Defunct major baseball league (1882?1891)
The
American Association of Base Ball Clubs
(
AA
) was a
professional baseball
league that existed for 10 seasons from
1882
to
1891
. Together with the
National League
(NL), founded in
1876
, the AA participated in an early version of the
World Series
[a]
seven times versus the champion of the NL in an interleague championship playoff tournament. At the end of its run, several AA franchises joined the NL. After 1891, the NL existed alone, with each season's champions being awarded the
Temple Cup
(1894?1897).
During its existence, the AA was often simply referred to as "the Association" in the media, in contrast to the NL, which was sometimes called "the League". It was also sometimes called the "Beer and Whiskey League".
History
[
edit
]
The American Association (AA) distinguished itself in several ways from what it considered to be the puritanical
National League
(NL). The new league established teams in what the NL leaders pejoratively called "river cities", including
Pittsburgh
,
Cincinnati
,
Louisville
and
St. Louis
, with the inherent implication of lower morality or social standards in those cities. In contrast to the NL, the AA offered cheaper ticket prices, Sunday games and alcoholic beverages to its patrons.
[1]
: p.55
On November 8, 1881, at the
Gibson House
in Cincinnati, it was decided that individual teams in the league-to-be would operate their own affairs and set their own admission prices,
[2]
under an agreement called the "guarantee system". The NL at that time prohibited the sale of alcohol on its grounds, while the AA had no such restrictions, especially as several of its teams were backed by breweries and distilleries. The AA became known as "The Beer and Whiskey League", another pejorative term applied by NL owners, which did not seem to bother the fans of the Association's clubs.
Beginning in 1884 and continuing through 1890, the champion of the AA met the champion of the NL in an early version of the
World Series
. These early Series were less organized than the modern version, with as few as three games played and as many as fifteen, and the contests of 1885 and 1890 ending in disputed ties. The NL won four of these Series, while the AA won only one, in 1886 when the
St. Louis Browns
(now the
St. Louis Cardinals
) defeated the
Chicago White Stockings
(now the
Chicago Cubs
).
Over its lifetime, the AA was weakened by several factors. One was the tendency of some of its teams to jump to the NL. The consistently stronger NL was in better position to survive adverse conditions. Some owners of AA teams also owned a NL team.
[1]
: p.58
The most significant blow to the AA was dealt by the
Players' League
, a third major league formed in 1890, which siphoned off talent and gate receipts. In a rare historical oddity, the
Brooklyn Bridegrooms
(now the
Los Angeles Dodgers
) won the league's championship and represented the AA in the
1889 World Series
, switched to the NL during the off-season, and then repeated the same feat.
No player who spent the majority of his career in the AA is in the
baseball Hall of Fame
, although
Bid McPhee
of the
Cincinnati Reds
played eight of his eighteen seasons in the AA before the Reds moved to the National League. The living legacy of the old Association is the group of teams that came over to the National League to stay. The Pirates moved to the NL after the 1886 season, the Bridegrooms/Dodgers and the
Cincinnati Reds
after the 1889 season, and the Browns/Cardinals after the American Association folded following the 1891 season. Following the reorganization and contraction of the NL from 12 teams down to 8 in 1900, half of the eight surviving teams were former members of the AA. Several of the AA's home-field venues survived into the 1960s: The ballpark used by the 1891 Washington club evolved into
Griffith Stadium
; the home of the St. Louis Browns,
Sportsman's Park
; and the city block occupied by the Reds, which evolved into
Crosley Field
. Other than the clubs themselves, Crosley Field was the last physical remnant of the AA?it was the home field of the Cincinnati Reds until mid-season 1970 and was razed in April 1972.
During the AA's existence, several teams defected over to the NL, and at the AA's demise in 1891 four additional clubs joined the NL. Four former AA clubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates (defected to the NL in 1887), the Cincinnati Reds (defected to the NL in 1889), the Los Angeles Dodgers (defected in 1890) and the St. Louis Cardinals (joined the NL after the AA demise in 1891), have posted more than 10,000 all-time major-league victories.
[3]
AA statistics are recognized by
Major League Baseball
(MLB), the AA being one of six leagues deemed "major" by the Special Baseball Records Committee of Major League Baseball in 1969.
[4]
[b]
Pennant winners of the AA
[
edit
]
- 1882
Cincinnati Red Stockings
- 1883
Philadelphia Athletics
- 1884
New York Metropolitans
(lost World Series, 3?0, to Providence NL)
- 1885
St. Louis Browns
(tied World Series, 3?3?1, with Chicago NL)
- 1886
St. Louis Browns
(won World Series, 4?2, over Chicago NL)
- 1887
St. Louis Browns
(lost World Series, 10?5, to Detroit NL)
- 1888
St. Louis Browns
(lost World Series, 6?2, to New York NL)
- 1889
Brooklyn Bridegrooms
(lost World Series, 6?3, to New York NL)
- 1890
Louisville Colonels
(tied World Series, 3?3?1, with Brooklyn NL)
- 1891
Boston Reds
American Association franchises
[
edit
]
Franchise
|
Franchise name with all recorded nicknames
|
Years
|
Years that the franchise were active in the AA
|
Home-field
|
The home-field
ballpark
(s) in which the franchise played
|
Titles
|
How many league titles the franchise won in the AA
|
†
|
Franchise later joined the
National League
|
§
|
Franchise transferred in from the
Players' League
|
Timeline
[
edit
]
- The 1884 Washington Statesmen were replaced during the season by the Richmond Virginians.
- For the 1891 season, the Philadelphia Athletics were replaced by the Philadelphia Quakers of the Player's League.
- The 1891 Cincinnati Kelly's Killers folded during the season and were replaced by the Milwaukee Brewers.
