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The 1st "fixed" baseball game (1865)... Andersonville Prison warden...
The 1st "fixed" baseball game (1865)... Andersonville Prison warden...
Item # 708715
September 29, 1865
NEW YORK TIMES, Sept. 29, 1865
* Brooklyn Eckfords vs. New York Mutuals
* First documented fixed baseball game
The back page under "Out-Door Sports" "The National Game" has the summary and box score of a game between the Mutual and Eckford clubs, won by the Eckfords, 23-11. The summary mentions in part: "...Some of the fly tips taken by Mills surpassed, anything we ever saw in that line of business, while their pitching came nearer to the Creighton mark in accuracy of delivery than any we have seen since his death..." (see photos).
A source indicates that several of the Mutual players were later charged for accepting money to deliberately toss this game, and ironically the summary mentions the poor play of the Mutuals marked by "...over-pitched balls, wild throws, passed balls, and failures to stop them..." This is considered to be the first scandal involving a "fixed" professional baseball game.
The front page has: "Progress of the Trial of Capt. Wirz" "The Wirz Military Commission" "Vast Accumulation of Pardon Petitions" "The Fenians" and more.
Eight pages, never-trimmed margins, nice condition.
source: AI Overview The first documented fixed baseball game took place on September 27, 1865, when the Brooklyn Eckfords beat the Mutuals of New York 23–11:
The plot: Gambler Kane McLoughlin paid $100 to William Wansley, who then bribed Mutuals players Tom Devyr and Ed Duffy to throw the game.
The outcome: The game was marked by "passed balls and... muffed easy flys".
The aftermath: The players were banned by the National Association of Baseball Players, but were later reinstated.
The game was a sign of the beginning of corruption in baseball, as amateur teams focused more on winning and owners paid players under the table.
Category: Post-Civil War
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