The Brooklyn Excelsiors were an amateur

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

team that played in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. Formed in

1854 Events January–March * January 4 – The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the ''Samarang''. * January 6 – The fictional detective Sherlock Holmes is perhaps born. * January 9 – The Teut ...

, the Excelsior ballclub featured stars such as

Jim Creighton James Creighton, Jr. (April 15, 1841 – October 18, 1862) was an American baseball player during the game's amateur era, and is considered by historians to be the sport's first superstar and one of its earliest paid competitors. In 186 ...

Asa Brainard Asahel "Asa" Brainard (1841 – December 29, 1888), nicknamed "Count", was the ace pitcher of the original Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first fully professional baseball team, after having pitched for the Excelsior club of Brooklyn, New York. ...

, and

Candy Cummings William Arthur "Candy" Cummings (October 18, 1848 – May 17, 1924) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a pitcher in the National Association and National League. Cummings is widely credited with inventing the curveball. ...

. The team is known for originating the "Brooklyn-style"

baseball cap A baseball cap is a type of soft hat with a rounded crown and a stiff bill projecting in front. The front of the hat typically displays a design or a logo (historically, usually only a sports team, namely a baseball team, or names of relevant c ...

, precursor to the modern cap. They also were one of the first baseball clubs to undertake a long-distance tour to compete outside their home region.

1860 Championship Season

In 1860, the Excelsior club made a now-famous tour around New York and large cities in surrounding states. They defeated the Champion Club of Albany, the Victory Club of Troy, the Buffalo Niagaras, and the powerful

Brooklyn Atlantics The Atlantic Base Ball Club of Brooklyn ("Atlantic" or the "Brooklyn Atlantics") was baseball's first champion and its first dynasty. The team was also the first baseball club to visit the White House in 1865 at the invitation of President And ...

. Besides establishing the tradition of ball clubs traveling long distances to compete with other clubs, the tour helped advance the game's popularity outside the New York region. In 1860 the Excelsiors compiled a record of 19 wins and two losses, and were champions of the National Association, finishing in a draw with the

Club. However, the Atlantics were the accepted champions. During the 1860 season, the Excelsiors began wearing an ancestor of the modern, snug-fitting

, including a long visor and button top."19th Century Baseball Cap History,"
StrictlyFitted.com, July 28, 2008 The cap, which became popular by the 1900s, was known as "Brooklyn-style", and was the predominant baseball cap until the 1940s.

References

External links

{{Authority control Defunct baseball teams in New York City 1854 establishments in New York (state) Sports in Brooklyn Baseball teams established in 1854 National Association of Base Ball Players teams Baseball teams in New York City Amateur baseball teams in New York (state) Defunct baseball teams in New York (state) Baseball teams disestablished in 1870 1870 disestablishments in New York (state)