- 1882 ? AA forms with six teams
- 1883 ? AA expands to eight teams
- 1884 ? AA expands to twelve teams in response to
Union Association
threat
- 1885 ? AA returns to eight teams
- 1887 ? Allegheny ("Pittsburgh Alleghenys") leave AA to join NL
- 1889 ? Cleveland Spiders leave AA to join NL
- 1890 ? Cincinnati Red Stockings and Brooklyn Bridegrooms leave AA to join NL
- 1892 ? Baltimore Orioles, Louisville Colonels, St. Louis Browns, and Washington Senators join National League after the folding of the AA
AA presidents
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- General
- Nemec, David (2004).
The Beer and Whisky League : The Illustrated History of the American Association?Baseball's Renegade Major League
. Guilford: The Lyons Press.
ISBN
1-59228-188-5
.
- Pietrusza, David (1991).
The Formation, Sometimes Absorption and Mostly Inevitable Demise of 18 Professional Baseball Organizations, 1871 to Present
. Jefferson (NC): McFarland & Company.
ISBN
0-89950-590-2
.
- Specific
- ^
a
b
Shipley, Robert E. (Summer 1995).
"Not Bad for A Beer League"
(PDF)
.
The National Pastime
.
15
. Cleveland, Ohio:
Society for American Baseball Research
.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on March 4, 2012.
- ^
The Encyclopedia of Louisville
, John E. Kleber
- ^
"MLB Teams and Baseball Encyclopedia - Baseball-Reference.com"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
.
Archived
from the original on August 8, 2010
. Retrieved
May 7,
2018
.
- ^
"Major League Baseball finally elevates the Negro Leagues to "Major League" officially recognizing their statistical records"
.
artvoice.com
. December 16, 2020. Archived from
the original
on July 9, 2021
. Retrieved
July 4,
2021
.
- ^
"MLB officially designates the Negro Leagues as 'Major League'
"
.
MLB.com
(Press release). Major League Baseball. December 16, 2020
. Retrieved
July 4,
2021
.
- ^
"Baltimore Orioles (1882-1899) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Newington Park in Baltimore, MD"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Oriole Park I in Baltimore, MD"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Oriole Park II in Baltimore, MD"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Cincinnati Reds (1882-2008) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Bank Street Grounds in Cincinnati, OH"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"League Park I in Cincinnati, OH"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Louisville Colonels (1882-1899) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Eclipse Park I in Louisville, KY"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Philadelphia Athletics (1882-1890) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc.
Archived
from the original on June 28, 2017
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Oakdale Park in Philadelphia, PA"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Jefferson Street Grounds in Philadelphia, PA"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Pittsburgh Pirates (1882-2008) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Exposition Park I in Pittsburgh, PA"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Recreation Park in Pittsburgh, PA"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"St. Louis Cardinals (1882-1890) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Sportsman's Park I in St. Louis, MO"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Columbus Buckeyes (1883-1884) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Recreation Park I in Columbus, OH"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"New York Metropolitans (1883-1887) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Polo Grounds I (Southeast Diamond) in New York, NY"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Metropolitan Park in New York"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"St. George Cricket Grounds in St. George, NY"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Los Angeles Dodgers (1882-2008) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Washington Park I in Brooklyn, NY"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
a
b
"Ridgewood Park II in New York, NY"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Indianapolis Blues (1884) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Seventh Street Park I in Indianapolis, IN"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Bruce Grounds in Indianapolis, IN"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Richmond Virginias (1884) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Allens Pasture in Richmond, VA"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Toledo Blue Stockings (1884) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"League Park in Toledo, OH"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Washington Nationals (1884) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Athletic Park in Washington, DC"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Cleveland Spiders (1887-1899) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"League Park II in Cleveland, OH"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Kansas City Cowboys (1888-1899) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Association Park in Kansas City, MO"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Exposition Park in Kansas City, MO"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Columbus Solons (1889-1891) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Recreation Park II in Columbus, OH"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Brooklyn Gladiators (1890) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Polo Grounds III in New York"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Rochester Hop Bitters (1890) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Culver Field I in Rochester, NY"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Syracuse Stars (1890) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Star Park II in Syracuse, NY"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Toledo Maumees (1890) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Speranza Park in Toledo, OH"
. Retrosheet, Inc.
- ^
"Boston Reds (1890-1891) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Congress Street Grounds in Boston, MA"
. Retrosheet, Inc.
- ^
"Cincinnati Kelly's Killers (1891) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"East End Park in Cincinnati, OH"
. Retrosheet, Inc.
- ^
"Milwaukee Brewers (1891) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Athletic Park in Milwaukee, WI"
. Retrosheet, Inc.
- ^
"Philadelphia Athletics (1890-1891) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Forepaugh Park in Philadelphia, PA"
. Retrosheet, Inc.
- ^
"Milwaukee Brewers (1891) franchise index"
. Retrosheet, Inc
. Retrieved
April 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Boundary Field in Washington, DC"
. Retrosheet, Inc.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
Transferred to
National League
| |
---|
Defunct
| |
---|
Years in parentheses are years in the American Association
|
|
---|
Americas
| Major
| |
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Minor
| |
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Independent
| MLB Partner Leagues
| |
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Non-partnered leagues
| |
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|
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Off-season
| MLB-affiliated
| |
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Independent
| |
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|
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Defunct
| MLB-recognized
| |
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Other major
| |
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Minor
| |
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Asia
| China
| |
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Israel
| |
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Japan
| Major
| |
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Minor
| |
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Off-season
| |
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Independent
| |
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Women's
| |
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|
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South Korea
| |
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Taiwan
| Major
| |
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Minor
| |
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Defunct major
| |
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|
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|
Europe
| Italy and San Marino
| |
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Netherlands
| |
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|
|
|