Union Association
Encyclopedia
The Union Association was a league in Major League Baseball
which lasted for only one season in 1884
. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League
the following season. Chicago moved to Pittsburgh in late August, and four teams folded during the season and were replaced.
Although the league is conventionally listed as a major league, this status has been questioned by a number of modern baseball historians, most notably Bill James
in The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
. The league had a number of major league players (on the St. Louis franchise, at least), but the league's overall talent and organization was notably inferior to that of the two established major leagues. For example, the league's only "star" player, Fred Dunlap
, never achieved similar success in any other major league. James found that the contemporary Baseball Guides
didn't consider the Union Association to be a major league either. The earliest record he could find of the Union Association as a major league was Ernest Lanigan's
"The Baseball Cyclopedia", published in 1922.
A relatively modern comparison could be the World Football League
of the early 1970s contrasted with the National Football League
. The WFL similarly resorted to putting clubs in small cities and collapsed in the middle of a season.
There was also a minor league called the Union Association
that operated from through .
. Lucas was eventually named the league's president, with owner Tom Pratt
of the Philadelphia franchise
serving as vice-president and Warren W. White
of the Washington franchise
as secretary.
Lucas' favoritism toward his own team doomed the league from the beginning. He acquired the best available players for his St. Louis franchise at the expense of the rest of the league. The Maroons won 94 games while losing only 19, for an .832 percentage. For comparison, if extrapolated to the length of a modern 162-game schedule, that would translate to 134 wins.
The lopsided competition and the revolving-door nature of its franchises and schedules was a continual problem, and the league was derisively dubbed "The Onion League" by its detractors in the two established leagues. Four different franchises folded during the season, forcing the league to scramble to replace them from lower classification leagues or from scratch. The Altoona team was the first to fold in May, and was replaced by a newly-formed team in Kansas City
. After the Philadelphia
franchise folded in August, the Unions recruited the Wilmington Quicksteps
from the Eastern League; the Quicksteps lost many of their best players, and dropped out of the Association in September. The Chicago franchise had moved to Pittsburgh in August and finally disbanded about the same time as Wilmington, and both teams were replaced by two teams from the disbanding Northwest League, Milwaukee
and St. Paul. On January 15, 1885, at a scheduled UA meeting in Milwaukee, only the Milwaukee and Kansas City franchises showed up. The league was promptly disbanded.
The St. Louis franchise itself was deemed to be strong enough to enter the National League in 1885, but it faced heavy competition within the city, as the St. Louis Browns
were a power in the American Association
. Thus, the lone survivor of the Union folded after the 1886 season, having compiled records of 36-72 and 43-79 in NL play. These figures perhaps reveal the gulf in class between the UA and the established major leagues.
Perhaps the most obvious impact of the short-lived league was on the career of a player who did not jump to the new league: Charles Radbourn
. With a schedule of a little over 100 games, most teams employed two regular pitchers. The Providence Grays
' entry of the National League
featured Radbourn and Charlie Sweeney
. According to the book Glory Fades Away, by Jerry Lansche, Sweeney fell out of grace with the Providence team in late July after he refused to be replaced in a game while drunk, and was expelled. Rather than come crawling back, Sweeney signed with Lucas' team, leaving Radbourn by himself. Leveraging his situation, Radbourn pledged to stay with the club and be the sole primary pitcher, if he would be granted free agency at season's end. Radbourn, who already had 24 wins at that point to Sweeney's 17, pitched nearly every game after that, and went on to win an astounding 60 games during the regular season. For an encore, he won all three games of 1884's version of the World Series
, pitching every inning of a sweep of the New York Metropolitans
of the American Association
. His performance in 1884, along with a generally strong career topping 300 wins overall, assured his place in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
of the Maroons. Dunlap led the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs scored, hits, total bases, and home runs (with just 13, typical for the era). Dunlap hit .412 in 1884, but after the league folded, he never hit more than .270 in a career that ran through 1891 - another measure of the inferior quality of the Union Association. Star pitchers for the UA included Jim McCormick, Charlie Sweeney
, Dupee Shaw
and Hugh Daily
. Players that made their debut in the Union Association included Jack Clements
, remembered as the only man in baseball history to play a full career as a left-handed catcher.
