New York Mutuals
Encyclopedia
The Mutual Base Ball Club of New York was a leading American baseball
club almost throughout its 20-year history. It was established during 1857, the year of the first baseball convention, just too late to be a founding member of the National Association of Base Ball Players
. It was a charter member of both the first professional league in 1871 and the National League
in 1876. Failing on the field and in the coffer, it declined to make its last western trip of the inaugural season. For the transgression it was expelled in December, and soon found itself defunct.
The Mutual club initially played its home games at Elysian Fields
in Hoboken
, with the New York Knickerbockers
and many other Manhattan
clubs, but moved to the enclosed Union Grounds
in Brooklyn in 1868.
The Mutuals chose open professionalism in 1869–70 after NABBP liberalization. They joined the first professional league, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players
, for its 1871
to 1875
duration. In 1876
, the Chicago White Stockings
initiated the National League
and recruited its members from West to East, partly in order to wrest control of professional baseball from Eastern interests. The Mutuals were one of eight charter members, six of whom were from the National Association. Weak (sixth place at 21–35) and cash-poor, the club refused to complete its playing obligations in the West; it was expelled and never heard from again.
On May 13, 1876, the Mutuals executed the first triple play
in major-league history in a game against the Hartford Dark Blues.
Union Grounds proprietor William Cammeyer, often listed today as the Mutual club owner, signed the Hartford Dark Blues
to play at his Union Grounds in 1877. The team was effectively a one-year replacement for the defunct Mutuals, and was sometimes called "Hartford of Brooklyn".
1858 11 1 12 2 (1st in wins)
1859 3 5 8 6
1860 1 8 2 11 5
1861 8 2 10 2 (tie 1st in wins)
1862 8 5 13 2 (2nd in wins)
1863 10 4 14 1 (tie 1st in wins)
1864 21 3 24 1 (1st in wins)
1865 12 4 16 5 (tie 4th in wins)
1866 10 2 12 15 (tie 5th in wins)
1867 23 6 1 30 4 (4th in wins)
1868 31 10 41 5 (5th in wins)
1869 37 16 53 3 (5th in wins)
1870 68 17 3 88 1 (1st in wins)
championship matches with professional teams 1869–1870
1869 11 15 26 1 (5th in wins)
1870 29 15 3 47 1 (1st in wins)
league record
1871 16 17 33 1 (4th place)
1872 34 20 2 56 2 (3rd place)
1873 29 24 53 4 (4th place)
1874 42 23 65 2 (2nd place)
1875 30 38 3 71 4 (7th place)
1876 21 35 1 57 8 (6th place)
Source for season records: Rio (2008).
Pitching
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
club almost throughout its 20-year history. It was established during 1857, the year of the first baseball convention, just too late to be a founding member of the National Association of Base Ball Players
National Association of Base Ball Players
The National Association of Base Ball Players was the first organization governing American baseball. The first, 1857 convention of sixteen New York City clubs...
. It was a charter member of both the first professional league in 1871 and the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
in 1876. Failing on the field and in the coffer, it declined to make its last western trip of the inaugural season. For the transgression it was expelled in December, and soon found itself defunct.
The Mutual club initially played its home games at Elysian Fields
Elysian Fields, Hoboken, New Jersey
Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey is believed to be the site of the first organized baseball game, giving Hoboken a strong claim to be the birthplace of baseball....
in Hoboken
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
, with the New York Knickerbockers
New York Knickerbockers
The New York Knickerbockers were one of the first organized baseball teams which played under a set of rules similar to the game today. The team was founded by Alexander Cartwright, considered one of the original developers of modern baseball....
and many other Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
clubs, but moved to the enclosed Union Grounds
Union Grounds
Union Grounds was a baseball park located in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York. The grounds opened in 1862 and was the first baseball park enclosed entirely by a fence, thereby allowing proprietor William Cammeyer or his tenant to charge admission, permitting only paying customers to...
in Brooklyn in 1868.
The Mutuals chose open professionalism in 1869–70 after NABBP liberalization. They joined the first professional league, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players
National Association of Professional Base Ball Players
The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players , or simply the National Association , was founded in 1871 and continued through the 1875 season...
, for its 1871
1871 in sports
-American football:College championship* College football national championship – noneEvents* The 1871 college football season is the only one since the first season in 1869 until the present day that no games are played in the entire season...
to 1875
1875 in sports
-American football:College championship* College football national championship – Harvard Crimson and Princeton Tigers Events* 13 November — first edition of "The Game", the annual contest between Yale Bulldogs and Harvard Crimson, is played under a modified set of rugby football rules known as...
duration. In 1876
1876 in sports
-American football:College championship* College football national championship – Yale BulldogsEvents* 23 November — representatives of Harvard Crimson, Yale Bulldogs, Princeton Tigers and Columbia Lions meet at the Massasoit House in Springfield, Massachusetts to standardise a new code of rules...
, the Chicago White Stockings
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
initiated the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
and recruited its members from West to East, partly in order to wrest control of professional baseball from Eastern interests. The Mutuals were one of eight charter members, six of whom were from the National Association. Weak (sixth place at 21–35) and cash-poor, the club refused to complete its playing obligations in the West; it was expelled and never heard from again.
