BEFORE the BUMS 8/4/1890: Brooklyn Bridegrooms Top the Standings After Sweep of Pittsburgh Alleghenys

From the desk: FINGERPRINTS OF DEM BUMS

 

In baseball's sixth ever World Series clash of 1889, the National League New York Giants defeated the American Association champion Brooklyn Bridegrooms six games to three, and an inter-city rivalry was born.  While this marked the New York Giants second straight championship victory over the Association, it would be Brooklyn's last campaign as an AA member club.  The following season, the Bridegrooms would make their National League debut where they remain to this day.  Welcome to "BEFORE the BUMS" my game-by-game rewind of (the city) Brooklyn's historic 1890 season.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Tuesday, August 5, 1890

GAME #86

Monday, August 4, 1890

Pittsburgh Alleghenys vs. BROOKLYN BRIDEGROOMS

WASHINGTON PARK

Bridegrooms Win Fifth Straight; Seize Sole Possession of First Place

Byrne's sluggers again punished Pittsburgh pitching for a fourth straight game, amassing 16 runs on 13 hits in yet another rout of the Alleghenys.  In fact, through four games, the National League's leading run producers outscored the Alleghenys by a wholly one-sided 52-12 margin.  The visitors represented themselves with six runs against host starter Tom Lovett, which did little to prevent Brooklyn from completing a four-game sweep and achieving their sixth consecutive win - two wins back in Cleveland and four here at Washington Park.  Brooklyn opened Monday's scoring with haste.  First baseman Dave Foutz cleared the bases with a double, and two subsequent Pittsburgh errors had the 'Grooms staked to an early 5-0 lead.  Right fielder Oyster Burns tripled home a run in the second and scored on Adonis Terry's base hit.  Brooklyn then bunched together three hits in the third, including a triple by the red hot George Pinkney, resulting in two more runs and a commanding 9-0 advantage.  Pittsburgh posted four runs in the fourth and two more in the seventh, but it wasn't nearly enough, as Brooklyn literally did them one better with four more in the sixth and three in the eighth.  Dave Fouts finished the game with two hits and five runs batted in, and Tom Lovett helped himself with two runs batted in.  The Phillies lost to the Reds at Cincinnati, so the Bridegrooms own the top of the standings all to themselves.

• FINAL: PITT 6; BKN 16
• RECORD: 57-29 (.663); 1st place, 1.0 GA of Philadelphia Phillies