OTD 9/30/1915: Federal League Brooklyn Tip Tops Play Last Ever Game at Washington Park

From the desk: THE BROOKLYN BAKER'S NINE

FEDERAL LEAGUE

BUFFALO BLUES vs. BROOKLYN TIP TOPS

On Thursday, September 30, 1915, the Brooklyn Tip Tops play their last ever game and the last "major league" baseball game at Washington Park. 

  

Chicago Tribune, Friday, October 1, 1915

Brooklyn Tip Tops Sing The Blues

Right-hander Gene Krapp starts for the visiting Buffalo Blues and is opposed by Dan Marion for Brooklyn.  The Tip Tops open the scoring in the second.  With the bases loaded, Marion helps his cause with a single to center field scoring Benny Kauff, but Brooklyn leaves all other base runners stranded.  

Afterwhich, Gene Krapp and Dan Marion engage in a scoreless duel through the sixth.

Buffalo ties the score in the seventh on second baseman Baldy Louden's base hit.

Brooklyn retakes the lead in the eighth on second baseman Lee Magee's run-scoring triple, but they cannot hold.  The Blues scored two runs in the top of the ninth.  First baseman Hal Chase singles and scores, and catcher Nick Allen drives in the go-ahead run.

Gene Krapp retires the Tip Tops in the home ninth to close out Buffalo's 3-2 victory.  He allows two runs on six hits and four walks with eight strikeouts for the win.

Hard-luck loser Dan Marion yielded just four hits through the first eight innings.  All told, Marion allows three runs on seven total hits and three walks with one strikeout.  Marion finishes the season with an 11-9 record and 3.20 ERA.

The Brooklyn Tip Tops end the 1915 season with a 70-82-1 record, seventh in the Federal League.  They remained in the circuit's top three through June 12 but then lost eight in a row.  Despite a ten-game consecutive win streak earlier in September, the Tip Tops could not climb the standings.  Their two-year existence culminates with a 147-159-4 overall record.

BOXSCORE

WASHINGTON PARK IV

1st Street at 3rd Avenue

Once Upon A Summer 9/14/1918: Brooklyn Royal Giants Defeat Tietjen and Lang Club; John Donaldson and the Backdrop of WWI

From the desk: DEM BARNSTORMERS & THE DONALDSON NETWORK

The Courier-News (Bridgewater, NJ), 

Friday, September 13, 1921

On Saturday, September 14, 1918, the Brooklyn Royal Giants played the Tietjen and Lang Shipbuilders team.  This was a return match for John Donaldson, who, on Sunday, August 18, took the loss in a 5-2 contest at Nurge's Field.  Unfortunately, a full account of this game is yet to be found.  The Friday, September 20, 1918, edition of the Jersey Journal, Jersey City, reports the Royal Giants defeated the Tietjen and Lang club but no score is provided.

⚾

The backdrop to the 1918 season is, of course, the World War raging in Europe.  Major League baseball played an abbreviated season.  The Brooklyn Dodgers ended their 126 game season on September 2 at Philadelphia.  The Yankees managed 123 games.  

Due to the government's edict of Work of Fight, many industrial aggregations, such as the New York Ship League Team, Bethlehem Steel, Morse Dry Dock, and the Tietjen and Lang team, were very well fortified with major league talent.  In fact, in a similar situation, it was the Brooklyn Royal Giants who handed the Camp Mills Soldiers their first defeat this season.  Otherwise, some players, like St. Louis' first baseman George Sisler, elected instead to fight.

As noted in the above news clip, the Tietjen and Lang club this day would have featured former Yankee Hal Chase, New York Giant George Burns, and Ollie O'Mara from the Dodgers.  When Tietjen and Lang last played the Royal Giants, they featured from the Yankees pitchers Hank Thormahlen and  

Ray Caldwell, and outfielders Ping Bodie from the White Sox and Paul Smith, formerly with Cincinnati.

Beyond the realm of Negro teams and their respective stars and future Hall of Famers and the strong local semipros, this further attests to a discernible and representative level of professional competition the 27-year old John Donaldson faced during is his only venture East.

