1883 New York Gothams

1883 New York Gothams / Franchise: San Francisco Giants / BR Team Page

Record: 46-50, Finished 6th in National League (1883 NL)

Managed by John Clapp

Ballpark: Polo Grounds

History, Comments, Contributions

The 1883 New York Gothams, the second team to be known by that name after an outfit in the 1850s and 1860s, was the city of New York’s second National League entry. After a six-year absence without any clubs from New York in the National League, the Gothams joined on December 6, 1882 replacing the ousted Troy Trojans franchise. The Gothams were made up of mostly players from the Trojans that team owner John Day had acquired, but other than that, the team had no real formal ties to the Trojans. Managed by catcher John Clapp, the team opened its inaugural season at the first incarnation of the Polo Grounds against the mighty Boston Beaneaters. Not only would the Gothams win their first game of the season against the Beaneaters, they would also go on to sweep the three-game series. It was also the last time the Gothams would be in 1st place. The Gothams went on an eight-game losing streak, and lost 12 of their next 13 games. The Gothams finished the season with a 46-50-2 record for a 6th-place finish.

Overall the Gothams were not a terrible team. The team was 28-19-2 at home; their two best months were June and August when they won 12 games. In the first half of the season, the team was only four games below .500 and went .500 in the second half. Against the pennant-winning Beaneaters, the team went 7-7 even though they were outscored 106-82. Their best record was against their fellow expansion team, the Philadelphia Phillies, against whom they went 12-2. The team was also 9-10 in one-run games and 16-18 in blowouts. Team stats: first baseman Roger Connor led the team with a .357 batting average, which catcher Buck Ewing led the team with 10 homers. Pitcher Mickey Welch led all pitchers with a 25-13 record, and had the second-lowest ERA (2.73) behind John Ward who had a 2.70 ERA.