Providence Grays | |
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Years | 1878–1885 |
Based in Providence, Rhode Island | |
Major league affiliations | |
Ballpark | |
Colors | |
Steel Gray, Gray, Light Blue Contents | |
Ownership | |
| |
Managers | |
| |
Major league titles | |
National League pennants | 2 (1879, 1884) |
World Series | 1 (1884) |
The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from 1878 until 1885. The Grays played at the Messer Street Grounds in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National League title twice, in 1879 and 1884. Following the 1884 season, they won the World Series over the New York Metropolitans of the American Association. The team folded after the 1885 season.
Rhode Island was a hotbed of baseball in the 1870s with several notable amateur clubs along with Brown University's powerhouse collegiate team. [1] In 1875, the semi-pro "Rhode Islands" were formed. After successful seasons (along with excellent paid attendance) in 1875, 1876, and 1877, the team drew the attention of the recently formed National League. When the League elected to drop the Hartford franchise after the 1877 season, Providence was awarded a franchise to replace the Connecticut club. [1]
The new team was officially organized on January 16, 1878 by Benjamin Douglas, who became the team's general manager. Henry Root was hired as the team president‚ and Tom Carey was initially hired to be the on-field captain, whose duties were similar to the modern-day manager. [2] On January 21, 1878, Providence applied for membership in the NL, and was officially approved on February 6. [2]
On April 10, Root took over ownership of the team, fired Douglas for incompetence and insubordination, and hired Tom York to replace Carey as captain. [2] [3] On May 30, the Providence Base Ball Association was incorporated by the Rhode Island General Assembly. [4]
While the team practiced at the Dexter Training Ground in the spring of 1878, preparations were made to provide them with "the best baseball plant in the country". Construction on the Messer Street Grounds began on April 1 and took exactly one month to complete; the final nail was hammered a mere five minutes before the opening game got underway on May 1. [1]
The following season the team installed a screen behind home plate to protect the fans sitting there from injury due to foul balls and wild pitches. They were the first team in baseball history to do this; while some fans protested, complaining that they obstructed their view of the game, by the end of the next decade they were commonplace. [5]
In a break with tradition, the National League's newest addition adopted gray flannel instead of white for their home uniform and the team became known as the Grays. [1]
One of the leading players from the 1879 pennant winner was Hall of Famer John Montgomery Ward.
The Grays may also have the distinction of being the first Major League Baseball team to field an African-American baseball player, William Edward White, a Brown University student who played one game for the Grays on June 21, 1879. While the evidence is strong, it is not conclusive: Peter Morris of the Society for American Baseball Research has researched this issue, as reported by the Wall Street Journal in 2004. [6] Work by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) suggests that he may have been the first African-American to play major league baseball, predating the longer careers of Moses Fleetwood Walker and his brother Weldy Walker by five years, and Jackie Robinson by 68 years. [7] [8] [9] [6] [10]
The 1884 team was led by ace pitcher Charles "Old Hoss" Radbourn (sometimes spelled Radbourne), who won a record 60 (59, according to some sources) games that year and led the Grays to the pennant. When the team's other star pitcher, Charlie Sweeney, defected to the rival Union Association league in July, it looked like the Grays' season was doomed, but "Old Hoss" offered to pitch the rest of the team's games. The Grays went on a 20-game winning streak and topped the league ahead of their New England rivals, the Boston Red Stockings.
At the close of the season, Providence officials accepted New York Metropolitans (AA) manager Jim Mutrie's challenge to a three-game postseason match. All of the games took place at the Polo Grounds in New York and were played under American Association rules, which forbade overhand pitching. [11]
On October 23, 1884, the Providence Grays (NL) whitewashed the New York Metropolitans (AA), 6–0, behind Radbourn, in what is considered to be the first official postseason interleague game. Radbourn allowed two hits and struck out nine. Tim Keefe was the losing pitcher. The very next day, Radbourn three-hit the Metropolitans and won 3–1 in a game called after seven innings due to darkness. Grays third baseman Jerry Denny hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning. It was the first home run in World Series history. Keefe lost for the second time. On October 25, 1884 the Grays defeated the Metropolitans, 11–2, in the final game of the series. Radbourn won for the third time in three days. Buck Becannon took the loss as Keefe umpired the contest. [11]
Although post-season games prior to 1903 were considered exhibitions, the 1884 World Series is recognized today as the first inter-league postseason championship. [12] [13] This would be Providence's last appearance in a World Series. Due to financial problems, the team folded in 1885.