On May 13, 1876, the Mutuals executed the first triple play
Triple Play
A triple play is a baseball play in which three outs are made as a result of continuous action without any intervening errors between outs.Triple play may also refer to:...
in major-league history in a game against the Hartford Dark Blues.
Union Grounds proprietor William Cammeyer, often listed today as the Mutual club owner, signed the Hartford Dark Blues
Hartford Dark Blues
The Hartford Dark Blues were a 19th century baseball team. The team was based in Hartford, Connecticut.-History:They were a member of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players in 1874 and 1875 and the National League in 1876 and 1877...
to play at his Union Grounds in 1877. The team was effectively a one-year replacement for the defunct Mutuals, and was sometimes called "Hartford of Brooklyn".
Record
Year Won Lost Tied Games Rank in games (or in wins)1858 11 1 12 2 (1st in wins)
1859 3 5 8 6
1860 1 8 2 11 5
1861 8 2 10 2 (tie 1st in wins)
1862 8 5 13 2 (2nd in wins)
1863 10 4 14 1 (tie 1st in wins)
1864 21 3 24 1 (1st in wins)
1865 12 4 16 5 (tie 4th in wins)
1866 10 2 12 15 (tie 5th in wins)
1867 23 6 1 30 4 (4th in wins)
1868 31 10 41 5 (5th in wins)
1869 37 16 53 3 (5th in wins)
1870 68 17 3 88 1 (1st in wins)
championship matches with professional teams 1869–1870
1869 11 15 26 1 (5th in wins)
1870 29 15 3 47 1 (1st in wins)
league record
1871 16 17 33 1 (4th place)
1872 34 20 2 56 2 (3rd place)
1873 29 24 53 4 (4th place)
1874 42 23 65 2 (2nd place)
1875 30 38 3 71 4 (7th place)
1876 21 35 1 57 8 (6th place)
Source for season records: Rio (2008).
Franchise Leaders
Batting- HitsHit (baseball)In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
– Joe StartJoe StartJoseph Start , nicknamed "Old Reliable", was one of the biggest stars of baseball's earliest era, and certainly the top first baseman of his time...
(387) - RunsRun (baseball)In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
– Joe Start (264) - At batAt batIn baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s – Joe Start (1314) - GamesGames playedGames played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
– Joe Start (273) - DoublesDouble (baseball)In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
- Joe Start and Dave EgglerDave EgglerDavid Daniel Eggler was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.Eggler's career began in the National Association of Base Ball Players with the New York Mutuals in , and was a member of the Mutuals when they joined the professional National Association in...
(40) - Home runHome runIn baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s – Joe Start (8) - RBIsRun batted inRuns batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
– Joe Start (187) - Stolen baseStolen baseIn baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s – Dave Eggler (36)
Pitching
- WinsWin (baseball)In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
– Bobby MathewsBobby MathewsRobert T. Mathews was an American right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher for twenty years beginning in the late 1860s. He is credited as being one of the inventors of the spitball pitch, which was rediscovered or reintroduced to the major leagues after he died. He is also credited with the...
(100) - ERAEarned run averageIn baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
– Bobby Mathews (2.41) - StrikeoutStrikeoutIn baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s – Bobby Mathews (95) - InningsInnings pitchedIn baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
– Bobby Mathews (1647 2/3)
Notable alumni
- Lip PikeLip PikeLipman Emanuel "Lip" Pike the "Iron Batter", was one of the stars of 19th century baseball in the United States. He was the first player to be revealed as a professional , as well as the first Jewish player...
, major league baseball 4x home run champion
See also
- New York Mutuals all-time rosterNew York Mutuals all-time rosterThe New York Mutuals baseball club, established 1859, played five seasons in the National Association, 1871–1875, and one in the National League, 1876...
- 1871 New York Mutuals season1871 New York Mutuals seasonThe New York Mutuals baseball team joined the National Association for the league's debut season in 1871. The Mutuals went 16-17 and finished in fifth place. Pitcher Rynie Wolters led the NA in runs batted in, with 44.-Roster:-Starters by position:...
- 1872 New York Mutuals season1872 New York Mutuals seasonThe New York Mutuals baseball team finished third in the National Association in 1872 with a record of 34-20.-Roster:-Starters by position:Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in-Other batters:Note: G = Games...
- 1873 New York Mutuals season
- 1874 New York Mutuals season1874 New York Mutuals seasonThe New York Mutuals baseball team finished second in the National Association in 1874.-Roster:-Batting:Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In- Starting pitchers :...
- 1875 New York Mutuals season1875 New York Mutuals seasonThe New York Mutuals baseball team finished sixth in the National Association in 1875. The league folded after this season and the Mutuals joined the new National League in 1876.-Roster:-Batting:...
- 1876 New York Mutuals season1876 New York Mutuals seasonAfter five seasons in the National Association, the New York Mutuals finished with a record of 21-35, good for 6th place in the National League...
External links
- New York Mutuals reenactors
- 1876 Mutuals at Baseball Reference