137:, with only minor modifications. Rules changes unique to the Eastern League included a provision that batters must run after receiving three strikes or seven balls. The completion of five full innings was deemed sufficient for a complete game to have been played in the event of darkness or rain. In a change from past practice, teams were also required to remove "all obnoxious persons from the grounds in the space of fifteen minutes" under penalty of forfeiture of the game.
126:
the rival Union
Association of Base Ball Clubs. The formation of the new league effectively put an end not only to the Union League from whence it sprung, but also tolled the death knell of the short-lived Inter-State Professional Base-Ball Association, which had included teams from Allentown, Harrisburg, Reading, Trenton, and Wilmington.
143:
Four regular and two substitute umpires were to be provided by the league, sufficient to handle the 8-team league's possible four daily match ups; in the event of absence of an official umpire, the visiting team was to name the replacement, subject to that individual's not being associated with the
177:
The following teams were slated to play in the
Eastern League as of January 1884. Monumental Club of Baltimore and Quickstep Club of Wilmington ended up playing in the short-lived Union Association instead, the latter as a late-season replacement team after starting the year in the Eastern League.
168:
which governed mutual respect of player contracts and other matters. To this end, a meeting of the three signatories to the national agreement was called for May 5, 1884 to ratify the
Eastern League's request. The Union Association of Base Ball Clubs stood in opposition to this agreement and was a
125:
On the second day of their gathering the assembled representatives voted to change the name of their league to the
Eastern League of Professional Base Ball Clubs. According to one newspaper account of the day, the decision to change the league's name was related to a desire to avoid confusion with
152:
The
Eastern League was to be governed by a 7-member executive, consisting of a President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, and a four-member board of directors, all to be elected at the annual meeting of teams. President of the league in 1884 was W.C. Seddon of
160:
The
Eastern League was to be governed by annual meetings to be held each year in Philadelphia on the second Wednesday of January. Annual dues were $ 100 per club, with $ 500 of this amount going to pay the salary of the league's permanent Secretary.
140:
The inaugural season was to run from May 1 to
October 1, 1884. Each team in the association to play a 98-game season in which every team was to play each other a total of 14 times during the year.
400:
435:
80:
164:
The
Eastern League was anxious to become signatories to the so-called tripartite national agreement between the National League, American Association, and the
405:
118:, bringing the total number of teams for the Eastern League at the time of its founding to eight. A bid was made by a representative of a team located in
234:
415:
410:
430:
425:
420:
134:
20:
19:
This article is about the
American baseball league that operated from 1884 to 1887. For other leagues with the same name, see
42:
added four teams and dissolved to reform as the
Eastern League. In 1887, the first Eastern League was absorbed into the
63:
to discuss affairs of their organization in the coming year. Delegates were on hand representing ball clubs located in
35:
335:
267:
365:
201:
107:
315:
350:
189:
119:
111:
84:
216:
206:
183:
76:
31:
220:
72:
43:
229:
225:
165:
99:
88:
238:
195:
154:
95:
68:
59:
On January 4, 1884, representatives of the Union League of Professional Base Ball Clubs met in
287:
79:. Observers were also present from established teams outside the league, including the
394:
336:"The Eastern League: The Union League of Professional Ball Clubs Changes Its Name,"
115:
60:
39:
103:
210:
64:
130:
94:
New clubs were admitted to the league for the coming year located in
169:
bitter rival in the battle for organizational hegemony.
401:
Defunct minor baseball leagues in the United States
387:Third edition. Durham, NC: Baseball America, 2007.
38:. The league was founded in January 1884 when the
311:
309:
307:
305:
303:
301:
299:
293:vol. 33, whole no. 10,089 (Jan. 5, 1884), pg. 1.
122:, but the request for admission was declined.
28:Eastern League of Professional Base Ball Clubs
16:Defunct American professional baseball league
8:
40:Union League of Professional Base Ball Clubs
283:
281:
279:
385:The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball.
331:
329:
327:
436:1884 establishments in the United States
371:vol. 52, no. 118 (Feb. 18, 1884), pg. 1.
