A Pictorial Chronology of Baseball in the 19th Century, Part 13: 1886

It’s all about the money … and the freedom

The Mets’ home park in 1886 provided a view of the Statue of Liberty under construction.

Increasingly money was the story in baseball, especially with the demise in 1885 of the third big league and the birth of the Brotherhood. By 1886 most clubs were making substantial profits, which made their fixation on the salary cap truly puzzling. Detroit visited New York for a three-game set commencing on Memorial Day and drew 7,000 on the holiday, which fell on a Sunday, followed by a record 20,709 paid attendance the next day. Chicago announced an 1886 profit of $62,000. New York may have made even more — John Ward thought so — but owner John B. Day said he made only $50,000. Boston made $65,000, corroborated by the club’s surviving account books. Among National League clubs in 1886, Washington definitely lost money, and perhaps St. Louis and Kansas City, too.

In the American Association, every club finished in the black except the Mets, and their deficit was accountable to the inaccessibility of their lavish new Staten Island ballpark. During the summer, spectators were able to look at New York harbor from the St. George grandstand and see the Statue of Liberty being assembled.

Following his club’s repeat title in the American Association of 1886, St. Louis Browns owner Chris Von der Ahe challenged the National League champs, Al Spalding’s Chicago White Stockings, to a best of seven championship series. Von Der Ahe was so eager to avenge himself after the 1885 confusion, by which St. Louis claimed a draw and Chicago a victory, that he declared he would take no profit for himself and that as far as his interests were concerned, the series proceeds would go to the players on a winner-take-all basis. This was the first World Series ever to be played this way, and the last.

In Game One Chicago shut out St. Louis, which returned the favor in game two. The teams split the next two games. St. Louis won game five as Chicago, with a sore-armed pitching staff of John Clarkson and Jim McCormick, was forced to go with position players Ned Williamson and Jimmy Ryan in the box. Game Six was settled in the tenth inning by what has come to be known as “Welch’s $15,000 slide,” as the winning run scored by Browns’ outfielder Curt Welch assured his teammates nearly that much in shared winnings.

In truth, there was no slide, as Chicago catcher King Kelly had called for a pitchout to catch Welch napping off third, but Clarkson threw it over his head and Welch scored easily, trotting across the plate rather than sliding as in legend.

Afterwards Kelly — shockingly, after he had hit .388 for the White Stockings — was sold to Boston for $10,000, more than the entire Cincinnati Red Stockings payroll of 1869. Players were being treated as chattel, John Ward wrote: “Instead of an institution for good, [professional baseball] has become one for evil; instead of a measure of protection, it has been used as a handle for the manipulation of a traffic in players, a sort of speculation in livestock, by which they are bought, sold, and transferred like so many sheep.”

The Sporting News was founded March 17, 1886 in St. Louis by Albert and Charles C. Spink.

Polo Grounds, Opening Day 1886, snapshot photograph by Richard Hoe Lawrence with new Kodak “detective camera,” courtesy New-York Historical Society. Roger Connor at bat, Buck Ewing tossing batting practice.

1886 New York Giants, composite photograph by John Wood.

Right field of the Mets’ ballpark included a stage set for The Fall of Babylon. Its cast included ballet dancers, elephants, camels, and other beasts who paraded across the field while the ball clubs practiced in the western part of the park near the grandstand. The Fall of Babylon, drawn by John Rettig. Courtesy Princeton University.

Mets at Staten Island; note use of loudspeakers; Harper’s Weekly, May 15, 1886.

The Chicago White Stockings of 1886 called themselves “Champions of the United States” because they claimed to have won a disputed 1885 World Series.

John T. McCutcheon cartoon of Anson and his doubtful prize. St. Louis planned its revenge.

Weak-sister Detroit, boosted by acquisition of Buffalo’s Big Four when that franchise folded, challenged Chicago for the NL pennant in 1886. Here, courtesy of the Detroit Historical Society, a scene at Recreation Park in 1886.

When Curt Welch crossed home plate with te winning run in Game Six, whether by slide or not, St. Louis would claim the world championship. After the game Von der Ahe sent a note to Spalding, suggesting an exhibition game in Chicago on October 26th. But Spalding replied: “Friend Von der Ahe: We must decline with our compliments. We know when we have had enough. Yours truly, A.G. Spalding. P. S. Anson joins me in the above message.” Courtesy Heritage Auctions.

1886 St. Louis Browns World Championship award presented to pitcher Dave Foutz. Courtesy Heritage Auctions.

As the “$10,000 Beauty,” Kelly was welcomed in Boston the following year by former Chicago teammate John Clarkson, with whom he formed a “$20,000 Battery.” Unlike Fred Dunlap, the two were unable to negotiate for a portion of their sale prices.