1880 FABL Recap

1880 Century League Season Recap

Final Standings

For the second straight year, the Cleveland Blue Caps claimed the Century League pennant, edging out a persistent Philadelphia squad with a 52-34 record. The key to Cleveland’s success? Once again, superb pitching and a bona fide star at the plate.

Centerfielder Albert Brannock delivered an MVP-caliber season, hitting .324 with 6 home runs and a league-leading 64 RBI. Meanwhile, the pitching duo of Steve Robertson and Leonard Ziegler kept opposing offenses in check with ERAs of 2.05 and 1.97, respectively.

Statistical Leaders

Batting Average

1. Jim Jones (WIL) - .325
2. Albert Brannock (CLE) - .324
3. Jack Wakeham (BOS) - .324
4. Patrick O'Brien (PHI) - .302
5. Jodie Bagby (WIL) - .299

Home Runs

1. Albert Brannock (CLE) - 6
2. Marble Manning (PRO) - 6
3. Willis Creed (PHI) - 5
4. 2 others tied with 5

Runs Batted In

1. Albert Brannock (CLE) - 64
2. Jackrabbit Hoppe (LOU) - 59
3. Davy Koehler (LOU) - 55
4. Jim Jones (WIL) - 54
5. Tom Ewart (LOU) - 49

Wins

1. Jem MacCannon (LOU) - 45 (New league record!)
2. Jim Durr (CHI) - 25
3. Isaac Wells (BOS) - 22

Earned Run Average (ERA)

1. Jim Durr (CHI) - 1.74
2. Oliver Dunn (ROC) - 1.85
3. Bill Silvers (ROC) - 1.89
4. Leonard Ziegler (CLE) - 1.97
5. Steve Robertson (CLE) - 2.05

Strikeouts

1. Jem MacCannon (LOU) - 268
2. Jim Durr (CHI) - 211
3. Ezra Flint (PRO) - 148
4. Isaac Wells (BOS) - 143
5. Bill Silvers (ROC) - 108

League Highlights

Louisville's Jem MacCannon was the iron man of the season, breaking the league wins record with 45 victories, eclipsing the previous mark set by Chicago’s Fritz Handelman in 1876. MacCannon’s stamina was matched only by his dominance, leading the league in wins and strikeouts while hurling nearly every day.

In Chicago, the unthinkable happened: William Whitney’s mighty Chiefs finished with a losing record for the first time in Century League history. Their fifth-place finish (40-45) sent shockwaves through the Windy City and may force strategic changes for 1881.

At the other end of the standings, the Boston Pilgrims suffered more than just another bad year. Their owner, Chester Hale, was assassinated by a political anarchist outside a gala social event in Beacon Hill—an act motivated not by baseball, but by Hale’s wealth and influence. With the family in mourning and disinterested in club affairs, the Pilgrims were quietly withdrawn from the Century League following the season.

Rising Shadows

While the League celebrated another successful campaign, new power brokers were emerging on the national baseball scene. Chief among them: Charles W. Bigsby, a slick-talking political fixer from New York who announced the formation of a new club: the New York Imperials.

To house his burgeoning barnstorming empire, Bigsby and his brother Miles H. Bigsby, a construction magnate, opened the Bigsby Sporting Oval in northern Manhattan—a dual-purpose venue for baseball and horse racing. The Imperials’ first opponent? None other than James P. Tice's Cincinnati Monarchs. Also continuing to make waves were Adolph Fuchs’ St. Louis Brewers, as base ball pundits began openly wondering if the barnstorming world was preparing to challenge the League's dominance.

Voices of Change

And amidst the tension, murmurs of change. Pitchers were dominating as never before, and in a backroom conversation between League President Whitney and Philadelphia owner Jefferson Edgerton, the two men began to quietly discuss ways to restore balance to the game and give hitters a fighting chance. The whispers of reform may soon become roars.

Meanwhile, the reserve clause—quietly introduced the year before—was beginning to show its teeth. Players were grumbling. Owners were watching. And baseball's future was being forged in quiet meetings and dusty clubhouses.

The curtain falls on 1880… but 1881 looms large.