From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
1884 Major League Baseball season
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| title | 1884 MLB season |
| league | American Association (AA) |
| National League (NL) | |
| Union Association (UA) | |
| sport | Baseball |
| duration | Regular season:{{Bulleted list |
| no_of_games | 110 (AA) |
| 112 (NL, UA) | |
| no_of_teams | 29-33 (13 active in AA, 8 active in NL, 8-12 active in UA) |
| playoffs | Pennant winner |
| conf1 | AA |
| conf1_champ | [New York Metropolitans](1884-new-york-metropolitans-season) |
| conf1_runner-up | [Columbus Buckeyes](1884-columbus-buckeyes-season) |
| conf2 | NL |
| conf2_champ | [Providence Grays](1884-providence-grays-season) |
| conf2_runner-up | [Boston Beaneaters](1884-boston-beaneaters-season) |
| conf3 | UA |
| conf3_champ | [St. Louis Maroons](1884-st-louis-maroons-season) |
| conf3_runner-up | [Cincinnati Outlaw Reds](1884-cincinnati-outlaw-reds-season) |
| finals | World's Championship Series |
| finals_link | 1884 World Series |
| finals_champ | [Providence Grays](1884-providence-grays-season) |
| finals_runner-up | [New York Metropolitans](1884-new-york-metropolitans-season) |
| seasonslist | List of Major League Baseball seasons |
| seasonslistnames | MLB |
| prevseason_link | 1883 Major League Baseball season |
| prevseason_year | 1883 |
| nextseason_link | 1885 Major League Baseball season |
| nextseason_year | 1885 |
National League (NL) Union Association (UA) | May 1 – October 15, 1884 (AA, NL) | April 17 – October 19, 1884 (UA)}}World's Championship Series (AA vs. NL):{{Bulleted list | October 23–25, 1884}} 112 (NL, UA) | conf1_runner-up = Columbus Buckeyes | conf2_runner-up = Boston Beaneaters | conf3_runner-up = Cincinnati Outlaw Reds | finals_runner-up = New York Metropolitans
The 1884 major league baseball season began on April 17, 1884. The National League and American Association's regular seasons ended on October 15, with the Providence Grays and New York Metropolitans as the NL and AA pennant winners, respectively. The newly founded Union Association regular season ended on October 19, with the St. Louis Maroons as the UA pennant winner. The postseason between the AA and NL began with Game 1 of the first World's Championship Series (the first inter-league championship game of its kind in the Major Leagues) on October 23 and ended with Game 3 on October 25, in what was a best-of-five-playoff. The Grays swept the Metropolitans in three games, capturing their first World's Championship Series.
Prior to the 1884 season, in September 1883, the Union Association was formed, in direct contravention to the reserve rule (that a ballplayer could be reserved by a team) of the 1883 National Agreement (a.k.a. Tripartite Agreement) signed between the National League, American Association, and minor league Northwestern League. In response to formation of the UA, the AA expanded their league from an eight teams to twelve teams to undermine the weak footing the UA had, as UA teams were mostly in cities that already had established AA and NL teams.
The American Association expansion saw the minor league Brooklyn Grays of the Inter-State Association of Professional Baseball Clubs join as the Brooklyn Atlantics (today's Los Angeles Dodgers) and the Toledo Blue Stockings join from the minor league Northwestern League, as well as the establishment of the Indianapolis Hoosiers and Washington Nationals. The latter played their last game on August 2, and were replaced by the minor league Eastern League's Richmond Virginians to finish Washington's schedule.
The Union Association was largely unstable throughout its only year in existence (though confidence in the league remained high), as three of its founding teams would not make it to the end of the season. The Altoona Mountain Citys folded on May 31, and were replaced by the Kansas City Cowboys on June 7. The Philadelphia Keystones folded on August 7, and were replaced by the Eastern League's Wilmington Quicksteps. The Chicago Browns relocated to Pittsburgh as the Pittsburgh Stogies following their August 21 game. The Quicksteps would fold on September 15, while the Stogies would fold just three days later. On September 27, the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Paul Apostles (now renamed the St. Paul Saints) were recruited from the Northwestern League to finish the Philadelphia / Wilmington and Chicago/Pittsburgh schedules, respectively.
