- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Boston
- Team: Beaneaters
- League: National League
William Daily (1868-1922) was a pitcher who had the rare opportunity of playing for two pennant winners, back-to-back, in two leagues. The only other team to do this was Brooklyn just prior to Daily’s Boston Reds/Beaneaters staging their coup in 1890/91. Daily had broken into pro-ball with the Jersey City Skeeters in 1887 as a 19-year-old. He came up with the NL’s second-place Beaneaters in 1889, getting into nine games and going 3-3. He stayed with most of his mates when they ventured into the Players’ League the following year and Ed excelled with an 18-7 record good for the league lead in winning percentage although Old Hoss Radbourn and Ad Gumbert won more for King Kelly’s Reds that championship season. Daily’s productivity dropped dramatically as the club joined the American Association in ’91, giving the young pitcher the chance to play in three leagues in consecutive seasons. After an 8-6 record, Bill returned to Buffalo/Albany through 1893.
- The Bridegrooms had performed their back-to-back feat in 1889-90 with the AA and the NL
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Boston
- Team: Beaneaters
- League: National League
Cornelius F. Daily (1864-1928) was a veteran of 13 ML seasons as a reliable and beloved catcher for some of the most colorful teams of his day. He caught Old Hoss Radbourn with the Providence Grays and moved with his battery mate to the Beaneaters in 1886. Later, Con was a favorite of John Montgomery Ward, playing for Ward’s Wonders in Brooklyn in the short-lived Players’ League and accompanied Ward when the new NL Brooklyn franchise beckoned. The Brooklyn Eagle recounted numerous stories of Daily’s exploits that endeared him to the home folks. Club president Charles Byrne said of Con “He is quite an all around player, a hard batter and a fine base runner.” Indeed, Daily is still regarded as the fleetest of foot at his position in Dodger franchise history, having been credited with 94 career steals (albeit in a very different era than today).
- In ’95 Daily survived a near-fatal accident diving into the surf at Sheepshead Bay. The local paper noted that he had saved a girl from drowning near the same spot only weeks earlier
- Daily’s ML tenure ended in 1896 with a brief stint with Cap Anson’s Chicago club
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Boston
- Team: Beaneaters
- League: National League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
John Gibson Clarkson (1861-1909) won 328 games, won the triple crown in 1889 and twice pitched more than 600 innings in a season. In 1885, John appeared in 70 games, threw 68 complete games, 623 innings, won 53, had an ERA of 1.85, a no-hitter, and won the pennant. Apparently having to hurl the sphere a mere fifty feet was a tonic to the arm. But unlike so many pitchers of his era, Clarkson didn’t flame out from such prodigious labor on the mound. From 1885-92 he AVERAGED 36 wins per season and would win 30+ an extraordinary six times. This great career began with the Worcester Ruby Legs in 1882, flowered with Cap Anson’s Sox in ‘84 and fully bloomed in Boston when John followed his ace catcher King Kelly to the Beaneaters in ‘88. League politics that culminated in the Players’ League revolt took a toll on Clarkson’s reputation and sundered his friendship with Kelly as the hurler remained loyal to the Nationals.
- Cleveland acquired John in 1892 allowing him to team with Cy Young. Chief Zimmer, who caught Young for a decade, proclaimed Clarkson the best he ever saw
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1963
- Although the Old Judge series features seven known poses of John Clarkson (all in a Chicago White Stockings uniform), this image is taken from a cabinet photo produced by the Conly Studio in Boston.
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Boston
- Team: Beaneaters
- League: National League
Thomas Tarlton Brown (1860-1927) began a long career in MLB with the Baltimore Orioles in 1882. The young Englishman would go on to roam the outfields of ten franchises, ending with the NL’s Senators in 1898. Tom hit his stride with Boston’s Beaneaters and Reds. With the latter, he starred for a rare team to win pennants back-to-back in two leagues, as the Reds captured the Players’ League title in 1890 and the American Association flag in ’91. The fleet-footed Brown covered a lot of ground in the outfield, perhaps too much. He holds the MLB record for 490 OF errors, far more than the records in the AL and NL. His speed paid dividends on the bases as Tom led the league twice in steals, compiling a career total of 657.
- Selected for A.G. Spalding’s “World Tour” taking baseball global on an 1888 trip to Europe/Africa
- Enjoyed a career season in ’91, leading the AA in triples (21), SBs (106), hits (189) & runs (177)
- Is considered to have been part of the innovation of the platoon system with the ‘87 Indianapolis Hoosiers, paired with Gid Gardner
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Boston
- Team: Red Stockings (NL)
- League: National League
Thomas Henry Bond (1856-1941) entered pro ball as the 1st Irishman to do so, and survived to become the last living member of the NL’s first season. In between, he was a force of nature on the mound, leading the NL in wins twice, winning 40+ from 1877-1879 for the Boston Red Caps.
- Hurled 386 complete games in 406 starts with 42 shutouts and ERA of 2.31
- In 1877 won the “triple crown” with 40 wins, 2.11 ERA and 280 SOs
- Compiled a career 234-169 record with a 2.14 ERA, 10th in MLB history
- Bond appeared only once on the Hall of Fame ballot, in 1936, and received only 1% of the votes by the Veteran’s Committee
- Tommy Bond did not appear in the Old Judge series as he had retired in 1886. This image is taken from a studio cabinet of unknown origin.
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