249:
383:Lloyd Johnson and Miles Wolff (eds.),
263:
261:
259:
257:
255:
253:
7:
406:Sports leagues established in 1884
14:
416:Baseball leagues in Pennsylvania
21:Eastern League (disambiguation)
411:Baseball leagues in New Jersey
133:according to the rules of the
1:
431:Baseball leagues in Virginia
426:Baseball leagues in Delaware
421:Baseball leagues in Maryland
34:association of teams in the
316:"It Is the Eastern League,"
271:Freeport Journal-Standard,
452:
129:The Eastern League played
36:Northeastern United States
18:
288:"A New Base-Ball League,"
202:Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
366:"A Change in the Name,"
190:Allentown, Pennsylvania
144:visiting club himself.
120:Lancaster, Pennsylvania
85:New York Metropolitans
81:Philadelphia Athletics
184:Reading, Pennsylvania
77:Reading, Pennsylvania
32:professional baseball
356:Jan. 3, 1884, pg. 1.
351:"The National Game,"
341:Jan. 5, 1884, pg. 2.
321:Jan. 5, 1884, pg. 1.
273:Jan. 5, 1884, pg. 2.
221:Wilmington, Delaware
135:American Association
73:Wilmington, Delaware
44:International League
339:Philadelphia Times,
230:Trenton, New Jersey
166:Northwestern League
30:(1884–1887), was a
239:Richmond, Virginia
200:Harrisburg Club —
196:Newark, New Jersey
155:Richmond, Virginia
69:Richmond, Virginia
268:"Base Ball News,"
188:Allentown Club —
443:
372:
363:
357:
354:Chicago Tribune,
348:
342:
333:
322:
313:
294:
285:
274:
265:
194:Domestic Club —
451:
450:
446:
445:
444:
442:
441:
440:
391:
390:
380:
378:Further reading
375:
364:
360:
349:
345:
334:
325:
314:
297:
291:New York Times,
286:
277:
266:
251:
247:
207:Monumental Club
175:
150:
57:
52:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
449:
447:
439:
438:
433:
428:
423:
418:
413:
408:
403:
393:
392:
389:
388:
379:
376:
374:
373:
369:Reading Times,
358:
343:
323:
319:Reading Times,
295:
275:
248:
246:
243:
242:
241:
232:
223:
217:Quickstep Club
214:
204:
198:
192:
186:
182:Active Club —
174:
171:
149:
146:
89:Buffalo Bisons
56:
53:
51:
48:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
448:
437:
434:
432:
429:
427:
424:
422:
419:
417:
414:
412:
409:
407:
404:
402:
399:
398:
396:
386:
382:
381:
377:
370:
367:
362:
359:
355:
352:
347:
344:
340:
337:
332:
330:
328:
324:
320:
317:
312:
310:
308:
306:
304:
302:
300:
296:
292:
289:
284:
282:
280:
276:
272:
269:
264:
262:
260:
258:
256:
254:
250:
244:
240:
236:
235:Virginia Club
233:
231:
227:
224:
222:
218:
215:
212:
208:
205:
203:
199:
197:
193:
191:
187:
185:
181:
180:
179:
172:
170:
167:
162:
158:
156:
147:
145:
141:
138:
136:
132:
127:
123:
121:
117:
113:
109:
105:
101:
97:
92:
90:
86:
82:
78:
74:
70:
66:
62:
55:Establishment
54:
49:
47:
45:
41:
37:
33:
29:
22:
384:
368:
361:
353:
346:
338:
318:
290:
270:
226:Trenton Club
176:
163:
159:
151:
142:
139:
128:
124:
116:Pennsylvania
93:
61:Philadelphia
58:
27:
25:
395:Categories
213:, Maryland
173:1884 teams
148:Governance
108:Harrisburg
104:New Jersey
87:, and the
245:Footnotes
211:Baltimore
112:Allentown
65:Baltimore
131:baseball
100:Trenton
50:History
96:Newark
83:, the
75:, and
110:and
106:and
98:and
26:The
397::
326:^
298:^
278:^
252:^
237:—
228:—
219:—
209:—
157:.
114:,
102:,
91:.
71:,
67:,
46:.
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.