After a horrendous 1901 season, the Brewers weren’t on anyone’s list for a postseason appearance. The team came in third with the worst franchise record, and there was a lot of work for the club leadership.
Although Philadelphia bounced back successfully, the gap to the defending champions was scaringly big.
New additions
The Brewers fired long-time scouting director Jeff Asher and hired the services of Kirby Hocking, who brought four new players with him. These signings addressed a crucial problem: the defense.
SS George Singleton
Boeselager stadium has a short outfield, so the team fields two groundball starting pitchers. One of the challenges was assembling an infield that could support Stephen Millington and Danny Edgerton. In 1901, the Brewers signed Albert Gilling for second base, and a year later, Hocking brought in George Singleton (for $16,000 a season plus a $6,000 signing bonus), who completed the middle infield.
While Singleton only started in 69 games due to an injury, he caused 52 errors but, in general, felt more present than his predecessor.
CF Moses Rylance
Moses Rylance was a surprise signing and showed the keen eye Hocking had on underrated players. Rylance can play all outfield positions and has expertise on first and second base. Out of his 57 starts, he started as centerfielder 32 times and twelve times as a second baseman. His utility role came in perfect when Bembridge and Singleton suffered from injuries.
CF Junius Bembridge
Leo McKenzie and Rusty Hall formed the core of the Brewers outfield for years. Rusty Hall usually covered centerfield, while McKenzie was to his left or right – depending on who else started. The problem was that Rusty Hall struggled in centerfield. Bembridge was the Brewers’ attempt to field a player who has above average range to assist McKenzie and Hall.
Unfortunately, this meant that Arrington had to sacrifice batting for defense. In Bembridge’s 166 plate appearances (he missed over five weeks due to back spasms), he had a batting average of only .241 but an on-base percentage of .349.
3B Albert Walker
Hocking’s fourth player joined the Brewers as a backup for Moriarty Stapleton. He proved that he is the better third baseman but will have to settle with the backup role, as Stapleton is just too good on the plate.
The Regular Season
Overall, it was a triumphant comeback for the Brewers. Predictions saw them and the Rifles at 59 wins. The Brewers clinched the division at 62 wins, with the Baltimore Clippers eleven games behind.
A Streak to Stun the Contenders
Philadelphia began the season by winning eleven straight games. The victims were the New York Bakers, the New York Kings, and the Boston Banshees. By then, the Richmond Rifles were five games behind.
Then, Richmond and Brooklyn brought the Brewers back down to earth. The first loss of the season was on April 18th. The Rifles beat them 2-3. Philadelphia lost that series, and also, the Brooklyn Whales swept them.
April 1902 ended for the Brewers with a 16-7 record and a comfortable four-game lead.
Struggling Against the Big Two
Richmond and Brooklyn continued causing headaches. The Philadelphia Brewers had a total of 32 series. Nine series against Richmond or Brooklyn, and Philadelphia only won two of them. In both cases, it was Richmond. Out of the other 23 series, the team of manager Ronnie Arrington came out victorious 19 times.
Against Richmond, the record was almost even at 7-8 due to winning five out of the last six games.
Yet, the Brooklyn Whales dominated the Brewers. Out of twelve encounters, the Whales won ten. The offense looked very bleak, not scoring more than five runs. The two wins were a 1-0 and a 4-1.
Former Philadelphia Brewers right fielder, two-time Legacy Cup winner, and 1895 Eastern League Cup MVP Ezra Milburn wasn’t impressed by the performance.
“To win the Legacy Cup and to be even considered a contender, you should be able to win more than just mere two games.”
With two games, Milburn meant the two regular-season games wins over the Whales.
Less Runs Against
Compared to 1901, the Brewers had much fewer runs scored against them. Last year, other teams scored 440 times. A better defense, especially the resulting stellar pitching performances, reduced this number to 387. Broken down to games, this means a drop from 4.49 to 3.95 runs per game. When the Brewers won, the average runs against the Brewers were 2.89; during losses, 5.78 RA.