Before he arrived in Brooklyn, John Donaldson had authored no less than eight no-hitters, his most recent coming on July 16, 1917, at Julesburg, Colorado.  Among other teams, Donaldson most notably played for J.L. Wilkinson's All-Nations, Kansas City Colts, the winter league Los Angeles White Sox, and Indianapolis ABCs. 

The Courier-News (Bridgewater, NJ), 

Friday, September 13, 1921

On Sunday, September 15, the Brooklyn Royal Giants return to Dexter Park.  They will play a twin bill against Bushwick, who will feature former major league pitcher Lefty Russell, joined by the aforementioned Ollie O'Mara, shortstop Babe Ellison formerly of Detroit, and Casey Stengel of the Pirates.

Times Union (Brooklyn, NY), 

Saturday, September 14, 1918

⚾

BROOKLYN ROYAL GIANTS

ONCE UPON A SUMMER, 1918: JOHN DONALDSON'S LONE SEASON WITH THE BROOKLYN ROYAL GIANTS

• 6/28 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Acquire Midwest Pitching Great, John Donaldson
• 6/30 - John Donaldson Loses Brooklyn Royal Giants Debut To New York Lincoln Giants
• 7/3 - John Donaldson Poised To Make Brooklyn/Queens Debut At Dexter Park
• 7/4 - John Donaldson Twirls Shutout Over Cuban Stars In Dexter Park Debut
• 7/7 - Joe Williams Wins Second Straight Decision Over John Donaldson; Lincoln Giants and Royal Giants Split Twin Bill
• 7/13 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Defeat Glendale at Farmer's Oval, Queens
• 7/14 - John Donaldson Defeats Bushwick; Royal Giants Split Twin Bill At Dexter Park
• 7/15 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Take Series Opener From Atlantic City Bacharach Giants
• 7/16 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Take Game Two from Bacharach Giants; John Donaldson Earns The Victory
• 7/17 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Wrap Up Series With Bacharach Giants at Atlantic City
• 7/18 - N.Y. Ship League Team Defeat Brooklyn Royal Giants at Camden, New Jersey
• 7/21 - Cuban Stars Double-Up Brooklyn Royal Giants; John Donaldson Takes Loss at Dexter Park
• 7/24 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Bow To Stan Baumgartner and Bethlehem Steel at Allentown, PA
• 7/27 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Defeat Camp Dix Soldiers*
• 7/28 - Silk Sox Clout John Donaldson's Offerings; Brooklyn Royal Giants Fall at Doherty's Oval
• 8/3 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Defeat Prospect Heights at Hackensack*
• 8/4 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Forfeit Game To Glendale at Farmer's Oval
• 8/7 - Bethlehem Steel Team Hosts a Scoreless Tie Against Brooklyn Royal Giants
• 8/11 - New York Lincoln Giants and Royal Giants Split Twin Bill at Olympic Field; Joe "Cyclone" Williams Wins Opener, John Donaldson Wins Game Two
• 8/17 - New York Ship Wins Second Contest Against Brooklyn Royal Giants at Camden, N.J.
• 8/18 - The Tietjen & Lang Shipyard Nine Defeat John Donaldson and the Brooklyn Royal Giants, North Bergen, N.J.
• 8/24 - Morse Dry Dock BBC Defeat Royal Giants in John Donaldson's True Brooklyn Debut
• 8/25 - Irvin Brooks Twirls Shutout; Brooklyn Royal Giants Defeat Glendale at Farmer Oval, Queens
• 9/1 - New York Lincoln Giants Sweep Twin Bill From Royal Giants at Olympic Field; Joe "Cyclone" Williams Earns Dual Victory, John Donaldson Suffers Loss in Second Tilt
• 9/2 - Brooklyn Royal Giants and Cuban Stars Split Games of a Doubleheader at Dexter Park
• 9/4 - Southpaw John Donaldson Hands Camp Mills Their First Loss This Season; Brooklyn Royal Giants Win, 7 to 6
• 9/8 - John Donaldson's Return Match Against Morse Dry Dock Along Brooklyn Waterfront Likely Rained Out
• 9/12 - Brooklyn Royal Giants Defeat Glendale in Eleven Innings at Farmer's Oval, Queens