of the Outlaw Reds on August 26 and one by Ed Cushman
of the Brewers on Sept. 28. On July 7, Hugh Daily struck out 19 Boston Reds in a nine-inning game, an "MLB" record that would stand for 102 years, until Roger Clemens
struck out 20 batters in a game in 1986. Henry Porter
and Dupee Shaw got 18-strikeout games. The Chicago Browns executed a triple play
on June 19.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
which lasted for only one season in 1884
1884 in baseball
-Champions:*First World's Championship Series: Providence Grays over New York Metropolitans *National League: Providence Grays*American Association: New York Metropolitans*Union Association: St...
. St. Louis won the pennant and joined 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...
the following season. Chicago moved to Pittsburgh in late August, and four teams folded during the season and were replaced.
Although the league is conventionally listed as a major league, this status has been questioned by a number of modern baseball historians, most notably Bill James
Bill James
George William “Bill” James is a baseball writer, historian, and statistician whose work has been widely influential. Since 1977, James has written more than two dozen books devoted to baseball history and statistics...
in The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract is a reference-type book written by Bill James featuring an overview of baseball decade by decade, along with rankings of the top 100 players at each position. The original edition was published in 1985 by Villard Books, followed by The New Bill James...
. The league had a number of major league players (on the St. Louis franchise, at least), but the league's overall talent and organization was notably inferior to that of the two established major leagues. For example, the league's only "star" player, Fred Dunlap
Fred Dunlap
Frederick C. "Sure Shot" Dunlap was a second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball from 1880 to 1891. He was the highest paid player in Major League Baseball from 1884 to 1889. He has also been rated by some contemporary and modern sources as the greatest overall second baseman of the...
, never achieved similar success in any other major league. James found that the contemporary Baseball Guides
Baseball Guides
There have been several Baseball Guides since the 19th century - the Spalding Guide and Reach Guide were the primary ones for decades. The two merged eventually and then were replaced by the Guides put out by The Sporting News...
didn't consider the Union Association to be a major league either. The earliest record he could find of the Union Association as a major league was Ernest Lanigan's
Ernest Lanigan
Ernest John Lanigan was an American sportswriter and historian on the subject of baseball. He was considered the premier baseball statistician and historian of his day...
"The Baseball Cyclopedia", published in 1922.
A relatively modern comparison could be the World Football League
World Football League
The World Football League was a short-lived gridiron football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The...
of the early 1970s contrasted with the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. The WFL similarly resorted to putting clubs in small cities and collapsed in the middle of a season.
There was also a minor league called the Union Association
Union Association (minor league)
The Union Association was a Minor league baseball circuit that operated from through . It was classified as a Class-D league and was based in the Rocky Mountains.There was also a minor league called the Union Association which lasted only one season in ....
that operated from through .
History
The league was founded in September 1883 by the young St. Louis millionaire Henry LucasHenry Lucas (baseball)
Henry Victor Lucas was a baseball executive in the late 19th century.He was one of seven children of James H. Lucas who each of whom inherited a million dollars at his death in 1873. In 1884, the 26-year-old Henry Lucas became president of the Union Association, though he clearly stacked the...
. Lucas was eventually named the league's president, with owner Tom Pratt
Tom Pratt
Thomas Jefferson Pratt was a professional baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics. He played in one game for the Athletics on October 18, 1871, getting two hits in six at bats. Prior to his brief professional career, he played with the old Brooklyn Atlantics in the 1860s...
of the Philadelphia franchise
Philadelphia Keystones
The Philadelphia Keystones was a professional baseball franchise. In 1884, they were a member of the short-lived Union Association. The team was owned by former player Tom Pratt....
serving as vice-president and Warren W. White
Warren White (baseball)
William Warren White was an American Major League Baseball player who played mainly third base for six different teams in his six seasons of professional baseball, five of which were in the National Association and one season in the Union Association.-Early life:Born in Milton, New York, he also...
of the Washington franchise
Washington Nationals (UA)
The 1884 Washington Nationals were a member of the Union Association. They were managed by Mike Scanlon and finished in seventh place with a record of 47-65. Their home games were played at Capitol Grounds...
as secretary.
