Hartford Dark Blues all-time roster

In this photograph of a baseball team, eleven men are situated in three rows facing the camera, with four sitting on the floor, five sitting in chairs, and two standing.
Members of the 1876 Hartford Dark Blues

The Hartford Dark Blues were a Major League Baseball club in the 1870s, based in Hartford, Connecticut, for three seasons and in Brooklyn, New York, for one.[1] Hartford was a member of the National Association (NA), 1874–1875 and a founding member of the National League (NL) in 1876, when it played home games at the Hartford Ball Club Grounds.[1][2] During 1877 the team played home games at the Union Grounds in Brooklyn and was sometimes called the Brooklyn Hartfords.[3][4]

The team's owner, Morgan Bulkeley, who later became the first president of the NL in 1876, established the franchise in 1874; he gave the on-field captain duties to Lip Pike, who was also the starting center fielder.[3][5][6] Among the other players signed by Hartford were pitcher Cherokee Fisher, who had led the NA in earned run average the two previous seasons, second baseman Bob Addy, and Scott Hastings.[6][7]

After placing seventh among the league's eight teams, the team's roster was purged and captain duties were handed over to third baseman Bob Ferguson, who stayed in the role for the remaining three seasons of the franchise's existence.[8][9] The change in personnel, which included the pitching additions of future Hall of Famer Candy Cummings and Tommy Bond, improved the team's results.[10] With the team's pitching rotation stable, and the hitting of Tom Carey, Tom York, Dick Higham, and Jack Burdock, the franchise enjoyed second-place finishes in 1875 and 1876.[1][10][11]

Following the departure of their pitching stars, Cummings and Bond, the team had to rely on Terry Larkin in 1877, who shouldered most of the pitching duties. The Dark Blues finished in third place, despite the hitting of John Cassidy, who batted .378.[12] When Bulkeley moved his team to Brooklyn in 1877, he expected that he would make a better profit than he had in Hartford.[3] The larger population of Brooklyn did not, however, respond in kind, and the Hartfords' fan base did not increase.[3] He became disenchanted with his involvement in baseball, and with his interest in running the day-to-day operations of the team. Because of this and the lack of fan support, the team disbanded after the 1877 season.[3]

Keys

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List of players

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A portrait of a gentleman posing in a suit and facing slightly left.
Pitcher Tommy Bond
A tobacco card showing a player in a throwing pose with a baseball in his right hand.
Second baseman Jack Burdock
A portrait of a gentleman posing in a suit and facing slightly left.
Right fielder John Cassidy
A portrait of man in a baseball uniform, standing with his hand on his hips, facing slightly to the right and up.
Manager and third baseman Bob Ferguson
Player Position Seasons Notes Ref
Bob Addy 2B 1874 Addy played in 50 games for one season in Hartford, and batted .239 in 213 at bats. [13]
Art Allison RF 1875 Allison finished the season with Hartford after having played with Washington Nationals. He was the brother of teammate Doug Allison. [14]
Doug Allison C 1875–1877 Allison was the team's catcher for their final three seasons. He was the brother of teammate Art Allison. [15]
Tom Barlow SS 1874 Barlow, who had previously been the catcher for the Brooklyn Atlantics, was the team's shortstop for one season. [16]
Billy Barnie RF 1874 Barnie's only season with the Dark Blues was the only season in which he played more than 19 games. [17]
John Bass LF 1877 Bass' last season at the major league level, he played in one game for the Brooklyn Hartfords. [18]
Tommy Bond SP 1875–1876 Bond won 19 and 31 games respectively in his two-season tenure with the Dark Blues. [19]
Bill Boyd 3B 1874 Boyd played 26 games at third base for the Dark Blues. [20]
Steve Brady 3B / OF 1874 Brady split his playing time between third base and the outfield, batting .314 in 27 games. [21]
Josh Bunce LF 1877 Bunce's entire major league career consisted of a single game. [22]
Jack Burdock 2B 1875–1877 Burdock was the franchise's second baseman for their final three seasons. He led all NA second baseman with a .895 fielding percentage in 1875. [23]
Tom Carey SS 1875–1877 Carey was a steady veteran player during his three seasons with the Dark Blues, leading all shortstops in games played each season; his total of 86 led the NA in 1875. [24]
John Cassidy RF 1876–1877 Cassidy played in 12 games for the 1876 team, but followed it with a full season in 1877 and batted .378. [25]
Candy Cummings† SP 1875–1876 Cummings is credited as the inventor of the curveball. He played two seasons in Hartford, and won 35 games for the 1875 team. [26][27]
Jack Farrell CF 1874 In three games, Farrell batted .385 in 13 at bats. [28]
Bob Ferguson§ 3B 1875–1877 Ferguson played third base and was player-manager for the franchise's final three seasons. [9]
Cherokee Fisher SP / RF 1874 In his only season with Hartford, Fisher had a win–loss record of 13–23. [29]
Bill Harbridge C / OF / IF 1875–1877 Harbridge was a utility player for his first three seasons in majors, which were the last three for the Hartford franchise. [30]
Scott Hastings C / OF 1874 Hastings was a utility player during his only season in Hartford, and had a .324 batting average. [31]
Dick Higham RF / C 1876 In his only season in Hartford, Higham had a .327 batting average, and led the NL with 21 doubles. [32]
Jim Holdsworth CF 1877 Holdsworth's only season in Hartford was his last full season of his major league career. [33]
Charley Jones CF 1875 Jones played in one game for Hartford, which was his first season of his major league career. [34]
Terry Larkin SP 1875 Larkin pitched one season with the Dark Blues, and had a win–loss record of 29–25. [35]
John Maloney CF 1877 Maloney's one game played with the Dark Blues was the last game of his major league career. [36]
Jack Manning 3B 1874 Manning's time with Hartford consisted of one game. [37]
Everett Mills 1B 1874–1876 Mills was the Dark Blues' first baseman for the first three seasons of the franchise's history. [38]
Fancy O'Neil RF 1874 O'Neil's major league career consisted of a single game. [39]
Israel Pike RF 1877 Pike played in one game, and was the brother of Lip Pike, who had played for the Dark Blues in 1874. [40]
Lip Pike§ CF / SS 1874 Pike was a player-manager in 1874 team, and was the brother of Israel Pike, who played for the Dark Blues in 1877. [41]
Paddy Quinn C / OF 1875 Quinn's time in Hartford consisted of five games. [42]
Jack Remsen CF 1875–1876 Remsen was the Dark Blues' center fielder for two full seasons. [43]
Orator Shaffer LF 1874 Shaffer's only season in Hartford was the first of his 13-season major league career. [44]
Joe Start 1B 1877 Start was the Dark Blues' first baseman for their season in Brooklyn. [45]
Bill Stearns SP / RP 1874 In Stearns' one season for Hartford, he had a 3–14 win–loss record. [46]
Live Oak Taylor LF 1877 Taylor appeared in two games for the Brooklyn team. [47]
Jim Tipper LF 1874 Tipper played one full season as the Dark Blues' left fielder. [48]
Tom York LF 1875–1877 York played for the franchise during their final three seasons, and led the NL in games played with 86 in 1875. [49]

