Pittsburgh Allegheny (International Association)

Last updated
Pittsburgh Allegheny
Minor league affiliations
Previous leagues
Team data
Name
  • Alleghenys
  • Alleghenies
Previous parks
Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
Denny McKnight
Manager Denny McKnight (1877)

Pittsburgh Allegheny was the name of the first professional baseball club to represent Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team was an unrelated forerunner to the American Association's Pittsburgh Alleghenies that were established in 1882, which continue today as the Pittsburgh Pirates. [1]

Contents

History

Founding

Denny McKnight, future owner and manager of the Pittsburgh Alleghenies, served as team manager in 1877 Denny McKnight (1909).jpg
Denny McKnight, future owner and manager of the Pittsburgh Alleghenies, served as team manager in 1877

Following the American Civil War, the leading baseball clubs in Pittsburgh were the "Enterprise", "Olympic", and "Xantha" teams. They played at Union Park, was located in the city of Allegheny, before it became annexed into Pittsburgh in 1907. [2] On February 2, 1876, Pittsburgh lost its bid for a franchise in the newly established National League. Twenty days later, several local organizers formed the Allegheny Base Ball Club. [3] Allegheny played their first game, defeating the Xanthas 7-3 at Union Park on April 15, 1876. [2]

On February 20, 1877 the International Association was founded in Pittsburgh, and consisted of seven teams that played within Canada and the United States. It is probably the first minor league in baseball history. [4] On February 22, 1877, after a year of playing as an independent club, Allegheny officially joined the new league. [2] The club paid a $25 ($636.00 in 2021 dollars [5] ) entry fee and joined the new league. [3]

1877 season

The Allegheny would finish the season with a 13-6 record, the second best winning percentage in the league. [4] The club consisted of 12 players in 1877, all of which later made it the majors. No other team in the league used so few players or had a total progression rate to the majors. The manager of the team was Denny McKnight, a lifelong Pittsburgh native who later went on to manage the major league Alleghenies 1884 season for 110 games. [4] McKnight also served as the International Association's president after Candy Cummings resigned. [6]

George Strife played second base for Allegheny in 1878. He would later hit the first-ever home run in Pittsburgh Pirates history in 1882. George Strief.jpg
George Strife played second base for Allegheny in 1878. He would later hit the first-ever home run in Pittsburgh Pirates history in 1882.

Allegheny did make two historic firsts in their brief history. On June 2, 1877 Allegheny played in the first professional game to be decided in 19-innings. That day the club was defeated by a club representing Memphis, Tennessee in the League Alliance. Later that month on June 20, 1877 Allegheny tied a club representing Indianapolis and the League Alliance, 2-2, in the first game to be decided in 17-innings. [7]

1878 season

The league existed for the 1878 season and while none of the players returned to the team, the roster did include future Pittsburgh Alleghenys players; Chappy Lane and George Strief, who would later hit the very first home run in the history of the Pirates franchise. Jack Glasscock, who played shortstop for the 1893-94 Pirates received his start with International Association's Allegheny club as did an 18-year-old pitcher, Mickey Welch. He would go on to win 307 major league games and gain induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. [4]

Demise

Despite gaining membership to the International League the following season, the club folded in 1878, unable to compete with the strong, local independent squads like the East Liberty Stars or the Olympics, which were better-rooted in the Pittsburgh neighborhoods and workplaces. [1] Despite a rule prohibiting "a person leaving one club and joining another without proper release" Allegheny was hit hard with player defections and formally folded on June 8, 1878, posting a dismal 3-23 record. [3]

Team name

Having no official nickname, the Allegheny team was commonly referred to by its pluralized city name, i.e., the Alleghenys or Alleghenies. [1] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Rosters

Hall of Famer Pud Galvin pitched for the team in 1877. He later pitched again as a member of the Pittsburgh Alleghenies of the American Association, Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League and the Pittsburgh Burghers of the Players' League PudGalvin.jpg
Hall of Famer Pud Galvin pitched for the team in 1877. He later pitched again as a member of the Pittsburgh Alleghenies of the American Association, Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League and the Pittsburgh Burghers of the Players' League