In 76 games, Philadelphia conceded five runs or less. Philadelphia won 58 of those games. Among the games with more than five runs against, the Brewers still won four games (3x 6 RA, 1x 8 RA).
The Starting Duo and a Unique Record
The Philadelphia Brewers were the only team with a two-man rotation throughout the whole season which they had already tested in the late 1901 season. Lambert Holmes moved to a relief pitching role and was ready to take over should the high tempo be too stressful for the starters.
Stephen Millington and Danny Edgerton benefited significantly from the improved defense and improved their stats.
Millington had a 14-16 record and a 3.95 ERA in 36 games last season. In 1902, he had a 26-22 record and a 3.13 ERA in 49 games.
At age 35, Edgerton had the best season of his career. Last year, he had a 17-14 record and a 2.76 ERA in 34 games. In his 49 starts, he doubled the wins and lost two fewer games compared to 1901. The 2.28 ERA was the best of his career and the fifth-best ERA among pitchers with at least 20 starts in 1902.
One last significant stat improved this year, too. In 1901, the Brewers set a record by allowing only five home runs. The new additions and the improved pitching added up to a new record: No home runs allowed.
Where was McKenzie?
Usually, Leo McKenzie’s performance guarantees a successful season. Even though last year was his worst year in batting average, nobody was worried since it was still good (.357). However, the latest drop made people concerned. Only 98 hits in 329 at-bats meant a batting average of .298 – not enough for the club legend.
After the tragic loss in extra-innings, McKenzie talked to reporters, “I understand that I didn’t show my best out there, and I promise that I will be my old self in 1903.”
The Postseason
The Whales have been the favorites since they defended their title. New additions, especially the trade that brought Joel Taylor to Brooklyn, cemented their title aspirations.
Everyone expected the worst after the 2-10 record against Brooklyn during the regular season. But after the first game, Boeselager stadium became the cathedral of hope. The Brewers won 8-2, a sensational score considering the previous results. However, the cathedral of hope turned into the church of reality when the offense only produced four hits in game two. Among the four hits was a hit by Stephen Millington. Two days after the 0-2 loss, it was time to play on the Field of the Whales. The Whales steamrolled over the Brewers with nine runs. Philadelphia produced none.
The final game of the Brewers’ postseason was a dramatic extra-inning loss. Philadelphia was trailing the Whales throughout eight innings. Then, in the ninth inning, Moses Rylance doubled. John Bawden caught Moriarty Stapleton’s line drive, and Leo McKenzie grounded out but helped Rylance move to third. Brooklyn’s second baseman mishandled Rusty Hall’s groundball, and Moses Rylance scored the first run. George Singleton swung at the 1-0 pitch and doubled to advance Rusty Hall to third base. Ronnie Arrington then let veteran John Paulsen pinch-hit for Lionel Lyon. Paulsen’s grounder between third base and shortstop slipped through. Finally, Rusty Hall and George Singleton scored due to a throwing error. Unfortunately, Alfred Gilling’s flyball to right field ended the inning, but the Brewers prevented elimination.
Stephen Millington stayed on the mount and quickly stopped Brooklyn’s attempts to avoid extra-innings. Brooklyn’s Leslie Benney let Ramsden, Millington, and Rylance ground out in the top of the tenth inning. The same Benney got on base with a single. Bosshart bunted to help advance Benney to second. Next, Arrington, Millington, and Ayscue had a little argument about whether or not Audie Blennerhassett should be walked which then happened. Mick Samuelson grounded out to first base with runners on first and second base, but there was no chance for a double-play. The final at-bat was John Bawden’s. He swung at the first pitch, singled into right field, and brought Benney home.
A New Spirit in Philadelphia
Overall, 1902 was successful. The team resided at the top of the division for 98 straight games, qualified for the postseason with a big lead, stabilized the defense, and breathed new life into Boeselager Stadium. An average of 7,905 people attended the games—roughly 2,000 more than in 1901.
Everyone in Philadelphia is looking forward to next season and if the team can improve once more to reclaim the Legacy Baseball League throne.