Year In Review : 1895 National League

Off the Field…

English novelist, journalist, sociologist, and historian H.G. Wells published his first novel, "The Time Machine", a parody of English class division and a satirical warning that human progress was not inevitable. In the story, the "Time Traveler" landed in the year 802701 to find two types of people: the Eloi, a weak species, who lived above ground, and the Morlocks, a carnivorous group of creatures that lived below. Much of the realism of the story was achieved by carefully studied technical details and was based on the basic principles regarding time as the fourth dimension.

In the National League…

Before a game with the visiting Cleveland Spiders, the entire Chicago Colts team was arrested for "inciting, aiding and abetting the forming of a noisy crowd on a Sunday". Reverend W.W. Clark and the "Sunday Observance League" had protested the concept of baseball on Sunday and instigated the police action. After owner Jim Hart posted bail, 10,000 fans remained to watch the "wanted men" beat the visitors 13-4.

On February 6th, George Herman "Babe" Ruth was born in Baltimore, Maryland.

In the Temple Cup (prelude to the World Series) the Baltimore Orioles (87-43) met the Cleveland Spiders (84-46) with the Spiders winning the title in five games thanks to the arm of an "up-and-comer" named Cy Young.

"Zane Grey is renowned for his thrilling plots, his unforgettable gunmen and his incomparably satisfying action. But there are deeper and more abiding reasons to read this master storyteller." - Marian Kester Coombs
1895 National League Player Review

Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard

Base on Balls

Billy Hamilton

Philadelphia

96

Top 25

Bill Joyce

Washington

Batting Average

Jesse Burkett

Cleveland

.409

Top 25

Doubles

Ed Delahanty

Philadelphia

49

Top 25

Hits

Jesse Burkett

Cleveland

225

Top 25

Home Runs

Sam Thompson

Philadelphia

18

Top 25

On Base Percentage

Ed Delahanty

Philadelphia

.500

Top 25

RBI

Sam Thompson

Philadelphia

165

Top 25

Runs

Billy Hamilton

Philadelphia

166

Top 25

Slugging Average

Sam Thompson

Philadelphia

.654

Top 25

Stolen Bases

Billy Hamilton

Philadelphia

97

Top 25

Total Bases

Sam Thompson

Philadelphia

352

Top 25

Triples

Kip Selbach

Washington

22

Top 25

 

1895 National League Pitcher Review

Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard

Complete Games

Ted Breitenstein

St. Louis

46

Top 25

ERA

Al Maul

Washington

2.45

Top 25

Games

Pink Hawley

Pittsburgh

56

Top 25

Saves

Ernie Beam

Philadelphia

3

Top 25

Kid Nichols

Boston

Tom Parrott

Cincinnati

Shutouts

Pink Hawley

Pittsburgh

4

Top 25

Bill Hoffer

Baltimore

Sadie McMahon

Baltimore

Amos Rusie

New York

Cy Young

Cleveland

Strikeouts

Amos Rusie

New York

201

Top 25

Winning Percentage

Bill Hoffer

Baltimore

.838

Top 25

Wins

Cy Young

Cleveland

35

Top 25

 

1895 National League

Team Standings

Baltimore Orioles

87 43 .669 0

Cleveland Spiders

84 46 .646 3

Philadelphia Phillies

78 53 .595

Chicago Colts

72 58 .554 15

Brooklyn Bridegrooms

71 60 .542 16˝

Boston Beaneaters

71 60 .542 16˝

Pittsburgh Pirates

71 61 .538 17

Cincinnati Reds

66 64 .508 21

New York Giants

66 65 .504 21˝

Washington Senators

43 85 .336 43

St. Louis Browns

39 92 .298 48˝

Louisville Colonels

35 96 .267 52˝

 

1895 National League Team Review

Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard

Base on Balls

Washington

518

Batting Average

Philadelphia

.330

Doubles

Philadelphia

272

Hits

Philadelphia

1,664

Home Runs

Philadelphia

61

On Base Percentage

Philadelphia

.394

Runs

Philadelphia

1,068

Slugging Average

Philadelphia

.450

Stolen Bases

Cincinnati

326

Triples

Cincinnati

105

 

1895 National League Team Review

Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard

Complete Games

Chicago

119

ERA

Baltimore

3.80

Fewest Hits Allowed

Baltimore

1,216

Fewest Home Runs Allowed

Pittsburgh

17

Fewest Walks Allowed

Cleveland

346

Saves

Philadelphia

7

Shutouts

Baltimore

10

Strikeouts

New York

409



Why did we choose a quotation about author Zane Grey? On the 15th of June, he appeared in his first Minor League ballgame. His baseball career would be short lived, but the novelist would go on to write more than ninety-books and have more than one-hundred films made from his classics.

Most fans know that the rules state the home team must supply baseballs for the game. However, did you know that on May 23, 1895, Louisville forfeited a game to Brooklyn because they ran out of baseballs?

On June 3, 1895, Roger Connor hit his one-hundred twenty-second career home run. This historic shot passed Harry Stovey and made Connor the all-time home run king of the nineteenth century.