Lucas' favoritism toward his own team doomed the league from the beginning. He acquired the best available players for his St. Louis franchise at the expense of the rest of the league. The Maroons won 94 games while losing only 19, for an .832 percentage. For comparison, if extrapolated to the length of a modern 162-game schedule, that would translate to 134 wins.
The lopsided competition and the revolving-door nature of its franchises and schedules was a continual problem, and the league was derisively dubbed "The Onion League" by its detractors in the two established leagues. Four different franchises folded during the season, forcing the league to scramble to replace them from lower classification leagues or from scratch. The Altoona team was the first to fold in May, and was replaced by a newly-formed team in Kansas City
Kansas City Cowboys (Union Association)
The Kansas City Cowboys were a team in the Union Association during its only season, . Referred to as the "Cowboys" mostly by historians, they had no official nickname during their short life and were most frequently referred to by local press of the day as the "Unions" and by the press of other...
. After the Philadelphia
Philadelphia Keystones
The Philadelphia Keystones was a professional baseball franchise. In 1884, they were a member of the short-lived Union Association. The team was owned by former player Tom Pratt....
franchise folded in August, the Unions recruited the Wilmington Quicksteps
Wilmington Quicksteps
The Wilmington Quicksteps were an 1884 late season replacement team in the Union Association. They finished with a 2-16 record and were managed by Joe Simmons. The team played home games in Union Street Park in Wilmington, Delaware....
from the Eastern League; the Quicksteps lost many of their best players, and dropped out of the Association in September. The Chicago franchise had moved to Pittsburgh in August and finally disbanded about the same time as Wilmington, and both teams were replaced by two teams from the disbanding Northwest League, Milwaukee
Milwaukee Brewers (UA)
The Milwaukee Brewers served as a replacement team late in the 1884 Union Association season. Called the Cream Citys by both local papers, they had a record of 8-4. The team came to the UA from the Northwestern League, as did the St. Paul Saints, and were managed by Tom Loftus...
and St. Paul. On January 15, 1885, at a scheduled UA meeting in Milwaukee, only the Milwaukee and Kansas City franchises showed up. The league was promptly disbanded.
The St. Louis franchise itself was deemed to be strong enough to enter the National League in 1885, but it faced heavy competition within the city, as the St. Louis Browns
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
were a power in the American Association
American Association (19th century)
The American Association was a Major League Baseball league that existed for 10 seasons from to . During that time, it challenged the National League for dominance of professional baseball...
. Thus, the lone survivor of the Union folded after the 1886 season, having compiled records of 36-72 and 43-79 in NL play. These figures perhaps reveal the gulf in class between the UA and the established major leagues.
Perhaps the most obvious impact of the short-lived league was on the career of a player who did not jump to the new league: Charles Radbourn
Charles Radbourn
Charles Gardner Radbourn , nicknamed "Old Hoss", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball . He played for the Buffalo Bisons , Providence Grays , Boston Beaneaters , Boston Reds , and Cincinnati Reds...
. With a schedule of a little over 100 games, most teams employed two regular pitchers. The Providence Grays
Providence Grays
The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at Messer Field in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National League title twice, in and...
' entry of 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...
featured Radbourn and Charlie Sweeney
Charlie Sweeney
Charles J. Sweeney was an American Major League Baseball pitcher from 1882 through 1887. He played with moderate success for several teams, but he is best known to historians for the inadvertent career boost that he gave to future Hall of Famer Old Hoss Radbourn.Sweeney began his major league...