Other memorable highlights of the Grays' short existence include the second perfect game in MLB history, pitched by John Montgomery Ward on June 17, 1880; a no-hitter by Charles Radbourn on July 25, 1883; and pitcher Charlie Sweeney striking out 19 batters in a nine-inning game on June 7, 1884, a record that would stand until broken by Roger Clemens 102 years later. They also still hold the record for the largest score in a shutout victory, with a 28–0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on August 21, 1883. [14]
Season | Record | Pct. | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1878 | 33–27 | .550 | Third place |
1879 | 59–25 | .702 | Won National League pennant |
1880 | 52–32 | .619 | Second place |
1881 | 47–37 | .560 | Second place |
1882 | 52–32 | .619 | Second place |
1883 | 58–40 | .592 | Third place |
1884 | 84–28 | .750 | Won National League pennant |
1885 | 53–57 | .482 | Fourth place |
Providence Grays Hall of Famers | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Inductee | Position | Tenure | Inducted | Notes |
John Montgomery Ward | SS/2B/P | 1878–1882 | 1964 | Founder of the first players' union |
Jim O'Rourke | OF | 1879 | 1945 | |
Charles Radbourn | P | 1881–1885 | 1939 | Holds single-season wins record for a pitcher (59) |
George Wright | SS | 1879, 1882 | 1937 | Player-manager of the 1879 National League championship squad |
Harry Wright | Manager | 1882–1883 | 1953 | Manager of the 1882 and 1883 squads |
In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitchers who throw an entire official game that is shortened by rain will still be credited with a complete game, while starting pitchers who are relieved in extra innings after throwing nine or more innings will not be credited with a complete game. A starting pitcher who is replaced by a pinch hitter in the final half inning of a game will still be credited with a complete game.
Charles Gardner Radbourn, nicknamed "Old Hoss", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for Buffalo (1880), Providence (1881–1885), Boston (1886–1889), Boston (1890), and Cincinnati (1891).
Moses Fleetwood Walker, sometimes nicknamed Fleet Walker, was an American professional baseball catcher who, historically, was credited with being the first black man to play in Major League Baseball (MLB). A native of Mount Pleasant, Ohio, and a star athlete at Oberlin College as well as the University of Michigan, Walker played for semi-professional and minor league baseball clubs before joining the Toledo Blue Stockings of the American Association (AA) for the 1884 season.
William Edward White was a 19th-century American baseball player. He played as a substitute in one professional baseball game for the Providence Grays of the National League, on June 21, 1879. Work by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) suggests that he may have been the first African-American to play major league baseball, predating the longer careers of Moses Fleetwood Walker and his brother Weldy Walker by five years, and Jackie Robinson by 68 years.
In baseball, the 1884 World Series was a post-season championship series between the Providence Grays of the National League and the New York Metropolitans of the American Association at the Polo Grounds in New York City.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1885 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1884 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1881 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1880 throughout the world.
Charles Joseph Sweeney was an American Major League Baseball pitcher from 1883 through 1887. He played for the Providence Grays, St. Louis Maroons, and Cleveland Blues, and is best known for his performance in 1884, when he won 41 games.
George Edward "Stump" Weidman was an American professional baseball player from 1880 to 1893. He played nine years in Major League Baseball, principally as a pitcher and outfielder, for five different major league clubs. He appeared in 379 major league games, 279 as a pitcher and 122 as an outfielder, and his longest stretches were with the Detroit Wolverines and the Kansas City Cowboys.
The Providence Grays went 84–28 during the 1884 season to win the National League championship. The team started out with two main pitchers, Charles "Old Hoss" Radbourn and Charlie Sweeney. After Sweeney jumped to the Union Association in mid-season, Radbourn pitched most of the Grays' remaining games and led the team to the pennant. Radbourn won 60 games by himself, setting a Major League Baseball record that has never been broken.
Arthur Charles Hagan was an American Major League Baseball player who pitched for two seasons; Philadelphia Quakers of the National League in 1883, and with the Buffalo Bisons in both 1883 and 1884.
The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball franchise based in Providence, Rhode Island from 1878 to 1885. During the team's eight seasons in the National League (NL), which then comprised eight teams, they finished third place or higher in the final standings seven times, and won the league championship in both 1879 and 1884. Providence played their home games at the Messer Street Grounds, which was located in the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence. The Grays were officially organized on January 16, 1878 by Benjamin Douglas, who became the team's general manager. Henry Root was hired as the team president‚ and Tom Carey was initially hired to be the on-field captain, whose duties were similar to the modern-day manager. On January 21, 1878, Providence applied for membership in the NL, and was officially approved on February 6. On April 10, Root took over ownership of the team, fired Douglas for incompetence and insubordination, and hired Tom York to replace Carey as captain.
Edward J. Conley was an American professional baseball player who pitched in Major League Baseball for the 1884 Providence Grays. He pitched in eight games and had a win–loss record of 4–4 with a 2.15 earned run average in 71 innings pitched.
Edgar Eugene Smith was an American professional baseball outfielder and pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1883 to 1885 and then again in 1890. He stood 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall and weighed 160 pounds (73 kg). Smith batted and threw right-handed.
The St. Louis Maroons were a professional baseball club based in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1884–1886. The club, established by Henry Lucas, were the one near-major league quality entry in the Union Association, a league that lasted only one season, due in large part to the dominance of the Maroons. When the UA folded after playing just one season, the Maroons joined the National League. In 1887 the Maroons relocated to Indianapolis and became the Indianapolis Hoosiers, where they played three more seasons before folding.