Glens Falls in 1887 — Short baseball season

The 1887 Glens Falls semi-professional baseball season got under way on Memorial Day, with an away and home double header against the Fort Edward Stars.

“The members of both clubs will appear in new uniforms,” The Morning Star reported. “These games being the first of the season in this vicinity, will undoubtedly be witnessed by large crowds.”

The afternoon game at the Second Street field had an added feature — the debut performance of the new St. Mary’s Brass Band, which had been practicing two evenings a week for about a year.

The season was the third for the Glens Falls team originally known as The Hudsons.

It was a season that almost didn’t happen, and wound up being cut short in early July because of poor attendance.

“No steps are yet being taken to organize a club in Glens Falls,” The Morning Star reported on April 14, 1887. “Has the experience of the past two seasons damaged the ardor of our baseball enterprise?”

Organizers were waiting to see if there would be teams in Fort Edward and southern Essex County that year, in order to keep travel costs within budget.

There was no shortage of interest, however, from ball players, or ball “tossers,” as they were called in that era.

“Strike and McGill of Philadelphia, the battery of Ticonderoga’s baseball club last season, are anxious to come to Glens Falls, and have written to parties here in regard to the matter,” The Morning Star reported on Feb. 24.

Strike, indeed, did play for Glens Falls, but McGill did not.

On May 14, The Morning Star reported that the management had signed P. Hanrahan for the season.

“Other players are expected to arrive today or Monday, when they will go into practice.”

Glens Falls triumphed against Fort Edward in both Memorial Day season opening games, winning the morning game 15–10 and the afternoon game 13–9.

Between 400 and 500 people, including many fans from Glens Falls, attended the morning game at Fort Edward.

“While the game was characterized by no brilliant plays, it was good ball playing, considering the fact that the payers had never been on the field together.”

More than 1,000 people attended the afternoon game at Glens Falls.

Rutland visited Glens Falls on June 1, and defeated the home team 10–7.

“Halliday pitched for the home team for six innings, and it was evidently his ‘off’ day. … Then Kennedy came in to pitch, and the Vermonters found his in shoots more difficult to solve.”

Kennedy showed potential.

“The management has found a jewel in Kennedy. He rallied the boys yesterday, but too late to retrieve lost ground.” The Morning Star reported. “Young Connors, who played right field, is likely to develop into a slugger of note.”

The Rutland team stayed over night at The American House hotel, at the corner of Glen and South streets, and traveled the next day to play in Port Henry.

Strike, the player from Philadelphia who played for Ticonderoga the previous season, arrived at Glens Falls in time to pitch on June 4, when Glens Falls defeated the J.E. Kings of Fort Edward Institute 15–1.

“The game was utterly devoid of interest save for that taken in watching the pitching of Strike.”

By that time, it appeared that Ticonderoga would not be fielding a team.

“’It is as good as settled,’ says the Ticonderogian, ‘that Ticonderoga will not be represented on the ball field this year by any team of prominence.’”

Yet a few weeks later, the Ticonderoga Sentinel announced: “We have a baseball nine, a home-made team, and one which, we feel confident, will make for itself a good record. Every member of the team is a ball player, and there is every prospect that the team’s old supremacy on the diamond will be maintained.”

On June 6, Glens Falls lost to Rutland 18–0 on the road.

On June 8, Glens Falls lost 14–11 to the Fort Edward Stars on the road.

“The members of the Glens Falls team returned from Fort Edward last night with drooping feathers, having been defeated by the Stars. Costly errors and wild throws gave the Stars seven runs in the first inning, and though our boys played good ball during the balance of the game, they were unable to regain their ground.”

Kennedy and Pearson hit home runs for Glens Falls.

The Morning Star reported a rumor on June 10 that Hanrahan, the shortstop, had left the Glens Falls team to play for the Fort Edward Stars.

But Hanrahan was still in the Glens Falls lineup the next day, and scored two runs as the home team defeated Fort Edward 8–2 at the Second Street field, bringing the Glens Falls record against Fort Edward to 3-and-1.

“The Stars could do nothing with Strike’s pitching, and the local players won easily.”

On June 14, Rutland defeated Glens Falls 8–7, in a game Glens Falls led until the ninth inning.

“The people who gathered at the Second Street grounds yesterday afternoon saw the best ballgame of the season. They were saddened at the end, however, by seeing the fine lead that the home team had taken cut down score by score.”

On June 16, Glens Falls lost to Rutland, at Rutland, 6–2 in a six-inning game that was cut short by rain.

“The grounds were in bad condition, and the game was stopped several times by the rain.”

On June 18, Glens Falls defeated the Fort Edward Stars, at Fort Edward, 11–10.

“It was quite an interesting game and was witnessed by a goodly number of spectators.”

On June 23, Glens Falls defeated Burlington 10–6.

On June 24, Glens Falls lost on the road to St. Alban’s, Vt. 11–7.

One June 28, Glens Falls defeated the Fort Edward Stars 7–2.

Kennedy, of Glens Falls, hit a home run in the fourth inning.

“The very few people who went to the Second Street grounds yesterday afternoon had the pleasure of witnessing a fine game of ball. Fort Edward has not before this season been more strongly represented on the diamond, and yet her champions are champions no more.”

The attendance again was sparse on June 29 when the Glens Falls team dethroned yet another champion, winning 28–5 against a previously unbeaten team.

“The unbeaten nine were the Monitors of Ballston, and it is probable that the memory of the defeat yesterday will survive the memory of that long list of victories. … The home club piled on runs as pleased, at one time hitting the ball for a home run while the bases were full.”

The temperature on July 1 was “warm enough to boil eggs” when Rutland defeated Glens Falls 16–13 at the Second Street field.

“The hot weather acted as dissatisfying upon the spirits of the players as upon those of the spectators.”

On July 4, a day when many Fort Edward residents were already at Glens Falls, Glens Falls and the Fort Edward Stars played a double header at Second Street field.

Fort Edward won the morning game 9–9, and Glens Falls won the afternoon game, ended after five innings, 11–5.

It would be the last games of the season.

“The directors of the Glens Falls baseball nine, after determining that their enterprise cannot be made a financial success, have released all the players,” The Morning Star reported on July 7. “Some of the ball tossers have left town. … Others remain here in waiting for an opportunity to engage with other clubs. Most of the discharged players are without funds, and the directors have volunteered to pay their board bills for the present.”

Hanrahan and Kennedy were picked up by Burlington.

Kennedy said it would probably be his last season, as he planned to take the New York City fire fighter exam in the fall.

Lasch, a pitcher for Glens Falls, was picked up by The Monitors of Ballston.

Sources: Reports in The Morning Star, Feb. 24-July 19, 1887

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