. According to the book Glory Fades Away, by Jerry Lansche, Sweeney fell out of grace with the Providence team in late July after he refused to be replaced in a game while drunk, and was expelled. Rather than come crawling back, Sweeney signed with Lucas' team, leaving Radbourn by himself. Leveraging his situation, Radbourn pledged to stay with the club and be the sole primary pitcher, if he would be granted free agency at season's end. Radbourn, who already had 24 wins at that point to Sweeney's 17, pitched nearly every game after that, and went on to win an astounding 60 games during the regular season. For an encore, he won all three games of 1884's version of the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
, pitching every inning of a sweep of the New York Metropolitans
New York Metropolitans
The Metropolitan Club was a 19th-century professional baseball team that played in New York City from 1880 to 1887...
of the American Association
American Association (19th century)
The American Association was a Major League Baseball league that existed for 10 seasons from to . During that time, it challenged the National League for dominance of professional baseball...
. His performance in 1884, along with a generally strong career topping 300 wins overall, assured his place in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Notable players
The best hitter of the 1884 Union Association was Fred DunlapFred Dunlap
Frederick C. "Sure Shot" Dunlap was a second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball from 1880 to 1891. He was the highest paid player in Major League Baseball from 1884 to 1889. He has also been rated by some contemporary and modern sources as the greatest overall second baseman of the...
of the Maroons. Dunlap led the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs scored, hits, total bases, and home runs (with just 13, typical for the era). Dunlap hit .412 in 1884, but after the league folded, he never hit more than .270 in a career that ran through 1891 - another measure of the inferior quality of the Union Association. Star pitchers for the UA included Jim McCormick, Charlie Sweeney
Charlie Sweeney
Charles J. Sweeney was an American Major League Baseball pitcher from 1882 through 1887. He played with moderate success for several teams, but he is best known to historians for the inadvertent career boost that he gave to future Hall of Famer Old Hoss Radbourn.Sweeney began his major league...
, Dupee Shaw
Dupee Shaw
Frederick Lander "Dupee" Shaw , was an American Major League Baseball player who played pitcher in the Majors from to . He would play for the Detroit Wolverines, Boston Reds, Providence Grays, and Washington Nationals...
and Hugh Daily
Hugh Daily
Hugh Ignatius Daily, born Harry Criss , nicknamed "One Arm" Daily, was an Irish American professional right-handed pitcher who played six seasons, for seven different teams; the Buffalo Bisons, the Cleveland Blues, and the St...
. Players that made their debut in the Union Association included Jack Clements
Jack Clements
John J. "Jack" Clements was a baseball player who played for 17 seasons in the Major Leagues. A catcher for nearly his entire career, despite being left-handed, Clements caught 1,073 games, almost four times as many as any other left-handed player in major league history and was the last...
, remembered as the only man in baseball history to play a full career as a left-handed catcher.
Highlights
The Union Association saw two no-hitters in its brief existence: one by Dick BurnsDick Burns
Richard Simon "Dick" Burns was an American Major League Baseball pitcher and outfielder, born in Holyoke, Massachusetts...
of the Outlaw Reds on August 26 and one by Ed Cushman
Ed Cushman
Edgar Leander Cushman was an American Major League Baseball pitcher from – for five teams in three different Major leagues spanning his six year career.-Career:...
of the Brewers on Sept. 28. On July 7, Hugh Daily struck out 19 Boston Reds in a nine-inning game, an "MLB" record that would stand for 102 years, until Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens , nicknamed "Rocket", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the league with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he would help anchor for 12 years. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher. He played for four different teams over...
struck out 20 batters in a game in 1986. Henry Porter
Henry Porter (baseball)
Walter Henry Porter was an American Major League Baseball player born in Vergennes, Vermont who pitched for three different teams during his six year career.-Career:...
and Dupee Shaw got 18-strikeout games. The Chicago Browns executed a 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:...
on June 19.