134:, who led the team with a .360 average (sixth-best in the whole NA). But with Brainard coming up lame, Middletown was lacking in the pitching department, usually handing the ball to Clytus "Cy" Bentley. Also just 21, Bentley won only two of his 17 decisions with a 6.06 ERA, worst in the league among hurlers with at least 100 innings pitched. (Tragically, Bentley died of
86:, to bring Boston to Middletown for a few games; Wright advised Douglas that if Middletown truly wanted to play professional clubs then they should pay the $ 10 entry fee and join the National Association. To the league's apparent chagrin, the Mansfields did just that and joined the now eleven-team loop.
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in front of 600 people in
Middletown on August 9, 1872.) Ultimately, the obstacles for a small city like Middletown (with a population of less than seven thousand) to operate and compete against big-city teams were too daunting, so on August 14, 1872, the Mansfield club closed their books and ended
44:
hero. That year, they lost their first match to the
Lincoln club of New Britain by a score of 50–1, but steadily improved thereafter; in 1869, Mansfield put up a 8–2 record, all against other Connecticut clubs. The following year, Middletown ventured outside the Nutmeg State to take on such top pro
60:), local brick factory owner Dewitt Clinton Sage presented the Mansfields with a portion of his property "near the shirt factory, five minutes walk from the McDonough House (famous hotel on Main Street), for their free use as a base ball ground for five years." The
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had an especially convenient location, as the Valley
Railroad ran right by the field. The grandstand held about 800 people, and around 650 were attendance as the Mansfields played their first game there on June 9, 1871, a 30–14 loss to the
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in 1910. The Jewels finished 26–24, good enough for second place, but disappeared along with the rest of the circuit at season's end. Middletown had not had a professional ballclub since, but the
Mansfield name lives on as a
578:
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When the 1872 season dawned, the
Mansfields fully expected to remain an amateur club; they had played matches against pro teams on occasion, but had never beaten one. Still, Douglas was negotiating with
36:
In the summer of 1866, a ballclub was established at
Middletown's Douglas Pump Company by the factory owner's son, sixteen-year-old Ben Douglas Jr. Douglas named the team after his great-uncle
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145:
bumped their record up to five wins against nine losses, but
Middletown would lose their last ten contests to finish 5–19, in eighth place. (Their swan song was an 11–8 loss to the
57:
588:
263:
Arcidiacono, David (2009) "Major League
Baseball in Gilded Age Connecticut: The Rise and Fall of the Middletown, New Haven and Hartford Clubs". McFarland & Co.
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593:
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They were usually referred to simply as "Mansfield" or "the
Mansfields" in game stories and in the standings; "Middletown Mansfields" is a modern nomenclature.
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524:
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Clearly, Mansfield did not have the talent to compete with the big professional clubs; a pair of June victories over the woeful (3–26)
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team, which plays the game by 19th century rules and wears hand-made uniforms similar to the original team's 1870 outfit.
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130:(past his prime at age 31, he pitched only two games for Middletown and lost them both) and another 21-year-old rookie,
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and the Star Club of
Brooklyn. With a final record of 21–13, Mansfield was crowned amateur champions of Connecticut.
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Major League Baseball in Gilded Age Connecticut: The Rise and Fall of the Middletown, New Haven and Hartford Clubs
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25:
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500:
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548:
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Pro baseball would not return to Middletown for nearly four decades, until the
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The following year (which was also the first season of the all-professional
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122:. Also on the team was the star pitcher for the undefeated 1869
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National Association of Professional Base Ball Players teams
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Years in parentheses are years in the National Association
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The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857–1870
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National Association of Professional Base Ball Players
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228:Middletown Mansfield Base Ball Club 1866–1872
138:the following winter, on February 26, 1873.)
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219:(complete history of Middletown Mansfields)
589:Professional baseball teams in Connecticut
319:
296:
282:
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599:Baseball teams disestablished in 1872
594:Defunct baseball teams in Connecticut
253:. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co.
238:Middletown Mansfield Batting Register
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96:and featured such players as future
604:Baseball teams established in 1872
89:The Mansfield club was managed by
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176:1872 Middletown Mansfields season
150:their only major league season.
110:. He batted .307 in 23 games at
28:that existed from 1866 to 1872.
203:Middletown Mansfields 1866–1872
233:Middletown's Season In The Sun
1:
223:Baseball Reference Team Index
493:Philadelphia White Stockings
620:
82:, manager of the powerful
40:, a Middletown native and
559:
382:St. Louis Brown Stockings
249:Wright, Marshall (2000).
485:Philadelphia Centennials
157:played in the four-team
124:Cincinnati Red Stockings
47:Athletic of Philadelphia
38:General Joseph Mansfield
584:Middletown, Connecticut
509:St. Louis Red Stockings
339:Chicago White Stockings
159:Connecticut Association
26:Middletown, Connecticut
437:Cleveland Forest Citys
62:Mansfield Club Grounds
501:Rockford Forest Citys
469:Middletown Mansfields
374:Philadelphia Athletic
106:, then a 21-year-old
18:Middletown Mansfields
541:Washington Nationals
533:Washington Blue Legs
525:Washington Nationals
453:Fort Wayne Kekiongas
331:Boston Red Stockings
84:Boston Red Stockings
58:National Association
549:Washington Olympics
477:New Haven Elm Citys
445:Elizabeth Resolutes
429:Eckford of Brooklyn
413:Baltimore Marylands
358:Hartford Dark Blues
421:Brooklyn Atlantics
405:Baltimore Canaries
147:Brooklyn Atlantics
67:Brooklyn Atlantics
51:Mutual of New York
566:
565:
392:
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164:vintage base ball
155:Middletown Jewels
143:Brooklyn Eckfords
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366:New York Mutuals
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315:National League
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323:Still active
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128:Asa Brainard
104:Jim O'Rourke
98:Hall of Fame
88:
80:Harry Wright
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73:Professional
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17:
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551:(1871–1872)
519:(1871–1872)
495:(1873–1875)
439:(1871–1872)
423:(1872–1875)
407:(1872–1874)
376:(1871–1875)
368:(1871–1875)
360:(1874–1875)
350:Now defunct
341:(1871–1875)
333:(1871–1875)
136:consumption
132:Tim Murnane
573:Categories
244:References
120:third base
101:outfielder
94:John Clapp
112:shortstop
45:clubs as
42:Civil War
32:Formation
170:See also
24:team in
22:baseball
397:Defunct
116:catcher
91:catcher
543:(1875)
535:(1873)
527:(1872)
511:(1875)
503:(1871)
487:(1875)
479:(1875)
471:(1872)
463:(1875)
455:(1871)
447:(1873)
431:(1872)
415:(1873)
384:(1875)
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118:, and
108:rookie
182:Notes
265:ISBN
255:ISBN
16:The
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49:,
297:e
290:t
283:v
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