‘We Wuz Robbed!’ Syracuse in 1878

On Sept. 14, 1878, more than 3,000 howling, waving, screaming people shoved into the Buffalo, N.Y., ballpark to watch the Bisons confrontation with the Syracuse Stars. Pitchers Patrick Henry “Harry” McCormick and future Hall of Famer James “Pud” Galvin faced each other in the box. The umpire — notorious for favoring his hometown Bisons — was C.W. Nichols. The International Association pennant was at stake, however, despite a clear outcome in the game, it would be six months before the league champion would be named.

In February 1878, a lively organizational meeting had been held in Buffalo, NY. The International Association chose the Tecumseh club as the 1877 pennant winner, made new by-laws and settled ever present disputes among members. A controversial issue was the case of the Binghamton Crickets versus the Uticas. The Cricket players had signed contracts to play in Utica for the 1878 season. The Binghamton Cricket Base Ball Club then inked the former players to 1878 contracts and claimed that within last year’s agreement was the implied right of first refusal. This controversy was decided in favor of Utica because the Utes held the prior dated contracts. Before the Reserve Clause in 1879, baseball contract law was the law of prior contract. The entry fee was raised to $30. Assessed annual dues were $20 per club. The visiting team guarantee was upped to $75 and the number of deadheads (non-playing attendees) allowed jumped from 10 to 12.

L.H. Mahn, the ballmaker, represented Holyoke at the meeting and gave a successful baseball demonstration. The association accepted the Mahn ball as its official baseball.

The congenial group of club representatives decided to gather next year in Syracuse. They adjourned and prepared to start the season.

Fourteen teams began the pennant chase. By special agreement, the squads were competing for prize money as well as the championship banner. Soon the club directors found that they had been duped. They paid Mahn $10 per dozen for the same baseballs that the National League had paid $7.50. In a bit of controversy, the league adopted the Spalding ball. Many of the subsequent unused Mahn baseballs are today on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

The Stars

In 1878, the Stars peaked in their remarkable four-year meteoric history; they were the best team ever to play in Syracuse. Every man on the ’78 team played in the major leagues. The regulars were assembled by a thrifty and prudent management. McCormack, Hotalin, Farrell, McKinnon, Mansell and Carpenter formed the nucleus of the Star team. Harry McCormack was found pitching against the Stars for a local Syracuse club in 1875 and was signed on the spot. Lithe and agile Larry is the first National League pitcher to win his own 1-0 shutout with a home run.

Pete Hotaling split time between Syracuse and home town Ilion in 1875. He caught for the Ilions in 1876 in order to be with his boyhood friend Lew “Buttercup” Dickerson. He came to the Stars in 1877.

Jack Farrell was signed off the Princeton town team during an Eastern road trip in May 1876. The Stars inked him for $25 per month.

Alex McKinnon was picked up on the same road trip. He tended first base for an amateur Boston squad called the Star Base Ball club. His playing career was beset by controversy and tragedy that culminated in his death during the 1887 season. Alex was hitting a robust .340 at the time.

Jimmy Macullar came from the 1876 and 1877 Auburn teams. He plugged the shortstop gap. Salt City (Syracuse) favorite Mike Dorgan returned from the St. Louis league team to fill the catching position. George Derby signed on to play right field and serve as change pitcher.

The 1878 team also included a returned original Star, George Adams, who had patrolled the outfield in 1876. He was one of the two survivors of the original Live Oak jumpers. (In order to build a competitive team, Star management in 1875 secured the services of five players, Dorgan, Adams, Madden, McGlynn and Crossup, from the Lynn Live Oaks for the 1876 season. Not completely satisfied, Star directors raided the Live Oaks during the ’76 campaign and came away with Al Hall and James Tipper. Of these players only Dorgan was a real nugget. He starred for Syracuse, went on to shine for Jim Mutrie’s “We are the People” Giants and resurfaced on Syracuse’s American Association club of 1890.)

Denny Mack had a long and varied baseball career until 1878. He was a utility infielder/outfielder for the National Association Philadelphia Athletics and tile Philadelphia Base Ball Club, National League St. Louis Browns, the independent Fall Rivers, and in 1878 he appeared for both International Association pennant contenders — Buffalo and Syracuse. Denny became an evangelist after his playing days.

John Richmond held down infield positions for the 1875 Philadelphia Athletics and the 1876 Ithacas. He shortstopped for the Binghamton Crickets in 1877 before coming to the Stars.

Tom Smith played for Binghamton and came with Richmond to be a part-time infielder for the 1878 Stars.

Hal McClure played many years in the New England area and filled in when needed for the Stars.

The Season

On June 2, the “Twinklers” had a remarkable 23-3 record. The first defeat was a 4-2 contest with Utica. The second was a forfeit to Auburn when the Stars walked off the field to protest the umpiring. The third loss came at the hands of the defending International Association champion Tecumsehs.