(from Baseball Reference Bullpen)

1877 Pittsburgh Allegheny
Roster
PitchersCatchers

Fielders

Manager

* Future member of the
Pittsburgh Alleghenies/Pirates

Hall of Famer Mickey Welch pitched for Pittsburgh in 1878, before winning two National League pennants with the New York Giants Mickey Welch baseball card.jpg
Hall of Famer Mickey Welch pitched for Pittsburgh in 1878, before winning two National League pennants with the New York Giants

(from Baseball Reference Bullpen)

1878 Pittsburgh Allgeheny
Roster
PitchersCatchers

Fielders

Manager
  • Unknown

* Future member of the
Pittsburgh Alleghenies/Pirates

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National League (baseball)</span> Baseball league, part of Major League Baseball

The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP) of 1871–1875, the NL is sometimes called the Senior Circuit, in contrast to MLB's other league, the American League, which was founded 25 years later and is called the "Junior Circuit". Both leagues currently have 15 teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Excite Ballpark</span>

Excite Ballpark, previously known as San Jose Municipal Stadium or Muni Stadium, is a baseball park in San Jose, California. It is the home of the Minor League Baseball San Jose Giants, an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. The team plays in the North Division of the California League. The stadium is also home to the San Jose State University Spartans college baseball team. Local high school baseball divisions also use the ballpark as their championship field. The stadium also hosts concerts, weddings, car shows, and many other community events. It has been the home field for the San Jose Owls, San Jose Red Sox, San Jose Jo Sox, San Jose Pirates, San Jose Missions, San Jose Bees, and the San Jose Expos minor league teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ned Hanlon (baseball)</span> American baseball player and manager (1857–1937)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PNC Park</span> Baseball stadium in Pittsburgh, PA, USA

PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). Opened during the 2001 MLB season, PNC Park sits along the Allegheny River with a view of the Downtown Pittsburgh skyline. Constructed of steel and limestone, it has a natural grass playing surface and can seat 38,747 people for baseball. It was built just to the east of its predecessor, Three Rivers Stadium, which was demolished in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exposition Park (Pittsburgh)</span> Professional baseball venue in Pittsburgh to 1915

Exposition Park was the name given to three historic stadiums, located in what is today Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The fields were used mainly for professional baseball and American football from c. 1879 to c. 1915. The ballparks were initially located on the north side of the Allegheny River in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania. The city was annexed into Pittsburgh in 1907, which became the city's North Side, located across from Pittsburgh's downtown area. Due to flooding from the nearby river, the three stadiums' exact locations varied somewhat. The final version of the ballpark was between the eventual sites of Three Rivers Stadium and PNC Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wintrust Field</span> Statidum located in Illinois

Wintrust Field is a stadium in Schaumburg, Illinois, formerly known as Boomers Stadium and Alexian Field. It is now home to the Schaumburg Boomers of the Frontier League which began play in May 2012 and captured the first-ever professional baseball championship for Schaumburg in 2013. It is primarily used for baseball, and was the home field of the Schaumburg Flyers baseball team from 1999 through 2010 before the Boomers resurrected the facility for pro baseball in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Dean Stadium</span> Baseball stadium in Jupiter, Florida

Roger Dean Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Abacoa community of the town of Jupiter, Florida. The stadium was built in 1998, holds 6,871 people, and features luxury sky-box seating, two levels of permanent seating, parking and concessions. The Roger Dean Stadium Complex is the only stadium in the country to host four minor league teams: the Jupiter Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals of the Florida State League, and the Florida Complex League Marlins and Florida Complex League Cardinals of the Rookie-level Florida Complex League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recreation Park (Pittsburgh)</span> Sports venue in Allegheny (Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania

Recreation Park was a sporting grounds and stadium that stood from 1865 to 1905 in Allegheny City,Pennsylvania, which was annexed in 1907 and became the North Side region of Pittsburgh. The park was bounded by Allegheny Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, Grant Avenue, and Boquet Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NelsonCorp Field</span> Baseball stadium in Iowa

