Hoosiers (NL)

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Dick Buckley

Catcher
  • Series: Beginnings: 1880's
  • City: Indianapolis
  • Team: Hoosiers (NL)
  • League: National League

Richard D. Buckley (1858-1929) was a catcher with four teams over an eight-year career in the majors. He started with the Indianapolis Hoosiers in 1888 where he was behind the plate in 51 of his 71 games. Dick hit a robust .273 his rookie season. He played two full campaigns in Indiana, two with the Giants, two with St Louis and finished with two more with the Phillies, closing his MLB tenure in 1895 with a fine overall batting average of .245. Buckley wasn’t through with pro ball however, continuing in the minors with Midwest clubs until retiring at age 42 with the Omaha Omahogs of the Western League.

  • Buckley was born to the game: in Troy NY just at the beginnings of organized ball. In 1860 the Victories of Troy were one of 62 teams in the new NABBP, reconstituted in ‘66 as the Unions of Lansingburgh (a neighborhood in north Troy) where young Dick would have seen baseball’s finest come through town

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Henry Boyle

Pitcher
  • Series: Beginnings: 1880's
  • City: Indianapolis
  • Team: Hoosiers (NL)
  • League: National League

Henry J. Boyle (1860-1932) was known to his adoring fans as “Handsome Henry” during his ML career with the St. Louis Maroons & Indianapolis Hoosiers from 1884-89. His managers may have focused more on his mediocre performance than his comely appearance. The sturdy right-hander compiled an 89-111 record on the mound over his six seasons with a respectable lifetime 3.06 ERA. In an 1886 New York World article titled “How Men Pitch Base-Ball” it was noted that Boyle “depends chiefly upon the effectiveness of the ‘up-in-shoot’ and the terrific speed with which he drives in the straight pitch.” In an 1884 contest with the Washington club, Boyle was the center of controversy as the game was forfeited to the Maroons after losing the argument that Boyle’s foul ball was now too lopsided to be used.

  • Boyle’s last season in St. Louis was the team’s finale as well. He was the NL ERA champ that year for the hapless Maroons with a sterling 1.76 ERA and a dismal 9-15 record

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Walter Bogart

First Base
  • Series: Beginnings: 1880's
  • City: Indianapolis
  • Team: Hoosiers (NL)
  • League: National League

Walter Bogart (Bogert?) is depicted on Old Judge cards identified as the first-baseman for the Indianapolis Hoosiers. There are four poses that suggest an infielder. The commentary in The Photographic Baseball Cards of Goodwin & Company (1886-1890) edited by Miller, Gonsowski and Masson indicate Bogart was invited to compete for the Hoosiers’ first-base job in 1888. They cite a Sporting News reference calling Bogart “an experiment in the league, at best.” Bogart did not make the roster. Dude Esterbrook and Jumbo Schoeneck were the team’s first-sackers that year. No other information about this aspiring big-leaguer is available.

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Charley Bassett

Second Base
  • Series: Beginnings: 1880's
  • City: Indianapolis
  • Team: Hoosiers (NL)
  • League: National League

Charles Edwin Bassett (1863-1942) was a well-traveled infielder with the Providence Grays, Kansas City Cowboys, Indianapolis Hoosiers, the New York Giants and Louisville Colonels for nine major league seasons from 1884-92. Bassett had three fine years with the Hoosiers, getting nearly a hit a game. His most productive season was 1891 with the Giants, batting .260 in 524 at-bats. In his 917 games he drove in 402 runs and stole 116 bases.

  • Hall of Stats ranks Bassett 189th among all second-basemen
  • Bassett attended Brown University in his native Rhode Island

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Emmett Seery

Outfield
  • Series: Pioneer Portraits II: 1875-1899
  • City: Indianapolis
  • Team: Hoosiers (NL)
  • League: National League

John Emmett Seery (1861-1930) played the outfield for and with some of the game’s most colorful characters in the early era of baseball. He debuted with the Baltimore Monumentals in 1884. Seery led his Union League team in batting with a .311 BA. Played under John Montgomery Ward (Ward’s Wonders of Brooklyn) and Mike “King” Kelly (Kelly’s Killers of Cincinnati) during a tumultuous age as teams and leagues were starting and folding abruptly.

  • In ’86 with the St Louis Maroons, led the league in games played with 126
  • Followed the team’s owner, Henry Lucas, to Indianapolis with the Hoosiers for 3 years
  • Demonstrating a good eye, consistently ranked in the top 10 in walks

Auction History