The Stars were a tremendous draw on the road but suffered from lagging attendance at home. In Albany, the Stars drew crowds of 2,600. At Buffalo, Cleveland, Troy and Utica, the Twinklers attracted more than 2,000 kranks. In Cortland, against the Binghamton Crickets, the Stars performed before 1,500 while several thousand more watched from beyond the enclosed park. Many gatherings of more than 1,500 saw the Rochesters routed by the Stars.

At Syracuse’s newly built Newell Park, followers did not fully support the shining orbs. Discounting May 1 and July 4, the Twinklers had only five crowds in excess of 1,000. Three were against Utica. Utica was the team which had played in Binghamton the previous years when they were the Star’s bitterest foes. May 1 was a holiday and the first anniversary of Syracuse’s 16-inning scoreless tie with the St. Louis Browns as 2,500 expectant rooters saw McCormack “Chicago” the Uticas 3-0.

The fourth of July traditionally was the biggest baseball box office day. The Twinklers thrilled and early morning assemblage of 3,000 in Utica by losing to the locals 5-1. The two teams then boarded a train and chugged into Syracuse for the afternoon game. More than 3,000 howling enthusiasts witnessed Alcott again besting McCormack. This time the score was 3-1.

Neither game counted in International Association standings because the holiday playing date was not one of the designated championship games. July 4 was the one day that baseball clubs could plan on making profits. Troy would play Albany on that day, Ithaca would go against Binghamton; Buffalo would play Rochester, and so on. Kranks would pay 25 cents for admission to the grounds. A covered grandstand seat could be obtained for 10 cents additional charge. Visiting clubs worked out their own arrangements for splitting the holiday pot. Troy and Albany usually halved it. The home nine could pay a guarantee, 10 cents per head, or another agreeable arrangement. Faltering clubs and cooperative nines, which was a way of saying teams which did not get paid regularly, would stay together until the July 4 contests. The proud Binghamton Cricket Base Ball Club disbanded July 9 after paying bills and salaries due to poor attendance.

Rules were always a bone of contention and added spice to the game. The Stars protested a game with the Worcesters because the old-timer who umpired called Jack Farrell out when he was “plugged” with the ball. Even though this was a championship game and the rules had been misinterpreted, no attention was paid to the Stars’ protests. Pinch-runners could run for the hitter by standing behind the catcher and running to first base when the ball was rapped. Pete Hotaling scored the only run of the game against Hornell while running for McCormick. Pete played center field and batted second as well as pinch running in the same game.

Pitcher George Derby was banished from an exhibition game at Utica for using an above-the-belt-delivery. Maker of Hornell was injured while trying for a diving catch. Hornell had no substitute. The Stars agreed to call the game in the middle of the sixth inning with a 7-7 tie. Several times during the season both Syracuse and Buffalo, as visitors, had walked off the field in the bottom f the ninth when the opposing team led. The clubs had become too professional to play a useless half inning.

All summer defending 1877 champ Tecumseh found itself locked in a ding-dong battle with Buffalo, Syracuse and Utica for the championship. Buffalo, with Alleghany stars Galvin and Fulmer, put together a great team and grew more troublesome as the season progressed. Utica, pushed by their slugging center fielder Hardie Richardson, hung tough but could win only one of four from Buffalo. Tecumseh made a good defense, but due to the inclusion of Syracuse and Buffalo, the Association was stronger then the previous year. The London, Ont., Tecumsehs disbanded when they saw that they had no chance of repeating as champion.

The Tecumsehs disbandment changed the demeanor of the league and threw the standings into turmoil. According to the Association rules for disbanded teams, the lowest number of games played with every team was the number of games that counted for championship purposes. Many Star victories were thrown out.

The pennant race came down to Buffalo, Syracuse and the umpires in a one-game season. Buffalo had won 13 straight games on a homestand late in the season. Rivals claimed that it was due to the umpiring of Nichols. A Rochester umpire, George Campbell, filed a lawsuit against the Buffalo Express newspaper for libel in its description of his work in a 16-3 Rochester rout of Buffalo.

Game Time

The Buffalos scored nine runs in the first two innings of the championship game and held the Stars to a single tally. The was the pennant. Buffalo surged into the lead, but the Twinklers had one last trick to play.

Rochester disbanded on Aug. 21. The Stars claimed a forfeit from them for a scheduled Aug. 23 championship game. The Stars explained that though Rochester had released its players, it still existed as a club. If the win counted, Syracuse and Buffalo would be tied for the prize money and the championship bunting.

So it was that the 1878 pennant was not decided until March 1879 at the plush Baggs Hotel in Utica. Team representatives voted to disallow the Rochester forfeiture, thus awarding the championship banner to Buffalo. Little hoopla ensued because both Buffalo and Syracuse had been invited to play in the National League for the 1879 season. Both teams did so.

One of baseball’s earliest and most exciting leagues quietly drifted away. The pennant winner often wondered for half a year if it was the real champion. It was the National League which gained. Such stalwarts as Hardie Richardson, Chick Fulmer, Pud Galvin, Mike Dorgan, Hick Carpenter, Ned Hanlon, Doc Bushong, Larry Corcoran, Jack Farrell, and John Montgomery Ward joined the league and thrilled major league fans for many years.