Players League

The only "third" major league to be of superior quality to the two alternatives, the Players League lasted just a single season. It was formed by the Brotherhood of Professional Baseball Players to combat the reserve clause and salary limits put in place while Brotherhood union John Ward and other players were touring overseas in the 1888-89 offseason. Officially called the Players' National League of Base Ball Clubs, it featured teams in 6 of the 8 NL cities and an American Association city and the top players from each league.

Lawsuits were filed against the PL's signing of Buck Ewing and for violation of the reserve clause but both were thrown out in court.

Unlike other major leagues, the PL aimed for parity between franchises, resulting in a close pennant race, and put a cap on team profits. The league's structure was organized by the players themselves - Brotherhood leaders Ward, Dan Brouthers and Tim Keefe. The league was governed by a 16-man senate, with 2 representatives from each team. While the league was backed by the American Federation of Labor, ticket costs were set to higher NL prices (50 cents) instead of the working class's American Association prices (25 cents).

One improvement they put in place was a two-umpire system. The league also came out with one of the most advanced scheduels ever, but the National League saw to counter it by scheduling home games to conflict with PL games - as a result, all teams suffered in attendance and the year was rough financially for all three major leagues. The three leagues together combined for about a million dollars in red ink. With the NL bluffing that it was strong financially, the Players League stopped their challenge and the NL returned to its tight salary system and reserve clause. A "peace meeting" between the NL, AA and PL (excluding the PL's main leaders) led to decisions that ruined the PL - the AA having already been destroyed by the largest financial losses of all 3 leagues, when it was clearly an afterthought to the two main leagues. The AA lingered around for only one more year before it too was absorbed into the NL. NL leader Al Spalding had certainly done an efficient job at clearing out the playing field of all rivals.

The NL-PL conflict had been the hottest in baseball history as lies, insults, mudslinging and rumors proliferated on both sides, giving newspapers lots of good stories.

Sources: "A Clever Base-Ballist" by Bryan Di Salvatore, "The Beer and Whisky League" by David Nemec, The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball: Second Edition.

Teams & Statistics

1890 PL

Player's League
President: Colonel Edwin A. McAlpin

Team Standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Attend	Managers
Boston Reds	81	48	.628	0	197,346	King Kelly
Brooklyn Wonders	76	56	.576	6.5	79,272	Monte Ward
New York Giants	74	57	.565	8	148,197	Buck Ewing
Chicago Pirates	75	62	.547	10	148,876	Charlie Comiskey
Philadelphia Quakers	68	63	.519	14	170,399	Jim Fogarty (7-9) / Buffinton (61-54)
Pittsburgh Burghers	60	68	.469	20.5	117,123	Ned Hanlon
Cleveland Infants	55	75	.423	26.5	58,430	Henry Larkin (34-45) / Tebeau (21-30)
Buffalo Bisons	36	96	.273	46.5	61,244	Jack Rowe (27-72) / Jay Faatz (9-24)

Player Statistics

Player	Team	Stat	Tot		Player	Team	Stat	Tot
Pete Browning	Cleveland	BA	.387		Silver King	Chicago	W	32
Hugh Duffy	Chicago	Runs	161		Mark Baldwin	Chicago	W	32
Monte Ward	Brooklyn	Hits	207		Mark Baldwin	Chicago	SO	2.11
Hardy Richardson	Boston	RBI	143		Silver King	Chicago	ERA	2.69
Roger Connor	New York	HR	13		Bill Daley	Boston	Pct	.692; 18-8
Old Hoss Radbourn	Boston	Pct	.692; 27-12

Further Reading

• Charles C. Alexander: Turbulent Seasons: Baseball in 1890-1891, Southern Methodist University Press, Dallas, TX, 2011.
• Bryan Di Salvatore: A Clever Base-Ballist: The Life and Times of John Montgomery Ward, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, 1999.
• Gordon Gattie: "The Legacy of the Players League 1890 Chicago Pirates", in Stuart Shea, ed.: North Side, South Side, All Around Town, The National Pastime, SABR, 2015. ISBN 978-1-93359987-8
• James Hawking: Strikeout: Baseball, Broadway and the Brotherhood in the 19th Century, Sunstone Press, Santa Fe, NM, 2012.
• Ed Koszarek: The Players League: History, Clubs, Ballplayers and Statistics, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2006.
• David Nemec: The Beer and Whisky League, Lyons Press, Guilford, CT, 2003 (originally published in 1995). ISBN 978-1558212855
• Scott D. Peterson: Reporting Baseball's Sensational Season of 1890: The Brotherhood War and the Rise of Modern Sports Journalism, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2015. ISBN 978-0-7864-7368-7
• Robert B. Ross: "The Great Baseball Revolt: The Rise and Fall of the 1890 Players League", University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE, 2015. ISBN 978-0-8032-4941-7