The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-04-03
OUR BALL TEAMS DEBUT
What They Look Like and
How They Play
Sporting Notes.

The baseball season opened yesterday
in this city. 1t was not a charming day.
The weather was far from salubrious, for
there was q strong flavor Of March in the
atmosphere. This chiilfness and the dis
appointment Of the previous day deferred
many from seeing the initial game.
Th grounds were so wet on Tuesday
that many supposed they would not be
fit for play for several days. The grounds
dry quickly, but they were damp yester-
day and in a great measure interfered
with good fielding.
The attendance was fair, as the patrons
of the game are naturally curious to see
the new men. The spectators were well
pleased with the team. They are big
men, as a rule, and make an excellent
appearance on the field.
1t Is scarcely just to measure the skill
of the men by their performances yester-
day. 1t was the first game and was played
under adverse conditions. The weather
was raw, the players were numb, the
ground was damp and the ball soggy and
difficult TO handle.
Manager Brady gave his three pitchers
and two catchers q trial. OF the pitchers
Wheeler did decidedly the best work.
He twirled like a veteran and Cook
caught him well. Fitzgerald and Reidy
went into the points in The fourth inning
u the work was positively a~mateurish.
Fitzgerald has of course just stepped
into the professional ranks and he may
be able to do well with a little expert
ence. One weakness he has is wasting
time IN posing before delivering the ball.
Deery pitche / a slow drop ball, which he
evidently has great faith in. 1t looks
like an easy ball to reach when they go
over the plate. They went very wide.
As not a run was scored by the Jaspers,
who opposed the home team, it speaks
well for the pitchers. Wheeler pitched
three innings. He gave one man his base
on balls. and had the fielding been proper
only one hit would lave been made off
his delivery. Three hits are charged
against him. Fitzgerald pitched two in
nings. Two hits were charged against
him. although only one was clean. He
gave two men first on balls and sent one
TO that base by a wild pitch. Deery
pitched two innings. Three clean hits
out were made off him, and he gave four
men first on called balls.
The work Of the catchers was satisfac-
tory except that Reidy did poorly for a
time in the fourth inning. Brady played
q fair game at first. He is a little rusty.
the catchers. Van Alstine covered third
nicely. He seems to be a man who will
look after considerable territory. Rousey
at short made a hit. He stopped the
grounders well n fielded accurately and
quickly. On the whole the performance
"a VIZ ~ attk4OGEA
there was q lack of team work as several
fly balls dropped between the players,
each anticipating that the other would
take it. The Captains command should
have been heard.
McGuckin is q lively outfielder and did
brilliant execution with the bat. Keag.
at centre, is good runner, but he muffed
an easy fly. McMahon, at right, moved
slowly.
Brady and McGuckin did the best work
with the stick. Burdock n Keag each
scored a couple of singles. Each of the
other players secured . hit except the
pitchers. Fitzgerald had but one chance
at the bat, and he was sent to first on
balls.
The Jersey Citys easily vanquished the
Manhattan College boys. They piled
up the runs at the start. Burdock,
Keag, Brady, Rousey. Mcmahon and
Cook made safe hits in the first inning,
and McGucken, Keag, Brady, Rousey
and McMahon scored. McGucken drove
the ball TO the centre field fence for two
bags in the second, q scored on Brady's
safe hit. The Jersey Citys scored our
unearned run in the third inning on
errors and Brady's safe hit. In the fourth
they secured three runs by poor pitching.
Five men were sent to base on balls, ana
McGucken got in q good hit. The Jersey
on safe hits by Keidy aud Burdock, d base
on balls to McGucken and a muffed fly
by O,Leary after a hard rum.
The Jaspers broke the fee in the third
inning. Reilly after a safe hit went to
third on a wild pitch and reached home
on a short passed ball and Wheeler's muH
at the home plate. In the fourth inning
they made three. Lally made a safe hit,
Donohue got his base on balls, Collins
sent up an easy fly which Fitzgerald and
Reilly allowed to drop between them.
Lally scored on this error of Judgment
and DonohueI and Collins scored on
Keag's muff Of the fly sent him by
p. Murray. Collins scored In the
sixth on a safe hit, being forced to third
by Murray, and Colville being sent to first
on balls and he scored on O'Leary's safe
hit. The Jaspers added two in the seventh
inning. J. Murray. who reached first on
Van Alstine's tumble, and Collins. who
put up an easy one that should nave been
caught, crossed the home plate.
The score was as follows
JERSEY CITY. JAsPERs.
~ n. III. P. A. E. r. 1B, P. A. &c.