Year In Review : 1886 American Association
Off the Field…
A bombing at Haymarket Square in Chicago killed seven policemen and injured many others. The attack occurred during a demonstration for an eight-hour workday that was organized by eight alleged anarchists who were later arrested and accused of the crime. Following a speedy trial, three were imprisoned; one committed suicide and four others were hanged. In 1893, Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld pardoned the three survivors after accusations of an unfair trial surfaced.
In the National League…
Pitcher Jim McCormick of the Chicago White Stockings topped the New York Giants 7-3 on July 1st for his sixteenth consecutive win.
"The Bible of Baseball" aka The Sporting News was established in St. Louis Missouri.
In the American Association…
Guy Hecker of the Louisville Colonels became the first player ever to lead a league in both hitting and pitching after completing the 1886 season with fifty-two wins and a .341 average.
The American Association Champion St. Louis Browns took on the National League Champion Chicago White Stockings and beat them in six games for the Championship title.
Tip O’Neil of the Browns became the first player ever to hit two round-trippers in championship play after knocking two inside-the-park homers en route to a 12-0 massacre over Chicago.
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Matt Kilroy posted five-hundred thirteen strikeouts in sixty-eight games, but still finished the season with a 29-34 record and a last-place team.
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