page_title: Nashville Tigers
section_title: The second series of 1894
hierarchical_section_title: Nashville Tigers / History / The second season / The second series of 1894
caption_attribution_description: English: An illustration of baseball player Charles Dooley from the March 7, 1894, edition of the Nashville Banner
context_page_description: The Nashville Tigers were a minor league baseball team that played in the Class B Southern League from 1893 to 1894. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee, and played their home games at Athletic Park, later known as Sulphur Dell.
  Under the management of Ted Sullivan, the Tigers finished the first series of 1893 in last place out of twelve teams. Their play was hampered by a preponderance of injured players, which led to high roster turnover and the frequent substitution of local amateur players to make out a full lineup. Consequently, the once robust attendance at Athletic Park declined as the season progressed, eventually putting the team in such dire financial condition that Sullivan surrendered the franchise to the league. They fared better in the second series and were in eighth place on August 12 when circuit-wide financial problems forced the to league disband.
  Reminiscent of the previous year, the 1894 Nashvilles found themselves last out of eight teams just one month into the season. In contrast, manager George Stallings made a series of roster moves that strengthened the team, enabling it to move up to sixth place by the close of the first series on June 27.
context_section_description: The Nashvilles underwent a few changes in preparation for the start of the second series on June 29. Borchers was released. Ollie Beard, who had played for the Nashville Americans in 1885 and 1886, was acquired from the defunct Charleston team. The roster consisted of pitchers Harper, Moran, and Shaw; catcher Swett; first baseman Dooley; second baseman O'Brien; third baseman Whitehead; shortstop Beard; left fielder Sweeney; center fielder Stallings; and right fielders Meara and Work.
  The Tigers and Memphis Giants arrived at Athletic Park in carriages led by a brass band. In the top of the first inning, O'Brien hit the first pitch over the outfield fence for a home run. Three more runs were scored in the home half of the first, but a Memphis run in the bottom half and three in the second inning tied the game at 4–4. The Giants scored five runs in the third, but the Tigers answered with six of their own in the fourth. The game was called due to rain in the middle of the sixth, with the Nashvilles winning the first game of the new series, 10–9, before 1,500 people. Work was released after the game. They very nearly made it two-in-a-row, but a costly four-run ninth inning on June 30, gave the locals an 8–7 loss. With a win over Memphis on July 2, the Tigers moved into a tie for first place with Atlanta, and then took sole possession of first with a win over the Atlantas on July 3. Nashville retained first place by splitting a July 4 doubleheader with Atlanta before a crowd of over 3,000. Shaw was released on July 6.
  The Independence Day doubleheader was originally scheduled to be capped off by a night game, but was prevented by rain. This was long before ballparks were equipped with electric lights, and night games were seen only as gimmicks. To put time into perspective, the first major league night game was not played until over 40 years later in 1935. An attempt to play on July 5 was also rained out, but the spectacle was finally rescheduled for July 6 as a tripleheader against the New Orleans Pelicans. The first two games would be played during the afternoon, with the special night game to be played that evening at 8:30. 
  New Orleans won the first game and Nashville won the second, allowing the Tigers to remain in first place. The night game would be contested merely as an exhibition with all proceeds going to Nashville's players. The special program commenced with a fireworks display and was followed by a balancing act and slack-wire walking demonstration. Members of both teams competed in long-distance throwing and sliding competitions and a 100-yard (91 m) dash won by Meara. Fifty-four large electric lights were placed around Athletic Park to illuminate the field, and the baseball was covered with phosphorus to aid visibility. Adding to the novelty of a night game, players marched onto the field wearing burlesque costumes that included ballet outfits, loud suits, dresses, wigs, and bonnets. The estimated 4,000 fans in attendance were entertained by antics such as base runners leading fielders on a chase through dark regions of the outfield and climbing up a light pole to avoid being tagged out. Nashville won, 3–2. This marked the first time that a night baseball game was played in Nashville, a feat often incorrectly attributed to the Nashville Vols in 1931, though the Vols' game was a serious contest.
  On July 7, Nashville ended the opening homestand with a 15–11 victory over the Pelicans. After the game, the team came to an abrupt end. Its demise, and eventually that of the Southern League, was caused when Memphis indicated it had no intention to play any more road games and the club sold two of its players to make up for recent financial losses, a violation of the league's rules. With the Nashvilles scheduled to play next in Memphis, rather than lay out the necessary capital for the three-city road trip with no guarantee that any of the clubs would return to play in Nashville, Stallings and Dooley payed their players' wages and disbanded. As of their final game, the Tigers were in first place with a 6–3 (.667) record
caption: Charles Dooley went in with Stallings to finance the team.
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