LHP - JOHN DONALDSON'S PITCHING RECORD w/ BROOKLYN:

1. 6/30/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 2 runs, 7 hits, 2 W, 2 K (Lincoln Giants; Olympic Field)
2. 7/4/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 0 RUNS, 5 hits, 1 W, 6 K (Cuban Stars; Dexter Park)
3. 7/7/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 3 runs, 9 hits, 2 W, 2 K (Lincoln Giants; Olympic Field)
4. 7/14/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 1 run, 7 hits, 1 W, 5 K (Bushwick; Dexter Park)
5. 7/16/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 4 runs, 14 hits, (?) W, 6 K* (Atlantic City; Bacharach Park, N.J.)
6. 7/21/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 6 runs, 10 hits, 4 W, 1 K (Cuban Stars; Dexter Park)
7. 7/28/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 9 runs, 16 hits, 2 W, 3 K (Silk Sox; Doherty's Oval, N.J.)
8. 8/11/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 2 runs, 13 hits, (?) W, (?) K (Lincoln Giants; Olympic Field)
9. 8/18/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 5 runs, 5 hits, (?) W, 4 K (Tietjen & Lang; Nurge's Field, N.J.)
10. 8/24/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 8 runs, 19 hits, 1 W, 2 K (Morse Dry Dock; Brooklyn)
11. 9/1/1918 - (L) 9 innings, 4 runs, 14 hits, (?) W, (?) K (Lincoln Giants; Olympic Field)
12. 9/2/1918 - (L) 2 innings, 1 run, 2 hits, 0 W, 1 K (Cuban Stars; Dexter Park)
13. 9/4/1918 - (W) 9 innings, 6 runs, 7 hits, (?) W, (?) K (Camp Mills, Garden City, NY)
14. 9/14/1918 - (W) No account vs. Teitjen and Lang Ship Club (Nurge's Field, N.J.)

• LINE: 110 innings, 51 runs, 128 hits, 13 walks, 31 strikeouts, 4.17 ERA 

BEDFORD & SULLIVAN PODCAST:

Restoring Baseball Great John Donaldson's Lost Legacy With Negro Leagues Historian and Founder of The Donaldson Network, Peter Gorton.

Minnesota native Peter Gorton leads a group of historians dedicated to discovering the lost legacy of John Wesley Donaldson.  In this episode, we discuss the man, baseball career, and life of one of the more incredible and inspiring athletes to ever play the game, and how his amazing legacy became lost to a nation, most particularly Baseball's Hall of Fame.  

Original airdate: March 13, 2021

OTD 8/27/1914: Brooklyn Tip Tops Win Second Straight Over Buffalo

From the desk of: THE BROOKLYN BAKERS NINE

Brooklyn leads series 2-0

I - BTT 6; BUF 2

II - BTT 7; BUF 5

Buffalo Buf-Feds

vs.

Brooklyn Tip Tops

FROM

WASHINGTON PARK

It's good to be home.  Just ask manager Bradley.  The Tip Tops win their second straight over the Buffalo Buf-Feds, and climb a game back over the .500 mark.

• BOXSCORE: Thursday, August 27, 1914 - BR

Brooklyn holds a 7-3 lead through seven but need to stave off a late Buf-Fed rally.  Brooklyn starter Jim Bluejacket earns his third career victory allowing five runs (four earned) on eleven hits and two walks with one strikeout through nine innings full.  Al Shaw goes 3 for 3 with a walk, double, two runs scored, and two runs batted in.  First baseman Steve Evans lifts his average to .353 with two hits and a run batted in.  Claude Cooper picks up where he leaves off with a triple, two runs scored, and two runs batted in.  Buffalo first baseman and former New York Yankee Hal Chase goes 2 for 4 with a double, and two runs batted in.  The Federal League leading Indianapolis Hoosiers were idle, and so the 56-55 Top Tops gain one-half game in the standings.  They remain in fourth place, eight games back of first.

Commemorative Plaque Now!