NelsonCorp Field is a stadium in Clinton, Iowa. It is primarily used for baseball, and is operated by and is the home field of the Clinton LumberKings collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. It was built in 1937 and its capacity is roughly 5,500 fans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bank of the James Stadium</span>

Bank of the James Stadium, formerly Lynchburg City Stadium, is a ballpark located in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States, and the current home of the minor league Lynchburg Hillcats team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grayson Stadium</span> Sports stadium in Savannah, Georgia, United States

William L. Grayson Stadium is a stadium in Savannah, Georgia. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Savannah Bananas of the Coastal Plain League collegiate summer baseball league. It was the part-time home of the Savannah State University college baseball team from 2009 to 2011. It was also used from 1927 until 1959 for the annual Thanksgiving Day game between Savannah High School and Benedictine Military School. Known as "Historic Grayson Stadium", it was built in 1926. It holds 4,000 people. It also served as the home of the Savannah Cardinals from 1984 to 1995 and the Savannah Sand Gnats from 1996 to 2015.

The historic London Tecumsehs were a professional men's baseball team in London, Ontario, Canada, that were first formed in 1868 — a merger of the Forest City Base Ball Club and the London Base Ball Club — which, according to George Railton's 1856 London directory, consisted of officers J.K. Brown, Dr. J. Wilkinson and J.D. Dalton and 22 players who practiced twice a week on the military grounds. They were named for Shawnee chief Tecumseh.

Greenlee Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was one of only a few Black-built and Black-owned major league baseball fields in the United States. The field was the dream of Gus Greenlee, owner of the Pittsburgh Crawfords.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medlar Field</span> Baseball stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania, USA

Medlar Field at Lubrano Park is a 5,570-seat baseball stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania, that hosted its first regular season baseball game on June 20, 2006, when the State College Spikes lost to the Williamsport Crosscutters, 5–3. The Penn State Nittany Lions college baseball team began play at the ballpark in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Baldwin (baseball)</span> American baseball player (1863–1929)

Marcus Elmore Baldwin, nicknamed "Fido" and "Baldy", was an American right-handed professional baseball pitcher who played seven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). In 346 career games, he pitched to a 154–165 win–loss record with 295 complete games. Baldwin set the single-season MLB wild pitches record with 83 that still stands today.

The following are the baseball events of the year 1881 throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Association for Professional Base Ball Players</span> Name of two defunct Canadian baseball leagues

The International Association for Professional Base Ball Players, commonly known as the International Association, was the name for two separate Canadian-American professional baseball leagues that first operated during 1877–1878 and later operated during 1888–1890.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denny McKnight</span> American baseball executive and manager

Harmar Denny McKnight was an early baseball manager and executive. On October 15, 1881 he founded the Allegheny Base Ball Club of Pittsburgh in anticipation of playing in the new American Association. The club then became known as the Pittsburgh Alleghenys.

The following is a history of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Baseball in Pennsylvania". Pirates Ballparks. ExplorePAHistory.com. Retrieved 2014-11-21.
  2. 1 2 3 Benswanger, William E. "Professional Baseball in Pittsburgh" (PDF). The Pirates Reader. University of Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved 2014-11-21.
  3. 1 2 3 Reiss, Steven A. (2006). Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball Clubs. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 299–300. ISBN   9780313083068.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Dreker, John. "Pittsburgh's First Minor League Team". Pirates Prospects. Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-21.
  5. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  6. Helander, Brock. "Prelude to the Formation of the American Association". SABR . Retrieved 2014-11-21.
  7. Lowry, Phillip J. (2010). Baseball's Longest Games: A Comprehensive Worldwide Record Book. MacFarland. p. 94. ISBN   9780786457342.
  8. "Base Ball". The Pittsburgh Commercial. September 11, 1876. p. 4.
  9. "And Yet Another Victory". Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette. July 5, 1877. p. 4.
  10. "The Fifteenth Victory". Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette. May 26, 1877. p. 4.
  11. "Base Ball: The Alleghenies for the Coming Season". The Daily Post. Pittsburgh. April 12, 1878. p. 4.