Schedule
The 1884 schedule consisted of 110 games for all teams in the American Association, which had twelve active teams, and 112 games for all teams in the National League and Union Association, each of which had eight active teams. Each AA team was scheduled to play 10 games against the other eleven teams in their league, and each of NL & UA teams were scheduled to play 16 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. The National League increased its total games per team from 98 to 112, 14 games to 16 games per seven opponents. The new Union Association copied this format. Meanwhile, the American Association, expanding from eight to twelve teams, changed from the 98-game format to the 110-game format. The National League would continue to use their 112-game format through the following season, while the American Association would copy the NL format.
Union Association Opening Day took place on April 17 featuring six teams, while American Association and National League Opening Days took place on May 1, featuring all twelve and all eight teams, respectively. The Union Association would see its final day of the regular season on October 19 featuring four teams, while the American Association and National League would see their final day of the regular season on October 15 featuring all twelve teams and four teams, respectively. The 1884 World's Championship Series took place between October 23 and October 25.
Rule changes
The 1884 season saw the following rule changes:
- In the National League all restrictions on the delivery of a pitcher were removed. This lifting of restrictions enabled pitchers to throw above the shoulder during pitch delivery. The American Association would follow suit the following year.
- In the National League, six balls became a base on balls, down from seven. The American Association keeps the rule at seven balls.
- In the American Association, a hit by pitch rule was implemented, when a batter was "solidly and bodily hit by a pitched ball when he cannot apparently avoid it." The National League would not implement a hit by pitch rule until .
Teams
An asterisk () denotes the ballpark a team played the minority of their home games at*
A dagger (†) denotes a team that folded mid-season
A double dagger (‡) denotes a team joined mid-season
| League | Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Manager | American League}};" | Baltimore Orioles | Brooklyn Atlantics | Cincinnati Red Stockings | Columbus Buckeyes | Indianapolis Hoosiers | Louisville Eclipse | New York Metropolitans | Philadelphia Athletics | Pittsburgh Alleghenys | Richmond Virginians‡ | St. Louis Browns | Toledo Blue Stockings | Washington Nationals (AA)† | National League}};" | Boston Beaneaters | Buffalo Bisons | Chicago White Stockings | Cleveland Blues | Detroit Wolverines | New York Gothams | Philadelphia Quakers | Providence Grays | Altoona Mountain Citys† | Baltimore Monumentals | Boston Reds | Chicago Browns/Pittsburgh Stogies† | Cincinnati Outlaw Reds | Kansas City Cowboys | Milwaukee Brewers‡ | Philadelphia Keystones† | St. Louis Maroons | St. Paul Saints‡ | Washington Nationals (UA) | Wilmington Quicksteps‡† | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford, Maryland | Oriole Park | 5,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brooklyn, New York | Washington Park | 3,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cincinnati, Ohio | American Park | 3,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Columbus, Ohio | Recreation Park (Columbus) | *Unknown* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indianapolis, Indiana | Seventh Street Park | *Unknown* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisville, Kentucky | Eclipse Park | 5,860 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New York, New York | Metropolitan Park | 5,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Polo Grounds* | 20,709* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Jefferson Street Grounds | 15,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegheny, Pennsylvania | Recreation Park (Pittsburgh) | 17,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Richmond, Virginia | Virginia Base-Ball Park | *Unknown* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. Louis, Missouri | Sportsman's Park | 6,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toledo, Ohio | League Park | *Unknown* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington, D.C. | Athletic Park (Washington) | 6,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston, Massachusetts | South End Grounds | 3,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Buffalo, New York | Olympic Park | 5,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chicago, Illinois | Lakefront Park | 5,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cleveland, Ohio | National League Park | *Unknown* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Detroit, Michigan | Recreation Park (Detroit) | *Unknown* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New York, New York | Polo Grounds | 20,709 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Recreation Park | 6,500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Providence, Rhode Island | Messer Street Grounds | 