Atlantic League (1896–1900)

The Atlantic League was a minor league baseball league that operated between 1896 and 1900 in the Northeastern United States. It was the successor of the Pennsylvania State League, which had operated from 1892 to 1895. The name has subsequently been reused twice, for another short-lived league in 1914, and for a contemporary independent minor league.

For other leagues named "Atlantic League", see Atlantic League (1914) and Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
Atlantic League (1896–1900)
1896 Paterson Silk Weavers with the Soby Cup
FormerlyPennsylvania State League
SportBaseball
Founded1896
CeasedJune 1900
President
No. of teams8
CountryUnited States
Most titlesRichmond Bluebirds (2)
ClassificationClass A, Class B

History
Ed Barrow was president of the Atlantic League for three of its five seasons.

League champions
SeasonChampionRecordClassLeague
size		Ref.
1896Newark Colts82–61 (.573)A6 teams[1]
1897Lancaster Maroons90–45 (.667)A8 teams[2]
1898Richmond Bluebirds77–44 (.636)B8 teams[3]
1899Richmond Bluebirds63–25 (.716)A8 teams[4]
1900Scranton Miners26–7 (.788)A8 teams[5]
In 1896, eight teams competed; at any point in time, there were six teams active.
In 1899 and 1900, there were only six teams active at season's end.

Source: [6][7]

Teams
Oyster Burns was player-manager of the Newark Colts in 1896.
Jake Wells was Richmond's only manager.
TeamCity18961897189818991900
Allentown PeanutsAllentown, Pennsylvania  YYY
ElmiraElmira, New York    Y
Harrisburg PoniesHarrisburg, Pennsylvania    Y​1⁄2
Hartford BluebirdsHartford, ConnecticutYY   
Hartford Cooperatives  Y  
Jersey CityJersey City, New Jersey    Y
Lancaster MaroonsLancaster, PennsylvaniaY​1⁄2YYY 
New Haven Texas SteersNew Haven, ConnecticutY​1⁄2    
New York MetropolitansNew York, New YorkY​1⁄2    
Newark ColtsNewark, New JerseyYYYYY
Norfolk JewelsNorfolk, Virginia YY  
Paterson Silk WeaversPaterson, New JerseyYYY  
Paterson Giants   Y 
Philadelphia AthleticsPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaY​1⁄2Y  Y​1⁄2
Reading Coal HeaversReading, Pennsylvania YYYY
Richmond BluebirdsRichmond, Virginia YYY 
Scranton MinersScranton, Pennsylvania   YY
Wilkes-Barre Coal BaronsWilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania   YY
Wilmington PeachesWilmington, DelawareY    
Total league size68888

Notes:

In 1896, New Haven disbanded on July 12; Lancaster entered the league on July 13; New York was expelled on July 13 and was replaced by Philadelphia.
In 1899, Paterson disbanded on July 4, and Scranton followed on July 9.
In 1900, Philadelphia moved to Harrisburg on June 4; Newark and Jersey City disbanded on June 2; the league disbanded on June 14.

Source: [7]

Results by season

Teams denoted in italics disbanded during the season.

1896 (Class A)[7]:170

April 23–September 13

TeamWLPct.GB
Newark8261.573—
Hartford7356.5661
Paterson7460.5523.5
New York / Philadelphia5769.45213
Wilmington5879.42320
Lancaster2630.464N/A
New Haven2138.356N/A
New York was 30–32 when replaced by Philadelphia
1897 (Class A)[7]:173

April 26–September 19

TeamWLPct.GB
Lancaster9045.667—
Newark8952.6314
Hartford7855.58611
Richmond7159.54616.5
Norfolk6672.47825.5
Paterson6879.46328
Philadelphia4989.35543
Reading40100.28651


1898 (Class B)[7]:176

April 25–September 10

TeamWLPct.GB
Richmond7744.636—
Lancaster8250.6210.5
Reading7256.5638.5
Paterson6570.48119
Allentown5567.45125.5
Newark5871.45026
Hartford5776.42929
Norfolk4779.37335.5
1899 (Class A)[7]:179

