1884 New York (New Yorks, Maroon Stockings)
Left: This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style and partial written documentation for color. Minor details may be undocumented or difficult to determine. An educated guess is made to complete the rendering.
Rendering accuracy:Year: documented Team: documented
Right: This rendering is based on written documentation for uniform style and color. No visual documentation is known and an artist’s conceptualization is used to create the rendering.
Rendering accuracy:Year: documented Team: documented
Visual documentation on these unifroms:
Photo A
Dated 1884, possibly June 3, 1884. Year of photo determined by the appearance of player McKinnon, who only played for New York in 1884. This photo was taken in Providence at Messer Park. This can be determined by comparing the background in photo A with photos of the Providence team from 1879 and 1884. New York played eight games in Providence in 1884, playing four games there on May 29, May 30, June 2 and June 3; another two games there on June 17 and June 18; and the final two games there on July 18 and July 23. When matching the players in photo A to the box scores of these games in Providence, it could be suggested the team photo above was taken on June 3, 1884 based on the non-appearance of shortstop, Ed Caskin. Caskin, whose surname was listed in the box scores as Caskins, played for New York in every game against Providence in 1884 except the June 3rd game. Caskin subsequently missed the following two games played in Boston on June 4 and June 5 and returned to the lineup on June 6 when the team arrived back in New York. For these three road games Caskin was replaced at shortstop by player D Richardson, who was also a regular on the team and who was included in the team photo (sitting on the ground lower left). It may be that Caskin temporarily left the team for several days though no reports have surfaced to support this. The uniform that the New York team wore in photo A was gray in color, and the caps were white. A newspaper reported that the team wore maroon stockings this year. The players may have worn light-colored shoes.
Top row, from left: J Ward (83-89, 93, 94), A McKinnon (84), F Hankinson (NY NL 83, 84, NY AA 85-87), R Connor (NY NL 83-89, 91, 93, 94, NY PL 90), (J Day, owner), (J Price? mgr 84), P Gillespie (83-87), M Dorgan (83-87) and B Ewing (NY NL 83-89, 91, 92, NY PL 90). Front: D Richardson (NY NL 84-89, 91, NY PL 90), M Welch (83-92), E Bagley? (84) and unidentified. Player IDs, excluding Bagley, from Mark Fimoff, SABR 19th-century Pictorial Committee. Years with team and identity of manager Price from baseball-reference.com. Identification of owner Day from ghtbl.org, retrieved February 16, 2020. The identity of the two players sitting on the ground, third and fourth from left, can only be identified through supposition. Ed Bagley (sometimes Begley) was a regular for New York in 1884 as a starting pitcher. He pitched in two of the games played in Providence at Messer Park, on June 2 and July 23. Box scores showed that Bagley also pitched for New York in games before and after the contests in Providence, confirming he was on the team during each of the road trips to Providence. Baseball-reference.com listed that Bagley stood 5′ 8″, so he most likely was the smaller player sitting on the ground third from left in the team photo. So who was the player sitting at far right? A possible identity for this player is John Humphries (NY NL 83, 84, Was 84) who caught 20 games for New York in 1884. A photo of Humphries as a member of the 1885 Syracuse team may confirm this identification. However Humphries did not appear in box scores during the period when New York traveled to Providence. Another possible answer was that the unidentified player was a substitute named Griffin. In a game in New York on May 26, outfielder Mike Dorgan hurt his hand while catching behind the plate. Dorgan was filling-in for everyday catcher Buck Ewing, who himself was battling injuries and that day was playing right field. Dorgan had to leave the contest and then missed the following week’s worth of games. He did not return to the lineup until the June 3rd game in Providence, and even then back to his normal position of right field. In that May 26 game in New York, Griffin was brought in as a substitute to finish the game as catcher. Did Griffin travel with the team to Providence on May 29 as the back-up backstop? If so, Griffin did not play in any additional games during this period. Baseball-reference.com listed Griffin as Sandy Griffin (84), and his photo does not match that of the player in photo A. Because of the catcher shortage, Ewing went back behind the plate for the road trip to Providence and then to Boston. On returning home for a June 6th game, Ewing played the outfield and a new back-up catcher, Bill Loughran (84) was behind the plate. Had Loughran already traveled to Providence with the team and was he the unidentified player in photo A? If so, he did not play in any games during the road trip. The game after Loughran’s debut, June 7, Ewing was again the catcher but had to retire after reinjuring himself. Loughran came in to finish the June 7 game as catcher and then caught the next game, June 9, as well. A newspaper reported that Loughran played poorly during these games, and by June 12 Charlie Manlove (84) was behind the plate as the new back-up catcher for New York. Manlove had been the catcher for the Altoona, PA, team until they disbanded on May 31, 1884. Manlove subsequently played 3 games for New York before it was discovered he was already claimed by Indianapolis and was deemed ineligible. Was Manlove the unidentified player in the team photo? Researcher Justin Mckinney believes Manlove was not our man. He has found that the Altoona Tribune reported on June 5, 1884, that Manlove had signed with Indianapolis on June 3 and that the paper noted that Manlove “will leave for that city [Indianapolis] this evening.” Mckinney also found that the Altoona Times reported on June 16, 1884 that Manlove was in Harlem, NY, on June 11 and that this was when he signed with New York, much to the displeasure of the Indianapolis owner. In comparing pictures of Manlove with the player in the team photo, there were some facial similarities however the dates from the Altoona newspaper infer Manlove was not in Providence on June 3rd, the suggested photo date. For the remainder of June and into July, Ewing had returned to the catching duties for New York. However when Ewing was injured again in the July 23rd game in Providence, Loughran was once more brought in as the back-up catcher. Based on the number of times the team turned to Loughran during this period, it could be suggested he was the unidentified player. New York game dates in Providence from retrosheet.org. New York boxscores from May 26, 1884 to July 24, 1884 from the New York Clipper, various issues. Additional contributions from Ed Morton, Nigel Ayres and Bill Hickman. Image scan from SABR, The National Pastime (Number 3, Spring 1984), collection of the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum Library.