6,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Altoona, Pennsylvania | Columbia Park | *Unknown* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Baltimore, Maryland | Belair Lot | *Unknown* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston, Massachusetts | Dartmouth Street Grounds | 4,575 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chicago, Illinois | South Side Park | *Unknown* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegheny, Pennsylvania | Exposition Park | *Unknown* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cincinnati, Ohio | Bank Street Grounds | 3,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas City, Missouri | Athletic Park | 4,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Wright Street Grounds | 5,300 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Keystone Park | *Unknown* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. Louis, Missouri | Union Base Ball Park | 10,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Paul, Minnesota | West Seventh Street Park | *Unknown* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington, D.C. | Capitol Grounds | 6,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wilmington, Delaware | Union Street Park | *Unknown* |
Standings
American Association
National League
Union Association
Union Association eight-team standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [St. Louis Maroons](1884-st-louis-maroons-season) | 94 | 19 | — | 49–6 | 45–13 | |
| [Cincinnati Outlaw Reds](1884-cincinnati-outlaw-reds-season) | 69 | 36 | 21 | 35–17 | 34–19 | |
| [Baltimore Monumentals](1884-baltimore-monumentals-season) | 58 | 47 | 32 | 29–21 | 29–26 | |
| [Boston Reds](1884-boston-reds-season) | 58 | 51 | 34 | 34–22 | 24–29 | |
| [Chicago Browns/Pittsburgh Stogies](1884-chicago-browns-pittsburgh-stogies-season) / [St. Paul Saints](1884-st-paul-saints-season) | 43 | 56 | 43 | 21–19 | 22–37 | |
| [Washington Nationals (UA)](1884-washington-nationals-ua-season) | 47 | 65 | 46½ | 36–27 | 11–38 | |
| [Philadelphia Keystones](1884-philadelphia-keystones-season) / [Wilmington Quicksteps](1884-wilmington-quicksteps-season) / [Milwaukee Brewers](1884-milwaukee-brewers-season) | 31 | 66 | 55 | 23–31 | 8–35 | |
| [Altoona Mountain Citys](1884-altoona-mountain-citys-season) / [Kansas City Cowboys](1884-kansas-city-cowboys-season) | 22 | 82 | 67½ | 17–35 | 5–47 |
Postseason
Bracket
| RD1-seed1=AA | RD1-team1=New York Metropolitans | RD1-score1-1=0 | RD1-score1-2=1 | RD1-score1-3=2 | RD1-seed2=NL | RD1-team2=Providence Grays | RD1-score2-1=6 | RD1-score2-2=37 | RD1-score2-3=126
Managerial changes
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager | Cincinnati Red Stockings | Cleveland Blues | Columbus Buckeyes | Louisville Eclipse | New York Gothams | Philadelphia Quakers | Pittsburgh Alleghenys | Providence Grays | St. Louis Browns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop Snyder | Will White | ||||||||||
| Frank Bancroft | Charlie Hackett | ||||||||||
| Horace Phillips | Gus Schmelz | ||||||||||
| Joe Gerhardt | Mike Walsh | ||||||||||
| John Clapp | John Ward | ||||||||||
| Blondie Purcell | Harry Wright | ||||||||||
| Joe Battin | Denny McKnight | ||||||||||
| Harry Wright | Frank Bancroft | ||||||||||
| Charles Comiskey | Jimmy Williams |
In-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager | Altoona Mountain Citys | Chicago Browns/Pittsburgh Stogies | Cincinnati Outlaw Reds | Cincinnati Red Stockings | Indianapolis Hoosiers | Kansas City Cowboys | Milwaukee Brewers | New York Gothams | Philadelphia Keystones | Pittsburgh Alleghenys | St. Louis Browns | St. Louis Maroons | St. Paul Saints | Washington Nationals (AA) | Wilmington Quicksteps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ed Curtis | *Team folded mid-way through the season* | ||||||||||||||||
| Ed Hengel | Joe Battin | ||||||||||||||||
| Joe Battin | Joe Ellick | ||||||||||||||||
| Joe Ellick | *Team folded mid-way through the season* | ||||||||||||||||
| Dan O'Leary | Sam Crane | ||||||||||||||||
| Will White | Pop Snyder | ||||||||||||||||
| Jim Gifford | Bill Watkins | ||||||||||||||||
| *Team enfranchised mid-season* | Harry Wheeler | ||||||||||||||||
| Harry Wheeler | Matthew Porter | ||||||||||||||||
| Matthew Porter | Ted Sullivan | ||||||||||||||||
| *Team transferred from minor league Northwestern League mid-way through the season* | Tom Loftus | ||||||||||||||||
| John Ward | Jim Price | ||||||||||||||||
| Fergy Malone | *Team folded mid-way through the season* | ||||||||||||||||
| Denny McKnight | Bob Ferguson | ||||||||||||||||
| Bob Ferguson | Joe Battin | ||||||||||||||||
| Joe Battin | George Creamer | ||||||||||||||||
| George Creamer | Horace Phillips | ||||||||||||||||
| Jimmy Williams | Charles Comiskey | ||||||||||||||||
| Ted Sullivan | Fred Dunlap | ||||||||||||||||
| *Team transferred from minor league Northwestern League mid-way through the season* | Andrew Thompson | ||||||||||||||||
| Holly Hollingshead | John Bickerton | ||||||||||||||||
| *Team transferred from minor league Eastern League mid-way through the season* | Joe Simmons | ||||||||||||||||
| Joe Simmons | *Team folded mid-way through the season* |
League leaders
Any team shown in small text indicates a previous team a player was on during the season.
