Key Moments & Notable Performances
Grand opening - Five years after the first game of baseball had been played on the island, the inaugural Clubs League season got under way with a pair of Saturday games in late April. In Ironfox, the visiting Stovepipe team took the spoils 4-3, while in the capital, the Professionals overcame the wind and rain on their way to topping the Empire Club 5-4.
Season-long battle - The fight for the inaugural Clubs League trophy was a back-and-forth between two sides that lasted all season long. The Tond Union Club were the pace-setters for much of the way, sitting atop the standings for much of May and June. Hot on their heels - after a slow start - however, were the Johnstown Empire Club. The Empire Club hit the top of the field in early July, and from there powered their way to the title, eventually sealing the honours with three games to spare.Dominant duo - Leading the Empire Club's charge to the pennant were their outstanding pitching duo Bill Kinder and Hollis Kennedy. Kinder was awarded the Outstanding Pitcher honours at season's end, narrowly edging out his teammate - his 2.11 earned run average would have topped the league were it not for Tond's John White barely meeting the minimum threshold, and his 99 strikeouts only trailed Kennedy. Despite Kennedy's numbers, it was Kinder who led his team, and who put together the individual performance of the season - a 1-hit shutout of the Professionals in late June that fired the Empire Club's charge to the top of the standings.
Lucky for some - The Empire Club put the hoodoo on Moontree in an early June doubleheader at the North Park Fields. After winning the opener 13-4, the Johnstown team went back out and scored 13 more in the nightcap, this time taking the honours 13-2. The Empire Club's eventual Champion Hitter winner John Hopper went 5-9 for the pair, with 4 RBI, 4 runs, 2 doubles and 2 triples completing his day's work.
Just missing out - Stocky Ironfox shortstop Ira Dean missed the chance to claim a bit of Clubs League history when he picked up a hip injury on the basepaths in late July. Leading the league in runs batted in and homeruns at that point, he came back in time to seal the batting title with a .353 mark, but fell 2 homeruns and 10 RBI short of the triple crown.KKKennedy - Empire Club starter Hollis Kennedy had a year to remember in the league's debut season. He led the league in wins (18) and strikeouts (130), and set the single game mark of 12 Ks in a June win over the Professionals. On the season he also threw two 2-hit shutouts and had a 4-5, 5 RBI day at the plate while besting Tond in another complete game triumph.
At the double - First baseman Monte Morgan had a solid if unspectacular season for the Professionals in 1887, putting together a .312 batting average in 49 starts. He had one headline-stealing moment, however, in a June contest against Ironfox, as he went 4-4 with four doubles in the 12-2 win, setting an early Clubs League record.
All at once - The Johnstown Professionals had a remarkable 10-2 win over Stovepipe in June, as they scored all 10 runs in a single inning - the fourth. That inning set the season record for most runs, and was highlighted by John Cameron, of all people - the Johnstown starter slamming a bases-clearing triple to get things going. Even more bizarrely, the Professionals contrived to give up a 10-run inning the very next day, as part of a 12-8 reverse against Ironfox.
Iron man - Professionals pitcher Gene Kiblin went above and beyond in a May visit to Moontree. The quiet righty put together a herculean effort, throwing 202 pitches, as he went 12 innings (giving up just eight hits and three runs along the way), and claimed the decision in a 5-3, 13-inning victory.Three by three - Moontree shortstop Frank French used all his pace in a May contest against Stovepipe, collecting three triples in a virtuoso gap-finding display. Alas, despite scoring twice and driving home three more, his day was in vain, as the Moons fell to an 8-6 defeat. Impressively, French was also one of three Clubs Leaguers to have a two homerun game in 1887.
Blowing off steam - The Tond Union Club and Ironfox Light Blues put on a celebratory display of hitting on the season's final day in August, bringing the Clubs League's first year to an explosive end. Between them, they scored 30 runs on 33 hits. Remarkably, Tond collected four homeruns in the course of their eventual 16-14 win.
Statistically significant - Empire Club shortstop John Hopper won the Champion Hitter award in 1887, no doubt in part thanks to his 93 hits and 61 runs, both of which led all Clubs League hitters. Hopper's outstanding season also saw him feature in the top 10 in doubles, triples, homeruns, stolen bases and batting average. Across town, Professionals second baseman Ren Steel showed that age is no barrier - the 40 year old led the league in runs batted in, driving home 50 on the year. He also put together a 22-game hit streak, joint longest on the year with Stovepipe's Bill Brown. On the hill, the Mulligans' Candy McDonnell was Mr Consistent, leading all pitchers with 24 complete games and 238 2/3 innings, pitching on his way to an impressive 15-10 record.
Around Rockway - Junior and Reserve Leagues
The first season of the new Amateur Preparatory Tournament saw a fascinating month's competition in May. Play through the round robin phase was predictably tight, with the Queen Victoria Club eventually topping the standings with an 11-7 record. When it came to the knockout tournament, however, things were turned on their head and it was the Friendship Club, bottom of the round robin, who emerged triumphant, thanks to a storming 20-12 victory over Dominion.
Nineteen-year-old Queen Victoria Club shortstop John Hodder was awarded with the Best Hitter prize in 1887, thanks to his solid year that propelled QV to a league-best record. His 38 hits led all players, as he racked up a .487 batting average and 15 runs batted in. Best Pitcher honours, meanwhile, went to King James Club teenager Joe King. The young righty racked up a 4-1 record, 6 strikeouts and a league-low 3.65 ERA to claim the prize.
Game of the season in the Tournament was undoubtedly a wild contest between the Queen Victoria and King James clubs. Two Queen Victoria players - 18-year-old third baseman Dave Cusumano (4 RBI, 4 R) and 19-year-old second baseman Albert Miller (2B, 3B, 6 RBI, 3 R) - collected six hits a piece, as their team smashed their way to a 34-16 triumph, sealing the top seed for the knockout tournament in the process. Another performance catching the eye was that of 15-year-old Friendship second baseman Dave Powell in an early season losing effort against King James. The youngster didn't miss all day, going 5-5 with a run and two batted home in the 10-6 defeat.
In the B League, it was the Ironfox B team who took the honours, claiming the top spot thanks to a 14-6 record. The stand out performance of the season came in an early May game, as Moontree catcher Jim Leonhardt racked up 5 hits, 3 runs batted in and 4 runs scored in a 20-2 victory over the Light Blues' backup squad. Award winners in the B League were Ironfox outfielder Ted Winrow (.403/0/14) and Professionals' pitcher Harry McCuller (4-4/2.93/18).