Dated 1884, possibly June 3, 1884. Detail view of photo A. Note that the detail view showed a smaller-than-normal shirt opening which ended just below the letters on the shirt. The button placket continued down the shirt and ended in a pointed tab just above the belt line. The pants had two front-facing belt loops and no center belt loop.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
December 1883: “[At a meeting of the National League] the uniform committee recommended that the 1883 uniform be retained [for 1884].” From Base Ball’s 19th-Century Winter Meetings, 1857-1900 (SABR, 2018), citing the New York Clipper, December 1, 1883, and stating that the uniform committee was [John B.] Day, [George W.] Howe and [Al] Reach. Research from Michael R. McAvoy. The committee was most likely responsible for selecting and/or approving the stocking color for each team.
May 1, 1884, New York v. Chicago, at New York, Polo Grounds, home opener: “Hilarious joy interrupted the game in the last inning, a thousand or two playful individuals discovering that hey could emphasize their delight [in the score] by pelting the standing crowd with the cushions which they had till then been sitting. The bombardment was returned with the same missiles picked from the ground and for a time the air was black with flying cushions.” From the New York Tribune, May 2, 1884. No mention of uniforms but instead, a report of frivolity.
June 16, 1884, New York v. Boston at Boston: “The New Yorks appeared in a handsome new uniform yesterday, the shirts and caps being of chocolate and white striped flannel.” From the Boston Globe, June 17, 1884. Research from Chuck McGill.
July 4, 1884, New York v. Detroit at Detroit: “The [Detroit] home team outbatted and outplayed the maroon stockings this morning, but lost in the ninth inning.” From the Buffalo Morning Express, July 5, 1884. Game score of New York 4, Detroit 3 reported by the Buffalo newspaper confirms game date of July 4. Game date info from retrosheet.org.
July 1884: “On Monday [July 14, 1884] when the New York team reached this city [Philadelphia] it was found that the uniform trunk had not been checked and the players were forced to go borrowing for suits. The Philadelphias’ change uniforms were unattainable, being in the wash, so a raid was made on the Cincinnati Union Club’s wardrobe and all but [New York players] Richardson and Connor found tolerably good fits in their olive-colored suits. A white Philadelphia suit was found for Richardson and Connor came out in a mixed uniform.” From The Sporting Life, July 23, 1884. Research from Ed Morton. The New York NL team played at Philadelphia on July 14 & 15, 1884. The Cincinnati Union League team played the Philadelphia Union League team in Philadelphia on July 14, 16, 17 & 19, 1884. Game dates from retrosheet.org.
1884, referenced in April 1885: “The St. Louis [National] League club will have a uniform similar to that worn by the New Yorks last season [in 1884].” From the Boston Globe, April 24, 1885. Research from Oliver Kodner.
Team genealogy:
New York 1883-1957
New York was formed to join the National League (NL) in 1883, with many of its players coming from a disbanded NL team in Troy, NY. The NL began operation in 1876 and this New York team played in the NL from 1883 to 1957. The team moved to San Francisco after the 1957 season. Information from wikipedia.
1884 New York summary
Uniform: gray, red stockings
First worn:
Photographed: team photo in Providence, June 3
Described:
Material:
Manufacturer:
Supposition:
Variations: wore uniforms from other team in Philadelphia, July 14
Other items:
Home opener report: no, May 1 v. Chicago
Uniform: brown-and-white shirt and cap, white pants, red stockings
First worn: June 16, Boston
Photographed:
Described: June
Material:
Manufacturer:
Supposition: cap style and stripes, shirt style and stripes
Variations:
Other items:
Rendering posted: May 17, 2020
Diggers on this uniform: Bill Hickman, Chuck McGill, Ed Morton, Justin Mckinney, Mark Fimoff, Nigel Ayres, Oliver Kodner,