Key Moments & Notable Performances
One-way traffic - If 1887 had produced a close-run pennant chase, the second season of the Clubs League was anything but. The defending champion Empire Club - the biggest club on Rockway, even before baseball arrived - were peerless in 1888. Winning on opening day, the Johnstown team were never headed all season long, eventually sealing a flag-to-flag championship with a staggering 12 games (a quarter of the season) still to play.
The Invincibles - In the midst of their unstoppable march to the title, the Empire Club set a record that may never be broken - reeling off 22 consecutive victories in June and July. Over the course of seven magnificent weeks, the Club's pitchers threw 7 shutouts and their hitters outscored all opponents by 139 runs to 49, in so doing earning the capital's most famous club a new nickname - the Invincibles.Unstoppable - Unlucky to have missed out on Outstanding Pitcher honours in 1887, the Empire Club's ace Hollis Kennedy ensured he took home the medal in 1888 thanks to a truly staggering season. The young pitcher - he turned 23 in June - started the season with back-to-back 2-hit shutouts, and proceeded to win 19 of his first 22 starts, before finally being handed a loss in early August. Kennedy still had time to become the first player to win 20 Clubs League games in a season, ending with an amazing 23-1 record that included 8 complete game shutouts. He also led the league with a miserly 1.28 earned run average, and missed out on the triple crown only after teammate Bill Kinder struck out 10 in his final day start.
Pitching in - So dominant were the Empire Club in 1888 that even when the fearsome duo of Hollis Kennedy and Bill Kinder weren't on the hill, opponents were still left bewildered. Backup Dave Door was called upon to make his only start of the season in a June contest against Tond, and responded by shutting out the Union Club on 6-hits - Johnstown pitchers' third consecutive complete game shutout. Three weeks later, when Kennedy sprained his ankle two innings into a start against Moontree, fill-in starter Simon Carlisle took over and pitched seven scoreless in relief to seal another shutout victory.
All the hits - The Stovepipe Mulligans were best of the rest in 1888, led by shortstop John McKee. McKee led all hitters with 85 hits, 49 RBIs and a .332 average, and was awarded the Champion Hitter medal for his effort. His season was highlight came in June, as he became the first Clubs Leaguer to hit for the cycle, smashing one of each in an 8-0 win over Ironfox.The longest game - Stovepipe's Candy McDonnell refused to give up in a marathon June victory over Moontree, pitching every inning of the League's longest game to date. He used 220 pitches to complete 16 frames (giving up only 8 hits and 2 unearned runs) to secure the 6-2 W. Opposing number Chicken Macdonald left after 15 innings, with a 206-pitch no-decision.
Trading places - Last season's surprise star Ren Steel found himself the subject of the League's first in-season trade in June. Struggling to recapture his hitting form, the 41-year-old second baseman was dealt by the Professionals to the Moontree Moons, in exchange for Bill Oxenford and Doc Briant, two young reservers. Steel's hitting improved somewhat in his new surroundings, and his reflexes remained sharp as ever, securing him a remarkable Quality Fieldsmanship award at season's end.
Walk off in style - Stovepipe centrefielder Jim Shaw had a disappointing season in 1888, hitting 50 points lower than in '87. He did have one headline moment however, when he connected for a 10th-inning walk-off grand slam in June to seal a hard-fought 8-4 victory over the Professionals.
Slim pickings - Tond and Ironfox fought out the tightest contest to date at the start of July, sharing just 1 run and 5 hits between them over the course of nine nervy innings. The Union Club's Sam Alcott held his nerve, giving up just one hit and one walk over 9 shutout innings to claim the Clubs League's first 1-0 win.Team effort - The Moontree Moons put together an improved performance in 1888, their efforts highlighted in a late-season takedown at Ironfox. In the 15-5 win, catcher Jim Leonhardt equalled the league record with six runs batted in, centrefielder Frank Russell scored four times, and shortstop Frank French collected 5 base hits including a pair of round-trippers.
Change at the top - Rockway's newest professional team, the Johnstown Professionals struggled to compete with the more established teams in 1888, with only the floundering Ironfox side on their level. Shortly after the season's end, it was announced that owner George Jones had decided to sell the team to Yaxley-born businessman Ben Mullins in the hope of securing greater investment in the playing squad ahead of the 1889 season.
Statistically significant - Hardworking Empire Club third baseman Phil Jahn led the Clubs League in stolen bases for the second season in a row, improving his league-best tally to 44 successful swipes. Moontree ace Pat Beachy put together an outstanding season for the Moons, topping the league standings with 25 complete games and 251 innings pitched. His 15 victories trailed only the two Empire Club aces and Candy McDonnell, while he was also one of five pitchers to allow less than 2 earned runs for every nine innings pitched. Not so successful on the hill was Hezekiah Knipstein, who was tagged with a league-high 18 losses for a poor Ironfox side - although he did make two positive top tens as well, with 8 wins (9th) and 78 strikeouts (8th).
Hall of Fame Inductee
Archie Farthing
The father of Rockean baseball, inducted unanimously in 1888.
Around Rockway - Junior and Reserve Leagues
The 1888 Amateur Preparatory Tournament played out a similar story to the previous May, with the Queen Victoria Club once again edging to the top of the standings in round robin play. For the second year in a row, however, they couldn't take advantage of the top seed, and it was the Friendship Club who once again took the honours in the Tournament final. Their victory there was a close affair - the 5-4 triumph over Dominion going 10 innings before the decisive run was scored.
The King James Club's 17-year-old rightfielder Joe Foster put together an outstanding season that saw him handed the Best Hitter prize. He led the Tournament in hitting with a .438 average and 34 hits, while also driving home 22 runs and picking up 4 round-trippers. The champion Friendship Club's ace Charlie Ippel, meanwhile, was named Best Pitcher as he led his team to a second consecutive title. The 16-year-old posted a 3-2 record in the regular season, with a league-best 2.81 earned run average and 24 strikeouts in his six starts.
Dominion's 16-year-old catcher Crazy Osborne caught the eye of onlookers in 1888, putting up two separate displays of powerful hitting inside a week. Just five days after slamming two homeruns and collecting 5 batted in to lead his team to a thrilling 11-10 victory over Queen Victoria, Osborne repeated the fear, collecting two more four-baggers and driving home four runs in a blowout loss against King James. In between those two games, King James first baseman Monk Smith (16) showed it really was a week for big hitting, as he too collected a pair of homeruns, setting the Tournament record with 7 RBI in a 14-6 win over Friendship.
As it had been the previous year, it was the Ironfox B team who took the honours in the B League in 1888, their 14-6 record again good enough for top spot. Professionals starter John Jones put in the performance of the season among the backups, striking out 15 hitters over the course of 8 innings in an early-year win over the Moontree reserves. Award winners in the B League were Moontree outfielder Hercules Craig (.333/5/17) and his teammate, pitcher Hermann Brown (3-4/2.57/44).