April 27–August 6

TeamWLPct.GB
Richmond6325.716—
Wiles-Barre4937.57013
Lancaster5142.54814.5
Reading4640.53516
Allentown3747.44024
Newark4254.43825
Scranton2538.397N/A
Paterson2151.292N/A


Joe Delahanty played for Allentown in 1900 and led the Atlantic League in batting with a .469 average.[7]:181
1900 (Class A)[7]:181

April 30–June 14

TeamWLPct.GB
Scranton267.788—
Wiles-Barre2413.6494
Reading1616.5009.5
Allentown1420.41212.5
Philadelphia / Harrisburg1017.37013
Elmira1119.36713.5
Newark812.400N/A
Jersey City712.368N/A
Philadelphia was 10–11 when replaced by Harrisburg

Soby Cup

The Soby Cup, made of silver, was given to the league by tobacco businessman Charles Soby of Hartford, Connecticut, in September 1896.[8] In its first season, the cup was to be awarded to the winner of a postseason series between the league's top two teams; in subsequent years, the holder of the cup would play a series against the league's top finishing team.[9]

Standings at the end of the 1896 season, which had Newark finishing first, were formally protested by the Paterson team, claiming that some of Newark's games were actually exhibitions.[10] With that protest pending, the next two teams in the standings—Paterson and Hartford—arranged to play a series for the Soby Cup.[11] Paterson won the seven-game series, four games to two.[12] The protested standings were not ruled upon until the league's annual meeting in late November; despite inconsistencies in record-keeping, Newark was declared the pennant winner.[13]

Following the 1897 season, the Soby Cup series should have been contested between Lancaster, that year's top team, and Paterson, who had won the cup in 1896.[9] However, league officials decided to have the top two teams of 1897—Lancaster and Newark—play for the cup.[9] After Lancaster and Newark could not agree to terms for a series,[14] the Soby Cup was awarded to Lancaster, the pennant winner.[15]

Prior to the 1898 season, the league abolished the postseason Soby Cup series, and returned to the cup to its donor.[16] By 1951, the cup was at the Baseball Hall of Fame,[17] where it remains as of 2019.[18]

Notable players
Future Hall of Famer Honus Wagner played for Paterson in 1896 and 1897.

Notable players in the Atlantic League (1896–1900) include:[7]

See also

References
  1. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=d3d2ae5e
  2. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=54321e70
  3. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=5e215614
  4. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=1a6ad6f3
  5. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=f2a68ac7
  6. "Atlantic League". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  7. Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles (2007). Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 9781932391176.
  8. "Meeting of Atlantic League in Philadelphia". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. September 12, 1896. p. 1. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  9. "Who Plays for the Soby Cup?". Passaic Daily News. Passaic, New Jersey. September 16, 1897. p. 5. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  10. "Paterson Makes Protest". The Morning News. Wilmington, Delaware. September 16, 1896. p. 3. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  11. "Atlantic League Matters". Passaic Daily News. Passaic, New Jersey. September 16, 1896. p. 5. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  12. "Paterson Gets the Cup". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. October 5, 1896. p. 6. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  13. "The Atlantic League". The Evening Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. November 24, 1896. p. 6. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  14. "Base Ball Notes". The News-Journal. Lancaster, Pennsylvania. September 20, 1897. p. 1. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  15. "Atlantic League Meeting". The News-Journal. Lancaster, Pennsylvania. September 21, 1897. p. 1. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  16. "The Atlantic League". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. March 25, 1898. p. 2. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  17. Fullerton Jr., Hugh (August 15, 1951). "The Missing Trophies". Star-Gazette. Elmira, New York. p. 20. Retrieved July 20, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  18. Manager of Reference Services (July 25, 2019), email correspondence, Cooperstown, New York: National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
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