The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-09-18
LEAGUE CONTESTS.
How the Clubs Fought for the
Pennant in 1885 and 1886.
THE BATTLE WAS A BITTER ONE.
This Review is Suggested by the Lively
Struggle Now in Progress Between
New York and Boston.

The remarkable contest for the National
league pennant now going on between the
Boston and New York baseball clubs-and, in
fact, Philadelphia and Chicago may be in
cluded, for they are by no means out Of the
race-recalls to mind that ever since and in
Guiding 1885 the strugglesfor the champion
ship of the leading and Oldest baseball or
ganization in the country have been noted
for their close and exciting finish. In 1885
the pennant was won by Chicago with rec
ord Of 81 victories and 25 defeats New York
came in second with a record of IS victories
and q defeats, and the other clubs trailed
along in the following order; Philadelphia,
Providence, Boston, Detroit, Buffalo, st.
Louis. The season was a successful one fnan-
cially to most of the clubs.
In 1886 the membership of the League was
changed by the withdrawal of Providence
and Buffalo and the substitution of Kansas
City and Washington. The season proved to
be profitable one to a majority of the clubs,
Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago
and Detroit finding it a success financially.
The leading feature Of this seasons campaign
was the effective and telling work of the Phil-
adelphia club. In fact, this club has enliven-
ed the finish for several seasons by the great
squirt it has made in the last six weeks there
of. In 1888, its first year in the League, it
closed the season in the eighth place. In 1884
It advanced to the sixth place, and in 1885 it
improved its position by three points. In
1856 it fell back to the fourth place, but in
1887 it made great rally, pushing the clubs
leading it one side, one by one, till it reached
second position, where the close of the sea-
son found it. In 1855 it occupied third
place.
After the close of the month of May con-
tests in 1886 the contest lay entirely be
tween Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and
New York, the others not being in the race
at all, so to speak. 1t was in this year that
the League increased the number of games
10 be played in each series from sixteen to
eighteen. The first week of the campaign
showed the Chicagos in the lead, with New
York a close second and Detroit third At
the close of the month, however, Detroit
had passed to the front, with Chicago Sec
ond and New York third. The Detroit club
made the best record this month of any in
the season, winning 90 of the "a games it
played. The New Yorks made splendid
rally in the month of June, winning 16
games and losing 5, taking the lead from
Detroit, the latter taking second place, with
Chicago third. In July Detroit again went
TO the front, winning 90 games and losing
but G. New York took a great tumble and
closed the month in fourth position, Chi
cago and Philadelphia preceding it.
In the month of August there was another
great change in the standing of the clubs. 1t
proved q disastrous period for Detroit, which
team, by winning only ten games and losing
thirteen, was compelled to fall back to sixth
position. Chicago made magnificent squirt
in this month, and for the first time since the
fist week in the season occupied first place,
Winning seventeen games and losing six; New
York, Philadelphia, St Louis and Boston
following in the order named. In September
the Chicagos still kept in first place. Detroit
took great brace at this time, and when the
roll was called at the end Of the month it an
swered to second position, with Philadelphia
third and New York forced from second
place to fourth.
In October Detroit went to the front, play
ing nine games and winning seven. 1t was
not until September that the Washington
club succeeded in getting out of the last posi-
ton in the race. At the close of that month
it exchanged places with Kansas City and
took seventh position, and during the few
playing days in October it still further bet
tered its record by forcing st. Louis and
Kansas City in the eighth and seventh posi-
tons respectively. Such was the progress of
the campaign month by month. When the
sear N closed the total record stood as fol-
lows;