Any team shown in italics indicates a team a player was on from a different league. Any stat from said different league is not calculated to determine the league leader.
American Association
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Dave Orr (NYM) | .354 |
| OPS | John Reilly (CIN) | .918 |
| HR | John Reilly (CIN) | 11 |
| RBI | Dave Orr (NYM) | 112 |
| R | Harry Stovey (PHA) | 124 |
| H | Dave Orr (NYM) | 162 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Guy Hecker1 (LOU) | 52 |
| L | Larry McKeon (IND) | 41 |
| ERA | Guy Hecker1 (LOU) | 1.80 |
| K | Guy Hecker1 (LOU) | 385 |
| IP | Guy Hecker (LOU) | 670.2 |
| SV | Thomas Burns (BAL/*WIL*) | |
| Frank Mountain (COL) | ||
| Hank O'Day (TOL) | 1 | |
| WHIP | Guy Hecker (LOU) | 0.868 |
1 American Association Triple Crown pitching winner
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | King Kelly (CHI) | .354 |
| OPS | Dan Brouthers (BUF) | .941 |
| HR | Ed Williamson (CHI) | 27 |
| RBI | Cap Anson (CHI) | 102 |
| R | King Kelly (CHI) | 120 |
| H | Jim O'Rourke (BUF) | |
| Ezra Sutton (BSN) | 162 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Charles Radbourn2 3 (PRO) | 60 |
| L | John Harkins (CLE) | 32 |
| ERA | Charles Radbourn2 (PRO) | 1.38 |
| K | Charles Radbourn2 (PRO) | 441 |
| IP | Charles Radbourn (PRO) | 678.2 |
| SV | John Morrill (BSN) | 2 |
| WHIP | Charlie Sweeney (*SLM*/PRO) | 0.824 |
2 National League Triple Crown pitching winner
3 All-time single-season wins record
Union Association
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Fred Dunlap (SLM) | .412 |
| OPS | Fred Dunlap (SLM) | 1.069 |
| HR | Fred Dunlap (SLM) | 13 |
| RBI | *Unavailable* | |
| R | Fred Dunlap (SLM) | 160 |
| H | Fred Dunlap (SLM) | 185 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Bill Sweeney (BLU) | 40 |
| L | Jersey Bakley (KC/WIL/PHK) | 30 |
| ERA | Jim McCormick (COR/*CLE*) | 1.54 |
| K | Hugh Daily (WST/CUN) | 483 |
| IP | Bill Sweeney (BLU) | 538.0 |
| SV | Billy Taylor (*PHA*/SLM) | 4 |
| WHIP | Jim McCormick (COR/*CLE*) | 0.786 |
References
References
- Terrell, Barney. "1883-84 Winter Meetings: The Union Association – Society for American Baseball Research".
- Andrews, Davy. "The Union Association War of 1884 – Society for American Baseball Research".
- "1884 Major Leagues Schedule".
- "MLB Rule Changes {{!}} Baseball Almanac".
- "Baseball History: 19th Century Baseball: The Field: The Pitcher's Area".
- Pomrenke, Jacob. "1883 Winter Meetings: Boom and Entry – Society for American Baseball Research".
- "1884 Major League Managers".
- "1884 American Association Batting Leaders".
- "1884 American Association Pitching Leaders".
- "1884 National League Batting Leaders".
- "1884 National League Pitching Leaders".
- "1884 Union Association Batting Leaders".
- "1884 Union Association Pitching Leaders".
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about 1884 Major League Baseball season — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report