1898 Rochester (Rochesters, Patriots, Brownies)

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 this uniform:
None

Written documentation on this uniform:
March 1898: “[Rochester] Manager C. H. Morton said last night: […] ‘I notice in the Syracuse Herald a reference to the red, white and blue suits of the Stars. Rochester led Syracuse in this respect, you know. Our suits were ordered the first of February and as a fact they are ready and waiting in New York now. We have no old suits and will be obliged to put our men in red, white and blue uniforms from the outset.’” From the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, March 28, 1898.

April 1898, exhibition game: “The Rochester uniforms made a hit with the crowd. They were dark blue with red, white, blue and black stockings, caps and sweaters. Manager Morton remarked that he sprung them today because he thought war would be declared in Washington.” From the Buffalo Courier, April 5, 1898. Research from Ed Morton. The US declared war with Spain on April 25, 1898.

April 1898: “Manager Morton, of the Brownies, tonight released catcher O’Neill.” Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, April 25, 1898. An example of the Brownies nickname still in use. The nickname came from the brown color of the Rochester uniforms worn in 1895.

May 9, 1898, Rochester v. Toronto at Rochester, Culver Field, opening day: “The proportions of the crowd burst upon the baseball procession in unexpected size as the parade turned into University avenue at the park […] augmented by the hundreds who had walked to the grounds along side of and behind the parade of the band and carriages decorated with the national colors. The Canadian team’s wagon was decorated with the British flag, and the Toronto’s uniform was of red and gray. The new uniforms of red, white and blue which adorned the Rochester team were not nearly as loud as the cranks expected, it is a popular combination of colors now.” From the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, May 10, 1898.

May 1898: “The ‘rejuvenated’ Buffalos got it in the neck at Rochester yesterday, the Brownies playing all around them.” From the Syracuse Herald, May 28, 1898. Another example of the Brownies nickname still in use.

June 1898: “Rochester, N.Y. — June 28. […] Manager Finn, the new man at the head of the ‘Patriots,’ seems to be getting good work out of the team.” From The Sporting Life, July 2, 1898. An example of the Patriots nickname in use.

July 1898: “The Rochester team will arrive at Ottawa on the fifteenth [of July].” From the Albany (NY) Evening Journal, July 12, 1898. This report confirms the time period in which the franchise was transferred.

July 15, 1898, Ottawa (formerly Rochester) v. Syracuse, at Ottawa, home opener: “The umpire was ‘jollied,’ […] his decisions were not favorable the the boys in blue [i.e., Ottawa].” From the Ottawa Citizen, July 16, 1898. Ottawa did not produce new uniforms until a game played in Ottawa on August 1, 1898. Prior to that, the team wore the Rochester blue uniform.

July 17, 1898, Ottawa (formerly Rochester) v. Syracuse, at Ottawa: “The Ottawa boys must have played hot ball somewhere to melt all those letters off their shirts.” From the Ottawa Citizen, July 18, 1898. This report implied the letters had been removed from the Rochester uniforms.

1898: “Rochester players wore eagle screaming hosiery. A sash of red, white and blue circumnavigating their portly middles. The effect in hues reminded of a cross between a faro layout and a pousse café.” From Bill McCarthy, Rochester Diamond Echoes (1949). Research from Paul Bielewicz. A “faro layout” is a reference to the way playing cards are sequentially lined-up on the table during the casino game Faro. A “pousse café” is a glass filled with various liqueurs or cordials poured in successive layers. Information from dictionary.com and from Ryan O’Connell, Real Deal Faro, retrieved online January 15, 2021.

1898, referenced in March 1899: “Wilkes-Barre fans will recall the Rochester players’ uniforms of last season [1898]– the barber pole sort of colors. Boston decided to copy after them this year [1899].” From the Wilkes-Barre Record, Mach 7, 1899. Research from Ed Morton.

July 15, 1898, Ottawa (formerly Rochester) v. Syracuse, at Ottawa, home opener: “The umpire was ‘jollied,’ […] his decisions were not favorable to the boys in blue.” From the Ottawa Citizen, July 16, 1898. This report tells us that the Ottawa team was wearing Rochester’s blue uniforms for this game. The franchise was transferred from Rochester to Ottawa on July 12, and the team played their first game in Ottawa on July 15. Ottawa had new uniforms made and they were worn for the first time on August 1, 1898.

July 17, 1898, Ottawa (formerly Rochester) v. Syracuse, at Ottawa: “The Ottawa boys must have played hot ball somewhere to melt all those letters off their shirts.” From the Ottawa Citizen, July 18, 1898. This report implied the letters had been removed from the Rochester uniforms.

Team genealogy: Rochester 1898-1898
Rochester joined the Eastern League (EL) in 1898, their third entry into the league, with the transfer of the Scranton franchise. The EL operated between 1891 and 1911 and became the International League in 1912. Rochester played in the EL for only a portion of the 1898 season and the team was transferred to Ottawa on July 12, 1898. Information from Bill O’Neal, The International League (1992). Ottawa transfer date was listed as July 7, 1898 by Baseball America, Inc., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (1997).