The Players' National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, popularly known as the Players' League (PL), was a short-lived but star-studded professional American baseball league of the 19th century. The PL was formed by the Brotherhood of Professional Base Ball Players in November 1889, after a dispute over pay with the National League (NL) and American Association (AA). The NL had implemented a reserve clause in 1879, which limited the ability of players to negotiate across teams for their salaries; both the AA and NL had passed a salary cap of US$2,000 per player in 1885, equivalent to $52,844 in 2021; the owners of the NL had agreed to remove the salary cap in 1887 but failed to do so. Major League Baseball (MLB) considers the PL a "major" league for official statistical purposes.
Edward Hugh Hanlon, also known as "Foxy Ned", and sometimes referred to as "The Father of Modern Baseball," was an American professional baseball player and manager whose career spanned from 1876 to 1914. He was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996 by the Veterans Committee.
George Edward Martin Van Haltren was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball. In his 17-year career, lasting from 1887 through 1903, he played for the Chicago White Stockings, Brooklyn Ward's Wonders, Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, and New York Giants. Van Haltren recorded 2,544 career hits and a batting average of .316.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1890 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1889 throughout the world.
The Pittsburgh Burghers were a baseball team in the Players' League, a short-lived Major League that existed only for the 1890 season. The team included a number of players who had jumped from the National League's Pittsburgh Alleghenys, including Hall of Famers Pud Galvin, Ned Hanlon, and Jake Beckley. Hanlon served as the team's manager. Meanwhile, John Tener, who would go on to represent Pittsburgh in the United States Congress and be elected the 25th Governor of Pennsylvania, finished his pitching career with the Burghers in 1890. Later Tener would become the president of the National League, and a director of the Philadelphia Phillies.
William Michael Joyce was an American professional baseball player and manager. He was a third baseman over parts of eight seasons with the Brooklyn Ward's Wonders, Boston Reds, Brooklyn Grooms, Washington Senators, and New York Giants. He also served as manager during his tenure with the Giants.
The Brooklyn Ward's Wonders were a baseball team who played in the Players' League in 1890. The team's nickname derived from its superstar shortstop, hall of famer John Montgomery Ward. The team finished with a 76–56 record, finishing in second place. Other notable players for Brooklyn that year were Dave Orr, Lou Bierbauer, George Van Haltren, and Gus Weyhing. The team folded after the season along with the entire league. The team played its home games at Eastern Park.
George J. "Germany" Smith was an American Major League Baseball player from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Primarily a shortstop, Smith played for five teams in 15 seasons. He made his major league debut for Altoona Mountain City of the Union Association in 1884. After Altoona's team folded after just 25 games, he jumped to the Cleveland Blues of the National League. After the 1884 season, Cleveland then sold him, along with six other players, to the Brooklyn Bridegrooms for $4000.
George Edward Andrews was an American professional baseball player. He was a right-handed second baseman and outfielder over parts of eight seasons (1884–1891) with the Philadelphia Quakers, Indianapolis Hoosiers, Brooklyn Ward's Wonders and Cincinnati Kelly's Killers. He was the National League stolen base champion in 1886 with Philadelphia. For his career, he compiled a .257 batting average, with 278 RBIs, 602 runs scored, and 205 stolen bases.
George Washington Chauncey was an American business executive in banking and real estate. He was also an owner in professional baseball, owning a franchise during the only season of the Players' League, 1890, and being an early part-owner of the team that would become the Brooklyn Dodgers, during 1891–1896.
Thomas F. Kinslow was a professional baseball player who played catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1886 until 1898. He played for eight teams in his ten-season career. Four of those seasons were with Brooklyn Bridegrooms of the National League (NL). During his playing days, his height was listed at 5-foot-10-inch (1.78 m), his weight as 160-pound (73 kg), he batted and threw right-handed, and had blonde hair.
Cornelius F. Daily was an American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Providence Grays, Boston Beaneaters, Indianapolis Hoosiers, Brooklyn Ward's Wonders, Brooklyn Grooms, and Chicago Colts between 1885 and 1896.
The 1890 Buffalo Bisons baseball team was a member of the short lived Players' League, and an "outlaw" franchise that used the name of the existing minor league Buffalo Bisons without permission. The Players’ League Buffalo Bisons compiled a 36–96 record, which landed them in last place, 46½ games behind the pennant-winning Boston Reds and 20 games behind the seventh-place Cleveland Infants in the eight-team league. After the season, the league folded, as did the team and the stadium continued to home field for their International League rival Bisons.
John Emmett Seery was an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played for the Baltimore Monumentals, Kansas City Cowboys, St. Louis Maroons, Indianapolis Hoosiers, Brooklyn Ward's Wonders, Cincinnati Kelly's Killers, and Louisville Colonels from 1884 to 1892. His first six teams ended their existence in a season in which he played for them. In 916 career Major League games, Seery batted .252 with 893 hits. He was 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighed 145 pounds.
John Montgomery Ward, known as Monte Ward, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher, shortstop, second baseman, third baseman, manager, executive, union organizer, owner and author. Ward, of English descent, was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania and grew up in Renovo, Pennsylvania. He led the formation of the first professional sports players union and a new baseball league, the Players' League.
The Chicago Pirates were a professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois, that played in the Players' League for one season in 1890. The franchise used South Side Park as their home field. During their only season in existence, the team finished fourth in the PL with a record of 75-62.
The Pittsburgh Burghers were a professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that played in the Players' League for one season in 1890. The franchise used Exposition Park as their home field. During their only season in existence, the team finished sixth in the PL with a record of 60–68.
Minor league baseball teams were based in Galesburg, Illinois between 1890 and 1914. Galesburg teams played as members of the Central Interstate League and Illinois-Iowa League in 1890, Eastern Iowa League in 1895, the Illinois-Missouri League in 1908 and 1909 and the Central Association from 1910 to 1912 and 1914. Galesburg hosted home games at Willard Field, Illinois Field and Lombard College Field.
