawrence, Newburyport Clamdiggers and Portland, with Lawrence winning the 1885 championship. [2] The league continued play and shortened its name after the 1885 season. [3] [4]

The five–team league schedule consisted of an 80-game season, with each team playing 20 games against each of the other four. On July 17, 1885, the Biddeford Clamdiggers had a record of 13–20 when the franchise disbanded and was replaced by Newburyport, Massachusetts to complete the season. [5]

Lawrence ended the 1885 season with a 50–31 record, finishing 2.0 games ahead of second place Brockton. [6]

The Brockton and Lawrence teams were the top two teams competing for the 1885 Eastern New England Legue championship throughout the season. As the season was nearing its end, two games between the two teams were disputed. The Eastern New England League heard the appeals and ruled that the two games were to be made up at the end of the scheduled regular season. However, the Brockton team refused to play the two games and didn't show up to the first game with fans in the stands in Brockton. After a league meeting was held on October 6, 1895, the two teams were in agreement to play a three-game series for the championship, The games were scheduled to be played on October 10 in Brockton, October 13 in Lawrence, and October 15 in Boston, if necessary. Lawrence was victorious in the playoff and won the league championship. [7]

The Eastern New England League continued play but shortened its name. The league became the newly named "New England League" and played its first game in 1886, with the same five Eastern New England League clubs plus the addition of the Boston Blues as the sixth team. The first New England League champion was the Portland team. [8] [9]

Baseball Hall of Fame member Frank Selee managed the 1885 Haverhill team. [10] [11]

Cities represented

Standings and statistics

1885 Eastern New England League

Team standingsWLPCTGBManagers
Lawrence5031.617–Walt Burnham
Brockton4833.5932.0 Bill McGunnigle
Haverhill4435.5575.0 Walter Prince / George Brackett /
Frank Selee
Portland3346.41816.0John Winship / Chick Fulmer
Biddeford Clamdiggers/
Newburyport Clamdiggers		2555.31324.5 John Irwin

Biddeford (13–20) disbanded July 17, replaced by Newburyport July 25.
Lawrence won playoff over Brockton 2 games to 0

Player statistics
PlayerTeamStatTotPlayerTeamStatTot
Kent HowardBrocktonBA.357 Dick Conway LawrenceW23
William HawesBrocktonRuns86 Dick Conway LawrenceSO274
Walter Prince
Patrick O'Connell		Haverhill
Lawrence		RBI61
61		 Con Murphy HaverhillPCT.867 13–2
Ernest Ellis
Elmer Foster 		Newburyport
Haverhill		HR6
6

[5]

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References

  1. ↑ "Eastern New England League (Independent) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  2. ↑ "1885 Eastern New England League (ENEL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  3. ↑ "Baseball - Digital Commonwealth". www.digitalcommonwealth.org.
  4. ↑ Bevis, Charlie (2007). The New England League: A Baseball History, 1885-1949. ISBN   978-0786431595.
  5. 1 2 Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN   978-1932391176.
  6. ↑ "1885 Eastern New England League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  7. ↑ "The Fightingest Pennant Race: Brockton versus Lawrence in the Eastern New England League, 1885 – Society for American Baseball Research".
  8. ↑ "1886 New England League (NEL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  9. ↑ "New England League (B) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  10. ↑ "Frank Selee Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  11. ↑ "Frank Selee – Society for American Baseball Research".
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