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| − | The '''Louisville Grays''' were a 19th century U.S. [[baseball]] team and charter member of the [[19th century National League teams|National League]], based in Louisville, Kentucky. They played two seasons, 1876 and 1877, and compiled a record of 65–61. |
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| − | The Grays were undone by [[major league baseball]]'s first gambling scandal. The team was in first place in August 1877, then suddenly lost seven games and tied one against the [[Atlanta Braves|Boston Red Stockings]] and [[Hartford Dark Blues]]. Boston ended up winning the [[pennant]], seven games ahead of the second-place Grays. (See the linked standings and game logs.) |
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| − | Team president [[Charles E. Chase]] received two anonymous telegrams. One noted that gamblers were favoring the less talented Hartford team in an upcoming series. The second telegram predicted Louisville would [[Match fixing|throw]] the next game versus Hartford on August 21. {{fact}} The Grays committed a number of suspicious errors and lost that game 7–0. League president [[William Hulbert]] investigated and ordered players to authorize Western Union to release all telegrams sent or received during the 1877 season. All players complied except [[shortstop]] [[Bill Craver]], the team's captain. |
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| − | The telegrams indicated that [[pitcher]] [[Jim Devlin]], [[left fielder]] [[George Hall]], and utility player [[Al Nichols]] intentionally lost games in exchange for money. No direct evidence was found implicating Craver. All four were banned from baseball for life, Craver for refusing to comply with the investigation. |
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| − | Devlin pitched every inning in 1877; technically, he may have been baseball's most valuable player. Hall played every inning in left field; he was a good batter, the 1876 home run "champion" with five. The original St Louis Brown Stockings had signed Devlin and Hall for 1878 and went out of business with the Grays after the investigation. {{fact}} |
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| − | ==External links== |
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| − | *1877 data at Retrosheet |
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| − | **[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/VLS101877.htm Louisville game log] |
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| − | **[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/08131877.htm NL standings when Louisville traveled to New England] |
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| − | **[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/Y_1877.htm NL final standings] |
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| − | [[Category:Defunct Major League Baseball teams]] |
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Revision as of 22:38, 23 March 2007
Roll with it baby!