The Year of Three Major Leagues
Charles Radbourn earned the nickname “Hoss,” signifying endurance, by winning 60 games for Providence’s National League champions. Working virtually every day for the last two months of the season, he started 73 games, hurled 679 innings, compiled an ERA (calculated long after his death) of 1.38, and won 18 consecutive starts. The greatest number of wins in one season since 1968 is 27.
Frank Bancroft, who managed the club, later declared, “Morning after morning upon rising he would be unable to raise his arm high enough to use his hair brush. Instead of quitting he stuck all the harder to his task, going out to the ballpark hours before the rest of the team and beginning to warm up by throwing a few feet and increasing the distance until he could finally throw the ball from the outfield to home plate.”
But the pennant race and Radbourn’s heroics were not all that made 1884 an epic year in baseball: (1) it was one of the four MLB seasons that uniquely presented three major leagues; (2) it introduced racial integration, via the Walker brothers of Toledo’s American Association club; and (3) two league champions faced off in the postseason in a forerunner of today’s World Series.
Emboldened by the financial success of the American Association and denied a franchise in the National League, Henry V. Lucas of St. Louis spearheaded a rival that, unlike the NL and AA, paid no heed to the reserve clause. Though his Union Association collapsed after its only campaign, Lucas wound up with an NL franchise in St. Louis for 1885.
As to Fleet Walker, who performed well in his 42 games with Toledo, Manager Morton released the following letter to the press:
Richmond, Virginia. September 5, 1884.
We, the undersigned, do hereby warn you not to put up Walker, the Negro catcher, the days you play in Richmond, as we could mention the names of seventy-five determined men who have sworn to mob Walker, he comes on the ground in a suit. We hope you will listen to our words of warning so there will be no trouble, and if you do not, there certainly will be. We only write this to prevent much bloodshed, as you alone can prevent.
Walker did not catch on September 13 in Richmond, Tug Arundel, a recent acquisition, going behind the bat. Eight days later, On September 21, manager Morton received another such letter from Richmond, advising him not to use Walker in the coming series with the Virginians … at Toledo. Again Walker was not used, and eight days later Walker was released. Thus ended the major league career of the last African American to play major-league ball until Jackie Robinson.
The Images:
Of Further Interest:
- The Original World Series
- Henry Moore, Mystery Man of Baseball
- Black Baseball, 1858–1900
- Out at Home, Part 3
- Why Discriminate?
- Sol White Recalls Baseball’s Greatest Days
- Sol White’s Family, Lost and Found
- Baseball Remembers Sol White
A Pictorial Chronology of Baseball in the 19th Century, Part 11: 1884 was originally published in Our Game on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.