English author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's first Sherlock Holmes story "A Study in Scarlet" was published. Doyle's brilliant and theatrical hero solved all of his extraordinarily complex cases through what he called "ingenious deductive reasoning". His companion, Dr. Watson, narrated the stories and both characters helped to redefine the mystery novel. Doyle later abandoned his medical practice in 1890 and devoted his time to writing. Other works of the great detective included The Sign of the Four (1890), The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902), The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905), His Last Bow (1917), and The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes, (1927).
The Philadelphia Phillies finished off their 1887 season with an unprecedented sixteen consecutive wins.
Detroit Wolverines owner Frederick Stearnes challenged American Association St. Louis owner Chris Von Der Ahe to a best-of-fifteen Championship series. The Wolverines prevailed winning eight games. Despite appearing in sixteen post-season games, the Browns receive nothing for their efforts as Von Der Ahe refused to share his profits.
St. Louis Browns first baseman/manager Charles Comiskey became the first baseball player ever paid to endorse a product after lending his name and likeness to Menell's Penetrating Oil.
Thomas Ramsey of the Louisville Colonels introduced the "knuckleball" pitch, which helped him to fan seventeen batters in a single game — twice.
On April 16th, Mike Griffin of the Baltimore Orioles became the first player ever to homer in his first Major League at-bat.
"He (Sam Thompson) was known as an outstanding clutch hitter and he collected over 200 hits three times, twice topping the National League in home runs and RBI." - National Baseball Hall of Fame
1887 National League Player ReviewHitting Statistics League Leaderboard |
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Statistic | Name(s) | Team(s) | # | Top 25 |
Base on Balls | Jim Fogarty | Philadelphia | 82 | Top 25 |
Batting Average | Cap Anson | Chicago | .347 | Top 25 |
Doubles | Dan Brouthers | Detroit | 36 | Top 25 |
Hits | Sam Thompson | Detroit | 203 | Top 25 |
Home Runs | Billy O'Brien | Washington | 19 | Top 25 |
On Base Percentage | Dan Brouthers | Detroit | .426 | Top 25 |
RBI | Sam Thompson | Detroit | 166 | Top 25 |
Runs | Dan Brouthers | Detroit | 153 | Top 25 |
Slugging Average | Sam Thompson | Detroit | .571 | Top 25 |
Total Bases | Sam Thompson | Detroit | 311 | Top 25 |
Triples | Sam Thompson | Detroit | 23 | Top 25 |
Statistic | Name(s) | Team(s) | # | Top 25 |
1887 National League Pitcher ReviewPitching Statistics League Leaderboard |
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Statistic | Name(s) | Team(s) | # | Top 25 |
Complete Games | John Clarkson | Chicago | 56 | Top 25 |
ERA | Dan Casey | Philadelphia | 2.86 | Top 25 |
Games | John Clarkson | Chicago | 60 | Top 25 |
Saves | Lady Baldwin | Chicago | 1 | Top 25 |
Charlie Ferguson | Indianapolis | |||
Bob Pettit | Chicago | |||
Bill Stemmeyer | Boston | |||
Mike Tiernan | New York | |||
Larry Twitchell | Detroit | |||
George Van Haltren | Chicago | |||
Shutouts | Dan Casey | Philadelphia | 4 | Top 25 |
Strikeouts | John Clarkson | Chicago | 237 | Top 25 |
Winning Percentage | Charlie Getzien | Detroit | .690 | Top 25 |
Wins | John Clarkson | Chicago | 38 | Top 25 |
Statistic | Name(s) | Team(s) | # | Top 25 |
1887 National LeagueTeam Standings |
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Team [Click for roster] | Wins | Losses | WP | GB |
Detroit Wolverines | 79 | 45 | .637 | 0 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 75 | 48 | .610 | 3½ |
Chicago White Stockings | 71 | 50 | .587 | 6½ |
New York Giants | 68 | 55 | .553 | 10½ |
Boston Beaneaters | 61 | 60 | .504 | 16½ |
Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 55 | 69 | .444 | 24 |
Washington Senators | 46 | 76 | .377 | 32 |
Indianapolis Hoosiers | 37 | 89 | .294 | 43 |
1887 National League Team ReviewHitting Statistics League Leaderboard |
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Statistic | Team | # |
Base on Balls | Chicago | 407 |
Batting Average | Detroit | .299 |
Doubles | Detroit | 213 |
Philadelphia | ||
Hits | Detroit | 1,404 |
Home Runs | Chicago | 80 |
On Base Percentage | Detroit | .353 |
Runs | Detroit | 969 |
Slugging Average | Detroit | .434 |
Triples | Detroit | 126 |
1887 National League Team ReviewPitching Statistics League Leaderboard |
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Statistic | Team | # |
Complete Games | Washington | 124 |
ERA | Chicago | 3.46 |
Fewest Hits Allowed | New York | 1,096 |
Fewest Home Runs Allowed | New York | 27 |
Fewest Walks Allowed | Pittsburgh | 246 |
Saves | Chicago | 3 |
Shutouts | Philadelphia | 7 |
Strikeouts | Chicago | 510 |
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On April 30, 1887, the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the New York Giants 19-10 in the first game ever played at the Baker Bowl.
On May 7, 1887, Sam Thompson became the first player to hit two bases loaded triples during the same game.
Did you know that during the 1887 regular season base on balls (walks) were counted as actual base hits?