1890 Major League Baseball season

The 1890 major league baseball season began on April 17, 1890. The National League and newly-founded Players' League regular seasons ended on October 4, with the Boston Beaneaters and Boston Reds as the NL and PL pennant winners, respectively. The American Association regular season ended on October 15 and saw the Louisville Colonels the winners of the AA pennant. The postseason between the AA and NL began with Game 1 of the seventh World's Championship Series on October 17 and ended with Game 7 on October 28. The series ended in a tie, with the Bridegrooms and Colonels each with three wins, and a tie game. The series was unique in that the Bridegrooms reached the series back-to-back, but with each season in a different league, a feat that has not been matched since. The Reds had floated a three-way Championship series with them and the AA & NL pennant winners, though the idea fell on deaf ears.

This was the final season of a dual-league championship until the founding of the modern World Series in 1903 between the National League and American League.

The major league world was in turmoil in 1890, as many of the best players had jumped to the "outlaw" Players' League. Although the Brotherhood only lasted the one season, it had a detrimental financial effect on the other two leagues, especially the Association, who would not survive the following season, merging into the National League in December 1891.

Over the prior offseason, the Indianapolis Hoosiers and Washington Nationals of the National League, and Kansas City Cowboys of the American Association folded. The Brooklyn Bridegrooms and Cincinnati Red Stockings (now Reds) transfer from the American Association to the National League, while the Baltimore Orioles departed the AA for the minor league Atlantic Association, leaving four vacancies in the American Association that would be filled by the Brooklyn Gladiators (who would fold in August, being replace by a returning Orioles team), Rochester Broncos, Syracuse Stars, and Toledo Maumees.

Following the 1890 season, the single season Players' League disbanded during the offseason, with most teams either folding or merging with existing American Association and National League teams; the Boston Reds and Philadelphia Athletics would join the AA for the 1891 season, with the latter replacing the financially struggling original AA Philadelphia Athletics.

The major-league status of the Federal League was confirmed by the Special Baseball Records Committee (as convened by then-Commissioner of Baseball William Eckert) in 1969.^[1]

The 1890 schedule consisted of 140 games for all teams in the American Association, National League, and Players' League, each of which had eight active teams (the Baltimore Orioles would finish the Brooklyn Gladiators' schedule once they folded following their last game on August 25). Each team was scheduled to play 20 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This continued the format put in place by the American Association since the 1886 season and by the National League since the 1888 season. This format would last until 1892.

American Association Opening Day took place on April 17 featuring six teams, while National League and Players' League Opening Days took place on April 19, each featuring their eight teams. The American Association would see its final day of the regular season on October 15 with a doubleheader between the Baltimore Orioles and Rochester Broncos. The National League would see its final day of the season on October 4, with a doubleheader between the Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Spiders. The Players' League would see its season end on the same day, with all eight teams playing.^[2] The 1890 World's Championship Series took place between October 17 and October 28.

The 1890 season featured an extremely rare tripleheader—the first of three in National League and major-league history, when the Brooklyn Bridegrooms hosted the Pittsburgh Alleghenys on September 1 for three games. The Bridegrooms sweep the Alleghenys.^[3]

The 1890 season saw the following rule change:

• Two substitutes may be used and may enter at any time. Previously, the rules was that a predesignated substitute may be used only at the end of a complete inning.^[4]

A dagger (†) denotes a team that folded mid-season
A double dagger (‡) denotes a team joined mid-season

The Brooklyn Gladiators, Cleveland Spiders, and Pittsburgh Alleghenys played in 17 neutral site games in which they were treated as the home team. Meanwhile, blue laws restricted Sunday activities in several localities, causing several teams of the American Association (which was informally referred to as the "Beer & Whiskey League" due to its openness on alcohol, compared to the National and Players' Leagues) to play at ballparks in a different locality.

31 tie games (15 in AA, 9 in NL, 7 in PL), which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and were often replayed again), occurred throughout the season.

Any team shown in small text indicates a previous team a player was on during the season.

• Mike Tiernan (NYG):
  • Tiernan hit for his second cycle and second in franchise history, on June 28 against the Cincinnati Reds.^[18]
• Bill Van Dyke (TOL):
  • Van Dyke hit for his first cycle and first in franchise history, on July 5 against the Syracuse Stars.^[18]
• Jumbo Davis (BKG/STL):
  • Davis hit for his first cycle and first in franchise history, on July 18 against the Louisville Colonels.^[18]
• Roger Connor (NYK):
  • Connor hit for his first cycle and first in franchise history as a part of the Brooklyn Gladiators, on July 21 against the Buffalo Bisons.^[18]
• Oyster Burns (BRO):
  • Burns hit for his first cycle and first in franchise history, on August 1 against the Pittsburgh Alleghenys.^[18]
• John Reilly (CIN):
  • Reilly hit for his third cycle and fourth in franchise history, on August 6 against the Pittsburgh Alleghenys.^[18]
• Farmer Weaver (LOU):
  • Weaver hit for his first cycle and third in franchise history, on August 12 against the Syracuse Stars.^[18]

• George Gore / Buck Ewing / Roger Connor (NYK):
  • Become the first trio to hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in a win over the Pittsburgh Burghers on May 31.
• Mike Griffin (PHQ):
  • Becomes the first player to reach base by way of error in all four at-bats in a game against the Pittsburgh Burghers on June 23.
• Harry Stovey (BSR):
  • Hit his 100th career home run on July 23 against the Chicago Pirates, becoming the first player to reach this mark.

