The Atlantic League was a

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

league that operated between 1896 and 1900 in the

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. Located on the East Coast of the United States, ...

. It was the successor of the

Pennsylvania State League The Pennsylvania State League was an American minor league baseball sports league that operated from 1892 to 1895, then became the first Atlantic League (1896–1900), Atlantic League. The league member teams were exclusively based in Pennsylvania ...

, which had operated from 1892 to 1895. The name has subsequently been reused twice, for another short-lived league in 1914, and for a contemporary independent minor league.

History

League champions

: In 1896, eight teams competed; at any point in time, there were six teams active. : In 1899 and 1900, there were only six teams active at season's end. Source:

Teams

Notes: :In 1896, New Haven disbanded on July 12; Lancaster entered the league on July 13; New York was expelled on July 13 and was replaced by Philadelphia. :In 1899, Paterson disbanded on July 4, and Scranton followed on July 9. :In 1900, Philadelphia moved to Harrisburg on June 4; Newark and Jersey City disbanded on June 2; the league disbanded on June 14. Source:

Results by season

Teams denoted in ''italics'' disbanded during the season. ;1896 (Class A) April 23–September 13 :New York was 30–32 when replaced by Philadelphia ;1897 (Class A) April 26–September 19
;1898 (Class B) April 25–September 10 ;1899 (Class A) April 27–August 6

;1900 (Class A) April 30–June 14 :Philadelphia was 10–11 when replaced by Harrisburg

Soby Cup

The Soby Cup, made of silver, was given to the league by tobacco businessman Charles Soby of

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, in September 1896. In its first season, the cup was to be awarded to the winner of a postseason series between the league's top two teams; in subsequent years, the holder of the cup would play a series against the league's top finishing team. Standings at the end of the 1896 season, which had Newark finishing first, were formally protested by the Paterson team, claiming that some of Newark's games were actually exhibitions. With that protest pending, the next two teams in the standings—Paterson and Hartford—arranged to play a series for the Soby Cup. Paterson won the seven-game series, four games to two. The protested standings were not ruled upon until the league's annual meeting in late November; despite inconsistencies in record-keeping, Newark was declared the pennant winner. Following the 1897 season, the Soby Cup series should have been contested between Lancaster, that year's top team, and Paterson, who had won the cup in 1896. However, league officials decided to have the top two teams of 1897—Lancaster and Newark—play for the cup. After Lancaster and Newark could not agree to terms for a series, the Soby Cup was awarded to Lancaster, the pennant winner. Prior to the 1898 season, the league abolished the postseason Soby Cup series, and returned to the cup to its donor. By 1951, the cup was at the

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...

, where it remains .

Notable players

Notable players in the Atlantic League (1896–1900) include: *

Oyster Burns Thomas P. "Oyster" Burns (September 6, 1864November 11, 1928) was an American professional baseball player whose career spanned 15 seasons, 11 of which were spent with the Major League Baseball (MLB) Wilmington Quicksteps (1884), Baltimore Oriol ...

Bill Carrick William Martin Carrick (September 5, 1873 – March 7, 1932) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was nicknamed Doughnut Bill.Wilbert, Warren N. ''The arrival of the American League: Ban Johnson and the 1901 challenge to National ...

Bill Clymer William Johnston Clymer (December 18, 1873 – December 26, 1936) nicknamed "Derby Day Bill", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop in . After his playing career, Clymer became ...

* Joe Delahanty * Ned Garvin * Dan Kerwin * Fred Ketchum *

Sam Leever Samuel Leever (December 23, 1871 – May 19, 1953), nicknamed "the Goshen Schoolmaster", was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Early life Sam Leever was born in Go ...

* John Newell *

Jerry Nops Jeremiah Henry Nops (June 23, 1875 – March 26, 1937) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. From 1896 to 1901, he played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles (NL), Brooklyn Superbas, and Baltimore Orioles (AL ...

* Hal O'Hagan * Casey Patten *

Socks Seybold Ralph Orlando "Socks" Seybold (November 23, 1870 – December 21, 1921) was an American professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball over parts of nine seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Athletics.

* Lee Viau * Tom Vickery *

Honus Wagner Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner ( ; February 24, 1874 – December 6, 1955) was an American baseball shortstop who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1897 to 1917, mostly with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Nicknamed "the Flying Dutc ...

* Piggy Ward * Harry Wilhelm * Rasty Wright * Joe Yeager

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atlantic League (1896-1900) Defunct minor baseball leagues in the United States Sports leagues established in 1896 1896 establishments in the United States 1900 disestablishments in the United States