References

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General
  • Melville, Tom. 2001. Early baseball and the rise of the National League. McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0962-2.
Specific
  1. ^ a b c "Hartford Dark Blues (1874–1877)". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
  2. ^ "Hartford Ball Club Grounds in Hartford, CT". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d e Melville, p. 100
  4. ^ "Union Grounds in Brooklyn, NY". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
  5. ^ "The 1874 Hartford Dark Blues". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on August 6, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  6. ^ a b "The 1874 Hartford Dark Blues Regular Season Roster". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  7. ^ "Cherokee Fisher". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  8. ^ "The 1874 Season". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  9. ^ a b "Bob Ferguson". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  10. ^ a b "The 1875 Hartford Dark Blues Regular Season Roster". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  11. ^ "The 1876 Hartford Dark Blues Regular Season Roster". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  12. ^ "The 1877 Hartford Dark Blues Regular Season Roster". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  13. ^ "Bob Addy". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  14. ^ "Art Allison". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  15. ^ "Doug Allison". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  16. ^ "Tom Barlow". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  17. ^ "Billy Barnie". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  18. ^ "John Bass". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  19. ^ "Tommy Bond". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  20. ^ "Bill Boyd". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  21. ^ "Steve Brady". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  22. ^ "Josh Bunce". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on December 23, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  23. ^ "Jack Burdock". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on February 27, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  24. ^ "Tom Carey". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on September 7, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  25. ^ "John Cassidy". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  26. ^ "The Ballplayers: Candy Cummings". baseballbiography.com. The Idea Logical Company, Inc. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  27. ^ "Candy Cummings". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on June 25, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  28. ^ "Jack Farrell". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  29. ^ "Cherokee Fisher". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  30. ^ "Bill Harbridge". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  31. ^ "Scott Hastings". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  32. ^ "Dick Higham". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  33. ^ "Jim Holdsworth". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  34. ^ "Charley Jones". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  35. ^ "Terry Larkin". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  36. ^ "John Maloney". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  37. ^ "Jack Manning". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  38. ^ "Everett Mills". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  39. ^ "Fancy O'Neil". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  40. ^ "Israel Pike". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on November 16, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  41. ^ "Lip Pike". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  42. ^ "Paddy Quinn". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  43. ^ "Jack Remsen". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  44. ^ "Orator Shaffer". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  45. ^ "Joe Start". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  46. ^ "Bill Stearns". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  47. ^ "Live Oak Taylor". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  48. ^ "Jim Tipper". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  49. ^ "Tom York". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
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