• Ledell Titcomb (RCH):
  • Titcomb threw his first career no-hitter and the first no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Syracuse Stars 7–0 on September 15. Titcomb walked two, hit one by pitch, and struck out seven^[19]

• Tim Keefe (NYK):
  • Is the second member of the 300-win club, defeating the Boston Reds on June 4, winning 9–4.^[20]
• Mickey Welch (NYG):
  • Is the third member of the 300-win club, defeating the Pittsburgh Alleghenys on July 28, winning 4–2.^[20]

• George Pinkney (BRO):
  • Set a Major League record for most consecutive games at 577 on April 30.
• Philadelphia Athletics (AA):
  • Set a Major League record for the most stolen bases by a team in a single game by stealing 19 bases against Grant Briggs of the Syracuse Stars on April 22 in a 17–6 victory.^[21]
• Brooklyn Bridegrooms / Pittsburgh Alleghenys:
  • Play in the first of three Major League tripleheader in history on September 1. Brooklyn sweeps Pittsburgh.^[3]

Only records for National League teams are available.

The 1890 season saw the formation of the single-season Players' League, and with it, saw eight new major league teams in eight ballparks:

• The Boston Reds played at Congress Street Grounds.
• The Brooklyn Ward's Wonders played at Eastern Park, and played their final game there on September 12 against the Boston Reds.
• The Buffalo Bisons played at Olympic Park, and played their final game there on October 4 against the Brooklyn Ward's Wonders.
• The Chicago Pirates played at South Side Park, and played their final game there on October 4 against the New York Giants.
• The Cleveland Infants played at Brotherhood Park, and played their final game there on October 4 against the Philadelphia Athletics.
• The New York Giants played at Polo Grounds III, and played their final game there on September 18 against the Brooklyn Ward's Wonders.
• The Philadelphia Athletics played at Forepaugh Park.
• The Pittsburgh Burghers played at Exposition Park, and played their final game there in a doubleheader on October 4 against the Boston Reds.

With the Brooklyn Bridegrooms transferring to the National League, which bans Sunday games, their three season tenure playing Sunday games at Ridgewood Park in Ridgewood, New York ends.

The 1890 season saw six teams playing at their respective ballparks for the last time, five of which moved into new ballparks for the start of the 1891 season while one team, the Brooklyn Gladiators, folded mid-season.

• The Baltimore Orioles would play their final game at Oriole Park on October 15 in a doubleheader against the Rochester Broncos.
• The Brooklyn Bridegrooms would play their final game at Washington Park on October 3 against the Pittsburgh Alleghenys.
• The Brooklyn Gladiators would play their final game at Ridgewood Park on August 2 against the Toledo Maumees.
• The Cleveland Spiders would play their final game at National League Park on October 4 in a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies.
• The New York Giants would play their final game at the second iteration of the Polo Grounds on September 13 against the Brooklyn Bridegrooms.
• The Pittsburgh Alleghenys would play their final game at Recreation Park on September 30 against the Philadelphia Phillies.

For various reasons, three teams would play home games at neutral sites:

• The Brooklyn Gladiators played eight games at the Polo Grounds II in New York, New York on June 9 and July 23 through August 2, excluding Sundays.^[30]
• The Cleveland Spiders played six games at Indianapolis Park in Indianapolis, Indiana from July 28 through August 2 and played one game at Recreation Park (Detroit) in Detroit, Michigan on September 23.^[31]
• The Pittsburgh Alleghenys played one game at Pastime Park in Canton, Ohio on September 18 and at Island Grounds in Wheeling, West Virginia on September 22, the only major league game ever played in the state.^[32]

Four teams of the American Association hosted Sunday games:

• The Brooklyn Gladiators played two games at Long Island Grounds in Maspeth, New York on July 27 and August 3. The August 3 game would end up being the final home game of the Gladiators.
• The Philadelphia Athletics (AA) played 13 games at Gloucester Point Grounds in Gloucester City, New Jersey on April 27, May 11, 18, 25, June 15, 22, July 6, 20, 27, August 31, September 7, 14, and October 12.^[33]
• The Rochester Broncos played six games at Windsor Beach Grounds in Irondequoit, New York on May 11, 18, June 1, 8, 22, and July 20.^[34]
• The Syracuse Stars played five games at Three Rivers Park in Three Rivers, New York on May 18, 25, June 1, 15, and July 20 and one game at Iron Pier in Syracuse, New York on August 3.^[35][36]

• 1890 in baseball (Events, Births, Deaths)

• 1890 Major League Schedule at Baseball Reference