- Series: 1888 Champion New York Giants
- City: New York
- Team: Giants
- League: National League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Smiling Mickey (1859-1941). An elite pitcher for 13 professional seasons, Welch was the 3rd pitcher to reach 300 wins. Mickey was a 20-game winner 9 times in his career, 7 times in succession. He also won 30+ games 4 times and 40+ games once. Shared pitching duties with HOFers John Ward & Tim Keefe.
- 1st pinch hitter in Major League history: 9.10.89, when he pinch hit for fellow HOFer Hank O’Day
- Still holds record for consecutive K’s to start a game: 9
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1973
- Series: 1888 Champion New York Giants
- City: New York
- Team: Giants
- League: National League
Gilbert Hatfield (1855-1921). A pitcher and infielder for 6 teams over 8 seasons, Hatfield did not break into the majors until the age of 30 – then played sporadically across the next decade – actually getting into 5 games with Louisville at the age of 40.
Hatfield was a member of the 1888 World Series Champion New York Giants. As a hitter, Hatfield went 2-8 in the series with 1 BB, 1 RBI & 1 Run. As a pitcher, Hatfield made 1 relief appearance, giving up 12 hits & 12 runs (7 earned) in 5 innings.
- Series: 1888 Champion New York Giants
- City: New York
- Team: Giants
- League: National League
Edward Nicholas Crane (1862-1896) began in major league ball with the notorious Boston Reds of the Union Association - a hard-drinking crew. It appears that big Ed avoided the bottle that would eventually kill him years later when he joined Al Spalding’s world exhibition tour. That he even made that trip was highly unlikely as Cannonball had labored in anonymity for years until the 1889 “World Series,” where Jim Mutrie played a hunch and decided his Giants could best the Bridegrooms with fastballs. Crane was tapped for five starts, won four and the Series. Cannonball could always throw hard and was famed for a 406’ long-toss, but such post-season heroics were virtually unheard of. The seeds of Ed’s doom had been planted on that tour, nourished by the vices of Paris. All too soon he would spiral into alcoholism and an early death. While the coroner ruled Crane's death an accidental overdose, rumors persisted that he had taken his own life by drinking acid.
- Ed had one of the great seasons of any pitcher for the Toronto Maple Leafs in ‘87 with 33 wins and an eye-popping .428 BA (when walks counted as hits)
- Other firsts: 1st NY Giant to hurl no-hitter; 1st pitcher with four Ks in an inning
- Series: 1888 Champion New York Giants
- City: New York
- Team: Giants
- League: National League
Michael Joseph Tiernan (1867-1918) overcame early miscues (a still-MLB-record 5 errors in a game & giving up a 10-run 10th inning in relief) to become a model of stability and decorum for the NY Giants, playing exclusively for them his entire 13-yr career. His bat trumped all else. “Silent Mike” was 4th in 19th Century HRs and batted .311 lifetime.
- Tiernan’s bat was key to the NY triumphs in the ’88-89 “world series”
- His outstanding year in ’91 silenced any animosity felt by returning teammates who had formed the ill-fated Players’ League
- Series: 1888 Champion New York Giants
- City: New York
- Team: Giants
- League: National League
Michael J. Slattery (1866-1904) was an outfielder for five teams over five seasons, including the 1888 Champion NY Giants. He debuted for the Union Association’s Boston entry (the Reds) in 1884 during that league’s only season. Slattery returned to MLB in 1888 with the NL’s Giants for two years before jumping to the NY Player’s League team in 1890. He closed his career with the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Statesmen in ’91.
- Averaged .251 at the plate over his ML tenure
- Best year was in the PL, with a .307 BA, 126 hits, 5 HRs and 18 steals
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