The Brooklyn Gladiators were a

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

team in the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

during the 1890 season. They were last in the league with a 26–73 record when the franchise folded on August 27, 1890.

History

The Gladiators were managed by Jim Kennedy and played their home games at Ridgewood Park. Their top-hitting regular was

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

Billy O'Brien, who had a .278

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

, a .415

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...

, and led the club by far in

RBIs A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

with 67. Their best

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

was

Ed Daily Edward M. Daily (September 7, 1862 – October 21, 1891) was a Major League Baseball player. He played seven seasons in the majors, from until , for the Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, Columbus Solons, Brooklyn Gladiators, New ...

(10-15, 4.05), who was also their starting

right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

when he was not pitching. The Gladiators lasted for one season only, a year when Brooklyn boasted three professional ballclubs: Also competing for local fans' interest were the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

's first-place Bridegrooms, who had been Brooklyn's American Association club from 1884 to 1889, and the

Brooklyn Ward's Wonders The Brooklyn Ward's Wonders were a baseball team who played in the Players' League in 1890. The team's nickname derived from its superstar shortstop, hall of famer John Montgomery Ward. The team finished with a 76–56 record, finishing in second ...

of the

Players' League The Players' National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, popularly known as the Players' League (PL), was a short-lived but star-studded professional American baseball league of the 19th century. The PL was formed by the Brotherhood of Prof ...

, managed by future Hall of Famer

John Montgomery Ward John Montgomery Ward (March 3, 1860 – March 4, 1925), known as Monte Ward, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher, shortstop, second baseman, third baseman, manager, executive, union organizer, owner and author. Ward, of English descent, ...

. By August, there were rumors that club management, frustrated by a lack of public interest, would move the struggling team to Washington, D.C. That midseason move never came to pass, and while 1891 did see the addition of the

Washington Statesmen Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

to the American Association's final season, neither Kennedy nor any Gladiator players were on the squad. The Gladiators were immediately replaced in the American Association by the Baltimore Orioles (Atlantic Association) when Brooklyn folded from the league on August 27, 1890. Baltimore left the

Atlantic Association The Atlantic Association was a minor league baseball organization that operated between 1889 and 1890 and again in 1908 in the Northeastern United States. History First Demise In each of the two seasons 4 or more teams failed to finish the season a ...

and played the remainder of the American Association season with a 15–19 record. Of the 23 men who played for the Gladiators, only three—Daily, second baseman

Joe Gerhardt John Joseph Gerhardt (February 14, 1855 – March 11, 1922) was an American professional baseball second baseman whose career spanned from 1873 to 1893. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 11 major league clubs. Early years ...

, and third baseman

Jumbo Davis James J. "Jumbo" Davis (September 5, 1861 – February 14, 1921) was a Major League Baseball third baseman. He played all or part of seven seasons in the majors, between 1884 and 1891, for the Brooklyn Gladiators, St. Louis Browns, Baltimore Or ...

—played professionally beyond the 1890 season. None played past July 1891.

References

External links

Brooklyn Gladiators Team Index

The Brooklyn Eagle, August 13, 1890: "Kennedy's Gladiators were made to chase the ball at great rate..."
American Association (1882–1891) baseball teams Defunct baseball teams in New York (state) Defunct baseball teams in New York City Baseball teams disestablished in 1890 Baseball teams established in 1890 {{NYC-sport-stub

History

See also

References

External links